UNITED NATIONS

President Obama will host Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff on Monday in an effort to strengthen ties between two of the world's largest economies.

Setting conditions before the meeting means drawing conclusions, which is completely meaningless, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said, referring to discussions set for Saturday in Turkey with the so-called P-5 Plus 1 group.

In its last-minute demand, just a day ahead of the implementation of the ceasefire, President Bashar al-Assad's government called for written guarantees from the rebels to end violence and also assurances from foreign states to stop funding and supplying the rebels.

At least 27 Syrian soldiers, rebels and civilians were killed in violence, opposition activists said, four days before a troop pullback agreed by President Bashar al-Assad as part of a UN-backed peace plan.

Bosnia-Herzegovina commemorated on Friday the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the longest siege in history: the siege of Sarajevo, which defined the Bosnian War from 1992 to 1995.

The Russian government criticized the United States for it so-called unjustified decision to sentence alleged international arms dealer, Viktor Bout, to 25 years in prison. The Kremlin has vowed to bring the Russian national, known in the United States as the Merchant of Death, back to his home country.

Four days before a ceasefire is supposed to begin, Syrian forces have stepped up their campaign to crush dissidents, sending more tanks, troops and gunship helicopters into opposition towns and cities.

Russia will take all necessary efforts to get its citizen returned to his native country, the foreign ministry said. Bout, dubbed the Merchant of Death and basis for the movie Lord of War, was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday that Syria's conflict is deepening and attacks on civilian areas show no sign of abating.

The 45-year-old Russian was busted in a 2008 sting in Thailand in which undercover informants working for U.S. authorities posed as members of the Colombian rebel group FARC. Bout insists he was a legitimate businessman just trying to sell airplanes, not weapons.

The underwater remains of the Titanic will soon be protected by a United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) convention that works to safeguard wrecks, sites, decorated caves and other cultural relics in the ocean.

The ICC is worried that Libya's justice system is not able to try the son of Moammar Gadhafi, who has allegedly been kept in isolation for 139 days.

Global food prices rose in March for a third successive month, driven by gains in grains and vegetable oils, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization said on Thursday, putting food inflation firmly back on the economic agenda.

Cultural killing of women, either to reinstate the lost honor of a family or as penalty for not paying up the dowry demanded by the groom's family or to exorcise women branded as witches, persists in India partly due to society failing to treat such murders as crimes, the United Nations has said.

The body of French scholar Richard Descoings was found in a New York hotel on Tuesday. Police say there is no evidence of foul play

China's rise has unsettled many Westerners, especially Americans who fear Chinese influence could overwhelm that of the U.S. As the U.S. struggles through economic recovery, will China seize its chance to lead the world?

Since the military-led coup last month, the situation in Mali has become increasingly unstable as coup leaders are now accusing the ousted President Toure of high treason.

Thus far, western countries have refrained from suggesting they want to send weapons to Syrian dissidents, although Saudi Arabia and Qatar have already urged such measures.

The Syrian government began withdrawing troops from some cities on Tuesday, the first sign after more than a year of violence that President Bashar al-Assad is taking a peace plan seriously.

The United States announced a $10 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Hafiz Safeed, an alleged terrorist from Pakistan. The move, lauded by India, is likely to strain the already tense relationship between Pakistan and the United States.

Unesco has issued a warning for the safety of Timbuktu since the Tuareg rebels defeat of Malian government authorities in the northern part of the country.