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| Storm victims face housing crisis as cold snap hits Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 06:23 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - A housing crisis loomed in New York City as victims of superstorm Sandy struggled without heat in near-freezing temperatures on Sunday and nearly 1 million people in neighboring New Jersey shivered in the dark without power. Fuel shortages and power outages lingered nearly a week after one of the worst storms in U.S. history flooded homes in coastal neighborhoods. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said 30,000 to 40,000 people in New York City alone would need shelter. "We don't have a lot of empty housing in this city. It's a problem to find housing. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. fiscal cliff, Europe's debt woes worry G20 Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 07:57 PM PST  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Leading world economies pressed the United States on Sunday to act decisively to avert a rush of spending cuts and tax hikes, warning that the so-called fiscal cliff is the biggest short-term threat to global growth. Unless a fractious Congress can move swiftly to reach a deal after the U.S. elections on Tuesday, about $600 billion in government spending cuts and higher taxes are set to kick in from January 1 and could push the U.S. economy back into recession. "If the United States fails to resolve the fiscal cliff it would hit the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ryan says Obama compromises Judeo-Christian values Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 07:40 PM PST  CASTLE ROCK, Colorado (Reuters) - In a telephone call with evangelical voters Sunday night, U.S. Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan told potential voters that President Barack Obama's path for the United States compromises Judeo-Christian values. The comment came during the final sprint for the U.S. election on Tuesday. Speaking to the Faith and Freedom Coalition, a leading group of Christian conservatives, Ryan attacked Obama's vision in stark terms. ... Full Story | Top |
| Greece makes austerity push, workers gear for strike Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 04:10 PM PST ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's government will present a new austerity package to parliament on Monday, facing a week of strikes and protests over proposals which must win deputies' approval if the country is to secure more aid and stave off bankruptcy. Parliament is expected to vote on Prime Minister Antonis Samaras' package of 13.5 billion euros ($17 billion) in cost cuts and tax hikes on Wednesday along with measures making it easier for firms to hire and fire workers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hollande likely to shrug off "shock therapy" review Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 04:01 PM PST  PARIS (Reuters) - The French government is expected to play down a review on Monday that will prescribe taking an axe to payroll taxes and softening labor laws to reverse a long slide in competitiveness that has eaten away at exports and bled factory jobs. Any expectations that the widely-leaked government-commissioned report by industrialist Louis Gallois would bring big reforms have been snuffed out in advance by the Socialist government which has ruled out "shock therapy" proposals. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bomb shakes Damascus, opposition holds unity talks Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 03:15 PM PST  AMMAN (Reuters) - A bomb exploded near army and security compounds in Damascus, Syrian television reported, and fractured opposition groups seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad began unity talks abroad to win international respect and arms supplies. The 50-kilogram (110-pound) bomb, near a large hotel in a heavily guarded district, was described by state media as an attack by "terrorists" - the government's term for insurgents in the 19-month-old uprising against Assad. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea's economic dreams are, well ... dreams Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 01:04 PM PST  DANDONG, China (Reuters) - A lonely farmer and his ox-cart are the only sign of activity on a dusty island meant to be an industrial hub that will raise North Korea's wrecked economy. Despite talk of reform by the secretive state after the third generation of the Kim family dynasty took over nearly a year ago, about all that seems to be growing is the gap between the tiny population of rich and the already malnourished poor. And while the government is hoping to lure in foreign investment, more often the money, and tens of thousands of workers, are heading out of the impoverished North. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. gasoline prices post biggest fall in nearly 4 years: survey Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 02:08 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - The average U.S. price for a gallon of regular gasoline took its biggest drop since 2008 in the past two weeks, due to lower crude oil prices, a big price drop in pump prices in California and Hurricane Sandy, according to a widely followed survey released on Sunday. Gasoline prices averaged $3.5454 per gallon on November 2, down 20.75 cents from October 19 when drivers were paying $3.7529 at the pump, Lundberg said. The decline was the biggest two-week price drop since the survey recorded a 21. ... Full Story | Top |
| Gunmen wound Egyptian UNICEF worker in Karachi Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 12:42 PM PST KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) - Gunmen wounded an Egyptian working for the United Nations Children's Fund when they fired on his vehicle in Pakistan's largest city on Sunday, police said. The motive for the attack was not entirely clear, but police said it may have been a robbery gone wrong. The shooting followed an attack in July when two men working on the World Health Organization's polio campaign were wounded. Taliban fighters oppose the campaign and many religious leaders say it is a Western conspiracy to spy on or sterilize Muslims. On Sunday three international U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel kills Palestinian man near Gaza border: medics Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 03:46 PM PST  GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli soldiers have shot and killed a Palestinian man who approached a fence near the border with Israel, medics said on Monday. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed the shooting took place after darkness fell on Sunday, saying troops opened warning shots when a man walking west of the border in a riverbed failed to heed orders to leave the buffer area Israel maintains to try and prevent cross-border attacks. Palestinian medics said the victim was an unarmed, mentally unfit man and that they had to wait a couple of hours for permission to pick him up, early on Monday. ... Full Story | Top |
