Reuters: Top News

Healthcare bill passes first Senate test

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:41:46 -0500

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A sweeping healthcare overhaul narrowly cleared its first hurdle in the Senate on Saturday, with Democrats casting 60 party-line votes to open debate on the biggest healthcare changes in decades.

Obama asks for patience on economy

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:02:34 -0500

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Saturday urged Americans to show patience over the economy and argued that his just-concluded Asia trip was critical for U.S. exports, countering criticism he had returned empty-handed.

Prosecutor seeks life for Knox in Italy murder trial

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:31:53 -0500

PERUGIA, Italy (Reuters) - Italian prosecutors on Saturday called for a life sentence for American university student Amanda Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito for the 2007 murder of Briton Meredith Kercher.

NATO takes command of Afghan army, police training

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:54:59 -0500

KABUL (Reuters) - NATO took command of the training of the Afghan army and police on Saturday to consolidate efforts on building an effective security force, a vital precondition for the withdrawal of foreign troops.

China mine explosion death toll reaches 87

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:57:53 -0500

HEGANG, China (Reuters) - The death toll from China's latest coal mine disaster reached 87 as hopes dimmed on Sunday that more survivors would be found a day after a gas blast at a colliery in the country's far northeast.

Iraq parliament struggles over elusive vote deal

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:04:31 -0500

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament suspended efforts on Saturday to reach a deal on a law which is crucial for an election to take place in January and could affect the U.S. military' s plans for a partial withdrawal next year.

"Big Bang" experiment advancing fast

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:45:54 -0500

GENEVA (Reuters) - After a year's delay, scientists at the world's biggest accelerator have restarted an experiment to recreate "Big Bang" conditions that had sparked suggestions the earth would be sucked in by millions of black holes.

Iran to hold war games to protect nuclear facilities

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:32:08 -0500

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's military said it will begin large-scale air defense drills on Sunday, and a cleric in the Revolutionary Guards warned that the Islamic Republic would fire missiles at "the heart of Tel Aviv" if attacked.

Suspected militants blow themselves up in Pakistan

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:41:30 -0500

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) - Three suspected Taliban militants blew themselves up on Saturday as police chased them in Pakistani Kashmir, police said.

Swine flu may have hit one peak; more to come

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:45:28 -0500

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The pandemic of swine flu may be hitting a peak in the Northern Hemisphere, global health officials said on Friday, but they cautioned it was far from over.