Oct 27, 2010

Small Business Confidence Improves In October

Small business economic confidence rebounded in October as more small business owners report economic conditions for their businesses and for the country are getting better, according to the Discover Small Business Watch report.

ICI Meeting, Tel Aviv, Israel, 5-7 December, 2010

The 2010 ICI Meeting is a continuation of the series of international conferences in interventional cardiology held in Israel since 1995, which have helped shape Israel as a leading force in innovative technology in this field.
ICI 2010 will focus on innovative technology and therapies. The program will include presentations of new therapies, thematic live cases and emerging technology sessions.

Chile's president apologises to Germany for slogan - Telegraph

Chile's president is apologising for writing a slogan associated with Nazi Germany in a government guest book during a visit to Berlin.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chilean President Sebastian Pinera listen to their national anthems during the welcoming ceremony in Berlin
The phrase Sebastian Pinera wrote was "Deutschland uber alles," or "Germany above all." It became infamous under the Third Reich and after World War II was excised from Germany's national anthem as too nationalistic.

Former Nelson Mandela charity boss in court for taking diamonds from Naomi Campbell - Telegraph

Jeremy Ractliffe and Naomi Campbell

Jeremy Ractliffe, 74, head of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund between 1995 and 1999, spoke briefly to confirm his name as he appeared at Alexandra Magistrates Court in Johannesburg.

Israel's right wing starts their own Tea Party - Telegraph

Barack Obama has become a target for the Israeli right following the creation of a pro-settler Tea Party who plan to hold a

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets Israeli naval commandos who participated in the raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla last May Photo: AFP
The new movement, which has taken inspiration from the US conservative group, is being spearheaded by disaffected former and present members of Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party,

The Hobbit dispute resolved

ohn Key, the New Zealand prime minister, said the government had agreed to increased financial incentives for the $500-million (£315 million) production.

Vatican calls for clemency for Tariq Aziz

'International face' of Saddam Hussein's regime to hang

Iraqi Deputy Premier Tareq Aziz passes a poster of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein at the end of a press conference in Baghdad 24 November 1999 Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Iraq's supreme criminal court earlier on Tuesday found the long-time international face of the Saddam Hussein regime, who is a Christian, guilty of "deliberate murder and crimes against humanity."

French parliament passes pension reform

The French parliament on Wednesday adopted President Nicolas Sarkozy's fiercely contested law on pension reform after a final vote by MPs despite weeks of nationwide protests and strikes.

The National Assembly voted 336 for and 233 against the final draft of the law, which will increase France's minimum retirement age from 60 to 62, amid ongoing protests that have threatened to bring the country to a standstill.

Shell slashes $18bn from Kashagan costs

Royal Dutch Shell has radically simplified the design of the Kashagan oil development, slashing $18bn (£11.5bn) from the cost of the second phase of development as it strives to make the project economically viable.

China news, all the latest and breaking Chinese news

Tiananmen Square protest leader to represent Liu Xiaobo at Nobel laureate meeting

Wuer Kaixi, the former Chinese student leader, will represent Liu Xiaobo, the imprisoned dissident, at a meeting of Nobel Peace Prize laureates in Hiroshima next month.

Barack Obama and Asif Ali Zardari urge more action against terror groups

President Obama speaks during a campaign rally in Las Vegas

Americans who embraced 'hope and change' two years ago are now rejecting the change they were given Photo: REUTERS
"Both President Obama and President Zardari acknowledged that more work needed to be done to address the direct threat to our countries posed by terrorist groups in Pakistan," the statement said.

Video: Protesters clash at Kentucky debate

Supporters of Rand Paul, a Tea Party backed politician, stomped on the head of a liberal activist during a debate between senate candidates in Kentucky.

Mikhail Gorbachev: victory in Afghanistan is 'impossible'

Mr Gorbachev, who pulled Russian troops out of Afghanistan in 1989 after a 10-year war, said the US had no alternative but to withdraw troops.

"Victory is impossible in Afghanistan. [Barack] Obama is right to pull the troops out. No matter how difficult it will be," he told the BBC.

BBC News - The Hobbit will be made in New Zealand, PM confirms

Protestors took to the streets of New Zealand earlier this week
Two movies based on The Hobbit will be filmed in New Zealand as planned, the country's prime minister has confirmed.
The announcement follows two days of talks with Hollywood executives over whether the Lord of the Rings prequels should be shot in the country.

Virgin Media races to offer fastest UK network

Virgin Media is set to turn up the dial on its cable network, offering users speeds of up to 100Mbps (megabits per second).

It aims to provide the service to over 50% of the UK by mid-2012, beginning in December with 200,000 homes in London, the Home Counties and West Yorkshire.

