Reuters: Top News

Obama defends foreign tour as visit closes

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 10:35:19 -0400

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama, wrapping up an overseas tour where he got a rock star reception, defended his decision to take the trip despite mixed signals about its impact on his popularity at home.

U.S. Senate seen backing housing bill, Bush to sign

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 01:23:57 -0400

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate was expected to approve a massive housing market rescue bill on Saturday and President George W. Bush was ready to sign it soon, amid questions about how much it will help.

U.S. regulators seize two more banks, engineer sale

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:08:21 -0400

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators took over two banks on Friday and sold them to Mutual of Omaha Bank, the sixth and seventh bank failures this year as financial institutions struggle with a housing bust and credit crunch.

Iran says expanded nuclear enrichment program

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 08:49:38 -0400

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran is running more than 5,000 centrifuges for enriching uranium, its president was quoted as saying on Saturday, suggesting continued expansion of a nuclear program the West suspects is aimed at making bombs.

Mandelson says has backing to negotiate WTO deal

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 09:56:41 -0400

GENEVA (Reuters) - The European Union's top trade negotiators said on Saturday they had support to continue talks on a compromise plan in world trade talks, but some EU states expressed deep concern about the negotiations.

NATO force kills four civilians in Afghan south

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 09:39:46 -0400

KABUL (Reuters) - NATO-led troops killed four Afghan civilians and wounded three more when their vehicle failed to stop at a checkpoint in the southern province of Helmand on Saturday, the NATO force said.

Cubans anticipate news on reforms in Castro speech

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 09:33:24 -0400

HAVANA (Reuters) - President Raul Castro will mark the 55th anniversary of the start of the Cuban revolution on Saturday with a speech to a nation waiting to hear how far and how fast he plans to go in reforming the island's struggling state-run economy.

Bosnian Serbs pray for Karadzic, say charges unjust

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 09:11:58 -0400

PALE, Bosnia (Reuters) - Hundreds of people gathered to pray for Radovan Karadzic across the Serb half of Bosnia on Saturday, holding vigils inside churches or marching in protest at his arrest on war crimes charges.

French fries helped calm bin Laden driver: witnesses

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:38:19 -0400

GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - Hot McDonald's french fries and a call home encouraged Salim Hamdan to cooperate under interrogation but Osama bin Laden's driver did not like cold fries and isolation upset him, witnesses said at his Guantanamo war crimes trial on Friday.

U.S. house prices overvalued by up to 20 percent: IMF paper

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:06:23 -0400

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The downward spiral of U.S. housing prices still has a way to go and homes were overvalued by between 8 percent to 20 percent in the first quarter of this year, according to research by an International Monetary Fund economist published on Friday.