North Korea appears to have fired missile into sea: South Korea military

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired a missile into the sea off its east coast on Friday, the South's military said, hours after the leaders of South Korea, Japan and the United States warned Pyongyang to end provocations or face more pressure.











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U.S. employment gains seen strong, but wages tepid

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. job growth likely remained strong in March, underpinning economic growth, but tepid wage gains and weak global demand could keep the Federal Reserve cautious about raising interest rates this year.


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Death toll in India flyover collapse rises to 23, with 90 rescued

KOLKATA, India (Reuters) - The death toll in the collapse of a flyover under construction in the Indian city of Kolkata rose to 23 on Friday, after rescuers worked through the night with cranes and jackhammers to clear huge slabs of steel and concrete.


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China factories scent hint of Spring, Japan feels chill

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Activity in China's vast factory sector grew for the first time in nine months in March to bring a hint of Spring to the global economy, though a renewed chill in Japanese industry led to a muted response in financial markets.


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Exclusive: Anbang partner says Starwood bid was dropped to avoid long battle

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Anbang Insurance Group Co walked away from its planned $14 billion offer for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc to avoid a protracted bidding war, one of the Chinese insurer's consortium partners said on Friday.


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Brazil's Rousseff gets relief from Supreme Court, supporters

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday to take a corruption investigation into former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva away from a crusading federal judge, as pro-government protests across the country eased pressure on President Dilma Rousseff.











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Former student claims in lawsuit Baylor University ignored her rape

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A former student at Baylor University has brought a negligence lawsuit in federal court in Texas against the school, world's largest Baptist college, claiming it acted callously and indifferently after she was raped by a Baylor football player.











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Virginia state trooper badly wounded in bus station shooting: police

RICHMOND, Va. (Reuters) - A Virginia state trooper was clinging to life after being shot at a Richmond bus station on Thursday by a gunman who was fatally wounded after two police officers returned gunfire, a state police spokeswoman said.











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Beyonce jumps into athleisure market with Ivy Park clothing line

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Recording star Beyonce launched a women's fitness clothing line on Thursday featuring bodysuits, leggings and headbands, named in part for her 4-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy.


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Uber CEO must face price-fixing lawsuit by passengers, U.S. court rules

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Travis Kalanick, the chief executive of Uber Technologies Inc, failed on Thursday to win the dismissal of an antitrust lawsuit accusing him of scheming to drive up prices for passengers who use the popular ride-sharing service.


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Bill hiking California minimum wage to $15 passes state Assembly, goes to Senate

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - A plan to raise California's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2022 cleared its toughest legislative hurdle on Thursday, putting the state on track to become the first in the nation to commit to such a large pay hike for the working poor.


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Where's the lane? Self-driving cars confused by shabby U.S. roadways

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Volvo's North American CEO, Lex Kerssemakers, lost his cool as the automaker's semi-autonomous prototype sporadically refused to drive itself during a press event at the Los Angeles Auto Show.


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Hundreds of thousands protest at French labor reforms

PARIS (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of workers and high-school students joined protest marches across France on Wednesday to challenge plans to loosen the country's protective labor laws that unions say favor businesses.


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Trump struggles to contain abortion fallout as White House rivals pounce

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican front-runner Donald Trump's campaign sought on Thursday to contain the fallout from his comments on punishing women for having an abortion, characterizing the flap as a "simple misspeak" as his White House rivals pounced on the controversy.


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U.S., South Korea, Japan pledge security cooperation amid North Korea threat

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The leaders of the United States, Japan and South Korea on Thursday recommitted themselves to each other's security amid ongoing threats from North Korea, following a meeting alongside the National Security Summit in Washington.











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Car bomb attack kills four police in Turkey's Diyarbakir: official

ANKARA/DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - A car bomb attack killed four Turkish police officers and wounded 20 other people in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir on Thursday, a government official said, the latest violence to hit the biggest city in the largely Kurdish region.


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Trump expected to visit Washington on Thursday

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump is expected to be in Washington on Thursday for a private meeting hosted by his top backer in the capital, U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, three people familiar with the meeting said.


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Swedish airport terminal to reopen after suspicious package found safe

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - One of Sweden's biggest airports will reopen after authorities found suspicious plastic bags in the domestic terminal did not contain any dangerous objects, police said on Thursday.











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Foxconn's $3.5 billion bet to keep up with Apple

SEOUL (Reuters) - With its acquisition of Japan's Sharp Corp , Foxconn aims to gain access to promising technology for high-end OLED screens likely to be used in future devices from Apple Inc , the electronics assembler's biggest customer.


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China says no need to 'gesticulate' over South China Sea plans

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Defence Ministry denounced as gesticulation on Thursday speculation it would declare an air defense zone over the disputed South China Sea, after the United States said it had told China it would not recognize one.


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Islamic State urges attacks on German chancellery, Bonn airport: SITE group

BERLIN (Reuters) - Islamic State posted pictures on the Internet calling on German Muslims to carry out Brussels-style attacks in Germany, singling out Chancellor Angela Merkel's offices and the Cologne-Bonn airport as targets, the SITE intelligence group reported.


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Kremlin denies report of Russia-U.S. deal on Assad's future

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Thursday that a report by the al-Hayat newspaper on an agreement between Russia and the United States on the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was not true.











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India overpass collapse kills 10 with 150 feared trapped

KOLKATA, India (Reuters) - At least 10 people were killed in the Indian city of Kolkata on Thursday and 150 were feared trapped when a flyover under construction collapsed onto traffic moving along the street below, police said.











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Argentine Senate approves deal to end debt dispute, re-enter markets

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's Senate gave the green light to a landmark deal to repay creditors holding defaulted debt in the early hours of Thursday, marking the end of a 14-year legal battle that had made the country a global financial pariah.


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Pentagon to send about a dozen Guantanamo inmates to other countries soon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon plans to transfer about a dozen inmates of the Guantanamo military prison to at least two countries that have agreed to take them, a U.S. official said on Wednesday, the latest move in President Barack Obama's final push to close the facility.


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U.S. transgender community fights against 'bathroom bills'

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Reuters) - After scoring wins for same-sex marriage rights and anti-discrimination protections, U.S. equality advocacy groups now find themselves in a battle over bathrooms.











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North Korea in 'top-speed dash' for May congress, Kim's nuclear policy

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is poised to declare his signature ruling policy during a rare party congress in May and despite tough new U.N. sanctions, it is likely to be the twin pursuit of nuclear prowess and economic development.











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Nuclear terrorism fears loom over Obama's final atomic summit

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Just as fears of nuclear terrorism are rising, U.S. President Barack Obama's drive to lock down vulnerable atomic materials worldwide seems to have lost momentum and could slow further.











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Plan to raise California minimum wage to $15 clears key panel

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - A plan to raise California's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2022 cleared its first legislative hurdle on Wednesday, putting the state on track to become the first in the nation to commit to such a large pay hike for the working poor.











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Obama commutes 61 sentences, bringing total to 248

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Wednesday commuted the sentences of 61 federal prisoners serving time for drug crimes, bringing his total commutations to 248 individuals, which the White House said was more than the previous six presidents combined.


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U.S. to deploy armored brigade combat teams to Europe

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Wednesday that it would deploy rotations of U.S.-based armored brigade combat teams to Europe, part of a wider effort to counter what the United States sees as Russian aggression on the continent.


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Assad says he can form new Syria government with opposition

MOSCOW/BEIRUT (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad said it would not be difficult to agree a new Syrian government including opposition figures, but his opponents responded on Wednesday that no administration would be legitimate while he remained in office.


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Decision on charges in Minneapolis police killing due Wednesday

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - A county attorney in Minnesota will announce on Wednesday whether he has decided to charge two Minneapolis police officers in the shooting death of a 24-year-old black man last November.


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Trump stands by aide over battery charge, threatens legal action

WASHINGTON - U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump vowed on Wednesday to stand by his campaign manager despite the aide's arrest over a misdemeanor battery charge, drawing criticism from rivals.


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Tears flow as Myanmar swears in first president with no army ties in over 50 years

NAYPYITAW/YANGON (Reuters) - Members of Aung San Suu Kyi's victorious National League for Democracy (NLD) were in tears on Wednesday as Myanmar swore in its first president with no military ties in more than half a century.











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U.S., Newark reach settlement on police practices and minorities -DOJ

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice and Newark, New Jersey, have reached a settlement following what the department said was a pattern of city police practices that "had a disparate impact on minorities," a DOJ statement said on Wednesday.