| In China, political ambition comes at a monumental cost Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 12:51 PM PST  TIANJIN, China (Reuters) - Dong Zizhou casts his fishing net from the shore and fixes his gaze on a stand of 15 unfinished skyscrapers rising like concrete skeletons beside the Hai River, heralding China's ambition to develop the world's largest financial centre. The towers in Tianjin's Yujiapu Financial District, and two dozen others on the opposite side of the river, are monuments to the transformation of this once-rundown northern city of 13 million into the country's fastest growing region last year. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. fiscal cliff, Europe's debt woes worry G20 Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 03:20 PM PST MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Finance chiefs of leading economies pressed the United States on Sunday to avert a rush of spending cuts and tax hikes that could hurt global output next year, though some countries still saw Europe's debt crisis as the No. 1 danger. Unless a fractious Congress can move quickly to reach a deal after Tuesday's U.S. elections, about $600 billion in government spending cuts and higher taxes are set to kick in from January 1, threatening to push the American economy back into recession. ... Full Story | Top |
| Housing crisis looms as storm victims battle cold Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 02:14 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - A housing crisis loomed in New York City as victims of superstorm Sandy struggled on Sunday without heat in near-freezing temperatures, and officials fretted displaced residents would not be able to vote in Tuesday's presidential election. Fuel shortages and power outages lingered nearly a week after one of the worst storms in U.S. history flooded homes in coastal neighborhoods, leaving many without heat and in need of shelter in New York and New Jersey. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama, Romney in tight races in four pivotal states Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 11:44 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney remained essentially tied in four swing states seen as determining the winner of the White House race in Tuesday's election, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Sunday. The Democratic incumbent and former Massachusetts governor are both spending the weekend in final swings through the few states they hope will help them win on Tuesday. In possibly the single most crucial swing state of Ohio, Obama broadened his slim lead among likely voters to 48 percent compared to Romney's 44 percent. ... Full Story | Top |
| Politics call the tune in U.S, China and Europe Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 11:03 AM PST LONDON (Reuters) - In the politically packed days ahead, an election, a coronation and a two-part parliamentary vote each has the potential to alter the course of the global economy for years to come. The election, of course, is on Tuesday for the White House and Congress. Two days later, China's ruling Communist party begins the 18th congress in its history. Barring one of the biggest political surprises in modern times, the carefully choreographed gathering will culminate a week later in the crowning of Xi Jinping as successor to Hu Jintao. He will hold the reins of power for the next ... Full Story | Top |
| Kuwaiti security forces teargas opposition-led protest Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 11:59 AM PST  KUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwaiti security forces fired tear gas to disperse an unauthorized demonstration on Sunday by thousands of opposition supporters against new voting rules for parliamentary elections on December 1. OPEC member and U.S. ally Kuwait has so far avoided the mass pro-democracy unrest that has toppled rulers in four other Arab countries since last year, but tension has mounted this year in a long-running power struggle between parliament and the government which is dominated by the ruling Al-Sabah family. ... Full Story | Top |
| Car bomb kills child, wounds 18 in southeast Turkey Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 10:25 AM PST DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - A car bomb targeting a military vehicle in southeast Turkey on Sunday killed an 11-year-old child and wounded 18 other people, Turkish officials said. The blast happened when a police special forces armored vehicle passed the entrance to the town of Semdinli, near Turkey's borders with Iraq and Iran, the scene of frequent conflict between Turkish security forces and Kurdish militants. Most of the wounded were believed to be passers-by, with two reported to be in a serious condition. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cozy texts show Cameron ties to Murdoch executive Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 08:43 AM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - Text messages sent by the former head of Rupert Murdoch's British newspapers to Prime Minister David Cameron, published on Sunday, have further revealed their close personal relationship. Rebekah Brooks, who is awaiting trial on charges related to a phone-hacking scandal that prompted a public inquiry into media ethics, congratulated Cameron a "brilliant" pre-election speech in 2009 that she said had moved her to tears. "I cried twice. Will love 'working together'," Brooks said in one text message sent months before Cameron's Conservatives formed a coalition government. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. soldier accused of Afghan rampage faces evidence hearing Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 08:02 AM PST  SEATTLE (Reuters) - A U.S. Army soldier accused of gunning down 16 Afghan villagers in a drunken rampage will face the military version of a preliminary hearing on Monday to determine if there is sufficient evidence to send him to a court martial. U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, a decorated veteran of four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan who could face the death penalty if convicted, is accused of walking off his base under cover of darkness and opening fire on civilians in their homes in at least two villages in March. ... Full Story | Top |
