Official: Treasury played no role in IRS targeting

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department's No. 2 official is telling Congress that his agency played no role in the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups.

State-backed UK banks gain approval for capital plans

By Matt Scuffham LONDON (Reuters) - State-backed British lenders Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland have agreed plans to shore up their capital with the financial regulator, removing a barrier to the government offloading its shares. The regulator said on Wednesday it had finalised capital requirements for the two banks and that the lenders had submitted their plans. Both banks said

Protesters halt oil flows on Libya Zueitina pipeline: sources

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Protesters calling for jobs have turned off a valve on a pipeline carrying oil to the eastern Libyan terminal of Zueitina, just days after the port had reopened following similar demonstrations, three industry sources said. The move has halted flows to the terminal since Tuesday, the latest in a string of setbacks in Libya's leading industry, which had restored output to close

Trial for captain in deadly shipwreck in Italy

ROME (AP) — An Italian judge has ordered the captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship to stand trial for manslaughter in the vessel's shipwreck off the coast of Tuscany, which killed 32 people.

FBI: Man shot dead in Fla had become violent during questioning in Boston bombing case

WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI: Man shot dead in Fla had become violent during questioning in Boston bombing case.

Mugabe signs constitution into law, paving way for vote

By Cris Chinaka HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe signed a new constitution into law on Wednesday, replacing a 33-year-old document forged in the dying days of British colonial rule and paving the way for an election later this year. Approved overwhelmingly in a referendum in March, the constitution clips the powers of the president and imposes a two-term limit. However, it doe

Iran's Ahmadinejad denounces election decision

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that a decision by election overseers to disqualify his top aide from next month's presidential race is an act of "oppression" and that he will take the case to the country's supreme leader.

Target's 1Q profit drops 26 pct on weak sales

NEW YORK (AP) — Target Corp. reported a 26 percent drop in first-quarter profit as cool temperatures and financial pressures limited customers' appetite for spending.

House panel seeks to curb military sexual assaults

WASHINGTON (AP) — Determined to check the growing epidemic of sexual assaults in the armed forces, a House panel is poised to approve a series of revisions to longstanding military law. They include stripping commanding officers of their unilateral authority to change or dismiss a court-martial conviction and requiring that service members found guilty of sexual offenses be dismissed or dishonor

'GMA' host Roberts to write memoir about illness

NEW YORK (AP) — Robin Roberts will tell the story of her battle with a life-threatening illness in a new memoir.

Somali lawmakers withdraw confidence vote against PM

By Abdi Sheikh MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali members of parliament shelved a vote of confidence against the prime minister on Wednesday, but warned the government it would face further parliamentary rebellions if it did not do more to improve the economy and security. Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon has led a cabinet, in place since the election of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud last year, tha

World Bank pledges $1 bln to aid peace in Africa's Great Lakes

By Anna Yukhananov KINSHASA (Reuters) - The World Bank pledged $1 billion on Wednesday to fund development in central Africa's Great Lakes region in return for peace, but fresh fighting in eastern Congo underscored the challenges facing the area. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim unveiled the proposed aid for one of Africa's most conflict-ridden regions on the first day of a trip with U.N. chief

Vienna official: Looted Nazi goods returned

VIENNA (AP) — An official for the city of Vienna says the Austrian capital has handed over nearly 6,000 valuable objects looted by the Nazis to their rightful owners or their heirs since it started taking inventory of them 14 years ago.

Woods: Garcia comment hurtful, time to move on

VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) — Tiger Woods says the "fried chicken" comment from Sergio Garcia was hurtful and inappropriate. Two weeks after they verbally sparred at The Players Championship, Woods say it's time to move on.

