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One killed, 6 injured by Italy school blast: official

ROME (Reuters) - One person was killed and six people were injured when a bomb exploded near a school in Brindisi in southern Italy on Saturday, an official at the Civil Protection Authority said. He said it was unclear if one or two devices had exploded in the incident but said: "Given the effect of the explosion, it appears that this was something quite powerful." No further details were immediately available. (Reporting By James Mackenzie; Editing by Tim Pearce)

Bomb at south Italy school, several hurt: news agency

ROME (Reuters) - A bomb exploded in front of a school in the southern Italian town of Brindisi on Saturday, injuring at least five people, two of them seriously, the Italian news agency ANSA reported, citing an official from the Civil Protection Service. ANSA said police were investigating but no other details were available. No comment was immediately available from the carabinieri police station in Brindisi. (Reporting By James Mackenzie; Editing by Tim Pearce)

Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows

Guest lineups for the Sunday TV news shows:

Car bomb rocks east Syrian city, casualties reported

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A car bomb blew up in the eastern Syrian city of Deir al-Zor on Saturday, state television and an opposition group said, without giving details on casualties. A bulletin on Syrian state television said there were reports of casualties but did not elaborate. An opposition group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the blast was near military intelligence offices and was followed by heavy gunfire. (Writing by Joseph Logan; Editing by Tim Pearce)

Car bomb rocks east Syrian city, casualties reported

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A car bomb blew up in the eastern Syrian city of Deir al-Zor on Saturday, state television and an opposition group said, without giving details on casualties. A bulletin on Syrian state television said there were reports of casualties but did not elaborate. An opposition group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the blast was near military intelligence offices and was followed by heavy gunfire. (Writing by Joseph Logan; Editing by Tim Pearce)

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?

Blind Chinese activist Chen says is at Beijing airport

BEIJING (Reuters) - Blind Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng said on Saturday he has left a hospital in Beijing, where he has been for the past three weeks since he sought refuge in the U.S. embassy, and was waiting at the airport. Chen said he believes he will be headed on a flight to the United States, but added he was still uncertain of it. The departure of Chen and his family would mark the removal of a sticking point in already difficult U.S.-China relations that have been marred by China's handling of human rights. The U.S. embassy was not immediately available for comment. ...

Blind China activist preparing to head to US

A blind Chinese activist whose escape from a rural village set off a diplomatic tussle between Beijing and Washington says he is at an airport waiting to leave for the United States.

Chinese activist Chen on way to airport, bound for U.S.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has allowed blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng to leave a hospital in Beijing for the United States, a U.S.-based Christian advocacy group said on Saturday. Chen Guangcheng told Bob Fu, the president of Texas-based ChinaAid, that he and his family were heading to the Beijing airport now, according to an emailed statement from the group. Chen and his family "were informed to pack up and get ready to leave China" for the United States on Saturday, the statement said. Chen could not immediately be reached for comment. ...

Chinese activist Chen on way to airport, bound for U.S.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has allowed blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng to leave a hospital in Beijing for the United States, a U.S.-based Christian advocacy group said on Saturday. Chen Guangcheng told Bob Fu, the president of Texas-based ChinaAid, that he and his family were heading to the Beijing airport now, according to an emailed statement from the group. Chen and his family "were informed to pack up and get ready to leave China" for the United States on Saturday, the statement said. Chen could not immediately be reached for comment. ...

Chinese activist Chen on way to airport, bound for U.S. : advocacy group

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has allowed blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng to leave a hospital in Beijing for the United States, a U.S.-based Christian advocacy group said on Saturday. Chen Guangcheng told Bob Fu, the president of Texas-based ChinaAid, that he and his family were heading to the Beijing airport now, according to an emailed statement from the group. Chen and his family "were informed to pack up and get ready to leave China" for the United States on Saturday, the statement said. Chen could not immediately be reached for comment. ...

AP NewsAlert

Blind Chinese activist leaves hospital, says he expects to leave for the U.S. later Saturday.

Manulife, Metlife submit bids for ING Asia sale: sources

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Manulife Financial Corp and Metlife are among the companies that have submitted first round bids for ING's entire Asia life insurance business, sources said on Saturday, in what could be the largest Asia M&A insurance deal ever. ING's long awaited sale of Asian life insurance and the asset management units will help the Dutch bancassurer to partly repay the 3 billion euros ($3.81 billion) of state aid plus the 50 percent premium it still owes the Dutch government. The bids were submitted late on Friday and the indicative offers ranged between 6-7 billion euros ($7.6-$8. ...

73-year-old Japanese woman scales Mount Everest

A 73-year-old Japanese woman has climbed Mount Everest, smashing her own record to again become the oldest woman to scale the world's highest mountain.

Blind activist says China's "manipulation" of nephew's case will fail

BEIJING (Reuters) - Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng said on Saturday the authorities' drive to manipulate his nephew's case would not succeed, but instead would increase public discontent over an episode that has renewed international focus on China's human rights and legal system. Chen Guangcheng's nephew, Chen Kegui, was denied his family's choice of lawyers on Friday to defend a charge of "intentional homicide", the latest in a series of moves to deny him legal representation, and underscores the hardline stance taken against Chen Guangcheng's family. ...

