World news roundup

--> Egypt: As though there were not enough tumult in Egypt. A year after revolution felled a longtime dictator, a new crisis has soured its strongest Western ally and threatened to sever military aid.

Egyptian authorities had been investigating civil society organizations for a while but they stunned U.S. officials by announcing this week that 43 foreigners, including 19 Americans, working for civil society organizations would face prosecution.

Egyptian officials blamed ongoing unrest in their country on foreign interference.

Authorities carried out 17 raids on the offices of 10 organizations including the U.S.-based Freedom House, National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute. Among those going to court is Sam LaHood, son of Ray LaHood, the transportation secretary.

Several analysts said they were surprised the Egyptians chose to provoke America at such a critical juncture in their post-revolutionary journey; to bite the proverbial hand that feeds them. More at CNN.

--> Syria: A day after Russia's foreign minister touted the Syrian president's "commitment" to ending violence, at least 47 people were killed in the Syrian city of Homs today, an opposition activist group said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the dead included 20 members of three "unarmed" families, killed when government forces stormed three homes in a neighborhood of Homs.

One opposition activist, Omar Shakir, put the death toll at 54 after visiting and calling field hospitals in three neighborhoods in Homs.

"There is nonstop shelling," said Shakir, a Homs resident. "They are shelling us using tanks."

He said those wounded by government troops must resort to ill-equipped, makeshift clinics because rockets struck one of two hospitals and the other was taken over by President Bashar al-Assad's forces.

As the epicenter of the anti-government protest movement in Syria, Homs has experienced some of the worst violence since the government began its assault on dissidents 11 months ago. More at CNN.

--> Greece: Greek crisis nears breaking point

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

--> Maldives: Mohamed Nasheed, the President of the Maldives, was forced to resign yesterday after a revolt by police officers. Vice President Mohammed Waheed Hassan was sworn in as president shortly after Nasheed resigned.

Nasheed and his party, the Maldivian Democratic Party, are calling his forced resignation a coup, said Eva Abdulla, a member of parliament.

Nasheed was the first democratically-elected president of the Indian Ocean nation in three decades.

Maldives reverses spa ban In a nationally televised address, he said he was stepping down because he didn't feel he was able to maintain security and peace in the country, which attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.

Strategically located in the Indian Ocean but extremely poor, the country is threatened by rising sea levels.

Nasheed once held a Cabinet meeting underwater, with ministers wearing scuba gear, to highlight the problem.

--> Uganda: A Ugandan lawmaker has revived a controversial bill that makes engaging in some homosexual acts punishable by death, a rights group said, a proposal that provoked an international outcry three years ago.

The Anti-Homosexuality Bill was first proposed in October 2009, prompting threats from some European nations to cut aid to Uganda, which relies on millions of dollars from foreign countries.

It was later shelved, with a Ugandan government spokesman saying late last year that the bill was killed because it did not reflect a national consensus.

"It's alarming and disappointing that Uganda's Parliament will once again consider the Anti-Homosexuality Bill," said Michelle Kagari, the deputy Africa program director at Amnesty International. "If passed, it would represent a grave assault on the human rights of all Ugandans, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity."

The bill is popular among some lawmakers in the nation, and it remains a simmering issue in Parliament. Its progress has been hindered by an international outcry, including condemnation from U.S. President Barack Obama.

In addition to proposing the death penalty for certain gay acts, it calls for anyone aware of violations to report them to the authorities or face criminal sanction, according to Human Rights Watch. More at CNN.