| | |
| Seven Tibetans burn themselves in anti-Beijing protests -group Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 09:00 PM PDT BEIJING (Reuters) - A total of seven Tibetans have set fire to themselves in the past week in protest against what they claim is heavy-handed Chinese rule in the Himalayan region, a human rights group said in a statement issued late on Saturday. Cousins Tsepo, 20, and Tenzin, 25, set themselves aflame outside a government building in Driru County, north of regional capital Lhasa on Thursday, London-based group Free Tibet said. Tsepo died on the way to hospital and Tenzin was taken away by officials, Free Tibet said. His whereabouts are unknown. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hurricane Sandy looms over 10-day sprint to election Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 08:50 PM PDT  NASHUA, N.H./KISSIMMEE, Florida (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney campaigned feverishly in closely contested battleground states on Saturday but changed travel plans to avoid Hurricane Sandy, the massive storm approaching the U.S. East Coast. With just 10 days before Election Day and polls showing the national race a dead heat, Romney held three rallies in Florida, whose 29 electoral votes are the biggest prize among states considered too close to call. ... Full Story | Top |
| Threat of Hurricane Sandy grows as it targets East Coast Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 08:34 PM PDT  HATTERAS ISLAND, North Carolina (Reuters) - Hurricane Sandy closed in on the United States on Saturday as coastal communities along the East Coast scrambled to prepare for torrential rains, high winds, major flooding and power outages a week before the presidential election. Governors in states in the hurricane's path declared emergencies, announcing mandatory evacuations of vulnerable areas. New York City officials discussed whether to shut the subway system on Sunday in advance of the storm. Rain accumulations of up to 12 inches and heavy snowfall inland are considered likely in some areas. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama cancels stops in Virginia, Colorado because of storm Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 08:05 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is canceling campaign stops in Virginia and Colorado early next week because of the impending landfall of Hurricane Sandy and will instead monitor the storm from the White House, his spokesman said on Saturday. Obama was to have campaigned with former President Bill Clinton in Virginia on Monday as part of a three-state swing through political battlegrounds including Ohio and Florida. The Virginia stop has been canceled along with a trip to Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Tuesday, White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lawyers for China premier's family deny "hidden riches" claim Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 07:41 PM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - Lawyers representing the family of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao have rejected claims made by the New York Times on Friday that they have accumulated at least $2.7 billion in "hidden riches", Hong Kong media reported on Sunday. The New York Times, citing corporate and regulatory records, reported on Friday that Wen's mother, siblings and children had amassed the majority of their wealth since Wen was named Vice Premier in 1998. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rubio leaves Romney motorcade after daughter in car accident Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 06:11 PM PDT  LAND O'LAKES, Florida (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, who was campaigning in his home state of Florida with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, left the campaign on Saturday to be with his 12-year-old daughter after she was injured in a car accident in Miami. Rubio, a rising star in the Republican Party, had just finished taking part in a campaign rally with Romney in Kissimmee when he was told about the accident involving his daughter, Amanda. "Senator Rubio's daughter was involved in a motor vehicle accident earlier today in Miami," said Rubio spokesman Alex Conant. ... Full Story | Top |
| Saudi authorities disperse anti-Assad protest in Mecca Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 06:08 PM PDT  MECCA (Reuters) - Saudi authorities quickly dispersed a protest by hundreds of Syrian pilgrims calling for the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and denouncing what they said was international failure to stop bloodshed in Syria, a Reuters witness said. Protesters held up rebel flags and marched toward the Jamarat Bridge in Mina, east of the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca, where more than 3 million Muslim pilgrims congregated for the annual haj. