AP International NewsBrief at 4:54 p.m. EST

Suffering deepens in bombarded Syrian city of Homs

BEIRUT (AP) — Between blasts of rockets and mortar fire, Syrians used loudspeakers to call for blood donations and medical supplies Thursday in the stricken city of Homs, where a weeklong government offensive has created a deepening humanitarian crisis. Government forces are trying to crush pockets of violent resistance in Homs, the epicenter of an 11-month-old uprising that has brought the country ever closer to civil war. The intense shelling in restive neighborhoods such as Baba Amr has made it difficult to get medicine and care to the wounded, and some areas have been without electricity for days, activists say.

German FinMin warns on Greek bailout deal

BRUSSELS — (AP) Hours after Greece made the unpopular decision to slash government spending in an attempt to ease its debt crisis, Germany's finance minister questioned whether the deal goes far enough to earn a crucial (EURO)130 billion bailout. Greece's new austerity plan would make deep cuts to wages and public-sector jobs and it ignited fresh criticism from unions and the country's deputy labor minister, who resigned in protest. But finance ministers from the other 16 countries that use the euro at a meeting in Brussels to scrutinize the deal indicated that even those painful steps may not be enough to get Greece's economy back on track.

Police issue warrant for ex Maldives president

MALE, Maldives (AP) — A court in the Maldives issued an arrest warrant Thursday for former President Mohamed Nasheed, one day after his supporters rampaged in the capital and his claim of being ousted in a coup left unclear the stability of the fledging Indian Ocean democracy. Police spokesman Abdul Mannan Yusuf refused to disclose the grounds for the criminal court's warrant, or say when Nasheed — who is living at his Male home, surrounded by supporters — would be arrested. Later, Police Commissioner Abdullah Riaz said it was not clear if the warrant was constitutional. He declined to provide details, but said the warrant's legality was still being examined.

Famous Spain judge convicted of misusing authority

MADRID (AP) — The superstar Spanish judge who won global fame for aggressively taking on international human rights cases was convicted Thursday of overstepping his jurisdiction in a domestic corruption probe and barred from the bench for 11 years, marking a spectacular fall from grace for one of the nation's most prominent citizens. Baltasar Garzon was unanimously convicted by a seven-judge panel of the Supreme Court. Because he is 56, the punishment could end his Spanish judicial career. Hours after the verdict, hundreds of Garzon supporters braved freezing weather in Madrid's central Sol plaza shouting "Shame! Shame!" in protest.

Brazil: Rio police holding strike vote

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Police are threatening a strike that could prompt violence during this tropical city's popular Carnival bash in spite of government approval Thursday of a police pay raise. A measure approved by Rio's legislature gave state security officers, which include prison guards, firefighters, civil and police, a staggered, 39 percent raise divided between this year and the next, along with a promise of more in 2014.

On thin ice, and a long course, with the Dutch

HINDELOOPEN, Netherlands (AP) — As I lace up my ice skates while sitting on the banks of the Zijlroade river Thursday, grizzled men old enough to be my father glide past me, leaning into the bone-chilling wind and effortlessly propelling themselves across the frozen surface. I drop down onto the ice and flail my arms to get balanced. Surely my feet can't be hurting already. But it's been years since I've done a serious skating run, and this one, well ...

Mexican army finds 15 tons of pure methamphetamine

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — The historic seizure of 15 tons of pure methamphetamine in western Mexico, equal to half of all meth seizures worldwide in 2009, feeds growing speculation that the country could become a world platform for meth production, not just a supplier to the United States. The sheer scale of the bust announced late Wednesday in Jalisco state suggests involvement of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, a major international trafficker of cocaine and marijuana that has moved into meth production and manufacturing on an industrial scale.

Guerlain perfume heir accused of racism in trial

PARIS (AP) — An heir to the Guerlain perfume empire went on trial Thursday in Paris on charges he made racist insults on national television. Jean-Paul Guerlain faces up to six months in prison and a maximum fine of (EURO)22,500 ($29,900) if convicted.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood wants government sacked

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood called Thursday on the ruling generals to sack the military-appointed government, saying it has failed to manage the deteriorating security and economic situation in the country. The Islamic fundamentalist Brotherhood controls nearly 50 percent of the seats in the new parliament, by far the single largest bloc to emerge from Egypt's freest and fairest elections in decades. Brotherhood spokesman Mahmoud Ghozlan said the military should appoint a Brotherhood representative as prime minister, who would then form a new government.

Mexico City modern metro meets ancient Aztec life

MEXICO CITY (AP) — After two hours' grueling drive southeast from the center of Mexico City, through paralyzing traffic jams and clouds of throat-burning smog, the bleached-white haze of air pollution gives way to pale-blue sky. In a flat-bottomed boat tied to a willow tree, Crispin Matteos Galicia hauls up sediment in a plastic bucket to fertilize squash seedlings for his chinampa, an island farm built in the shallow waters flowing from the Lake of the Aztec Kings.