Obama on Oklahoma Tornado
President Obama delivered a statement Tuesday about the deadly tornado that hit the Oklahoma City area on Monday afternoon.
A Tornado’s Path of Ruin
Emergency crews and volunteers continued to work through the early morning hours in Oklahoma in a frantic search for survivors.
Vast Oklahoma Tornado Kills at Least 91
Homes were flattened, cars flung through the air and at least two schools packed with children destroyed, sending rescuers to dig out those buried in rubble.
The Lede: Latest Updates, Video and Photos
Some students and staff members may still be trapped in an elementary school; neighborhoods were leveled by the tornado, which was at least a mile wide; 143 people were hurt.
Russian Polling Group Says It May Close
After the Levada Center, the country’s only independent polling agency, was told it must register as a “foreign agent,” its director said fighting the requirement would effectively shut the center.
Hezbollah sends new fighters to Syria
Elite Hezbollah fighters poured across the border from Lebanon into Syria on Tuesday, a watchdog and others said, bolstering regime forces battling to retake the key rebel stronghold of Qusayr.
Saudi debates access to stadiums for women
Saudi Arabia is debating whether to allow access to women in sports stadiums after an official backed the idea, triggering a storm in the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom where female sports are severely restricted.
Syria, Israel exchange fire over border
Syria said Tuesday it destroyed an Israeli vehicle that crossed the ceasefire line in the Golan Heights overnight, while the Israeli military said gunfire from Syria had hit an Israeli patrol, damaging a vehicle and prompting its troops to fire back.
New Pak govt may import electricity from India
Pakistan's new government will seriously consider importing 1,000 MW of electricity from India as part of a short to medium-term strategy to end power outages, according to a media report today.
Saudi Arabia crucifies 5 Yemenis for murder: Report
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday executed and crucified five Yemenis convicted of murder and forming a gang which carried out robberies across several towns in the conservative Muslim kingdom, the interior ministry said.
6 Myanmar Muslims jailed for killing Buddhist monk
Six Muslim men and one minor have been sentenced to jail terms ranging from life to two years in prison for involvement in the killing of a Buddhist monk during sectarian violence in central Myanmar.
Israel fires back at Syria
Israeli troops shot at a target across the Syrian frontier on Tuesday in response to gunfire that struck its forces in the Golan Heights, the Israeli military said.
Guatemala strikes down ex-dictator's conviction
Guatemala's highest court on Monday overturned a genocide conviction against former dictator Efrain Rios Montt and reset his trial back to when a dispute broke out a month ago over who should hear the case.
Keyboardist Ray Manzarek of Doors dies at age 74
Ray Manzarek, a founding member and keyboardist of 1960s rock group The Doors, died on Monday at a medical clinic in Germany at age 74 following a battle with cancer, the group's manager Tom Vitorino said.
Wave of attacks kills at least 95 in Iraq
The bloodshed is still far shy of the pace, scale and brutality of the dark days of 2006-2007, when Sunni and Shiite militias carried out retaliatory attacks against each other in a cycle of violence that left the country awash in blood.
Wave of attacks kills at least 86 in Iraq
A wave of attacks killed at least 86 people in Shiite and Sunni areas of Iraq on Monday, officials said, pushing the death toll over the past week to more than 230 and extending one of the most sustained bouts of sectarian violence the country has seen in years.
Justices to weigh whether prayers at meetings violate separation of church, state
The Supreme Court said Monday that it will review whether a New York town council that starts most of its meetings with a Christian prayer violates the separation of church and state.
The court decided 30 years ago, in a case involving the Nebraska legislature, that legislative meetings that open with a prayer do not violate the First Amendment’s prohibition of government-established religion as long as they do not advance a single faith.
Read full article >>
On immigration, Sen. Jeff Sessions tries to halt the inevitable
Not since George Wallace, perhaps, has an Alabamian taken as passionate a stand for a lost cause as the one Jeff Sessions is taking now.
Bipartisan immigration legislation is making its way inexorably through the Senate Judiciary Committee. Although its ultimate fate is unclear, its passage by the committee is assured, and conservatives on the panel such as ranking Republican Chuck Grassley (Iowa) and Orrin Hatch (Utah) are doing what they can to improve the bill. Even firebrands such as Ted...
Mobile in School: No More Teacher's Dirty Looks!
The handwriting might be on the wall, but it certainly isn't on the chalkboard anymore. American students are tapping and swiping their way to deeper and richer learning experiences by using mobile devices to interact with compelling applications and access information and assistance. The traditional approach to education in America is going to the wayside of smartphones and tablets, as mobile technology is challenging and changing conventional notions about how we educate our young people.
R...
