• Overnight News Summaries ,
• Tags: Africa, China, Colombia, earthquake, Eastern Europe, Egypt, FARC, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Libya, Middle East, political parties, Protest, protests
• 13 Mar

KEY STORYLINES

• AFRICA: The Australian Special Air Service conducted clandestine operations in Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and Kenya.
• AMERICAS: The Salvadoran right leaning Nationalist Republican Alliance became the largest bloc in congress.
• ASIA: Arriving in Kyrgyzstan, US Defense Secretary Panetta planned talks on regional security.
• EUROPE: French far-right leader Le Pen obtained the backing required to be a presidential candidate.
• MIDDLE EAST: Israeli militants agreed to an Egypt-mediated truce with Gaza.
• TECHNOLOGY:  At South by Southwest, various news editors set up a council to address concerns over news aggregation.

TOP STORY

• Afghanistan: Student protests erupt over killing spree
• Hundreds of students protested, shouting anti-American slogans.
• The Taliban threatened US soldiers with beheading.
• US Defense Secretary Panetta indicated the death penalty is a consideration in the case.
• Experts suggested negotiation as the only remedy.
• Coverage: AP, Reuters, AP-2, AFP

AFRICA

• Region: The Sydney Morning Herald said the Special Air Service (SAS) mounted dozens of clandestine operations in Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and Kenya to gather intelligence on terrorist activities. (AFP)
• Region: Mokhtar Belmokhtar, leader of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, arrived in Libya to purchase arms. (AFP)
• Angola: Police seized the computers of the weekly paper Folha 8 after they published a photo montage of President Eduardo. (AFP)

AMERICAS

• Colombia: Two civilians died after a FARC attack on an oil convoy. (DPA)
• Colombia: Authorities arrested 14 wanted by the US for drug trafficking crimes and conspiracy to commit crimes. (Xinhua)
• El Salvador: Preliminary vote counts indicated the Nationalist Republican Alliance took over the majority in congress after the leftist party lost four seats. (AP)

ASIA

• China: The US and China held the third round of Consultations on Asia-Pacific at the US Naval Academy. (Xinhua)
• Korea, Peninsula: An ROK presidential aide raised speculation about his contact with DPRK officials during a visit to Beijing. (Kyodo)
• Kyrgyzstan: US Defense Secretary Panetta arrived in Bishkek in planned talks on regional security. (AP)

EUROPE

• Region: Croatian President Josipovic promoted cooperation between Southeastern Europe and the Caucasus region. (Xinhua)
• France: Far-right leader Le Pen obtained the backing of 500 elected officials, the requirement to be a presidential candidate. (Reuters)
• Slovakia: The parliamentary political parties vowed to hold round-table talks on 15MAR to discuss constitutional laws and European affairs. (Xinhua)

MIDDLE EAST

• Region: Iraqi PM al-Maliki rejected the notion of arming Syrian groups. (Xinhua)
• Region: Militants in Israel and Gaza agreed to a truce mediated by Egypt. (Reuters)
• Iran: FM Mehmanparast reiterated there are no nuclear activities at Parchin but the site is open to IAEA inspection. (AFP)
• Syria: UN official al-Nasser said more than 8,000 people have died in the crackdown on protests. (AFP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

• Technology: In a South by Southwest conference, a group of prominent editors established a council to address ethical aggregation rules. (Mashable)
• Technology: Regina Dugan, director of the research program DARPA, left the Defense Department and accepted a position at Google. (TechCrunch)

WORLD

• Cyclones: Nothing to report.
• Hurricanes: Nothing to report.
• Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
• Volcanoes: Nothing to report.

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (14MAR)

• China: Anniversary of riots in Tibet – 2008.
• The Gambia: Presidential election campaign begins.

END