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By Steve Holland and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Thursday shifted the United States away from a "boundless global war on terror," restricting deadly U.S. drone strikes abroad and taking steps toward closing the Guantanamo Bay military prison. In a major policy speech, Obama defended his administration's drone war against al Qaeda and its allies but made clear he was narrowing the scope of targeted killings, a campaign that has faced growing condemnation at home and abroad. ...

CANNES (Reuters) - The Cannes film festival was hit by a second suspected jewellery heist on Thursday after a diamond necklace worth 2 million euros disappeared during a star-studded party, according to upmarket jeweller De Grisogono. Fawaz Gruosi, the founder of the Swiss firm, said the necklace was part of the company's 20th anniversary collection paraded by 20 models at the glitzy event at the Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes outside Cannes on Tuesday night. Sharon Stone and Paris Hilton were among the guests. ...

By Michael Holden and Peter Graff LONDON (Reuters) - In the lurid scene of the red-handed knifeman describing his motives for hacking to death a British soldier in broad daylight, perhaps the most chilling aspect for many Londoners was the man's unmistakably familiar accent. Michael Adebolajo, 28, who was filmed wielding a bloody meat cleaver and butcher's knife as the soldier lay dead on the road behind him, was not a maladjusted immigrant like Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, but a true Londoner born and bred. ...

By Abdoulaye Massalatchi NIAMEY (Reuters) - Islamist suicide bombers struck an army barracks and a French-run uranium mine in Niger on Thursday, officials said, killing 21 people and wounding dozens more in attacks that showed militant violence spreading in West Africa. The coordinated dawn assaults on Areva's mine at Arlit and the military base in Agadez were claimed by the MUJWA militant group in retaliation for a French-led offensive this year against Islamist insurgents in neighbouring Mali. ...

By Tony Munroe MUMBAI (Reuters) - Shares in Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd fell as much as 10.7 percent on Thursday after majority shareholder Daiichi Sankyo Co said it believed former shareholders of the company hid information regarding U.S. regulatory probes. Last week, Ranbaxy pleaded guilty to felony charges related to drug safety and agreed to pay $500 million in civil and criminal fines under a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice. Daiichi Sankyo did not name the shareholders in its statement late on Wednesday. In 2008, Japan's No. 3 drugmaker bought 63.9 percent of Ranbaxy for $4. ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a wide-ranging speech on foreign policy on Thursday, President Barack Obama defended his administration's use of drones to kill terrorists abroad, and in a nod to concerns, outlined plans to limit the use of such strikes. As described in a White House statement, the key elements of the president's policy for the use of force in counterterrorism operations outside the United States and outside a war zone are as follows: * The United States will not use lethal force when it is possible to capture a terrorist. ...

By Ryan Vlastelica NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks and bonds were volatile on Thursday, alternating between steep losses and break-even levels as investors questioned the pace of economic growth and when the U.S. Federal Reserve's stimulus program would end. Overseas shares ended sharply lower, closing before U.S. equities staged a late-day recovery, pressured as weak data in Europe and China underlined the uncertain growth outlook. While U.S. ...

By Angela Moon NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks mostly edged lower on Thursday but were sharply off their session lows as a rally in Hewlett-Packard's shares offset worries about weak Chinese manufacturing data and the prospects of the Federal Reserve reducing its monetary stimulus. Hewlett-Packard jumped nearly 15 percent and helped the Dow stay in positive territory, a day after the world's largest PC maker raised its outlook. For most of the morning, the market had been pulled lower by worries that the Fed's stimulus may be scaled back sooner than hoped and after weak factory data in China. ...

By Lauren Tara LaCapra SALT LAKE City (Reuters) - After dozens of meetings with executives and regulators, 100,000 hours of employee training and an immeasurable amount of public grief, Goldman Sachs Group Inc CEO Lloyd Blankfein claimed success in putting his bank and his legacy back on track. At Goldman's annual meeting on Thursday, Blankfein unveiled details of a three-year review and overhaul of the bank's practices in dealing with clients, following high-profile missteps that tarnished its reputation in the aftermath of the financial crisis. ...

