Top story: Following two vetoes by Russia and China of U.N. Security Council resolutions condemning the Syrian regime's crackdown, France and the United States are now drafting a resolution to provide access for humanitarian aid workers to besieged Syrian towns and call for an end to violence in the country.
On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi signaled possible support for such a measure by telling the head of the Arab League that the international community should "extend humanitarian aid to Syria" while also calling for "political dialogue" and "all sides to cease violence." U.N. diplomats tell Reuters that Russia might also support a resolution that focuses on the humanitarian crisis and makes no mention of the political situation.
As Syrian troops launch a ground attack on the flashpoint city of Homs, the United Nations estimates that 7,500 civilians have been killed in the conflict and that the death toll now exceeds 100 civilians a day. The Syrian government says around 2,500 civilians have died and that "armed gangs and terrorists" have killed more than 1,000 members of the security forces, according to the BBC.
U.S. election: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney decisively won a primary in Arizona and narrowly defeated Rick Santorum in Michigan, solidifying his frontrunner status ahead of Super Tuesday contests next week.
Middle East
- Egyptian security officials claim they've detained senior al Qaeda commander Saif al-Adel at Cairo International Airport.
- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reports that the United States and Egypt are engaged in "intensive discussions" over ending the criminal prosecution of NGO workers.
- Iran's foreign minister labeled the production of nuclear weapons a "great sin," as the country announced that it will accept gold instead of dollars from its trading partners in response to Western sanctions.
Europe
- The European Central Bank has offered €530 billion of low-interest loans to 800 banks across the European Union.
- Belarus warned of an "escalation of tensions" with the European Union over the bloc's decision to withdraw member ambassadors from the country out of concern about human rights violations.
- The French Constitutional Council struck down a draft law criminalizing the denial of an Armenian genocide, as French President Nicolas Sarkozy vowed to draft a new law.
Americas
- Interpol arrested 25 Anonymous members in Europe and South America who are suspected of launching cyberattacks against targets such as Colombia's defense ministry and a Chilean electricity company.
- Guatemala extradited the country's top drug trafficker to the United States, where he faces a life sentence if convicted.
- Venezuela's vice president says that President Hugo Chavez is in "good physical shape" after undergoing cancer surgery in Cuba.
Asia
- Clashes in a town in Western China populated mostly by Uighurs killed 20 people.
- Indian National Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has left India for a medical checkup, fueling speculation about her health.
- The officers of a ship that struck a reef in New Zealand have pleaded guilty to causing the country's worst environmental disaster in decades.
Africa
- Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade has accepted an election run-off, but official results from Sunday's divisive contest have yet to be released.
- Planes are picking up passengers from the crippled Costa Allegra cruise ship, which is now in the Seychelles.
- A carpenter has reportedly been arrested in Zimbabwe for wondering aloud at a bar whether President Robert Mugabe had the strength to blow up balloons at his 88th birthday celebrations.
Gianluigi Guercia/AFP/Getty Images
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