Hezbollah members killed in Syria fighting
AARSAL, Lebanon — Portraits of Hezbollah fighters slain in the weekend battle for the Syrian city of Qusair dotted the roads of villages in northern Lebanon on Monday, evidence of the militant group’s increasing entanglement in the Syrian civil war.
Read full article >>
Anti-Taliban official killed in Afghan bombing
KABUL — A local Afghan leader who had been involved in efforts to defeat the Taliban was killed Monday in a suicide bombing that left 13 others dead, including the bomber, officials said.
Mohammad Rasoul Mohseni was the head of the provincial council in Baghlan province in northeastern Afghanistan, a picturesque farming area that has been relatively peaceful and secure in the past.
Read full article >>
North Koreans holding Chinese boat for ransom
BEIJING — Armed North Koreans are holding a Chinese fishing boat and its crew for ransom despite the protests of Chinese officials, the boat’s owner said Monday.
The boat’s seizure — which occurred early this month but was revealed by Chinese officials only Sunday night — is the latest dust-up between North Korea and China, which Pyongyang has long relied on to prop up its economy and defend it from international censure efforts by the United States and others.
Read full article >>
Autobahn speed limit proposal revs up debate in Germany
For many in this car-crazy nation, the freedom to hurtle down the famed autobahn at 120 mph or more is an inalienable right.
Germany, one of the world’s top car producers, is alone among industrial countries in allowing drivers to decide for themselves how fast to race along the highway. So a proposal this month to impose a speed limit of 75 mph has set off an election-year battle that has some people questioning a basic tenet of German identity.
Read full article >>
Survivors pulled from Oklahoma tornado debris as toll lowered
MOORE, Oklahoma (Reuters) - Emergency workers pulled more than 100 survivors from the rubble of homes, schools and a hospital in an Oklahoma town hit by a powerful tornado, and officials on Tuesday sharply lowered the number of deaths caused by the storm.
Senate panel hammers Apple over offshore tax strategies
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Apple Inc came under fire on Tuesday at a Senate hearing over an investigation that alleged the U.S. high technology icon has kept billions of dollars in profits in Irish subsidiaries and paid little or no taxes to any government.
Ireland rejects blame for Apple's low tax rate
CORK/DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland said on Tuesday it was not to blame for Apple Inc's low global tax payments and had no special rate deal with the company after the U.S. Senate said it paid little or no tax on tens of billions of dollars in profits stashed in Irish subsidiaries.
Russia says kills senior Islamist insurgent
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The right-hand man of Russia's most wanted insurgent was killed by security forces on Tuesday, officials said, as Moscow tries to contain militancy in its Caucasus region before it hosts the Winter Olympics near there next February.
Analysis: Some Republicans see new scandal in Sebelius fundraising
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With the White House already reeling from three major controversies, some Republican lawmakers are zeroing in on what they perceive is another possible scandal tied to President Barack Obama's landmark health reform law just as it nears implementation.
Yahoo buying Tumblr for $1.1 billion, vows not to screw it up
SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc will buy blogging service Tumblr for $1.1 billion cash, giving the Internet pioneer a much-needed social media platform to reach a younger generation of users and breathe new life into its ailing brand.
IRS officials back on Capitol Hill hot seat over targeting
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Senate panel will try on Tuesday to pry more details out of current and former officials of the Internal Revenue Service about the agency's targeting of conservative groups for extra scrutiny when they sought tax-exempt status.
Japan April exports seen up but trade deficit to persist
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's exports are expected to have risen in April from a year earlier for a second straight month led by U.S.-bound shipments of cars and Asian demand for electronics parts in a sign a weak yen and global recovery are helping the export-reliant economy.
Pentagon to take over some CIA drone operations : sources
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's administration has decided to give the Pentagon control of some drone operations against terrorism suspects overseas that are currently run by the CIA, several U.S. government sources said on Monday.
Brazil probes rumor that set off panic run on state bank
BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said on Monday she ordered the Federal Police to investigate the source of a rumor that sent thousands of poor Brazilians running to state bank branches seeking payment of a monthly family stipend.
Court orders prison to hand over files in Boston bomb case
BOSTON (Reuters) - A federal judge approved a request by accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's lawyers that his jailers hand over their files on him, including suicide watch logs and psychological data, according to court documents released on Monday.
Monster tornado flattens suburb of Oklahoma City
MOORE, Oklahoma (Reuters) - A huge tornado with winds of up to 200 miles per hour devastated the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday, ripping up at least two elementary schools and a hospital and leaving a wake of tangled wreckage.
Gay marriage law strains UK Cameron's leadership, government
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron's flagship gay marriage policy deepened a rift in his own party on Monday after many of his own lawmakers defied him in a sign of growing strains on his leadership and his coalition government.