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Foxconn agrees to buy Sharp after slashing original offer

TOKYO/TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's Foxconn agreed to acquire Sharp Corp at a big discount to its original offer after a month of wrangling that sowed more doubts over whether the two companies can work well together and fend off fierce competition from smartphone display rivals.


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Khamenei says missiles, not talks, key to Iran's future

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's top leader on Wednesday said missiles were key to the Islamic Republic's future, offering support to the hardline Revolutionary Guards that have drawn criticism from the West for testing ballistic missiles.











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U.N. chief urges all countries to show solidarity with Syrian refugees

GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on all countries on Wednesday to show solidarity and accept nearly half a million Syrian refugees for resettlement over the next three years.


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Exclusive: Russia, despite draw down, shipping more to Syria than removing

MOSCOW (Reuters) - When Vladimir Putin announced the withdrawal of most of Russia's military contingent from Syria there was an expectation that the Yauza, a Russian naval icebreaker and one of the mission's main supply vessels, would return home to its Arctic Ocean port.











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Hackers breach computer networks of some big U.S. law firms: WSJ

(Reuters) - Hackers broke into the computer networks of some big U.S. law firms, including Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP and Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.


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Cautious Yellen pushes back on Fed officials eyeing hike

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said on Tuesday the U.S. central bank should proceed only cautiously as it looks to raise interest rates, pushing back on a handful of her colleagues who have suggested another move may be just around the corner.











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Second judge says Clinton email setup may have been in 'bad faith'

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A second federal judge has taken the rare step of allowing a group suing for records from Hillary Clinton's time as U.S. secretary of state to seek sworn testimony from officials, saying there was "evidence of government wrong-doing and bad faith."











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Oscar-winning actress Patty Duke dies, age 69

(Reuters) - Oscar-winning American actress Patty Duke, widely known for the 1960s show "The Patty Duke Show," died on Tuesday, her representative told Reuters. She was 69 years old.


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Brazil's PMDB party quits Rousseff coalition government

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's largest party announced on Tuesday it is leaving President Dilma Rousseff's governing coalition and pulling its members from her government, a departure that cripples her chances of surviving in office.


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FBI warned Dutch about El Bakraoui brothers week before Brussels attacks

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) told Dutch police that two brothers were being sought by Belgian authorities a week before the pair blew themselves up in suicide attacks in Brussels, the Dutch interior minister said on Tuesday.











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Trump campaign manager charged with battery, Cruz wins Walker backing

(Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery in Florida on Tuesday, the latest chapter in a raucous White House race marked by threats, insults and physical confrontations.


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Syria's Assad says military gains will speed up political deal

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Syrian army's successes and its strong support from Russia will help accelerate a political settlement to the country's civil war, President Bashar al-Assad said, as the two allies maintained an offensive against Islamic State militants.


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U.S. orders military families to leave parts of Turkey

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Tuesday it has ordered the families of its personnel to leave parts of southern Turkey over "continued security concerns in the region."


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Without Scalia, Supreme Court rejects challenge to union fees

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The shorthanded U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a conservative legal attack on a vital source of funds for organized labor, splitting 4-4 in a challenge that had appeared to be on the path to victory until Justice Antonin Scalia's February death.


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Capitol Police investigating two suspicious packages

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Capitol Police were investigating two unattended packages near the Capitol on Tuesday, authorities said in a statement one day after the area was put on lockdown amid a shooting.


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Campaign rhetoric on Muslims harms U.S. security efforts: Homeland Security chief

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Harsh rhetoric about Muslims by Republican candidates in the U.S. presidential election campaign is undermining national security efforts, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said on Tuesday.











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North Korea fires short-range missile along its coast

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea test fired a short-range missile on its east coast on Tuesday, South Korea's military said, amid heightened tension over the isolated country's nuclear and rocket programs.











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Fed's Williams urges U.S. central bank to stay on track with rate rises

(Reuters) - The U.S. economy remains on track for a gradual path of rate hikes and fears over the impact of a slowing global economy and bouts of financial volatility are overdone, San Francisco Federal Reserve President John Williams said on Tuesday.


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Obama says journalists partly to blame for tone of presidential race

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Monday laid some of the blame for the tone of the presidential campaign on political journalism that has been pinched by shrinking newsroom budgets and cheapened by a focus on retweets and likes on social media.


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EgyptAir plane hijacked to Cyprus, most passengers freed

LARNACA, Cyprus, March 29 (Reuters) - An Egyptian plane on a flight between Alexandria and Cairo was hijacked and forced to land in Cyprus by a man apparently distressed over a family matter.











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Yahoo sets April 11 deadline for preliminary bids: WSJ

(Reuters) - Yahoo Inc has set an April 11 deadline to submit preliminary bids for its web business and Asian assets, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing sources.


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Taliban faction taunts Pakistan PM after Easter Day bombing

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The Pakistani militants who bombed a Lahore park on Easter Sunday, killing 70 people, taunted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday, declaring their war had come to his doorstep.











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Suicide bomber kills three, wounds 27 in central Baghdad: police

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomber blew himself up on Tuesday morning in central Baghdad, killing three people and wounding 27, a police spokesman said.











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U.S. drops legal action against Apple over encrypted iPhone

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said it successfully accessed data stored on an encrypted iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters and asked a court to withdraw an order compelling Apple to assist, according to a court filing on Monday.


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Suspected Capitol gunman wounded and captured: police

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A suspected gunman was wounded in a shooting on Monday on the U.S. Capitol grounds and taken to hospital, police and congressional sources said.


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U.S. immigration agents bust 1,100 suspects in gang sweep

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. immigration agents have arrested more than 1,000 suspects on charges including attempted murder and witness tampering, in a nationwide operation aimed at international gangs, officials said on Monday.











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Cuba's Fidel Castro knocks sweet-talking Obama after 'honey-coated' visit

HAVANA (Reuters) - Retired leader Fidel Castro accused U.S. President Barack Obama of sweet-talking the Cuban people during his visit to the island last week and ignoring the accomplishments of Communist rule, in an opinion piece carried by all state-run media on Monday.


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Deal reached to raise California's minimum wage: governor

(Reuters) - A deal has been reached to raise California's minimum wage, Governor Jerry Brown said on Monday, adding to a wave of minimum wage increases at state level in the United States.











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China's Anbang raises offer for Starwood to $14 billion

(Reuters) - China's Anbang Insurance Group Co raised its offer for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc to almost $14 billion, Starwood said on Monday, in the latest challenge to the U.S. hotel operator's merger with Marriott International Inc .


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Japan's NTT Data agrees to buy Dell's IT services unit for $3 billion

(Reuters) - Japan's NTT Data Corp said on Monday it has agreed to buy Dell Inc's information technology consulting division for over $3 billion to expand in North America and bolster its services business.











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Georgia governor to veto religious freedom bill seen as anti-gay

ATLANTA (Reuters) - Georgia Governor Nathan Deal said on Monday he will veto a religious freedom bill passed by the state legislature that has drawn national criticism for discriminating against same-sex couples.











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Syrian forces pursue campaign against Islamic State after retaking Palmyra

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces backed by Russian air strikes battled Islamic State insurgents around Palmyra on Monday, trying to extend their gains after taking back control of a city whose ancient temples were dynamited by the ultra-radical militants.











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Despite Sanders win, Clinton to eye Trump as Republican fight brews

WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton on Monday was set to target Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, despite renewed pressure from her Democratic rival for her party's presidential nomination after sweeping wins in three U.S. states.


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U.S. consumer spending edges up, inflation retreats

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - U.S. consumer spending rose marginally in February and overall inflation retreated, suggesting the Federal Reserve will continue to gradually raise interest rates this year despite a tightening labor market.


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Brussels prosecutors charge three more people with terrorist activity

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Brussels prosecutors on Monday said they had charged three more people with participating in a terrorist group after a series of raids following bomb attacks on Brussels airport and a metro train last week.











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Saudi-led alliance confirms Yemen prisoner swap

DUBAI (Reuters) - A Saudi-led military coalition on Monday confirmed it had completed a prisoner swap in Yemen, exchanging nine Saudi prisoners for 109 Yemeni nationals, Saudi state news agency SPA said.


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Japan opens radar station close to disputed isles in move bound to rile China

YONAGUNI (Reuters) - Japan on Monday switched on a radar station in the East China Sea, giving it a permanent intelligence gathering post close to Taiwan and a group of islands disputed by Japan and China, a move bound to rile Beijing.











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Trump questions NATO, Asia nuclear weapons ahead of Washington summit

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Sunday doubled down on his criticism of NATO, a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy for decades, and called for the alliance's overhaul days before world leaders convene in Washington.


