Reuters: World News

Exclusive - Iran flouts U.N. sanctions, sends arms to Syria - panel

Wed, 16 May 2012 19:32:27 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Syria remains the top destination for Iranian arms shipments in violation of a U.N. Security Council ban on weapons exports by the Islamic Republic, according to a confidential draft report by a U.N. panel of experts seen by Reuters on Wednesday.

Syria's Assad - Nations that sow chaos will suffer

Wed, 16 May 2012 19:29:41 GMT

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Wednesday that countries trying to "sow chaos" in Syria could be infected with it themselves, an apparent warning to Arab Gulf nations that back the insurgency aimed at forcing him from power.

Judge to lead Greece to fateful June 17 election

Wed, 16 May 2012 19:14:56 GMT

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece put a senior judge in charge of an emergency government on Wednesday to lead the nation to new elections on June 17 and bankers tried to calm public fears after the president said political chaos risked causing panic and a run on deposits.

U.N. atom talks with Iran may show progress - diplomats

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:55:24 GMT

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog and Iran may be narrowing their differences on how to tackle concerns over Tehran's atomic ambitions, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday, suggesting a previously unexpected agreement was now not ruled out.

Hollande names new French cabinet, Aubry out

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:53:31 GMT

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande named a government dominated by moderate left-wingers on Wednesday after Socialist Party boss Martine Aubry, overlooked for the post of prime minister, said she no longer wanted to be part of the new cabinet.

Two Mexican generals detained for alleged drug gang ties

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:49:57 GMT

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Investigators are questioning Mexico's former deputy defense minister and a top army general for suspected links to organized crime, in the highest level scandal to hit the military in the five-year-old drug war.

Bahrain seeks arrest of 20 over homemade bombs

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:35:38 GMT

MANAMA (Reuters) - Bahrain issued arrest warrants on Wednesday for 20 people accused of injuring policemen and civilians with homemade bombs during months of pro-democracy unrest in the island kingdom.

Italy court rules Concordia captain unfit for command

Wed, 16 May 2012 17:35:16 GMT

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's top appeals court ruled on Wednesday that Francesco Schettino, the captain of the Costa Concordia, was unfit to command the cruise liner which ran aground and capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio in January, causing at least 30 deaths.

Mladic taunts survivors at start of genocide trial

Wed, 16 May 2012 17:20:25 GMT

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic made a throat-slitting gesture to a woman who lost her son, husband and brothers in the Srebenica massacre at the start of his trial on Wednesday for some of the worst atrocities in Europe since World War Two.

Breivik killed with joyous "battle cry" - survivors

Wed, 16 May 2012 17:18:42 GMT

OSLO (Reuters) - Anders Behring Breivik screamed a "battle cry" and appeared both angry and joyous as he shot his victims one by one, survivors of the Norwegian far-right killer's massacre told a court on Wednesday.

Merkel ditches environment minister after poll rout

Wed, 16 May 2012 17:16:55 GMT

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel fired her environment minister on Wednesday after he led her party to a regional election defeat, replacing him with a loyal conservative ally to push through her plans to take German energy into the post-nuclear era.

Yemen army advances on militants, fighting heavy

Wed, 16 May 2012 16:55:48 GMT

ADEN, Yemen (Reuters) - Yemeni troops, backed by local tribesmen, captured a strategic mountain that controls access to cities long held by al Qaeda-linked militants amid heavy fighting that has killed at least 24 people, residents and local officials said.

Greeks vote with wallets in fear of euro zone exit

Wed, 16 May 2012 16:53:11 GMT

ATHENS/BERLIN (Reuters) - Greeks are voting with their wallets and pulling euros out of the banks in fear that their country may leave the European single currency despite the declared determination of EU powers Germany and France to keep Athens in the monetary union.

Exclusive - Syria sugar refineries paralysed, smuggling seen soaring

Wed, 16 May 2012 16:33:06 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Escalating violence in Syria has slowed sugar refining to a virtual standstill, with smuggling set to rise as Western sanctions hobble trade finance and disrupt imports of the staple sweetener, trade sources said.

Leading Czech opposition figure charged with bribery

Wed, 16 May 2012 16:01:00 GMT

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech police have charged a leading opposition politician with bribery, a high-profile case at a time of rising public anger at the level of political corruption and an economic recession deepened by budget cuts and tax increases.

Two Mexican generals detained for alleged drug gang ties

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:47:35 GMT

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Two Mexican generals, including the former deputy minister of defence who helped lead the escalation of the country's war against drug gangs, are being investigated for ties to organized crime, the attorney general's office said on Wednesday.

Cameron plays down differences with Hollande

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:42:52 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron said on Wednesday he would hold talks with new French President Francois Hollande before an international summit this week, confident they would find "common ground" on how to tackle Europe's economic crisis.

Sri Lanka to free jailed ex-army chief - negotiator

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:33:51 GMT

COLOMBO (Reuters) - A member of parliament in Sri Lanka said on Wednesday he believed President Mahinda Rajapaksa would soon order the release from prison of the country's former army chief, revered by many of his compatriots for helping end a 25-year civil war.

Anarchists threaten Italy's PM Monti

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:13:23 GMT

LOCRI, Italy (Reuters) - An Italian anarchist group that has claimed responsibility for shooting the boss of a nuclear engineering firm threatened on Wednesday to target Prime Minister Mario Monti.

Bahrain protests Iran criticism of GCC union plans

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:32:31 GMT

DUBAI (Reuters) - Bahrain has summoned Iran's charge d'affaires to protest against what it called a "gross violation of its sovereignty" in a row after Tehran criticised efforts by Gulf Arab states to forge closer political and military union.

UAE's aerospace dream blooms in the desert

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:07:16 GMT

AL AIN, United Arab Emirates (Reuters) - Ross Bradley welcomes a delegation of aerospace suppliers in from the blistering heat of the Arabian desert and cools them down with some refreshingly candid advice.

Ukraine dismisses EU plea over jailed Tymoshenko

Wed, 16 May 2012 12:49:08 GMT

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov on Wednesday brushed aside Western concerns about his government's treatment of opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko as misguided and unwarranted, indicating that Kiev was unlikely to change its mind.

Egypt vote monitors say state hindering their work

Wed, 16 May 2012 12:08:36 GMT

CAIRO (Reuters) - Foreign observers of Egypt's first real leadership contest will be unable to say whether the process is free and fair because their movements are being restricted by election authorities, one of the groups supposed to be monitoring the vote said.

Exclusive - Order knew for months about priest scandal - Vatican official

Wed, 16 May 2012 12:03:20 GMT

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Leaders of the scandal-plagued Legionaries of Christ religious order knew that their most famous priest had fathered a child for many months before they acknowledged it this week, a top Vatican official told Reuters on Wednesday.

S.Sudan says aims to obtain anti-aircraft missiles

Wed, 16 May 2012 11:57:14 GMT

JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan will soon acquire anti-aircraft missiles to defend its territory against air attacks it says are frequently carried out by warplanes from neighbouring Sudan, the South Sudanese military said on Wednesday.