Yahoo! News: Politics News

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• Longtime GOP Senate moderate Arlen Specter dies
• Specter dies as Congress is at its most polarized
• Debate preparation trumps 2012 campaigning Sunday
• Occupy London stage protest inside St Paul's
• Montenegro ruling party claims election victory
• In second debate, Obama faces challenges on key issues
• Meningitis outbreak rises to 205 cases: CDC
• Lithuanians ditch government in verdict on austerity
• EU plans major new sanctions against Iran
• Afghan peace negotiator sees progress in talks with Taliban
• Specter dies as Congress is at its most polarized
• Libya's national assembly elects former diplomat as prime minister
• Analysis: Aid recipients welcome IMF's shift on austerity
• Kenya coast tourist numbers fall on Islamist security fears
• Analysis: India wins over markets, but now comes the hard part
• Winner of Lithuania election says may let deficit rise
• Obama plans more assertive debate, cites "great" prep
• Obama Says Debate Prep Is 'Going Great'
• Insight: HK's Victor Li, son of "Superman", has hard act to follow
• New rules, tough talk as Singapore seeks to end tax haven image
• Afghan entrepreneur defies war to squeeze out a juice empire
• Big separatist gains in local Belgian elections
• Russian elections preserve Putin's dominance, opponents cry foul
• Abbas says Olmert was "two months" from peace deal
• Longtime GOP Senate moderate Arlen Specter dies
• Debate preparation trumps 2012 campaigning Sunday
• UAE sends medics to Pakistan to evacuate girl shot by Taliban
• Ghana investigating death of Chinese boy during miner round-up
• Fewer qualms for gun-rights groups over Romney now
• Former senator Arlen Specter, 82, dies of cancer
• Flemish separatists score wins in Belgian local election
• Montenegro ruling party set for win: exit polls
• GOP senator alleges cover-up on Libya

Longtime GOP Senate moderate Arlen Specter dies Posted: 14 Oct 2012 01:36 PM PDT For most of his 30 years as Pennsylvania's longest-serving U.S. senator and prominent moderate in Congress, Arlen Specter was a Republican, though often at odds with the GOP leadership.

Specter dies as Congress is at its most polarized Posted: 14 Oct 2012 02:47 PM PDT Arlen Specter, who spent much of his 30-year career in the U.S. Senate warning of the dangers of political intolerance, is remembered as one of Congress' best-known moderates and was a member of both major parties during his career. Now, two years after he was voted out of office, his death coincides with a finding by political scientists that Congress is more polarized than at any point since Reconstruction.

Debate preparation trumps 2012 campaigning Sunday Posted: 14 Oct 2012 01:28 PM PDT As Mitt Romney's campaign claimed new momentum in the race for the White House, President Barack Obama's political advisers on Sunday promised the incumbent would unleash his more aggressive side in Tuesday's debate to prevent their Republican rival from delivering another "magical and theatrical performance."

Occupy London stage protest inside St Paul's Posted: 14 Oct 2012 03:41 PM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Four women chained themselves to the pulpit in St Paul's Cathedral on Sunday in support of the anti-corporate Occupy London movement, before cutting themselves free after being threatened with arrest, London police said. The women from the Occupy London and Christianity Uncut movements said their four-hour protest was also a show of support for the Russian punk band Pussy Riot. London Occupy, part of an international movement inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protest that began last September, has protested against bankers' bonuses and what they say is corporate greed. ...

Montenegro ruling party claims election victory Posted: 14 Oct 2012 03:40 PM PDT PODGORICA (Reuters) - Montenegro's ruling party leader Milo Djukanovic claimed victory in a parliamentary election on Sunday, extending his DPS party's 23-year old rule in the ex-Yugoslav republic as it starts European Union accession talks. The new government faces a stagnant economy and rising unemployment and will have to work hard to strengthen the rule of law and fight corruption, as required by Brussels. "As of tomorrow, we will start work on the creation of a government that will continue to lead Montenegro on its path to European... ...

In second debate, Obama faces challenges on key issues Posted: 14 Oct 2012 03:37 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Losing ground to Republican Mitt Romney on a host of issues, President Barack Obama faces a serious challenge to put his re-election bid back on track when the two men face off on Tuesday in their second debate. Obama's passive performance in their first debate two weeks ago and Romney's subsequent surge have raised expectations for a more fiery encounter at New York's Hofstra University. The Democratic president's team has been encouraged by the feisty performance of Vice President Joe Biden last week in his debate against Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan. ...

