U.S. citizen abducted in Pakistan asks Obama to meet al Qaeda demands May 7, 2012 -- Updated 0941 GMT (1741 HKT) Al Qaeda's demands include the lifting of the blockade on movement of people and trade between Egypt and Gaza; an end to bombing by the United States and its allies in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia and Gaza; the release of anyone arrested on charges of belonging to al Qaeda and the Taliban; the release of all prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and American secret prisons and the closure of Guantanamo and the other prisons; the release of terrorists convicted in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center; and the release of relatives of Osama bin Laden, the founder of al Qaeda who was killed last year in Pakistan. May 7, 2012 -- Updated 0925 GMT (1725 HKT) Will the U.S. economy hit turbulence after voters in France and Greece delivered a resounding anti-austerity message? May 7, 2012 -- Updated 0250 GMT (1050 HKT) Human concepts of beauty are shaping conservation efforts, protecting good-looking plants and animals over ugly ones, a study suggests. In the latest bid to stop the relentless killing in Syria, U.N. monitors are on the ground to observe a "cease-fire" that appears to be violated daily.