Hezbollah in big Syria battle, Obama 'concerned'
AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas have fought their biggest battle yet for Syria's beleaguered president, prompting international alarm that the civil war may spread and an urgent call for restraint from the United States.
Chief Palestinian peace negotiator backs Kerry's efforts
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The top Palestinian negotiator with Israel on Monday threw his weight behind U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's bid to revive stalled peace talks, while describing the situation in the West Bank as apartheid worse than that suffered in South Africa.
Developed Economies See Slight Growth
Developed economies returned to growth in the first three months of the year, although the euro zone continued to lag behind the U.S. and Japan, according to figures released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Bundesbank Sounds Upbeat Note
The German economy is due to recover at a stronger clip this quarter, but the euro-zone debt crisis remains a significant risk, Germany's central bank wrote.
More Riots Hit Stockholm
A second round of riots took place late Monday and early Tuesday morning in a suburb north of Stockholm, and violence also spread to a second suburb in the south.
Muslims Sentenced After Myanmar Clashes
Myanmar has sentenced seven Muslims to prison for terms ranging from two to 28 years for involvement in sectarian violence two months ago that human-rights groups say were fanned in part by Buddhist extremists.
China Vows to Ease India Trade Imbalance
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said he was aware of India's concerns over its trade deficit with China and expressed a willingness to help Indian companies access China's market.
Obama, Xi to Shed Ties in Summit
Two days of meetings between the U.S. and Chinese presidents in California in June will be notable for their absence of diplomatic pomp.
Ireland Denies Aiding Tax Avoidance
The Irish government denied it is sheltering some of the world's largest corporations, such as Apple, from paying taxes, saying the country's long-standing low corporation tax regime is transparent and doesn't make it a tax haven.
U.K. Inflation Cools
U.K. inflation slowed in April, but with prices still rising much faster than wages, there are fears that a continued squeeze on consumers' spending power could hold back an economic recovery.
Vietnam Outlines Bad-Debt Plan
Vietnam said it will set up an asset-management company this quarter to buy nonperforming loans from local banks, using it funds it will raise by issuing "special bonds."
Pyongyang Frees Chinese Fishermen
Chinese fishermen seized along with their vessel by North Koreans this month have been freed, according to the boat's owner and Chinese state media, in a case that has tested ties between the Asian allies.
Fighting Breaks Out in Congo
Fighting erupted between the Congo national army and the M23 rebel group near the mineral-trading city of Goma, ending a nearly six-month lull in violence around the city.
Scotland Rebuts Independence Claims
The Scottish government issued its own report charging successive U.K. governments with holding back the Scottish economy and squandering resources.
Violence Kills Scores in Iraq
A barrage of car bombings in mostly Shiite areas across Iraq killed at least 34 people on Monday, in one of Iraq's deadliest weeks since a sectarian civil war upended the country in 2006 and 2007.
Tainted Rice Found in Southern China
A government test showed nearly half of the rice sold in the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou is contaminated with cadmium, triggering anger from consumers.
South Sudan Clashes Kill Dozens
Twenty-four people died in a battle between South Sudan's military and rebel fighters the government believes to be supported by neighboring Sudan, while a tribe-on-tribe cattle-raiding attack elsewhere in the country killed 27 people.
Russia Says It Killed Islamist Militants
Russian security forces said they killed two Islamist militants and wounded a third in a shootout outside of Moscow, after they said they learned that the men were planning a terrorist attack in the capital.
U.K. Gay-Marriage Bill Survives Test
Legislation to allow same-sex couples to marry in England and Wales took a step closer to becoming law after Prime Minister David Cameron's government struck a last-minute deal with the opposition Labour Party.
Russia Raises Stakes in Syria
Russia sent warships to patrol waters near its naval base in Syria, an apparent warning to the West and Israel not to intervene in Syria's civil war.
Protecting the Depositors
Since the financial crisis hit Europe in 2008, few issues have proved as divisive as deciding how to protect bank deposits, writes Gabriele Steinhauser.
Photos of the Day: May 20
In today's pictures, a man crosses terraced fields in China, a baby competes in a crawling race in Moscow, tornadoes strike Oklahoma and Kansas, and more.
NBC Couldn’t Save Save Me
In the opening moments of a new TV show that premieres this week, a disheveled, hammer-wielding woman stands over her sleeping husband, considering whether to kill him. Deciding against homicide, she heads down to the kitchen, where she chugs a beer, greedily rips into a massive hoagie, and chokes to death.
Learning to Love the Poems of Edward Thomas
I came to “There’s Nothing Like the Sun,” and Edward Thomas’ work in general, quite late, thanks to some of my more inane prejudices. The image I’d developed of Thomas’ poems (without having read many of them) didn’t hold much appeal, not for somebody like me, who has lived in cities all his life. I’ve always loved best the American poets who have been most tuned in to life in those places: Williams and O’Hara in particular. Thomas’ sensibility initially seemed to me the product of “cottage E...