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Sanders says party leaders may 'rethink' after wins

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fresh from Democratic presidential primary wins over the weekend in three U.S. states, Bernie Sanders on Sunday claimed political momentum he said could help him win the backing of Democratic power brokers in his race against Hillary Clinton.











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The race against time that Belgium lost

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - When Brussels police caught Salah Abdeslam, suspected sole survivor of November’s suicide assault on Paris, they knew they were in a race against time to stop a new Islamic State attack.


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Ten dead, 30 injured in blast outside park in Pakistan's Lahore

LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) - A blast killed 10 people outside a public park in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore, the capital of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's political heartland of Punjab, rescue officials said.


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Islamic State driven out of Syria's ancient Palmyra city

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces backed by heavy Russian air support drove Islamic State out of Palmyra on Sunday, inflicting what the army called a "mortal blow" to militants who seized the city last year and dynamited its ancient temples.











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Chile reports its first sexually transmitted Zika case

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Chile has confirmed its first case of the Zika virus having been sexually transmitted, the health ministry said in a statement on its website on Saturday.


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Use 'weapons of love' to fight evil of terrorism, pope says on Easter

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis urged the world in his Easter message on Sunday to use the "weapons of love" to combat the evil of "blind and brutal violence", following the attacks in Brussels.


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Suspected U.S. drone strikes in Yemen kill eight militants: residents

ADEN (Reuters) - Drone attacks killed eight men suspected of belonging to al Qaeda in southern Yemen on Saturday night, local residents said, as a U.S. campaign against the militant group goes on amid a wider civil war in the country.











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Gallows humor in Brussels as EU gloomily awaits British vote

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Even before the shock of last week's deadly Brussels bombings, gallows humor had taken hold in the square kilometer around Schuman Roundabout, the heart of the city's European district.











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Myanmar army reasserts its key political role ahead of transition

NAYPYITAW (Reuters) - Myanmar's armed forces commander-in-chief stressed on Sunday the need for the military to remain a political force just days before a democratically elected government is set to take power for the first time in 56 years.


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Mexicans burn Donald Trump effigies in Easter ritual

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexicans celebrating an Easter ritual late on Saturday burnt effigies of U.S. Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump, whose anti-immigrant views have sparked outrage south of the American border.


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Four killed in crash of medical helicopter in Alabama

(Reuters) - Four people, including a patient who was being airlifted from the scene of a car accident, were killed on Saturday when a medical services helicopter crashed in Alabama, authorities said.











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Tens of thousands of Yemenis mark a year of war, denounce Saudi-led offensive

SANAA (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Yemenis took to the streets of the capital Sanaa on Saturday to mark the first anniversary of the war between a coalition led by Saudi Arabia against Iran-allied fighters who had overthrown the government.


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Belgium charges airport suspect, calls off Brussels 'march against fear'

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian prosecutors charged three men on Saturday with terrorist offences over the Brussels bomb attacks and authorities called off a planned 'march against fear' in the jittery capital to relieve pressure on an over-taxed police force.











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Bernie Sanders hopes to score wins in West

Three states are holding Democratic presidential nominating contests on Saturday where Hillary Clinton will try to expand her lead in the contest to secure the party's nomination.











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Third suspect in Brussels airport blasts identified: media

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A third man caught on CCTV footage with two bombers who attacked Brussels airport on Tuesday was named as Faycal Cheffou in Belgian media on Saturday.


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Microsoft meets with private equity over Yahoo deal

Healdsburg, CALIFORNIA (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp executives are in early talks with potential Yahoo Inc investors about contributing to financing to buy the troubled Internet company, a person familiar with the situation said.











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Chinese activist says family 'taken away' over letter calling for Xi to quit

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York-based Chinese Internet activist told Reuters on Friday that China's authorities have detained three members of his family in connection with an open letter calling for the resignation of President Xi Jinping.


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Islamic State second-in-command likely killed: U.S.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Islamic State's second in command and other senior leaders were likely killed this week in a major offensive targeting its financial operations, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday, the latest setback for the militant group.











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Rolling Stones tell giant crowd 'times are changing' at Cuba debut

HAVANA (Reuters) - The Rolling Stones rocked a massive crowd at a free, outdoor concert in Havana on Friday, capping a week of engagement with the West for the Communist-led country that once censored the veteran British band's music.


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U.S. officials extend emergency water assistance for Flint, Michigan

(Reuters) - Federal officials have extended an emergency declaration for Flint that has provided supplies of bottled water, filters and test kits to the Michigan city suffering from lead contamination in drinking water, the state governor said on Friday.











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Microsoft apologizes for offensive tirade by its 'chatbot'

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Microsoft is "deeply sorry" for the racist and sexist Twitter messages generated by the so-called chatbot it launched this week, a company official wrote on Friday, after the artificial intelligence program went on an embarrassing tirade.











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U.S. approves $3.2 billion sale of Boeing P-8A patrol planes to UK

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government has approved the sale of up to nine Boeing Co P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol planes to Britain in a deal valued at up to $3.2 billion, the U.S. Defense Department said Friday.


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Islamic State claims blasts at Aden checkpoints; at least 20 dead

ADEN (Reuters) - Three suicide bombs hit checkpoints in the southern Yemeni city of Aden on Friday, killing at least 20 people, residents and eye witnesses said, and Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for the attacks.


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U.S. health officials tell couples exposed to Zika to wait to conceive

(Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday recommended women diagnosed with the Zika virus should wait at last eight weeks before trying to conceive while men who had the disease should hold off for at least six months.











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Republican Ted Cruz blasts tabloid charges of affairs, blames Trump

WASHINGTON - Republican Ted Cruz on Friday denounced an article in the National Enquirer tabloid claiming he had extramarital affairs as "garbage, complete and utter lies" and accused his opponent Donald Trump of being the source of the story.


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U.S. fourth-quarter GDP growth revised up; profits dive

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. economic growth slowed in the fourth quarter, but not as sharply as previously estimated, with fairly strong consumer spending offsetting the drag from efforts by businesses to reduce an inventory overhang.


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Syrian army advances in Palmyra fighting - state media and monitor

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian soldiers advanced slowly in heavy fighting with Islamic State fighters near Palmyra's ancient ruins on Friday, state media and a monitoring group said, in an offensive which could open up swathes of eastern Syria to government forces.











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Web of agencies at U.S. airports could hinder security overhauls

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Travelers passing through New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport this week witnessed a show of force following the Brussels airport attack: U.S. Army soldiers in khaki camouflage bearing assault rifles, police officers in black bullet-proof vests and private security guards directing traffic in neon-yellow vests.


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Korean-American in North Korea confesses to stealing secrets - media

SEOUL (Reuters) - A Korean-American man detained in North Korea has confessed to stealing military secrets and plotting subversion with South Koreans, the North's official news agency and foreign media reported on Friday.


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France says it foils advanced attack plot: minister

PARIS (Reuters) - A French national suspected of belonging to a militant network planning an attack in France was arrested on Thursday morning, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said.


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BOJ tankan likely show biz mood worsens due to strong yen, global economy

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese manufacturers' confidence probably deteriorated to the lowest in nearly three years and it is expected to worsen in the coming quarter due to exporters concern over a strong yen and worries over the global economy, a Reuters poll showed.











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Korean-American held in North Korea confesses to trying to steal military secrets: media

SEOUL (Reuters) - A Korean-American man who had been detained in North Korea has confessed to trying to steal military secrets from the isolated state, Japan's Kyodo and China's Xinhua news agencies reported on Friday.


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North Korea threatens South's Blue House as tensions persist

SEOUL (Reuters) - North and South Korea, locked for weeks in exchanges of angry rhetoric and heightened military readiness, traded more threats on Friday, with Pyongyang saying its military had trained to attack Seoul's presidential Blue House.


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Russia's special forces officer killed in Syria: Interfax

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian special forces officer has been killed in a combat operation near Palmyra in Syria, Interfax news agency reported on Thursday, citing a Russian military source in Syria.


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Syrian forces fight their way into Palmyra, as Kerry and Putin hail thaw

GENEVA/MOSCOW/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian troops backed by Russian air support fought their way into the Islamic State-held city of Palmyra on Thursday, their biggest offensive yet against the jihadist caliphate, as Moscow and Washington hailed cooperation to help end the civil war.











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Karadzic guilty of Bosnia genocide, jailed for 40 years

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic was convicted by U.N. judges of genocide for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, the worst war crime in Europe since World War Two, and sentenced to 40 years in prison.


