At least 41 protesters were killed today and another 120 wounded as security forces opened fire on marchers in several areas around Syria. The deaths were the highest single day toll in weeks. But so too was it the biggest march yet, with estimates that around one million Syrians took part in demonstrations nationwide. The largest rally was in Hama, where 500,000 took part in the rally. The largest... 

Yesterday’s report that the US killed eight in a combined drone and warplane attack on a Yemeni police station in the southern town of Wadyia has been dramatically revised upwards, with reports now putting the death toll at 50. Yemeni reports say that the police station, which had been taken over by an opposition faction (which controls much of that province) and some media outlets termed all 50... 

Under its leader Heinz-Christian Strache, the right-wing populist Freedom Party has become a force to be reckoned with in Austrian politics. It is currently neck and neck with the country’s two largest mainstream parties in the polls. Meanwhile the governing Social Democrats are struggling to reconnect with ordinary voters. They aren’t actually that far apart, the chancellor and his adversary... 

The false positives scandal arose during President Alvaro Uribe's campaign to crush left-wing rebels. A Colombian army colonel has admitted his unit murdered 57 civilians, then dressed them in uniforms and claimed they were rebels killed in combat. Colonel Luis Fernando Borja was sentenced to 21 years, reduced from 42 years for accepting responsibility. In a typical case in 2007, Borja admitted... 

Speaking today in Seoul, South Korea, Admiral Michael Mullen declared North Korea a ‘very real threat’ to peace, and pressed for China to move into a “leadership role” against the North Korean government. “North Korea shows no signs of relenting in pursuit of its nuclear capabilities,” insisted Mullen, who was visiting as Gen. James Thurman took over command of the 28,500 US troops in... 

Conflict and chaos in Libya: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the U.S. will recognize the rebels’ Transitional National Council, allowing them access to some frozen Libyan assets. The United States granted Libyan rebel leaders full diplomatic recognition as the governing authority of Libya on Friday, a move that could give the cash-strapped rebels access to more than $30 billion in... 

A drug cartel mass grave. Nearly 1,300 children and teenagers have died in Mexico since the beginning of the drug war in December 2006, the Network for the Rights of Children (Redim) said on Wednesday. CNN reported that the children have died as a result of the fight against organized crime that began when Felipe Calderón became president in December 2006. The 1,300 deaths represent a 3.7 percent... 

Turkish relations with the European Union “will freeze” if Cyprus takes over the EU presidency in July 2012 without a solution to the divided island, Turkey’s foreign minister said Wednesday. Ahmet Davutoglu made his comments as the European Union’s enlargement chief said in a visit to Ankara that he wanted to see “a new momentum” in Turkey’s membership process now that Turkish parliamentary... 

Belarusian policemen in plainclothes detain a man in Minsk. Police in Belarus on Wednesday beat up and arrested dozens of anti-government protesters during a banned rally in the capital of the authoritarian former Soviet nation calling for the ouster of President Alexander Lukashenko. Dozens of plainclothes police reportedly rounded up the protesters during the rally, kicking and punching them before... 

Syrian pro-democracy activists report that security forces opened fire on a demonstration in the Damascus suburb of Qatana today, killing at least 20 people, while another seven were reported killed not far from the Turkish border. The killings, if confirmed, would make today the deadliest day in over a month, as the Syrian regime has increasingly avoided massive killings that have only served to... 

As War Drags On, Growing NATO Acceptance that Bombing Won’t Produce ‘Victory’. In the latest shift by a NATO member nation about the war in Libya, the Obama Administration has today issued a statement saying it endorses the Russian efforts to mediate a ceasefire in Libya, provided it ends with Moammar Gadhafi stepping down. The move follows a pair of announcements from France over... 

Escalating its rhetoric against Bashar al-Assad, the White House declared Tuesday that the Syrian president had “lost his legitimacy” but declined to call explicitly for his resignation or removal. The statement, which echoed similar remarks by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Monday, followed what appeared to be orchestrated attacks by pro-Assad demonstrators on the U.S. and French embassy... 

The Southern Poverty Law Center included Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky in a list of “extreme right-wing” candidates in its latest Intelligence Report. The civil rights organization labeled Paul as an extremist because he said that private businesses should not have to follow the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and has criticized the Fair Housing Act. The freshman senator has also warned... 

Mayor: Mr Espinoza was one of 11 people arrested in the New Mexico raid, which follows an investigation of federal firearms and drug trafficking allegations. It’s not often you hear of a village police chief being arrested by authorities in a raid. But even more sensationally in Columbus, the mayor and a council member have also been arrested with him on drug and weapons charges. Eddie Espinoza,... 

Södertörn’s fire department, just south of Stockholm, is being sued for actively choosing to hire women and people with foreign background, according to Sveriges Radio (SR). The fire deparment’s gender and ethnicity quota became an unpleasant surprise for Simon Wallmark, who was informed that despite having trained as a firefighter, he was not encouraged to apply for a summer job, on...