Syria yet to send "clear signal" on peace: U.N. chief

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• Syria yet to send "clear signal" on peace: U.N. chief
• India tests long-range missile; capable of reaching China
• At least 24 killed in series of blasts in Iraq
• Japan near to announcing Myanmar loans restart: source
• Too early to tell on North Korean leader: Clinton
• Analysis: Sarkozy's last best hopes to get off the ropes
• EU states agree in principle to suspend Myanmar sanctions: diplomats
• Norway's mass killer demands acquittal or death
• Libya insists on Gaddafi son trial as ICC visits
• Yemeni army kills seven Islamists in south
• Blasts in Baghdad, northern Iraqi cities kill 23
• India tests nuke-capable missile able to hit China
• Spain takes center stage with crucial bond auction
• Recent Indonesia quake added pressure to key fault
• Iran army ready for action on disputed Gulf island
• NATO, Russia mull closer cooperation in Afghan war
• Sirens wail in Israel in tribute to Nazis' victims
• Experts: NKorea missile carrier likely from China
• Activists report clashes in eastern Syria
• Tobacco giants fight Australia over labeling law

Syria yet to send "clear signal" on peace: U.N. chief Posted: UNITED NATIONS/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria has not fully withdrawn troops and heavy weapons from towns, so far failing to send a "clear signal" about its commitment to peace, the U.N. chief said, underlining Western fears over the prospects for a week-old truce. In the first progress report since the Security Council passed a resolution on Saturday authorizing the deployment of observers, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon proposed an expanded mission of 300 personnel to monitor a shaky ceasefire between forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and opposition fighters. ...

India tests long-range missile; capable of reaching China Posted: BHUBANESWAR, India (Reuters) - India test-fired a long range missile capable of reaching deep into China and Europe on Thursday, thrusting the emerging Asian power into an elite club of nations with intercontinental nuclear weapons capabilities. A scientist at the launch site said the launch was successful, minutes after television images showed the rocket with a range of more than 5,000 km (3,100 miles) blasting through clouds from an island off India's east coast. "It has met all the mission objectives," S.P.Dash, director of the test range, told Reuters. ...

At least 24 killed in series of blasts in Iraq Posted: BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 24 people were killed and dozens wounded when more than 10 car and roadside bombs, mostly targeting security forces, exploded around Iraq on Thursday, police and hospital sources said. The biggest attack took place in the northern oil city of Kirkuk, where two car bombs aimed at city centre police patrols killed four people and wounded 24, police and hospital sources said. "I was trying to stop traffic to let a police patrol pass. ...

Japan near to announcing Myanmar loans restart: source Posted: TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is likely announce at the weekend that it is ready to resume making development loans to Myanmar, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said, a move that would support Myanmar's nascent democracy and help pay for much-needed infrastructure upgrades. The two countries are in the final stages of talks to work out how Myanmar will repay at least part of its outstanding debt to Japan, a precondition for new loans, and the source said he expects an agreement to be reached in time for a regional summit in Tokyo on Saturday. ...

Too early to tell on North Korean leader: Clinton Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered some hope on Wednesday that North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong-un, may yet change course despite the reclusive Communist state's recent rocket launch and the threat of a new nuclear test. In an interview with CNN's "The Situation Room," Clinton said it was too early to tell what to make of the surprise remarks to soldiers on Sunday by the youngest son of the late Kim Jong-il, who saw North Korea fall into deep poverty and developed a nuclear weapons program during his 17-year rule. ...

Analysis: Sarkozy's last best hopes to get off the ropes Posted: PARIS (Reuters) - Behind on points, conservative French President Nicolas Sarkozy's last best hopes of re-election are landing a knockout punch in the sole television debate or an eleventh-hour alliance with a popular centrist. No president in French history has come back to win after trailing as far behind his opponent in the opinion polls as Sarkozy does now to Socialist challenger Francois Hollande, political scientist Dominique Reynie said. But veteran analysts are not writing him off just yet. ...

