Reuters: World News

Guatemala court annuls Rios Montt genocide conviction

Tue, 21 May 2013 02:07:20 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala's constitutional court on Monday overturned a genocide conviction against former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, throwing out all proceedings in his case since a dispute broke out last month over who should hear it.

North Korea releases detained Chinese fishing boat, owner says

Tue, 21 May 2013 02:05:28 GMT

BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea released a Chinese fishing boat on Tuesday after it was taken from waters between the two countries, the boat's owner said, in an incident that had proved a new irritant in ties between the often uneasy allies.

Obama urges Myanmar to stop violence against Muslims

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:31:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama urged the president of Myanmar on Monday to halt violence against a Muslim minority but praised economic and political reforms in the formerly pariah nation that is emerging as a U.S. ally in China's backyard.

Kerry visits Oman for arms deal signing, talks on Syria, Mideast

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:47:16 GMT

SHANNON, Ireland (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry flies to Oman on Tuesday for Raytheon Co's signing of an estimated $2.1 billion arms deal and to consult on Syria and Iran, U.S. officials said.

Obama to meet with China's Xi in California June 7-8

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:48:33 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold their first meeting since Xi became president in March when they sit down for a June 7-8 summit in Rancho Mirage, California, the White House announced on Monday.

Libya war weapons may be killing central Africa elephants : UN

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:10:35 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Armed groups in central Africa are using powerful weapons, some of which may be left over from the civil war in Libya, to kill elephants for their ivory, the United Nations said on Monday.

Obama to travel to Africa in late June

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:35:31 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, will travel to Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania in late June and early July to reinforce U.S. ties with countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the White House said on Monday.

Hezbollah in big Syria battle, Obama 'concerned'

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:26:36 GMT

AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas have fought their biggest battle yet for Syria's beleaguered president, prompting international alarm that the civil war may spread and an urgent call for restraint from the United States.

Obama urges Myanmar to stop violence against Muslims

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:56:23 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama urged the president of Myanmar on Monday to take steps to halt violence against Muslims in his country and move ahead with economic and political reforms.

Canada's Harper under cloud after chief of staff resigns

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:54:12 GMT

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper was under intense pressure on Monday to reassure voters that his administration is above reproach amid questions surrounding a secret check paid to Senator Mike Duffy.

Chief Palestinian peace negotiator backs Kerry's efforts

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:45:47 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The top Palestinian negotiator with Israel on Monday threw his weight behind U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's bid to revive stalled peace talks, while describing the situation in the West Bank as apartheid worse than that suffered in South Africa.

Obama voices concern to Lebanon on Hezbollah role in Syria

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:37:01 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama told his Lebanese counterpart on Monday he was concerned about Lebanese Hezbollah militants fighting in Syria to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the White House said.

Council of Europe tells Putin of concern over Russian NGO law

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:06:56 GMT

SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) - The head of the Council of Europe told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday he was concerned a law requiring non-governmental organizations which received funding from abroad to register as foreign agents could have a "chilling effect".

Dagestan bombs kill four, two dead in shootout near Moscow

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:55:19 GMT

MAKHACHKALA, Russia (Reuters) - Two car bombs killed at least four people and wounded dozens of others on Monday in one of the bloodiest attacks this year in Dagestan, a turbulent province in Russia's North Caucasus region where armed groups are waging an Islamist insurgency.

U.S. says concerned with charges against Egyptian journalists

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:46:30 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Monday expressed concern over defamation charges brought against two Egyptian journalists critical of President Mohamed Mursi and called on the government to condemn actions that stifle freedom of expression.

Brazil probes rumor that set off panic run on state bank

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:50:56 GMT

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said on Monday she ordered the Federal Police to investigate the source of a rumor that sent thousands of poor Brazilians running to state bank branches seeking payment of a monthly family stipend.

Congo's army clashes with rebels near Goma

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:29:46 GMT

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Congo's army used combat helicopters to bombard rebel fighters on Monday near the city of Goma in the first clashes in nearly six months, days before U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was due to visit the troubled eastern borderlands.

U.S. says Korea tensions relatively low, despite missile tests

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:20:49 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Monday appeared to play down North Korea's six short-range missile launches over the past three days, describing tensions on the Korean peninsula as relatively low.

Bomb attacks kill more than 70 Shi'ites across Iraq

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:15:45 GMT

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - More than 70 people were killed in a series of car bombings and suicide attacks targeting Shi'ite Muslims across Iraq on Monday, police and medics said, extending the worst sectarian violence since U.S. troops withdrew in December 2011.

Qatar: Arab Spring makes Israeli-Palestinian peace more pressing

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:57:39 GMT

DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar's emir, who has thrown his state's riches behind Arab uprisings, said on Monday that the emergence of 'people power' had put Arabs in direct confrontation with Israel and made a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict more pressing.

Nigeria says has Islamists on defensive

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:51:27 GMT

MAIDUGURI (Reuters) - Nigeria claimed an early success for its military offensive against Islamist insurgents in the northeast on Monday, saying the militants' activities had been stifled by nearly a week of attacks on their bases.

Steaua Bucharest owner jailed in Romania for abuse of power

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:18:15 GMT

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - George Becali, a Romanian MP and owner of the soccer club Steaua Bucharest, was jailed for three years on Monday for abuse of power, one of only a handful of big names to be convicted in a country trying to show it can beat high-level corruption.

Mexican opposition dispute goes public, threatening reforms

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:09:22 GMT

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Divisions within Mexico's main conservative opposition party have erupted into a bitter public dispute that threatens to undermine the reform agenda of President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Gay marriage law strains UK Cameron's leadership, government

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:54:34 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron's flagship gay marriage policy is set to deepen a rift in his own party on Monday with many of his own lawmakers preparing to defy him in a sign of growing strains on his leadership and his coalition government.

Man refused overdraft kills four in Israeli bank

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:55:43 GMT

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A gunman shot dead four people execution-style in a bank in Israel on Monday after being refused an overdraft and cash from its automatic teller machine.