By Tom Miles and Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) warned countries with possible cases of the SARS-like novel coronavirus on Thursday that they must share information and not allow commercial labs to profit from the virus, which has killed 22 people worldwide. Saudi Arabia, where the first case occurred, has said the development of diagnostic tests for the disease has been delayed by a foreign laboratory's patent rights on the SARS-like virus. ...

By Arshad Mohammed JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry held separate talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials on Thursday and acknowledged there was considerable scepticism that the two sides would resume peace negotiations. There were no signs of any breakthrough as Kerry visited Israel for the fourth time in his four months in office to try to revive a peace process that has been moribund for more than two years. ...

By Guy Faulconbridge and Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - British police arrested two more people on Thursday in a hunt for accomplices of two British men of Nigerian descent accused of hacking a soldier to death on a London street in revenge for wars in Muslim countries. The two suspected killers, now under guard in hospitals, had been known to security services before Wednesday's daylight attack, security sources said. Another man and a woman, both aged 29, were detained on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. ...

MIAMI (Reuters) - The 2013 Atlantic hurricane season could be "extremely active" and spawn 13 to 20 tropical storms, seven to 11 of which are expected to become hurricanes, the U.S. government's top climate agency predicted on Thursday. Three to six of the hurricanes could become major at Category 3 or above, with winds of more than 110 miles per hour (177 km per hour), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in its annual forecast. ...

Rome, May 24 (IANS/AKI) The captain of the Costa Concordia cruise liner that hit rocks and sank off Tuscany last year, killing 32 people, will go on trial in July.

Los Angeles, May 24 (IANS) Actress Eva Longoria gladly flaunted a graduation gown after picking her Master's degree from the California State University.

London, May 24 (IANS) Actor-comedian Russell Brand was reportedly spotted kissing actress Sheridan Smith after a recent show here.

Washington, May 24 (IANS) Chandigarh-born Indian-American legal luminary Srikanth 'Sri' Srinivasan made history Thursday as the US Senate confirmed his nomination as a top US judge in a 97 to 0 vote.

Washington, May 24 (IANS) Making a shift from a boundless "global war on terror", US President Barack Obama Thursday announced a new counter-terrorism policy narrowing the use of drones that has put it at odds with key allies like Pakistan.

Abu Dhabi, May 24 (IANS/WAM) Emirates Post has issued a stamp to showcase the UAE's achievement in the field of science and technology, and to commemorate the "Y1A", the first multipurpose satellite by Yahsat.

Dubai, May 24 (IANS/WAM) Dubai Customs has foiled a bid to smuggle 259 pieces of ivory that arrived from Africa at its Jebel Ali Customs Centre.

Los Angeles, May 24 (IANS) Actress Amanda Seyfried feels she looked better with bigger breasts, but she says she had to lose a bit of overall weight for her Hollywood journey.

Los Angeles, May 24 (IANS) Hollywood actress Jennifer Aniston is ready to perform a striptease act in her forthcoming film "We're The Millers".

New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) Arrested Rajasthan Royals player Ajit Chandila had received Rs.12 lakh for spot fixing in IPL 2012 matches, Delhi Police said Thursday.

Thiruvananthapuram, May 23 (IANS) Kerala Thursday welcomed the central cabinet's decision to approve classical language status for Malayalam, subject to the outcome of a case in the Madras High Court, even as the government and opposition sough to take credit for the measure.

New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs Thursday approved a proposal for the implementation of National AIDS Control Support Project (NACSP) under the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) at an outlay of Rs.2,550 crore, an official statement said.

Islamabad, May 23 (IANS) Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday urged China and Pakistan to nurture even closer ties, and enhance comprehensive strategic cooperation while addressing Pakistan's parliament.