EU states agree in principle to suspend Myanmar sanctions: diplomats Posted: BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union governments have reached a preliminary agreement to suspend most EU sanctions against Myanmar, in recognition of political and economic reforms after decades of military dictatorship, diplomats said. The decision, taken by envoys of EU governments to Brussels late on Wednesday, will have to be approved formally by foreign ministers at a meeting in Luxembourg on April 23, before it can take effect. "There is now agreement in principle (on) ... a suspension of all sanctions, except for the arms embargo," one EU diplomat said, speaking on condition of ...

Norway's mass killer demands acquittal or death Posted: OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian anti-Islamic fanatic Anders Behring Breivik said on Wednesday he should be executed or acquitted after killing 77 people last summer in what he said was a battle to defend Europe against mass immigration. "There are only two just outcomes to this case -- acquittal or the death penalty," the 33-year-old said, calling the prospect of a prison sentence "pathetic". Norway has no death penalty and formal sentencing cannot exceed 21 years, though Breivik could be held the rest of his life if he is judged to pose a continuing danger. ...

Libya insists on Gaddafi son trial as ICC visits Posted: TRIPOLI (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor met Libyan officials in Tripoli on Wednesday where they reiterated that Muammar Gaddafi's detained son would be tried at home, despite calls by the Hague-based court to hand him over. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Saif al-Islam last year, after prosecutors accused him and others of involvement in the killing of protesters during the revolt that eventually toppled his father. ...

Yemeni army kills seven Islamists in south Posted: ADEN (Reuters) - At least seven Islamist militants were killed near the southern Yemeni city of Lawdar on Thursday in clashes between government forces and an al Qaeda-linked group, a local official told Reuters. The impoverished country slipped into a state of chaos after the outbreak of protests a little over a year ago that culminated in the ousting of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh under a deal brokered by Yemen's rich Gulf neighbors. A defense ministry news service said in a text message that four of the militants, members of Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), were Somalis. ...

Blasts in Baghdad, northern Iraqi cities kill 23 Posted: A wave of morning bombings killed 23 Iraqis across several cities on Thursday, shattering weeks of calm in a reminder of the nation's continued insurgency.

India tests nuke-capable missile able to hit China Posted: India announced Thursday that it had successfully test launched a new nuclear-capable missile that would give it, for the first time, the capability of striking the major Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai.

Spain takes center stage with crucial bond auction Posted: Spain will be in the spotlight later Thursday when it auctions up to €2.5 billion ($3.3 billion) of its bonds, in a key test of investor confidence in the government's plans to get a handle on its debts.

Recent Indonesia quake added pressure to key fault Posted: Seismologists say last week's powerful earthquake off western Indonesia increased pressure on the source of the devastating 2004 tsunami: a fault that could unleash another monster wave sometime in the next few decades.

Iran army ready for action on disputed Gulf island Posted: Iran's ground forces commander warned that should diplomacy fail, the military is ready for action over a disputed Gulf island controlled by Iran but also claimed by the United Arab Emirates, state TV reported Thursday.

NATO, Russia mull closer cooperation in Afghan war Posted: NATO and Russia on Thursday discussed a plan to give the alliance a new logistics facility on Russian territory for the transfer of military cargo to and from Afghanistan, diplomats said.

Sirens wail in Israel in tribute to Nazis' victims Posted: The wail of air raid sirens sounded across Israel on Thursday, signaling the country to come to a standstill in tribute to 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust.

Experts: NKorea missile carrier likely from China Posted: The enormous, 16-wheel truck that North Korea used to carry a missile during a recent parade likely came from China in a possible violation of UN sanctions meant to rein in Pyongyang's missile program, experts say.

Activists report clashes in eastern Syria Posted: A Syrian activist group says clashes between troops and army defectors in an eastern city have left at least one person dead.

Tobacco giants fight Australia over labeling law Posted: Tobacco companies accused the Australian government of destroying the value of their trademarks by forcing them to strip logos off cigarette packs as a court battle over the world's toughest laws on cigarette promotion drew to a close Thursday.

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