Wrecking.us

U.N. seeks Iran nuclear deal before Baghdad talks

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear supervisor flies to Tehran on Sunday looking for a deal to inspect suspected weapons sites - a potential breakthrough that Iran may hope could persuade the West to start lifting sanctions and deflect threats of war. But though IAEA chief Yukiya Amano scheduled Monday's talks with Iran at such short notice that diplomats said agreement on new inspections may be near, few see Tehran convincing Western governments to ease back swiftly on punitive measures when its negotiators meet big power officials in Baghdad on Wednesday. Amano, director general of the U.N. ...

U.N. seeks Iran nuclear deal before Baghdad talks

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear supervisor flies to Tehran on Sunday looking for a deal to inspect suspected weapons sites - a potential breakthrough that Iran may hope could persuade the West to start lifting sanctions and deflect threats of war. But though IAEA chief Yukiya Amano scheduled Monday's talks with Iran at such short notice that diplomats said agreement on new inspections may be near, few see Tehran convincing Western governments to ease back swiftly on punitive measures when its negotiators meet big power officials in Baghdad on Wednesday. Amano, director general of the U.N. ...

Sudan releases four foreigners arrested in border area

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan has released four foreigners who were detained three weeks ago near the border with South Sudan following weeks of heavy clashes between the two African neighbors, officials said on Sunday. Sudan accused the four - a Briton, a Norwegian, a South African and a South Sudanese - of entering an oil-producing border area illegally to spy for South Sudan. South Sudanese officials had denied Sudan's allegations, saying the men were working with the United Nations and aid groups clearing mines, and had got lost in the remote territory. ...

Sudan releases four foreigners arrested in border area

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan has released four foreigners who were detained three weeks ago near the border with South Sudan following weeks of heavy clashes between the two African neighbors, officials said on Sunday. Sudan accused the four - a Briton, a Norwegian, a South African and a South Sudanese - of entering an oil-producing border area illegally to spy for South Sudan. South Sudanese officials had denied Sudan's allegations, saying the men were working with the United Nations and aid groups clearing mines, and had got lost in the remote territory. ...

Italy quake kills five, damages historic buildings

SANT' AGOSTINO, Italy (Reuters) - A strong earthquake in northern Italy killed five people, injured dozens and damaged historic buildings including a famed mediaeval castle early on Sunday, waking terrified citizens and sending thousands running into the streets. The quake, which the U.S. Geological Survey recorded at magnitude 6.0, struck at 4:04 a.m. (0204 GMT) and was followed by a series of jolting aftershocks. At least two of them reached magnitude 5.1, sowing fresh panic, further damaging already weakened buildings and causing more structures to collapse. ...

Tropical Storm Alberto not seen to gain strength, forecasters say

MIAMI (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Alberto churned slowly toward the South Carolina coast on Sunday where heavy rain and dangerous surf are expected from the beach resort of Myrtle Beach south to Savannah, Georgia, forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Bringing an early start to the Atlantic hurricane season, Alberto rose to tropical storm strength on Saturday and by Sunday morning was about 95 miles south-southeast of Charleston, according to the latest update by the hurricane center in Miami. It carried maximum sustained winds near 50 miles per hour. ...

Tropical Storm Alberto not seen to gain strength, forecasters say

MIAMI (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Alberto churned slowly toward the South Carolina coast on Sunday where heavy rain and dangerous surf are expected from the beach resort of Myrtle Beach south to Savannah, Georgia, forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Bringing an early start to the Atlantic hurricane season, Alberto rose to tropical storm strength on Saturday and by Sunday morning was about 95 miles south-southeast of Charleston, according to the latest update by the hurricane center in Miami. It carried maximum sustained winds near 50 miles per hour. ...

Lebanese soldiers kill two anti-Assad activists

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese soldiers shot dead two members of an alliance against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in northern Lebanon on Sunday, security sources said, in the latest incident to raise fears Syria's turmoil was spilling over the border into its neighbor. Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Wahid, a Sunni Muslim cleric, and Khaled Miraib, both members of the Lebanon-based March 14 political alliance, were shot in their car as they sped through a Lebanese army checkpoint without stopping, the sources said. Residents of the northern region of Akkar blocked off roads to protest against the deaths. ...

