Exclusive: Uber faces criminal probe over software used to evade authorities

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice has begun a criminal investigation into Uber Technologies Inc's use of a software tool that helped its drivers evade local transportation regulators, two sources familiar with the situation said.

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Families of San Bernardino shooting sue Facebook, Google, Twitter

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Family members of three victims of the December 2015 shooting rampage in San Bernardino, California, have sued Facebook, Google and Twitter, claiming that the tech giants permitted Islamic State to flourish on social media.

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Reporter says Fox News fired her for using harassment hotline

(Reuters) - A Fox News radio correspondent filed a lawsuit on Thursday claiming she was fired for complaining about sex discrimination, after the U.S. television network encouraged employees to report harassment amid a barrage of legal claims.

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Macron cements bid for French presidency after bitter TV debate

PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) - Independent centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron appeared to cement his position as favorite for the French presidency on Thursday as the dust settled on a rancorous final televised debate with far-right rival Marine Le Pen.

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State Dept. seeks social media checks in tough new visa rules

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of State has proposed tougher questioning of visa applicants who it believes warrant extra scrutiny, according to a government document published Thursday, in a push toward the "extreme vetting" sought by President Donald Trump.

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Trump signs order to ease ban on political activity by churches

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order on religious liberties designed to ease a ban on political activity by churches and other tax-exempt institutions.

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Trump to wade into Middle East politics on first foreign trip

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will travel to Saudi Arabia and Israel this month as part of his first foreign trip, wading directly into the tangled diplomacy of Middle Eastern politics, a senior administration official said on Thursday.

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U.S. coaxes Mexico into Trump plan to overhaul Central America

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The United States is plotting an ambitious attempt to shore up Central America, with the administration of President Donald Trump pressing Mexico to do more to stem the flow of migrants fleeing violence and poverty in the region, U.S. and Mexican officials say.

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U.S. jobless claims fall, continuing claims hit 17-year low

WASHINGTON - New applications for U.S. jobless benefits fell more than expected last week and the

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Macron, earnings hopes send European shares to 20-month high

LONDON (Reuters) - Signs that centrist Emmanuel Macron was heading for victory in France's presidential election and reassuring results from HSBC pushed European shares to a near two-year high on Thursday, despite some wary signals from China and commodity markets.

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After North Korea criticism, China says wants to be good neighbor

BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Thursday it wants to be good neighbors with North Korea, after the isolated country's state news agency published a rare criticism of Chinese state media commentaries calling for tougher sanctions over the North's nuclear program.

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U.S. needs to balance foreign alliances: Tillerson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday outlined for his staff how an "America First" agenda translates into foreign policy, but did not address the Trump administration's proposed budget cuts, which worry many diplomats.

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Trump to sign order lifting ban on political activity by churches

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is expected to take executive action on Thursday to effectively lift a ban on political activity by churches and other tax-exempt institutions, a senior White House official said on Wednesday.

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No federal charges for Louisiana police in shooting of black man

BATON ROUGE, La. (Reuters) - Two white Louisiana police officers will not face federal charges for the fatal shooting of a black man that sparked nationwide protests last year, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, though the state is opening its own criminal investigation.

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French presidential rivals clash in crucial TV debate

PARIS (Reuters) - Far-right leader Marine Le Pen criticized Emmanuel Macron, her centrist rival for the French presidency, as a "smirking banker" representing globalization gone wild when the two met in a crucial pre-election TV debate on Wednesday.

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Two dead, including suspect in Dallas-area college shooting: police

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A gunman who opened fire on Wednesday on a college campus in the Dallas suburb of Irving, Texas, apparently killed one victim and committed suicide, local police said.

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Fed holds interest rates steady, downplays economic weakness

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on Wednesday and downplayed weak first-quarter economic growth while emphasizing the strength of the labor market, in a sign it was still on track for two more rate rises this year.

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Trump: Israelis, Palestinians appear willing to make peace deal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he believes Israelis and Palestinians are both willing to make a peace deal, adding that he does not think it will be as difficult as people thought.

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Trump courts moderates, scrambles to head off healthcare defeat

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump and his aides courted moderate Republican lawmakers on Wednesday on a proposal to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system as the White House struggled to avoid another embarrassing defeat on a top legislative priority.

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U.S. House nearing passage of bill to fund government, avoid shutdown

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday was poised to pass a $1.2 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September and avoid a shutdown of many federal agencies on Saturday when existing money is depleted.

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Tillerson: U.S. readying new sanctions against North Korea if needed

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday the United States was working on more sanctions targeting North Korea if Pyongyang takes steps that merit a new response.

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FBI's Comey defends 2016 decision on Clinton email probe

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey on Wednesday defended his decision to announce last year that the agency had reopened an investigation into former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's emails, saying not doing so would have been "an act of concealment."

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Exclusive: U.S. senators seek sanctions, other ways to address Venezuela crisis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An influential group of Republican and Democratic U.S. senators will file sweeping legislation on Wednesday to address the crisis in Venezuela, including sanctioning individuals responsible for undermining democracy or involved in corruption, Senate aides said.

