France to float resolution at UN Security Council over alleged Syria chemical weapons use.

France will float a resolution in the U.N. Security Council aimed at forcing Syria to make public its chemical weapons program, place it under international control and dismantle it, the French foreign minister said Tuesday. Laurent Fabius said France, a permanent member of the 15-nation U.N. body, will start the resolution process on Tuesday under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which is militarily enforceable. The proposal would also condemn...

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Scores Reported Dead as Train Derails in Spain

A high-speed passenger train that was reportedly traveling at more than double the speed limit derailed just outside a station in northwest Spain on Wednesday evening, killing at least 60 of those on board, according to local news reports. Multimedia Fatal Spanish Train Wreck Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. Twitter List: Reporters and Editors Enlarge This Image The New York...

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Sales of Existing U.S. Homes Unexpectedly Decrease: Economy

Previously owned home sales fell unexpectedly in June as tight supply and increasing rates for mortgages imperiled the real-estate market recovery in the U.S. Enlarge image A potential home buyer with an agent in Phoenix, Arizona. Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images 2:41 July 22 (Bloomberg) -- Drew Matus, senior U.S. economist at UBS Securities, talks about today's report on June U.S. existing home sales and the economy. Matus speaks...

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Potential witness in Bulger gangster trial found dead

BOSTON -- A body found near Lincoln, Mass., has been identified as Stephen "Stippo" Rakes, once thought to be a prosecution witness in the ongoing racketeering trial of notorious South Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger. Rakes had been scheduled to testify that Bulger and members of his Winter Hill gang forced him at gunpoint to sell his liquor store to Bulger in 1984. But the U.S. Attorney's Office told Rakes Tuesday that they did not plan...

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Zimmerman verdict spawns protests across country

If the George Zimmerman murder trial didn't polarize America enough, the verdict certainly did. While supporters of Zimmerman's acquittal kept largely quiet after the weekend decision, outraged protesters poured into the streets across the country Sunday and early Monday While the vast majority of protests were peaceful, parts of Los Angeles grew tense. Some protesters hurled flashlight batteries, rocks and chunks of concrete toward police, Los...

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Five key issues for Zimmerman jury

George Zimmerman could spend the rest of his life in prison or walk away a free man after more than a year of being reviled as a murderer. During three weeks of testimony, state prosecutors called 38 people to the stand to paint Zimmerman as a spiteful, frustrated man who profiled and killed an unarmed teenager. Defense attorneys countered by calling 18 witnesses -- but not Zimmerman -- to explain that Zimmerman feared for his life and was being...

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Irish lawmakers back 'life saving' abortion bill

DUBLIN (AP) — Lawmakers have overwhelmingly voted to back Ireland's first bill on abortion, legalizing the practice in exceptional cases where doctors deem the woman's life at risk from her pregnancy. Exhausted legislators applauded Friday's 127-31 vote. It capped a marathon debate that locked lawmakers in argument until 5 a.m. Thursday and, after a pause for sleep, through midnight Friday. ALSO ONLINE: Irish lawmakers agonize over abortion...

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