Thanks for Nothing
Emily Yoffe, aka Dear Prudence, is on Washingtonpost.com weekly to chat live with readers. An edited transcript of the chat is below. (Sign up here to get Dear Prudence delivered to your inbox each week. Read Prudie’s Slate columns here. Send questions to Prudence at prudence@slate.com.)
Who's Your Daddy?
First Jackie learned her brother Alex was her uncle. Then things got a little weird.
Profiling Is Great ... Except When You Do It to Me
Pretend you work at the Internal Revenue Service. Actually, let’s make this exercise even more terrible. Pretend you’re an underpaid, low-level clerk working in the understaffed IRS backwater of Cincinnati. Every day, a big stack of files lands on your desk. Every day, the stack gets a little bigger than the last. Each file represents a new application for a certain tax status—501(c)(4), a tax-exempt designation meant for “social welfare” organizations. Nonprofits with this status aren’t requ...
Obama’s Other Secret War
The Obama Justice Department’s crusade against leakers just took a quantum leap—and it’s extremely worrisome.
Obama’s Boyfriend Line
On Sunday, President Obama gave a commencement address at Morehouse College in Atlanta. “Keep setting an example for what it means to be a man,” he told the graduates. “Be the best husband to your wife, or boyfriend to your partner, or father to your children that you can be.”
The YouTube Preacher
On Sunday afternoon, standing outside the Virginia GOP’s headquarters in vote-rich Fairfax County, Bishop E.W. Jackson finally became a real politician. He’d just won his party’s nomination for lieutenant governor. Democrats and the press, dazzled by their luck, had just started digging into Jackson’s YouTube record of incendiary quotes. Jackson asked his fellow Republicans to join him in a belly laugh.
Syria and Israel exchange fire in Golan Heights
Syrian army says it destroyed 'Israeli vehicle with everyone in it', but Israel reports only minor damage and no injuries
A cross-border exchange of fire in the Golan Heights between the Israeli and Syrian armies early on Tuesday triggered a claim by the Damascus regime that a jeep manned by Israeli troops had entered Syrian territory and was destroyed.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) denied the claim, saying shots were deliberately fired at a patrol inside the Israeli-controlled the Golan Hei...
Iran cracks down on activists in runup to election
• Activists held and campaigners targeted as elections near
• Guardian launches database of Iran's prisoners of conscience
Iran has launched a public crackdown on dissent before next month's presidential election, executing two men charged with espionage and waging war against God, arresting a group of activists and summoning campaigners for questioning. Political prisoners in some of the country's most notorious jails have had their parole or visiting rights withdrawn and some transferred to s...
Iran's prisoners of conscience – an interactive guide
As Iran gears up for a presidential election in June, the conditions in which prisoners of conscience are held in some of the country's most notorious prisons have worsened. Here are some of the activists, students, journalists, women's rights campaigners, lawyers, artists, former politicians and members of Iran's religious and ethnic minorities who have been jailed or convicted in recent years
Saeed Kamali DehghanGarry Blight
Independent Scotland's economy has what it takes to thrive, says Salmond
First minister sets out economic case for independence, saying Scotland's potential has been repeatedly stifled by Westminster
Alex Salmond has insisted that Scotland has "got what it takes" to be a thriving independent country because it has a healthier economy due to significant North Sea oil receipts.
The first minister said the financial evidence over recent decades made it absolutely clear that Scotland's relative debt levels and wealth meant it was better off than the rest of the UK, all...
Phonics literacy test for young children 'a waste of time and money'
Test would have minimal, if any, long-term impact on pupils' standards of reading and writing, research shows
The phonics literacy test applied to first-year schoolchildren in England has had a minimal impact on reading and writing standards, according to teachers in a Department for Education-funded survey, leading education unions to describe it as a waste of time and money.
The survey, conducted in the first year that the phonics screening check has been given to all five- and six-year-olds ...
Call for police to be allowed to name some suspects on arrest
Director of public prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, says naming certain suspects may prompt more victims to come forward
Britain's top prosecutor has called for more "wriggle room" in new rules which say police should not normally name suspects they have arrested before they are charged unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Keir Starmer QC, the director of public prosecutions, has told MPs he supports a "blanket rule" that suspects should be named when they are charged but he is not in favo...
Torture victims win test case over detention in UK immigration centres
High court orders Home Office to compensate four asylum seekers and says it failed to follow own policy on torture victims
The Home Office has been ordered by the high court to pay compensation to four torture survivors who were unlawfully held in British immigration detention centres.
More than 100 other torture victims who have been wrongly detained are expected to make compensation claims following the test case ruling. A fifth case was settled at the doors of the court. The amount of compen...
