BP points fingers in oil spill blame game

LONDON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - BP Plc and its Gulf of Mexico oil well partners traded blame on Wednesday after an internal BP investigation tried to downplay the company's role in the world's biggest offshore spill.

Obama: U.S. can't afford to extend tax cuts for rich

PARMA, Ohio (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, fighting to keep Democrats in charge of Congress, said on Wednesday the United States could not afford to extend Bush-era tax cuts for the rich and accused Republicans of being fiscally irresponsible.

Florida pastor not backing down on Koran-burning

GAINESVILLE, Florida (Reuters) - An obscure U.S. Christian pastor whose plan to burn copies of the Koran on September 11 has sparked an international outcry said on Wednesday he would go ahead with the event despite warnings it would endanger American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Seven Mexican gunmen arrested in migrant massacre

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican authorities arrested seven suspected drug cartel members believed to have killed 72 migrants heading to the United States, in what is said to be the worst massacre in the country's escalating drug war, the government said on Wednesday.

B vitamins found to slow progression of dementia

LONDON (Reuters) - Daily tablets of large doses of B vitamins can halve the rate of brain shrinkage in elderly people with memory problems and may slow their progression toward dementia, data from a British trial showed on Wednesday,

Special Report: The Tea Party goes to school

HANNIBAL, Missouri (Reuters) - Some Tea Partiers admit mistakes were made. Others are quick to describe the movement's recent efforts in the political arena as not quite ready for prime time.

Fidel Castro says Cuban model no longer works

HAVANA (Reuters) - Fidel Castro said Cuba's economic model no longer works, a U.S.-based journalist reported on Wednesday following interviews with the former president last week.

Pakistan to charge three men in Times Square plot

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan will soon charge three men with terrorism in connection with the failed attempt to bomb New York's Times Square, a police official said on Wednesday.

Google seeks to speed up Web searches

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc's search engine now displays results before users finish typing.

New clashes erupt at Mexico's Cananea copper mine

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Fresh clashes erupted on Wednesday between union workers and company contractors at the massive Cananea copper mine in northern Mexico leaving several people severely injured, the local government said.

BP and partners trade blame for oil spill

LONDON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - BP Plc and its Gulf of Mexico oil well partners traded blame on Wednesday after an internal BP investigation tried to downplay the company's role in the world's biggest offshore spill.

BP says report not about blame, then names

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - "We were not about apportioning fault or blame," BP Plc's top safety official told reporters as the company released its internal investigation into the world's worst offshore oil spill.

Factbox: Energy supply accidents in the Americas

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Energy production and distribution is a dangerous business, in spite of strict safety regulations in most countries in North and South America for oil and natural gas producers and processors.

Vatican condemns planned Koran burning in U.S.

ROME (Reuters) - The Vatican added to world condemnation of plans by a Florida church to commemorate the September 11 attacks on the United States by burning a Koran, calling it an "outrageous" act.

German Jews condemn planned Florida Koran burning

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's leading Jewish group condemned plans by a Florida pastor to burn the Koran on the anniversary of 9/11, saying it evoked the mass killings of Jews in the Holocaust that followed Nazi book burnings.

Google calls for pressure on Internet censors

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Google Inc's legal chief called for pressure on governments that censor the Internet, such as China and Turkey, arguing that their blocking access to websites not only violates human rights but unfairly restrains U.S. trade.

Final BP well kill could start end-September: U.S. government

HOUSTON (Reuters) - BP Plc may not start the final kill of its ruptured Gulf of Mexico oil well until mid- to late September, the top U.S. official overseeing the spill response said on Wednesday.

Factbox: Obama plan is latest rescue effort for economy

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Wednesday will propose tax breaks for businesses and spending on public works programs in a package the White House says will eventually cost $180 billion. It is the latest in a series of plans to rescue the U.S. economy.

Factbox: Obama, Republican offer competing economic plans

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and House of Representatives Republican Leader John Boehner on Wednesday offered competing plans to boost the lackluster economy, setting the stage for an intense debate over tax and spending policies as campaigning for November 2 congressional elections heats up.

Q+A: Congressional midterm elections

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Republican win in even one chamber of the U.S. Congress in the November 2 midterm election would create a huge shake-up in Washington, with far-reaching implications.