Hezbollah blames insurgent shelling for death of top commander in Syria
BEIRUT - Lebanon's Shi'ite Muslim movement Hezbollah says its top military commander Mustafa Badreddine was killed in Syria by artillery shells fired by Sunni Islamist insurgents near Damascus airport. (MIDEAST-CRISIS/HEZBOLLAH-BLAST (UPDATE 2), moved, 448 words)
China April economic activity data disappoints, hiking recovery doubts
SHANGHAI/BEIJING - China's investment, factory output and retail sales all grew more slowly than expected in April, adding to doubts about whether the world's second-largest economy is stabilising. (CHINA-ECONOMY/ACTIVITY (UPDATE 2), by Pete Sweeney and Jessica Macy Yu, 446 words)
Pfizer blocks its drugs from use in death penalty lethal injections
NEW YORK - Pfizer Inc has taken steps to ensure that none of its products are used in lethal injections, the largest U.S. drugmaker said on Friday. (PFIZER-DEATHPENALTY/ (UPDATE 1), moved, 219 words)
Trump taps climate change skeptic as energy adviser, pushes back on taxes
WASHINGTON - Donald Trump picks a prominent climate change skeptic to help him craft his energy policy and pushes back against renewed calls that he release his income tax returns - saying his tax rate is "none of your business." (USA-ELECTION/ (UPDATE 5, PIX, TV, GRAPHIC), moved, by Valerie Volcovici and Emily Flitter, 736 words)
+ See also:
- USA-ELECTION/REPUBLICANS, moved, by Steve Holland, 395 words
U.S. to renew most Myanmar sanctions with changes to aid business
WASHINGTON - United States plans to renew bulk of its sanctions against Myanmar when they expire next week but will make some changes aimed at boosting investment and trade, according to several senior U.S. officials and congressional aides. (MYANMAR-USA/ (EXCLUSIVE, PIX), moved, by Lesley Wroughton, Patricia Zengerle and Matt Spetalnick, 738 words)
G7 to take steps on global steel glut-draft
TOKYO - The Group of Seven nations will take steps to tackle a global glut in steel that many blame on overcapacity at Chinese producers of the material used in construction and cars, according to a draft text obtained by Reuters. (G7-STEEL/ACTION, moved, by Francesco Guarascio, 500 words)
SPECIAL REPORT
How Russia allowed homegrown radicals to go to fight in Syria
NOVOSASITLI, Russia - For years Islamic militants in Russia were hunted by police. But then authorities changed tack, permitting some to travel to Middle East, sources say. (RUSSIA-MILITANTS/ (SPECIAL REPORT, PIX, GRAPHIC), moved, by Maria Tsvetkova, 2,216 words)
EUROPE
German firms scaling back investment in Britain ahead of EU vote
BERLIN - German companies are scaling back their investment in Britain ahead of its June 23 referendum on membership of the European Union, and German industry is becoming increasingly vocal in warning that a Brexit would hit both countries' economies. (BRITAIN-EU/GERMANY-INVESTMENT (EXCLUSIVE), moved, by Michael Nienaber, 561 words)
Divided Bosnian Serbs rally for and against government
BANJA LUKA, Bosnia - Thousands of Bosnian Serbs gathered for rival demonstrations for and against the government in the capital of Bosnia's autonomous Serb region, kept apart by ranks of police after warnings of violence. (BOSNIA-PROTESTS/ (PIX, TV), moved, by Daria Sito-Sucic and Gordana Katana, 434 words)
AFRICA
Ugandan opposition leader charged with treason
KAMPALA - Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye was charged with treason late on Friday for declaring himself president and challenging the election victory of veteran leader Yoweri Museveni, officials from both camps said. (UGANDA-POLITICS/ (PIX, TV), moved by Elias Biryabarema, 338 words)
'Avengers' threaten new insurgency in Nigeria's oil-producing Delta
YENAGOA/ABUJA, Nigeria - They call themselves Niger Delta Avengers. Little is known about new radical group that claims series of pipeline bombings in Nigeria's oil-producing region and evades gunboats and soldiers trawling swamps and villages. (NIGERIA-OIL/DELTA (PIX), moved, by Tife Owolabi and Ulf Laessing, 1,078 words)
UNITED STATES
Strong U.S. retail sales, consumer sentiment data buoy economic outlook
WASHINGTON - U.S. retail sales record their biggest increase in year as Americans step up purchases of automobiles and range of other goods, suggesting economy is regaining momentum after growth almost stalls. (USA-ECONOMY/RETAIL (WRAPUP 3, PIX), moved, by Lucia Mutikani, 768 words)
U.S. tells schools to give transgender students bathroom rights
WASHINGTON - Obama administration tells U.S. public schools that transgender students must be allowed to use bathroom of their choice, upsetting Republicans and raising likelihood of fights over federal funding and legal authority. (USA-LGBT/ (UPDATE 4, PIX, TV), by Megan Cassella, 647 words)
AMERICAS
Canada's Trudeau tours Alberta oil town ravaged by wildfire
BONNYVILLE, Alberta - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, getting first-hand look at damage from devastating wildfire, praises firefighters for defending energy hub of Fort McMurray. (CANADA-WILDFIRE/TRUDEAU (UPDATE 4, PIX, TV), expect by 2300 GMT/7 PM ET, by Ernest Scheyder, 650 words)
Brazil's interim government touts support for tough measures
BRASILIA - Brazil's center-right interim government says it has political support for tough measures needed to return economy to growth and can secure permanent mandate once leftist President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment trial is over. (BRAZIL-POLITICS/ (UPDATE 2, TV, PIX), moved, by Anthony Boadle and Maria Carolina Marcello, 794 words)
U.S. concerns grows over possible Venezuela meltdown
The United States is increasingly concerned about the potential for an economic and political meltdown in Venezuela, spurred by fears of a debt default, growing street protests and deterioration of its oil sector, U.S. intelligence officials say. (VENEZUELA-USA/ (UPDATE 1), moved, by Matt Setalnick, 610 words)
Venezuela leader declares state of emergency over U.S., domestic "threats"
CARACAS - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declared a state of emergency on Friday due to what he called plots from within the OPEC country and United States to topple his leftist government. (VENEZUELA-POLITICS/ (moved), 320 words)