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U.S. blames Iran for hacking campaign on banks, New York dam

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Thursday formally blamed Iranian hackers for a coordinated campaign of cyber attacks from 2011 to 2013 on dozens of U.S. banks and a New York dam.


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Trump, Cruz feud over wives simmers online as attacks get personal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A feud between Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz that has drawn in their spouses has escalated over a racy advertisement featuring Trump's wife, a former model, that prompted the front-runner to target Heidi Cruz.


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U.S. jobless claims rise; revisions show stronger labor market

WASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose modestly last week while revisions for prior weeks showed the labor market was much stronger than previously thought.


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Trump's tariff plan could boomerang, spark trade wars with China, Mexico

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donald Trump's threats to slap steep tariffs on Chinese and Mexican imports may have won him votes in Republican primaries but they would likely backfire, severely disrupting U.S. manufacturers that increasingly depend on global supply chains.


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Surviving Paris attacks suspect wants to return to 'explain himself': lawyer

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Salah Abdeslam, the prime surviving suspect in November's Paris attacks, will no longer fight extradition to France as he had vowed to do but instead now wants to return to "explain himself", his lawyer said on Thursday.











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U.S. frustration simmers over Belgium's struggle with militant threat

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Shortly after last November’s attacks on Paris by a Brussels-based Islamic State cell, a top U.S. counter-terrorism official traveling in Europe wanted to visit Brussels to learn more about the investigation.


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Kerry tells Russia he wants to see further reduction in Syria violence

MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in Moscow on Thursday a fragile partial truce in Syria had reduced levels of violence there, but that he wanted to see a further reduction as well as greater flows of humanitarian aid.











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On South China Sea islet, Taiwan argues Philippines case is far from watertight

ITU ABA, South China Sea (Reuters) - On Itu Aba, in the Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea, Taiwanese coast guard officials proudly haul a small wooden bucket of water from one of several simple concrete wells on the coral outcrop.


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Starboard to launch proxy fight to remove Yahoo's entire board: WSJ

(Reuters) - Activist hedge fund Starboard Value LP, which is leading an investor revolt against Yahoo Inc's management team, is seeking to remove the entire board of the struggling Internet company, the Wall Street Journal reported.











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Feds bust drug smuggling ring using tunnel under U.S.-Mexico border

SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - U.S. federal agents have arrested four people and seized nearly 3,000 pounds of marijuana in an operation to bust a drug smuggling ring that had tunneled under the U.S.-Mexico border, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.


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Soft shoe diplomacy: Obama dances the tango at Argentine state dinner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has made headlines for unexpectedly crooning a song or two in public since coming to the White House. Now he can add dancing the tango to his list of hidden talents.











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Australia says Mozambique debris most likely from MH370

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia said on Thursday that plane debris recovered earlier this month from Mozambique was highly likely to have come from Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which was carrying 239 people when it went missing more than two years ago.


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VW, EPA expect not to unveil diesel settlement on Thursday: sources

(Reuters) - Volkswagen AG was not expected to unveil an agreement Thursday with U.S. regulators at a federal court hearing in California on how to address excess emissions in 580,000 diesel vehicles, two sources briefed on the negotiations said on Wednesday.


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North Korea claims successful rocket engine test boosts capability: KCNA

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea, supervised by leader Kim Jong Un, successfully tested a solid-fuel rocket engine that increased power of the reclusive state's ballistic rockets, North Korea's state news agency reported on Thursday.


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EU joins Syria peace talks as sides remain at odds

GENEVA (Reuters) - The EU sent its foreign policy chief to Geneva on Wednesday to breathe new life into Syrian peace talks, as the two sides remained at odds over the country's political future.


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U.S. to charge Iranians in cyber attacks including New York dam: sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration is expected to blame Iranian hackers as soon as Thursday for a coordinated campaign of cyber attacks in 2012 and 2013 on a suburban New York City dam and several other targets, sources familiar with the matter have told Reuters.


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Michigan state officials accountable in Flint water crisis: inquiry

DETROIT (Reuters) - A task force appointed by Michigan’s governor said on Wednesday state officials showed stubbornness, lack of preparation, delay and inaction in failing to prevent a health crisis in the city of Flint caused by lead contamination in the drinking water.











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Syrian army expects to retake Palmyra 'within hours': TV

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian soldiers and their allies advanced to within 1 km (half a mile) of Palmyra on Thursday and soldiers speaking from the outskirts of the historic city said they hoped to recapture it from Islamic State fighters within hours.


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More aid agencies pull out of Greek camps, spurning EU deal

LESBOS, Greece (Reuters) - More aid agencies helping refugees and migrants arriving in Greece said they were joining a boycott of detention centers on Wednesday, angered at an EU deal they say runs roughshod over human rights.


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Cruz, fresh off Utah win, appeals for unity, gets Bush support

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz showed some fight on Wednesday after his win in Utah despite front-runner Donald Trump's victory in Arizona, giving hope to establishment Republicans who fear Trump will ruin the party in the race for the White House.


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U.S. new home sales rebound in February

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. single-family home sales rebounded in February, but the gain was concentrated in one region, which could suggest a loss of momentum in the housing market.


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U.S. says it's not deterring foreign banks in Iran

DUBAI (Reuters) - The United States is not standing in the way of foreign banks doing business with Iran, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday, but his comments appeared unlikely to satisfy frustrated businessmen and Iranian officials.











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Kremlin says Syria peace talk participants must show patience

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that peace talks on the Syria conflict taking place in Geneva were always set to be long and difficult, and that it was too early to talk about patience running out on any side of the negotiations.


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Jeb Bush endorses Ted Cruz for Republican nomination

WASHINGTON(Reuters) - Former candidate Jeb Bush endorsed Ted Cruz for the Republican presidential nomination on Wednesday, saying the U.S. senator from Texas represents the party's best chance of winning the White House.











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Australia calls China's South China Sea moves 'counterproductive'

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Wednesday called China's military deployments on the South China Sea "counterproductive", an unusually forceful rebuke against the country's biggest trading partner.


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U.S. hopes for talks with China about possible THAAD move to South Korea

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States hopes to talk with China and address its concern about the possible deployment of the THAAD missile defense system that Washington is discussing with Seoul, a senior State Department official said Tuesday.


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U.S. high court confronts Obamacare contraceptives challenge

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday will consider appeals by Christian groups demanding full exemption on religious grounds from a requirement under President Barack Obama's healthcare law to provide health insurance covering contraceptives.


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Obama arrives in Argentina to reset relations after years of tension

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Argentina on Wednesday to reset diplomatic relations and strengthen trade ties with a country that was part of South America's left-wing bloc until pro-business President Mauricio Macri took power in December.











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Asia sentiment brightens with turnaround in China view: Thomson Reuters/INSEAD

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Sentiment at some of the biggest companies across Asia brightened in the first quarter of 2016, rising from a four-year low registered three months prior, as executives bet on economic improvement in China, a Thomson Reuters/INSEAD survey showed.


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Obama high court nominee moves ahead with Senate meetings

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's Supreme Court selection Merrick Garland on Tuesday resumed meetings with senators in a push to convince Republicans who have vowed to block the nomination to reverse course and hold confirmation hearings this year.


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U.S. strikes al Qaeda training camp in Yemen, killing dozens

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military launched an air strike on Tuesday in the mountains of Yemen against a training camp run by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, killing dozens of its fighters, the Pentagon said.


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Trump looks to Arizona, Utah to build on his Republican lead

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican front-runner Donald Trump looked to Arizona and Utah on Tuesday to add to his big lead in the party's presidential nominating race in what would be another blow to an anti-Trump movement organized by establishment Republicans.











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Belgium bombings raise security alerts at U.S. airports

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Major U.S. transportation hubs were placed on alert on Tuesday, with police out in force, and part of Denver International Airport's main terminal was evacuated in response to a possible security threat after suicide bombings in Brussels killed at least 30 people.











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Brazil's Rousseff says 'will never resign,' Lula meets Senate leader

BRASILIA (Reuters) - President Dilma Rousseff said on Tuesday she will not resign in Brazil's worst political crisis in two decades, calling an opposition move to impeach her a "coup d'etat" against democratic rule because she had committed no crime.











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Denver airport evacuates part of terminal to investigate possible threat

(Reuters) - Denver International Airport evacuated a section of its main terminal on Tuesday as officials investigated a possible security threat, airport officials said on Twitter.


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U.N. envoy turns to U.S., Russia to give impetus to Syria talks

GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N. special envoy on Syria said he hoped a meeting between the U.S. and Russian foreign ministers on Wednesday would give impetus to peace talks where the divisive issue of a political transition is stalling progress.











