In the World

NICOSIA, Cyprus - Lawmakers in Cyprus approved three key bills Friday that aim to raise enough money to qualify the country for a broader bailout package and help it avoid financial ruin in mere days.

A total of nine bills were approved, including a key one on restructuring the country's ailing banks, which lost billions on bad Greek debt; a second on restricting financial transactions in times of crisis; and one that sets up a "solidarity fund" into which investments and contributions will flow.

More bills to meet the total target of 5.8 billion euros ($7.5 billion) that Cyprus needs to secure an international bailout will be brought for a vote over the weekend.

They include one that imposes a tax of less than 1 percent on all bank deposits, said Averof Neophytou, deputy head of the governing DISY party. "We are voting for the least worst option," Neophytou said. - AP

SAO PAULO, Brazil - Criminal charges are being sought against 16 people in connection with the nightclub fire that killed 241 people in southern Brazil this year, police said Friday.

Inspector Marcelo Arigony told a news conference that the mayor and fire chief of Santa Maria, the city where the fire occurred, could also be held responsible for the accident because of the negligent safety inspections of the nightclub.

But he said that because Mayor Cezar Schirmer is an elected official, the police cannot file charges against him. Only the Rio Grande do Sul State Supreme Court and the city's legislature can determine whether he is charged. Only a military court can charge the fire chief, because the department is under the control of the police, which is part of the military.

The fire roared through the crowded, windowless Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria on Jan. 27, filling the air with flames and thick, toxic smoke. Arigony said the band performing at the club lit a flare, which ignited flammable soundproofing foam on the ceiling. - AP

BEIRUT - Lebanon's prime minister resigned Friday due to an impasse over a new election law and the cabinet's refusal to extend the tenure of the country's police chief.

Najib Mikati's resignation comes at a time of rising tensions and violence in Lebanon largely linked to the war next door in Syria. Lebanon and Syria share a complex network of political and sectarian ties that are often inflamed, and many fear that the war in Syria will bring violence to Lebanon.

These tensions have roiled Lebanon's fragile political scene as well. Mikati said he hoped his departure would be "an impetus for leaders to shoulder their responsibilities."

- AP