Germany pledges support for Afghan security

Germany pledges support for Afghan security
Monti, Hollande, Merkel, Cameron in videoconference Thursday: Italy government source
Google makes search 'more human'
Latin Pop Group Maná Draws Adoring Crowds
Exclusive: Order knew for months about priest scandal: Vatican official
Deposed Bissau ex-PM hopes to return and rule
Reward for information on Colombia blast
Turkey Seeks to Revive EU Bid
Analysis: Argentines jump through new hoops to get dollars
Why China's Banks Can't Rev the Economy
Asia Is a Draw as U.S. Weighs Higher Taxes
Hollande Picks Moderates For Cabinet Posts
Prosecutors Probe Founder of Italy's Northern League
China Dispute Threatens Philippine Industries
Indonesia Details Additional Mineral Taxes
In Greek Drama, 4 Potential Endings
Draghi Signals Limit to Greece Support
Greek Savers Pull Bank Funds
Spain Urges EU to Provide More Support
Fed wary of any US spending cuts

Posted: 16 May 2012 12:57 PM PDT

Merkel signs agreement with Karzai to give $193m a year to fund Afghan security forces after NATO's 2014 withdrawal.

Monti, Hollande, Merkel, Cameron in videoconference Thursday: Italy government source

Posted: 16 May 2012 01:04 PM PDT

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime minister Mario Monti, French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron will hold a video conference on Thursday ahead of this weekend's G-8, an Italian government source said on Wednesday.

Google makes search 'more human'

Posted: 16 May 2012 01:05 PM PDT

Google revamps its search engine in an attempt to offer instant answers to search questions with a new function, the Knowledge Graph.

Latin Pop Group Maná Draws Adoring Crowds

Posted: 16 May 2012 01:06 PM PDT

Maná, a rock group that sings only in Spanish, has been attracting fans, both recent immigrants and others, in the United States for decades.

Exclusive: Order knew for months about priest scandal: Vatican official

Posted: 16 May 2012 12:53 PM PDT

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Leaders of the scandal-plagued Legionaries of Christ religious order knew that their most famous priest had fathered a child for many months before they acknowledged it this week, a top Vatican official told Reuters on Wednesday.

Deposed Bissau ex-PM hopes to return and rule

Posted: 16 May 2012 12:47 PM PDT

LISBON (Reuters) - Guinea Bissau's former prime minister and presidential frontrunner Carlos Gomes Junior said on Wednesday he hoped to return to run the African country once democracy was restored after an April 12 military coup.

Reward for information on Colombia blast

Posted: 16 May 2012 09:25 AM PDT

President says it is too early to assign blame for Tuesday's bombing that targeted a former interior minister.

Turkey Seeks to Revive EU Bid

Posted: 16 May 2012 12:11 PM PDT

As fears grow that crisis-stricken Greece could become the first country forced to exit the euro zone, Athens' neighbor and old rival Turkey is seeking to revive its stalled bid to join the EU.

Analysis: Argentines jump through new hoops to get dollars

Posted: 16 May 2012 12:45 PM PDT

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's quest to keep dollars in the country is spawning illegal money trades inside offices and even schools. But big companies have fewer ways to skirt currency controls and must adapt to the country's offbeat, changeable rules.

Why China's Banks Can't Rev the Economy

Posted: 16 May 2012 12:49 PM PDT

China's leaders typically call on state-owned banks to make loans to turbo-charge activity when the economy slows. But that tactic may not work this time.

Asia Is a Draw as U.S. Weighs Higher Taxes

Posted: 16 May 2012 10:55 AM PDT

The decision of Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin to renounce his U.S. citizenship has put a spotlight on Singapore and Hong Kong, financial hubs with some of the lowest tax rates in the world.

Hollande Picks Moderates For Cabinet Posts

Posted: 16 May 2012 11:51 AM PDT

French President François Hollande named moderate Socialists to key ministerial posts hoping to unite his coalition ahead of the June legislative vote.

Prosecutors Probe Founder of Italy's Northern League

Posted: 16 May 2012 09:31 AM PDT

Italian prosecutors placed Umberto Bossi, founder of the Northern League and an ally of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, under investigation for alleged fraud.

China Dispute Threatens Philippine Industries

Posted: 16 May 2012 10:48 AM PDT

The Philippines' dispute with China over territorial claims in the South China Sea is threatening to exact an economic toll on key Philippine industries, including its vital tourism and agricultural sectors.

Indonesia Details Additional Mineral Taxes

Posted: 16 May 2012 11:37 AM PDT

Indonesian officials revealed additional plans to tax mineral exports from the resource-rich country, compounding worries that government policies could slow the flow of investment into one of Asia's fastest-growing economies.

In Greek Drama, 4 Potential Endings

Posted: 16 May 2012 11:20 AM PDT

As Greece careens toward another election, it's growing more likely that the country will crash out of the euro—but it is not yet inevitable.

Draghi Signals Limit to Greece Support

Posted: 16 May 2012 11:23 AM PDT

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi urged Greece to remain a member of the 17-member euro zone, in his first public comments on the possibility that Greece's political turmoil may force its exit from the currency bloc.

Greek Savers Pull Bank Funds

Posted: 16 May 2012 11:16 AM PDT

Greek savers withdrew over $890 million from banks, an ominous foretaste of what may turn Greece's exit from the euro into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Spain Urges EU to Provide More Support

Posted: 16 May 2012 10:51 AM PDT

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy urged the EU to provide more support for the bloc's fiscally frail members as borrowing costs for Spain and Italy rise to worryingly new levels.