After UN veto, US floats coalition on Syria
BEIRUT (AP) -- The United States proposed an international coalition to support Syria's opposition Sunday after Russia and China blocked a U.N. attempt to end nearly 11 months of bloodshed, raising fears that violence will escalate. Rebel soldiers said force was now the only way to oust President Bashar Assad, while the regime vowed to press its military crackdown....

Finnish former minister leads presidential vote
HELSINKI (AP) -- A conservative former finance minister took a commanding lead in Finland's presidential election Sunday, winning 65 percent of early ballots, according to official results....

Egypt sends 43 NGO workers to trial over funds
CAIRO (AP) -- Ignoring a stern U.S. threat, Egypt on Sunday referred 43 NGO workers, including 19 Americans, to trial before a criminal court for allegedly using illegal foreign funds to foment unrest....

Israeli premier to visit US to address lobby
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office says he will visit the U.S. next month for the annual conference of AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby....

HRW calls for Palestinian residency rights
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- A Gaza-born woman recently sneaked into her native land through a smugglers' tunnel because the legal route was blocked. A car mechanic who settled in the West Bank 15 years ago to raise a family lives in fear of deportation because his ID card says he's originally from Gaza....

US, Australian filmmakers die in helicopter crash
SYDNEY (AP) -- Award-winning American cinematographer Mike deGruy and Australian television writer-producer Andrew Wight have died in a helicopter crash in eastern Australia, their employer National Geographic said Sunday....

Israeli military appoints new air force chief
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel's military has picked a new air force chief at a time of growing tension with Iran....

Nigeria oil line on fire; militants claim attack
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) -- An Eni SpA oil pipeline ruptured and caught fire as a militant group claimed responsibility for an attack in the region, their first alleged assault in months as its purported leader awaits trial on terrorism charges in South Africa....

Iran vows to hit any country that stages attack
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran will target any country where an attack against it is staged, a senior Guard commander warned Sunday, the latest Iranian threat tied to growing tensions over its nuclear program and Western sanctions....

Russia's unlikely protest song rocks rally
MOSCOW (AP) -- The most popular protest song in Moscow today comes from burly men in blue berets, unlikely heroes of a peaceful middle-class movement challenging the strongman rule of Vladimir Putin....