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NATO chief insists no rush to exits in Afghanistan

The United States and NATO leaders insist the Afghanistan fighting coalition will remain whole despite France's plans to yank combat troops out early, but leaders wary of plummeting public support for the war are using an alliance summit Sunday to show they want to move quickly away from the front lines.

Bahraini activist granted bail but not released

DUBAI (Reuters) - A leading Bahraini opposition activist accused of insulting authorities remained in jail on Sunday, despite being granted bail, because he faces a second charge of organizing illegal protests, his lawyer said. Nabeel Rajab is the founder of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights who led many protests that were part of an on-going uprising led by the Shi'ite Muslim majority against the Sunni ruling Al Khalifa dynasty that rules the Gulf Arab island. ...

Apple, Samsung CEOs set for U.S. court talks

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The chief executives 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. ...

Senators decry convicted Lockerbie bomber's death in freedom

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Charles Schumer on Sunday criticized the Scottish government for allowing convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdel Bassett al-Megrahi to die a free man in what he said "smelled of a deal for oil." Schumer, a New York Democrat, said on CNN that the death of Megrahi, reported on Sunday by the former Libyan intelligence officer's brother, meant the full truth about the bombing of a Pan Am airliner in 1988 over Scotland may never be known. He has questioned whether Megrahi was released from prison as part of a deal for Libyan oil. ...

Italy PM Monti shortens U.S. trip after bomb and quake

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said on Sunday he would return home early from the United States following a bomb that killed a teenager in the south on Saturday and an earthquake that struck northern Italy on Sunday. Monti said in Chicago, where he is attending a NATO summit, that he would stay for only the first session, leave on Sunday night and be in Rome by Monday. His comments were broadcast on Italian television. (Reporting By Philip Pullella)

Italy PM Monti shortens U.S. trip after bomb and quake

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said on Sunday he would return home early from the United States following a bomb that killed a teenager in the south on Saturday and an earthquake that struck northern Italy on Sunday. Monti said in Chicago, where he is attending a NATO summit, that he would stay for only the first session, leave on Sunday night and be in Rome by Monday. His comments were broadcast on Italian television. (Reporting By Philip Pullella)

NATO chief: No "rush for the exits" in Afghan war

CHICAGO (Reuters) - NATO's chief sought on Sunday to dispel fears of a "rush for the exits" in Afghanistan as Western allies gathered to chart a path out of an unpopular war that has dragged on for more than a decade. President Barack Obama hosts the summit in his home town, Chicago, a day after major industrialized nations tackled a European debt crisis that threatens the global economy. ...

NATO chief: No "rush for the exits" in Afghan war

CHICAGO (Reuters) - NATO's chief sought on Sunday to dispel fears of a "rush for the exits" in Afghanistan as Western allies gathered to chart a path out of an unpopular war that has dragged on for more than a decade. President Barack Obama hosts the summit in his home town, Chicago, a day after major industrialized nations tackled a European debt crisis that threatens the global economy. ...

Libya's NTC says Megrahi death will not shut Lockerbie file

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's National Transitional Council said on Sunday the death of Abdul Basset al-Megrahi, convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, will not end the government's investigation into the attack. "We would have liked to uncover more truths but his death will not shut the Lockerbie file," NTC spokesman Mohamed al-Harizy told Reuters. "The Libyan government will continue to investigate the crimes committed by the Gaddafi regime using other witnesses." (Reporting by Taha Zargoun; Writing By Hadeel Al-Shalchi)

Dominicans weigh comeback for brash ex-president

Dominicans formed orderly lines at voting stations across the country Sunday as they chose a new president from a field that includes a brash former president whose last term ended with an economic crisis and a favored technocrat from a ruling party that has spent the past eight years on a public works spending spree.

What to look for at the NATO summit

A look at the main issues for the NATO alliance at the summit meeting for heads of government in Chicago on Sunday and Monday.

