Comic campaigns for Italian default, lira: seriously

Comic campaigns for Italian default, lira: seriously
Guinea-Bissau army releases former leaders
Guinea-Bissau leaders 'released'
Eritrea rebuts rumour over leader
Romania PM loses confidence vote
Elite Afghan Soldier Kills Coalition Comrade
Dutch Plan to Restrict Marijuana Passes Hurdle
China dissident 'in US embassy'
Bissau president and ex-premier freed by soldiers
House Rejects Increase in Student Loan Rates
Judge Refuses to Increase Zimmerman’s Bail in Martin Case
Suicide Attack Kills 9 Near Damascus as Ceasefire Erodes
News Analysis: Spain, Pursuing Austerity, Still Waits for the Payoff
Mali junta rejects West African troop deployment
At War Blog: At Parris Island, Basic Training Pulls Lessons From Marines' Real-World Lapses
Netherlands could pass some budget cuts before Sept poll: finance minister
China dissident 'in US embassy'
VIDEO: Ukraine blasts injure at least 27
Clashes in Bahrain as police block protest march
Guantanamo 9/11 arraignments to be broadcast

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 01:32 PM PDT

ROME (Reuters) - An Italian comic who is campaigning for local elections riding a wave of discontent among voters says the solution to the economic crisis is default on the country's enormous debt and a return to the lira.

Guinea-Bissau army releases former leaders

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 01:21 PM PDT

Both men freed after West African regional bloc announced it would deploy forces to troubled West African nation.

Guinea-Bissau leaders 'released'

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 01:22 PM PDT

Troops in the West African country of Guinea-Bissau reportedly agree to free the interim president and ex-prime minister seized in a coup.

Eritrea rebuts rumour over leader

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 11:40 AM PDT

The Eritrean government denies persistent rumours that President Isaias Afewerki is dead, telling the BBC he is in 'robust health'.

Romania PM loses confidence vote

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 10:36 AM PDT

Romania's government is unseated in a no-confidence vote, just two months after taking office.

Elite Afghan Soldier Kills Coalition Comrade

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 01:06 PM PDT

An Afghan special forces soldier opened fire on a group of coalition soldiers this week, killing one, the first time a member of an elite unit has been involved in a recent spate of attacks.

Dutch Plan to Restrict Marijuana Passes Hurdle

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 12:55 PM PDT

A court in The Hague dismissed a lawsuit by shop owners fighting a plan to ban marijuana purchases by foreigners.

China dissident 'in US embassy'

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 12:11 PM PDT

China dissident Chen Guangcheng has fled to the US embassy in Beijing after a dramatic escape from house arrest, says fellow activist Hu Jia.

Bissau president and ex-premier freed by soldiers

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 12:44 PM PDT

BISSAU (Reuters) - Soldiers in Guinea-Bissau have released the country's interim president and leading presidential candidate after seizing them in an April 12 coup, local media and a minister in Ivory Coast said on Friday.

House Rejects Increase in Student Loan Rates

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 12:37 PM PDT

After a fiery appeal from Speaker John A. Boehner, the House, in a challenge to President Obama, voted to prevent a doubling of student loan rates.

Judge Refuses to Increase Zimmerman’s Bail in Martin Case

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 10:59 AM PDT

A judge on Friday denied a prosecutor's request to bar lawyers from making public comments in the case of George Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Trayvon Martin.

Suicide Attack Kills 9 Near Damascus as Ceasefire Erodes

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 01:10 PM PDT

A suicide bomber attacked a group of Syrian security forces as state media reported at least two other bombings around the capital.

News Analysis: Spain, Pursuing Austerity, Still Waits for the Payoff

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 12:59 PM PDT

Stringent fiscal policy has failed to attract foreign bond investors to Greece, Ireland and Portugal, and the approach is now being severely tested in Spain.

Mali junta rejects West African troop deployment

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 12:25 PM PDT

DAKAR (Reuters) - Mali's junta said on Friday it would resist any deployment of West African soldiers in the country and treat foreign forces sent there under a regional plan as "the enemy".

At War Blog: At Parris Island, Basic Training Pulls Lessons From Marines' Real-World Lapses

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 12:04 PM PDT

Marine drill instructors at Parris Island incorporate real-world experiences, including mistakes, into ethics lessons for recruits, known as "value-based training."

Netherlands could pass some budget cuts before Sept poll: finance minister

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 12:15 PM PDT

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - The Dutch parliament may approve some of the last-minute cuts agreed on to save its budget from breaching EU rules ahead of a September 12 election, the finance minister said on Friday, protecting the country's credentials as a champion of fiscal discipline.

China dissident 'in US embassy'

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 12:11 PM PDT

China dissident Chen Guangcheng has fled to the US embassy in Beijing after a dramatic escape from house arrest, says fellow activist Hu Jia.

VIDEO: Ukraine blasts injure at least 27

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 12:09 PM PDT

At least 27 people, nine of them children, have been injured by four explosions within an hour in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk.

Clashes in Bahrain as police block protest march

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 12:01 PM PDT

DUBAI (Reuters) - Protesters trying to march to the heart of Bahrain's capital clashed with riot police on Friday, witnesses said, hours after a massive show of force by the mainstream Shi'ite Muslim opposition.