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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 |
| Merkel coalition agrees welfare changes as poll looms Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 06:19 PM PST  BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right coalition reached agreement early on Monday on contentious social welfare issues that it hopes will bolster its support in the countdown to federal elections next September. After nearly eight hours of talks that underlined the degree of discord simmering within her three-party government, Merkel and other leaders agreed to scrap an unpopular health surcharge and to introduce extra child benefits, coalition sources said. ... Full Story | Top |
| China communist party to probe Wen family wealth: SCMP Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 05:38 PM PST HONG KONG (Reuters) - China's ruling Communist Party has launched an internal inquiry into allegations made by The New York Times that the family of Premier Wen Jiabao accumulated at least $2.7 billion in "hidden riches", the South China Morning Post said on Monday. Wen himself asked for the inquiry in a letter to the Politburo Standing Committee - the party's top decision-making body of which he is also a member - in an apparent move to clear his name, the Hong Kong daily said, citing unnamed sources. ... Full Story | Top |
| Two released after being held in North Ireland prison officer's murder Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 04:35 PM PST BELFAST (Reuters) - Two men arrested by police in Northern Ireland hunting for those responsible for the murder of a prison officer who was shot as he drove to work were released without charge on Sunday, police said. According to a security source one of the men released was Colin Duffy, a prominent Irish nationalist acquitted earlier this year of the murder of two British soldiers. The men were detained on Friday, a day after the prison officer, David Black, 52, was shot dead. ... 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 |
| UK PM Cameron visits Gulf, Typhoon jet sales high on agenda Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 04:04 PM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron will visit the Gulf and Middle East on a three-day diplomacy and trade trip this week, his office said on Monday, adding that selling BAE Systems-built fighter jets would be high on the agenda. Cameron will visit the United Arab Emirates on Monday, and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday before travelling to another destination in the Middle East, in a trip his office said "was to help Britain compete and thrive in the global race". ... 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Syria mediator wants U.N. resolution based on Geneva deal Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 02:49 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - The international mediator on Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, called on Sunday for world powers to issue a U.N. Security Council resolution based on a deal they reached in June to set up a transitional government in a bid to end the bloodshed. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking at the same Cairo news conference, dismissed the need for a resolution and said others were stoking violence by backing rebels. His comment highlighted divisions and the impasse over Syria's civil war. Russia and China, both permanent council members, have vetoed three Western-backed U.N. ... 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 |
| France could cut labour charges for some sectors: minister Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 01:59 PM PST  PARIS (Reuters) - The French government could propose cutting labour charges for selected sectors and companies as part of its plan to kickstart competitiveness, the junior minister for small and medium-sized business said on Sunday. In an interview with TV channel France 5, Fleur Pellerin said small-to-medium enterprises will play an important role in a government plan due to be outlined on Tuesday, the day after the publication of a government-commissioned report by industrialist Louis Gallois on how to improve competitiveness. ... 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 |
| Israel announces plans to boost Iron Dome missile interceptor Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 01:29 PM PST JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel announced plans on Sunday to boost its Iron Dome missile interceptor system, citing successful tests of the largely U.S.-funded system conducted in light of what it called "a variety of unprecedented threats". A Defence Ministry statement said a fifth battery of the rockets used so far to fend off salvoes fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, would be added to the system "within a short time" following successful tests of an upgrade. ... Full Story | Top |
| Foreign banks hope China's new leaders will loosen up regulators Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 01:19 PM PST SHANGHAI (Reuters) - For all the hopes that China's forthcoming leadership change will herald a new wave of market reforms, foreign bankers don't expect to get the level playing field they crave any time soon. Trends are positive, but progress can be frustratingly slow. "My outlook is basically optimistic, particularly in the medium term. The near term is always always uncertain," Christian Murck, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in China and independent director of J.P. Morgan Chase (China) Ltd, told Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fighting rages at Damascus Palestinian camp, 20 killed Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 01:18 PM PST AMMAN (Reuters) - The Syrian army shelled rebel positions inside a Palestinian refugee camp on the edge of Damascus on Sunday killing at least 20 people, opposition campaigners said. The Yarmouk camp, adjacent to the capital's southern entrance, has become the latest battle ground between forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad and rebels fighting to end the president's rule. "Yarmouk is a dense area and shelling it always results in a human catastrophe. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Africa police block opposition from Zuma's home Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 01:17 PM PST  JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African police prevented the country's main opposition leader from using a public road leading to President Jacob Zuma's house in his home village on Sunday, citing safety concerns. South African media have reported the government plans to spend some 250 million rand ($28.61 million) on President Jacob Zuma's home village, angering the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) which had wanted to deliver letters from school children who lack textbooks, to illustrate where money should be spent. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Romney is likely to break "day-one" China currency pledge Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 01:07 PM PST  BEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney would lack the legal power to label China a currency manipulator on his first day in office should he win Tuesday's election, offering him a way out of what experts say is the weakest claim on the issue for years. The authority to make the formal accusation lies with the U.S. Treasury Secretary, which could be a face-saving remedy former U.S. officials say Romney might need after he repeatedly said he would declare China a currency manipulator, as part of his campaign to suggest President Barack Obama had been soft on the country. ... 