The Star Online: World Updates

WORLD UPDATES

Strauss-Kahn countersues NY hotel maid for $1 million

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has filed a $1 million (624 thousand pounds) countersuit against the hotel maid who accused him of sexual assault, costing him his job and any chance of being elected president of France.

Syria attack kills 21; rebels say protect U.N. monitors

BEIRUT (Reuters) - At least 21 people were killed on Tuesday in an attack in northern Syria, activists said, and members of a team of U.N. monitors caught in the incident said they were in rebel hands "for their own protection."

Caretaker government will take Greece to risky repeat vote

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek political leaders meet on Wednesday to form a caretaker government that will lead the country into its second election in just over a month, with Greece's euro membership at stake in a mounting crisis rocking world markets.

France's Hollande veers left for new cabinet

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande is to unveil his government on Wednesday, likely rewarding key players from his election campaign with top positions and placing a woman in charge of a new super ministry for youth and education.

Merkel, Hollande promise joint growth strategy

BERLIN (Reuters) - New French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel acknowledged differences on Tuesday over how to boost growth in recession-plagued Europe, but pledged to forge a joint approach in time for an EU summit next month.

Several injured in suspected grenade attack in Kenya

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Several people were injured in a suspected grenade attack on Tuesday evening at a club in the Kenyan coastal city Mombasa, police said.

In breakthrough, Pakistan leader to attend NATO summit

WASHINGTON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari will attend a summit of NATO leaders in Chicago this weekend, the Pakistan Embassy in Washington said on Tuesday, ending speculation Islamabad might be excluded from the high-level talks on Afghanistan's future.

No boost for Obama from gay marriage decision

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's show of support for gay marriage has inflamed political passions but has not given him a bump in popularity, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Tuesday.

U.N. and Iran agree to keep talking on nuclear

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog ended two days of talks on Tuesday by agreeing to meet again next week, just two days before Tehran resumes negotiations with world powers concerned it may be seeking to develop atomic bomb capability.

Israel plans for quake aid to Palestinians

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israel said on Tuesday it had set up a mechanism to get aid to the Palestinians in the event of a major earthquake.

News Breaks

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Facebook boosts IPO size by 25 percent, could top $16 billion

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc increased the size of its initial public offering by almost 25 percent, and could raise as much as $16 billion as strong investor demand for a share of the No.1 social network trumps debate about its long-term potential to make money.

Indonesia finds black box from crashed Russian Sukhoi

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's national search and rescue agency has found a black box flight recorder from a Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 that crashed during a demonstration flight killing all 45 people on board, an agency official said on Wednesday.