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Blind Chinese activist leaves Beijing for U.S.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China allowed a blind legal activist, Chen Guangcheng, to leave a hospital in Beijing on Saturday and board a plane bound for the United States, a move that could signal the end of a diplomatic standoff between the two countries. Chen's escape from house arrest in northeastern China last month and subsequent stay in the U.S. embassy caused huge embarrassment for China and led to a diplomatic rift while U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was visiting Beijing for talks to improve ties between the world's two biggest economies. The U.S. ...
Syria bomb kills 9, Damascus blames foreign plot
BEIRUT (Reuters) - A car bomb blew up at a Syrian military post in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor on Saturday, killing nine people, an attack that Syria said was the latest proof that an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad is a foreign plot. The official SANA news agency said the blast had been the work of a suicide bomber, and had killed nine and wounded about 100, including guards, at what it called military installations. It said residences had been damaged. ...
Obama says G8 in agreement on Iran nuclear program
CAMP DAVID, Maryland (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Saturday leaders of the Group of Eight major economies are committed to continuing the current approach of sanctions, pressure and diplomatic discussions with Iran over its nuclear program. "All of us are firmly committed to continuing with the approach of sanctions and pressure in combination with diplomatic discussions," he told reporters at the G8 meeting at the presidential retreat in Camp David. ...
Yemen clashes kill 34 militants, soldiers: officials
ADEN, Yemen (Reuters) - At least 22 al Qaeda-linked militants and 12 Yemeni soldiers were killed in clashes and air strikes overnight during a new U.S.-backed offensive against insurgents in the south of the country, officials said on Saturday. Fighting erupted late on Friday and carried on into Saturday on the outskirts of the southern city of Jaar, held by Islamist militants, who have stepped up their campaign during months of political turmoil. Government troops, backed by U.S. ...
Bomb at Italian school kills teenage girl, wounds 10
BRINDISI, Italy (Reuters) - A 16-year-old girl was killed in southern Italy by a bomb that exploded in front of her school before classes on Saturday in an unprecedented attack that wounded 10 others, one seriously. Officials initially suggested a local mafia group was the main suspect, but investigators later said the rudimentary nature of the bomb and the targeting of an all-girls secondary school did not point toward organized crime. There was no claim of responsibility. ...
Sri Lanka president rejects U.S. calls to close army bases
COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa rejected calls from the United States to close army bases in a former war zone as he celebrated the third anniversary on Saturday of the military's victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels. Fighter jets flew over Colombo and thousands of soldiers paraded in the streets flanked by tanks to mark the 2009 end to the 25-year civil war, a day after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Sri Lanka's foreign minister to demilitarize the north of the country and protect human rights. ...
Motorcycle bomber kills 10 in eastern Afghanistan
KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide bomber on a motorcycle detonated explosives in an Afghan district close to the border with Pakistan, killing at least 10 people including children, officials said on Saturday. The attack comes one day ahead of a NATO summit in Chicago, where the coalition intends to spell out its role in Afghanistan after foreign combat troops leave by the end of 2014. "The bomber blew himself up in a crowded market and it was powerful," said Sardar Mohammad Zazai, police chief of eastern Khost province. ...
Bahrain, Qatar, UAE urge citizens to stay away from Lebanon
DUBAI (Reuters) - Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates urged their citizens to stay away from Lebanon, citing security concerns in a country where fighting prompted by sectarian tensions in neighboring Syria has unsettled areas near a northern port. The three Gulf states' Foreign Ministries urged all those already in Lebanon - a favorite destination for wealthy Gulf tourists - to leave because of the "security situation" in the country, the official news agencies BNA, QNA and WAM reported. Heavy fighting has rocked Lebanon's northern port of Tripoli in the past week. ...
Greece confirms June 17 election date
ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece confirmed on Saturday that it would a hold a repeat general election on June 17, after party leaders failed to form a coalition government following an inconclusive election. "We are calling a general election for June 17. The new parliament will convene on June 28, Thursday," said a statement from the parliament's press office. The statement said President Karolos Papoulias had dissolved the parliament elected on May 6, two days after it was convened. The date of the new election was released last week but was not official until Papoulias issued Saturday's decree. ...
Thousands march in Frankfurt against austerity measures
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - At least 20,000 demonstrators marched through Frankfurt on Saturday in a peaceful protest against austerity measures implemented to tackle the intensifying euro zone debt crisis. Police closed off main roads in the centre of Frankfurt and set up check points on highways around the city as part of a heavy security operation to protect Germany's financial capital. ...
Chinese activist who fled house arrest heads to US
A blind Chinese legal activist was hurriedly taken from a hospital and put on a plane for the United States on Saturday, closing a nearly monthlong diplomatic tussle that had tested U.S.-China relations.
Afghan security issues weighed at NATO summit
A look at Afghan security issues to be discussed at the NATO summit in Chicago.
World leaders confront flagging Afghan war
It was what President Barack Obama called a "war of necessity," a conflict thrust upon America by the 9/11 attacks. As NATO's mission here winds down nearly 11 years later, the insurgents remain undefeated, corruption runs rife and the peace process is stuck in the sand.
Suicide blast in Syria hits military compound
A car bomb tore through the parking lot of a military compound in an eastern Syrian city on Saturday, killing nine people in the latest in a series of blasts in recent months targeting security installations, the country's state media reported.
Suicide blast kills 13 in eastern Afghanistan
A suicide bomber blew himself up at a police checkpoint Saturday in a volatile area of eastern Afghanistan, killing 13 people, police said.
Thousands mark 'Red Shirt' crackdown in Bangkok
Buddhist monks led prayers as tens of thousands gathered Saturday in Bangkok to mark the second anniversary of deadly clashes between soldiers and "Red Shirt" protesters.
Obama: G-8 leaders put focus on eurozone crisis
The United States and other members of the Group of Eight industrial nations agree that Europe's financial crisis must be addressed with a mix of growth and austerity measures, President Barack Obama said Saturday as leaders gathered for a shirt-sleeve discussion that also will cover world concerns about ups and downs in oil prices.
Echoes of Eurozone crisis at NATO meeting
The NATO meeting in Chicago is a chance for alliance leaders to proclaim solidarity and promise success. But the two-day gathering that begins Sunday probably won't resolve the underlying anxiety about sharing the burdens of defense, a concern heightened by Europe's economic crisis and America's growing weariness at carrying the heaviest load.
7 charged with terror crimes in Real IRA crackdown
Seven Irish republicans, including three relatives of a senior reputed Real IRA member and four others allegedly operating a forest rifle range, were arraigned Saturday on terror charges following a security sweep against militants plotting to sabotage Northern Ireland's peace process.
Electric car network gets first test in Israel
Israeli entrepreneur Shai Agassi has begun rolling out the world's first nationwide electric car network. Now, will the drivers come?
