Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Rebels battle Assad's forces for gateway to north Syria

Rebels battle Assad's forces for gateway to north Syria

Rebels battle Assad's forces for gateway to north Syria

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 07:10 AM PDT

Residents are seen near damaged buildings at Marat al-Numan, near the northern province of IdlibBEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels are battling to seize an army base close to the main north-south highway and say its capture would be a big step towards creating a "safe zone" allowing them to focus on Bashar al-Assad's southern strongholds. For two weeks they have surrounded and attacked Wadi al-Deif, east of the town of Maarat al-Numan. They say the ferocity of counter-attacks by government forces shows how important holding the base is to the president's military strategy. ...

White House told of militant claim two hours after Libya attack: emails

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 06:07 PM PDT

The U.S. Consulate in Benghazi is seen in flames during a protestWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Officials at the White House and State Department were advised two hours after attackers assaulted the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11 that an Islamic militant group had claimed credit for the attack, official emails show. The emails, obtained by Reuters from government sources not connected with U.S. spy agencies or the State Department and who requested anonymity, specifically mention that the Libyan group called Ansar al-Sharia had asserted responsibility for the attacks. The brief emails also show how U.S. ...

Explosions, fire at arms factory in Sudan's capital

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 04:58 PM PDT

Onlookers gather to looks at a huge fire that engulf the Yarmouk ammunition factory in KhartoumKHARTOUM (Reuters) - A huge fire broke out after a loud explosion on Tuesday night at an arms factory in Sudan's capital Khartoum, a Reuters witness said. Soldiers blocked roads to the factory where more explosions took place as firefighters tried to contain the blaze, a Reuters reporter at the scene in southern Khartoum said. The state-linked Sudanese Media Centre said the fire and explosions had occurred at the Yarmouk ammunition factory. The army spokesman was not immediately available for comment. There were no immediate reports of casualties. ...

Powerful quake strikes Costa Rica, no initial reports of damage

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 07:14 PM PDT

SAN JOSE (Reuters) - A powerful earthquake struck western Costa Rica on Tuesday, shaking buildings in the capital and sending residents running onto the streets, but there were no initial reports of damage or injuries. Inhabitants of San Jose ran out of buildings after the 6.6 magnitude quake hit, following another big quake last month. Many went back indoors soon afterward, a Reuters witness said. The quake was centered about 38 miles south of Liberia, in Guanacaste province, at a depth of 24.5 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said. ...

China propaganda post likely to go to a conservative Hu loyalist

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 10:53 PM PDT

BEIJING (Reuters) - A loyal ally of Chinese President Hu Jintao is the front-runner to become propaganda minister during a once-in-a-decade generational leadership change, two sources said, but while media-savvy he is unlikely to drastically loosen tight controls. Liu Qibao is tipped to be appointed to the post during the Communist Party's 18th congress, which opens on November 8, at which the party will anoint Xi Jinping as the country's fifth generation leader after Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao. ...

One dead in car crash with Hungary PM aide

Posted: 24 Oct 2012 12:30 AM PDT

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - One woman was killed in a car crash involving a senior aide to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on a motorway south of Budapest on Wednesday, police said. Police spokesman Tamas Nyikos told private broadcaster InfoRadio that the driver of the other car involved in the accident on motorway M5, 109 kms (68 miles) southeast of the capital, died at the scene. "A young woman driving the car was injured so severely that ambulance services could not help her, she died on the spot," Nyikos said. ...

Israel kills gunman in second day of Gaza strikes

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 11:59 PM PDT

GAZA (Reuters) - Israel killed a Hamas gunman in its second round of air strikes in as many days on the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, responding to rocket fire at its southern towns that wounded three people. Separate raids by Israel on Tuesday killed three members of the Islamist group in control of the coastal territory. The Israeli military said the strikes were in response to a total of 60 rockets that have been fired at Israel this past month. ...

Corruption No. 1 problem as Ukraine heads for election

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 11:31 PM PDT

KIEV (Reuters) - As a Ukrainian, Viktoria quickly picked up on the subtext of the doctor's words at the Kiev hospital where the 22-year-old had gone for emergency treatment. It was appendicitis and she needed surgery, he said. Then he added: "You know, us doctors and the hospital are not particularly well off. I am sure you want the operation to go smoothly." Viktoria got his drift: though medical care in state-run hospitals is theoretically free for Ukrainians, it would need a financial back-hander to ensure she got the treatment she required. ...

