Quebec's provincial government passed an emergency law Friday that sets restrictions on demonstrations and shuts some universities as the government seeks to end three months of demonstrations against tuition hikes.

Soon, an ant expert says, besieged by disease or old age, the NPR ant colony will come to an end.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New French President Francois Hollande told President Barack Obama on Friday that he will stick by his pledge to withdraw France's troops from Afghanistan at year's end, a note of discord in an otherwise convivial first meeting between the two leaders. "I reminded President Obama that I made a promise to the French people to the effect that our combat troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of 2012," Hollande said after Oval Office talks with Obama. "That being said, we will continue to support Afghanistan in a different way," he said. ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama pressed Europe on Friday to shift toward a more pro-growth policy and away from austerity to tackle a crisis that threatens to push Greece out of the euro zone and send economic shockwaves worldwide. Setting the tone for a weekend G8 summit, Obama made clear he was aligning himself with the new French president's drive for more economic stimulus in the recession-plagued euro zone instead of emphasizing belt-tightening programs spearheaded by Germany. ...

The Wisconsin Division of Public Health noticed a strange uptick in hepatitis C to 24 cases a year recently, from eight, or so, earlier. Some of the infections were bad enough to cause people to seek treatment in emergency rooms. An investigation revealed many cases were linked to drug abuse.

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Syrian forces on Friday fired on protesters holding the largest opposition marches yet in Aleppo, a sign of rising anti-regime sentiment in the country's biggest city, which has largely remained supportive of President Bashar Assad throughout the 15-month uprising.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, concerned by his portrayal in U.S. media as an autocratic leader intent on consolidating power, has invited several influential Washington scholars to Baghdad to meet his team next week. The rare invitation was extended to Kenneth Pollack of the Brookings Institution, Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institution and Joost Hiltermann of the International Crisis Group, Reuters has learned. ...

PARIS (Reuters) - The French find their new first lady, Valerie Trierweiler, to be down-to-earth compared to her former supermodel predecessor, but distant, a poll released on Friday said. The Paris Match reporter took on her new role on Tuesday when her partner Francois Hollande became president, replacing Nicolas Sarkozy. While Sarkozy had earned the nickname of "president bling bling" for a brash style and connections with the rich-and-famous, Hollande has styled himself "Mr. Normal". ...

Chaos in Greek politics and Spanish banking combined this week to underscore just how fragile Europe's economy remains after an eviscerating austerity regime that has spawned unemployment, desperation and misery. And there is no respite in sight, as Germany's finance minister predicted Friday that the crisis could last up to another two years.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn struck back this week at the hotel maid who accused him of sexual assault with a sharply worded countersuit claiming defamation, but lawyers say the filing could backfire. Legal experts say Strauss-Kahn's lawsuit could give New York maid Nafissatou Diallo's attorneys greater freedom to present evidence of Strauss-Kahn's sexual history, including allegations involving other women. ...

In his first visit to the Oval Office, French President Francois Hollande declared he will withdraw all French combat troops from Afghanistan by year's end, making clear to President Barack Obama the timeline for ending the U.S.-led war will not trump a campaign pledge that helped Hollande gain his new job.

The breakout performance at the Cannes Film Festival this year is Aniello Arena's turn as a Naples fishmonger who becomes obsessed with appearing on a "Big Brother"-style TV show in "Reality."

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German police said they detained 400 anti-capitalist protesters in Frankfurt on Friday for defying a ban on demonstrations against austerity policies implemented to tackle the intensifying euro zone debt crisis. The demonstration in the German financial capital was part of a four-day-long "Blockupy" protest, due to run until Saturday, against capitalism and austerity measures. "Hungry? Eat a banker," read one banner protesters held up outside the Messeturm skyscraper housing Goldman Sachs' offices. Reuters' Frankfurt office is also in the building. ...

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad shot two protesters in the capital Damascus on Friday and fired in the air to break up thousands of anti-government demonstrators in the commercial hub of Aleppo, activists said. It was the second consecutive day of street protests in Aleppo, Syria's largest city, where a visit by U.N. ceasefire monitors a day earlier saw demonstrators mass outside the gates of the Aleppo University before security forces drove them off. ...

It's a good time to brew beer in America. According to beer expert Julia Herz, U.S. brewing isn't just on the upswing, it's on top. "We're now the No. 1 destination for beer, based on diversity and amount of beers," she says. And the industry's fastest growth is in craft breweries.

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British officials have given their word: "We won't read your emails."

For decades, the Palestinians have urged foreign Muslims to boycott one of the holiest sites in Islam, the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. But now, Palestinian religious figures are encouraging such visits, saying they could highlight Palestinian claims in their feud with Israel.

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A state court in Indianapolis granted a Chinese immigrant $50,000 bond in a case that has mobilized advocates for women's rights and abortion rights nationwide. The case could set a precedent for the prosecution of pregnant women whose infants die.

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The last time it was in England, it was 1948 and it arrived by ship and in a Rolls-Royce.

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Campaigns, political parties, interest groups — they're all ramping up to register millions of potential voters. The Pew Center on the States estimates there are 51 million unregistered Americans who are eligible to vote. The belief is that even a small number of them could swing the results.

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