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Syrian opposition resumes tough talks on unity for peace push
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Syria's opposition resumed talks on Saturday aimed at closing their fractious ranks, crucial to launching an international peace conference, and government forces pressed an onslaught on a rebel-held town to try to gain the upper hand in civil war.

Polanski's Venus seduces on last day of Cannes festival
CANNES (Reuters) - An avenging Venus settling the psychological and sexual score is the star of acclaimed director Roman Polanski's "La Venus a la Fourrure" ("Venus in Fur"), one of the Cannes film festival's two final movies in main competition to premiere on Saturday.

Russian pro-, anti-gay activists arrested after defying ban
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian police detained around 30 pro- and anti-gay activists in central Moscow on Saturday, imposing the city's ban on gay rights demonstrations.

Sexual assault is a 'scourge' on U.S. military, Hagel says
(Reuters) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called sexual assault a "scourge" on Saturday as he addressed graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where a sergeant stands accused of videotaping female cadets in the showers.

Hezbollah, Syrian government forces push for advance in Qusair
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces and the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah launched a fierce campaign to seize more rebel territory in the border town of Qusair on Saturday, sources on both sides of the conflict said.

Syrian opposition resumes tough talks on unity key to peace push
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Syria's opposition resumed talks on Saturday aimed at closing their fractious ranks, crucial to launching an international peace conference, and government forces pressed an onslaught on a rebel-held town to try to gain the upper hand in civil war.

Two freight trains collide in Missouri, seven injured
(Reuters) - Two freight trains collided at a rail intersection in Missouri on Saturday, injuring seven people, igniting a fire and triggering the collapse of an overpass under which they were traveling, a county sheriff's dispatcher said.

Aid groups urge EU to fulfil commitments to Palestinians
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - A group of 80 international aid agencies urged the European Union on Saturday to follow through on pledges it made last year to back Palestinian communities seen as vulnerable to Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.

Sudan suspends two biggest dailies for critical coverage: editors
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's security services temporarily suspended the country's two biggest newspapers to punish them for writing about army operations against rebels and the future plans of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, editors said on Saturday.

As border tightens, some U.S.-Mexico neighbors reach across the fence
NACO, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexican activist Maria Elena Borquez takes up a paintbrush and daubs a bright splotch of color on the rusted steel fence separating the small Mexican town of Naco from a neighboring town in the United States.

Syrian opposition resumes unity talks key to peace conference
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Syria's opposition resumed talks on Saturday aimed at creating a coherent front crucial to a proposed international peace conference, struggling under Western and Arab pressure to close their fractious ranks and elect a viable leadership.

Ukraine's first gay march held under police protection
KIEV (Reuters) - About 100 Ukrainian gay rights activists held the country's first gay rally on Saturday, helped by police who arrested 13 people for trying to break up the march.

What Detroit crisis? Pension fund trustees hang out in Hawaii
HONOLULU (Reuters) - The city of Detroit may be facing a deepening financial crisis but that hasn't stopped four trustees of its public pension funds from spending $22,000 of retirement system funds to attend a conference in Hawaii this week.

Interpol rejects Russia's 'political' case against fund manager Browder
MOSCOW - Interpol has refused to include UK-based fund manager William Browder on its international search list after deciding that Russia's tax evasion case against him is "of a predominantly political nature".

Suicide car bombing in Russia's Dagestan injures 11
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A suicide bomber blew herself up in car near a police building in Russia's Dagestan region on Saturday, injuring 11 policemen and passers-by, Russian media reported.

British police arrest man after spy claim in soldier case
LONDON (Reuters) - British counter-terrorism police arrested a man at the BBC's headquarters after an interviewee said that security services tried to recruit one of the two suspects in the murder of a soldier in London.

Hezbollah, Syria government forces push for advance in Qusair
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces and the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah launched a fierce campaign to seize more rebel territory in the border town of Qusair on Saturday, sources on both sides of the conflict said.

EU steps up quest to solve youth unemployment
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European leaders have decided youth unemployment and the risk of social breakdown are among the toughest challenges they face and finding solutions will be a top priority for the coming months.

Japan government says unaware of ghosts at PM residence: paper
TOKYO (Reuters) - A delay in Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife moving into their official residence, the site of past assassinations, has revived talk of ghosts in the corridors, prompting the government to deny any knowledge of hauntings.

Sixth night of violence in Sweden, but police say capital calmer
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Community patrols and a beefed-up police presence helped to calm violence around Stockholm overnight on Saturday but 20 to 30 cars were still torched in poor immigrant suburbs and serious incidents were reported outside the capital for the first time.