Meningitis outbreak rises to 205 cases: CDC Posted: 14 Oct 2012 03:25 PM PDT CHICAGO (Reuters) - Seven more people have been diagnosed with fungal meningitis linked to possibly tainted vials of a steroid medication, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Sunday, bringing the total number of cases to 205 in 14 states. The death toll from the unprecedented outbreak was unchanged at 15, the CDC said. It put the number of people sickened at 205 and said new cases were confirmed in New Hampshire, Florida, Indiana, and Tennessee. ...

Lithuanians ditch government in verdict on austerity Posted: 14 Oct 2012 03:23 PM PDT VILNIUS (Reuters) - Lithuania's opposition prepared to take power on Monday after voters rejected the austerity-minded government, a foretaste of what may await other European leaders forced to make unpopular cuts by the financial crisis. An ex-Soviet state of about three million people, Lithuania crashed hard when the crisis hit four years ago. It slashed spending in response and is now returning to economic health - but too late for voters fed up with belt-tightening. ...

EU plans major new sanctions against Iran Posted: 14 Oct 2012 03:13 PM PDT LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - European Union governments plan to ratchet up sanctions pressure against Iran over its nuclear program on Monday, approving new measures against Tehran's banking sector, industry and shipping. The new sanctions mark one of the toughest pushes against Iran by Europe to date, and come amid mounting concerns over the Islamic Republic's military intentions and the failure of diplomacy to solve the atom stand-off this year. ...

Afghan peace negotiator sees progress in talks with Taliban Posted: 14 Oct 2012 02:58 PM PDT KABUL (Reuters) - The Afghan government's efforts to encourage Taliban insurgents to enter peace talks are making progress despite apparent deadlock, a senior government negotiator said on Sunday. Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai, who was wounded in a Taliban attack a year ago, suggested there was behind-the-scenes activity to start a peace process in Afghanistan. "When politicians are on the stage, they will be always saying something different than what they are discussing in private," he said. "There (is) progress," he said, without giving details. ...

Specter dies as Congress is at its most polarized Posted: 14 Oct 2012 02:47 PM PDT Arlen Specter, who spent much of his 30-year career in the U.S. Senate warning of the dangers of political intolerance, is remembered as one of Congress' best-known moderates and was a member of both major parties during his career. Now, two years after he was voted out of office, his death coincides with a finding by political scientists that Congress is more polarized than at any point since Reconstruction.

Libya's national assembly elects former diplomat as prime minister Posted: 14 Oct 2012 02:45 PM PDT TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's national assembly elected a new prime minister on Sunday, the second within a month to face the daunting challenge of forming a government acceptable to the country's many factions. Ali Zeidan, a former career diplomat who had defected in the 1980s to become an outspoken critic of Muammar Gaddafi, was elected in a televised count just a week after the last prime minister was dismissed in a vote of no confidence. Mustafa Abushagur was dismissed after his choice of ministers ran into protests both from within the assembly and from outside. ...

Analysis: Aid recipients welcome IMF's shift on austerity Posted: 14 Oct 2012 02:43 PM PDT TOKYO (Reuters) - Graduates of IMF emergency loan programs accepted the Fund's admission that it miscalculated the cost of austerity with a mix of schadenfreude and frustration that the change came too late to spare them economic pain. Countries such as Argentina, Indonesia and South Korea, which were required to make deep budget cuts in exchange for tens of billions of dollars in International Monetary Fund aid, said the lending institution was finally learning from mistakes made during financial crises in Asia and Latin America. ...

Kenya coast tourist numbers fall on Islamist security fears Posted: 14 Oct 2012 02:41 PM PDT MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - The number of tourists visiting Kenya's coast fell by 22 percent in the first eight months of this year compared to 2011 due to concerns over Islamist violence and the cost of landing rights in the traditional tourist hot spot, tour operators said. Alongside tea and horticulture, tourism is one of Kenya's major foreign currency earners and raked in 98 billion shillings ($1.18 billion) last year, just shy of its 100 billion shilling target, and up from 74 billion shillings in 2010. ...

