Theodore Sorensen obituary

Theodore Sorensen, left, conferring with President John F Kennedy in the Oval Office in 1961. Photograph: George Tames/New York Times/Redux/eyevine
Theodore Sorensen, universally known as Ted, was one of those men whose brilliant career and great talents were partially clouded by anonymity. Even before his boss, John Fitzg

Actor playing gunman shot dead in Philippines

A village watchman in the central Philippines allegedly mistook an actor playing a masked gunman in a British film for a real assassin and fatally shot him, police said today. Watchman Eddie Cuizon tried to accost Filipino actor Kirk Abella late on Saturday, then shot him as the actor was directed to speed away on a motorcycle with a masked driver, said community police chief Alexis Relado of Cebu City's Parian district.Cuizon, 52, told police he had been woken up by a concerned citizen who reported the presence of armed men in his community. He told police he saw two masked men on a motorcycle and approached them but they sped away and he stumbled as he tried to stop them, injuring his knee. He fired at Abella when the actor pulled out a gun, which turned out to be made of plastic, Relado said.

Burmese people's dream of accountable government remains distant

Free Burma Coalition stages a protest against the 7 November Burmese national elections in Manila. Photograph: Noel Celis/AFP/Getty Images
In under a week, national elections will be held in Burma for the first time in 20 years. After so many years of military rule this should have been a huge event. But instead Sunday's poll will represent another missed opportunity as Burma's rulers again

Desert discs: how mobile phones are at the root of Saharan music

Sim city: Kirkley collected MP3 memory cards in Kidal, Mali. Photograph: Alfred Wolf/Getty
However eclectic your music collection, it would still need to go some way to match the sheer range of tracks shared by villagers swapping songs via Bluetooth and Sim card in the Sahara. Bollywood classics, Algerian Rai, Kuduro, French ballads – this is just a sample grab of the

China unveils ambitious plan to protect wildlife at UN talks

Golden monkeys at the Shennongjia nature reserve. Photograph: Rex Features
China has unveiled its most ambitious conservation plan in a generation, ahead of the opening today of a crucial UN biodiversity conference.

Retrial of Nancy Kissel in 'milkshake murder' case to begin in Hong Kong

Nancy Kissel is being retried in Hong Kong after her murder conviction was quashed earlier this year. Photograph: Bobby Yip/Reuters
The retrial of Nancy Kissel, the Amercian woman whose conviction for murdering her banker husband by spiking his milkshake and clubbing him to death was quashed earlier this year, begins in Hong Kong tomorrow.

Tibetan student protests spread to Beijing

Tibetan students protest in Rebkong, in north-west China's Qinghai province, angry at being forced to study in the Chinese language. Photograph: Free Tibet/AFP/Getty Images
Protests by Tibetan students in western China over plans to restrict the use of their language have spread, according to state media and a campaign group.

China census could be first to record true population

China's 2010 census will be the first to record people where they live and work rather than where they are registered. Photograph: Jason Lee/Reuters
In Denmark or Jordan, it would be the population covered by the national census. In China, six million is the number of people needed just to carry it out.

Terror bombs were primed to down cargo planes in mid-air

Security officials inspect UPS containers in the cargo area of East Midlands airport after an explosive package was found on a plane from Yemen. Photograph: David Jones/PA
Sophisticated bombs contained in packages sent from Yemen were designed to explode in the air and bring down the cargo planes carrying them, the government confirmed.

Booby-trap bomb sent to Nicolas Sarkozy

Police search for evidence outside an Athens courier company where a package exploded today. A similar parcel had been sent to Nicolas Sarkozy. Photograph: Yiorgos Karahalis/Reuters
Greek police intercepted a booby-trapped parcel addressed to French president Nicolas Sarkozy today, after another package exploded at a courier company in Athens.

Vladimir Putin goes hunting for 'action man' image

Shots of a horse-riding, rifle-toting Vladimir Putin in Siberia have been seen as an attempt by the Russian premier to preserve his image as a man of action. Photograph: Ria Novosti/Reuters

Woman stabbed Labour MP over his Iraq war vote, court hears

Stephen Timms, Labour MP for East Ham, was stabbed at his constituency surgery in May this year. Photograph: Linda Nylind for the Guardian
A former Labour minister was stabbed twice in his stomach by a woman who wanted to kill him as "revenge" for his voting for the Iraq war, a court today heard.

Barack Obama's final midterm rally highlights declining popularity

Barack Obama speaks to supporters in Cleveland during his last rally before the midterm elections. Photograph: J.D. Pooley/Getty Images
Barack Obama sought to rekindle the spirit of the 2008 election today at the final campaign rally of the midterm elections but thousands of empty seats testified that the love affair with the electorate is long over.

Dilma Rousseff wins Brazil's presidential election | World news | The Guardian

Dilma Rousseff, a former Marxist rebel who was jailed and tortured during Brazil's military dictatorship, last night became the first woman president in her country's history Link to this video

Cargo plane bomb plot: Cobra to discuss response

Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri. Photograph: Yemeni Interior Ministry/Handout/EPA
The government's Cobra emergency committee is meeting today to discuss a response to the Yemen-based plot to send bombs on US cargo planes, as Yemeni authorities promise to increase airport security.

Baby dies after being snatched by monkey

A macaque monkey, like the two pictured, is believed to have been looking for food when it snatched the baby from her house. Photograph: Mark Baker/AP
A newborn baby has died in Malaysia after being snatched, badly bitten and then dropped by a wild monkey.

Adam Lambert to tone down act for Malaysia concert

Adam Lambert has pledged to obey Malaysian laws forbidding onstage kissing. Photograph: Steve Nesius/AP
American Idol star Adam Lambert has agreed to tone down his act for a Kualar Lumpur concert at the request of Malaysian authorities.

Three Ways to Profit - No Matter Who Wins Tuesday's Midterm Elections

By William Patalon III, Executive Editor, Money Morning

If you're worried that next week's midterm elections could further cloud an already-uncertain investment landscape, take a page from the investment playbook of Money Morning'

Publish Post

s Keith Fitz-Gerald: Position yourself to profit no matter which party wins on Tuesday.

Will Midterm Elections Ignite a Stock Market Rally?

By Don Miller, Associate Editor, Money Morning

The Democrats and Republicans have spent a record $3.5 billion in preparation for this year's midterm elections. But regardless of the outcome - whether you're a Democrat or Republican - the good news is that the stock market traditionally has performed well during midterm election cycles.