Reuters: Top News

Iran pushes ahead with nuclear plant that worries West

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:58:28 GMT

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran is pressing ahead with the construction of a research reactor that Western experts say could offer it a second way of producing material for a nuclear bomb if it decides to make one, a U.N. report showed on Wednesday.

U.S. may boost Syria rebels if Assad won't talk peace

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:39:21 GMT

AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Washington threatened on Wednesday to increase support for Syria's rebels if President Bashar al-Assad refuses to discuss a political end to a civil war that is spreading across borders.

Cameron calls emergency meeting after man killed in London

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:35:53 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron called an emergency security meeting on Wednesday after a man was killed near an army barracks in London, and two men were shot and wounded by police.

EU leaders talk tough on tackling Amazon, Google over taxes

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:55:22 GMT

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain, France and Germany called for stricter rules to stop companies such as Google, Apple and Amazon aggressively avoiding taxes in austerity bitten Europe, while acknowledging they had done nothing unlawful.

Ireland feels the heat from Apple tax row

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:51:29 GMT

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland called on Wednesday for an international clampdown on multinationals shifting profits around the world to avoid tax, after criticism that Irish loopholes helped technology giant Apple to shrink its tax bill.

Miliband says Google tax behaviour 'wrong'

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:34:50 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Google Inc's tax affairs came under renewed scrutiny in Britain on Wednesday when the leader of the opposition Labour party accused the Internet company of wrongly going to "extraordinary lengths" to avoid paying tax.

Rescuers search Oklahoma tornado town ruins as recovery starts

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:29:29 GMT

MOORE, Oklahoma (Reuters) - Rescue workers with sniffer dogs picked through the ruins of an Oklahoma town on Wednesday to ensure no survivors remained buried after a deadly tornado left thousands homeless and trying to salvage what was left of their belongings.

IMF urges UK to spend more to fund investment

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:11:30 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's government should spend more now to fund investment and steer its economy back to recovery, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday, a call unlikely to be heeded by Chancellor George Osborne.

Man charged over 1982 IRA parade bombing in London park

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:30:50 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - An Irishman was charged on Wednesday over a bombing that killed four soldiers on horseback in the heart of London in 1982, one of the most high-profile attacks by IRA guerrillas in their campaign to end British rule in Northern Ireland.

Ukraine PM bars reporters from government meetings after protest

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:23:45 GMT

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov ordered a dozen local reporters to be barred from covering government meetings after they staged a protest on Wednesday over attacks on journalists at a rally.

IMF's Lagarde to be quizzed in French arbitration case

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:31:44 GMT

PARIS (Reuters) - IMF chief Christine Lagarde will be questioned by a French magistrate on Thursday over her role in a 285-million-euro (242 million pounds) arbitration payment made to a supporter of former president Nicolas Sarkozy.

UK coalition to last despite rifts, infighting - deputy PM

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:30:24 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 stabilise a government beset by infighting and rifts.

Sweden's capital hit by worst riots in years

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:47:39 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.

Mercedes dealer review opens home front in luxury war

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:45:37 GMT

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - How many Mercedes staff does it take to sell a car? The answer, in the luxury carmaker's German showrooms, is more than it takes to shift an Audi - just part of the cost gap Daimler wants to close with its premium rivals.

Plunge in retail sales points to fragile economy

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:38:17 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - British retail sales dropped at their sharpest pace in a year last month, a reminder of weakness in the country's economy after some recent signs of recovery.

North Korea sends top Kim Jong-un aide to Beijing

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:16:06 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 09:03:41 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.

Bank of England remains split 6-3 against new stimulus

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:36:21 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - The Bank of England's top policymakers remained split 6-3 against restarting its bond purchase programme for a fourth month in a row in May, amid signs that the economy is improving.

Sony to assess spin-off plan; cuts targets for cameras, smartphones

Wed, 22 May 2013 07:19:46 GMT

TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corp cut its sales targets for digital cameras, smartphones and tablets by 13-17 percent for the year to end-March 2015, but said there were "encouraging" signs of a revival in its electronics business.

Britvic to cut costs and take Fruit Shoot to India

Wed, 22 May 2013 06:43:09 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - British soft drinks maker Britvic will close two factories and a warehouse in the UK and roll out the Fruit Shoot brand in India as part of a new strategy announced with its interim results.

Insight - No more easy pickings in Russia's banking market

Wed, 22 May 2013 06:38:01 GMT

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Foreign banks that once treated Russia as virgin land where easy money could be made are now finding it a cut-throat market tougher than some bargained for.

UK Mail full-year profit buoyed by e-retail growth

Wed, 22 May 2013 06:35:31 GMT

(Reuters) - Parcel delivery company UK Mail Group Plc reported an 18 percent rise in full-year pretax profit as more thrift-conscious Britons look for online shopping deals.

Lloyds says won't need to issue new equity, CoCos

Wed, 22 May 2013 06:33:15 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Lloyds Banking Group said on Wednesday that it would be able to meet new capital requirements without having to issue new equity or contingent capital, after Britain's financial regulator updated the bank on its position.

Nationwide profits jump 56 percent

Wed, 22 May 2013 06:22:45 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Nationwide, Britain's biggest customer-owned financial services group, said its financial position remained robust after posting a 56 percent leap in annual underlying profit driven by demands for an alternative to traditional banks.

Merck signs $5 billion share buyback agreement with Goldman Sachs

Wed, 22 May 2013 02:33:34 GMT

(Reuters) - Merck & Co Inc said it has entered into a $5 billion (3 billion pounds) share repurchase agreement with Goldman Sachs Group Inc, as the drug giant looks to prop up shareholder value in face of stiff competition from makers of less-costly generics.