International news in brief: Leaders to meet to discuss military action in Libya

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who is also attending, said the world must "speak with one voice" on Libya.

The resolution authorised "all necessary measures" to protect Libyans.

Despite the UN's declaration of a no-fly zone over Libya, fighter jets have been seen over the rebel-held city of Benghazi and explosions heard nearby.

The rebels said they were being forced to retreat by Muammar Gaddafi's forces, whom they said were just 12.5 miles outside Benghazi.

Earlier, US President Barack Obama said pro-Gaddafi forces must stop attacking rebel areas or face military action.

"Gaddafi must stop his troops from advancing on Benghazi, pull them back from Ajdabiya, Misrata and Zawiya and establish water, electricity and gas supplies to all areas," he said yesterday.

The rebels' clear expectation now is that British, French or American bombardment will contribute to a speedy and complete defeat for Muammar Gaddafi and he will be forced from office.

Palin touring India and Israel

Sarah Palin has begun a five-day tour to India and Israel, adding to speculation that she has her eyes on a 2012 White House bid.

Over the past two years, Palin has been building up her foreign experience, after she betrayed an ignorance of foreign affairs.

Syrian dissent crackdown

Syrian security forces launched a harsh crackdown on protesters calling for political freedom, killing at least five people and marking the gravest unrest in years in one of the most repressive states in the Middle East, said accounts from political activists and the social media.

46 protesters gunned down

A massive demonstration against Yemen's government turned into a killing field as snipers methodically fired down on protesters from rooftops and police made a wall of fire with tires and petrol, blocking a key escape route.

At least 46 people died, including some children, in an attack yesterday that marked a new level of brutality in President Ali Abdullah Saleh's crackdown on dissent. Medical officials said hundreds were wounded.

Classroom crosses OK in Italy

Displaying crucifixes in schools in Italy does not breach the rights of non-Catholic families, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled. It said there was no evidence a crucifix hung in a classroom would influence pupils.The ruling overturned a 2009 decision, which angered the Roman Catholic country.

Japan: Emergency workers racing to cool dangerously overheated nuclear fuel were today scrambling to connect Japan's crippled reactors to a new power line, as a safety official suggested faulty planning at the complex helped trigger the crisis.

Egypt: Citizens are voting today on a package of constitutional amendments sponsored by the ruling military in what promises to be their first taste of a free vote in decades.