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Netanyahu hopes U.S. will reject U.N. resolution on Palestinian statehood

WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he hoped the United States would continue to reject any move towards a U.N. Security Council resolution backing Palestinian statehood.


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Ex-NFL star Sharper faces 20 years in prison under plea deal

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Former NFL star Darren Sharper, accused of drugging and raping women in four states, could spend up to 20 years in prison under a plea deal accepted by a federal judge in New Orleans on Tuesday.


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Russian court sentences Ukrainian pilot to 22 years in jail

DONETSK, Russia (Reuters) - A Russian court sentenced Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko to 22 years in jail on Tuesday after finding her guilty of involvement in the killing of two Russian journalists during the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine.


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Attacks on Brussels airport, metro kill at least 30

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - At least 30 people were killed in attacks on Brussels airport and a rush-hour metro train in the Belgian capital on Tuesday, triggering security alerts across Europe and global expressions of support in the face of suspected Islamist attackers.











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FIFA watchdog opens formal proceedings over 2006 German World Cup

ZURICH (Reuters) - FIFA's ethics watchdog has started formal proceedings against six individuals, including soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer, over the awarding of hosting rights to Germany for the 2006 World Cup, global soccer's governing body said on Tuesday.


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Trump looks to expand his lead as Arizona, Utah cast votes

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Front-runner Donald Trump looks to take another step toward winning the Republican presidential nomination in contests in Arizona and Utah on Tuesday, aiming to deal another setback to the party establishment's flagging stop-Trump movement.


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Democratic Party workers pore over videos in bid to hobble Trump

(Reuters) - From the basement to the third floor of Democratic Party headquarters in Washington, dozens of election campaign workers are glued to screens playing back videos of Donald Trump and other Republicans, digitally documenting their policy positions on everything from torture to climate change.











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China says Philippine fishermen used fire bombs in South China Sea

BEIJING (Reuters) - Philippine fishermen threw fire bombs at Chinese law enforcement vessels in the South China Sea, China's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, after Philippine media said fishermen had been struck by bottles hurled from Chinese coast guard ships.


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Exclusive: U.N. lifts North Korea sanctions on four ships at China's request

UNITED NATIONS/SEOUL (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council agreed on Monday to a Chinese request to remove sanctions on four ships the United Nations had blacklisted for ties to Pyongyang's arms trade. The agreement came after China secured assurances the vessels would not use North Korean crews, a U.S. official said.











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Tournament chief Moore resigns over controversial comments

(Reuters) - Raymond Moore has stepped down as CEO and tournament director of the BNP Paribas Open following controversial comments he made about women's tennis, the tournament announced on Monday.


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Poll: Apple's privacy fight does not win extra points for security

(Reuters) - Most Americans trust Apple Inc to protect their personal information from hackers, according to a national Reuters/Ipsos poll, but not any better than rivals Google, Amazon and Microsoft.











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Obama to end Cuba trip with dissident meeting, baseball and hope

HAVANA (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will meet with Cuban dissidents on Tuesday and watch a baseball game with the communist country's president after delivering a speech that will conclude his historic trip with a hopeful vision for future relations.


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Intel mastermind, Silicon Valley statesman Andy Grove dead at 79

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Andy Grove, the Silicon Valley elder statesman who made Intel into the world's top chipmaker and helped usher in the personal computer age, died on Tuesday at age 79, Intel said.


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U.S. says it may not need Apple to open San Bernardino iPhone

(Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors said Monday that a "third party" had presented a possible method for opening an encrypted iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters, a development that could bring an abrupt end to the high-stakes legal showdown between the government and Apple Inc.


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Pianist's wife charged with killing daughters in Texas

DALLAS (Reuters) - The estranged wife of a celebrated Ukrainian pianist Vadym Kholodenko has been charged with killing the couple's two daughters at their home in suburban Fort Worth, police said on Monday.











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Clinton criticizes Trump's neutral stance on Israel

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton attacked Republican Donald Trump on Monday for taking a neutral stance toward Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, in a preview of a possible general election battle between them.


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Valeant CEO Pearson to step down, Ackman to join the board

(Reuters) - Embattled Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc said on Monday its chief executive officer will step down, activist investor William Ackman was appointed to its board and that it had uncovered accounting problems.


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U.S. top court agrees to hear Samsung-Apple patent fight

(Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday stepped into the high-profile patent fight between the world's two fiercest smartphone rivals, Apple and Samsung, agreeing to hear Samsung's appeal of what it contends were excessive penalties for copying the patented designs of the iPhone.


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U.S. existing home sales tumble in warning sign for housing market

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. home resales fell sharply in February in a potentially troubling sign for America's economy which has otherwise looked resilient to the global economic slowdown.


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Captured Paris attack suspect 'worth weight in gold' to police: lawyer

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The only suspected participant in Nov. 13 Paris attacks to be captured alive has been cooperating with police investigators and is "worth his weight in gold", his lawyer said on Monday.











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IHS to buy London-based Markit in all-stock deal

(Reuters) - U.S. business research provider IHS Inc said on Monday it would buy Markit Ltd in an all-stock deal valuing the London-based financial data company at about $5.9 billion.











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Sheraton-owner Starwood accepts higher offer from Marriott

(Reuters) - Marriott International Inc said it made a higher offer for Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc that was accepted by the owner of the Sheraton and Westin hotel brands.


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Apple 'privacy czars' grapple with internal conflicts over user data

(Reuters) - As Apple Inc feuds with the U.S. government over iPhone privacy protections, the tech giant is also grappling with internal conflicts over privacy that could pose challenges to its long-term product strategy.











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Russia tries to decipher crash plane pilots' final conversations

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian investigators on Monday were trying to restore the damaged cockpit voice recorder of a passenger jet which crashed at the weekend killing all 62 people onboard, in an effort to understand why it had tried to land in strong winds.


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Smaller iPhone expected Monday as Apple counters drop in phone sales

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc is expected to launch a smaller, cheaper iPhone on Monday aimed at emerging markets and possibly China, the world's biggest buyer of smartphones, as it looks to reverse a decline in worldwide sales of its most important product.


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Obama to meet Castro on historic Cuba trip

HAVANA (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama turns from sightseeing to state business on his historic Cuba trip on Monday, pressing President Raul Castro for economic and democratic reforms while hearing complaints about continued U.S. economic sanctions.


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North Korea fires short-range projectiles into sea

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired multiple short-range projectiles into the sea off the country's east coast on Monday, South Korea's military said.











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Exclusive: A plea for help - How China asked the Fed for its stock crash play book

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Confronted with a plunge in its stock markets last year, China's central bank swiftly reached out to the U.S. Federal Reserve, asking it to share its play book for dealing with Wall Street's "Black Monday" crash of 1987.











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Trump 'needs all the help he can get,' donors say

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump often tells crowds at his campaign rallies that he doesn't need outside financial support to get to the White House, but some of his fans are starting to feel differently.


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Biden says Israel settlements raise questions about commitment to peace

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden called on Israel's government on Sunday to demonstrate its commitment to a two-state solution to end the conflict with the Palestinians and said settlement expansion is weakening prospects for peace.











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Exclusive: U.S. to offer China’s ZTE 'temporary relief' on export curbs - official

(Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Commerce is expected this week to lift export curbs it imposed on Chinese telecom equipment and smartphone maker ZTE Corp for alleged Iran sanctions violations.


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Syria peace talks grind toward pivotal Assad question

GENEVA (Reuters) - Syrian government negotiators at Geneva peace talks are coming under unaccustomed pressure to discuss something far outside their comfort zone: the fate of President Bashar al-Assad. And they are doing their best to avoid it.











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Sherwin-Williams paint company to buy Valspar for $8.9 billion

(Reuters) - The Sherwin-Williams Co has agreed to acquire rival U.S. paint company Valspar Corp , the companies said on Sunday, in an all-cash deal valued at about $8.9 billion.


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Trump refuses to condemn violence at his rallies

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said that "professional agitators" bore much of the blame for violence at his rallies as video showed a protester being beaten and another apparently being grabbed by Trump's campaign manager.


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Cuba rolls out red carpet for historic Obama trip despite embargo

HAVANA (Reuters) - President Barack Obama arrives in Cuba on Sunday for a historic visit, venturing into what was once enemy territory where a Communist government that vilified the United States for decades has prepared a red-carpet welcome.











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McConnell rules out 'lame duck' action on court

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Sunday ruled out the possibility that the Senate could confirm President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee in a "lame duck" congressional session after the November presidential election.


