Reuters: World News

Hezbollah steps up Syria battle, Israel threatens more strikes

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:11:28 GMT

AMMAN (Reuters) - Lebanese Hezbollah militants attacked a Syrian rebel-held town alongside Syrian troops on Sunday and Israel threatened more attacks on Syria to rein the militia in, highlighting the risks of a wider regional conflict if planned peace talks fail.

Canadian prime minister's top aide quits over expenses scandal

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:57:06 GMT

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The top aide to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper abruptly resigned on Sunday over his role in an mounting expenses scandal which is threatening to undermine the Conservative government.

Protesting Egyptian police block Israel border crossing

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:17:52 GMT

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian police enraged by the kidnapping of seven of their colleagues by Islamist gunmen in the Sinai Peninsula blocked a commercial border crossing with Israel on Sunday to pressure the Cairo government to help free the men, security sources said.

India gripes over border, trade woes on Li's first foreign trip

Sun, 19 May 2013 18:59:15 GMT

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told visiting Chinese President Li Keqiang on Sunday a recent military standoff in the Himalayas could affect relations between the two countries as they looked to boost bilateral trade.

Tunisian Islamist protester killed in clash with police

Sun, 19 May 2013 18:19:51 GMT

TUNIS (Reuters) - One protester died and several were injured when Tunisian Islamists defied a ban on their demonstration and clashed with police on Sunday.

Nigeria offers amnesty to insurgents who surrender

Sun, 19 May 2013 18:16:48 GMT

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigeria offered an amnesty on Sunday to Islamist militants who surrender and said 17 people had been killed on the fifth day of a military operation to try to crush the Boko Haram insurgency in the country's northeast.

Dubai laborers stage rare strike for more pay

Sun, 19 May 2013 18:06:42 GMT

DUBAI (Reuters) - Thousands of workers employed by Dubai's largest construction firm, Arabtec, stayed away from work on Sunday to back wage demands, a rare labor protest in the Gulf emirate, where trade unions are banned, staff said.

North Korea fires short-range missiles for two days in a row

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:04:09 GMT

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired a short-range missile from its east coast on Sunday, a day after launching three of these missiles, a South Korean news agency said, ignoring calls for restraint from Western powers.

Upmarket Pakistan district votes again as Imran Khan decries killing

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:03:46 GMT

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - An upmarket constituency of Pakistan's violence-plagued city of Karachi voted again under tight security on Sunday, a day after gunmen killed a senior politician from a reformist party in the district and a week after general elections.

Syrian army, Hezbollah attack rebels in border town: opposition

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:02:31 GMT

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian troops supported by Hezbollah militants launched an offensive to retake a major town near Lebanon from rebels on Sunday, the heaviest fighting yet involving Lebanese armed group, opposition activists said.

Netanyahu takes aim at weapons leakage in Syria

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:02:14 GMT

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held out the prospect on Sunday of further Israeli strikes inside Syria, pledging to act to prevent advanced weapons from reaching Hezbollah and other militant groups.

Humala's approval rating in Peru slips to 6-month low

Sun, 19 May 2013 16:53:02 GMT

LIMA (Reuters) - President Ollanta Humala's approval rating fell 5 points to a six-month low of 46 percent, reflecting the unpopularity of his proposal to buy an oil refinery owned by Spain's Repsol and his support for Venezuela's new government, an Ipsos poll showed on Sunday.

UK opposition calls for country-by-country tax reporting

Sun, 19 May 2013 15:31:51 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour party, tapping into widening public anger over corporate tax avoidance, wants the government to push for new international rules to force companies to report profit and tax payments country-by-country.

With president ailing, Algeria prepares for end of an era

Sun, 19 May 2013 15:13:13 GMT

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Three weeks after being rushed to hospital in Paris, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has disappeared from sight, leaving behind a country preparing for a successor who for the first time will come from a generation too young to have fought in Algeria's war of independence against France.

South Africa finds collusion, manipulation in Gupta scandal

Sun, 19 May 2013 14:29:00 GMT

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's justice minister on Sunday accused an Indian High Commission official and some South Africans of colluding to obtain permission for a plane chartered by a rich family close to President Jacob Zuma to use an air force base to land.

Bangladesh court orders action against factory owner in Nov fire

Sun, 19 May 2013 14:01:09 GMT

DHAKA (Reuters) - A Bangladesh court on Sunday banned the owner of a garment factory that was destroyed in a fire in November from leaving the country as anger builds up over a string of deadly incidents in which thousands have died.

Germans blame euro zone crisis for Eurovision debacle

Sun, 19 May 2013 13:23:48 GMT

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germans lamented their unexpectedly poor showing at the Eurovision Song Contest, blaming Chancellor Angela Merkel's tough stance in the euro zone crisis for their failure to win any points from 34 of the 39 countries voting.

EU says worried by Russia's human rights record

Sun, 19 May 2013 13:13:41 GMT

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union criticized Russia's human rights record on Sunday, saying it was increasingly concerned at a wave of restrictive legislation and prosecutions against activists.

After crushing Mali Islamists, France pushes deal with Tuaregs

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:41:54 GMT

BAMAKO (Reuters) - After winning adulation across Mali for a five month military offensive that crushed al Qaeda fighters, France is now frustrating some of its allies by pushing for a political settlement with a separate group of Tuareg rebels.

Afghanistan's Karzai seeks Indian military aid amid tensions with Pakistan

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:31:28 GMT

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai plans to discuss potential arms deals with Indian officials during a trip to New Delhi this week, officials said, at a time when tensions are running high on Afghanistan's disputed border with Pakistan.

Cameron 'losing control' as rift with party core widens

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:56:46 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron is "losing control of his party", Conservative Party grandee Geoffrey Howe said on Sunday, as a row raged over whether a close aide to Cameron had labeled grassroots activists "mad, swivel-eyed loons".

France in talks with U.S., Israel to buy drones: minister

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:11:20 GMT

PARIS (Reuters) - France is in talks with the United States and Israel to buy intelligence-gathering drones to build up a modern fleet, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Sunday.

U.N. chief Ban says worried over North Korea missile launch

Sun, 19 May 2013 09:59:15 GMT

MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon voiced concern on Sunday over North Korea's launch of short-range missiles, urging Pyonyang to refrain from further launches and return to stalled nuclear talks with world powers.

North Korea fires three short-range missiles

Sun, 19 May 2013 09:58:03 GMT

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired three short-range missiles from its east coast on Saturday, South Korea's Defence Ministry said, prompting Western powers to urge Pyongyang to exercise restraint.

Iran hangs two spies working for Israel and U.S.: report

Sun, 19 May 2013 09:54:34 GMT

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian authorities executed two men on Sunday convicted of working for Israeli and U.S. spy agencies, Iran's Fars news agency reported.