LONDON (Reuters) – The Buzzard oilfield suffered another production glitch on Saturday, a trade source said, frustrating traders and prompting one to say the frequent disruptions to the flow of crude that sets the Brent benchmark were “worse than Nigeria”. Buzzard is the largest of the fields that contribute to the Forties crude blend, the most important of the North Sea crudes underpinning the Brent crude benchmark. It had restarted on November 3 after an extended, two-month shutdown. “It was back up to full output but tripped on Saturday. …
Israel fires at Syria for 2nd straight day
The Israeli military says it has fired into Syria for a second straight day in response to errant mortar fire that landed in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. Syrian jet bombs near Turkish border, 6 dead
A Syrian fighter jet bombed a rebel-held area near the Turkish border on Monday, killing at least six people and wounding a dozen others, an official said. One rocket-propelled grenade landed in Turkey,
Syria's new opposition coalition seeks recognition
DOHA (Reuters) – Syria's new opposition leadership, painfully forged under Arab and Western pressure, set out on Monday to gather recognition and wider backing for the struggle to topple President Bashar al-Assad and take over the country. Reformist Damascus cleric Mouaz al-Khatib flew to Cairo to seek the Arab League's blessing for the new assembly that unanimously elected him as its leader the day before. "The first step towards recognition will take place at the Arab League," he told a news conference. … Radical Muslim cleric Abu Qatada wins deportation case
LONDON (Reuters) – A radical Muslim cleric won a reprieve from deportation from Britain to face terrorism charges in Jordan a fter a London court said on Monday it was not satisfied he would receive a fair trial in the Middle East state. The decision to uphold a last-minute appeal from Abu Qatada, a Jordanian cleric of Palestinian origin, is a blow to Britain, which has being trying for a decade to remove him. The court ruled there was a "real risk" that evidence obtained by torture from two other men by could be used against him in a Jordanian court. … Thieves in South Africa steal $2M worth of art
Police in South Africa say robbers posing as visitors to an art museum stole more than $2 million worth of art from an exhibit near the country’s capital.
Radical preacher Abu Qatada wins appeal against deportation from Britain to Jordan
LONDON – Muslim radical preacher Abu Qatada has won his appeal against deportation from Britain to Jordan to face terrorism charges.
US officials in Egypt's Sinai for visit to troops
The U.S. Embassy in Cairo says a top Pentagon official is in Egypt’s restive northern Sinai region for briefings with U.S. troops stationed there.
Radical preacher Abu Qatada wins appeal
A Muslim radical preacher Abu Qatada has won his appeal against deportation from Britain to Jordan to face terrorism charges.
No aid for Greece on Monday despite austerity vote
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – - The euro zone will not authorize more money for Greece on Monday, despite the country approving a tough 2013 budget, because there is still no agreement on how to make its debts sustainable. Finance ministe rs meeting in Brussels should, however, give Athens two more years to meet its goals in talks about unfreezing lending to Greece. Loans have been held up after Athens went off-track with promised reforms and budget cuts, largely as a result of holding two elections in the space of three months. … Spain parties tackle eviction reform after suicides
MADRID (Reuters) – Spain’s top parties will tackle eviction law reform on Monday after a homeowner’s suicide provoked public fury and accusations that politicians and banks are complicit in de facto “murder”. Close to 400,000 Spaniards have lost their homes since a property bubble burst in 2008 and the nation subsequently sank into recession, throwing millions out of work and unable to keep up mortgage payments to the banks. …
British credit union escapes fine for illegal loans
LONDON (Reuters) – A London credit union and its chairman have escaped fines for breaking lending rules after Britain’s financial regulator swapped financial penalties for a public rap to avoid hurting the union’s members. Credit Unions are non-profit cooperatives, owned by local communities, which provide financial services such as current accounts, savings and loans. The Financial Services Authority said The Pentecostal Credit Union Limited (TPCU), which has 1,600 members, issued loans worth 1.2 million pounds under members’ names but channelled the money to another church organisation. …
The show goes on, minus condoms, as LA's porn industry contemplates future of 'safe sex' films
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The show must go on, is the entertainer’s credo, and it did just that in the U.S. Porn Capital even after Los Angeles County voted to require performers to use condoms when filming sex scenes.
William Hill to get more time for Sportingbet bid
LONDON (Reuters) – William Hill, Britain’s largest bookmaker, will get more time to finalise a proposed 530 million pound ($843 million) offer for online gaming group Sportingbet, sources close to the deal said. William Hill and smaller partner GVC Holdings won provisional backing for the takeover proposal from the Sportingbet board last month. The deadline to submit a formal offer is 1700 GMT on November 13 but that is likely to be extended by four weeks to allow more time for due diligence, the sources said on Monday. …
The family of an American freelance journalist who has been missing in Syria since mid-August says they still don't know who is holding him or where he is. 
PRAGUE (Reuters) – NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen expressed concern on Monday over the arrests of opponents of Georgia's new government following elections last month, and urged the authorities to ensure there was no political meddling in their trials. A Georgian court decided on Friday to keep a former minister in custody but bailed two army commanders charged with abuse of power. The case has raised concern the new government led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili is waging a political vendetta. … 
BEIJING (Reuters) – Incoming Chinese president Xi Jinping has a "democratic style" that will allow him to lay the groundwork for much-needed political and economic reforms, one of only a handful of Americans to join the Chinese Communist Party said on Monday. Sidney Rittenberg came to China in 1945 as an idealistic young U.S. soldier and got swept up in the Communist revolution, eventually becoming a translator for the founder of modern China, Mao Zedong. As such, Rittenberg, 91, has had a uniquely close-up view of many of China's most dramatic events. … 
BRISBANE (Reuters) – Captain Michael Clarke said positive batting had been the key to his unbeaten double century and Australia's remarkable turnaround of fortunes in the first test against South Africa on Monday. Clarke came to the wicket with his side under the cosh at 40 for three in reply to South Africa's 450 on Sunday afternoon and more than eight hours of batting later, was targeting what would be a stunning victory with his team on 487-4. … 
President Vladimir Putin's chief of staff has acknowledged he was aware of alleged embezzlement of state funds earmarked for Russia's satellite navigation system, a statement seen by some as a sign of an intensifying battle among the Kremlin clans. 
Finance ministers from the 17 euro countries are expected to debate Greece's economic reforms Monday evening at a meeting in Brussels.