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Istanbul bomber identified as Turkish member of Islamic State

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish member of the Islamic State militant group was responsible for the suicide bombing in Istanbul on Saturday that killed three Israelis and an Iranian and wounded dozens of others, Turkey's interior minister said on Sunday.


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Cyber expert disappears after comments on Bangladesh central bank heist

DHAKA (Reuters) - A cyber crime expert has disappeared after talking to police and the media about an attempted $951 million cyber heist from Bangladesh's central bank, his wife said on Sunday.


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Paris suspect's lawyer to sue French prosecutor: media

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The lawyer defending the prime surviving suspect for the Nov. 13 Paris attacks said on Sunday he would sue a French prosecutor for divulging Salah Abdeslam's private admission that he planned to blow himself up with fellow Islamic State militants.


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Scalia death a blow to Obamacare contraception challengers

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Christian groups asking the U.S. Supreme Court to exempt them from the requirement to provide insurance covering contraception under President Barack Obama's healthcare law face an uphill battle following Justice Antonin Scalia's death last month.











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Stuck in hostels, Spain's new wave of politicians lament deadlock

MADRID (Reuters) - Sitting around in hostels was not what Spain's new generation of politicians expected when they entered parliament on a wave of enthusiasm after a national election in December broke traditional parties' grip over politics.


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Flight recorders badly damaged in Russia plane crash: regulator

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The flight recorders from a passenger jet which crashed in southern Russia killing all 62 people on board are badly damaged and could take up to a month to decode, Russia's airline regulator said on Sunday.











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EU-Turkey deal fails to stem refugee flight to Greece

LESBOS, Greece (Reuters) - They waved, cheered and smiled, elated to have made it to Europe at dawn on Sunday in a packed blue rubber motor boat.


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Iran's leaders offer different economic visions for coming year

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's two most powerful figures offered contrasting visions for the economy in speeches marking Iranian new year on Sunday, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for self-reliance and President Hassan Rouhani urging cooperation with the world.


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Anti-Trump protesters block Arizona road; march in New York

(Reuters) - Demonstrators briefly shut down an Arizona highway leading to a campaign rally for Donald Trump on Saturday while protesters rallied outside of Trump Tower in Manhattan to voice their opposition to the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination.











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Starwood signs first U.S.-Cuba hotel deal since 1959 revolution

HAVANA (Reuters) - Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide on Saturday became the first U.S. hotel company to sign a deal with Cuba since the 1959 revolution, announcing a multimillion-dollar investment a day before U.S. President Barack Obama was due to visit Havana.


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Gawker could still win Hulk Hogan case despite $115 million verdict: legal experts

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The $115 million a Florida jury awarded to Hulk Hogan on Friday may seem like a big blow to the website Gawker, but the media company could ultimately prevail in its court battle with the flamboyant wrestler, legal experts say.











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Inequality curbs enthusiasm for Obama visit among Cuba's poor

HAVANA (Reuters) - Fluttering U.S. flags, fixed-up roads and fresh paint on colonial buildings convey the optimism in Havana ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's historic visit this weekend, but rising inequality sours the mood for some of the city's poor.


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Islamic State rocket kills U.S. Marine in Iraq: Pentagon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Marine who was part of the coalition fighting Islamic State was killed in a rocket attack by the militant group in northern Iraq, the Pentagon said in a statement on Saturday.











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Obama allies to press Republicans on high court nomination

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As the Senate began a two-week recess on Friday, the White House and its allies sought to turn up the heat on Republicans to reverse course and act on President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee.


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Dozens killed or wounded in air strikes on Syria's Raqqa: Syrian Observatory

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Dozens of people were killed or wounded in a series of air strikes on the city of Raqqa in northern Syria on Saturday, Britain-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.


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Two killed, seven wounded in suicide bombing in Istanbul: CNN Turk

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - At least two people were killed and seven wounded in a suicide bombing on a major shopping and tourist district in central Istanbul on Saturday, CNN Turk reported, the fourth apparent suicide bombing to hit Turkey this year.


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U.S., Russian crew arrives at space station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - A Russian Soyuz capsule carrying a NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts arrived at the International Space Station on Friday, ending a nearly six-hour flight, a NASA TV broadcast showed.


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Plane crashes in Russia, all 61 people on board killed

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian officials said on Saturday that all 61 people on board a passenger jet flying from Dubai to southern Russia were killed when their plane crashed on its second attempt to land at Rostov-on-Don airport.


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Lufthansa reports near miss with drone over Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The pilot of a Lufthansa passenger jumbo jet reported a drone aircraft nearly collided with the airliner on Friday on its landing approach to Los Angeles International Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.











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Wrestler Hulk Hogan wins at least $115 million in sex-tape suit

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Reuters) - A Florida jury on Friday awarded Hulk Hogan $115 million with the possibility of more after finding the Gawker website violated his privacy by publishing a sex tape of the celebrity wrestler.


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Cruz picks up Romney's vote in Republican election battle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Mitt Romney said on Friday he would vote for Senator Ted Cruz of Texas in Utah's presidential nominating contest, but the party's 2012 election standard-bearer stopped short of an official endorsement as he urged voters to deny the nomination to front-runner Donald Trump.


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Judge sends former prep school student to prison

CONCORD, N.H. (Reuters) - A New Hampshire judge on Friday ordered a former prep school student to begin serving a one-year prison sentence after violating his curfew in a high-profile case over sex at elite St. Paul's School.


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Fugitive from Paris attacks wounded, caught in Brussels shootout: media

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The most-wanted fugitive from November's Paris attacks was wounded and caught in a shootout in Brussels on Friday, Belgian newspaper Derniere Heure and other media said.











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U.S. military punishes more than a dozen for Afghan hospital air strike

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military has disciplined more than a dozen personnel, including officers, following a deadly October air strike in Afghanistan that destroyed a hospital run by Medecins Sans Frontiers and killed at least 42 people, U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday.


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Sheraton owner Starwood set to accept offer from China's Anbang

(Reuters) - Starwood Hotels & Resorts Inc , the operator of Sheraton and Westin hotels, said on Friday it planned to accept a raised buyout offer from a group led by China's Anbang Insurance and scrap its deal with Marriott International Inc .











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U.S. general Lori Robinson to become first woman to lead combatant command

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will name the first woman to head a U.S. combatant command, selecting Air Force General Lori Robinson as the next head of the military's Northern Command, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday.


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Meet the man who will help determine Trump's fate in 2016 race

(Reuters) - Mark Strang spends his days delivering farm equipment, listening to politics on the radio during cross-country drives. But in July, the 63-year-old could have an outsized voice in choosing the Republican nominee for president of the United States.


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Turkish PM says hopeful of finding common ground with EU on migrants

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Friday he was hopeful it would be possible to find common ground with the European Union at a summit in Brussels meant to help end Europe's migration crisis.


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Sanders calls notion he should quit Democratic race 'absurd'

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, responding to reports President Barack Obama called on Democrats to rally around Hillary Clinton as the likely nominee, said on Thursday it was "absurd" to suggest he drop out of the race.











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The coal loophole: doubts on China's will to enforce North Korea sanctions

BEIJING (Reuters) - Over two weeks after the United Nations slapped harsh new sanctions on North Korea, several Chinese shipping and trade sources say they have not been told of any curbs on the import of coal from the isolated nation - a lifeline for its struggling economy.


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EU makes Turkey migrant offer but no deal yet

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders agreed to offer Turkey financial and political concessions if it stops migrants reaching Greece and will meet the Turkish prime minister in Brussels on Friday to try and clinch the deal.











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North Korea fires ballistic missile into sea: Yonhap

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Friday off its east coast and it flew about 800 km (500 miles) into the sea, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.


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Iran seen escaping U.N. sanctions over missiles due to ambiguous resolution

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iran will likely escape new United Nations sanctions, though the U.N. Security Council could issue a public reprimand for recent launches of what Western officials described as ballistic missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, diplomats said.


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Congress urges resignations of Michigan governor, EPA chief over Flint

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers on Thursday called for the resignations of Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy, on the grounds that they failed to act fast enough to intervene with the city of Flint's contaminated drinking water.











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Islamic State committed genocide against Christians, Shi'ites: U.S.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Islamic State has committed genocide against Christians, Yazidis and Shi'ite Muslims, the United States said on Thursday, a finding U.S. officials hope will bring more resources to help the groups even though it does not change U.S. military strategy or legal obligations.


