Calls for the ouster of Jordan's King Abdullah II grew Friday, as thousands of protesters packed the streets of the capital and demonstrations resumed elsewhere. House passes bill normalizing Russian trade
Flashing some postelection bipartisanship, House Democrats and Republicans joined forces Friday in voting overwhelmingly to end Soviet-era trade restrictions so that American manufacturers and farmers can take advantage of Russia’s expanding and more open markets.
Canada's Astral, BCE, discuss ways to win deal approval
(Reuters) – Canada’s Astral Media Inc and its suitor BCE Inc , are in talks to examine ways to overcome regulatory opposition to their proposed combination, Astral said on Friday. Canada’s broadcast regulator, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, blocked the proposed C$3 billion ($3 billion) takeover of Astral last month, saying the deal would give too much power to BCE. The company, parent of Bell Canada, is already the country’s biggest telecoms company and owner of numerous TV and radio assets. …
Canada October inflation may soften, rate hikes on shelf
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Inflation likely eased in Canada in October on lower gasoline prices and sluggish economic growth, forecasters said on Friday, a scenario that would help ensure the Bank of Canada will refrain from interest rate hikes any time soon. The median forecast in a Reuters poll was for the consumer price index to edge up by 0.1 percent from September for a year-over-year rate of just 1.1 percent, down from 1.2 percent in September. “Energy will be a drag on inflation for the month of October … …
Suspected al-Qaida attack kills 3 in south Yemen
Yemeni security officials say a suspected al-Qaida suicide bomber attacked a checkpoint manned by pro-government tribesmen in the country’s south, killing three militiamen.
U.S. House OKs Russia trade bill with human rights slap
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Friday to “name and shame” Russian human rights violators as part of a broader bill to drop Cold War-era trade restrictions, brushing off warnings from Moscow that the move would damage relations. The House voted 365-43 to approve the legislation, which takes a jab at the policies of Russian President Vladimir Putin while ensuring U.S. companies get the full benefits of Russia’s entry into the World Trade Organization on August 22. …
Iraqi police clash with Kurdish guards, 1 dead
A shootout between Iraqi police and Kurdish guards in a disputed northern city left a civilian dead and four policemen wounded on Friday, adding strain to already deteriorating relations between the Arab-led central government in Baghdad and the self-ruled Kurdish region.
Wrong Abbey Road: Drab London railway station unlikely magnet for Beatles fans
LONDON – It’s a mystery tour, but it’s hardly magical.
More Syria officers, soldiers and families defect to Turkey
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A Syrian general and a dozen other officers defected with their families to Turkey on Friday, Turkey’s state-run news agency reported, following heavy fighting on Turkey’s southeastern border with Syria. Ankara said on Friday it had “intensified” talks with its NATO allies on steps to shore up security on the 900 km (560 mile) frontier with the 20-month civil war in Syria at stalemate. State-run Anatolian agency said 53 people had crossed the border – one general, 12 other officers and an unspecified number of soldiers and their families. …
UK wants details before recognising Syria opposition
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain would like to formally recognise the Syrian opposition's fledgling coalition but needs to know more about its plans first, Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Friday. The group was formed in Doha at the weekend in an attempt to unify the fractious movement trying to topple Bashar al-Assad and secure international recognition and arms. Members of the coalition, including its leader Mouaz Alkhatib, are due to meet Hague and other Western officials in London on Friday before heading to Paris on Saturday. … Mali: Islamist attack secular rebels in north
Fighters from one of the al-Qaida-linked rebel groups controlling northern Mali on Friday attacked a position held by a secular rebel group, in the first clash between the two sides since the Islamists seized the territory in June, according to local officials and a rebel spokesman.
Forbes Coal to resume production at South Africa mines
(Reuters) – Forbes & Manhattan Coal Corp said it resolved a labor dispute at its South African mines but cut its full-year output forecast after it lost about two weeks of production. The company, which also warned of a 63 percent fall in sales in the current quarter, said operations at its two mines will resume on November 19 after it agreed to an average wage increase of 14.8 percent. Forbes Coal, like other miners in South Africa, has been facing wage-related labor disputes. …
In troubled Egypt, Copts turn to beloved saint
There was no mention of churches torched or Christians killed, but the prayer neatly written on a tiny piece of paper and placed atop an icon of St. George in the chapel of a desert monastery left no doubt about the growing fear and despair of Egypt’s Coptic Christians.
Pakistan releases son of Afghan militant leader
A cousin and a family friend say the son of a legendary Afghan mujahedeen leader was among a group of Taliban prisoners released by Pakistan to help jumpstart peace negotiations with the militant group.
Joy in Croatia as UN overturns 2 key convictions
Chanting "Victory! Victory!," waving red-and-white checkered flags and dancing in the streets, tens of thousands of jubilant supporters gave two Croa tian generals a hero's welcome Friday after a U.N. war crimes tribunal overturned their convictions of murdering and expelling Serb civilians during a 1995 military blitz. Iran ready to sharply increase nuclear work in bunker: IAEA
VIENNA (Reuters) – Iran is ready to sharply expand its uranium enrichment in an underground site after installing all the centrifuges it was built for, a U.N. nuclear report showed on Friday, a development likely to fuel Western alarm over Tehran’s nuclear aims. The Islamic state has put in place nearly 2,800 centrifuges that the Fordow enrichment site, buried deep inside a mountain, was designed for and could soon double the number of them operating to almost 1,400, according to the confidential International Atomic Energy Agency report obtained by Reuters. …
Petraeus: References to militant groups removed from CIA's first report on Libya attack
WASHINGTON – Former CIA Director David Petraeus has told Congress that references to militant groups Ansar al-Shariah and al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb were removed from the agency’s draft talking points on what caused the deadly Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya.
Senators turn up pressure on Obama to approve Keystone pipeline
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A high-profile group of senators – nine Democrats and nine Republicans – has urged President Barack Obama to quickly issue a permit for the northern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline, a project that environmental groups have vowed to fight. The senators asked Obama to approve the pipeline because it will reduce the need for oil imports from the Middle East, and create jobs. They were led by Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, and John Hoeven, a North Dakota Republican, who both represent the booming Bakken oil region. …
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