News: National and World

The rat-a-tat of a hundred green sewing machines. The hypnotic hum of spools spinning brightly colored threads. The hiss of a thousand clothing irons.

A 27-year-old graphic designer has made history by becoming the first Saudi woman to conquer Mount Everest.

Chesapeake said it hired Robert Douglas Lawle, a senior vice president at Anadarko Petroleum, to fill the post vacated by Chesapeake’s co-founder, Aubrey McClendon.    

Puerto Ricans have debated for decades whether their island should become the 51st U.S. state. Supporters of statehood, while still facing long odds, are now pressuring Congress to settle the issue.

(Reuters) - Chesapeake Energy Corp has hired Robert Douglas Lawler of rival Anadarko Petroleum Corp as its chief executive, filling the post vacated by co-founder Aubrey McClendon in April.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures dipped in light volume on Monday as investors search for catalysts after major U.S. equity indexes closed a fourth consecutive week of gains Friday.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 43 people were killed in car bomb explosions targeting Shi'ite Muslims in the Iraqi capital and the southern oil hub of Basra on Monday, police and medics said.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 43 people were killed in car bomb explosions targeting Shi'ite Muslims in the Iraqi capital and the southern oil hub of Basra on Monday, police and medics said.

(Reuters) - While the Federal Reserve's accommodative policies have boosted stocks and helped the rich, it is unclear whether they are doing enough for the broader U.S. economy, a top central bank official said on Monday.

Jewels worth more than $1 million were stolen from a hotel in Cannes, France, police in the nearby city of Nice said Friday.

(Reuters) - Yahoo Inc said it is acquiring blogging service Tumblr for $1.1 billion cash, a bold bet by Chief Executive Marissa Mayer to revitalize the struggling Internet pioneer by co-opting a Web property with strong visitor traffic but little revenue.

(Reuters) - Yahoo Inc said it is acquiring blogging service Tumblr for $1.1 billion cash, a bold bet by Chief Executive Marissa Mayer to revitalize the struggling Internet pioneer by co-opting a Web property with strong visitor traffic but little revenue.

Casualties among pro-Assad Hezbollah fighters rise as battle for control of Qusayr ripples across Lebanon.    

Emmelie de Forest carried Denmark to triumph early Sunday in the Eurovision Song Contest, an annual musical spectacle known for its combination of over-the-top costumes, kitsch pop songs and international rivalries.

JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan's army has retaken an eastern town captured by rebels two weeks ago, a military spokesman said on Monday, in a conflict that has uprooted thousands of people and hampered government plans to explore for oil.

(Reuters) - Generic drugmaker Actavis Inc, which has been the subject of takeover speculation, plans to buy specialty pharmaceutical company Warner Chilcott Plc for $5 billion in stock.

RABAT (Reuters) - Morocco's junior government party is threatening to quit the coalition unless Islamist prime minister Abdelilah Benkirane moderates plans for sweeping cuts to subsidies on food and energy.

In an extended one-on-one interview, a Bangladeshi teen describes how she spent 17 harrowing days buried underground in pitch-black darkness. "I'd crawl, tire and sleep. I would wake up and crawl again," Reshma said.

(Reuters) - GE Capital Corp's board has approved a plan to pay $6.5 billion in dividends, including a special dividend of $4.5 billion, to parent General Electric Co in 2013.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A bank robbery in Israel on Monday ended with the deaths of five people, including one of the holdup men who apparently shot and killed himself when police launched a raid to free hostages.