Tamiflu stockpile cost taxpayers £74m in spoiled drugs
NHS lost track of bird flu drug shelf-life dates because of poor record-keeping, National Audit Office finds
Taxpayers lost £74m when 6.5m doses of an anti-flu drug were written off as being past their shelf life because of poor record-keeping by the health service, the government's independent auditors have found.
The government also spent £424m stockpiling 40m units of Tamiflu between 2006-07 and 2012-13, despite question marks over the effectiveness of the drug, a National Audit Office memo ...
Apple tax row: Ireland says its tax regime is not to blame
Deputy prime minister Eamon Gilmore insists any loopholes in international tax rules exploited by Apple were 'issues that arise from other jurisdictions'
Ireland's deputy prime minister Eamon Gilmore has insisted any loopholes in international tax rules exploited by Apple were not the fault of the Irish tax regime.
Some of the computing group's Irish subsidiaries have been criticised by a US Senate committee because they appear not to be designated as tax-resident anywhere in the world. One sou...
Police investigate historic abuse claims at school linked to Cyril Smith
Allegations from 1970s onwards relate to Knowl View school in Rochdale, where Smith was chairman of governors
Three former pupils at a residential school linked to the late Sir Cyril Smith have complained they were sexually and physically abused by adults.
The historic allegations from the 1970s onwards relate to Knowl View school in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, where Smith was the chairman of governors.
Last November, Greater Manchester police (GMP) said that Smith had abused young boys in the...
Public has right to know Boris Johnson fathered child during affair, court rules
Senior judges dismiss Helen Macintyre's attempt to hide paternity of child born after brief affair with mayor of London
The public has a right to know that Boris Johnson had an extramarital affair with a woman who later gave birth to their daughter, the appeal court has ruled.
Three senior judges decided on Monday that voters were entitled to be told that the mayor of London conducted a "brief adulterous affair" with the woman who later gave birth to their daughter, now aged three.
The mother is...
Eurovision song contest: Russian foreign minister wades into voting row
Sergei Lavrov issues warning after reports that Russia's contestant was deprived of 10 points issued by Azerbaijan
Russia's foreign minister has taken time out of a busy schedule that includes defending arms sales to Syria and criticising US policy around the world to wade into a growing scandal over the Eurovision song contest.
Sergei Lavrov issued a stern warning over the contest on Tuesday following reports that the Russian contestant, Dina Garipova, had been deprived of 10 points allegedly ...
Nick Buckles quits as CEO of G4S
Chief executive of world's largest security company steps down ahead of AGM, to be replaced by chief financial officer
Nick Buckles has quit as chief executive of G4S, the company responsible for the botched handling of security at last year's London Olympics.
Buckles is being replaced by the company's chief financial officer, Ashley Almanza, who joined G4S only three weeks ago.
The world's largest security company told the City on Tuesday morning that Buckles will leave on 31 May.
He deports wit...
Royal Mail profits surge ahead of planned sell-off
Annual profits rise to £324m as the government prepares to sell the 497-year-old postal service
Royal Mail has reported a 60% increase in pre-tax annual profits to £324m, as the government prepares to sell off the 497-year-old postal service in the most ambitious privatisation since British Gas in 1986.
The company, which ministers hope to float on the London stock exchange within a year, said its pre-tax profits in the year to the end of March 2013 increased to £324m from £201m a year earlier....
Morecambe and Wise writer Eddie Braben dies
'Third man' behind the success of comedy duo also provided material for Ken Dodd, David Frost and Ronnie Corbett
Eddie Braben, the comedy writer best known for his work on the Morecambe and Wise show, has died after a short illness, aged 82.
Braben, who also wrote material for BBC radio comedy show Round the Horne, Ken Dodd, David Frost and Ronnie Corbett, died on Tuesday morning, his manager Norma Farnes announced.
"The writer Eddie Braben, the third man behind the success of Morecambe and Wise...
Met police defend decision not to pursue leaks
• Memo said 'inner sanctum' secrets were at risk
• Scotland Yard tried to gag Leveson inquiry, says QC
Scotland Yard on Monday defended a decision it made not to take action over intelligence it received alleging leaks of internal secrets from its "inner sanctum", potentially to the News of the World (NoW).
The intelligence is contained in a Met document generated in April 2006 at a time when the then commissioner, Sir Ian Blair (now Lord Blair), faced internal ructions and a hostile press.
The ...
Marks & Spencer profits fall again
Sales in womenswear division and general merchandise disappoint
Profits at Marks & Spencer have fallen for the second year in a row as its much maligned womenswear division continued to disappoint.
UK sales fell 1% overall, dragged down by a poor performance in general merchandise, which dropped 4.1% on a like-for-like basis.