| Crucial votes will end talk of Greece exiting euro: PM Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 07:55 AM PST  ATHENS (Reuters) - Talk of Greece exiting the euro will end after critical votes in parliament this week on new austerity measures, labor reforms and the 2013 budget, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said on Sunday. The three-party government will submit the package of measures to parliament on Monday and must approve both it and the 2013 budget to receive aid from the IMF and European Union that it needs to avoid bankruptcy. The junior ruling Democratic Left Party has refused to back the mix of tax hikes, spending reductions worth 13. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Crude-by-rail carves out long-term North American niche Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 06:02 AM PST VANCOUVER (Reuters) - In this era of pipelines spanning thousands of miles, the idea of shipping crude across North America in railway cars might seem a quaint throwback to the oil pioneering days of the West. Yet it's a booming business for North America's railroads, and should remain an important niche market for years to come. Shipments of crude by rail in the United States have surged from around 11,000 barrels per day in 2007 to an estimated 340,000 bpd in 2012, according to data from the Association of American Railroads. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mail-in ballots: the hanging chads of 2012? Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 04:11 AM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Sloppy signatures on mail-in ballots might prove to be the hanging chads of the 2012 election. As Republicans and Democrats raise alarms about potential voter fraud and voter suppression, mail-in ballots have boomed as an uncontroversial form of convenient, inexpensive voting. In the critical swing states of Ohio and Florida, more than a fifth of voters chose the mail-in option 2010. In Colorado, another battleground, the number was nearly two-thirds. But there may be controversy to come. ... Full Story | Top |
| China wraps up key meeting with Bo Xilai expulsion Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 03:23 AM PST  BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese leaders ended a key closed-door conclave on Sunday with a decision to formally expel disgraced politician Bo Xilai from the Communist Party, in a meeting which also promoted two senior military men and approved the party constitution's amendment. The secretive four-day meeting of 365 senior party officials ratified an earlier decision to expel Bo, former Chongqing party boss, as well as Liu Zhijun, one-time railway minister, sacked last year for "serious disciplinary violations", state news agency Xinhua said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama, Romney sprint to unpredictable campaign finish Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 01:32 PM PST  CONCORD, New Hampshire (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney sprinted to an unpredictable finish in the last 48 hours of a close White House race on Sunday, trying to turn out supporters and woo undecided voters in a handful of toss-up states. The two rivals crisscrossed the country on the next-to-last day of a campaign that polls show is deadlocked nationally, although the president appeared to have a slight edge in the swing states that will decide who captures the 270 electoral votes needed to win on Tuesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rival Libya militias battle on streets of Tripoli Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 09:32 AM PST  TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Rival Libyan militias fired guns and rocket-propelled grenades at each other in Tripoli on Sunday and set fire to a former intelligence building in one of the worst breakdowns in security in the capital since Muammar Gaddafi's fall. At least five people were wounded and a stray bullet entered a hospital in the heart of the city, where residents rushed to arm themselves, saying calls to police had gone unheeded. After more than 12 hours, the army moved in. ... Full Story | Top |
| Insight: For most voters, presidential campaign is distant Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 10:23 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - This year's presidential election could be among the closest in U.S. history, as President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney are locked in a virtual dead heat. For a growing number of voters, however, it will not be much of a contest at all. Roughly 22 percent of the U.S. population lives in the nine politically divided states that are likely to determine the outcome of Tuesday's election - and that have been the focus of the candidates' campaign stops and advertising. ... Full Story | Top |
| France to oppose those creating instability in Lebanon: Hollande Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 01:44 AM PST  BEIRUT (Reuters) - France will oppose those creating instability in Lebanon, President Francois Hollande said on Sunday, two weeks after a car bombing in Beirut that the political opposition have blamed on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Lebanon has been threatened by spillover from the 19-month-old conflict in neighboring Syria in which 32,000 people have been killed as a peaceful pro-democracy movement morphed into an armed uprising after Assad tried to crush it by military force. ... Full Story | Top |
| Police helicopter crashes in Atlanta, kills two officers Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 10:28 PM PDT ATLANTA (Reuters) - An Atlanta police helicopter crashed on Saturday night, killing two police officers, a police spokesman said. "One of our helicopters went down and two officers were killed," police spokesman Carlos Campos said. There was no immediate word on how many people were aboard the aircraft when it crashed, nor on what may have been the cause. (Reporting by David Beasley; Writing By Cynthia Johnston and Doina Chiacu) Full Story | Top |
| Activists rally to end prison torture in Egypt Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 01:12 AM PST  CAIRO (Reuters) - About 1,000 activists rallied in Cairo on Saturday demanding an end to brutality in Egyptian prisons and calling for a ban on torture in the new constitution. Islamist president Mohamed Mursi was elected in June following 16 months of rule by the army council that took over after Hosni Mubarak's overthrow last year. During the council's rule, some 12,000 civilians were tried by army courts and many of them were tortured in prisons, according to rights groups. ... Full Story | Top |
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