Lebanese soldiers kill two anti-Assad activists

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese soldiers shot dead two members of an alliance against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in northern Lebanon on Sunday, security sources said, in the latest incident to raise fears Syria's turmoil was spilling over the border into its neighbor. Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Wahid, a Sunni Muslim cleric, and Khaled Miraib, both members of the Lebanon-based March 14 political alliance, were shot in their car as they sped through a Lebanese army checkpoint without stopping, the sources said. Residents of the northern region of Akkar blocked off roads to protest against the deaths. ...

NATO chief sees financial aid for Afghan forces

NATO's secretary general says he's optimistic that the international community will continue to finance the Afghan security forces.

U.S. army instructor shot in Yemen attack: security source

SANAA (Reuters) - A U.S. military instructor helping train Yemeni coastguards was shot and seriously wounded in an attack by unidentified assailants in the Red Sea city of Hudaida on Sunday, a Yemeni security source said. The source said two other U.S. instructors, who were travelling in the same car, were not hurt in the attack, which happened before noon on the group's journey to work. A caller told Reuters by telephone - not the group's usual method of communication - that the al Qaeda-linked Ansar al-Sharia group was behind the attack. ...

Fourth person arrested for plotting NATO attacks: police

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A fourth man was arrested on a terrorism-related charge ahead of the NATO summit that gets underway here on Sunday, adding to event security concerns after the arrests of three others who police said considered targeting U.S. President Barack Obama's re-election headquarters. Chicago-resident Sebastian Senakiewicz, 24, was arrested Thursday and charged with one count of terrorism/false threat, Chicago Police Department spokesman Mike Sullivan said on Sunday. He remains in custody and has a bond hearing later on Sunday. ...

Family of Hamas figure seeks to block Israel movie

Relatives of a slain Hamas operative seek to block the release of a movie being made in Israel about his 2010 assassination in a Dubai luxury hotel, a family member said Sunday.

NATO leaders map strategy for Afghanistan exit

CHICAGO (Reuters) - NATO leaders gathered in Chicago on Sunday to chart a path out of Afghanistan as war-weary Western nations seek to fend off dissent in their alliance and ensure Afghanistan can hold a still-potent Taliban at bay when foreign troops withdraw. President Barack Obama hosts the summit in his home town, Chicago, a day after leaders of major industrialized nations tackled Europe's debt crisis, backing keeping Greece in the euro zone and vowing to take steps necessary to revitalize the world economy. ...

NATO leaders map strategy for Afghanistan exit

CHICAGO (Reuters) - NATO leaders gathered in Chicago on Sunday to chart a path out of Afghanistan as war-weary Western nations seek to fend off dissent in their alliance and ensure Afghanistan can hold a still-potent Taliban at bay when foreign troops withdraw. President Barack Obama hosts the summit in his home town, Chicago, a day after leaders of major industrialized nations tackled Europe's debt crisis, backing keeping Greece in the euro zone and vowing to take steps necessary to revitalize the world economy. ...

Jailed Israeli president freed briefly

A prison spokeswoman says Israel's jailed former president has been freed for a few hours to attend his son's wedding.

Egypt's Brotherhood goes all out for presidency

TANTA, Egypt (Reuters) - Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood planned a mass climax to its presidential campaign on Sunday, hoping to sway undecided voters and clinch victory in this week's election when Egyptians will choose their leader freely for the first time. On the last day of official campaigning, the Brotherhood told Egyptians to "book your place anywhere in Egypt" for evening rallies in support of its candidate Mohamed Mursi. ...

Wall Street Week Ahead: Market is oversold, but major signs say "sell"

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Normally a big decline would set up Wall Street for a technical rebound. But that may not be the case this week, even after the market posted its worst weekly loss for the year and the S&P fell for six straight sessions. With the corporate earnings season drawing to an end and recent U.S. economic data raising doubts about the pace of growth, the S&P 500, which is down 7.3 percent so far in May, could decline further this week as concerns about the financial health of Europe persist. ...

Egypt presidential candidate joins hunger strike

An Egypt presidential candidate has joined dozens of activists on hunger strike to protest the continued detention of more than 300 people who face possible military prosecution.

