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U.S. sanctions Iran broadcasters for alleged censorship
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States said on Wednesday it has sanctioned state sponsored broadcasters in Iran for alleged censorship. The U.S. Treasury Department said it named the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting and its director Ezzatollah Zarghami as subject to sanctions. U.S. law permits the agency to sanction anybody in Iran it believes restricts the flow of information to the Iranian public. Washington is tightening sanctions on Iran’s access to its oil revenues in an effort to slow its nuclear program, which the West believes is aiming to develop weapons. …

Ancient order of the Knights of Malta confronts modern world as it marks 900 years
ROME – Matthew Festing -- aka His Most Eminent Highness The Prince and Grand Master of the Knights of Malta -- bounds into the sitting room of his magnificent Renaissance palazzo sweaty and somewhat disheveled, and asks an aide if he should take off his sweater to be photographed.

A missed flight could have meant a missed cruise but travel insurance saved the day
ON THE DANUBE RIVER, Germany – We finally made it to our European river cruise, but not exactly according to plan.

Senior ranks of Canadian military get makeover ahead of tough federal budget
OTTAWA – A major shakeup is in the offing amid the senior ranks of the Canadian military.

Toronto police officer murder trial hears about his last moments
TORONTO – The trial of a man accused of purposely killing a Toronto police officer by hitting him with a stolen snowplow is hearing about the officer’s last moments.

Mafia fighter turns to politics, sees Monti as danger
ROME (Reuters) – Sicilian prosecutor Antonio Ingroia has left his job fighting the mafia to stand in Italy 9;s election, saying politicians have totally failed to fight organized crime, corruption and tax evasion that are crippling the economy. Ingroia, heading the most leftwing force in the campaign, says outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti is a bigger danger politically than center-right leader Silvio Berlusconi, who he believes has no chance of winning the February 24-25 poll. …

'Star Wars' reboot director J.J Abrams speaks at video gaming conference in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – If the force is with die-hard fans, J.J. Abrams will give away a few clues to his vision for the seventh live-action “Star Wars” film.

Bulgarian opposition questions blaming of Hezbollah for bomb
SOFIA (Reuters) – Bulgaria's opposition criticized a government statement that Hezbollah carried out a bomb attack that killed Israeli tourists , saying on Wednesday the conclusion was unjustified and dangerous. The July attack in the coastal city of Burgas raised tensions in the Balkan country, where 15 percent of the 7.3 million population are Muslim, and opposition parties said the government acted under Israeli and U.S. pressure. …

Iranian envoy urges U.S. to show goodwill at nuclear talks
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Progress at talks between world powers and Iran on its nuclear program later this month will depend on the United States showing "genuine honesty and goodwill", the Islamic Republic's ambassador to Russia said on Wednesday. The two sides will meet in Kazakhstan on February 26 in another effort to forge a deal on Iran's nuclear ambitions. Iran says it wants only peaceful energy from nuclear fuel while the powers suspect it is pursuing the means to develop nuclear weapons. …

Official: More than two dozen vehicles in fiery Georgia interstate pileup; 3 dead, 12 hurt
MONTROSE, Ga. – An emergency official says a fiery pileup involving more than two dozen vehicles on a Georgia interstate has left at least three people dead and 12 others hurt.

Zimbabwe's parliament mulls constitutional reforms
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) -- Zimbabwe’s parliament has begun discussing a new constitution that reduces some of the president’s powers, demands political impartiality from his longtime loyalists in the police and military and paves the way for a peace and reconciliation commission to investigate charges of human rights and electoral abuses.

Rugby-Dublin test the perfect barometer of England's progress
LONDON, Feb 6 (Reuters) – England have not won a Six Nations game away to Ireland for 10 years and travel to Dublin on Sunday for a match that will go a long way towards showing where they really stand in the game’s pecking order. Should they produce anything like that 2003 five-try 42-6 thrashing that earned them their last grand slam to date and set them up for their successful assault on the World Cup later that year then coach Stuart Lancaster will be a very contented man having overseen back-to-back wins over Scotland and New Zealand. …

Exclusive: Deutsche Bank suspends traders over Euribor - source
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Deutsche Bank has suspended five traders suspected of inapprop riate conduct following an internal investigation into possible manipulation of the Europe Interbank Offered Rate (Euribor), a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. The traders, who worked on Deutsche Bank's money market team, were suspended on Tuesday, the source said. Deutsche Bank declined to name the traders, and said that no current or former board members have been implicated. It gave no further details. …

U.S. launched drone from secret Saudi base: reports
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States is operating a secret base out of Saudi Arabia and used it to launch a CIA drone strike in 2011 that killed U.S.-born al Qaeda leader Anwar Al Awlaki, according to a media report. The Washington Post, in a report on Wednesday, said the Middle East base was set up two years ago as part of U.S. officials effort to ramp up its search for members of the militant group. Representatives for the CIA declined to comment on the report. …

NHS ravaged by hospital scandal
LONDON (Reuters) – The deaths of hundreds of hospital patients, left without food or water in filthy conditions, exposed an urgent need to change the culture of National H ealth Service (NHS), a report said on Wednesday. Between 400 and 1,200 patients are estimated to have died needlessly at Stafford Hospital in central England between January 2005 and March 2009 in one of the worst scandals to hit the NHS since it was founded in 1948. …

C$ seen strengthening in 2013, helped by U.S. recovery: Reuters poll
TORONTO (Reuters) – The Canadian dollar is expected to strengthen over the course of 2013, a Reuters poll showed on Wednesday, with forecasters looking past recent dovish central bank comments and focusing on the positive impact of an improving U.S. economy. The median forecast in the poll of 51 economists and foreign exchange strategists saw the commodity-linked Canadian dollar trading at C$0.99 to the U.S. dollar, or $1.0101, in one and three months. It is expected to change hands at C$0.98 in six and 12 months. The forecasts were similar to a month-earlier poll. The currency traded at C$0. …

Violent clashes as India's Modi makes speech to Delhi students
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Indian protesters clashed with police on Wednesday outside the University of Delhi, where Narendra Modi, a popular but divisive contender to run for prime minister within a year, was making a speech to cheering students. Left-wing student groups waved black flags, shouted “Modi go back” and tussled with police, who swung wooden batons to disperse the crowd of around 200 protesters. The contrasting receptions inside and outside the packed hall highlighted how much the chief minister of Gujarat state polarizes public opinion. …