US stocks rise on optimism that Greek debt deal will be done
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are posting solid gains in midday trading as Greece moves closer to sealing a deal for new loans from its creditors.
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Cavendish wins 7th stage of Tour; Froome keeps overall lead
FOUGERES, France (AP) — British rider Mark Cavendish won the sun-soaked seventh stage of the Tour de France in a sprint finish on Friday, while countryman Chris Froome retained the overall lead as he bids to win the race for a second time.
Pope offers hope to prisoners in Bolivia's notorious prison
SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia (AP) — Pope Francis urged inmates at Bolivia’s notoriously violent Palmasola prison to not despair on Friday as he wrapped up his visit to Bolivia with a message of hope and solidarity for those caught up in Bolivia’s corrupt law enforcement system.
EU's Tusk urges debt relief as part of Greek deal
LUXEMBOURG/ATHENS (Reuters) – The European Union’s chairman joined growing international calls for Greece to be granted debt restructuring as part of any new loan deal if it delivers convincing reforms to avert imminent bankruptcy. The call was an implicit challenge to Germany, Athens’ biggest creditor, which has so far ruled out any write-offs as illegal and taken a restrictive view of reprofiling the debt to help Greece over a major
Tsipras calls for fair deal for Greece in EU parliament
By Barbara Lewis STRASBOURG (Reuters) – Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called in a speech to the European Parliament on Wednesday for a fair deal to keep his country in the euro zone, acknowledging Greece’s own responsibility for its plight, after EU leaders gave him five days to come up with convincing reforms. The Greek government formally submitted a request for a three-year loan from the European Stability Mechanism bailout
Iran says makes new proposal in nuclear talks, West unimpressed
By John Irish and Arshad Mohammed VIENNA (Reuters) – Iran has offered “constructive solutions” to resolve disputes in nuclear talks with six major powers, the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported on Wednesday, but Western officials suggested they had heard nothing new from Tehran. Iran and the powers are in the last stretch of talks to reach a final agreement to end a more than 12-year standoff over Iran’s nuclear
Both China and Taiwan have South China Sea obligations, says Beijing
Both China and Taiwan have an obligation to assert claims to the South China Sea, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, in a sign of rare political agreement between the old foes on either side of the Taiwan Strait. Rivals China and Taiwan share claims to virtually the entire South China Sea, a legacy of the Chinese civil war when the Communists beat the Nationalists and took control of the
Out of sight but not power, Erdogan eyes snap Turkish election
By Ercan Gurses and Nick Tattersall ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Delays in efforts to form a coalition government in Turkey are buying time for President Tayyip Erdogan, heightening the chances of a snap election which could see his AK Party regain its majority and leaving the opposition floundering. Opposition parties are as fragmented as ever, and Erdogan – from the shadows – is calculating how best to maintain his grip. The
Pope's 'homecoming' tour moves from Ecuador to Bolivia
By Girish Gupta and Philip Pullella QUITO (Reuters) – Pope Francis flies to Bolivia on Wednesday after drawing about 1.5 million people to Masses in Ecuador on the first leg of a “homecoming” tour, where he urged the world to take better care of the environment and the poor. The Argentine-born pontiff was spending his last few hours at a home for the elderly in Ecuador’s highland capital Quito and
Russia blocks U.N. condemnation of Srebrenica as a genocide
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Wednesday that would have condemned the Srebrenica massacre as a genocide to mark the 20th anniversary of the killing of 8,000 Muslim men and boys. The vote was delayed a day as Britain and the United States tried to persuade Russia not to veto the resolution, which would have also condemned denial of the