News

President Barack Obama has defended the use of drone attacks and announced a renewed push for closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba. Meanwhile, Secretary of State John Kerry continues his Middle East tour.

The IMF has expressed confidence in its director, Christine Lagarde, who has appeared in a French court over allegations she acted illegally while finance minister. It is the second scandal for an IMF chief since 2011.

Members of the Arab League and the Syrian National Coalition have drafted new proposals aimed at ending the Syrian civil war. Their plans come in anticipation of a US-Russia backed peace conference slated for June.

Islamist groups have carried out suicide bombings at a Niger military base and a French-owned mine. The assault came in response to a French-led military operation this year which ousted Islamists from northern Mali.

One of the two men accused of murdering a young British soldier in London has been named. Both accused are believed to be radical Islamists. The soldier who died has also been named.

Tributes have been paid to French singer-songwriter Georges Moustaki who has died aged 79. He penned Edith Piaf's hit song "Milord" a number-one hit in Germany in 1960, among many others.

Berlin will host the Champions League final for the first time in 2015, Europe's governing football body UEFA has announced. Warsaw will stage the 2015 Europa League final.

Deutsche Bank co-chiefs Jürgen Fitschen and Anshu Jain have pledged to shareholders they will press ahead with changing corporate culture. Re-establishing public trust in Germany's biggest bank is the new campaign's aim.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has said the brutal killing of a soldier by two suspected Islamists was an attack on Britain and its way of life. He has labeled the killing "a betrayal of Islam."

Germany’s Social Democratic Party has marked its 150 year anniversary in Leipzig. Four months ahead of federal elections, the party has paid tribute to its rich past.

Japanese carmaker Nissan has said it will recall hundreds of thousands of vehicles after a steering wheel glitch was discovered. Earlier this year, the auto producer already had to fix cars with faulty airbags.

Japanese stocks have taken the steepest dive since the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. Analysts put the tumble down to a drop in Chinese business confidence and a strengthening of the yen.

IMF boss Christine Lagarde is before a Paris court to answer questions over a large state payout, made during her time as France's finance minister. The money was paid to a supporter of former president Nicolas Sarkozy.

US carmaker Ford has announced it will have to stop producing vehicles in Australia within three years. The company said its facilities had become too expensive to be profitable any more.

A bomb attack outside Quetta in southwest Pakistan has killed at least 12 people. The attack, in the restive Baluchistan province, reportedly targeted a vehicle that was carrying a government special forces unit.

The Obama administration has acknowledged that it has killed four of its own citizens in drone strikes since 2009. The targeted killing of a US citizen in 2011 caused major controversy in the US.

Amnesty International has released its annual report assessing human rights around the world. In this year's report Amnesty says refugees and migrants in crisis areas were particularly vulnerable for human rights abuses.

EU leaders have have taken a major step to curb tax cheats, pledging to do more to stop companies actively avoiding taxes. The bloc's latest actions pave the way to ending banking secrecy among its 27 members.

Publishers have announced the death of Sarah Kirsch, one of Germany's best, politically astute women poets of modern times. Kirsch quit former East Germany for the West in 1977 after criticizing its communist rulers.

Turkey has shut its last border crossing near forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Syria's opposition has urged rebels to reinforce the town of Qusair near Lebanon as Assad's forces press a four-day assault.

Two attackers armed with knives have killed a man, reportedly a soldier, near an army barracks in London. UK officials are reportedly treating the incident as a matter of national security.

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has signed into law the country's new constitution which aims to bolster human rights and curb presidential powers. As a next step, lawmakers must set a date for general elections.

The United States Federal Reserve Bank is likely to maintain its monetary stimulus for the country's economy. Fed chairman Ben Bernanke has said the US job market is still too weak to end the stimulus efforts.

A man allegedly linked to the Boston Marathon bombers has been killed by an FBI agent. He reportedly knew one of the suspects behind last month's bombings in Boston.

Rioters have set fire to 30 cars and torched a school and a nursery in poor immigrant suburbs of Stockholm. Three nights of unrest in one of Europe's richest capitals has marred Sweden's reputation for social justice.

Sony has said it is examining a plan to sell off part of its movies and music business. The proposal was made by Sony's biggest shareholder who wants the struggling Japanese electronics giant to regain profitability.

Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has released a satirical music video about his imprisonment in China on a tax-eviction charge. Ai sings the explicit song in Chinese and mocks state power.

International aid agency Oxfam has published a new report suggesting money stashed largely in EU nations could eliminate world poverty twice over. The report came as EU talks on tax evasion opened in Brussels.

Soaring German energy costs in the wake of the country's transition to renewable energy have seen more and more firms thinking abut relocating their operations. The US looks like a sound alternative, associations claim.

The Bank of Japan has held off fresh policy measures after a two-day meeting in Tokyo. It said its monetary easing drive would continue for an unspecified amount of time to help the domestic economy.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has hit out at a decision by election authorities to disqualify his close aide from next month's election. Ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was also barred from running.

A high-ranking global conference on the challenges arising from future transportation needs has begun in Leipzig, Germany. It's focusing on the funding of infrastructure projects to meet growing mobility demands.

A group of North Korean political and military leaders has arrived in Beijing for diplomatic talks. China is under pressure from the US to keep North Korea's nuclear ambitions from getting out of control.

Seven members of Egypt's security force captured in the Sinai Peninsula last week have been freed. A spokesman for Egypt's military has confirmed the men are on their way back to Cairo.

Rescuers are going through buildings and rubble as they wind down the search for survivors of a deadly tornado outside of Oklahoma City. At least 24 people were killed when the massive storm hit the town of Moore.