World News Roundup: Russia and Syrian army step up attacks; I've protected many, Assange tells UK court

German SPD youth chief lambasted for proposing collective ownership for big firms

The head of the Social Democrats' (SPD) youth wing has unleashed a storm of protest in Germany, including from party allies, for saying firms like BMW should be collectively owned in a clear appeal to left-wingers before European and regional votes. The SPD, the junior partner in conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition, is languishing in polls and risks heavy losses in the elections. It may even lose power in Bremen, a city-state it has ruled for 73 years, in a May 26 vote.

Suspects in murder of Scandinavian women go on trial in Morocco

Twenty-three Moroccan men and a Swiss-Spanish convert to Islam appeared in an anti-terrorism court on Thursday accused of offences in connection with the killing of two Scandinavian women, judiciary officials said. The trial's opening session was immediately adjourned until May 16 to give the defence more time to prepare, the officials said.

Thai king to pay homage to ancestors ahead of coronation

Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn will pay homage to his ancestors on Thursday as part of preparations for his elaborate coronation ceremonies this weekend. The coronation, which takes place from Saturday to Monday, will be the first the country has seen in 69 years, since his father, the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, was crowned in 1950.

Panama election hopefuls court poor in tale of two societies

Panama elects a new president on Sunday who will inherit Latin America's fastest-growing economy and rising pressure to reduce inequality in the financial hub that straddles two oceans. Promises to improve the lives of the rural and indigenous poor have dominated campaigning in the isthmus nation of 4 million people bisected by its famous shipping canal.

Russia and the Syrian army step up attacks on rebel-held northwestern Syria: residents, medics

Russian and Syrian forces intensified air strikes and shelling in northwestern Syria overnight in the heaviest assault on the last rebel-held area since it was declared a demilitarised zone under a Russian-Turkish deal, sources said on Thursday. The targeted villages and towns in northern Hama and southern Idlib fall within a buffer zone agreed last September between Russia and Turkey as part of a deal which averted a major offensive on the area.

Thailand's King Rama X - from pilot prince to powerful monarch

Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun will be officially crowned as the 10th king of the Chakri dynasty on May 4, after taking the throne following the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, in late 2016. The 66-year-old constitutional monarch had a pre-coronation surprise for his subjects: He married for the fourth time on Wednesday and named his new wife as queen.

I've protected many, Assange tells UK court as he fights U.S. extradition warrant

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange told a London court on Thursday his work had protected "many people" and refused to agree to be extradited to the United States to face trial for one of the largest compromises of classified information in history. The United States has requested the extradition of Assange, who was dragged from the Ecuadorean Embassy in London on April 11 and has charged him with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion which carries a maximum penalty of five years.

Maduro hangs on as Venezuelan protests peter out

Venezuelans heeded opposition leader Juan Guaido's call to take to the streets on Wednesday in a bid to force President Nicolas Maduro from power, but there was little concrete sign of change in a crisis that increasingly looks like a political stalemate. Guaido had called for the "largest march" in Venezuela's history and said on Twitter that "millions of Venezuelans" were in the streets in "this final phase" of his move to oust Maduro.

India to seek downgrading of Pakistan on terrorism financing list

India's finance minister said on Thursday the government will request that Pakistan be downgraded by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global body created to counter terrorism financing and money laundering. "There is a meeting of FATF in mid-May," Arun Jaitley told reporters. "We would want that the FATF for Pakistan should be downgraded,"

U.S. says military killed 120 civilians abroad in 2018, lower than watchdog estimates

United States military actions killed about 120 civilians and injured 65 others in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia last year, the Pentagon said in a report on Thursday, though the figures were far lower than those reported by watchdog groups. The annual report, mandated by Congress, showed a significant drop from nearly 800 civilians killed in 2017, in part because the pace of operations had slowed against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.