Palestine and Egypt say Mideast focused on talks

PALESTINIAN President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday he was still focused on a return to direct peace talks with Israel but looking at alternatives. Abbas, speaking alongside Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, repeated his demand for a halt to Jewish settlement building on occupied land before any return to peace talks. Abbas said his first choice was a return to those negotiations, which Washington hopes can resolve major issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict within a year with the goal of establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza.

US, Japan hit back at China's muscle flexing

US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton (L) arrives with Japanese Foreign Minister, Seiji Maehara, for a press conference in Honolulu, Hawaii. Picture: AFP

China says Hu open to discussing French G20 proposals

Chinese President Hu Jintao (L), his wife Liu Yongqing (2nd L), French President Nicolas Sarkozy (3rd R) and his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy (R) arrive at the banquet of the opening ceremony of the World Expo in Shanghai, China. Picture: EPA

Learn a Second Language, Buy a Language Schools Franchise Worldwide

LimeWire filesharing site ordered to close

LimeWire has been shut down by a US court who found that the service had been used to infringe copyright on a huge scale
The ruling follows a long-running legal dispute with the Recording Industry Association of America, which represents the major record labels and accused Lime Wire, the company behind the LimeWire service, of infringing copyright.

Halloween Movie, Pumpkin Carving, Decorations, Witches, Costumes

Google Aims To Help Small Businesses With Boost

If you own a business and have claimed your free business listing in Google Places, which then appear on Google and Google Maps, then you will be glad to know the search and advertising company has introduced another way to help your business get noticed.

David Cameron admits defeat over EU budget | World news | guardian.co.uk

EU flags reflected in glass walls of EU headquarters in Brussels. Photograph: Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images
David Cameron is planning to approve a £435m increase in Britain's contribution to the EU next year, prompting a row with the Tory right as he admits defeat in a battle to freeze Europe's budget.

Midterm elections live blog

Barack Obama and Jon Stewart during Obama's appearance on The Daily Show in Washington DC. Photograph: Charles Dharapak/AP
9am ET: Joe Miller is down to third place with 23% in a new Alaska poll. This, it has to be said, is very different from other polls that have showed him around the mid-30s and a point or two ahead of Lisa Murkowski. His disapproval rating in the poll is an astonishing 68%.

Sir John Sawers's speech

MI6 chief Sir John Sawers today. Photograph: Toby Melville/PA
The Times published a reader's letter earlier this year. It read: "Sir – is it not bizarre that MI5 and MI6, otherwise known as the secret services, currently stand accused of being – er – secretive?"

Bahrain's elections overshadowed by crackdown on Shia protesters

A Bahraini woman walks past election campaign billboards near Manama. Photograph: Marwan Naamani/AFP/Getty Images
It's hard to miss the signs on the streets of Manama: King Hamad peering benignly from giant billboards, and everywhere pictures of smiling candidates in spotless white dishdashas and headdresses pledging to build more houses, fight corruption...

The feting of Dmitry Medvedev

Dmitry Medvedev, Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel at this month's tripartite summit between France, Germany and Russia. Photograph: Philippe Wojazer/REUTERS
Nato's Lisbon summit next month is in danger of becoming the stage for a triumphal procession by Russia's leather-jacketed president, Dmitry Medvedev. The mystery is what, exactly, Moscow has ...

Iran loads fuel rods into Bushehr nuclear reactor

Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant. Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA
Iran began loading fuel into the core of its first nuclear power plant today, moving closer to starting up the facility.

Death of Gulf emirate ruler Sheikh Saqr prompts fight over succession

Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammad al-Qassimi, left, the late ruler of Ras al-Khaimah, with his son Sheikh Khalid. Photograph: Nasser Younes/AFP/Getty Images
One of the most bizarre international coup attempts of recent times, whose key players include a family solicitor from Buckinghamshire and an exiled Arab crown prince, entered its endgame today with the death of Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammad ...

French retirement age reforms 'almost certain' to be passed

The French finance minister, Christine Lagarde, said the protest movement had reached a 'turning point'. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images
France's lower house, the national assembly, is today expected to pass Nicolas Sarkozy's controversial plan to increase the retirement age, as unions vowed to continue their strikes and protests despite signs of dwindling support.