France beefs up Africa, Middle East embassy security

PARIS (Reuters) - France will invest about 20 million euros to increase security for diplomats and embassies in the Middle East and Africa after its mission in Libya was targeted by a car bomb in April, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. Spokesman Philippe Lalliot confirmed an email sent by Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius to staff on Tuesday saying the measure had to be taken following the

Syria rebels call for reinforcements as war spreads abroad

By Erika Solomon BEIRUT (Reuters) - Rebels fighting for control of the Syrian town of Qusair called for reinforcements on Wednesday to repel forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in a civil war which is spreading violence through an already volatile region. Opposition fighters said air strikes and shelling rocked the small town on the Syrian-Lebanese border that has seen some of the fiercest

Bernanke expected to stay the course on Fed policy

By Jonathan Spicer NEW YORK (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is not expected to hint at a pending policy change when he testifies before the U.S. Congress on Wednesday despite some speculation among investors that the central bank could soon reduce its massive bond buying program. Bernanke's close ally, New York Fed President William Dudley, stressed repeatedly on Tuesday that u

Garcetti elected Los Angeles mayor over Greuel

LOS ANGELES (AP) — City Councilman Eric Garcetti defeated Controller Wendy Greuel to become next mayor of Los Angeles after a campaign in which he depicted his rival a pawn of powerful labor bosses.

Mortar lands in Congo as UN chief arrives

GOMA, Congo (AP) — A mortar round exploded in Goma, a city in eastern Congo which has been in the crosshairs of this country's latest rebellion, officials said Wednesday, as the United Nations secretary-general arrived in Congo's capital for a two-day visit expected to take him to Goma.

Zimbabwe's president signs new constitution

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe's president signs into law a new constitution and vows to hold peaceful and clean elections later this year.

South Sudan warns it may shut down oil flow again

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — South Sudan is warning that it may stop exporting oil through Sudan's pipelines again.

Militants release seven Egyptians kidnapped in Sinai

By Tom Perry and Yousri Mohamed CAIRO/ISMAILIA (Reuters) - Seven members of the Egyptian security forces kidnapped by Islamist militants in Sinai last week were freed on Wednesday and President Mohamed Mursi announced a new crackdown on lawlessness in the desert peninsula. Their abduction underlined the threat posed by jihadists who became active in a security vacuum that opened up in the isolat

Czech president settles dispute over gay rights

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech president says he will no longer block a university professorship for a gay rights activist who had been critical of him.

Vatican releases 1st report of financial watchdog

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican took another step Wednesday to show greater financial transparency by publishing the first annual report from its financial watchdog agency and announcing new regulations to fight money laundering and terror financing.

UK eyes giving visas to 600 Afghan interpreters

LONDON (AP) — Britain is proposing to give around 600 Afghan interpreters who worked alongside its troops the right to settle in the U.K. in recognition of the risks to their personal safety.

Anthony Weiner launches bid to become NYC mayor

NEW YORK (AP) — Anthony Weiner's run for a renaissance is officially on.

Rescuers comb Oklahoma tornado rubble for buried survivors

By Ian Simpson and Alice Mannette MOORE, Oklahoma (Reuters) - Rescue workers with sniffer dogs and searchlights picked through the wreckage of a massive tornado to ensure no survivors remained buried in the rubble of primary schools, houses and buildings in an Oklahoma City suburb. The massive tornado on Monday afternoon flattened entire blocks of the town, killed at least 24 people and injured

Irishman charged with 1982 IRA Hyde Park bombing

DUBLIN (AP) — A 61-year-old Irishman was charged in Britain Wednesday with the Irish Republican Army bombing of the queen's ceremonial cavalry in Hyde Park in 1982, a strike at a top London tourist attraction that killed four soldiers and seven horses.

AP Interview: Rogge cites need for targeted tests

LONDON (AP) — Olympic officials agree that more targeted, out-of-competition testing in high-profile sports is needed to catch the drug cheats who are escaping the net, IOC President Jacques Rogge said Wednesday.

GOP questions IRS scrutiny of anti-abortion groups

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — When a small anti-abortion group in Iowa sought nonprofit status, the Internal Revenue Service asked its board to promise not to organize protests outside Planned Parenthood and demanded to know how its prayer meetings and protest signs were educational.