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Somalia picks cabinet, balances old guard with newcomers Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 12:16 PM PST  MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somalia unveiled a new cabinet on Sunday, keeping a delicate balance among rival clans as it tries to shake off years of conflict that still plagues the country despite a recent push against al-Qaeda-linked militants. The formation of the government is the culmination of a regionally brokered, U.N.-backed effort to restore central control and end close to two decades of fighting that has killed tens of thousands of people. ... 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| French left hits back at Church over same-sex marriage Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 10:12 AM PST  PARIS (Reuters) - France's governing Socialist Party hit back hard at the Roman Catholic Church on Sunday for campaigning against its plan to legalize same-sex marriage, heralding a bruising debate over the issue. Paris Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois spoke against the proposed law on Saturday and encouraged Catholics to write to their elected officials and take to the streets in protest against the reform due to be voted on by mid-2013. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Sudan expels U.N. human rights officer Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 09:56 AM PST JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan said on Sunday it had expelled a U.N. human rights investigator, accusing her of writing false reports, a move the U.N. mission said broke the country's legal obligations to the United Nations. U.N. sources, who named the officer as Sandra Beidas, said the expulsion may have been related to an August report accusing the army of torturing, raping, killing and abducting civilians. South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in July last year under a 2005 peace deal that ended a decades-long civil war in which some 2 million people died. ... 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 |
| British soldier killed in Cyprus resort stabbing, three held Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 09:10 AM PST  NICOSIA (Reuters) - An off-duty British soldier was stabbed to death in the popular Cypriot resort of Ayia Napa on Sunday, police said, saying they had detained three British tourists for questioning. The incident occurred at a nightclub in the resort. The soldier, a 19-year-old serving with the Second Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, was stabbed in the chest and was dead upon arrival at a local hospital. Police identified the victim as David Lee Collins, 19. Two police sources told Reuters that the three suspects held for questioning were British citizens, all teenagers. ... Full Story | Top |
| In Islamist-led Egypt, Coptic Christians name new pope Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 09:03 AM PST  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's Coptic Orthodox church chose a new pope, Tawadros II, in a sumptuous service on Sunday and Christians hope he will lead them through an Islamist-dominated landscape and protect what is the Middle East's biggest Christian community. Christians, who make up about a tenth of Egypt's 83 million population, worry about political gains made by Islamists since Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year. Radical Islamists have been blamed for attacks on churches several times since, but Copts have long complained of discrimination in Muslim-majority Egypt. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. says Sudan forces blocked access to site of Darfur attack Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 08:47 AM PST KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese government forces have blocked international peacekeepers accessing the site of an alleged attack that killed up to 10 civilians in the western Darfur region, the peacekeepers said. Tribal fighting, banditry and clashes between insurgents and government forces have ravaged Darfur since rebels took up arms against the central government in 2003. ... Full Story | Top |
| Somali pirates free Seychelles fishermen after year's captivity Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 08:44 AM PST MOGADISHU/VICTORIA (Reuters) - Somali pirates have released two Seychellois hostages they had in captivity for a year, officials from both countries said. The two fishermen were hijacked last November in their boat, the Aride, some 65 miles west of Mahe in Seychelles and taken to the Somali port of Hobyo, a base for many pirates, before being moved inland to the central town of Adado, where they were held. ... 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 |
| Blast in Kenya's Garissa kills one: official Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 08:36 AM PST  GARISSA, Kenya (Reuters) - A suspected grenade attack on a church in the eastern Kenyan town of Garissa killed one and injured at least 11 people on Sunday, the Kenya Red Cross and a local official said. Militants have staged several attacks since Kenya sent troops into Somalia a year ago to fight al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab rebels following raids and kidnappings in the border region that threatened tourism and wider regional instability. Three of the 11 injured people at Garissa's district hospital needed to be evacuated by air and the hospital urgently needed blood, the Kenya Red Cross said. ... Full Story | Top |
| DR Congo soldier killed in border clash with Rwandan army Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 08:32 AM PST BUKAVU, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - A soldier from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been killed in a border skirmish with Rwandan troops, military officials from both countries said on Sunday. Tension has risen between Rwanda and the DRC this year over allegations by Kinshasa, denied by Kigali, that Rwanda is backing a rebellion in its vast and unstable neighbor. "There was an incident on Saturday afternoon between a Congolese soldier and a Rwandan soldier," Colonel Olivier Hamuli, a Congolese army spokesman said. "The Congolese soldier was killed ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Sunday protests set in Kuwait despite government warning Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 08:06 AM PST KUWAIT (Reuters) - The opposition in Kuwait will press ahead with a march on Sunday to protest at new voting rules ahead of parliamentary elections, despite a government warning that it will not tolerate unsanctioned demonstrations, an activist said. The OPEC member and U.S. ally said on Saturday it had not authorized any protests and the prime minister warned that police could use force if the authorities felt the Gulf Arab state was under serious threat. ... 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 |
| Iran to strengthen naval presence over disputed islands Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 07:54 AM PST DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran will increase its naval presence in the Gulf to strengthen its authority over three islands which the United Arab Emirates says are its territory, Tehran said on Sunday. The islands sit near oil shipping routes at the mouth of the strategic Strait of Hormuz and the challenge over their sovereignty is a constant threat to Iran's fragile relations with its Arab neighbors. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Syria's divided opposition gather for talks Sunday, Nov 04, 2012 07:38 AM PST (Reuters) - Here is a look at Syrian opposition factions who began talks in Qatar on Sunday to forge unity crucial to gaining international respect and a better supply of weapons for their quest to oust President Bashar al-Assad. * The Syrian National Council (SNC) is a largely foreign-based group which has been among the most vocal proponents of international intervention in the Syrian conflict. ... Full Story | Top |
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