The results might have been worse had it not been for a 4.5% rise in international sales and a 16.6% boost in multichannel business. Food was also up 1.7% in the UK.
Total g...
Number of Afghan women jailed for fleeing abuse soars
More women imprisoned for 'moral crimes' as fears grow that hard-won rights are at risk as western troops head home
The number of Afghan women jailed for fleeing forced and abusive marriages, and other "moral crimes", has soared since 2011, according to Human Rights Watch.
About 600 women and girls are in prison for offences including running away from their husband or family, even though fleeing abuse is not a crime under Afghan law. Eighteen months ago, 400 women were being held for such "cri...
Senators accuse Apple of 'highly questionable' billion-dollar tax avoidance scheme
Senators claim Apple has avoided paying billions in US tax by creating offshore entities that are not tax resident anywhere
Apple uses a "highly questionable" web of offshore entities to avoid paying billions in US income taxes, a Senate committee alleged on Monday.
The complex arrangement includes three subsidiaries, based ostensibly in Ireland, which appear not to be designated as tax resident anywhere, the committee said. A source on the committee called them "iCompanies – I for imaginary, i...
David Cameron: I would never work with those who sneer at activists
Prime minister sends personal note to party members as senior figure claims he is 'worse than John Major'
David Cameron moved to repair relations with a bruised Conservative party by emailing a "personal note" to all members in which he said he would never work with anyone who "sneered" at activists.
Amid anger in the party at the allegations that a senior member of his inner circle had referred to activists as "mad swivel-eyed loons", the prime minister said the party was held together by "a d...
Guatemala overturns former dictator's genocide conviction
Trial of Efrain Rios Montt, convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity committed in 1980s, thrown into disarray
Guatemala's top court has overturned the genocide conviction of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, ordering that the trial be taken back to the middle of proceedings.
The ruling late on Monday threw into disarray a process that had been hailed as historic for delivering the first guilty verdict for genocide against a former Latin American leader.
The constitutional court secreta...
Oklahoma tornado: 51 people killed as mile-wide storm hits Moore
Oklahoma City suburb of Moore flattened by mile-wide tornado, with TV footage showing schools and homes reduced to rubble
Follow live updates on the Oklahoma City tornado
A devastating mile-wide tornado hit the US state of Oklahoma on Monday, flattening neigbourhoods, causing widespread fires and landing a direct hit on an elementary school.
Homes and buildings were reduced to rubble in Moore, south of Oklahoma City. Cars were strewn across roadways and entire blocks were flattened. The local me...
Corporate Tricks: EU Faces Tough Battle to Close Tax Loopholes
Wealthy businesspeople shift millions of euros abroad while profitable companies use accounting tricks to minimize their taxable earnings and assets. The EU finally wants to create effective policies to curb these practices, but faces strong opposition from member states.
Dinosaur in the Drawer: New Species Found in Museum
Dinosaurs used to be found most often in clay or tar pits. But a scientist in Berlin has found a more mundane and unexpected site for the finding of a previously unknown breed of plesiosaur: a museum drawer.
Commission Reduction: EU Leaders to Sidestep Lisbon Treaty Rule
The Lisbon Treaty clearly intends for the size of the European Commission to be reduced below its present size of 27 members. But EU leaders have reached unanimous agreement to sidestep the provision -- and even plan to add a seat to the table for the Croatians.
Champions League Final: London Pubs Brace for the German Invasion
With tens of thousands of German football fans expected in London for the all-German Champions League final on Saturday, pubs in the English capital are anxiously preparing. Officials have urged fans without tickets to stay home and the city has opted to forgo public viewing areas.
Urban Class Warfare: Are Cities Built for the Rich?
Today's class struggles are increasingly taking place in cities, says Marxist and social theorist David Harvey. In an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE, he discusses how urbanization will play a key role in social conflicts to come.
Cowboys on the Rhine: US Firms Flout German Labor Practices
Last week workers walked out in protest at Amazon's two largest distribution centers in Germany. The online retail giant is one of several US companies to butt heads with employees in the country over corporate practices that chafe against German labor laws.
Gringos in the Slums: Expats Move In as Rio Favelas Improve
Now that the notorious drug gangs of Rio de Janiero's shanty towns have been driven out, the neighborhoods are attracting new residents from Southern Europe. Fleeing the euro crisis back home, the expats are contributing to a real estate boom in the favelas.
Traffic Stopper: Mini Hot Rod Hits German Roads
The mini hot rod looks like an outsize toy, and its Hamburg-based creators still can't quite believe it's street legal. It offers drivers as much fun as can be had behind a steering wheel, and a bit of discomfort is a small price to pay.
