Assad forces try to bomb Homs into submission (Reuters) - Wed, 22 Feb 2012

Reuters - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces rained rockets and bombs down on opposition-held neighborhoods of the city of Homs on Wednesday, reducing buildings to rubble and killing more than 80 people, including two Western journalists.

U.S., French journalists killed in Syria (Reuters) - Wed, 22 Feb 2012
Reuters - American correspondent Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik were killed in the besieged Syrian city of Homs on Wednesday when rockets fired by government forces hit the house they were staying in, opposition activists and witnesses said.

Karzai urges calm as six die in Afghan Koran protests (Reuters) - Wed, 22 Feb 2012

Reuters - Afghan President Hamid Karzai appealed for calm Wednesday after officials said six people were shot dead and dozens wounded in protests over the burning of copies of the Koran, Islam's holy book, at NATO's main base in the country.

Libya court orders civil trial for Gaddafi "loyalists" (Reuters) - Wed, 22 Feb 2012
Reuters - A Libyan military court ruled on Wednesday that 50 people accused of fighting for Muammar Gaddafi and helping a mass jail break by alleged supporters of the deposed leader should be freed and tried instead in a civilian court.

Chavez surgery unsettles Venezuela ahead of election (Reuters) - Wed, 22 Feb 2012

Reuters - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's election rival wished him a fast recovery on Wednesday while allies closed ranks behind the "comandante" whose announcement of new surgery in Cuba revived doubts over his future.

Grasping at Straws: The Syrian Opposition Appeals to Russia (Time.com) - Wed, 22 Feb 2012
Time.com - In the face of continuing bloodshed in their homeland, one anti-Assad group courts the regime's allies in the Syrian business community and Moscow. Is it all in vain?

Lithuanian archive releases KGB collaborator names (AP) - Wed, 22 Feb 2012
AP - Lithuania's government has released the names of 238 citizens who admitted collaborating with the KGB when their country was ruled by the Soviet Union, and said Wednesday it plans to identify other people who have refused to disclose their work with the security agency.

Iraqi PM: Al-Qaida active in area south of Baghdad (AP) - Wed, 22 Feb 2012

AP - Iraq's prime minister says al-Qaida fighters are continuing to plan and launch attacks in the area south of Baghdad once known as the "triangle of death."

Argentine train slams into station, killing 49 (AP) - Wed, 22 Feb 2012
AP - A packed train slammed into the end of the line in Buenos Aires' busy Once station Wednesday, killing 49 people and injuring hundreds of morning commuters as passenger cars crumpled behind the engine. It was Argentina's worst train accident in decades.