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Newark school system set to test children for lead

NEW YORK (Reuters) - As many as 17,000 students in Newark, New Jersey schools could be tested for lead in their blood after findings showed elevated levels of the toxin have been in water in schools since at least 2012, city health officials said.


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Senators say they might confirm Obama's high court choice after election

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican senators on Thursday raised the possibility they would confirm Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland before the U.S. president leaves office if Democrats retain the White House in the Nov. 8 election.











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Cruz names national security team for presidential campaign

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ted Cruz, Donald Trump's closest Republican rival in the U.S. presidential race, named his national security advisers on Thursday, including former staffers of President George W. Bush and members of a think tank that has been called an anti-Muslim "hate group."


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SeaWorld to end controversial killer whale breeding program

(Reuters) - Bowing to years of pressure from animal rights activists, U.S theme park operator SeaWorld said on Thursday it would stop breeding killer whales and that those currently at its parks would be the last.


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Protesters clash ahead of swearing-in of Lula in Brazil

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Supporters of leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva clashed briefly with opponents of his Workers' Party on Thursday outside the presidential palace, where he was due to be sworn in as President Dilma Rousseff's chief of staff.











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U.S. jobless claims rise modestly in payrolls survey week

WASHINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose from a five-month low last week, but remained below a level associated with a strengthening labor market.


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U.S. commission calls for urgent action to protect drug-affected babies

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Warning that lives are at stake, a federal commission that spent two years examining child abuse and neglect is urging Congress and the White House to strengthen protections for drug-affected newborns.


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Kurdish TAK militant group says it was behind Ankara bombing that killed 37

ISTANBUL/BERLIN (Reuters) - The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) militant group on Thursday claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in the Turkish capital Ankara that killed 37 people, and said it would attack security forces again.


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Russia can make powerful Syria comeback within hours: Putin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared his country's Syria mission a resounding success, but stressed Russia would continue to support the Syrian government and could build up its military presence in the region again within hours if necessary.











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China says opposes unilateral sanctions on North Korea

BEIJING (Reuters) - China expressed its opposition on Thursday to unilateral sanctions against North Korea saying they could raise tension, after the United States imposed new curbs on the isolated country in retaliation for its nuclear and rocket tests.











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Russia says to complete withdrawing most of Syria force in two-three days

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will complete the withdrawal of most of its military contingent in Syria in two to three days, Russian Air Force Commander Viktor Bondarev said in an interview with the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily published on Thursday.











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Exclusive: Valeant lenders to prepare tough demands for default talks – sources

NEW YORK (LPC/Reuters) - Creditors of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International , which has been in violation of lender agreements since Wednesday, are beginning to demand new terms that could further pressure the drugmaker's business model, according to three people familiar with the matter.











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Video apparently of Japanese hostage surfaces with message to family

TOKYO (Reuters) - A video surfaced on Thursday appearing to show a missing Japanese journalist, reportedly held by an al Qaeda affiliate in Syria, reading a message to his family and country.











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Yellen steers Fed with cautious hand, despite hints of inflation

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve policymakers urging caution over interest rate hikes have gained the upper hand in the central bank's internal debate, but the risk for the U.S. economy is that they are wrong to downplay a recent rise in inflation.


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EU leaders meet to offer migrant deal to Turkey

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Leaders of the European Union meet in Brussels on Thursday to agree on a deal to offer Turkey the following day that would secure Ankara's commitment to a scheme intended to halt migrant flows to the Greek islands.


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Obama slaps new sanctions on North Korea after tests

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama imposed sweeping new sanctions on North Korea on Wednesday intended to further isolate the country's leadership after recent actions by Pyongyang that have been seen by Washington and its allies as provocative.











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Michigan driver charged with murder files $10 million lawsuit against Uber

(Reuters) - The Uber driver in Michigan charged with murdering six people last month in a shooting spree has filed a $10 million federal civil rights lawsuit against the ride-sharing company, saying that it is Uber's fault he is in prison, court records show.











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Brazil's Lula appointment as minister published in Official Gazette

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's appointment to President Dilma Rousseff's cabinet as her chief of staff was formalized by its publication in the Official Gazette on Wednesday.


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Fed holds steady, rate-setters now see two hikes this year

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday and indicated that moderate U.S. economic growth and "strong job gains" would allow it to tighten policy this year with fresh projections showing policymakers expected two quarter-point hikes by the year's end, half the number seen in December.


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U.S. capital commuters scramble as safety checks close subway

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Commuters in Washington, D.C., took to the roads in cars, on bicycles and on crowded buses to cope with a last-minute shutdown of the second-busiest U.S. subway system for emergency safety checks.


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Belgian PM summons security chiefs after gunman killed

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Prime Minister Charles Michel summoned security and intelligence chiefs for an emergency sitting of Belgium's national security council on Wednesday after an armed suspect was shot dead following a raid linked to the Paris attacks.











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Denmark world's happiest country, Burundi least: new report shows

ROME (Reuters) - Denmark overtook Switzerland as the world's happiest place, according to a report on Wednesday that urged nations regardless of wealth to tackle inequality and protect the environment.


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North Korea sentences U.S. student to 15 years hard labor

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's supreme court sentenced American student Otto Warmbier, who was arrested while visiting the country, to 15 years of hard labor on Wednesday for crimes against the state.











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Russia says another group of its warplanes flies back from Syria

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Another group of Russian warplanes has taken off from the Hmeimim airbase in Syria, flying back to their permanent bases in Russia, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.


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Japan ruling party considers international arbitration over China dispute

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's ruling party urged Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government on Wednesday to consider seeking international arbitration over Beijing's drilling activities in the disputed East China Sea, mirroring similar action by the Philippines.


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China's Premier Li says confident in economy, vows no hard landing

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Premier Li Keqiang defended the country's economic policies on Wednesday, repeating well-worn lines that there was more opportunity than risk and vowing there would be no hard landing for the world's second-largest economy if the government presses ahead with reforms.


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Srinivasan or Garland likely Obama choice for Supreme Court: source

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is likely to announce either Judge Sri Srinivasan or Judge Merrick Garland as his pick for a Supreme Court nominee as early as Wednesday, a source familiar with the selection process said on Tuesday.


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Apple: U.S. founders would be 'appalled' by DOJ iPhone request

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. founding fathers "would be appalled" by a Department of Justice request to unlock an encrypted iPhone, Apple Inc said on Tuesday in its final brief before a court showdown next week.


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Washington Metro to shut down on Wednesday for safety checks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The second-biggest U.S. subway system, which serves the nation's capital, will shut down for 29 hours starting at midnight EDT (0400 GMT) on Tuesday, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal government employees struggling to find a way to work.











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Migrants return to Greek camp after Macedonia sends them back

IDOMENI, Greece (Reuters) - Hundreds of dejected migrants returned to a transit camp in northern Greece on Tuesday after Macedonian authorities blocked their attempt to cross the border or drove those who did get across back to Greece.











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Brussels police hunt fleeing gunman in Paris probe

By Robert-Jan Bartunek, Philip Blenkinsop and Clement Rossignol


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Weak U.S. retail sales highlight risks to economic outlook

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. retail sales fell less than expected in February, but a sharp downward revision to January's sales could reignite concerns about the economy's growth prospects.











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Ferguson set to decide on U.S. government's police reform plan

FERGUSON, Mo. (Reuters) - The Ferguson, Missouri city council may approve an agreement on Tuesday that it reached with the U.S. Justice Department to reform the city's police department following the 2014 shooting of an unarmed black teenager.


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Mass killer Breivik makes Nazi salute as he sues Norway for 'inhuman treatment'

SKIEN, Norway (Reuters) - Mass killer Anders Behring Breivik made a Nazi salute at the start of a court case on Tuesday in which he is accusing the Norwegian state of inhuman treatment by keeping him in isolation after he massacred 77 people in 2011.











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State TV shows Russian troops in Syria packing up

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian state television on Tuesday showed personnel at Russia's air base in Syria loading transport aircraft for return to Russia a day after President Vladimir Putin ordered most of his country's military contingent there to start to withdraw.


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Mother Teresa of Calcutta to be made Roman Catholic saint Sept. 4: pope

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the nun who dedicated her life to helping the poor, will be made a saint of the Roman Catholic Church at a ceremony on Sept. 4, Pope Francis said on Tuesday.











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North Korea leader says will soon conduct nuclear warhead test: KCNA

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country would soon conduct a nuclear warhead test and test launch ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, the official KCNA news agency reported on Tuesday.