Coveted Coves: Emir's Greek Isle Purchase Inspires Hope
Despite the country's crippling financial crisis, residents of the Greek island of Ithaca have found new hope after the Emir of Qatar bought a nearby island for his summer retreat. The purchase has sparked a rush on local real estate and could bring new development.
Living by the Numbers: Big Data Knows What Your Future Holds
Forget Big Brother. Companies and countries are discovering that algorithms programmed to scour vast quantities of data can be much more powerful. They can predict your next purchase, forecast car thefts and maybe even help cure cancer. But there is a down side.
Beaten, Bullied, Badgered: EU Study Finds Widespread Homophobia in Europe
Harassed at work and the doctor's office, bullied and assaulted in public: The gay, bisexual and transgender community is still widely discriminated against in Europe. In an new EU survey, the most comprehensive to date, more than 90,000 participants report on the extent of their harassment.
Crisis of Friendship: Split Persists Between Berlin and Paris
As a further sign that all is not well in the Franco-German motor of Europe, the two countries will not issue a joint statement ahead of the next EU summit as Berlin had hoped. The development comes as France slips further into economic malaise.
Gay 'bigotry': Wong accuses Christian group
A war of words over gay marriage has broken out between Labor government figures and a powerful Christian lobby group whose support has long been regarded as necessary to winning elections.
Tornado like no other
The extent of devastation in Oklahoma is slowly unravelling as search and rescue takes centre stage after 24 confirmed dead, mostly children.
Secret life of a sociopath like me
Respected academic M.E. Thomas is neither a murderer nor a criminal, but she is a sociopath – and as many as 1 in 25 of us may be one, too.
Rescuers Dig for Survivors After Deadly US Tornado
U.S. search and rescue crews are digging for survivors in several kilometers of wreckage, after a massive tornado leveled neighborhoods Monday in the central U.S. state of Oklahoma, killing at least 24 people.
Oklahoma officials say they have recovered 24 bodies since the tornado devastated the town of Moore, a suburb of the state capital, Oklahoma City. The suburb of Newcastle was also hit.
President Barack Obama declared a major disaster in Oklahoma following the storm. He ordered the ...
Iranians Face New Internet Curbs Before Election
Iranians are struggling with slower Internet speeds and limited access ahead of an unpredictable presidential election that has put hardline Islamist authorities on alert for possible unrest.
Experts and Web users say they believe the Internet obstacles are related to the June 14 presidential vote, the first since 2009 polls in which accusations of fraud - denied by the government - kindled months of protests organized in part via social networking sites like Facebook and ...
Emergency Response Grows in Chad
Emergency water supplies are being rushed to southeastern Chad where about 50-thousand people have fled fighting in Sudan’s Darfur region. Several Arab tribes have been battling for control of mining operations there.
The refugees and migrants have been gathering around the village of Tissi since January. Felix Leger is the country director for the International Rescue Committee.
“The situation is still of concern, mainly from a humanitarian perspective because, as you know, the influx o...
Nigeria Seeks Help from Niger in Battle with Militants
Nigeria has asked neighboring Niger for support in a week-old offensive against Islamist insurgent bases in its semi-desert frontier region, underlining moves towards West African cooperation against jihadis seen as a cross-border threat.
Concerns grew particularly after Islamist militants associated with al-Qaida seized the north of Mali last year and were dislodged only after French-led military intervention.
Nigeria declared a state of emergency in its northeast states of ...
Algerian PM: President Recovering in France
Algeria's prime minister, reacting to reports that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is seriously ill, said the 76-year-old was recovering in France but had been ordered to take complete rest by his doctors.
Since he was rushed to hospital in Paris on April 27 with what was officially described as a minor stroke, Bouteflika has been neither heard nor seen in public, raising widespread speculation that he is seriously ailing.
France's Le Point magazine said Bouteflika, who ...
Clashes Continue in Eastern DRC Ahead of UN Chief Visit
Soldiers have clashed with rebels for a second day in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, before a scheduled visit by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Tuesday's fighting between the army and rebel group M23 was again centered around Mutaho, just 12 kilometers north of the city of Goma.
A DRC government spokesman, Lambert Mende, said 15 rebels and four army soldiers have been killed in the fighting.
Speaking in Mozambique, the U.N. secretary-general said he will travel ...
Apple Faces Congressional Questions on US Tax Dodging
Giant technology company Apple is facing questions from a U.S. congressional panel about how it avoided billions of dollars in U.S. taxes on its profits by creating offshore entities that claim not to be a tax resident in any nation. Apple chief executive Tim Cook is set to appear Tuesday before a Senate investigative panel. The committee released a report saying the U.S.-based firm claimed that three of its companies are not tax residents in Ireland, where they are ...
Seven Muslims Convicted of Killing Buddhist Monk in Burma
A court in Burma has convicted seven Muslims for the killing of a Buddhist monk during deadly sectarian riots in a central town earlier this year.
