Syrian foes largely hold fire at start of Eid truce

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• Syrian foes largely hold fire at start of Eid truce
• Suicide bomber kills 37 at Afghan mosque during Eid
• China paves way for prosecuting disgraced politician Bo Xilai
• U.S. knew too little to deploy troops to Benghazi: Pentagon
• Exclusive: Iran's coal shipping trade booms despite Western heat
• Chinese premier's family has massive wealth: NYT report
• Assange says to stay in embassy until U.S. backs off: CNN
• Now military corruption scandal clouds China succession
• U.S. diplomat chides Japan over revolving-door politics
• Gunfire as Syrian forces disperse protests: Observatory
• Fighting precedes scheduled start of Syria truce
• Sandy pounds Bahamas after killing 21 in Caribbean
• Myanmar gov't pleads for end to ethnic strife
• China expels Bo from legislature, set for trial
• AP PHOTOS: Syrian rebels advance in largest city
• Workers discover remains of ancient temple in Bali
• 56 dead in renewed ethnic violence in west Myanmar
• 300 potential abuse victims emerge in BBC scandal
• Soccer star, pop diva run in Ukraine's election
• Syria commits to 4-day truce, but prospects dim
• Can we protect 10 percent of the oceans? Momentum is growing.
• Last post on US politics and the Benghazi attack
• In US politics, foreign things are very suspicious ...
• John Bergmann runs a special zoo for older, exploited, and abused animals
• Revisiting the tragic Italian earthquake manslaughter verdict
• Who are China's potential new leaders?
• In Aleppo, Syrian rebels wage war – with an Internet connection
• Germany's secret to staving off the eurocrisis? Manufacturing.
• FARC 'earns $2.4 to $3.5 billion' from drugs, says Colombian government
• British recession ends on Olympics' economic boost
• Did Israel just blow up an Iranian weapons factory in Sudan?
• Will BBC have to sacrifice its independence over Savile scandal?

Syrian foes largely hold fire at start of Eid truce Posted: 26 Oct 2012 12:41 AM PDT BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's warring parties largely held their fire on Friday at the start of a four-day truce marking the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, a short pause in hostilities which have killed 32,000 people and threaten to draw regional powers into a wider conflict. President Bashar al-Assad's armed forces announced a conditional ceasefire on Thursday evening, responding to an appeal by international mediator Lakhdar Brahimi. ...

Suicide bomber kills 37 at Afghan mosque during Eid Posted: 26 Oct 2012 12:23 AM PDT MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed at least 37 people in a mosque in Afghanistan's relatively peaceful north on Friday as worshippers gathered for holiday prayers, police officials said. The attack, on the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, happened in Maimana, capital of Faryab province, said Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai, a spokesman for police in the Afghan north. "The suicide bomber detonated explosives when our countrymen were congratulating each other on the Eid holiday," Ahmadzai said, adding that almost half of the dead were police. ...

China paves way for prosecuting disgraced politician Bo Xilai Posted: 25 Oct 2012 07:38 PM PDT BEIJING (Reuters) - China's largely rubber stamp parliament has expelled disgraced former senior politician Bo Xilai, state news agency Xinhua said on Friday, paving the way for formal criminal charges to be laid against him. The expulsion removes Bo's immunity from prosecution as a member of parliament. Xinhua said the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's parliament, "announced the termination of Bo Xilai's post" as the deputy to the parliament. ...

U.S. knew too little to deploy troops to Benghazi: Pentagon Posted: 25 Oct 2012 02:35 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon defended its decision not to deploy forces to Benghazi, Libya, as soon as the U.S. mission came under attack on September 11th, saying it would have been irresponsible to put forces in harm's way without better information. President Barack Obama's response to the attacks in Libya has been a contentious issue in the hard-fought U.S. presidential race, with Republican opponents raising questions about his administration's truthfulness and competence. ...

Exclusive: Iran's coal shipping trade booms despite Western heat Posted: 26 Oct 2012 12:38 AM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Using shadowy middle men, multiple bank accounts and a fleet of ghost ships, Iran's coal trade is quietly booming as the Islamic Republic tries to sidestep Western sanctions and prevent its industrial economy from crashing. Tougher measures imposed by the European Union and the United States have tightened the screws on Tehran, which relies on its shipping trade for many imports including food, consumer and industrial goods. Many foreign companies, including shipping firms, have pulled out for fear of losing business in the U.S. ...

