· Syrian forces shell Homs ahead of Arab meeting (Reuters)
Reuters - Syrian forces bombarded districts of the city of Homs in their drive to crush a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, ahead of a meeting of Arab foreign ministers due to discuss setting up a joint observer mission with the United Nations.
· It's bailout or chaos, PM Papademos tells Greece (Reuters)
Reuters - Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos has told lawmakers to back a deeply unpopular international financial rescue in a vote Sunday or condemn the country to "uncontrolled economic chaos and social explosion."
· Libya wants Gaddafi son extradited, Niger balks (Reuters)
Reuters - Libya urged Niger on Saturday to extradite Muammar Gaddafi's son Saadi, saying his call for Libyans to prepare for a "coming uprising" threatened bilateral ties.
· Pressure builds for probe into Maldives' crisis (Reuters)
Reuters - New Maldives President Mohamed Waheed Hussain Manik said on Saturday he was open to an inquiry into how he took office after his predecessor said he had been forced out in a coup.
· British police arrest five at Murdoch's Sun newspaper (Reuters)
Reuters - British police threw Rupert Murdoch's scandal-hit News Corporation into fresh turmoil on Saturday by arresting five senior staff at the top-selling daily The Sun in a probe into journalists paying police for tip-offs.
· European Budgets Cut Back on Green Solar and Wind Energy (Time.com)
Time.com - In Europe, budget tightening has forced governments to cut back on green-energy projects. Can the solar and wind industries survive without hefty subsidies?
· Staff at The Sun tabloid arrested in bribe inquiry (AP)
AP - Britain's biggest-selling newspaper was fighting to contain the damage after five employees at The Sun tabloid were arrested Saturday in an inquiry into the alleged payment of bribes to police and other officials.
· Iraqi dissidents form new opposition (AP)

U.S. Marine Sergeant Michael Kidd works on a computer at ECPI University in Virginia Beach, Virginia, February 7, 2012. Cyberspace was a hobby for Kidd before he joined the Marines in 2003, but he hopes to make it his new battlefield after suffering debilitating injuries in Iraq. At the naval air station in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the 26-year-old from Williamsburg is retraining to fight cyber threats, one of a number of wounded warriors transitioning to non-traditional combat fields in order to continue serving the United States' defense needs. Picture taken February 7, 2012. REUTERS/Samantha Sais (UNITED STATES - Tags: MILITARY EDUCATION)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.



· Oil spill fouls river in eastern Venezuela (AP)

In this photo taken Tuesday Feb. 7, 2012, workers set up barriers to contain the oil spill in the Guarapiche River near Maturin, Venezuela. Crude oil that spilled from a ruptured pipeline blackened the river in eastern Venezuela. Workers have removed a 'good percentage of the crude' from the Guarapiche River said Ramiro Ramirez, environmental director of state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA. (AP Photo/ Luis Carreno/ La Prensa de Monagas)AP - Crude oil that spilled from a ruptured pipeline has blackened a river in eastern Venezuela, and the state oil company said workers are containing the spill.



· Egypt detains Australian journalist, U.S. student (Reuters)
Reuters - Egyptian authorities have detained an Australian journalist and an American student on suspicion they had distributed cash to workers and incited them to take part in a strike demanding an end to army rule, the state news agency said.
· Turkish prosecutor removed amid spy agency row (Reuters)
Reuters - Turkey's state prosecution service has removed a prosecutor responsible for summoning the head of the spy agency from the case, state media said on Saturday, in an apparent attempt to resolve a row between the government and the judiciary.
· Air Canada posts bigger than expected loss (Reuters)
Reuters - Struggling with higher fuel and maintenance costs, Air Canada reported a bigger than expected quarterly loss on Thursday, disappointing investors in the wake of strong performances from fellow Canadian and U.S. airlines.
· Gov't: Building toppled by NZ quake substandard (AP)

FILE - In this Feb. 24, 2011 file photo, recovery operation personnel work on the destroyed CTV building in Christchurch, New Zealand after the city was hit by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake on Feb. 22, 2011. New Zealand's Department of Building and Housing finds in a report released Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012, that the CTV building didn't meet minimum requirements when it was first constructed in 1986. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith, File)AP - A six-story building that collapsed and killed 115 people in last year's New Zealand earthquake was made of weak columns and concrete and did not meet standards when it was built, the government said Thursday.



· A model to save newspapers: Where paywalls actually work (The Christian Science Monitor)
The Christian Science Monitor - As news organizations worldwide wonder if they can charge for content that readers are accustomed to getting free of charge, two Eastern European countries have pioneered a new model: erecting national paywalls and charging a monthly fee for access to most of their newspapers.
· Greeks Facing Austerity: A Return from Euro to Drachma? (Time.com)
Time.com - Some Greeks speak fondly of the old currency, but almost everyone knows that a return to it would mean immediate poverty -- and the resurrection of a venal kind of politics
· Syrian general gunned down in Damascus (The Christian Science Monitor)
The Christian Science Monitor - Gunmen assassinated an army general in Damascus on 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 state-run news agency said.