Analysis: India wins over markets, but now comes the hard part Posted: 14 Oct 2012 02:29 PM PDT NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's Finance Minister P. Chidambaram exudes the self-confidence of a man who, in the eyes of India's cheerleading financial markets, can do little wrong. In the 11 weeks since he took office, the benchmark BSE index has surged around 8 percent, due in large part to his hard-charging drive to boost investor sentiment that had soured under his predecessor, Pranab Mukherjee. ...

Winner of Lithuania election says may let deficit rise Posted: 14 Oct 2012 02:28 PM PDT VILNIUS (Reuters) - The leader of the party set to win Lithuania's parliamentary election said on Sunday there could be a case for letting the Baltic state's budget deficit rise above the ceiling set out under European Union rules. Lithuania has been held up as a model of fiscal discipline inside the European Union after it responded to the banking crisis with tough austerity measures and kept its deficit within the threshold of 3 percent of gross domestic product. ...

Obama plans more assertive debate, cites "great" prep Posted: 14 Oct 2012 02:21 PM PDT WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Sunday his debate preparation was "going great" and aides said the Democrat would be more aggressive in his next face off with Mitt Romney after their last encounter gave the Republican challenger a boost. Since that first debate in Denver on October 3, polls indicate Romney has erased Obama's lead heading into the November 6 election. Obama and Romney debate again on Tuesday at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. The third and final presidential debate will take place on October 22 in Florida. ...

Obama Says Debate Prep Is 'Going Great' Posted: 14 Oct 2012 02:11 PM PDT WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — President Obama took a break from debate prep this afternoon to make a surprise visit to his campaign office in Williamsburg. "Hello everybody, hello!" the president said, according to pool reports, as he walked in the door with pizzas in hand. "I...

Insight: HK's Victor Li, son of "Superman", has hard act to follow Posted: 14 Oct 2012 02:08 PM PDT HONG KONG (Reuters) - Back in the days before e-mail, Victor Li, the heir to Asia's largest family fortune, used to sleep with a fax machine by his bed, ready for his famously restless father, Li Ka-shing, to send through instructions at any time of night. And on several occasions at meetings, before the elder Li walked into the room, young Victor asked - only half in jest - for the gathered executives to beg his dad to go easy on him, say sources who have worked with the Li family over many years. ...

New rules, tough talk as Singapore seeks to end tax haven image Posted: 14 Oct 2012 02:03 PM PDT SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Billionaire Australians buying exclusive condominiums. Germans moving money from Swiss accounts. Secretive banking laws. Asia's premier wealth management centre. Low tax rates. As Singapore revels in its reputation as an open economy with the world's highest concentration of millionaires, the tiny island of 5.3 million people is also accused of being a magnet for tax evaders - an image it is vehemently seeking to banish. ...

Afghan entrepreneur defies war to squeeze out a juice empire Posted: 14 Oct 2012 02:00 PM PDT KABUL (Reuters) - From a gritty walled compound in a fringe of Kabul better known for bombs and violent demonstrations, Mustafa Sadiq is building a global empire on fruit, selling Afghan produce to the health-conscious in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Gaudily painted trucks line up outside Sadiq's 'Omaid Bahar' factory and workers in juice-stained clothes unload sacks of pomegranates. The fruit's dark red seeds are prized in Europe for their abundant antioxidants, and in Japan where many believe they can help fight cancers in the aftermath of last year's Fukushima nuclear catastrophe. ...

Big separatist gains in local Belgian elections Posted: 14 Oct 2012 01:59 PM PDT The leader of a separatist party won the race to become mayor of Antwerp, Europe's second biggest port city, and vowed Sunday to use the power base to seek wider autonomy for Belgium's wealthy Dutch-speaking region of Flanders.

Russian elections preserve Putin's dominance, opponents cry foul Posted: 14 Oct 2012 01:57 PM PDT KHIMKI/BRYANSK, Russia (Reuters) - The ruling United Russia party won elections around the country on Sunday, early results showed, but opponents alleged widespread violations in the voting that will preserve President Vladimir Putin's dominance. The first big elections since Putin began a new six-year term in May will do little to appease opponents who say he has used election fraud and suppression of dissent to maintain his grip on power. ...