Chinese premier's family has massive wealth: NYT report Posted: 26 Oct 2012 01:10 AM PDT (Reuters) - The family of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, a leader known for his humble roots and compassion for ordinary people, has accumulated massive wealth during his time in power, the New York Times reported on Friday. "A review of corporate and regulatory records indicates that the prime minister's relatives, some of whom have a knack for aggressive deal-making, including his wife, have controlled assets worth at least $2.7 billion," it said. ...

Assange says to stay in embassy until U.S. backs off: CNN Posted: 25 Oct 2012 12:06 PM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Wikileaks' founder Julian Assange said on Thursday the United States would have to give up its "immoral" investigation into his whistle blowing website before he considered leaving the confines of the Ecuadorean embassy in London. Assange has been sheltering in the embassy since June to avoid extradition to Sweden to face rape and sexual assault allegations. Britain says it is obliged to send him to Sweden and will not let him to go to Ecuador, which has given him asylum. ...

Now military corruption scandal clouds China succession Posted: 25 Oct 2012 11:35 PM PDT BEIJING (Reuters) - A high-flying Chinese general's chances of promotion during a leadership change have been undermined by helping to bring down a peer who will be court-martialed for corruption in the next few months, three independent sources said. Hong Kong's Beijing-backed Phoenix magazine said this month that the court-martial of Lieutenant-General Gu Junshan would become the biggest military corruption scandal since the Communists swept to power in 1949. ...

U.S. diplomat chides Japan over revolving-door politics Posted: 26 Oct 2012 12:05 AM PDT TOKYO (Reuters) - America's top diplomat on Asia gave rare public expression on Friday to U.S. frustration with Japan's revolving-door politics, saying frequent changes of top officials in Tokyo undermined trust and confidence between the allies. The criticism comes as the United States seeks to help Japan smooth ties with China, frayed by a territorial dispute, and as Japan, which shuffled its cabinet last month, gears up for an election expected within months that could well bring its seventh prime minister since 2006. ...

Gunfire as Syrian forces disperse protests: Observatory Posted: 25 Oct 2012 10:59 PM PDT BEIRUT (Reuters) - Three people were wounded by gunfire as Syrian forces dispersed protesters in Deraa province on Friday, the first day of a ceasefire to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It said protests broke out after morning prayers in several towns in the southern province. The three people were wounded as they left a mosque in Inkhil. The protests followed clashes overnight between forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo, the eastern province of Deir al-Zor and a town near Syria's border with Lebanon, the Observatory said. ...

Fighting precedes scheduled start of Syria truce Posted: 25 Oct 2012 11:04 PM PDT Activists say heavy fighting has preceded the dawn start of a proposed truce in Syria's bloody 19-month civil war.

Sandy pounds Bahamas after killing 21 in Caribbean Posted: 25 Oct 2012 11:44 PM PDT Hurricane Sandy raged through the Bahamas early Friday after leaving 21 people dead across the Caribbean, following a path that could see it blend with a winter storm and reach the U.S. East Coast as a super-storm next week.

Myanmar gov't pleads for end to ethnic strife Posted: 25 Oct 2012 11:33 PM PDT Myanmar's government has appealed for peace in the western state of Rakhine, warning that ethnic violence there that has taken at least 56 lives in recent days risks harming the country's reputation as it seeks to install democratic rule.

China expels Bo from legislature, set for trial Posted: 25 Oct 2012 11:27 PM PDT Chinese lawmakers stripped disgraced politician Bo Xilai of his last official position Friday, formally expelling him from the country's top legislature and setting the stage for criminal proceedings against the once-rising political star.

AP PHOTOS: Syrian rebels advance in largest city Posted: 25 Oct 2012 12:05 PM PDT Crouching behind walls and firing from the corners of buildings, rebels are battling Syrian government troops in battered neighborhoods of Aleppo, the nation's largest city.

Workers discover remains of ancient temple in Bali Posted: 25 Oct 2012 11:14 PM PDT An archaeologist says a structure that is believed to be the remains of an ancient Hindu temple has been unearthed on Indonesia's resort island of Bali.

56 dead in renewed ethnic violence in west Myanmar Posted: 25 Oct 2012 09:26 PM PDT At least 56 people have been killed and 1,900 homes destroyed in renewed ethnic violence in western Myanmar as the government warned perpetrators and the international community appealed for calm.