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More than 50 miners trapped in explosion in Iran, some feared dead

(Reuters) - More than 50 miners were trapped after a huge explosion in a coal mine in northern Iran on Wednesday, and some were feared to have died, state media reported.

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North Korea says American was detained for 'attempted subversion'

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Wednesday an American man it had detained in late April, the third U.S. citizen being held by the isolated country, was intercepted because he was attempting to commit "hostile acts".

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Macron and Le Pen to square off in French pre-election TV debate

PARIS (Reuters) - France's presidential rivals, centrist Emmanuel Macron and the far-right's Marine Le Pen, go head-to-head on Wednesday in a televised debate in which sparks are sure to fly as they fight their corner in a last encounter before Sunday's runoff vote.

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Louisiana officers in black man's shooting will not be charged: newspapers

BATON ROUGE, La. (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department will not charge two white police officers who fatally shot a black man at close range in Louisiana last year, sparking nationwide protests, the New York Times and Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

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Republicans still short of votes to pass U.S. healthcare overhaul

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives said on Tuesday they were closer to agreeing on a reworked bill to overhaul the nation's healthcare system but still lacked the votes to pass it, as President Donald Trump pressed lawmakers for a vote.

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Democrats dig in, delay against Dodd-Frank overhaul

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives opposed to Republican legislation that would repeal major sections of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law on Tuesday made multiple efforts to delay the bill.

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Apple posts surprise dip in iPhone sales, shares fall

(Reuters) - Apple Inc reported a surprise fall in iPhone sales for its second quarter on Tuesday, indicating that customers may have held back purchases in anticipation of the 10th-anniversary edition of the company's most important product later this year.

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Clinton says Comey's letter, Russian hackers cost her the election

(Reuters) - Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday she was on the path to victory in the 2016 presidential election until late interference by Russian hackers and FBI Director James Comey scared off some potential supporters.

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U.S., China talk firmer U.N. response to North Korea's missiles: diplomats

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States is negotiating with China on a possible stronger U.N. Security Council response - such as sanctions - to North Korea's repeated ballistic missile launches, which the 15-member body normally condemns in a statement, diplomats said.

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House Republicans shy of votes to pass healthcare reform: lawmaker

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. House of Representatives Freedom Caucus said on Tuesday that Republicans still lack the votes to pass a reform bill to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system.

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Trump: Republican-led Senate should ease rules to pass bills

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Republicans should make it easier for the Senate to pass legislation, either by allowing bills to be approved by a simple majority vote or by winning a wider majority in the 2018 congressional election.

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United CEO takes responsibility for passenger incident

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - United Airlines Chief Executive Oscar Munoz will tell the U.S. Congress on Tuesday he is taking responsibility for a series of failures that led to the April 9 forced removal of a passenger from a Chicago airplane that prompted worldwide condemnation.

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Hollywood writers reach tentative deal with studios, averting strike

(Reuters) - Hollywood writers said they reached a tentative deal with representatives of movie and television studios on a new contract early on Tuesday, averting a strike that could have blacked out talk shows and soap operas.

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Strong earnings power global shares higher

LONDON (Reuters) - Stocks rose in Europe and Asia on Tuesday after technology industry shares hit record highs on Wall Street and investors focused on strong corporate earnings while shrugging off weaker-than-expected Chinese factory activity data.

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France's Le Pen lifts parts of rival's speech, aides brush off plagiarism accusations

PARIS (Reuters) - French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen came under fire on social media on Tuesday for lifting sections of a speech from a conservative rival, in what Le Pen aides said was a "nod-and-a-wink" to his voters.

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Turkey's EU dream is over, for now, top official says

VALLETTA (Reuters) - Turkey under President Tayyip Erdogan has turned its back on joining the European Union, at least for now, the bloc's top official dealing with Ankara said, offering economic cooperation instead if both sides can restore friendly ties.

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Trump questions why U.S. Civil War had to happen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donald Trump has shown a fascination with populist 19th-century U.S. president Andrew Jackson since he has occupied the Oval Office, hanging "Old Hickory's" portrait in the Oval Office, visiting his plantation in Tennessee and placing a wreath at his tomb.

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White House turns up pressure for vote on healthcare overhaul

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top aides to President Donald Trump on Monday said they expect the House of Representatives will vote this week to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system, but it was unclear when a vote would be scheduled, and moderate Republican lawmakers remained skeptical.

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Hamas to soften stance on Israel, Muslim Brotherhood in policy document: Arab sources

DOHA (Reuters) - The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas will drop its long-standing call for Israel's destruction as well as its association with the Muslim Brotherhood in a new policy document to be issued on Monday, Gulf Arab sources said.

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Asian nations pulled into China's orbit as Trump puts America first

MANILA (Reuters) - Across Asia, more and more countries are being pulled into Beijing's orbit, with the timid stance adopted by Southeast Asian nations on the South China Sea at a weekend summit a clear sign this fundamental geostrategic shift is gathering momentum.

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U.S.-backed militias oust Islamic State from Syria's Tabqa old city

BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S.-backed militias said on Monday they had pushed Islamic State fighters out of the old quarters of Tabqa, a strategically vital town controlling Syria's largest dam, hemming the militants into the remaining modern district along the shore.

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