Reuters: World News

UK coalition to last despite rifts, infighting: deputy PM

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:35:41 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's deputy prime minister on Wednesday took the unusual step of holding a news conference to say the country's two-party coalition would hold together until 2015 as he tried to stabilize a government beset by infighting and rifts.

Mugabe signs Zimbabwe constitution into law

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:24:17 GMT

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe signed a new constitution into law on Wednesday, replacing a 33-year-old document forged in the dying days of British colonial rule and paving the way for elections later this year.

Syria opposition calls for reinforcements in embattled Qusair

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:16:20 GMT

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's leading opposition group called on Wednesday for rebels across the country to send reinforcements to the strategic border town Qusair, where heavy fighting has drawn in fighters from Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement.

Iran, Hezbollah increasing support for Assad: Britain

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:03:54 GMT

AMMAN (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Wednesday Iran and its militant Shi'ite Lebanese ally Hezbollah were "propping up" Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and giving him increasing support.

Militants release seven Egyptians kidnapped in Sinai

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:53:45 GMT

CAIRO (Reuters) - Seven members of the Egyptian security forces kidnapped by Islamist militants in Sinai last week were released on Wednesday, ending a crisis that has highlighted lawlessness in the desert peninsula bordering Israel.

Artillery lands in east Congo city, humanitarian camp

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:50:38 GMT

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Artillery rounds landed in a heavily populated neighborhood of Congo's eastern city of Goma on Wednesday, killing a child and injuring other civilians a day before a planned visit by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a human rights group said.

Afghanistan's Karzai gives India military equipment 'wish list'

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:33:46 GMT

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Wednesday he had given a "wish list" of military equipment to India during a visit this week, presenting a conundrum for New Delhi as it weighs whether arming the Afghan army is in its interests.

Sweden's capital hit by worst riots in years

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:50:26 GMT

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Hundreds of youths have set fire to cars and attacked police and rescue services in poor immigrant suburbs in three nights of rioting in Stockholm, Sweden's worst disorder in years.

Impoverished Malawi sells presidential jet for $15 million

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:42:40 GMT

LILONGWE (Reuters) - Malawi's luxury presidential jet, bought by late leader Bingu wa Mutharika, has been sold for $15 million to raise cash for the impoverished African country, a government official said on Wednesday.

Iran's Ahmadinejad to challenge ally's ban from election

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:37:47 GMT

DUBAI (Reuters) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday he would ask Iran's supreme leader to reverse a ban preventing his aide from running in next month's presidential poll, a test of stability after the violent trauma of the 2009 vote.

Italy to outline youth jobs plan as government struggles

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:24:58 GMT

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's new government, already sinking in opinion polls and riven by internal disputes, on Wednesday lays out its plans to address one of the main causes of public anger - soaring unemployment among young people.

North Korea sends top Kim Jong-un aide to Beijing

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:21:06 GMT

SEOUL/BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea sent one of its top military officials as a "special envoy" from its leader Kim Jong-un to Beijing on Wednesday, accompanied by a high-powered delegation in what appeared to be a bid to mend frayed relations with its most important ally.

Millions falling into poverty in recession-racked Italy: report

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:01:40 GMT

ROME (Reuters) - Millions of Italians cannot afford to heat their homes properly or eat meat as their country is racked by recession and soaring unemployment, said a report which found the number of people considered seriously deprived had doubled in the past two years.

EU mission seeks to rebuild Mali army after U.S. faltered

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:48:52 GMT

KOULIKORO, Mali (Reuters) - Under a blazing sun and the critical gaze of British and Irish instructors, a line of 11 Malian soldiers lie prone in the dust firing AK-47 rounds at targets, one-by-one.

China's Li offers to help end Pakistan energy crisis

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:43:40 GMT

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - China and Pakistan should make cooperation on power generation a priority, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said, as Islamabad seeks to end an energy crisis that triggers power cuts of up to 20 hours a day, bringing the economy to a near standstill.

Freeport can't say when Indonesia mine to reopen, confirms 28 dead

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:07:50 GMT

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc said it will not restart production at the world's second-largest copper mine in Indonesia after a tunnel collapse that killed 28 workers until it is convinced of the mine's safety.

World Bank pledges $1 billion to aid peace in Africa's Great Lakes

Wed, 22 May 2013 07:15:51 GMT

KINSHASA (Reuters) - The World Bank on Wednesday announced $1 billion in development funding for Africa's Great Lakes region, where renewed fighting this week between the government and rebels in eastern Congo has raised fears once again of an escalation in conflict.

Iran bars candidates for presidential election

Wed, 22 May 2013 06:51:30 GMT

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian authorities barred two potentially powerful and disruptive candidates from running in next month's presidential election on Tuesday, ensuring a contest largely among hardliners loyal to the clerical supreme leader.

China charges six in sex video "extortion" case

Wed, 22 May 2013 05:46:59 GMT

BEIJING (Reuters) - A court in the city of Chongqing has charged six people with working together to blackmail government officials by recording videos of them having sex, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.

Turkey passes "wealth amnesty" law to lure back funds from abroad

Wed, 22 May 2013 05:32:03 GMT

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The Turkish parliament passed a "wealth amnesty" law late on Tuesday designed to lure back funds held abroad by affluent Turks without punitive taxes and fines.

Pakistan's Imran Khan leaves hospital after campaign fall

Wed, 22 May 2013 04:35:31 GMT

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani cricket-hero-turned-politician Imran Khan left hospital on Wednesday after treatment for back injuries suffered in a fall in Lahore, television stations said.

Japan considers resuming talks with North Korea: media

Wed, 22 May 2013 01:54:24 GMT

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan has started looking into resuming inter-governmental talks with North Korea after a surprise visit to Pyongyang by an aide to Japan's prime minister, the Asahi Shimbun and other newspapers said on Wednesday.

Senate panel backs arming Syria rebels

Wed, 22 May 2013 01:28:23 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Senate panel voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to send weapons to rebels fighting Syria's government, but it was not clear who would get the arms even if the bill succeeds, as Washington struggles to deal with its response to the conflict.

Guatemala trial of Rios Montt has likely collapsed: lawyers

Wed, 22 May 2013 01:20:34 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - The trial of former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt has likely collapsed after the country's top court struck down his conviction for genocide, defense and prosecution lawyers said on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka opposition says government threatened to sack strikers

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:51:13 GMT

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's opposition parties and trade unions accused the government on Tuesday of threatening state employees with the sack if they took part in planned street protests against a sharp rise in electricity prices.