300 potential abuse victims emerge in BBC scandal Posted: 25 Oct 2012 03:31 PM PDT The scale of the child sex abuse scandal engulfing the BBC expanded on Thursday as authorities announced that 300 potential victims had come forward with accusations against one of the broadcaster's most popular children's entertainers and that others might have acted with him.

Soccer star, pop diva run in Ukraine's election Posted: 26 Oct 2012 12:28 AM PDT An extravagantly dressed pop diva, a retired football star, the son of a famous actor, an opposition leader suspiciously cozy with the government. Meet some members of the eclectic cast running in Sunday's parliamentary election in Ukraine.

Syria commits to 4-day truce, but prospects dim Posted: 25 Oct 2012 12:50 PM PDT The embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad promised Thursday to observe a U.N.-proposed truce during a four-day Muslim holiday, while rebels claimed major gains in the key battleground of Aleppo.

Can we protect 10 percent of the oceans? Momentum is growing. Posted: 25 Oct 2012 05:32 PM PDT Efforts to set aside conservation zones in the world's oceans are picking up steam, putting countries on a path to reach an international goal of setting aside 10 percent of coastal and marine waters as marine-protected areas by 2020.

Last post on US politics and the Benghazi attack Posted: 25 Oct 2012 02:10 PM PDT The attempt to play politics with the murders of four Americans in Benghazi just won't go away. Anyone who buys into the notion that there is some enormous cover-up or political scandal around the public statements from the Obama administration since the attack doesn't understand intelligence collection, the chaos of reports after a tragedy of this magnitude, or the fact that the reality of events like this aren't fully known until months after the fact, if then.

In US politics, foreign things are very suspicious ... Posted: 25 Oct 2012 01:26 PM PDT Via Andrew Sullivan comes a congressional campaign ad from South Dakota that has me laughing. And crying.

John Bergmann runs a special zoo for older, exploited, and abused animals Posted: 25 Oct 2012 10:24 AM PDT "The chickens crawl all over the office, and they lay eggs on my desk," says John Bergmann, who chuckles as he lifts up the towels that cover the papers in his office – which is in a barn. "It's all part of the job, I guess."

Revisiting the tragic Italian earthquake manslaughter verdict Posted: 25 Oct 2012 09:54 AM PDT A few days ago I wrote about the L'Aquila earthquake verdict in Italy, that saw seven Italians, some of them the country's most eminent seismologists, sentenced to prison for failing to "adequately warn" about an earthquake that claimed 300 lives in the central Italian city in April 2009.

Who are China's potential new leaders? Posted: 25 Oct 2012 09:43 AM PDT At its 18th Party Congress Nov. 8, China's Communist Party will choose the nine men (and they will almost certainly all be men) who will lead the nation for the next decade. Infighting is fierce and out of view, and the identities of the winners will be top secret until they walk onstage at the Great Hall of the People. Here are five names to watch for:

In Aleppo, Syrian rebels wage war – with an Internet connection Posted: 25 Oct 2012 09:10 AM PDT The Syrian father thought he had enough dangers to contend with in his contested city of Aleppo. As darkness fell, sniper fire cracked repeatedly along the street outside. Explosions reverberated across the city.

Germany's secret to staving off the eurocrisis? Manufacturing. Posted: 25 Oct 2012 08:26 AM PDT For years, people in this tranquil northern Bavarian town turned a deaf ear when outsiders ridiculed Germany for holding on to what the world saw as an outdated industrial model.

FARC 'earns $2.4 to $3.5 billion' from drugs, says Colombian government Posted: 25 Oct 2012 07:45 AM PDT • InSight Crime researches, analyzes, and investigates organized crime in the Americas. Find all of Geoffrey Ramsey's research here.

British recession ends on Olympics' economic boost Posted: 25 Oct 2012 07:46 AM PDT Britain rebounded strongly from recession in the third quarter, posting its strongest quarterly GDP growth in five years, boosted at least in part by robust Olympics spending, official data showed on Thursday.

Did Israel just blow up an Iranian weapons factory in Sudan? Posted: 25 Oct 2012 05:32 AM PDT • A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

Will BBC have to sacrifice its independence over Savile scandal? Posted: 25 Oct 2012 05:14 AM PDT Crises are nothing new at the BBC, a 90-year-old institution still regarded by many Britons as a "national treasure" even after embarking last year on a painful process to reshape itself by shedding jobs and cutting budgets.

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