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel kills Palestinian militant in Gaza: Palestinian officials Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 05:09 PM PDT GAZA (Reuters) - Israel killed a Palestinian militant from the Hamas Islamist group and wounded another in an air strike on a motorcycle in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, Palestinian officials said. The Israeli military confirmed there was an attack but had no further details. The violence followed a three-day lull since a surge last week in which Israel killed at least four Gaza militants as dozens of rockets were launched at Israeli towns, damaging a couple of homes and wounding several agricultural workers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Satellite images suggest Sudan arms factory was bombed: group Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 04:59 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Analysis of satellite imagery of a Sudanese munitions factory that Khartoum accused Israel of bombing earlier this week suggests the site may have been hit with aerial bombardment as Sudan claims, a monitoring group said on Saturday. The Satellite Sentinel Project, whose founders include Hollywood actor George Clooney and the Enough Project, said it conducted a comparative analysis of DigitalGlobe imagery of the arms factory in Khartoum, where a huge explosion on Tuesday killed two people and caused a large fire. ... Full Story | Top |
| Greek editor's arrest sought over list with Swiss accounts Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 04:47 PM PDT ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek police are seeking to arrest the editor of a weekly magazine for publishing a list of more than 2,000 names of wealthy Greeks who have placed money in Swiss bank accounts, police said on Saturday. The so-called "Lagarde List" - given to Greece by French authorities in 2010 with names to be probed for possible tax evasion - has been a topic of heated speculation in Greek media in recent weeks. It is named after International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde, who was French finance minister when the list was handed over. ... Full Story | Top |
| Guinea Bissau arrests suspected counter-coup bid leader Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 04:27 PM PDT BISSAU (Reuters) - The suspected leader of a failed October 21 counter-coup attempt in Guinea-Bissau was arrested on Saturday, witnesses and a security official said. Captain Pansao Ntchama, a bodyguard to the then head of the army under ousted Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior, and four other suspects were detained at a farm on an island near the West African country's capital Bissau. "Ntchama and his men have been incarcerated in a cell at the headquarters of the armed forces," an army officer told Reuters, requesting not to be named. ... Full Story | Top |
| Economic hardship argument is tough sell for Ryan in Ohio Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 04:15 PM PDT NEW PHILADELPHIA, Ohio (Reuters) - Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan told an Ohio rally on Saturday about a friend's financial hardship, but his party's narrative that President Barack Obama has failed on the U.S. economy may be a difficult sell in the crucial battleground state. "I've got a buddy who was making 25 (dollars) an hour who went to make 9 dollars an hour as a cashier at a gas station temporarily with no benefits. That's the story of the American economy right now," Ryan told a crowd of 1,000 people at an excavator factory. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lithuania left eyes vote win after years of austerity Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 03:41 PM PDT VILNIUS (Reuters) - Centre-left parties look set to be propelled to power in Lithuania's election on Sunday by voters angry at years of austerity, but an incoming government may have little choice but to stick to tough budget policies. Economists said the Baltic nation's high borrowing needs mean a coalition likely to be formed by the Labour Party and the Social Democratic Party will have little room for maneuver as it strives for euro membership in the next few years. The parties have said they can ease hardship while being fiscally responsible. ... Full Story | Top |
| Presidential race still virtually even: Reuters/Ipsos poll Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 03:39 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama holds a narrow lead of 2 percentage points over Republican challenger Mitt Romney in Reuters/Ipsos poll results released on Saturday, leaving the race effectively tied as fewer voters say they are likely to change their minds. Obama led Romney by 47 percent to 45 percent among likely voters, a slim margin within the daily national online tracking survey's credibility interval. ... Full Story | Top |
| Missouri's Senate race a statistical dead heat: poll Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 03:31 PM PDT KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - Democratic Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill holds a slim lead of 2 percentage points over Republican challenger Todd Akin - essentially a deadlock - in a race being closely watched following Akin's controversial comments on "legitimate rape," a poll released on Saturday showed. McCaskill had been seen as one of the most vulnerable incumbent Democrats but has led Akin in most polls since he said in August that women could biologically defend themselves against pregnancy caused by "legitimate rape. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ukrainian President Yanukovich's party set to win poll Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 03:14 PM PDT  KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich's pro-business ruling party seems likely to win parliamentary elections on Sunday, but will face a re-energized opposition which has vowed to fight growing authoritarianism and corruption. The former Soviet republic of 46 million is more isolated internationally than it has been for years. The imprisonment of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Yanukovich's main rival, has put it at odds with the United States and European Union, while Russia turns a deaf ear to Kiev's calls for cheaper gas. ... Full Story | Top |