Mexican labor reform hits hurdle in Congress

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 10:48 PM PDT

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's efforts to pass the biggest reform of its labor laws in four decades hit a hurdle on Tuesday when the Senate sent a bill back to the lower house of Congress to try and open up trade unions to more scrutiny, potentially stalling the legislation. Last month the lower house approved a version of the bill that would make it easier for companies to hire and fire workers and simplify labor disputes, but there was controversy over the removal of clauses designed to improve union transparency. ...

China reshuffles top military ranks ahead of leadership change

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 07:43 PM PDT

BEIJING (Reuters) - China reshuffled its top military ranks on Tuesday, weeks before a once-in-a-decade generational leadership change which sources said would see the outgoing air force commander promoted to vice-chairman of the military's top decision-making body. General Ma Xiaotian, 63, was named air force commander, replacing General Xu Qiliang, 62, state broadcaster CCTV said. Ma has been one of the secretive military's most visible faces, speaking at forums overseas and leading talks with U.S. defence officials aimed at building trust between the world's two largest economies. ...

Aleppans stretched to limit in war for Syrian city

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 01:12 PM PDT

In this Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012 photo, a Syrian street vendor sits in front of his birds in Shaar district in Aleppo, Syria. With death lurking around every corner, the survival instincts of Aleppo's population are being stretched to the limit every day as the battle between Syria's rebels and the regime of President Bashar Assad for the country's largest city stretches through its fourth destructive month. Residents in the rebel-held neighborhoods suffering the war's brunt tell tales of lives filled with fear over the war in their streets, along with an ingenuity and resilience in trying to keep their shattered families going. (AP Photo/ Manu Brabo)The rumble of engines in the sky immediately set the Aleppo neighborhood below on edge. Men peeked from shops anxiously at the Syrian warplane circling slowly overhead. Housewives emerged on balconies to gauge whether they were about to be hit. But the kids hanging out on the street were unfazed. One kept dribbling his basketball.

Iran looks to Silk Road ties in time of sanctions

Posted: 24 Oct 2012 12:11 AM PDT

FILE - In this file photo taken on Wednesday, Oct.17, 2012, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks to journalists during a press conference in Kuwait, where he attends the first summit of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD). Even as U.S. and European sanctions tighten around Iran's economy, officials in Tehran are busy reaching out to Asian markets as a critical lifeline. For months, Iran's oil sales to energy-hungry nations such as China and India have been the focus of intense Western pressure to reduce the flow as part of pressure over Iran's nuclear program. (AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari, File)In back-to-back Asian summits this month, Iran's president made sure to carve out special time to look east.

Jordan's king steers nation through turbulence

Posted: 24 Oct 2012 12:13 AM PDT

In this photo released by the Jordanian Royal Palace, Jordan's King Abdullah II gives a speech in Amman, Jordan, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012. The foiling of a planned Islamist terror plot underscores a new subplot in the story of the Arab Spring: Things are heating up for Jordan's King Abdullah II, a Western-oriented monarch who has run a business-friendly, pragmatic monarchy with some trappings of democracy. (AP Photo/Jordanian Royal Palace, Yousef Allan)The foiling of a planned al-Qaida terror plot in Jordan underscores a new subplot in the story of the Arab Spring: Things are heating up for King Abdullah II, a Western-oriented monarch who has run a business-friendly, pragmatic monarchy with some trappings of democracy.

Gaza rockets draw Israeli strikes; 1 Gazan killed

Posted: 24 Oct 2012 01:17 AM PDT

Rockets and mortars from the Gaza Strip pummeled southern Israel early Wednesday and an Israeli airstrike killed a Palestinian militant, in a sharp escalation of violence following a landmark visit to Gaza by Qatar's leader.

Union: Ford to close Belgian plant in 2014

Posted: 24 Oct 2012 12:40 AM PDT

A union leader says Ford has decided to close its factory in Genk, Belgium, by the end of 2014 in a move that will result in 4,500 direct job losses and 5,000 more among subcontractors.

Secrecy surrounds Ukrainian president's home

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 11:41 PM PDT

When Ukraine's president opened up his home to TV cameras, he presented a cozy place with a small office just big enough for his grandchildren to play in. But his critics point to strong evidence he actually lives in very different digs: a luxurious, marble-columned mansion with a golf course, a helipad and even an ostrich enclosure.

