Reuters: Top News

Watchdog to probe Osborne's expenses

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:45:32 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - A parliamentary watchdog will investigate expense claims by Shadow Chancellor George Osborne, an official said on Thursday.

Senior British commander killed by Afghan bomb

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:06:03 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - One of the most senior British army officers in Afghanistan has been killed by a roadside bomb in the southern province of Helmand, the defence ministry said on Thursday.

Michael Jackson memorial likely Tuesday

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:04:55 GMT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A public memorial for Michael Jackson is expected to be held on Tuesday in Los Angeles, a concert promoter said on Thursday, as the singer's former wife said she planned to fight for custody of their children.

U.S. job losses spike in June

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:35:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. employers cut far more jobs than expected last month and the unemployment rate hit 9.5 percent, the highest in nearly 26 years, underscoring the likelihood of a long, slow recovery from recession.

U.S. Marines launch key operation in Afghanistan

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:32:47 GMT

SORKHDOZ, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Thousands of U.S. Marines stormed deep into Taliban territory in an Afghan valley on Thursday, marking the start of a major new effort by the Obama administration to regain the initiative in the war.

Royal Mail workers to strike in London

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:03:36 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Mail workers pledged on Thursday to go ahead with three days of strikes in London next week despite condemnation from a minister who accused them of sticking their head in the sand.

Climate change shrinks Scotland's wild sheep

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:25:14 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Wild sheep on a remote Scottish island are shrinking, and scientists blame global warming.

Japan's Amano elected head of U.N. nuclear watchdog

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:10:01 GMT

VIENNA (Reuters) - Japanese diplomat Yukiya Amano was narrowly elected the next head of the U.N. atomic watchdog on Thursday and he vowed to tackle rich-poor tensions weakening the fight against the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Doomed Air France plane hit sea intact

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:56:10 GMT

PARIS (Reuters) - The Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic last month hit the water intact and at high speed but was missing for six hours before an emergency was declared, French investigators said on Thursday.

Longer sentences for caustic soda gang rapists

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:54:02 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Two young men who took part in a gang-rape of a 16-year-old girl before scarring her for life by dousing their victim with caustic soda had their sentences increased substantially on Thursday.

Comoros crash survivor home, hopes end for others

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:36:26 GMT

MORONI (Reuters) - The sole survivor of a Yemeni jet that plunged into the Indian Ocean off the Comoros islands was reunited with her father in France on Thursday, but rescuers said hopes of another miracle find were all but over.

Straw provisonally rejects Liverpool fan's pardon

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:22:13 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Justice Secretary Jack Straw has provisionally ruled out granting a pardon to a Liverpool football fan jailed by a Bulgarian court for an attempted murder he denies, his department said on Thursday.

North Korea ups tension with short-range missiles

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:59:28 GMT

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea test-fired four short-range missiles on Thursday, further stoking tension in the region that was already high due to Pyongyang's nuclear test and threats to boost its nuclear arsenal in response to UN sanctions.

Mung bean mystery stumps British military

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:47:40 GMT

KABUL (Reuters) - The British military is mystified after what was first announced as a major haul of opium poppy seeds amounted to nothing more than a hill of beans.

UK court rules for German heiress in rich divorce

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:01:31 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - The Court of Appeal has ruled that a pre-nuptial agreement made overseas is still valid in Britain, a decision that could have far-reaching implications for those going through divorce.

Miles sees no rapid return to growth

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:36:07 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - New Bank of England policymaker David Miles warned that any signs of a rapid economic recovery were likely to prove a false dawn, and joined Bank colleague Tim Besley on Thursday in ruling out tighter monetary policy in the short term.

Britain changes tactics on swine flu

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:22:50 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - The government is to change the way it deals with the H1N1 flu outbreak after projections that over 100,000 new cases a day could be emerging by the end of August.

RAF Tornado crashes in Scotland, police say

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:24:51 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - An RAF Tornado jet has crashed in Scotland, police said on Thursday.

Tributes paid to actress Mollie Sugden

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:01:02 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Tributes have been paid to actress Mollie Sugden, who starred in the television comedy series "Are You Being Served," following her death at the age of 86.

Lenders expect to extend more credit

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:42:18 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Lenders expect to make credit more easily available to households and businesses over the coming quarter but are not expecting much of a pick-up in demand, a survey by the Bank of England showed on Thursday.

London absorbs downturn, Games on track as promised

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:21:48 GMT

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The global financial crisis will in no way prevent London from hosting exactly the Olympic spectacle it promised in more affluent times, London's Games chief Sebastian Coe told Reuters on Thursday.

Jackson funeral sketchy as will sets family trust

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:10:53 GMT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A will signed by Michael Jackson putting his multimillion-dollar estate in a trust for his children and mother was filed in court on Wednesday, as details of his highly-anticipated funeral remained sketchy.

France confident UK won't quit A400M

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:50:18 GMT

PARIS (Reuters) - France is confident Britain will commit to the Airbus A400M military transport plane but disagreements remain over how to share out the costs of delays to the programme, a French presidency source said on Thursday.

Two British troops killed in Afghanistan

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:26:02 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Two British soldiers have been killed during operations in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said on Thursday.

Amnesty says Israel "wantonly" destroyed Gaza

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:17:22 GMT

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Amnesty International said on Thursday Israel inflicted "wanton destruction" in the Gaza Strip in attacks that often targeted Palestinian civilians during an offensive in December and January in the Hamas-run enclave.