| Massive Hurricane Sandy takes aim at East Coast Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 02:29 PM PDT HATTERAS ISLAND, North Carolina (Reuters) - Hurricane Sandy closed in on the United States on Saturday as it threatened to smack the eastern third of the country with torrential rains, high winds, major flooding and power outages a week before the U.S. presidential election. On its current projected track, Sandy could make U.S. landfall on Monday night or Tuesday anywhere between Maryland and southern New England, forecasters said. Rain accumulations of up to 12 inches and heavy snowfall inland are considered likely in some areas. ... Full Story | Top |
| Berlusconi threatens to bring down Monti government Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 01:54 PM PDT  ROME (Reuters) - Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Saturday his centre-right bloc may withdraw its support from the government of Mario Monti, a move that could throw Italy into political chaos ahead of next April's national elections. "We have to recognize the fact that the initiative of this government is a continuation of a spiral of recession for our economy," Berlusconi told a news conference in northern Italy a day after he was convicted and sentenced to four years for tax fraud related to his Mediaset media empire. ... Full Story | Top |
| Two dead as police clash with protesters in Peru's capital Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 01:39 PM PDT  LIMA (Reuters) - Two people died and 21 others were injured in Peru's capital on Saturday as protesters clashed with police trying to shut down a sprawling wholesale market, raising the death toll to four since street battles erupted at the site on Thursday. The unrest in Lima's downtown has stunned residents and could hurt Mayor Susana Villaran's chances of winning a recall election in the chaotic city of 8 million. The date of the vote has not been set, but must occur within 40 days. ... Full Story | Top |
| In Florida, black churches scramble to get early voters to polls Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 01:37 PM PDT ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Errol Thompson, a Baptist pastor in Orlando's black community, acknowledges that the excitement over Barack Obama becoming the first black U.S. president has cooled. But with the Democratic president locked in a tight race against Republican challenger Mitt Romney, Thompson still expects voter turnout in Florida for the November 6 election to be equal to or greater than it was four years ago. ... Full Story | Top |
| Indonesia arrests 11 suspected militants over U.S. embassy plot Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 01:31 PM PDT  JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's anti-terrorist squad arrested 11 suspected Islamic militants it said planned to attack the U.S. embassy, a plaza near Australia's embassy and the offices of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, a police spokesman said on Saturday. The Detachment 88 squad seized bomb-making equipment and one bomb ready to be used by a new militant group called Harakah Sunni for the Indonesian Society (HASMI), said National Police spokesman Suhardi Alius in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| FDA finds contaminants in drug linked to meningitis Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 01:02 PM PDT (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it found "greenish black foreign matter" and other contaminants in an injectable steroid produced by the New England Compounding Center, the pharmacy at the heart of a deadly U.S. meningitis outbreak. It also found that vials from the same bin of the steroid contained what appeared to be a "white filamentous material," according to the report released by the FDA following inspections of the facility in October. ... Full Story | Top |
| European Parliament cancels trip to Iran over activists Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 12:28 PM PDT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A European Parliament delegation has called off a trip to Iran after a request to meet two jailed activists was refused. The decision came after Iran's ambassador to the European Union said it was impossible to guarantee that the members of the European Parliament could meet jailed human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and filmmaker Jafar Panahi, the European Parliament said on Saturday. The parliament awarded the two its Sakharov prize for human rights and freedom of thought on Friday. "I deeply regret that permission to meet the Sakharov laureates was withheld. ... Full Story | Top |
| Baghdad blasts kill more than 30 over Eid holiday Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 12:25 PM PDT  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Bombings on Shi'ite neighborhoods in Baghdad and a blast on an Iranian pilgrim bus killed more than 30 people on Saturday, marring Iraqi celebrations of the second day of the Islamic Eid al Adha religious festival. Violence in Iraq has eased sharply, but Sunni Islamist insurgents and al Qaeda's Iraq wing often target Shi'ites in an attempt to stir up the kind of sectarian tensions that dragged the country close to civil war in 2006-2007. ... Full Story | Top |
