Syria bombards Homs; West scrambles for new strategy

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian forces bombarded Homs on Monday, killing 50 people in a sustained assault on several districts of the city which has become a centre of armed opposition to President Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian National Council opposition group said.

U.N. nuclear talks in Tehran: frustrated hopes

VIENNA (Reuters) - After two days of rare and intensive talks in Tehran, senior U.N. nuclear officials may have felt they were finally making headway towards getting Iran to address suspicions that it is bent on developing the ability to make atom bombs.

Palestinian rivals agree to form unity government

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - The leaders of rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas signed a deal in Qatar on Monday to form a unity government of independent technocrats for the West Bank and Gaza, headed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Victims weep, ridicule Norway killer's court speech

OSLO (Reuters) - Survivors and relatives of those killed in a Norwegian mass-murder rampage wept and ridiculed the smiling attacker in court Monday as he defended his acts by issuing a tirade against immigration.

Analysis: Iran economy could limp along under sanctions

DUBAI (Reuters) - Tightening international sanctions against Iran look set to shrink its economy, push up inflation and further erode its currency, but they may fail to deliver a knock-out blow that forces Tehran to compromise on its nuclear ambitions.

Nigeria names seven behind Eni pipeline blast

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigeria's military has named seven people it says were behind an attack on an oil pipeline belonging to Italy's Eni on Saturday, and denied a claim that a former separatist militia in the Niger Delta was responsible.

Egyptian NGO crackdown could impact U.S. aid: White House

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Monday that an Egyptian crackdown on pro-democracy non-governmental groups that has enmeshed a number of U.S. citizens could threaten the country's $1.3 billion in annual U.S. military aid.

Netanyahu can't fly solo in Israel to attack Iran

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Three decades ago, an Israeli prime minister faced his cabinet and invoked the Holocaust in an emotional appeal to approve an air strike against an Arab atomic reactor.

Egypt army urges swift move to presidential election

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's military leadership called for a swift move to a presidential election on Monday and security forces sealed off the Interior Ministry in Cairo from stone-throwing protesters clashing with riot police for a fifth day.

Election preparations start in conflict-torn Yemen

SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen has begun a publicity campaign to get citizens to vote in the upcoming presidential election, officials said on Monday, part of a deal to ease President Ali Abdullah Saleh out of office and pull the country back from the brink of civil war.