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| Romney, Obama converge on Iowa in late scramble for votes Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 08:37 PM PDT  DUBUQUE, Iowa (Reuters) - The presidential race, which has hinged for months on a handful of states, converged on one city in Iowa on Saturday as President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney each made a last-minute appeal for support before Tuesday's election. With the race in a dead heat nationally, both candidates touched down briefly in Dubuque, a Mississippi River city of 58,000 people, as they sprinted across the country in a bid to secure any possible advantage before Election Day. ... Full Story | Top |
| New York nanny arrested in slayings of two young children Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 07:22 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York nanny suspected of slaying two young children of a Manhattan couple last month in their luxury apartment was arrested on Saturday and charged with murder in their stabbing deaths, New York's deputy police commissioner said. The nanny, Yoselyn Ortega, was arrested over the deaths of 6-year-old Lucia Krim and her toddler brother Leo, who had been days shy of his second birthday, following a bedside interview at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mexico finance minister urges fiscal stimulus from able G20 nations Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 06:23 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - G20 countries that are able to provide fiscal stimulus should do so to support growth, Mexican Finance Minister Jose Antonio Meade said on Saturday. Other countries need to focus on grappling with their deficits, and all G20 nations should coordinate their fiscal policies, Meade told reporters. "Each country has to find the best policy based on its own limitations, its own reality," Meade said. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. disaster relief in a race against freezing cold Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 06:11 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fuel supplies headed toward disaster zones in the U.S. Northeast on Saturday and a million customers regained electricity as near freezing temperatures threatened to add to the misery of coastal communities devastated by superstorm Sandy. President Barack Obama, neck-and-neck in opinion polls with Republican rival Mitt Romney three days before the general election, told emergency response officials to cut through government "red tape" and work without delay to help ravaged areas return to normal as quickly as possible. ... Full Story | Top |
| OECD Chief says G20 should urge U.S. resolution of fiscal cliff Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 04:19 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The Group of 20 leading economies should appeal to the United States to avert automatic spending cuts and tax hikes that threaten U.S. and world growth, the head of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development said on Saturday. Jose Angel Gurria also said he was optimistic that the U.S. Congress would strike a deal to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff of $600 billion in spending cuts and higher taxes due to kick in on January 1. ... Full Story | Top |
| Insight: Women voters helped make Obama; could they break him? Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 03:11 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Women helped propel Barack Obama to the White House in 2008, but their flagging enthusiasm for him reflected in recent polls has created uncertainty about who will capture the female vote in Tuesday's election. Four years ago, women voters supported Obama over Republican John McCain by 56 percent to 43 percent. Among men, the Democrat led McCain by just 49 percent to 48 percent. But women's enthusiasm for Obama as president has slipped this year, making his road to re-election more difficult. ... Full Story | Top |
| Freed Niger hostages say were not mistreated Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 03:05 PM PDT NIAMEY (Reuters) - Five African aid workers freed on Saturday after nearly three weeks as hostages in the Sahara desert said they were relieved to be back with their families in Niger and that their captors did not mistreat them. A sixth aid worker - who was also kidnapped - was shot during the abduction in central Niger on October 14 and later died of his wounds, they said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian rebels attack air base to secure north-south corridor Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 02:11 PM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels attacked a military airport in the country's north on Saturday in a push to cut off Syria's biggest city Aleppo from the capital Damascus, and secure a strategic north-south corridor. President Bashar al-Assad's forces appear over-stretched with fewer fighters on the ground and have sought to limit rebel advances with far superior firepower, increasingly from the air and especially in the Aleppo and Damascus areas. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kuwait warns against unlicensed protest planned for Sunday Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 01:43 PM PDT KUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwait said on Saturday it had not issued a permit to allow a planned protest against new voting rules and the prime minister warned police would use force if the nation was under threat. Kuwait outlawed unauthorized gatherings of more than 20 people last month after an opposition-led demonstration by thousands ended in clashes between protesters and police in which at least 30 people were taken to hospital. Although OPEC member and U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel: Three Syria tanks enter Golan demilitarized zone Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 01:40 PM PDT JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Three Syrian tanks entered the demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights between Israel and Syria on Saturday, an Israeli military spokeswoman said. "The Israeli Defense Forces have filed a complaint with the U.N. (peacekeeping) force in the area," the spokeswoman said. She had no further information on what the tanks were doing. Israeli media said the tanks were involved in fighting in the Syrian village of Beer Ajam against rebels trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. ... Full Story | Top |