| White House: not crafting new tax cut plan Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 12:09 PM PDT  ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will continue to push for middle-class tax cuts as part of his economic agenda, but the White House is not considering a specific new tax cut plan at this time, a spokesman for Obama said on Saturday. "Moving forward, the president does believe that cutting taxes for middle class families is an important part of his economic agenda. It is something he'll continue to push for," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Landmark Medicare settlement could change lives Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 11:56 AM PDT  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Glenda Jimmo has had a challenging life. Blind since the age of 19, the 76-year-old Bristol, Vermont, resident is confined to a wheelchair due to disabling conditions that include a below-the-knee amputation stemming from her diabetes. "But it's been an interesting, full life," she says. "I have four children." Now, she's lent her name to a class action lawsuit. Its settlement, announced this week, is expected to transform the way that Medicare covers long-term care. Jimmo requires regular skilled nursing services in her home for wound care and management of her condition. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tens of thousands protest against austerity in Rome Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 11:50 AM PDT  ROME (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people marched through Rome in a "No Monti Day" on Saturday, some throwing eggs and spraying graffiti to protest against austerity measures introduced by Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti's government. Appointed in November when Italy risked being sucked into the euro zone debt crisis, Monti has pushed through painful tax hikes, spending cuts and a pension overhaul. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bombs kill 23 in Baghdad Shi'ite neighborhood: police Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 11:36 AM PDT BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Two car bombs hit a Shi'ite neighborhood in Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least 23 people on the second day of the Islamic Eid al-Adha religious festival, police and hospital sources said. (Reporting by Baghdad newsroom; writing by Patrick Markey) Full Story | Top |
| Greece to vote on labor reform despite coalition split Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 11:30 AM PDT ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's government plans to put labor reforms demanded by foreign lenders to a parliamentary vote despite a junior coalition partner's refusal to back them, the finance minister said on Saturday. The government will present the 2013 budget law - which contains the bulk of new austerity measures demanded by lenders - in parliament on Wednesday, and a separate bill with reforms including the contested labor measures a few days later, Yannis Stournaras said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Up to 40 percent may vote early in election: Obama ahead Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 11:21 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Early voters could account for up to 40 percent of all ballots cast in the 2012 U.S. presidential election, and polls of people who already voted show President Barack Obama with a comfortable lead over Republican challenger Mitt Romney. Both candidates have been urging supporters not just to vote but to do it early as Republicans and Democrats campaign vigorously - particularly in key battleground states - to lock up as many votes as possible before Election Day on November 6. Polls of people who say they already have voted show Obama with a lead in many of the states. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy's centre-right may withdraw confidence in Monti: Berlusconi Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 11:20 AM PDT ROME (Reuters) - The center-right bloc will decide "in the next few days" whether to withdraw confidence for Prime Minister Mario Monti in parliament or support him until elections in April, former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Saturday. Monti's government of non-elected technocrats is backed by the center-left, the center and the center-right. It would have to resign if it lost the support of the entire center-right. (Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Ralph Gowling) Full Story | Top |
| Berlusconi says he won't be candidate for PM in next poll Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 11:20 AM PDT ROME (Reuters) - Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Saturday he would not be a candidate for prime minister in national elections next April. Earlier on Saturday, he said he would "stay in the field", prompting speculation he had changed his mind after a Milan court convicted him of tax fraud on Friday. (Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Ralph Gowling) Full Story | Top |
