WORLD BRIEFS

EGYPT: Coptic pope blasts Morsi

The Coptic Christian pope delivered an unprecedented direct criticism of the Islamist president Tuesday after a mob attack on the church's main cathedral, saying he had failed to protect the building and warning that the country is collapsing. The comments by Pope Tawadros II and the cathedral attack itself illustrate a new reality in Egypt, where institutions long seen as above the fray are being dragged into the country's intense polarization and political violence. Egypt has become increasingly divided between two camps, with President Mohammed Morsi and Islamist allies on one side and an opposition made up of moderate Muslims, Christians and liberals on the other.

BRITAIN: Elaborate rites for Thatcher

The funeral for Margaret Thatcher, Britain's longest-serving leader of the 20th century, will be held April 17 in St. Paul's Cathedral, it was announced Tuesday. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are expected to attend what will be London's most elaborate funeral since the death of the queen's mother in 2002. It will be the first funeral of a prime minister with the queen in attendance since the rites for Winston Churchill in 1965. Thatcher, who died Monday at age 87, will be given a ceremonial service with military honors, almost indistinguishable from an official state funeral. The coffin is to be taken to a chapel inside the Palace of Westminster on the eve of the funeral. Next day, it will be borne through the streets to St. Paul's for the service, which will be televised live. A private cremation will follow. The expected presence of the queen is an indication of the influence the first and so far only female prime minister made. The two women, born six months apart, are believed to have had a frosty relationship.

SUDAN: Ambush of UN convoy kills 12

A force of about 200 unidentified armed assailants ambushed a supply convoy in South Sudan on Tuesday, killing five UN peacekeepers and seven civilians, UN officials said. It was the deadliest armed attack on the United Nations since the region became engulfed in intercommunal violence between warring ethnic groups. All five peacekeepers were identified as Indian nationals.