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Malaysia police arrest opposition figures in crackdown
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian police arrested several opposition politicians and activists on Thursday, launching a crackdown on dissent three weeks after an election exposed deep divisions in the country and sparked a series of opposition protest rallies.

EU's Barnier wants big companies to reveal national tax bills
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Large companies should disclose how much tax they pay in each country where they operate, the European Commission's top regulatory official said, in the text of a speech to be delivered on Thursday.

Exclusive :China urbanization plan hits roadblock over spending fears-sources
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's plan to spend $6.5 trillion on urbanization to bolster the economy is running into snags, sources close to the government said, as top leaders fear another spending binge could push up local debt levels and inflate a property bubble.

Two suicide bombers strike in northern Niger towns
NIAMEY (Reuters) - Two suicide bombers struck on Thursday at a military barracks and a plant run by French nuclear group Areva in northern Niger, military and company sources said.

Portuguese leaders build faith in bailout exit
LISBON (Reuters) - President Anibal Cavaco Silva thanked Portugal's patron saint for a long-delayed approval of Lisbon's bailout review last week, but the head of state could claim a share of the credit for himself.

Two suicide bombers strike in northern Niger towns- sources
NIAMEY (Reuters) - Two suicide bombers struck on Thursday at a military barracks and a plant run by French nuclear group Areva in northern Niger, according to military and company sources.

M23 rebels announce ceasefire for UN chief's Congo visit
GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Rebels in eastern Congo announced a ceasefire on Thursday in fighting with government troops hours before a visit to the conflict-plagued zone by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim.

Bernanke and growth fears send shares lower, yen up
LONDON (Reuters) - Concerns over the future of the U.S. Federal Reserve's monetary stimulus and weak Chinese factory data sent shares sharply lower and safe haven currencies like the yen higher on Thursday.

Miners Vale, Rio Tinto accused of neglecting displaced Mozambicans
MAPUTO (Reuters) - Human Rights Watch accused Mozambique's government and foreign mining companies on Thursday of "serious shortcomings" in resettling communities to make way for coal mines, leaving thousands without proper homes, food or sources of income.

Five killed, 50 wounded in Lebanon's Tripoli
TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) - Five people were killed and more than 50 wounded in overnight clashes in Tripoli between Lebanese gunmen loyal to rival factions in Syria's civil war, doctors and security sources said on Thursday.

Barred from election, Rafsanjani lambasts Iranian authorities - report
DUBAI (Reuters) - Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani sharply criticized the country's leadership, opposition website Kaleme said on Thursday, two days after he was disqualified from running in next month's presidential election.

IMF's Lagarde in court for French arbitration case
PARIS (Reuters) - IMF chief Christine Lagarde arrived in court on Thursday to be questioned by a French magistrate over her role in a 285-million-euro ($366 million) arbitration payment made to a supporter of former president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Latam, Africa surges ensure SABMiller profit growth
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - SABMiller , the world's second biggest brewer, reported profit growth in line with expectations thanks to a surge in earnings in Latin America and Africa and said its markets should be broadly unchanged in the coming months.

France backs call to put Hezbollah armed wing on EU terror list
PARIS (Reuters) - France is ready to support a British initiative to put the armed wing of Hezbollah on the European Union's list of terrorist organizations, an official said on Thursday, confirming comments by Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.

Roadside bomb kills 13 in southwest Pakistan
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A roadside bomb killed 11 security personnel and two civilians on Thursday in southwestern Pakistan where separatist rebels have for decades been battling to control the region's natural gas and other resources.

AIG eyes new director with regulatory experience
(Reuters) - American International Group Inc's board is looking for a new director with regulatory experience, as the insurer readies for the government to classify it as big enough to merit greater scrutiny, according to two sources familiar with the situation.

Asian markets sell off on Bernanke remarks, China PMI
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Hawkish comments by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and weakness in China's factory activity rattled Asian markets on Thursday, sending stock prices down, the U.S. dollar to three-year highs, and Japanese government bond yields to their highest in a year.

Nissan to recall 841,000 vehicles due to steering wheel glitch
TOKYO (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co Ltd will recall about 841,000 vehicles worldwide including the Micra compact car, also known as the March, as a result of a steering wheel glitch, Japan's No.2 automaker said on Thursday.

China factory activity shrinks for first time in seven months: flash PMI
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's factory activity shrank for the first time in seven months in May as new orders fell, a preliminary manufacturing survey showed, entrenching fears that its economic recovery has stalled and that a sharper cooldown may be imminent.

Canadian businessman goes on trial in Cuban corruption crackdown
HAVANA (Reuters) - A Canadian businessman who has confessed to bribing Cuban officials was scheduled to go on trial in Havana on Thursday, almost two years after his arrest in a sweeping government crackdown on corruption.