Santorum claims momentum with wins in three states

DENVER (Reuters) - Republican presidential contender Rick Santorum claimed a surge of momentum and fundraising on Wednesday, a day after his shocking sweep of nominating contests in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri that dealt a blow to front-runner Mitt Romney.

Frustration mounts as Greeks seek elusive bailout deal

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek party leaders finally gathered on Wednesday to agree a reform deal in return for a new EU/IMF rescue to avoid a chaotic default, after repeated delays which have prompted warnings that the euro can live without Athens.

Signs build that Iran sanctions disrupt food imports

KUALA LUMPUR/TEHRAN (Reuters) - More evidence emerged on Tuesday of the crippling impact of new sanctions on Iran, with international traders saying Tehran is having trouble buying rice, cooking oil and other staples to feed its 74 million people weeks before an election.

As Homs battles, Turkey readies Syria move

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian forces thrust into the rebellious city of Homs on Wednesday, killing as many as 100 civilians by the accounts of opposition activists, and Turkey appeared to be preparing a new diplomatic push against President Bashar al-Assad.

Wall Street edges up on Greece, Disney earnings

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks edged higher on Wednesday as hopeful investors awaited the latest attempt by Greece to reach a deal on reforms in exchange for a new bailout.

Nissan sees annual profits beating Toyota, Honda

YOKOHAMA, Japan (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co is on track to be the most profitable of Japan's three big automakers this year, after record car sales last year and improved market share in every major region pushed up quarterly operating profit.

Sexual abuse silence "deadly" for Church: Vatican official

ROME (Reuters) - Hiding behind a culture of "omerta" -- the Italian word for the Mafia's code of silence -- would be deadly for the Catholic Church, the Vatican's top official for dealing with sexual abuse of minors by clergy said Wednesday.

Judge orders misconduct report in Sen. Stevens case released

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Wednesday ordered that a 500-page special report detailing federal prosecutors' misconduct in the 2008 corruption trial of the late Senator Ted Stevens be released next month, despite objections by some of the subjects of the report.

News Corp team accused of risking journalist sources

LONDON (Reuters) - A team of executives and lawyers set up by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp to clean up journalism practices at his London newspapers has been accused of putting at risk confidential sources in its dealings with British police investigators.

Iran says can hit U.S. interests worldwide if attacked

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Iran is capable of carrying out military strikes on U.S. interests all around the world if the Islamic Republic is attacked by the United States, Iran's ambassador to Moscow said on Wednesday.