AFP 1900 GMT news advisory

News Editor: Susan Stumme

Tel: +1 202 414 0541

-- TOP STORIES --

+ Pope warns Church of dangers of inaction

+ Obama reaches out to China's new leader

+ Netanyahu to unveil coalition government

+ EU leaders wrestle with austerity

Vatican-religion-pope,WRAP

VATICAN CITY

Pope Francis warns in his first mass that the troubled Catholic Church risks becoming little more than a charity with no spiritual foundations if it fails to undergo renewal.

850 words 2030 GMT by Guy Jackson. Graphic. Picture. Video.

China-politics-congress-US,2ndlead

WASHINGTON

President Barack Obama wastes no time getting to know China's new president Xi Jinping, pressing him on cyber crime and North Korea in a telephone call, while announcing the dispatch of top cabinet members to Beijing.

700 words 2130 GMT by Stephen Collinson

Israel-politics-government,4thlead

JERUSALEM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to formally unveil his long-awaited coalition government that will be sworn in just days before a visit by US President Barack Obama.

750 words 2000 GMT by Steve Weizman. Graphic

Also moved: Israel-government-politics-Netanyahu,FOCUS

Israel-politics-government-religion,FOCUS

EU-summit,WRAP

BRUSSELS

European Union leaders wrestle over German demands for strict austerity and a French-led push for growth-friendly spending at a summit targeted by thousands of protesters angry at rampant unemployment.

650 words 2130 GMT by Roddy Thomson. Pictures. Video

We have also moved: EU-summit-protest,lead

-- NEW POPE --

Vatican-religion-pope-Argentina-politics,FOCUS

BUENOS AIRES

The election of Argentine cardinal Jorge Bergoglio as Pope Francis has revived a longstanding controversy over the church's role during the dark days of his homeland's "dirty war".

700 words 2000 GMT by Alexandre Peyrille. Picture

Vatican-religion-pope-Church,ANALYSIS

VATICAN CITY

Pope Francis could use his mandate as the first pope from the Americas and his reputation as a Vatican outsider to stamp his authority on the scandal-hit Catholic Church, analysts say.

800 words moved by Ella Ide

We have also moved: Vatican-religion-pope-Italy-church,SCENE

                    Vatican-religion-pope-Jesuits,FOCUS

                    Vatican-religion-pope-convert,FOCUS

-- AMERICAS --

US-politics-Republicans

WASHINGTON

With the US election over, soul-searching Republicans gather at a key conservative casting call locked in a struggle over how to broaden their appeal on the long political road to 2016.

650 words 2030 GMT by Michael Mathes. Picture

Canada-France-EU-US-trade

OTTAWA

If the European Union can secure a free trade deal with Canada it could serve as a "beach-head" before marathon trans-Atlantic negotiations on a far larger accord with the United States, French and Canadian leaders say.

550 words 2000 GMT by Michel Comte. Picture

-- MIDDLE EAST --

Israel-US-Iran-nuclear-politics,2ndlead

JERUSALEM

US President Barack Obama says ahead of a first visit to Israel that Iran is "over a year or so" from developing a nuclear bomb and that military action remains an option to avoid such a scenario.

500 words 2000 GMT

Syria-conflict,2ndlead-WRAP

DAMASCUS

French President Francois Hollande urges Europe's leaders to lift an arms embargo on Syria to help rebels battling for nearly two years to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

750 words 2000 GMT. Graphic. Picture

Iraq-unrest,4thlead-WRAP

BAGHDAD

A coordinated string of bombings and a brazen assault on a ministry near Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone kill 18 people, in the Iraqi capital's deadliest violence this month.

700 words 2000 GMT by Prashant Rao. Picture

-- EUROPE --

Britain-media-politics,WRAP

LONDON

British Prime Minister David Cameron abandons cross-party talks on press regulation as police for the first time arrest a current national newspaper editor over phone-hacking.

650 words 2030 GMT by Danny Kemp. Picture.

-- ASIA --

China-politics-congress,4thlead-WRAP

BEIJING

China's parliament names Xi Jinping as president, four months after he took charge of the Communist Party with pledges of reform that have raised hopes but so far yielded little change.

800 words 1930 GMT by Tom Hancock. Graphic. Picture. Video

Also moved: China-politics-congress-Xi,PROFILE

China-politics-congress-Li,PROFILE

Afghanistan-US-unrest-military-Karzai,lead-WRAP

KABUL

President Hamid Karzai says he wanted to "correct" rather than damage US-Afghan relations, after a storm of protest over his recent anti-US remarks.

550 words moved by Usman Sharifi. File picture

Environment-wildlife-species-CITES,WRAP

BANGKOK

A major meeting on the plight of endangered species wraps up with a victory for shark conservationists and increased pressure on countries to curb rampant illegal trade in ivory.

750 words moved by Daniel Rook. Graphic. File picture

-- AFRICA --

Tunisia-politics-government,3rdlead

TUNIS

Ali Larayedh becomes Tunisia's new Islamist premier, taking over from his predecessor Hamadi Jebali and facing the task of ending a political and economic crisis gripping the country.

700 words 2000 GMT by Antoine Lambroschini. Picture. Video

afp

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130314/afp-1900-gmt-news-advisory