KABUL, Afghanistan

U.S.-led forces are accused in raid that killed 14 civilians

The governor of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan on Sunday accused U.S.-led forces of killing at least 14 civilians in a bombing raid called in by besieged U.S. Marines.

Twelve children were among the dead, according to a statement from the governor’s office.

The 14 were inside two houses that were struck by bombs or missiles after U.S. Marines came under attack at 8 a.m. in the Nawzad district of Helmand, the statement said.

The U.S.-led coalition said the attack was under investigation.

NEW YORK

Syria vows cooperation with U.N. arms watchdog

In a major turnaround, Syria is pledging full cooperation with U.N. attempts to probe strong evidence that it secretly built a reactor that could have been used to make nuclear arms, according to a confidential document shared with The Associated Press on Sunday.

If Syria fulfills its promise, the move would end three years of stonewalling by Damascus of the International Atomic Energy. Since 2008, the agency has tried in vain to follow up on strong evidence that a target bombed in 2007 by Israeli warplanes was a nearly built nuclear reactor that would have produced plutonium once active.

Syria’s sudden readiness to cooperate seems to be an attempt at derailing U.S.-led attempts to have Damascus referred to the U.N. Security Council amid already strong international pressure on the Syrian leadership to end its crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators.

ATHENS, Greece

Anti-austerity policy rally draws about 30,000 people

About 30,000 people protested in Athens’ central Syntagma square Sunday evening against the government’s tough economic austerity policies.

The demonstration, larger than many others that have taken place during Greece’s economic crisis, appeared to be the first that resulted from spontaneous calls over social media sites such as Facebook.

Pointing at Parliament and its 300 legislators, many of Sunday’s protesters chanted “Thieves! Thieves!”