Syrian army shelling kills 16 in Hama: rights groups

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian army shelling killed 16 people, including children, on Sunday in the town of Souran in the central province of Hama, the British-based rights group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "The army shelled the town and then stormed it," the head of the rights group Rami Abdelrahman told Reuters, citing residents. Hama has been a focal point of Syria's 14-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. (Reporting by Oliver Holmes; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Syrian army shelling kills 16 in Hama: rights groups

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian army shelling killed 16 people, including children, on Sunday in the town of Souran in the central province of Hama, the British-based rights group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "The army shelled the town and then stormed it," the head of the rights group Rami Abdelrahman told Reuters, citing residents. Hama has been a focal point of Syria's 14-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. (Reporting by Oliver Holmes; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Bahraini activist granted bail but not released

DUBAI (Reuters) - A Bahraini court granted bail on Sunday to leading activist Nabeel Rajab, who is charged with insulting authorities in the Gulf Arab state, but he is still being held pending trial for a different case, his lawyer said. Bahrain has been in turmoil since a democracy protest movement led by majority Shi'ites erupted last year following successful revolts in Egypt and Tunisia. The government has rejected opposition calls for an elected government and protests and clashes with police continue weekly. ...

Bahraini activist granted bail but not released

DUBAI (Reuters) - A Bahraini court granted bail on Sunday to leading activist Nabeel Rajab, who is charged with insulting authorities in the Gulf Arab state, but he is still being held pending trial for a different case, his lawyer said. Bahrain has been in turmoil since a democracy protest movement led by majority Shi'ites erupted last year following successful revolts in Egypt and Tunisia. The government has rejected opposition calls for an elected government and protests and clashes with police continue weekly. ...

Apple, Samsung CEOs head to court-ordered play date

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The chiefs of Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd are used to running the show at their global tech empires, but they will be in for a different experience when they arrive at a San Francisco federal courthouse on Monday. Apple's Tim Cook and Samsung's Choi Gee-sung, whose companies are embroiled in bitter patent litigation, have been instructed by a federal judge to appear for court-supervised mediation. A joint court filing in April said that "as directed by the Court, Apple and Samsung are both willing to participate" in the discussions. ...

Romney, US Sen. Brown play down past connections

Massachusetts Republicans Mitt Romney and Scott Brown have a history of supporting each other throughout their political careers.

Ruling party in Dominican election seeks four more years

Santo Domingo (Reuters) - Voting is underway in presidential elections in the Dominican Republic where the ruling party candidate Danilo Medina is looking for revenge 12 years after he lost in a landslide to opposition candidate Hipolito Mejia. Most opinion polls appear give him the edge, showing Medina of the ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) leading by a margin of 5 percentage points over Mejia for the opposition Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD). ...

Lockerbie bomber Megrahi has died in Libya: brother

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - The former Libyan intelligence officer convicted of the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am flight over Lockerbie, Scotland that killed 270 people has died, his brother said on Sunday. Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, released from a Scottish prison in 2009 and returned to Libya because he was suffering from terminal cancer, had been in and out of hospital for weeks and was taken for an emergency blood transfusion in April. Megrahi's health had deteriorated quickly overnight, his brother Abdulhakim told Reuters. "He was surrounded by his family and died in his house," he said. He was 60. ...

Lockerbie bomber Megrahi has died in Libya: brother

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - The former Libyan intelligence officer convicted of the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am flight over Lockerbie, Scotland that killed 270 people has died, his brother said on Sunday. Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, released from a Scottish prison in 2009 and returned to Libya because he was suffering from terminal cancer, had been in and out of hospital for weeks and was taken for an emergency blood transfusion in April. Megrahi's health had deteriorated quickly overnight, his brother Abdulhakim told Reuters. "He was surrounded by his family and died in his house," he said. He was 60. ...

Factbox: Lockerbie bomber Megrahi dies

(Reuters) - Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the former Libyan intelligence officer convicted of the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am flight over Lockerbie, Scotland, has died, his brother said. Here are some details about Megrahi: MEGRAHI - RELEASED FROM PRISON: Megrahi was sentenced to life in prison in 2001 for his part in blowing up New York-bound Pan Am Flight 103 in December 1988, killing 259 people on board and 11 people on the ground in Lockerbie, Scotland. Judges ruled in 2003 that he must serve a minimum of 27 years before he could apply for parole. ...