Lockerbie bomber Megrahi has died in Libya: brother

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of the 1988 bombing of a PanAm flight over Lockerbie, died of cancer on Sunday aged 60, leaving many questions on the attack and its aftermath unanswered. Megrahi who said he was not responsible for bringing the jumbo jet down on the Scottish town and killing 270 people, was found guilty in 2001 but released in 2009 and returned to Libya because he had terminal cancer and not expected to live long. ...

Lockerbie bomber Megrahi has died in Libya: brother

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of the 1988 bombing of a PanAm flight over Lockerbie, died of cancer on Sunday aged 60, leaving many questions on the attack and its aftermath unanswered. Megrahi who said he was not responsible for bringing the jumbo jet down on the Scottish town and killing 270 people, was found guilty in 2001 but released in 2009 and returned to Libya because he had terminal cancer and not expected to live long. ...

Party leaders refuse to budge on debt positions

Republicans and Democrats aren't budging when it comes to their already hardened positions on spending cuts versus tax increases to deal with the nation's debt.

Party leaders refuse to budge on debt positions

Republicans and Democrats aren't budging when it comes to their already hardened positions on spending cuts versus tax increases to deal with the nation's debt.

Party leaders refuse to budge on debt positions

Republicans and Democrats aren't budging when it comes to their already hardened positions on spending cuts versus tax increases to deal with the nation's debt.

Facebook shares could fall below IPO price: Barron's

(Reuters) - Shares in social media company Facebook Inc could fall below the initial public offering price of $38, Barron's wrote in its May 21 edition. Facebook saw its shares rise a scant 0.6 percent to $38.23 on Friday in the first day of trading. The stock stayed above the $38 IPO price, supported in the market by the deal's underwriters. But Barron's said the "big question" this week will be whether they continue to do so. ...

Insight: China pays high price to spare state firm from bankruptcy

WEIFANG, China (Reuters) - The Chinese official was adamant the city of Weifang would keep its rayon factory open, noting that local authorities had just stepped in to help the plant's owner repay $60 million in commercial paper. The bailout averted what would have been China's first ever bond default and was good news for domestic bond investors, who were reassured that in China even mid-sized state-owned firms can count on "too-big-to-fail" treatment. ...

Lone bomber, not mafia, sought for Italy school attack

BRINDISI (Reuters) - A bomb attack which killed a teenage girl and wounded 10 other people in the southern Italian town of Brindisi was probably done by an individual operating alone, a senior official said on Sunday, playing down initial suspicions of mafia involvement. Saturday's attack on the Francesca Morvillo Falcone school, a vocational training institute named after the wife of a famed anti-mafia judge, horrified Italy and sparked speculation it was the work of southern Italy's organized crime gangs. ...

Lone bomber, not mafia, sought for Italy school attack

BRINDISI (Reuters) - A bomb attack which killed a teenage girl and wounded 10 other people in the southern Italian town of Brindisi was probably done by an individual operating alone, a senior official said on Sunday, playing down initial suspicions of mafia involvement. Saturday's attack on the Francesca Morvillo Falcone school, a vocational training institute named after the wife of a famed anti-mafia judge, horrified Italy and sparked speculation it was the work of southern Italy's organized crime gangs. ...

North Korea releases detained Chinese fishermen

BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea released a number of Chinese fishermen and boats on Sunday two weeks after seizing them, ending a rare public dispute between the two allies, Chinese state media reported. The boats were taken in the Yellow Sea between China and North Korea on May 8 - although it remains unclear whether the action was authorized by the North Korean government. The North Koreans who took the boats had demanded 1.2 million yuan ($189,800) for releasing the fishermen, then cut their price to 900,000 yuan, the owner of one of the captured vessels said last week. ...

North Korea releases detained Chinese fishermen

BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea released a number of Chinese fishermen and boats on Sunday two weeks after seizing them, ending a rare public dispute between the two allies, Chinese state media reported. The boats were taken in the Yellow Sea between China and North Korea on May 8 - although it remains unclear whether the action was authorized by the North Korean government. The North Koreans who took the boats had demanded 1.2 million yuan ($189,800) for releasing the fishermen, then cut their price to 900,000 yuan, the owner of one of the captured vessels said last week. ...