| Activists rally to end prison torture in Egypt Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 12:39 PM PDT 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 |
| Israel's Peres welcomes "courageous" words from Abbas Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 12:26 PM PDT JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli President Shimon Peres hailed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as a courageous partner for peace on Saturday after the Palestinian leader made clear his support for a two-state solution to the decades old conflict with Israel. In an interview with Israeli television broadcast this week, the Western-backed Abbas also hinted that Palestinians who, prior to the 1948 establishment of the Jewish state lived on lands that are now in Israel, do not have a right to return there, comments that sparked an outcry from his Islamist rivals. ... Full Story | Top |
| Somalia wants Ugandan troops to remain Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 11:23 AM PDT KAMPALA/MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somalia's prime minister said on Saturday that it could be a challenge for his country if Uganda followed through on a threat to withdraw troops fighting Islamist rebels in southern Somalia. Uganda's foreign affairs ministry said earlier that it would withdraw from peace keeping initiatives in Africa unless the United Nations amended a report accusing it of supporting rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo. ... Full Story | Top |
| Insight: Sandy shows hospitals unprepared when disaster hits home Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 11:08 AM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - Kim Bondy was in New Orleans seven years ago when Hurricane Katrina devastated the city, and scores of patients died in flooded hospitals cut off from power. She never thought that she might face that danger herself. But on Monday night, as superstorm Sandy submerged parts of New York City, Bondy was one of 215 patients evacuated from New York University's Langone Medical Center after basement flooding from the East River cut off its electricity. ... Full Story | Top |
| Europe urges end to Myanmar killings, pledges aid Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 09:19 AM PDT  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso called on Saturday for an end to sectarian killings in Myanmar, following talks with the president of the nation which is emerging from decades of brutal military rule. In western Myanmar, 89 people have been killed in clashes between Buddhist Rakhines and Muslim Rohingyas, according to the latest official toll covering the last 10 days of October. Many thousands more have been displaced by the violence. "We are deeply concerned by these events and by the consequences for the reforms and democratization of the country. ... Full Story | Top |
| Harper says could block other foreign investments Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 08:48 AM PDT  OTTAWA (Reuters) - Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in some of his toughest remarks on foreign investment yet, signaled a willingness to block foreign purchases of Canadian companies if other countries are not open to Canadian investment. Speaking on the eve of a trip to India and other parts of Asia, Harper said in an interview published in Saturday's Postmedia newspapers that Canada as a general rule welcomes foreign investment. ... Full Story | Top |
| Three Syrian tanks enter demilitarized zone in Golan: Israel Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 08:28 AM PDT JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Three Syrian tanks entered the demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights between Israel and Syria on Saturday, an Israeli military spokeswoman said. "The Israeli Defense Forces have filed a complaint with the U.N. (peacekeeping) force in the area," the spokeswoman said. She had no further information on what the tanks were doing. Israeli media said the tanks were involved in fighting rebels trying to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Israel captured the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau, from Syria during a 1967 Middle East war. ... Full Story | Top |
| Nigeria security forces kill 13 in raid on kidnappers Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 08:26 AM PDT YENAGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian security forces have killed 13 members of a gang suspected of abducting a Turkish man in a dawn raid on their hideout in oil-producing Rivers state, police said on Saturday. A 20 million naira ($127,600) ransom was paid for the release of Bayram Karakus, who worked for the Rivigo Construction company, Rivers police spokesman Ben Ugwuegbulam told Reuters. He gave no details of what happened to the Turkish man. "A combined team of operatives ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Hungary says EU cut in its funds would be a shame Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 07:58 AM PDT BUDAPEST (Reuters) - The European Union risks undermining the credibility of its drive against national budget overshoots if it strips Hungary of structural funds as punishment for running an excessive deficit, a leader of the ruling Fidesz party said. The EU is due to unveil its assessment of Hungary's latest deficit-cutting measures on November 7, which could be the basis of a cut in funds and can also influence Hungary's credit talks with Brussels and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). ... Full Story | Top |
