MADRID/LISBON (Reuters) – Police and protesters clashed in Spain and Italy on Wednesday as millions of workers went on strike across Europe to protest against spending cuts they say have mad e the economic crisis worse. Hundreds of flights were cancelled, car factories and ports were at a standstill and trains barely ran in Spain and Portugal where unions held their first coordinated general strike. In Spain, 81 people were arrested after scuffles at picket lines and damage to storefronts. Riot police in Madrid fired rubber bullets at protesters. … TSX may open higher, tracking Wall Street gains
(Reuters) – Canada’s main stock index looked set to open higher on Wednesday after slipping to a two-month low in the previous session, as U.S. stock futures rose following some positive company results. Stock market gains might be capped by persistent worries about the U.S. “fiscal cliff” and the protracted Greek debt crisis. TOP STORIES Corporate America is raising the volume of its plea that the U.S. government avert a year-end “fiscal cliff” that could send the nation back into recession, but chief executives aren’t pushing the panic button just yet. …
Socialite is at the centre of overlapping scandals involving 2 US generals
TAMPA, Fla. – When news vans camped outside her stately home, a Florida socialite tied to the sex scandal around U.S. Gen. David Petraeus tried to use her unofficial credentials as a social ambassador for top military brass: She asked police for diplomatic protection.
Croatian minister sentenced to prison in Hungary
Croatia’s economy minister has been sentenced to 22 months in prison for causing a traffic accident in Hungary in 2010 in which two people were killed and two injured.
Canadian investments state enterprises need strict transparency rules: Prentice
LONDON, England – Former Conservative cabinet minister Jim Prentice says strict rules are needed if state-owned enterprises are allowed to invest in Canada. Prentice, now an executive with CIBC (TSX:CM), says that while it would be “patently unwise” to turn down investment from countries like China, it must ensure there are clear rules involving governance and investment transparency.
Who are China's likely next leaders?
Chinese leaders have gone about the once-in-a-decade selection of their successors under the usual cloud of secrecy; on Nov. 15, though, the new Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party - the group that rules China - will present itself to the world.
German lawmaker urges Russia to end crackdown
A senior German lawmaker urged Russia on Wednesday to end its crackdown on civil society ahead of talks between the two countries' leaders. U.N.'s nuclear report on Iran may not be all bad news for West
VIENNA (Reuters) – Iran is believed to have increased the number of centrifuges in an underground nuclear plant by nearly a third in three months, diplomats say, underlining the tough task facing major powers pressing Tehran to curb its atomic activity. But despite a major expansion of its capacity to refine uranium at the Fordow facility, buried deep inside a mountain, Iran does not appear to have switched on its newly installed enrichment centrifuges yet, although this could happen soon, they said. A U.N. …
Russia expands treason law, critics fear crackdown
A new law expanding Russia's definition of treason took effect Wednesday -- and critics say it's so vague that the government can now brand a nyone who dissents as a traitor. Loblaw boosts dividend as profit falls
(Reuters) – Loblaw Cos Ltd , Canada’s biggest food retailer, raised its dividend on Wednesday even as it reported lower quarterly profit and same-store sales. The company, majority owned by George Weston Ltd , said net earnings fell to C$222 million ($222 million), or 77 Canadian cents a share, from C$236 million, or 83 Canadian cents, a year earlier. Revenue rose 1.0 percent to C$9.83 billion, and sales at established stores, a key measure for retailers, fell 0.2 percent. ($1 = $1.00 Canadian) (Reporting by Allison Martell)
Ouattara dissolves Cabinet, spokesman
Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara dissolved his Cabinet on Wednesday, officials said, in a sudden and surprising turn of events, suggesting instability at the heart of a country still struggling to get back on its feet after a near-civil war.
Syrian aircraft attack targets at Turkey border
Syrian troops used aircraft and artillery Wednesday in an attempt to dislodge rebels from a town next to the border with Turkey, as Ankara warned it would retaliate against any airspace violations. Mauritanian president still convalescing in France
Lawmakers in Mauritania’s parliament are demanding answers regarding the health of the country’s leader, one month after President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was evacuated to France for medical treatment after accidentally being shot by his own guards.
Kuwait voting row mushrooms into broader debate over power
KUWAIT (Reuters) – What started as a dispute over voting rules in Kuwait has mushroomed into a debate about the balance of power between the emir and parliament, with implications for other Gulf dynasties facing reform pressure since the Arab Spring. Thousands of Kuwaitis have regularly taken to the streets since late October to protest at Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah’s decision to amend the electoral law before a parliamentary election on December 1. …
Europe's workers stage austerity protests
Workers across the European Union sought to present a united front against rampant unemployment and government spending cuts Wednesday with a string of strikes and demonstrations across the region. 
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