Expect feisty defense from China's disgraced Bo Xilai

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• Expect feisty defense from China's disgraced Bo Xilai
• Syrian rebels arm Palestinians against Assad
• With eye on 2013 midterms, Argentina cuts voting age to 16
• U.N. Security Council relocates due to storm damage: envoys
• Myanmar foreign investment bill in parliament again
• Japan government open to deal with opposition to avoid "fiscal cliff"
• China dissident gets eight years for subversion ahead of congress
• China launches trade probes on EU solar products
• Myanmar must protect Muslims and halt discrimination: U.N.
• Riyadh industrial building hit by explosion
• Hit by crisis, Greek society in free-fall
• East Jerusalem streets get names, easing confusion
• 9 Iranian female prisoners begin hunger strike
• Fuel tanker explodes in Saudi capital; 2 killed
• Putin spokesman: Crane flight didn't injure him
• Syria war puts anti-US alliance on the defensive
• Worker: Japan nuke crisis crew not told of danger
• UN council holds makeshift meeting
• State says go home and sleep, 24/7 Egypt resists
• Mexico's Day of Dead brings memories of missing
• Vladimir Putin to get a new, Russian-made ride
• Is Venice being loved to death?
• Will Pakistan release its Osama bin Laden Abbottabad report?
• In Somalia, a comedian critical of Al Shabab is assassinated
• Istanbul residents rally around their beloved stray dogs
• Bahrain bans public demonstrations as protest movement rises again

Expect feisty defense from China's disgraced Bo Xilai Posted: 31 Oct 2012 08:48 PM PDT BEIJING (Reuters) - Disgraced former top Chinese politician Bo Xilai can be expected to mount a feisty defense of himself when he finally comes to trial, but a guilty verdict is not in doubt, a lawyer who had a front seat at China's last major show trial said. Zhang Sizhi was defense lawyer for Mao Zedong's widow, Jiang Qing, leader of the "Gang of Four" that wielded supreme power during the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution. She was given a suspended death sentence in 1981 for the deaths of tens of thousands during that period of chaos. ...

Syrian rebels arm Palestinians against Assad Posted: 31 Oct 2012 12:46 PM PDT BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels said on Wednesday they had begun arming sympathetic Palestinians to fight a pro-Assad faction in a Palestinian enclave in Damascus - a move which could fuel spiraling intra-Palestinian violence. Two rebel commanders told Reuters they expected their Palestinian allies to fight the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command (PFLP-GC) which dominates the Yarmouk enclave - a one-time refugee camp turned sprawl of apartment blocks which is run by the Palestinians themselves. "We've been arming Palestinians who are willing to fight... ...

With eye on 2013 midterms, Argentina cuts voting age to 16 Posted: 31 Oct 2012 08:50 PM PDT BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina lowered its voting age to 16 from 18 on Wednesday, a change that could help politically ailing President Cristina Fernandez court the youth vote ahead of 2013 mid-term elections. Dozens of opposition members of the lower house of Congress walked out of the rancorous late-night session just before the measure won final approval by a vote of 131 to 2. Fernandez, who polls well among younger voters, has not ruled out a bid by her supporters to change the constitution to allow her to run for a third term in 2015. ...

U.N. Security Council relocates due to storm damage: envoys Posted: 31 Oct 2012 04:53 PM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council was forced to relocate on Wednesday for a meeting on Somalia and other issues because of extensive water damage to parts of the United Nations complex from the storm Sandy, U.N. officials and diplomats said. It was not immediately clear how badly the U.N. buildings were damaged by the storm. The U.N. press office sent a statement to reporters announcing that the U.N. headquarters would reopen Thursday after a three-day closure and outlining which areas would be accessible. The statement also said senior U.N. ...

Myanmar foreign investment bill in parliament again Posted: 31 Oct 2012 08:56 PM PDT YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's new foreign investment bill was with parliament on Thursday, after amendments to address concerns of foreign firms eager to enter the country, and it could be quickly approved and sent to the president to be signed into law, lawmakers said. The bill has passed 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. ...

Japan government open to deal with opposition to avoid "fiscal cliff" Posted: 01 Nov 2012 12:19 AM PDT TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government is ready to strike a deal with the opposition to pass a critical bill needed to prevent a severe funding squeeze and it is now up to the opposition to spell out its conditions, Vice Finance Minister Tsutomu Okubo said on Thursday. Okubo told Reuters in an interview that securing passage of the bill, which is needed to finance nearly half of the nation's annual budget, is the utmost priority for the government, and it is aware that failure to do so would plunge Japan into its own version of a "fiscal cliff". ...

China dissident gets eight years for subversion ahead of congress Posted: 31 Oct 2012 11:09 PM PDT BEIJING (Reuters) - A court in China has sentenced a man to eight years in prison for trying to form an opposition party and for online messages criticizing the ruling Chinese Communist Party, a week ahead of a congress which will usher in a new generation of leaders. The court in the southwestern city of Kunming sentenced Cao Haibo, 27, for "subversion of state power", his lawyer, Ma Xiaopeng, said. Cao had called for democracy and had tried to form a party called the "China Republican Party", Ma said. ...

China launches trade probes on EU solar products Posted: 31 Oct 2012 09:18 PM PDT BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Thursday that it would launch anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations into imported European Union solar-grade polysilicon, in the latest instance of tit-for-tat trade tensions in the global solar industry. The move comes as the EU's executive body mulls duties targeting Chinese solar producers, a probe launched in September after companies accused Chinese rivals of "dumping", or deliberately selling products for less abroad than at home. ...