Germany opens memorial to Nazis' Gypsy victims

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 11:14 PM PDT

Germany is inaugurating a long-awaited memorial to the hundreds of thousands of Gypsies, or Roma, who were killed under Nazi rule.

Another Tibetan in western China self-immolates

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 11:19 PM PDT

Tibetan exiles participate in a candlelit vigil in Dharmsala, India, Monday, Oct. 22, 2012 for a Tibetan man named Dhondup, who is believed to have died after self-immolating Monday at the remote Labrang Monastery in China's northwestern Gansu province. Dozens of Tibetans have set themselves on fire since March 2011 in ethnic Tibetan areas of China in protest over what activists say is Beijing's heavy-handed rule in the region. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)A Tibetan farmer set himself ablaze in front of a market in remote northwest China in the second self-immolation death near the Labrang Monastery in two days, a rights group said.

Soaked Jamaica braces for possible hurricane

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 11:05 PM PDT

Commuters wait at a bus stop as rain brought by the outer bands of Tropical Storm Sandy falls in Kingston, Jamaica, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Sandy was expected to become a hurricane as it nears Jamaica on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Collin Reid)Jamaicans hunkered down at home as the front edge of Tropical Storm Sandy buffeted the Caribbean island with pelting rain and howling winds early Wednesday before possibly crossing the country as a hurricane.

6.5 earthquake shakes Costa Rica's Pacific coast

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 07:52 PM PDT

A powerful earthquake struck Costa Rica's Pacific coast on Tuesday, swaying buildings and sending people running into the streets in the nation's capital of San Jose.

In debate, Romney reiterates Russia is 'geopolitical foe' of US

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 12:15 PM PDT

In last night's US presidential debate on foreign policy, Mitt Romney once again stated his belief that Russia was a "geopolitical foe" of the US, echoing similar comments he made in March of this year.

Latin American low-skilled labor flocks to Brazil's jobs

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 10:09 AM PDT

In the past 20 years, Jorge Ramos has migrated from the highlands of Ecuador to New York City, and Santiago, Chile. He has lived in Germany and the Netherlands, too – always selling traditional Andean hats and scarves. But last year, when it was time to head on the road again to support his wife and three children back home near Otavalo, Ecuador Mr. Ramos heard about a new destination from friends and family: Brazil.

Obama enjoys comfortable edge over Romney - in Ireland

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 09:58 AM PDT

Despite receiving no more than a passing mention in last night's US presidential debate on foreign policy, Europe is closely watching the campaign between President Obama and Mitt Romney. And Irish eyes in particular are firmly fixed on the US.

In Russia, with love? Ukraine president meets Putin as options dwindle.

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 09:05 AM PDT

President Vladimir Putin met with his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yanukovych at the Russian leader's country home Novo Ogaryovo late Monday, and declared some progress toward Mr. Putin's goal of integrating Ukraine's economy with Russia's. But he gave no word addressing Mr. Yanukovych's hope of winning a reduced price for Russian natural gas exports to his post-Soviet nation.

South Korea fails to thwart activists from sending candy and socks to North Korea

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 08:42 AM PDT

Activists in South Korea claimed victory today in their battle to launch tens of thousands of balloons carrying propaganda material to North Korea.

Chinese find some unexpected moments in US presidential debate

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 07:54 AM PDT

Exercises in democracy such as Monday night's US presidential debate are not the sort of event the Chinese authorities choose to broadcast on television, so few Chinese citizens witnessed it. But the debate will not have thrown many surprises to the privileged officials with access to CNN.

Wildlife in Crisis helps 5,000 animals return to the wild each year

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 07:42 AM PDT

Inside one of several aviaries a parliament of owls perches on a branch, watching and waiting until they are fit for release.

With 60,000 dead, Mexicans wonder why drug war doesn't rate in presidential debate

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 07:18 AM PDT

Mitt Romney's single mention of Latin America last night, calling it a "huge opportunity" for the United States, generated immediate glee from Latin Americanists across Twitter – but the hemisphere got no nod from President Obama, and then both went silent on the topic.

Qatari emir comes to Gaza bearing gifts – with maybe some strings attached

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 06:51 AM PDT

• A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

Afghans on the debate: We're okay with not being talked about

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 06:53 AM PDT

In the third and final US presidential debate, this time focused on foreign policy, the decade long US-led war in Afghanistan drew conspicuously little scrutiny from either candidate.
Posted by Harshad at 1:36 AM

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