ISTANBUL (AP) ― Syria’s opposition coalition early Tuesday elected an American-educated IT manager and Islamic activist to head an interim government to administer the areas seized by rebel forces from the forces of President Bashar Assad. Ghassan Hitto received 35 votes out of 48 ballots cast by the opposition Syrian National Coalition’s 63 active members during a meeting in Istanbul. The results were read aloud by coalition member Hisham Marwa to applause from a few dozen of his colleagues who

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) ― U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon led international appeals Monday for major powers to make concessions to secure a landmark conventional arms trade treaty, as final negotiations started.The 193 U.N. members have until March 28 to conclude an accord on the $80 billion a year trade in small arms, tanks, warships, combat aircraft, ammunition and missile launchers.“The absence of the rule of law in the conventional arms trade defies explanation,” Ban said at the opening of negotiations

VATICAN CITY (AFP) ― Pope Francis swept into St. Peter’s Square on Tuesday to greet throngs of pilgrims before a sumptuous ceremony in which Latin America’s first pontiff will receive the formal symbols of papal power.Wearing his papal whites and standing in middle of an open-topped vehicle, the pope waved, smiled and gave the thumbs-up to the ecstatic crowds in the sun-drenched square.The crowds had begun gathering from the early morning for a ceremony laden with centuries-old rituals and lavis

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Former U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who may be eyeing a run in the 2016 presidential election, came off the sidelines Monday and announced her support for gay marriage.While Clinton pushed gay, lesbian and transgender rights during her four-year tenure as America’s top diplomat, considering them human rights, she had not until now advocated for same-sex marriage.“LGBT Americans are our colleagues, our teachers, our soldiers, our friends, our loved ones. And they ar

Pope Francis swept into St Peter's Square on Tuesday to greet throngs of pilgrims before a sumptuous ceremony in which Latin America's first pontiff will receive the formal symbols of papal power.Wearing his papal whites and standing in middle of an open-topped vehicle, the pope waved, smiled and gave the thumbs-up to the ecstatic crowds in the sun-drenched square.The crowds had begun gathering from the early morning for a ceremony laden with centuries-old rituals and lavish imagery, which will

An image capture of a Moroccan actor who played the role of Satan in an American TV series is going viral for his resemblance to U.S. President Barack Obama.Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni appeared in Sunday’s episode of the History Channel’s widely popular “The Bible” and many Twitter users noticed the actor’s strong resemblance to the president. U.S. radio host Glenn Beck tweeted: “Anyone else think the Devil in #TheBible Sunday on History Channel looks exactly like That Guy?” while another Twitter use

“Die Hard” director John McTiernan has until April 3 to surrender himself to serve a prison term handed down for lying to FBI agents, according to the Hollywood Reporter on Monday.McTiernan, whose films also include “The Hunt for Red October” and “The Thomas Crown Affair,” was sentenced to 12 months in jail and fined $100,000 in 2010 for making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).But he stayed free pending appeals in the case, which stems from his hiring a private inves

STOCKHOLM (AP) ― China has bypassed Britain as the world’s fifth-largest arms exporter, a Swedish think-tank said Monday.The volume of Chinese weapons exports rose by 162 percent in the five years 2008-2012, compared to the previous five-year period, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said in its report. That means China’s share of all international arms exports increased to 5 percent from 2 percent, and the country climbed to fifth from eighth in the rankings.The largest buyer