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.

'Avengers' sinks 'Battleship" to remain No. 1

"The Avengers" continues to muscle out everything else Hollywood throws at it, easily sinking naval rival "Battleship" and other new releases.

U.S. banking laws unable to stop JPMorgan loss: Republican Boehner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. banking reforms could not have prevented JPMorgan Chase & Co's trading losses, and those involved in the activities that went awry should be held accountable, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said in an interview aired on Sunday. "I don't believe there's anything in Dodd-Frank (financial reform law) that would've prevented this activity at JPMorgan," said Boehner, the top Republican U.S. officeholder. He made the comments Friday in an interview for ABC's "This Week. ...

Lawyers for fugitive Iraqi VP quit case in protest

Lawyers for Iraq's fugitive Sunni vice president charged with running death squads quit the case on Sunday in protest after judges rejected their request for evidence for his defense.

Former Israeli PM: Jerusalem must be partitioned

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday urged Israeli leaders to relinquish the idea of a unified Jerusalem if they truly want peace, contending in a pair of interviews that years of government neglect have kept the Jewish and Arab sectors irreparably divided.

UK's Cameron: Megrahi should have never been freed

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the former Libyan intelligence officer convicted of the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am flight, should have never been released from prison, British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Sunday. "I've always been clear he should never have been released from prison," Cameron said on Sunday in Chicago where NATO leaders gathered for a summit. "Today is a day to remember the 270 people who lost their lives in what was an appalling terrorist act. Our thoughts should be with them and their families for the suffering they've had. ...

Euro zone row gets fat pay rise for German workers

BERLIN (Reuters) - A record-breaking pay deal will give millions of German workers their biggest rise in wages in two decades, boost consumption in Europe's biggest economy and help towards adjusting the regional imbalances that have caused severe tensions within the euro zone, analysts said on Sunday. Germany's largest industrial union IG Metall agreed to a 4.3-percent pay rise from employers just before dawn on Saturday -- giving the 3.6 million car and engineering industry workers their biggest wage increase since a 5.4 percent deal in 1992. The eye-catching 4. ...

U.S. banking laws unable to stop JPMorgan loss: Republican Boehner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. banking reforms could not have prevented JPMorgan Chase & Co's trading losses, and those involved in the activities that went awry should be held accountable, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said in an interview aired on Sunday. "I don't believe there's anything in Dodd-Frank (financial reform law) that would've prevented this activity at JPMorgan," said Boehner, the top Republican U.S. officeholder. He made the comments Friday in an interview for ABC's "This Week. ...

U.S. banking laws unable to stop JPMorgan loss: Republican Boehner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. banking reforms could not have prevented JPMorgan Chase & Co's trading losses, and those involved in the activities that went awry should be held accountable, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said in an interview aired on Sunday. "I don't believe there's anything in Dodd-Frank (financial reform law) that would've prevented this activity at JPMorgan," said Boehner, the top Republican U.S. officeholder. He made the comments Friday in an interview for ABC's "This Week. ...

Low turnout, fraud row mar Serb presidential vote

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Voter apathy and accusations of fraud marred a presidential run-off in Serbia on Sunday, where pro-Western incumbent Boris Tadic is vying with rightist Tomislav Nikolic for the right to lead the nation into talks on joining the EU. Seven hours after polls opened, just 23.2 percent of the 6.7 million Serbs eligible to vote had done so. Tadic began the day as the frontrunner, but analysts have said a low turnout might favor Nikolic, whose supporters are considered more disciplined voters. ...

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. ...

Strong quake kills at least 4 in northern Italy

A strong earthquake shook northeast Italy early Sunday, killing four people, tearing off chunks of church facades and sending panicked residents into the streets. Aftershocks wreaked more havoc in the region, including knocking down a clock tower and injuring a firefighter.

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. ...