Divided but peaceful 2 years after Thai violence

Just two years ago, Thailand was at war with itself. Rifle shots and exploding grenades rang out in Bangkok as troops crushed through barricades to disperse a nine-week-old insurrection. A retired nurse was the last to capitulate.

Obama opens up Camp David for rustic VIP sleepover

CAMP DAVID, Maryland (Reuters) - Eight of the world's most powerful people spent Friday night in the woods. In a sort of VIP sleepover, G8 leaders bedded down in rustic cabins in rural Maryland, where the U.S. presidential retreat known as Camp David is hosting by far the largest international summit in its 70-year history. President Barack Obama welcomed his peers from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and Canada to the verdant compound on Friday evening, describing the weather as "perfect" with clear skies visible through tall oak and poplar trees. ...

CFTC opens probe into JPMorgan trading loss - source

(Reuters) - The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has opened an investigation into possible wrongdoing at JPMorgan Chase & Co in connection with the bank's multi-billion-dollar trading loss, a source familiar with the probe told Reuters. The agency will soon disclose the existence of the investigation, the source said on Friday. Earlier on Friday, the New York Times reported that the CFTC had opened an enforcement case, quoting people briefed on the matter. The CFTC would join the FBI and the U.S. ...

California police arrest two in killing of Chinese students

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles police said Friday they have arrested two suspects in the killings of two Chinese graduate students slain near the University of Southern California last month. Ming Qu and Ying Wu, both 23, were fatally shot early on April 11 as they were sitting in a parked car outside Wu's rented home, a few blocks from the USC campus. Bryan Barnes, 20, and Javier Bolden, 19, were arrested on Friday without incident in swoops on two homes, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement. Both men were charged with murder and are being held without bail. ...

Obama presses ailing Europe to focus on growth

CAMP DAVID, Maryland (Reuters) - A growing chorus of world leaders on Friday pushed for a shift toward more pro-growth policies to help ease a European crisis that threatens to oust Greece from the euro zone and reverberate throughout the global economy. Setting the tone for a weekend G8 summit, President Barack Obama aligned himself with the new French president's drive for more economic stimulus in recession-plagued Europe, in a swipe at the tough austerity programs that have been spearheaded by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. ...

G8 leaders broadly united on Iran and Syria: U.S. official

CAMP DAVID, Maryland (Reuters) - Group of Eight leaders agreed in their initial discussions at Camp David on Friday that Iran needs to disclose more about its nuclear ambitions and that it was time to focus on a political transition in Syria, a U.S. official said. The leaders, including newly elected French President Francois Hollande and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, also stressed North Korea needed to adhere to international norms on nuclear issues and said it would face more isolation if it "continues down the path of provocation," the official said. ...

Facebook stock finishes flat in debut

In the hours before Facebook's stock began trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market for the first time, CEO Mark Zuckerberg reminded the company's 3,500 employees not to get caught up in the hoopla surrounding its long-awaited initial public offering.

Alabama governor signs bill tweaking immigration law

MOBILE, Alabama (Reuters) - Alabama's governor signed into law revisions to the state's controversial immigration statute on Friday, despite his earlier suggestions he might veto the measure because it did not make enough changes to the toughest state crackdown against illegal immigrants. Republican Governor Robert Bentley had publicly urged lawmakers to modify sections of the law that took effect last year and which sparked lawsuits by the Obama administration and immigrant rights groups that argued it is unconstitutional. ...

Alabama governor signs bill tweaking immigration law

MOBILE, Alabama (Reuters) - Alabama's governor signed into law revisions to the state's controversial immigration statute on Friday, despite his earlier suggestions he might veto the measure because it did not make enough changes to the toughest state crackdown against illegal immigrants. Republican Governor Robert Bentley had publicly urged lawmakers to modify sections of the law that took effect last year and which sparked lawsuits by the Obama administration and immigrant rights groups that argued it is unconstitutional. ...

Alabama governor signs bill tweaking immigration law

MOBILE, Alabama (Reuters) - Alabama's governor signed into law revisions to the state's controversial immigration statute on Friday, despite his earlier suggestions he might veto the measure because it did not make enough changes to the toughest state crackdown against illegal immigrants. Republican Governor Robert Bentley had publicly urged lawmakers to modify sections of the law that took effect last year and which sparked lawsuits by the Obama administration and immigrant rights groups that argued it is unconstitutional. ...

Canada pleased with Chinese smuggler's sentence

The Canadian government says it is pleased that a high-profile Chinese smuggler who had been extradited from Canada has received a life sentence, and not the death penalty.

CFTC opens probe into JPMorgan trading loss: source

(Reuters) - The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has opened an investigation into possible wrongdoing at JPMorgan Chase & Co in connection with the bank's multi-billion-dollar trading loss, a source familiar with the probe told Reuters. The agency will soon disclose the existence of the investigation, the source said on Friday. Earlier on Friday, the New York Times reported that the CFTC had opened an enforcement case, quoting people briefed on the matter. The CFTC would join the FBI and the U.S. ...