Myanmar must protect Muslims and halt discrimination: U.N. Posted: 31 Oct 2012 04:19 PM PDT GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. human rights investigators called on Myanmar on Wednesday to halt deadly sectarian violence and warned it not to use the conflict as a pretext to remove Rohingya minority Muslims. Some 89 people have been killed in clashes between Buddhist Rakhines and Muslim Rohingyas in western Myanmar in the past 10 days, according to the latest official toll. "This situation must not become an opportunity to permanently remove an unwelcome community," said a joint statement issued by Tomas Ojea Quintana, U.N. ...

Riyadh industrial building hit by explosion Posted: 31 Oct 2012 10:22 PM PDT RIYADH (Reuters) - An industrial building in eastern Riyadh was almost entirely destroyed by a large explosion on Thursday, a Reuters witness said. The building was almost levelled by the blast, with one corner left standing, the witness said. Nearby vehicles were on fire and at least five fire engines were arriving at the scene. The reason for the explosion was not immediately clear. Al Arabiya television reported that the blast was caused by a fuel truck exploding at a petrol station, and that there had so far been no news of casualties. The report could not immediately be confirmed. ...

Hit by crisis, Greek society in free-fall Posted: 01 Nov 2012 12:43 AM PDT A sign taped to a wall in an Athens hospital appealed for civility from patients. "The doctors on duty have been unpaid since May," it read, "Please respect their work."

East Jerusalem streets get names, easing confusion Posted: 31 Oct 2012 11:47 PM PDT When he drives around east Jerusalem, taxi driver Samer al-Risheq doesn't use GPS and tucks away his maps. In many parts on this side of the city, those tools are useless: The streets have no names.

9 Iranian female prisoners begin hunger strike Posted: 01 Nov 2012 01:13 AM PDT An Iranian opposition website says at least nine female political prisoners have begun a hunger strike in protest of snap body searches and abuse by prison guards.

Fuel tanker explodes in Saudi capital; 2 killed Posted: 01 Nov 2012 12:35 AM PDT A fuel truck exploded in an apparent roadway accident on Thursday in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, engulfing buildings and cars in flames and killing at least two people, witnesses and officials said.

Putin spokesman: Crane flight didn't injure him Posted: 01 Nov 2012 12:29 AM PDT Did Vladimir Putin's flight with a flock of cranes end up grounding him? The Russian president's spokesman says no.

Syria war puts anti-US alliance on the defensive Posted: 31 Oct 2012 01:15 PM PDT When the Hamas rulers of Gaza recently gave a hero's welcome to the ruler of Qatar, an arch foe of the Syrian regime, it sent a strong message reverberating across the capitals in Tehran, Damascus and Beirut.

Worker: Japan nuke crisis crew not told of danger Posted: 31 Oct 2012 08:50 PM PDT The operator of a Japanese nuclear plant that went into a tsunami-triggered meltdown knew the risks from highly radioactive water at the site but sent in crews without adequate protection or warnings, a worker said in a legal complaint.

UN council holds makeshift meeting Posted: 31 Oct 2012 06:05 PM PDT The United Nations Security Council held a makeshift meeting after superstorm Sandy forced the world body to remain mostly closed for a third day.

State says go home and sleep, 24/7 Egypt resists Posted: 31 Oct 2012 05:58 PM PDT Egypt's capital prides itself on being city that never sleeps, with crowds filling cafes and shops open into till the small hours. So, the government is facing a backlash from businesses and the public as it vows to impose new nationwide rules closing stores and restaurants early.

Mexico's Day of Dead brings memories of missing Posted: 31 Oct 2012 08:02 PM PDT Maria Elena Salazar refuses to set out plates of her missing son's favorite foods or orange flowers as offerings for the deceased on Mexico's Day of the Dead, even though she hasn't seen him in three-and-a-half years.

Vladimir Putin to get a new, Russian-made ride Posted: 31 Oct 2012 10:54 AM PDT President Vladimir Putin has decided to ditch the foreign-made armored limousines that have served Kremlin leaders since the collapse of the USSR, and get himself a patriotic Russian ride.

Is Venice being loved to death? Posted: 31 Oct 2012 10:12 AM PDT It goes unnoticed by the vast majority of tourists exploring the famous Rialto Bridge, but bears silent witness to the slow demographic death of one of the world's most extraordinary cities. An electronic counter in the front window of the Farmacia Morelli, a historic pharmacy in the very heart of Venice, records the drastic decline in population that the city is undergoing.

Will Pakistan release its Osama bin Laden Abbottabad report? Posted: 31 Oct 2012 10:07 AM PDT A year and a half after the Pakistani government said they would find out exactly what happened and who was responsible for failing to catch the most wanted man in the world – Osama bin Laden – hiding in plain sight in Pakistan, the only thing that has come from a formal investigation are rumors.

In Somalia, a comedian critical of Al Shabab is assassinated Posted: 31 Oct 2012 09:50 AM PDT One of Somalia's best-loved broadcast comedians and playwrights has died after an apparent assassination shooting, making him the 18th media figure killed in the country this year.

Istanbul residents rally around their beloved stray dogs Posted: 31 Oct 2012 08:35 AM PDT Few aspects of Istanbul's government-driven gentrification efforts have caused as much angst as a scheme to do away with the city's legions of stray dogs and cats.

Bahrain bans public demonstrations as protest movement rises again Posted: 31 Oct 2012 05:46 AM PDT • A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

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