Officials say the defendants received sentences ranging from life to two years in prison for their involvement in the March 20 incident in the town of Meikhtila.
The unrest began after an argument at a Muslim-owned gold shop turned violent and spilled into the streets. The ensuing riots, which mostly targeted minority Muslims, killed at least 4...
Death Toll Revised Lower in Oklahoma Tornado
Officials in Oklahoma have revised to 24 the number of bodies recovered after a tornado devastated the town of Moore, Oklahoma.
Earlier, 51 people were reported killed. Officials attributed the higher number to counting bodies twice in the chaos following the storm that struck late Monday. They said additional bodies could yet be recovered. At least 240 people were injured.
The tornado with winds of 320 kilometers an hour demolished an elementary school and reduced homes to piles of ...
Chinese Premier Looks to Boost Economic, Political Ties
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is on his first international trip, this week, with stops in India, Pakistan, Switzerland and Germany. The trip not only highlights China's efforts to deepen its economic ties in Asia and Europe, but grow its political influence, as well.
Although the weather was hot when Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived in India this week, relations between the two Asian giants appeared to be cooling down, just weeks after facing their toughest border dispute in ...
Burma's President Visits Washington
Burmese President Thein Sein began a visit to Washington Sunday, joining a town hall meeting at the Voice of America. He met with President Barack Obama at the White House on Monday.
Attacks Kill 8 in Iraq
New attacks in three Iraqi cities have killed at least eight people and wounded dozens more -- a day after more than 70 died in assaults on Shi'ite Muslims, stoking fears of all-out sectarian war with minority Sunnis.
Officials say a suicide bombing followed by clashes between militants and Iraqi troops left three soldiers dead Tuesday in Tarmiyah, north of the capital, Baghdad.
Farther north, two car bombs exploded in Tuz Khormato, killing three and wounding 38, while car bombs in Kirkuk ...
Defectors Accuse North of Stirring Unrest During 1980 S. Korea Uprising
As South Korea marks the 33rd anniversary of a citizen's uprising, there are questions about whether North Korea secretly attempted to stir social turmoil at the time.
A former commander of U.S. Forces Korea, retired Army General John Wickham, Jr., says it is “plausible” North Korea may have tried to take advantage of unrest in the South during the 1980 uprising, but that he never saw evidence of that.
Wickham, who subsequently served as U.S. Army chief of staff, recalls that he ...
Dozens Dead from Massive Oklahoma Tornado
Search and rescue crews worked through the night in Oklahoma after a tornado with winds of 320 kilometers an hour caused massive destruction late Monday.
At least 51 people were killed, including at least 20 children, and those numbers are expected to climb. A spokeswoman for the state medical examiner's office says as many as 40 more fatalities may be reported. At least 240 people were injured.
The twister demolished an elementary school and reduced homes to piles of splintered wood in ...
Kerry Visits Oman Seeking Syria Peace Consensus
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Oman on his latest stop in a campaign to help arrange an internationally-sponsored Syrian peace conference.
A senior State Department official said that while Oman has not played a key role in Syria, it is an "important player" in the region, and Kerry wants to hear Sultan Qaboos bin Said's views.
Oman is a U.S. ally, but also has close relations with nearby Iran.
The issue of Iran's involvement in the proposed Syrian peace ...
Karzai to Discuss Enhancing Defense Ties with India
Afghan President Hamid Karzai is in India seeking to enhance defense ties with New Delhi. Afghanistan is looking for more military aid as it prepares for a withdrawal of NATO forces by next year.
Speaking at ceremony during which he was given an honorary degree Monday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai expressed his appreciation for the $2 billion aid that India has extended toward rebuilding his country.
But, as he heads into talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Tuesday evening, ...
More Attacks Across Iraq
More attacks have rocked Iraq, which is experiencing its worst sectarian violence since U.S. troops withdrew in December 2011.
Afghanistan Seeks Military Aid from India
Afghan President Hamid Karzai is looking for more military aid from India.
The Afghan leader meets with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi Tuesday evening.
Mr. Karzai's aides say he wants India's assistance to help strengthen Afghan security forces and meet military shortages. Afghanistan is facing a withdrawal of NATO forces by the end of next year.
Last week, the Afghan ambassador in New Delhi told reporters his country would like both lethal and non-lethal military ...
South Korea Sees North's Threats at Unprecedented Levels
South Korea says it will never accept rival North Korea as a nuclear-weapons state. But there appears to be no international consensus on how to prevent that.
Speaking Tuesday in Seoul, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se characterized Pyongyang's recent belligerent threats as more diverse, frequent and intense than previously seen.
He told a forum organized by the JoongAng newspaper and the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) North Korea is ...
Reset
Back