Chinese city wardens wanted: must be young, female and pretty

A team of policewomen patrol the streets of Zhengzhou in central China's Henan province. They are part of a special squad of young, attractive female officers formed by the city of Zhengzhou's police department. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
A good temperament might be an obvious requirement for a city warden. Good looks? Perhaps less so.

Mikhail Gorbachev says Russia is moving 'away from democracy

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev says country's leaders are anti-democratic. Photograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP
Mikhail Gorbachev, the former leader of the Soviet Union, has issued a sharp criticism of Russia's president, Dmitry Medvedev, and the prime minister, Vladimir Putin, saying they are "doing everything they can to move away from democracy, to stay in power".

Hitmen kill fifteen in massacre at Mexican carwash

The crime scene in Tepic, Mexico, where 15 people were killed by hitmen. Photograph: Nayarit En L Nea/EPA
Suspected drug hitmen shot dead 15 people at a carwash in western Mexico yesterday, the third massacre in just a few days, putting new pressure on President Felipe Calderón to stop the growing violence.

Indonesian tsunami warning system 'had been vandalised

Rescuers are continuing to look for survivors on Indonesia's tsunami-hit islands in West Sumatra Link to this video

Villagers in Indonesia were deprived of an advanced alert that a tsunami was heading towards them because part of an early warning system had been vandalised, an Indonesian official said.

Hotel Rwanda manager faces terror-funding charges

The former Rwandan hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina, pictured with his wife Tatiana in 2005, denies sending money to allegedly fund Rwandan opposition commanders. Photograph: Susan Walsh/AP
The Rwandan hotel manager whose story was told in the film Hotel Rwanda could face charges by Rwandan authorities over allegations he sent money to opposition commanders, the country's top

China made peace prize decision for us, says Nobel judge

Geir Lundestad of the Nobel committee.
China's decision to jail dissident Liu Xiaobo for 11 years convinced the Nobel committee to award him this year's peace prize, according to one of the judges.

Zapatero faces election defeat in Catalonia despite cabinet reshuffle

Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero speaks during a press conference in Madrid. Photograph: Daniel Ochoa De Olza/AP The campaign for the regional election in Catalonia on 28 November got off to a discouraging start for Spain's ruling Socialist party (PSOE). Opinion polls are predicting that its Catalan branch (PSC), in power since ...

Poland's faith divide | Sophia Deboick

Faith under fire … a sea of candles laid by mourners outside the presidential palace following the Smolensk crash. Photograph: Sean Gallup/Getty Images When 96 Polish dignitaries, including President Lech Kaczyński, were killed in a plane crash near Smolensk in April, the world briefly turned its gaze to Poland and its often tragic history.

Indonesia death toll reaches 300 with more feared after twin disasters

The tsunami caused by the earthquake washed away hundreds of wooden and bamboo homes, killing over 100 people and displacing 20,000 more. Photograph: Mast Irham/EPA
The combined death toll from the twin tsunami and earthquake disasters which struck Indonesia within 24 hours has risen to more than 300, government officials said ..

Chaos over restraint rules for deportees

Jimmy Mubenga died after being 'heavily restrained' for a deportation flight to Angola.
The government's deportation policy has been thrown into confusion after it emerged that the Home Office banned private security firms from forcing detainees on to flights following the death of a refugee, then lifted the moratorium 10 days later.

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

Question of the Week: Mortgagegate Makes Investors Wary of U.S. Banking Industry

By Kerri Shannon, Associate Editor, Money Morning

A potentially crippling crisis is flashing through the banking industry and threatening to derail the already struggling housing market and U.S. economic recovery.

YAHOO News, Oct 28, 2010

• Fears hundreds more dead in Indonesia tsunami (AP)
• Wild storm leaves behind damage, injuries (AP)
• College tuition costs climbing again this fall (AP)
• Myanmar says top general will not run in elections (AP)
• High exposure to BPA linked to low sperm count (AP)
• Candidates use children to make final pitch (AP)

» More News

  

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

 

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

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

 

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 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

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

 

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'

Heads of government are expected to endorse a new blueprint for the nine-year war Photo: REUTERS

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.

More species slide to extinction

Some 13% of birds qualify for inclusion on the Red List

One fifth of animal and plant species are under the threat of extinction, a global conservation study has warned.

Scientists who compiled the Red List of Threatened Species say the proportion of species facing wipeout is rising.

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

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

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.

Health Products and Services, Healthcare, Diet Products