Reuters

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The D-8 group of developing nations called on Saturday for the U.S. to lift its veto on the full membership of Palestine as an independent and sovereign state in the United Nations.

The Palestinians are currently a non-member observer state, a de facto recognition of statehood that was granted by the U.N. General Assembly in 2012.

In a declaration after a meeting in Istanbul of its council of ministers, G-8 members... (continue reading...)

(Reuters) - It is too early to tell whether the European Central Bank has initiated a shift towards lower borrowing costs after it cut its benchmark interest rate this week, ECB policymaker Robert Holzmann said on Saturday.

The ECB cut the rate it pays on bank deposits to 3.75% from a record 4.0% on Thursday but held back from promising any more easing after a string of disappointing wage and inflation data in recent weeks.

Holzmann, the... (continue reading...)

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis, who says he regularly prays "Lord, give me a sense of humour", will meet comedians from around the world, including U.S. actor Whoopi Goldberg on June 14, the Vatican said on Saturday.

Later on the same day, Francis is due to attend the summit of the heads of State from the seven major democracies (G7) in Apulia.

The Vatican issued a long list of actors who are expected to meet Francis on Friday,... (continue reading...)

CAIRO (Reuters) - Bodies of at least 55 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Al-Nuseirat and other areas in central Gaza, and dozens wounded, in the attacks, arrived on Saturday at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave said.

The hospital, one of the only hospitals still functioning in Gaza, has been currently operating via one power generator and could go out of service while dozens of injured were still on the... (continue reading...)

By Maayan Lubell and Nidal al-Mughrabi

JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) - The Israeli military said it rescued four hostages held since October in a raid in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday while Palestinian officials said an Israeli attack in the same area killed more than 50 people.

It was not immediately clear if the hostage rescue and the deadly Israeli assault were part of the same operation but both took place in al-Nuseirat, an often... (continue reading...)