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AMARA, Iraq (Reuters) - Supporters of anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr accused Iraqi security forces on Friday of heavy-handed action in a crackdown in the southern city of Amara, calling it a "clear provocation".

HAVANA (Reuters) - Former Cuban President Fidel Castro, showing renewed vigor in recent days, lashed out on Friday at the European Union's decision to lift sanctions against Cuba while demanding the island nation improve its human rights record.

LONDON (Reuters) - Major powers have offered Iran preliminary talks on its nuclear work, on condition it limits uranium enrichment to current levels for six weeks in exchange for a freeze on moves towards harsher sanctions, diplomats say.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.N. children's fund UNICEF has severed ties with an Israeli billionaire and financial backer due to his suspected involvement in building settlements in the occupied West Bank, UNICEF said on Friday.

MALABO (Reuters) - British mercenary Simon Mann sought leniency from a court in Equatorial Guinea on Friday, saying he was sorry for having been part of a failed coup plot to topple the president of the oil-rich West African state.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The quartet of Middle East peace mediators will meet in Berlin on Tuesday for their first gathering since Egypt brokered a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the U.S. State Department said.

LONDON (Reuters) - Major powers have offered Iran preliminary talks on its nuclear work, on condition it limits uranium enrichment to current levels for six weeks in exchange for a freeze on moves towards harsher sanctions, diplomats say.

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua has ordered the country's armed forces to tighten security in the Niger Delta and hunt down militants behind an attack on Shell's main offshore oil facility, his office said on Friday.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon signaled on Friday that he would press ahead with a plan to gradually cede key U.N. roles in Kosovo, despite opposition from Serbia and its big-power ally Russia.

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China has released most of the 1,315 people detained in the wake of Tibet's deadly riots because their offences were minor, a senior official said on Friday.

ROME (Reuters) - A corruption trial against Silvio Berlusconi and British lawyer David Mills will go ahead in July despite the Italian premier's attempts to have it stopped by accusing the court of bias, the judge said on Friday.

AMARA, Iraq (Reuters) - Supporters of anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr accused Iraqi security forces on Friday of heavy-handed action in a crackdown in the southern city of Amara, calling it a "clear provocation".

MONTECRISTI, Ecuador (Reuters) - Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa will bolster his authority this year if voters approve a new constitution extending state control over the economy and opening the way for his possible re-election.

PARIS (Reuters) - Conservative bishops debating the future of the worldwide Anglican Communion have issued dramatic warnings about a looming parting of the ways with liberal churches, but stopped short of outlining steps toward a schism.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing has dispatched 8,000 toilet maintenance staff, each responsible for a specific public restroom in the city and trained in hygiene standards and techniques, Olympic knowledge and practical English expressions, Xinhua said on Friday.

LHASA, China (Reuters) - Tibet's capital Lhasa was under tight security on Friday as it readied to host the Olympic Games torch in a concerted display of China's hold over the restive region.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council demanded on Thursday that warring governments and factions act to halt violence against women, saying rape was no longer just a by-product of war but a military tactic.

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's embattled President Lee Myung-bak replaced all his top aides on Friday in a bid to make a fresh start after policy blunders sparked massive street protests against his four-month-old government.

JUBA, Sudan (Reuters) - South Sudanese authorities have begun to collect thousands of guns amassed by civilians during decades of war to try to end tribal conflicts which claim dozens of lives each year, officials said.

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is considering whether to pull out of the June 27 presidential run-off election, fearing it will be a charade, a spokesman said on Friday.