In brief: Clinton seeks Syria arms embargo

Paris – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called Thursday for the U.N. Security Council to adopt an arms embargo and other tough measures against Syria to try to halt 13 months of bloodshed, but she acknowledged such diplomatic actions would likely be vetoed.

Clinton’s comments to Western and Arab diplomats from the so-called “Friends of Syria” group came as the head of the United Nations accused Syrian President Bashar Assad of failing to honor a peace plan that went into effect a week ago.

In a transcript of her remarks on the State Department’s website, Clinton stopped short of calling for outside military intervention in Syria – something there is little to no foreign appetite for – but said it was time to impose more consequential measures on Assad’s regime.

Killer practiced on video games

Oslo, Norway – Anders Behring Breivik knew it would take practice to be able to slaughter dozens of people before being shot by police. In a chilling account, the far-right fanatic claimed Thursday that he sharpened his aim by playing video games for hours on end.

Breivik told an Oslo court he also took steroids to build physical strength and meditated to “de-emotionalize” himself before the bombing and shooting rampage that left 77 people dead. He figured he had no more than a 5 percent chance of not being killed by police.

Breivik testified that he prepared for his attacks by cutting off contact with the outside world and devoting himself to video games. He said he played “World of Warcraft” for 16 hours a day while living with his mother in 2006 and, starting in January 2010, played “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare,” primarily to get a feel for how to use rifle sights.