Yemen troops clash with al-Qaida in south; 17 dead

Fresh clashes between al-Qaida fighters and government forces in Yemen left 17 dead on Sunday, military officials said, as the army pushed on with an offensive to regain a key town in the county's south that fell to the militants more than a year ago.

Birth of new Greek drachma would be pained, rushed

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If or when policymakers finally decide Greece should leave the euro, the exit could happen so quickly that "new drachma" currency notes might not be printed in time. In principle, some of the long-term consequences of Athens leaving the currency bloc are not unappealing. The euro zone would no longer have to worry about what has always been its weakest link. While a new Greek currency would almost certainly immediately crash in value as soon as it was issued, in doing so it would make the Greek economy much more competitive. ...

French Le Pen to lose to leftist in assembly vote: poll

PARIS (Reuters) - An opinion poll published on Sunday showed that French far-right leader Marine Le Pen would lose to far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon in her home district in parliamentary elections next month. The Ifop-Fiducial poll showed that Le Pen would win the June 10 first round with 34 percent of the votes against 29 percent for Melenchon but would be beaten 55-45 percent by Melenchon in the June 17 second round. Not winning the parliamentary seat in her political backyard, the northern working-class town of Henin-Beaumont, would be a humiliation for Le Pen, who won 17. ...

French Le Pen to lose to leftist in assembly vote: poll

PARIS (Reuters) - An opinion poll published on Sunday showed that French far-right leader Marine Le Pen would lose to far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon in her home district in parliamentary elections next month. The Ifop-Fiducial poll showed that Le Pen would win the June 10 first round with 34 percent of the votes against 29 percent for Melenchon but would be beaten 55-45 percent by Melenchon in the June 17 second round. Not winning the parliamentary seat in her political backyard, the northern working-class town of Henin-Beaumont, would be a humiliation for Le Pen, who won 17. ...

Explosion near U.N. ceasefire monitor chief's convoy: Reuters witness

DOUMA, Syria (Reuters) - A roadside bomb exploded on Sunday about 150 meters (yards) from a United Nations convoy carrying the head of a Syria ceasefire monitoring mission and a senior U.N. official in the town of Douma, a Reuters witness said. Major General Robert Mood's car was stopped at an army checkpoint when the bomb detonated in an nearby alleyway and the convoy left, the Reuters journalist said, adding that there were no reports of casualties. United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous, who is visiting Syria, was also part of the convoy. ...

Pakistan blocks Twitter over contentious tweets

Pakistan blocked the social networking website Twitter on Sunday because it refused to remove tweets considered offensive to Islam, said one of the country's top telecommunications officials.

Pakistan blocks Twitter over contentious tweets

Pakistan blocked the social networking website Twitter on Sunday because it refused to remove tweets considered offensive to Islam, said one of the country's top telecommunications officials.

Egypt's would-be "president of the poor" touts past

QALYUB, Egypt (Reuters) - The motorcade of Hamdeen Sabahy, a dark horse in Egypt's presidential race, inched over the bumpy roads of this Egyptian town led by a car booming 1960s nationalist music in homage to his hero, Gamal Abdel Nasser. The smiling leftist politician has a long history of opposition, first to Nasser's successor Anwar Sadat and then to Hosni Mubarak, who was deposed in last year's popular uprising. ...

Egypt's would-be "president of the poor" touts past

QALYUB, Egypt (Reuters) - The motorcade of Hamdeen Sabahy, a dark horse in Egypt's presidential race, inched over the bumpy roads of this Egyptian town led by a car booming 1960s nationalist music in homage to his hero, Gamal Abdel Nasser. The smiling leftist politician has a long history of opposition, first to Nasser's successor Anwar Sadat and then to Hosni Mubarak, who was deposed in last year's popular uprising. ...

Bomb explodes near UN observers' chief in Syria

A roadside bomb exploded in a restive suburb of the Syrian capital as senior U.N. officials toured the area on Sunday, blowing off the front of a parked vehicle but causing no casualties.

APNewsBreak: 22 states join campaign finance fight

Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia are backing Montana in its fight to prevent the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision from being used to strike down state laws restricting corporate campaign spending.