It is the latest move in the race to bring super-fast broadband services to the UK.

Testicular cancer risk 'greater' for tall men

The risk goes up the taller the man

Taller men may have a higher risk of getting testicular cancer, say experts in the United States.

After looking at data on more than 10,000 men, researchers found that for every extra two inches or 5cm in height above average, the risk went up by 13%.

US new home sales pick up speed

Vacant home for sale in Yonkers, New York

Sales of new homes remain subdued thanks to a glut of repossessed houses on the market
Sales of new homes in the US rose 6.6% in September to a seasonally-adjusted annualised rate of 307,000.
The figure beat market expectations of a rise to just 300,000.
However, the rate is still 21.5% below the level of a year ago and near historic lows.

Mexico's Calderon: US not doing enough in drugs war

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has told the BBC the US should do more to reduce the demand for drugs that is fuelling violence in Mexico.

Building collapse kills Afghan wedding guests

At least 60 people have been killed after part of a building collapsed on guests at a wedding in northern Afghanistan, officials say.

Clashes as nationalists march in Israeli Arab town

Israeli police have clashed with Arab demonstrators in the northern town of Umm al-Fahm, where Israeli right-wing activists staged a protest march.

French MPs adopt pension reform

Students protested in Paris on Tuesday but numbers were down

France's National Assembly has voted to raise pension age by two years after weeks of industrial action across the country.

The bill will now face legal challenges before President Nicolas Sarkozy can sign it off next month.

Indonesia tsunami: Death toll soars to 272

The death toll from a tsunami in western Indonesia rises to 272, officials say, as doubts emerge about whether an early warning system was working properly.

Cape Town opera snubs Tutu plea to cancel Israel tour

South Africa's Cape Town Opera has turned down an appeal from Nobel peace prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu to call off a tour of Israel.

UK airlines back call for airport security changes

The UK airline industry has backed British Airways chairman Martin Broughton's call for changes to airport security checks.

Mexico's Calderon: US not doing enough in drugs war

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has told the BBC the US should do more to reduce the demand for drugs that is fuelling violence in Mexico.

Damage, 'miracle' survival as US storm rolls east

VALE, N.C. – Fierce winds demolished three homes and injured 11 people in North Carolina and tornado watches were issued across the Southeast as a massive storm blew east Wednesday after lashing the central U.S.

China reaches out to tiny, resource-rich East Timor

DILI (AFP) – A jade elephant rears majestically in the corner as patrons tuck into their burgers and fries at one of only three US-style fast-food joints in East Timor, all of which are Chinese owned and operated.

The currency might be the same -- the greenback is the unit used in East Timor -- and the food is generic, but Brothers Burger restaurant in the dusty capital Dili is not just a slavish copy of its US progenitors.

Liberal Toronto elects conservative mayor

TORONTO (Reuters) – Toronto voters on Monday elected conservative Rob Ford as mayor of Canada's biggest city, tilting away from their recent liberal leanings and opting for his platform of small government, fewer taxes and big spending cuts.

Toll passes 270 in Indonesia tsunami disaster

AFP – In a handout photograph released by the Vice President's Office, Indonesian Vice President Boediono …
by Bayu Ismoyo Bayu Ismoyo – 4 mins ago
PADANG, Indonesia (AFP) – The toll from a tsunami which smashed into Indonesia rose sharply past 270 on Wednesday as rescuers reached the remote islands hit hardest by the disaster and found scenes of devastation.

Kenya foreign minister quits over embassy scandal

In this file photo taken Thursday, July 8, 2010 Kenyan Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula is seen during an interview with The Associated Press

AP – In this file photo taken Thursday, July 8, 2010 Kenyan Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula is seen …
By TOM MALITI, Associated Press Tom Maliti, Associated Press – 5 mins ago
NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenya's foreign minister said Wednesday he is resigning to allow investigations into allegations of a multimillion dollar scandal involving five Kenyan embassies in Africa, Europe and Asia.

Bin Laden warns France over Afghan war, veil ban

AP – FILE - This image made from video broadcast on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2001 shows Osama bin Laden at an undisclosed …
By MAAMOUN YOUSSEF, Associated Press Maamoun Youssef, Associated Press – 1 hr 10 mins ago
CAIRO – Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden threatens in a new audio tape to kill French citizens to avenge their country's support for th

Former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner dies

AP – FILE - In this June 22, 2009 file photo, Argentina's former president Nestor Kirchner gestures at a campaign …
By MICHAEL WARREN, Associated Press Writer Michael Warren, Associated Press Writer –
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner — the husband of current leader Cristina Fernandez — died suddenly Wednesday after suffering from severe heart trouble, the presidency said.