Abbas says Olmert was "two months" from peace deal Posted: 14 Oct 2012 01:38 PM PDT RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - In comments that may stir Israel's election campaign, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday that he and Ehud Olmert were "two months" away from a peace deal before Olmert had to resign as Israeli prime minister. With Olmert lately cleared of several graft charges and considering a challenge to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the January 22 parliamentary election, supporters have highlighted Olmert's efforts to make peace with Abbas in negotiations which later foundered under Netanyahu's right-wing coalition. ...

Longtime GOP Senate moderate Arlen Specter dies Posted: 14 Oct 2012 01:36 PM PDT For most of his 30 years as Pennsylvania's longest-serving U.S. senator and prominent moderate in Congress, Arlen Specter was a Republican, though often at odds with the GOP leadership.

Debate preparation trumps 2012 campaigning Sunday Posted: 14 Oct 2012 01:28 PM PDT As Mitt Romney's campaign claimed new momentum in the race for the White House, President Barack Obama's political advisers on Sunday promised the incumbent would unleash his more aggressive side in Tuesday's debate to prevent their Republican rival from delivering another "magical and theatrical performance."

UAE sends medics to Pakistan to evacuate girl shot by Taliban Posted: 14 Oct 2012 01:27 PM PDT DUBAI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates has dispatched a medical team to evacuate a Pakistani schoolgirl shot by the Taliban if doctors decide she should be taken abroad for treatment, a UAE news agency reported on Sunday. The WAM state news agency said the team would evaluate the condition of education campaigner Malala Yousufzai and facilitate her transfer to a hospital outside Pakistan. ...

Ghana investigating death of Chinese boy during miner round-up Posted: 14 Oct 2012 01:09 PM PDT ACCRA (Reuters) - Police in Ghana are investigating the death of a 16-year-old Chinese boy killed during a crackdown by security forces on illegal gold mining, the deputy foreign minister said on Sunday. Security forces arrested 100 Chinese nationals during the round-up in the gold-rich Ashanti region near Ghana's second largest city, Kumasi, on Friday, a Chinese diplomat said. "We have received reports about the death of a 16-year-old boy of Chinese nationality. ...

Fewer qualms for gun-rights groups over Romney now Posted: 14 Oct 2012 01:05 PM PDT Gun-rights groups perceive President Barack Obama as a threat to unfettered access to firearms. They once had qualms about Mitt Romney, too.

Former senator Arlen Specter, 82, dies of cancer Posted: 14 Oct 2012 01:00 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Arlen Specter, a gruff, independent-minded moderate who spent three decades in the U.S. Senate but was spurned by Pennsylvania voters after switching in 2009 from Republican to Democrat, died on Sunday of cancer, his family said. He was 82. Specter played a pivotal role in many of the major issues of his time, including the investigation into the assassination of President John Kennedy, disputes over controversial Supreme Court nominees, and the Senate vote not to remove President Bill Clinton from office for perjury after an affair. ...

Flemish separatists score wins in Belgian local election Posted: 14 Oct 2012 12:23 PM PDT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A party that wants to split Belgium scored major victories in municipal elections on Sunday and its leader was set to become mayor of the country's second city, raising the pressure on a fragmented national government. The Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (New Flemish Alliance or N-VA) won the most votes in a vast swathe of districts in the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders, including the port city of Antwerp. The party's leader Bart De Wever was on course to become the city's mayor after the N-VA were on 36 percent of the vote with 80 percent of the votes counted. ...

Montenegro ruling party set for win: exit polls Posted: 14 Oct 2012 12:19 PM PDT PODGORICA (Reuters) - Montenegro's ruling party seemed assured of retaining power after exit polls following a parliamentary election on Sunday indicated it took some 46 percent of the vote, more than twice its nearest rival. That would see the Democratic Party of Socialists extend its two-decade grip on power as the former Yugoslav republic tries to join the European Union. DPS leader Milo Djukanovic may return as prime minister, a post he has held three times before. ...

GOP senator alleges cover-up on Libya Posted: 14 Oct 2012 12:16 PM PDT A senior Republican senator on Sunday accused President Barack Obama's aides of deliberately covering up the details of the Sept. 11 attack in Libya that killed a U.S. ambassador so that voters wouldn't question Obama's handling of the war on terror.

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