MALE, Maldives (AFP) - The president of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed announced his resignation Tuesday during a televised press conference after a mutiny by the police and weeks of demonstrations.

PARIS (AFP) - France suffered a record trade deficit of 69.59 billion euros ($91.4 billion) last year, up sharply from the 2010 deficit of 51.52 billion euros, the customs service reported on Tuesday.

MADRID (AFP) - Santander, the biggest eurozone bank by market capitalisation, said Tuesday that it would book an extra 2.3 billion euros ($3.0 billion) in provisions against risky investments this year.

DAMASCUS (AFP) - Syria's government vowed Tuesday to push forth with its onslaught on the central province of Homs in a bid to rid the region from what it said were "armed terrorist gangs".

COLOMBO (AFP) - The Maldives president will address the nation shortly amid a mutiny by police, but he has no plans to resign, a senior source in the president's office told AFP.