CFTC opens probe into JPMorgan trading loss: source

(Reuters) - The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has opened an investigation into possible wrongdoing at JPMorgan Chase & Co in connection with the bank's multi-billion-dollar trading loss, a source familiar with the probe told Reuters. The agency will soon disclose the existence of the investigation, the source said on Friday. Earlier on Friday, the New York Times reported that the CFTC had opened an enforcement case, quoting people briefed on the matter. The CFTC would join the FBI and the U.S. ...

Iran, Syria among top for G-8 and NATO

President Barack Obama and leaders of other major industrial powers grappled Friday with options to solidify world resolve against development of an Iranian nuclear bomb and encourage a more forceful response to worsening violence in Syria.

Iran, Syria among top for G-8 and NATO

President Barack Obama and leaders of other major industrial powers grappled Friday with options to solidify world resolve against development of an Iranian nuclear bomb and encourage a more forceful response to worsening violence in Syria.

Iran, Syria among top for G-8 and NATO

President Barack Obama and leaders of other major industrial powers grappled Friday with options to solidify world resolve against development of an Iranian nuclear bomb and encourage a more forceful response to worsening violence in Syria.

California judge allows cremation of remains in paupers' cemetery

FAIRFAX, California (Reuters) - Relatives of a pioneer buried in a paupers' cemetery unearthed by construction crews beneath the parking lot of a California hospital implored a judge on Friday to spare Anna Cardenas from cremation and allow them to give her a Catholic burial. Following a hearing in San Jose on the fate of a long-forgotten cemetery for indigent patients like Cardenas, who died in 1915, Judge Thomas Cain granted Santa Clara County permission to exhume 100 pine coffins buried at the site. ...

California judge allows cremation of remains in paupers' cemetery

FAIRFAX, California (Reuters) - Relatives of a pioneer buried in a paupers' cemetery unearthed by construction crews beneath the parking lot of a California hospital implored a judge on Friday to spare Anna Cardenas from cremation and allow them to give her a Catholic burial. Following a hearing in San Jose on the fate of a long-forgotten cemetery for indigent patients like Cardenas, who died in 1915, Judge Thomas Cain granted Santa Clara County permission to exhume 100 pine coffins buried at the site. ...

Iran may seek "tactical gain" with U.N. nuclear deal

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog are making headway towards a framework deal on how to tackle concerns about its atomic activity, diplomats say, a potential bargaining chip for Tehran in next week's negotiations with world powers. Iran says such an agreement is needed before it can consider a request by U.N. inspectors to visit the Parchin military site where they believe explosives tests relevant for developing nuclear weapons may have been carried out. ...

Iran may seek "tactical gain" with U.N. nuclear deal

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog are making headway towards a framework deal on how to tackle concerns about its atomic activity, diplomats say, a potential bargaining chip for Tehran in next week's negotiations with world powers. Iran says such an agreement is needed before it can consider a request by U.N. inspectors to visit the Parchin military site where they believe explosives tests relevant for developing nuclear weapons may have been carried out. ...

Dewey to consider bankruptcy filing: source

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ailing law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf is considering a bankruptcy filing as new debtholders take a more aggressive track, shifting away from earlier attempts at an out-of-court liquidation, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday. The majority of Dewey's partners have quit as a result of concerns about compensation, and $225 million in bank loans and bond debt. ...

German IG Metall, employers confirm 4.3 percent wage deal

SINDLEFINGEN, Germany (Reuters) - A key regional branch of Germany's IG Metall union reached a deal with employers for a 4.3 percent wage increase over 12 months to April 30, 2013 after an all-night negotiating session ended early on Saturday, officials said at a news conference. The deal reached just before dawn will set the benchmark for 3.6 million engineering workers nationwide, Europe's largest industrial union. Officials from the two sides confirmed the breakthrough agreement at a news conference after Reuters had earlier quoted sources leaking the broad outlines of the deal. ...

Quebec passes law in effort to end daily protests

Quebec's provincial government passed an emergency law Friday that sets restrictions on demonstrations and shuts some universities as the government seeks to end three months of demonstrations against tuition hikes.

Morgan Stanley made big bet on Facebook

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lead Facebook Inc underwriter Morgan Stanley took a bet earlier this week when it increased the size of the social networking firm's $16 billion initial public offering and it boosted the price. Thanks to massive hype surrounding Facebook's historic public offering, the wager looked safe. But a rocky first day of trading has raised questions about whether it paid off. After a delayed start to trading, Facebook's shares spent much of the day struggling to stay above the $38 IPO price - and ended with just a 23-cent gain. ...

Police nab airline pilot with loaded gun in luggage

BUFFALO, New York (Reuters) - An airline pilot was arrested Friday morning at Buffalo Niagara International Airport after security screeners discovered a loaded revolver in his baggage. Brett Dieter, 52, of Barbersville, Virginia, arrived at the upstate New York airport Friday to pilot a flight to New York City's LaGuardia International Airport for Piedmont Airlines, a passenger airline that subcontracts under U.S. Airways. While at a security checkpoint, a scan of Dieter's bag revealed a .357 magnum revolver loaded with five rounds. ...