| Suicide bombers hit Somali capital, three dead: witnesses Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 07:09 AM PDT  MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Two suicide bombers attacked a restaurant in the Somali capital on Saturday, killing a security guard who stopped them entering the building, locals said. It was not clear who was behind the bombings but Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab insurgents have conducted similar previous attacks and remain a serious security challenge even after being forced out of their strongholds. The blasts rocked the restaurant, popular with Somalis returning from abroad in the hope that the country's darkest days are over, damaging cars and scattering the area with body parts. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian dissident pushes to unite fragmented opposition Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 06:52 AM PDT  AMMAN (Reuters) - The fragmented Syrian opposition will attempt once again this weekend to forge a common policy to gain international respect, obtain weapons and, most importantly, topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a formerly imprisoned dissident said. "An alternative to the regime is dearly needed," said Riad Seif, a liberal politician who is battling cancer and managed to leave Syria only a few months ago after having been imprisoned. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. says Syria video killings appear to be war crime Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 06:52 AM PDT GENEVA (Reuters) - A video that appears to show Syrian rebels killing soldiers who had surrendered probably constitutes a war crime that should be prosecuted, the United Nations human rights office said on Friday. The disturbing incident looks to be the latest atrocity committed by opposition fighters seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad, Rupert Colville, a U.N. rights spokesman, said. "It will be examined carefully," Colville told a news briefing in Geneva, saying it may be difficult to identify the perpetrators and the location where the footage was recorded. ... Full Story | Top |
| Gunmen kill two policemen in Egypt's Sinai: security sources Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 06:44 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Two Egyptian policemen died on Saturday when gunmen fired on their car in the northern Sinai Peninsula city of al-Arish before escaping, security sources said. A police source said the attackers were probably Islamist militants who Egyptian forces have been hunting - the biggest security crackdown the region near Israel has seen in decades - following the killing of 16 border guards on August 5. Disorder has spread in Sinai since autocrat Hosni Mubarak was ousted in a popular uprising last year, with militants stepping up attacks on security forces and the Israeli border. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU gives $200 million for security, education in turbulent Somalia Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 06:16 AM PDT MOGADISHU (Reuters) - The European Union has given Somalia 158 million euros ($200 million) to improve education, the legal system and security, its new envoy said on Saturday, as the Horn of Africa nation tries to recover from more than two decades of conflict. The new aid program follows the election in September of a new Somali president, the culmination of a regionally brokered, U.N.-backed effort to restore central government control and end fighting that has killed tens of thousands of people. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cyprus says not aware troika judge latest proposals as lacking Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 05:24 AM PDT  NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cyprus said on Saturday it had seen no sign in talks with the troika of international lenders that its proposals on an austerity package were "insufficient", as suggested by a document this week. While Cypriot Finance Minister Vassos Shiarly openly admitted on Friday that a number of issues were still unresolved with lenders, authorities took issue with the language in the document, obtained by Reuters in Berlin on Friday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kidnapped aid workers released in Niger, one killed Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 03:31 AM PDT NIAMEY (Reuters) - Five African aid workers kidnapped last month in central Niger have been released after being held captive in the deserts of Islamist-controlled northern Mali, officials said on Saturday. A sixth aid worker - who was also kidnapped - was shot during the abduction and later died of his wounds, the officials said. "The violent death of our colleague Aime Soulembaye is an unjustifiable tragedy," said Sani Sayadi, director of Nigerien aid group BEFEN, which helps women and children in the impoverished West African state. ... Full Story | Top |
| Myanmar state media details new foreign investment law Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 12:59 AM PDT  YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's new foreign investment law allows overseas firms to fully own ventures and offers tax breaks and lengthy land leases, state media said on Saturday, releasing details of legislation passed by parliament this week after a long delay. The law, approved by President Thein Sein on Friday, had gone back and forth between the legislative and executive branches since March in a tussle involving a government eager to attract foreign investment, tycoons determined to protect their monopolies, and small businesses keen not to be shut out. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. renews sanctions, Sudan criticizes decision Saturday, Nov 03, 2012 12:31 AM PDT  WASHINGTON/KHARTOUM (Reuters) - President Barack Obama renewed U.S. sanctions on Sudan on Friday, acknowledging Khartoum had resolved disputes with South Sudan but warning that Darfur and other conflicts still impeded normal ties, the State Department said. Khartoum reacted by accusing the United States of "double standards". The order maintains several sets of U.S. sanctions imposed since 1997 that restrict U.S. trade and investment with Sudan and block the assets of the Sudanese government and certain officials. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: GM badly lags Ford in Europe restructuring Friday, Nov 02, 2012 10:48 PM PDT  PARIS/DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co, which clung to the road with a timely swerve before the 2009 crisis that bankrupted General Motors Co, may now be pulling a similar stunt in Europe. The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker is scrapping three European plants and thousands of jobs while its rival appears to be stuck on the starting grid. The speed of Ford's restructuring plan - and the comparatively slow pace of GM's - has become more important during a protracted slump in Europe's auto market, with sales down another 7.2 percent so far this year. ... Full Story | Top |
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