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AP International NewsBrief at 4:22 p.m. EST
(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Greek premier defends bailout deal, painful cutsATHENS, Greece (AP) _ Warning of a "catastrophe" that would leave Greeks subsisting on food stamps and the country wallowing in bankruptcy, Greek leaders urged lawmakers Saturday to pass more painful spending cuts on the eve of a crucial vote to qualify for a massive bailout. In a televised address Saturday, Prime Minister Lucas Papademos defended the austerity measures, which would earn the country a (EURO)130 billion ($171.6 billion) bailout deal and stave off bankruptcy.
Iraqi dissidents form new oppositionBAGHDAD (AP) _ A group of political dissidents created a new Iraqi opposition party Saturday, vowing to act as a check on the government as the prime minister warned that a push for regional autonomy could tear the country apart. About 45 activists announced the creation of the Union of Patriotic Figures and described it as a secular political group of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds from about 27 mostly minor Iraqi parties.
Guatemala prez to propose legalizing drugsGUATEMALA CITY (AP) _ Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina said Saturday he will propose legalizing drugs in Central America in an upcoming meeting with the region's leaders. Perez Molina said in a radio interview that his proposal would include decriminalizing the transportation of drugs through the area.
Syrian army general assassinated in DamascusBEIRUT (AP) _ Gunmen assassinated an army general in Damascus Saturday in the first killing of a high ranking military officer in the Syrian capital since the uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime began in March, the country's state-run news agency said. The attack could be a sign that armed members of the opposition, who have carried out attacks on the military elsewhere in the country, are trying to step up action in the tightly controlled capital, which has been relatively quiet compared to other cities.
US general discusses crackdown with Egypt rulerCAIRO (AP) _ The United States' top general discussed an Egyptian crackdown on Western-funded pro-democracy groups with the head of the country's ruling military council on Saturday, as another two foreigners were arrested on charges of fomenting discontent on the first anniversary of Hosni Mubarak's ouster. The meeting between Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey and Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi took place as relations between the two allies have reached their lowest level in decades.
Bahrain reports: 2 American activists deportedMANAMA, Bahrain (AP) _ Bahrain deported two American women Saturday accused of aiding anti-government activists after entering on tourist visas, officials and activists said. The announcement comes amid escalating tensions ahead of the one-year anniversary of the uprising against the Gulf kingdom's rulers. The two women, identified by Bahraini authorities as Huwaida Arraf and Radhika Sainath, were ordered out of the country after being arrested at a protest in the capital Manana, said Bahrain's Information Affairs Authority. Officials offered no other details about the deportation or the two women.
Egypt: Tribesmen release Korean tourists in SinaiAL-ARISH, Egypt (AP) _ (AP) _ Three South Korean women were freed on Saturday a day after they were kidnapped by armed tribesmen in Egypt's Sinai peninsula when clan elders negotiated their release, a security official said. The head of security in South Sinai Maj. Gen. Mohammed Naguib said that the three women and their Egyptian tour guide were kidnapped on Friday by tribesmen wanting to pressure Egyptian authorities to release their detained relatives.
Iran: 30 million lose email accessTEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ An Iranian news agency reports that more than 30 million people in the country have lost access to foreign email services such as Gmail, Yahoo mail and Hotmail. The Saturday report by the semiofficial Mehr agency says that the authorities in the national telecommunications company declined to comment on the outage that began Thursday, saying that it had no connection to them.
As Syria burns, neighboring Lebanon feels the heatBEIRUT (AP) _ The tensions between the two neighborhoods were building for days in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli. On one side live Sunni Muslims who hate the Syrian regime. On the hill above are members of the Alawite sect, Bashar Assad's strongest backers. Overnight, the tempers exploded. For hours, gunmen in the two districts traded automatic weapons fire and volleys of rocket-propelled grenades across the avenue that divides them, ironically named Syria Street.
Haiti 'Baby Doc' case spurs claim of gov't swayPORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) _ Before President Michel Martelly took office in May 2011, Haiti's top prosecutor had recommended that former strongman Jean-Claude Duvalier face trial for the abuses associated with his 15-year rule. But when the judge released an order last week, it recommended that Duvalier be indicted for only financial crimes. The former "president for life" could receive no more than five years if convicted instead of life in prison on more serious crimes.
(c) 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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