Cyprus' president has apologized for a deadly explosion that killed 13 at a naval base, according to AP. Dimitris Christofias said on Friday that twin probes into why dozens of gunpowder-filled containers exploded will reach his office. He again appealed for calm and for justice to take its course amid a groundswell of public anger over how those containers had been stored since being confiscated from a chartered ship in 2009. Peaceful mass gatherings outside the presidential palace in Nicosia to protest Monday's blast have been held almost nightly. Thousands had marched to the palace on Tuesday, and police arrested 20 people during clashes as some of the crowd briefly broke into the presidential palace grounds. -- SPA