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U.S. vows to push for U.N. action on Iran despite Russian opposition

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States on Monday vowed to continue pushing for United Nations Security Council action on Iran's recent ballistic missile tests and accused Russia of looking for reasons not to respond to Iranian violations of a U.N. resolution.


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Islamic State fighter from U.S. in custody in Iraq

ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - An American fighting for Islamic State was taken into custody in northern Iraq after he left territory controlled by the militant group, according to two Kurdish officers, one of whom arrested him.











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Hundreds of migrants march out of Greek camp, cross to Macedonia

MOIN, Macedonia (Reuters) - Hundreds of migrants marched out of a Greek transit camp, hiked for hours along muddy paths and forded a rain-swollen river to get around a border fence and cross into Macedonia, where they were detained on Monday, authorities said.


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McClendon driving at 88 mph ahead of fatal crash: police

OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - Aubrey McClendon, the former chief executive of Chesapeake Energy Corp, was driving well above the speed limit at roughly 88 miles (142 km) per hour before he slammed into a bridge abutment earlier this month and died, Oklahoma City police said on Monday.











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Trump aims for big primary wins, calls campaign 'a lovefest'

TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump launched a three-state campaign blitz on Monday ahead of a crucial round of nominating contests, and disavowed any responsibility for inciting conflict at his campaign rallies.











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Putin orders start of Russian forces' withdrawal from Syria

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday he was instructing his armed forces to start pulling out of Syria, over five months after he ordered the launch of a military operation that shored up his ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.


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Maryland governor orders flags at half-staff for slain police officer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Maryland Governor Larry Hogan ordered flags lowered to half-staff in honor of a Washington-area police officer killed in an attack authorities described as unprovoked.


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Inside Kasich's long-shot strategy to beat Trump to the GOP nomination

HEATH, Ohio (Reuters) - Microphone in hand, Republican John Kasich promised the crowd inside a high-tech Ohio factory Saturday that he’ll never be beholden to Washington insiders if he wins the White House in November.











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U.N. aims for Syria talks to produce roadmap, no 'Plan B' but war

GENEVA (Reuters) - Syria faces a moment of truth, U.N. mediator Staffan de Mistura said on Monday as he opened the first of three rounds of peace talks envisaged to negotiate a "clear roadmap" for a future Syria.


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Senior Saudi prince condemns Obama comments on Middle East

RIYADH (Reuters) - A senior Saudi Arabian prince on Monday condemned comments attributed to U.S. President Barack Obama, saying the American leader had "thrown us a curve ball" in criticizing Riyadh's regional role.


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Election setback a 'wake-up call' for Merkel, media and politicians say

BERLIN (Reuters) - Critics of Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door refugee policies called on her to change course after voters in three regional elections punished her conservatives and flocked to a new anti-immigration party that wants German borders closed.











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Amtrak says train derails in Kansas

(Reuters) - Amtrak's Southwest Chief train from Los Angeles to Chicago with 128 passengers and 14 crew suffered a derailment of multiple cars about 20 miles west of Dodge City, Kansas, Amtrak said in a statement on Monday.


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Fed to sit tight on rates at March meet, hint at hikes to come

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve won't raise interest rates this week, but will likely make clear that as long as U.S. inflation and jobs continue to strengthen, economic weakness overseas won't stop rates from rising fairly soon.


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Obama's prisoner clemency plan faltering as cases pile up

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In April 2014, the administration of President Barack Obama announced the most ambitious clemency program in 40 years, inviting thousands of jailed drug offenders and other convicts to seek early release and urging lawyers across the country to take on their cases.











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Bank of Japan scrambles to find positives in negative rates

TOKYO (Reuters) - Bank of Japan (BOJ) officials have been scurrying to commercial banks to explain and apologize for its surprise adoption of negative interest rates in January, while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has distanced himself from a decision that is proving unpopular with the public.


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At least four die as floods hit U.S. south, thousands of homes damaged

(Reuters) - Several people were killed after drenching thunderstorms moved through Louisiana and Mississippi at the weekend, triggering flooding across the lower Mississippi valley, authorities said.











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Maryland police officer shot, two suspects arrested

(Reuters) - A police officer was shot and critically wounded on Sunday outside a Prince George's County police station in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, and two suspects were arrested a short time later, authorities said on Twitter.


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Hundreds of thousands demand Rousseff's exit in Brazil protests

SAO PAULO/BRASILIA (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians flooded the streets on Sunday in the biggest ever protests calling for President Dilma Rousseff's removal, reflecting rising popular anger that could encourage Congress to impeach the leftist leader.











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Syria talks set to struggle despite foreign pressure

BEIRUT/GENEVA (Reuters) - Syria peace talks due to begin in Geneva this week look set to struggle with the sides showing no sign of compromise over the issue at the heart of the five-year-long conflict: the future of President Bashar al-Assad.











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Car bomb kills 27 in Turkish capital Ankara

ANKARA (Reuters) - A car bomb killed 27 people in the heart of the Turkish capital Ankara on Sunday and wounded 75 more, the governor's office said, less than a month after a similar attack killed 29 people just blocks away.











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German voters punish Merkel's conservatives in state votes

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives lost in two out of three state elections on Sunday as Germans punished her accommodative refugee policy with a big vote for the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD), exit polls showed.


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Twelve dead in Ivory Coast resort town attack, police source says

GRAND BASSAM, Ivory Coast (Reuters) - At least 12 people including four Europeans were killed on Sunday when gunmen opened fire on beachgoers at a resort town in Ivory Coast, a officer from the national police said.


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Trump digs in after weekend violence: 'I'm just the messenger'

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump refused to take responsibility on Sunday for clashes that have erupted at his campaign events, saying he was not inciting violence but giving voice to the anger of his supporters.


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U.S., France say Syrian government trying to spoil peace talks

PARIS (Reuters) - The United States and France accused the Syrian government of trying to disrupt a new round of peace talks set to begin on Monday and said Russia and Iran would need to show the Syrian government was "living up to" what had been agreed.











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Bangladesh bank says hackers tried to steal $951 million

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh's central bank confirmed on Sunday that cyber criminals tried to withdraw $951 million from its U.S. bank account, as the country’s finance minister said he first got to know of one of the biggest bank heists in history through the media. 


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Helicopters kill 17 as Yemen government moves against Aden militants

ADEN (Reuters) - Saudi-led forces attacked al Qaeda militants in Aden overnight in an effort to dislodge them from a stronghold in the southern Yemeni port city, killing at least 17 people in helicopter strikes, medics and a security official said on Sunday.











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Striking back against the machine: Korean Go player beats Google program

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean Lee Sedol won his first match against a computer program developed by a Google subsidiary on Sunday in the ancient board game Go, denying a clean sweep for the artificial intelligence in a five-match series.


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Mosquitoes' rapid spread poses threat beyond Zika

LONDON (Reuters) - As the world focuses on Zika's rapid advance in the Americas, experts warn the virus that originated in Africa is just one of a growing number of continent-jumping diseases carried by mosquitoes threatening swathes of humanity.


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Greece steps up efforts to move migrants to sheltered camps

ATHENS/IDOMENI (Reuters) - Greece increased efforts on Saturday to move thousands of migrants near the border with Macedonia to sheltered camps, as the spread of infection became a concern with two people in a sprawling tent city diagnosed with Hepatitis A.


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Obama to visit London in bid to keep UK in the EU: report

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama will come to London in April and urge British voters to back continued membership of the European Union, The Independent on Sunday newspaper reported.


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Israel calls on powers to punish Iran for its missile tests

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday called for world powers to take "immediate punitive steps" against Iran, following its ballistic missile tests last week.


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Damascus rules out talks on presidential vote

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian government on Saturday ruled out any discussion of presidential elections at peace talks due to start next week, drawing accusations from the opposition that it was halting the talks before they started.


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Alabama prison on lockdown after riot, two stabbed

(Reuters) - An Alabama prison was on lockdown on Saturday after a riot in which the warden and a guard were stabbed, the state Corrections Department said.











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Trump blames 'thugs' for canceled Chicago campaign rally

CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Saturday blamed organized "thugs" for protests that shut down his Chicago rally and said the incident had "energized America."











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Turkish air strikes kill 67 Kurdish militants in north Iraq: army

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's army said on Saturday it killed 67 Kurdish militants in air strikes on camps and ammunition storage sites in neighboring northern Iraq on Wednesday.











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U.S., South Korea stage assault drill; North threatens to wipe out enemies

POHANG, South Korea (Reuters) - U.S. and South Korean troops staged a big amphibious landing exercise on Saturday, storming simulated North Korean beach defenses amid heightened tension and threats by the North to annihilate its enemies.











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