DAMASCUS - France raised the prospect of providing Syria's rebels with defensive weapons in a conflict now said to have cost more than 39,000 lives, but Damascus ally Russia said this would violate international law. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius suggested excluding defensive weapons from the European Union arms embargo on Syria to help rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad's regime. France was the first Western country to recognise the newly formed opposition coalition as the Syrian people's sole representative, and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called on Muslim nations to follow suit. AFP
ATHENS - Demonstrators stormed a meeting of Greek and German officials in Greece's northern city of Thessaloniki and tried to attack a German diplomat in a protest over austerity measures. Police used truncheons and tear gas to disperse around 250 city workers after a few of them burst into the meeting at a conference centre. Police said protesters wanted to stop the talks, aimed at smoothing ties between Berlin and Athens. Reuters