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France gets Pentagon backing to buy U.S.-made drones: paper
PARIS (Reuters) - France has received approval from the U.S. Pentagon to buy two Reaper drones for intelligence gathering, and now only needs backing from Congress, Le Monde newspaper said on Saturday.

Nigeria military says 10 insurgents killed, 65 arrested
LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigeria's military said on Saturday it had killed 10 insurgents and arrested 65 as part of an offensive meant to wrest back control of parts of its remote northeast from an Islamist group seen as the main security threat to Africa's top oil producer.

LATAM Airlines to resume Argentina flights later Saturday
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - LATAM Airlines Group SA said on Saturday it will resume flights to, from and within Argentina by 1530 GMT after state company Intercargo unilaterally decided on Friday to stop providing services to the carrier.

Bernanke upbeat on innovation outlook in commencement address
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke painted an upbeat picture on Saturday for the potential of innovation to lift living standards, delivering a sweeping look at the last 100 years that included memories of his 1963 South Carolina home.

Vocal acrobatics of "La Donna del Lago" an "Olympic" challenge
LONDON (Reuters) - Even with one of the world's most athletic opera singers at her side and plenty of practice, American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato reckons the latest London production of Gioachino Rossini's "La Donna Del Lago" is the challenge of a lifetime.

Armed groups bomb Libyan military posts in Benghazi
BENGHAZI (Reuters) - Armed groups attacked military posts in Libya's second city Benghazi with bombs and a rocket-propelled grenade, an army commander said on Saturday.

Bernanke, in commencement address, upbeat on innovation outlook
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke painted an upbeat picture on Saturday for the potential of innovation to lift living standards, delivering a sweeping look at the last 100 years that included memories of his 1963 South Carolina home.

Native American actress proud to walk Cannes red carpet
CANNES (Reuters) - Native American actress Misty Upham never dreamt she would be walking the red carpet at Cannes to showcase a film shot on her reservation.

Supporters and opponents of Ukraine president clash in Kiev
KIEV (Reuters) - Supporters and opponents of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich scuffled as both sides held large rallies in the capital Kiev on Saturday, police and local media said.

New Xbox more than a game console for Microsoft
SAN FRANCISCO/SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp is set to make a splash this week with the eagerly awaited unveiling of its new Xbox game console, eight years after the last version, as it seeks a larger share of the $65 billion a year global computer gaming industry.

Google's wearable Glass gadget: cool or creepy?
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google staged four discussions expounding on the finer points of its "Glass" wearable computer during this week's developer conference. Missing from the agenda, however, was a session on etiquette when using the recording-capable gadget, which some attendees faithfully wore everywhere - including to the crowded bathrooms.

Agonizing family choice in Japanese film at Cannes festival
CANNES (Reuters) - A film about baby-switching by Japan's Kore-eda Hirokazu that ponders nature versus nurture premiered at the Cannes film festival on Saturday, joining an Iranian challenger as contenders for the top prize.

Enraged by kidnapping, Egyptian police block Gaza border
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian police angered by the kidnapping of seven colleagues by Islamist gunmen kept a crossing into the Gaza Strip closed again on Saturday, stranding hundreds of Palestinian travelers, witnesses said.

Armed Tuareg and Arab groups clash in northern Mali
BAMAKO (Reuters) - Fighting has broken out in northern Mali between Tuareg separatists and local Arab-led gunmen, only days after the African country won a $4.2 billion aid pledge to help it recover from a conflict with Islamists affiliated to al Qaeda.

Alpine in talks with FCC on financing: CEO
VIENNA (Reuters) - Alpine, the Austrian unit of Spanish construction group FCC , will hold talks with its owners on how to meet its financing needs and has many options open, Chief Executive Arnold Schiefer said.

Germany's Merkel visits Pope, urges tougher market controls
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Pope Francis on Saturday and, apparently responding to his criticism of a heartless "dictatorship of the economy", called for stronger regulation of financial markets.

Eight killed, 10 policemen kidnapped in Iraq's Sunni heartland
RAMADI, Iraq (Reuters) - Suspected Sunni Muslim militants killed four state-backed Sunni fighters in Iraq on Saturday, security sources said, apparently viewing them as collaborators with the Shi'ite-led government of a nation plagued by sectarian hatred.

Afghan parliament fails to pass divisive women's law
KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's parliament failed to pass a law on Saturday banning violence against women, a severe blow to progress made in women's rights in the conservative Muslim country since the Islamist Taliban was toppled over a decade ago.

Rome protest turns up heat on new PM Letta
ROME (Reuters) - Thousands of people protested in Rome on Saturday against austerity policies and high unemployment, urging new Prime Minister Enrico Letta to focus on creating jobs to help pull the country out of recession.

Dane Hoyer Larsen elected BWF president
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Badminton's world governing body (BWF) will create a separate commission to deal with match-fixing problems, Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen said after being elected president on Saturday.