| Cyprus "very close" to deal with troika: finmin in paper Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 11:15 AM PDT (Reuters) - Cyprus is close to an agreement on financial aid from international creditors, with only a few issues outstanding, its finance minister said in an interview. Finance Minister Vassos Shiarly, in talks with a collective of lenders from the International Monetary Fund, the European Union and the European Central Bank, known as the Troika, told the Cyprus edition of Kathimerini newspaper there were "four or five" issues pending, which concerned matters of principle. "We are very close. We believe the differences which remain with the Troika can be bridged ... ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. officials pull Pakistani politician off plane Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 10:32 AM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pakistani politician Imran Kahn, a vocal critic of U.S. drone strikes, was briefly delayed and questioned by U.S. immigration officials in Toronto before being allowed to board a flight to New York, prompting his party to demand an apology from Washington. Khan told his followers on Twitter that he was detained and interrogated Friday about his views on drones. A State Department official confirmed Khan had been briefly detained, but said the former Pakistani cricket star was later released to go the United States. "The issue was resolved and Mr. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria bombards major cities, weakening truce Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 10:14 AM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad renewed their bombardment of major cities on Saturday and rebels launched several attacks, further undermining a truce meant to mark the Muslim Eid al-Adha religious holiday. The violence, reported by residents, opposition supporters and Syria's government, came on the second day of the ceasefire called by international peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who had hoped to use it to build momentum to end the 19-month-old conflict in which an estimated 32,000 people have been killed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia activists detained after opposition council meets Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 10:06 AM PDT  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Three prominent opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin were briefly detained at a protest in central Moscow on Saturday that followed the first meeting of a new opposition body elected in an online vote. Police arrested politicians Alexei Navalny, Ilya Yashin and Sergei Udaltsov as they tried to take part in a march of several dozen opposition supporters after the inaugural session of the newly-formed Coordination Council. ... Full Story | Top |
| Minister casts doubt on Conservative tax pledge Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 09:26 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - A flagship tax policy promised by Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative party remained on track to be delivered, an official said on Saturday, after a senior minister cast doubt on it. Cabinet Minister Ken Clarke expressed doubts over the chances of the government implementing the tax plans, which would benefit married couples, before the next national elections due in 2015. The suggestion in a newspaper interview was another potential embarrassment for the gaffe-prone administration. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sudan rebels shell southern city during defence minister visit Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 09:08 AM PDT KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese rebels shelled the main city of the oil-producing South Kordofan state during a visit of Sudan's defence minister, Abdel Raheem Muhammad Hussein, rebels and residents said. Sudan's army has been fighting rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-North) in South Kordofan, which borders South Sudan, since June last year. But the state capital Kadugli was until this month mainly kept out of the fighting. ... Full Story | Top |
| German finance minister rules out Greek debt "haircut": radio Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 08:42 AM PDT  BERLIN (Reuters) - German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble ruled out public investors accepting a debt restructuring, or "haircut", on their Greek bonds but said in an interview to be aired on Sunday that a debt repurchasing program could be considered. "(A haircut) is a discussion that has little to do with the reality in the member states of the euro zone," Schaeuble said in an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio. Schaeuble said sovereign states could legally not write off billions of euros of losses on their official holdings of Greek government bonds. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hungary government to take on $2.8 billion of municipal debt Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 06:53 AM PDT BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary's government will take over 612 billion forints ($2.8 billion) of local government debt in a bid to give debt-laden municipalities a fresh start, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Saturday. Local governments in Hungary, the most indebted among the European Union's eastern nations, have struggled with a debt stock of well over 1.2 trillion forints ($5.5 billion) and many have warned they could become insolvent by early next year. The debt, taken on in the years of economic growth, often financed projects that added little to Hungary's productivity, Orban said. ... Full Story | Top |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment