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Gandhi to speak for scandal-prone gov

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 03 November 2012 | 19.50

SONIA Gandhi, chief of India's ruling Congress party, and Premier Manmohan Singh were set to speak at a massive rally to whip up support for the scandal-tainted government ahead of 2014 elections.

Italian-born Ms Gandhi, India's political grand matriarch who led Congress to back-to-back wins in 2004 and 2009, is moving into high gear as she seeks to persuade voters to elect the party for a third straight term, analysts say.

At the rally in the Indian capital, leaders will defend the government's blitz of controversial reforms to allow wider foreign investment in the retail, insurance and aviation sectors aimed at spurring a sharply slowing economy.

"We want to tell people that these are people-friendly measures - these are for the betterment of the common man," a senior Congress party official, who asked not to be named, told AFP.

The left-leaning government is deeply wary of a voter backlash in the elections due within 18 months over the reforms that have drawn strong political opposition in the still heavily poor country of 1.2 billion people.

Also due to speak along with Gandhi and Singh at the rally in the capital New Delhi will be Sonia's 42-year-old son Rahul Gandhi, expected to be the party's candidate for prime minister in the polls, the party official said.

"All three of them are scheduled to give speeches," he said.

The rally is being staged a week after 80-year-old Singh overhauled his cabinet to give it a more youthful face with the inclusion of younger ministers to appeal to the country's vast youth population.

Congress is struggling to restore its credibility as a force fit to govern in the face of a drumroll of corruption charges that have put it on the defensive almost since the last elections in 2009.

The Congress party official said the party was hoping Sunday's rally would be attended by over 100,000 people.


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Jordan Islamists blast Halloween party

JORDAN'S Muslim Brotherhood has condemned Halloween celebrations held in an Amman cafe as "Satanic" and homosexual, with a newspaper reporting acts of vandalism at the party.

"We watched with disgust and shame last night (Friday) homosexual and Satanic rituals in an Amman cafe," the Brotherhood said in a statement on its website.

"This presents a challenge to the values of the Jordanian people and their Arab and Muslim identity, as well as a violation of religious laws."

The group demanded that those who organised the party be tried for the "grotesque act" and complained that such events are allowed to go ahead in Jordan when the people are "stricken by poverty and amid political crises".

Al-Ghad newspaper, meanwhile, reported that violence broke out when "angry youths tried to prevent the Halloween celebrations from taking place" in the cafe in Amman.

It said they tried to storm the cafe, throwing stones and setting fire to property, causing a traffic jam into the early hours of Saturday.

Poverty levels are running at 25 percent in the desert kingdom, whose capital Amman is the most expensive city in the Arab world, according to several independent studies.


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Japan transsexual denied recognition

A PERSON who had a sex-change to become a man has complained of discrimination after a Japanese court reportedly refused to register him as the father of his wife's child.

The 30-year-old, who was born female, had sought to be registered as the father after his wife delivered a boy in 2009 by way of artificial insemination using donated sperm.

But the Tokyo Family Court has ruled the child must be registered as if he was born out of wedlock as the man is physically not capable of reproduction, despite the fact sterile men are routinely recognised as the fathers of babies born using artificial insemination.

The couple married in 2008, after the husband officially changed his gender, and were recognised as husband and wife under a new law that came into effect in 2004.

"Under the law, Japan decided to treat me as a man. I would like to receive the same treatment as a father too," the man, whose name was not reported, told local journalists on Friday, according to the Mainichi Shimbun.

"I feel I am being discriminated against. I will continue to fight so that I can live as a husband and a father," he said, according to national broadcaster NHK.


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Nigerian forces kill 14 kidnappers

NIGERIAN security forces have stormed the hideout of kidnappers of a Turkish national in oil-rich Rivers State and killed 14 of them in a shootout.

"The hoodlums were shot dead during a gun battle with the security agents in their camp in Kaani community in Ogoni land," state police spokesman Ben Ugwuegbulam told AFP of the incident.


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Early voting gives Obama the edge

PRESIDENT Barack Obama is heading toward election day with an apparent lead over Republican Mitt Romney among early voters in key states.

But Mr Obama's advantage isn't as big as the one he had over John McCain four years ago, and that gives Mr Romney's campaign hope that the former Massachusetts governor can erase the gap in Tuesday's election.

About 25 million people already have voted in 34 states and the District of Columbia. No votes will be counted until election day but several battleground states are releasing the party affiliation of people who have voted early.

So far, Democratic voters outnumber Republicans in Florida, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio. Republicans have the edge in Colorado.


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Japan death prompts elevator checks

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 02 November 2012 | 19.50

A NATIONWIDE inspection of thousands of elevators produced by a Switzerland-based company has been promised in Japan after a hotel worker was crushed to death by one.

The 63-year-old died when she got trapped between the floor of the lift and the top side of the door frame.

Investigators said the lift was moving even as the doors were open and the woman had tripped over the rising floor as she tried to enter.

Japanese media have been gripped by the accident, which occurred on Wednesday in the city of Kanazawa, and comes six years after a 16-year-old schoolboy was killed in an elevator made by the same firm.

Transport minister Yuichiro Hata told a news conference on Friday all 5500 elevators made and operated by Schindler would be inspected.

"We will make emergency checks of all the Schindler elevators on the basis of investigations into the cause of the accident," Hata said.

Schindler has said in a statement it was co-operating with a police probe into the incident, adding the elevator in question was installed in 1998.


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Afghan civilian hit on Aust firing range

AN Afghan civilian teenager has died from injuries received at a heavy weapons range in Oruzgan province, it is believed.

Defence believes the youth died of injuries received at the Tarin Kot Multinational Base heavy weapons range.

Initial reports indicate civilians were identified inside the range area after heavy weapons firing had begun on the afternoon of November 1 local time, Defence said in a statement on Friday.

Australian personnel ceased firing immediately when they realised civilians were on the range.

Chief of Joint Operations Lieutenant General Ash Power said the soldiers conducting the firing believe the Afghan was most likely injured during their practice, but a full investigation would be conducted.

"As soon as the soldiers realised the Afghan civilians were in danger they ceased fire and directed Afghan security personnel to move forward and assist," Lieutenant General Power said.

"The injured Afghan was taken to the civilian hospital in Tarin Kot for treatment and we were later advised that he had unfortunately died of his injuries."

The deceased is believed to be a teenager, but his exact age is not known.

"Procedures are in place to minimise the risk of local Afghans entering onto the range," Defence said.

"Oruzgan authorities have been informed and the incident is currently being investigated in co-operation with local authorities.

"This incident did not occur during the conduct of operations."


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Pussy Riot members 'should be freed'

RUSSIAN Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev says two members of punk band Pussy Riot who began two-year terms in camps for hooliganism should be released.

"I would not put them in jail if I was a judge. I simply don't consider it right that they serve prison sentences. They have already been in jail long enough," he was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.

Two members of Pussy Riot, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, arrived last month at corrective labour camps in the Urals and central Russia after being found guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.

A third member, Yekaterina Samutsevich, received a suspended sentence on appeal after the judge ruled she was grabbed by guards before she could take part in a protest song against Russian President Vladimir Putin in a Moscow cathedral.

"The fact that one of them was freed, she was lucky," Mr Medvedev said.

Mr Medvedev, who is a lawyer by training, made the comments while taking questions from teenagers who had won competitions in school subjects.

A former Russian president, Mr Medvedev stressed that he personally found the women "very unpleasant", adding that "I have some doubts that this group that is now famous not only in our country has anything to do with music".

He earlier reacted to the women's sentencing by saying that his personal opinion was that there was no benefit from them staying in prison any longer, after they had spent seven months in pre-trial detention.

By contrast, President Vladimir Putin in a television documentary last month joked about the women's two-year sentences and said ahead of their appeal that he believed the court took the right decision.


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European stocks steady after weak EU data

EUROPEAN stocks have steadied and the euro hit a three-week low versus the dollar after the release of gloomy eurozone manufacturing data and ahead of key US jobs figures that were expected to come in strong, dealers say.

In late morning deals on Friday, London's benchmark FTSE 100 index of top companies fell 0.11 per cent to 5,855.69 points, Frankfurt's DAX 30 firmed 0.12 per cent to 7,344.75 points and in Paris the CAC 40 eased 0.02 per cent to 3,474.82.

In foreign exchange activity, the euro slid to $US1.2865 - the lowest level since October 11. It later stood at $US1.2887, which compared with $US1.2940 late in New York on Thursday.

Gold prices decreased to $US1,708.95 an ounce on the London Bullion Market, down from $US1,716.25 on Thursday.

The eurozone manufacturing sector was stuck in the doldrums for a 15th consecutive month in October, getting the fourth quarter off to a weak start and offering no hope for change in the near future, a key survey showed Friday.

The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) compiled by the Markit research firm put the manufacturing sector on 45.4 points, better than the initial figure of 45.3 given last week but still down sharply from 46.1 in September. Anything above 50 points to growth while anything below is a contraction.

Markit said the downturn "not only deepened but also widened" in the latest survey, noting a further deterioration in new orders while new export orders fell for the 16th month in a row in October.

Job losses mounted for a ninth successive month and at the fastest rate since July, it added.

The rate of contraction accelerated in Germany, Europe's biggest economy, which was on a two-month low of 46 points; and in Italy, Spain, Austria and Greece, while France was slowing faster than its peers.

"The weaker PMIs merely confirm the view that economic conditions in Europe show no signs of picking up with the euro slipping back as a result," said Michael Hewson, analyst at trading group CMC Markets.

"The latest (US) jobs report could well give markets a boost, however it would really need a very good number for the markets to move out of its recent ranges."

European equities had risen on Thursday following a barrage of positive earnings reports and buoyant US data, while investors shrugged off the latest twist in Greece's saga to unlock bailout funding.

Wall Street's three main indexes saw healthy gains on Thursday, their second day back after a two-day closure caused by superstorm Sandy, thanks to a bright batch of indicators that suggest the economy is gaining strength.

The US Conference Board index of consumer confidence for October rose to a better-than-forecast 72.2 in October, from a revised 68.4 in September, pointing to a pick-up in the crucial manufacturing sector.

Also, the Labour Department said weekly jobless claims continued their decline, falling a modest 9,000 to 363,000 last week - below the four-week moving trend of 367,250.

Adding to the sense of optimism, payrolls company ADP's private sector hiring report was better than expected, though at 162,000 jobs in September was still down by 14 per cent from August.

That provided hopes for closely-watched non-farm payrolls results due out of Washington later on Friday, at 2330 AEDT, with expectations for another rise in job creation.

"November got off to a fine start yesterday, as a string of earnings updates and better US data put investors in an optimistic frame of mind," said analyst Chris Beauchamp at trading group IG.

"Today sees some trimming of positions, a not unexpected occurrence, but the strong ADP number means that investors are more confident that non-farms will beat expectations."

Asian stock markets on Friday won a boost from the upbeat global economic data and gains in New York share prices.

Hong Kong climbed 1.33 per cent, Seoul 1.07 per cent, Shanghai closed up 0.60 per cent, while Tokyo jumped 1.17 per cent on the back of the weaker yen.


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US economy adds jobs, rate rises to 7.9pc

US employers added 171,000 jobs in October and hiring was stronger over the previous two months than first thought.

The unemployment rate inched up to 7.9 percent from 7.8 percent in September because the work force grew.

The US Labour Department's last look at hiring before Tuesday's election sketched a picture of a job market that is gradually gaining momentum after nearly stalling in the spring.

Since July, the economy has created an average of 173,000 jobs a month, up from 67,000 a month from April through June.

Still, US President Barack Obama will face voters with the highest unemployment rate of any incumbent since Franklin Roosevelt.

The rate ticked up because more people without jobs started looking for work. The government only counts people as unemployed if they are actively searching.


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Syrian rebels blame West for extremism

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 01 November 2012 | 19.50

SYRIAN regime forces have launched new air strikes in what is seen as a desperate attempt to reverse rebel gains, as the opposition blamed the international community for fuelling Islamic extremism.

Reacting after Washington urged Syria's rebels to reject extremism, the head of the main opposition Syrian National Council said the West and its partners were to blame for rising radicalisation.

"The international community is responsible, through its lack of support for the Syrian people, for the growth of extremism in Syria," SNC director Abdel Basset Saida told AFP.

"The international community should criticise itself, and ask itself: What did it give the Syrian people? How has it helped the Syrians to stop the regime's crazy killing?" he said.

Thursday saw helicopter gunships strafing a district of Damascus as warplanes pounded rebel bastions in the capital's suburbs and in the northwestern province of Idlib, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

At least three warplane raids were conducted in the northern Damascus suburb of Harasta, home to some of the rebel Free Syrian Army's best organised fighters, as on the other side of the city gunships hit the neighbourhood of Al-Hajar Al-Aswad, it said.

Clashes meanwhile raged in the northern commercial hub of Aleppo, it said, and in Idlib, where FSA forces backed by the Islamist Al-Nusra Front continued their siege of the Wadi Daif army base.

President Bashar al-Assad's forces have this week launched a wave of intensive air strikes analysts say are a response to opposition gains and aimed at "terrorising" and turning local communities against the rebels.

"They are trying to make the civilian population so angry and so scared that it will not be possible for the rebels to find safe havens," said Riad Kahwaji, head of the Dubai-based Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis.

The air raids - often using crude barrel bombs stuffed with dynamite and chunks of metal - were not precision strikes on rebel positions but indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas under rebel control.

"These are dumb bombs, not smart bombs, and when you are using them you are not trying to gain any tactical advantage," said Kahwaji.

Violence on Wednesday killed at least 152 people across Syria, including 58 civilians, said the Observatory.

It says more than 36,000 people have now been killed since the uprising against Assad's regime broke out in March 2011 and evolved into an armed civil conflict.

Most of the rebels, like the population, are members of Syria's Sunni Muslim majority, while Assad's government is dominated by his Alawite minority, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.

The country's fractured opposition, whose members range from pro-Western liberals to hardline Islamists, has struggled to find common ground against Assad, especially on the political front.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday said Washington wanted to help the Syrian opposition unite against Assad, but warned against Islamic extremists trying to "hijack" the revolution.

"There are disturbing reports of extremists going into Syria attempting to take over what has been a legitimate revolution against an oppressive regime for their own purposes," Clinton warned during a visit to Croatia.

The opposition should "strongly resist the efforts by the extremists to hijack the Syrian revolution," she said.

The international community's divisions over the conflict were exposed once more on Wednesday, as UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi urged China to do more to help tackle the crisis and talks between French and Russian officials in Paris failed to resolve disagreements over Assad's regime.

After the talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov defiantly accused the West of fuelling the violence by insisting on Assad abandoning power.

"If the position of our partners remains the departure of this leader who they do not like, the bloodbath will continue," Lavrov said.

Brahimi, who visited Moscow and Beijing this week in bid to revive peace efforts after a failed ceasefire bid for last weekend's Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday, is due to present new proposals for resolving the conflict to the UN Security Council later this month.


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Saudi gas truck blast kills at least 22

A GAS tanker truck has exploded on a main road in the Saudi capital, killing at least 22 people, injuring about 111 others and leaving a trail of destruction, officials say.

The lorry veered into a bridge pylon at a junction on Khurays Road in Riyadh about 7.30am (1530 AEDT), causing a gas leak that spread out and then burst into flames, destroying nearby cars and a business, the officials told AFP.

An AFP photographer at the scene reported widespread damage to the area, with dozens of cars mangled by the blast and burned out.

A bus that had been gutted by the fire stood idle on the flyover, with witnesses saying that the vehicle had been transporting workers whose fate remained unknown.

Another truck fell off the bridge from the impact of the explosion, the witnesses said.

Amateur video footage posted on the internet showed thick black smoke billowing from different spots around the flyover whose pylons were also damaged.

Civil defence personnel carried two "completely charred" bodies from the site.

"The death toll of the gas truck fire in Khurays has increased to 22 people, in addition to 111 wounded," a civil defence official said.

Earlier, a civil defence official who requested not to be named told AFP that at least 14 people were killed and around 60 others hurt "in the explosion of the truck when it hit a bridge pylon".

Civil defence spokesman in Riyadh, Mohammed al-Hammadi, said the explosion took place after gas leaked from the tank of the lorry, according to SPA state news agency.

"The explosion and fire happened after leaked gas filled the area. Huge damage happened, in addition to many traffic collisions," he said, adding there were fatalities without specifying how many.

Hammadi said a nearby show yard of construction machinery was severely damaged by the explosion.


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Nigeria accused of massive rights abuses

NIGERIAN security forces have committed massive rights violations including summary executions in trying to crush the insurgency by the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, Amnesty International says.

In a report on Thursday, the London based rights groups charged Nigeria's military with carrying out extra-judicial killings and showing "little regard for the rule of law or human rights" in its campaign against Boko Haram.

"The cycle of attack and counter-attack has been marked by unlawful violence on both sides, with devastating consequences for the human rights of those trapped in the middle," said Salil Shetty, Amnesty's secretary general.

Violence linked to the Boko Haram insurgency is believed to have left more than 2,800 people dead since 2009, including killings by security forces.

Nigeria has deployed special military units to several areas hit hardest by the group, including the northeastern city of Maiduguri, considered the Islamists' base.

"Amnesty International received consistent accounts of witnesses who saw people summarily executed outside their homes, shot dead during operations, after arrest, or beaten to death in detention or in the street by security forces in Maiduguri," the rights group said.

"Witnesses interviewed by Amnesty International described seeing people who were clearly no threat to life, unarmed, lying down or with their hands over their head or cooperating shot at close range by the security forces," the report further said.

Residents of Maiduguri have previously accused soldiers of firing on bystanders after suspected Boko Haram attacks, although the military has consistently denied wrongdoing.

Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, the military spokesman in Maiduguri, told AFP he was not yet familiar with Amnesty's allegations and would respond later Thursday.

The rights group said Boko Haram's relentless targeting of civilians "may constitute crimes against humanity," but urged Nigeria "to take responsibility for its own failings" in its campaign against the insurgents, who have said they want to create an Islamic state in the north.

President Goodluck Jonathan has faced intense criticism over what some term his failure to stop the killings.

Oil-rich Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is roughly divided between a mainly north and mostly Christian south.


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4 wounded in campus Halloween shooting

AUTHORITIES say four people were shot and wounded during a Halloween party on the University of Southern California campus and two suspects are in custody.

It happened around 11.45pm local time on Wednesday outside the Ronald Tutor Campus Centre, where about 100 people had gathered for a party hosted by a student organisation.

USC Department of Public Safety Capt David Carlisle says an argument between two men not tied to the school led to one of them pulling out a gun and shooting another person.

That victim was critically wounded. Three bystanders were taken to the hospital with less serious injuries.

The Los Angeles Times reports USC sent a text alert telling students to stay inside. Hours later, another text said the threat was over and classes would go on as scheduled.


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Stars doing concert for Sandy victims

US NETWORK NBC is doing a benefit concert for victims of Hurricane Sandy featuring some artists native to the areas hardest hit.

Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi of New Jersey and Billy Joel of Long Island are scheduled to appear at the concert on Friday.

The telecast will benefit the American Red Cross and be shown on NBC and its cable stations including Bravo, CNBC, USA, MSNBC and E! Other networks are invited to join in.

The concert will be hosted by Matt Lauer. It will air at 8pm US Eastern time and will be taped-delayed in the West.

Other performers include Christina Aguilera, Sting and Jimmy Fallon.

The telethon will be broadcast from NBC facilities in Rockefeller Centre in New York City.


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EU unemployment rises to new record

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 31 Oktober 2012 | 19.51

UNEMPLOYMENT in the 17-country eurozone has risen to a record 11.6 per cent in September, official figures show, in another grim development for a region that is struggling to get to grips with a three-year debt crisis.

The rate reported by Eurostat, the EU's statistics office, on Wednesday is up from an upwardly-revised 11.5 per cent in August. In total, 18.49 million people were out of work in the eurozone in September, up 146,000 on the previous month.

While the eurozone's unemployment rate has been rising steadily for the past year as its economy struggled, the United States has seen its equivalent rate fall to 7.8 per cent. The latest US figures are due this Friday.

Five countries in the eurozone are already in recession - Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Cyprus. The region as a whole is expected to be confirmed to be in recession when the first estimate of eurozone economic activity in the third quarter is published mid-November - a recession is officially confirmed after two consecutive quarters of negative growth.

Spain was in the ignominious position of having the highest unemployment rate in the eurozone, at 25.8 per cent. However, Greece was not far behind at 25.1 per cent, though its figure relates to July.

Both countries, which are at the epicentre of Europe's three-year debt crisis, have youth unemployment above 50 per cent.

The lowest unemployment rate in the eurozone was Austria's 4.4 per cent. Germany, Europe's biggest economy, has a jobless rate of only 5.4 per cent.

Separately, Eurostat reported that inflation in the eurozone fell modestly to 2.5 per cent in the year to October, from the previous month's 2.6 per cent. Inflation is still above the European Central Bank's target of keeping price rises just below 2 per cent.

Above-target inflation has not prevented the ECB cutting its key interest rate to a record low of 0.75 per cent, but few economists think the bank will lower borrowing costs at next Thursday's monthly meeting.


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Fukushima firm TEPCO slashes loss forecast

TEPCO, the operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, has dramatically slashed its fiscal-year loss projection, citing asset sales and cost-cutting for the change.

The utility said it now expects to lose Y45 billion ($A548.45 million) this year instead of the Y160 billion ($A1.95 billion) initially forecast, although it still faces huge post-disaster compensation costs and higher power generation expenses, despite a government bailout and a price hike.

It also said its losses narrowed to Y299.48 billion ($A3.65 billion) for the six months to September, compared with Y627.3 billion ($A7.65 billion) en in the same period of 2011.

The company was effectively nationalised after receiving Y1.0 trillion ($A12.19 billion) yen of taxpayer money to stay in business this year as it struggled to survive after the atomic meltdown at its Fukushima Daiichi plant that followed the quake-tsunami disaster on March 11, 2011.

Fallout from the utility's reactors contaminated surrounding farmland and forced tens of thousands of area residents to flee from their home and businesses in the worst atomic crisis in a generation.

Despite the improving results, TEPCO said its first-half costs rose due to firing up expensive thermal power stations as anti-nuclear sentiment kept its atomic reactors idled.

TEPCO said it earned Y110.2 billion ($A1.34 billion) after selling assets, including stock investments, while overhauling its retirement pension plan.

In July, the government allowed TEPCO, one of the world's biggest utilities, to raise household electricity rates in its service area, including Tokyo, by an average 8.46 per cent.

As a result, first-half sales rose 14.9 per cent to 2.88 trillion yen, the company said.

It hopes to return to profitability in 2014.

The firm posted a 781 billion yen loss in the most recent fiscal year, when it had to boost fossil fuel imports as Japan switched off its reactors.

Just two reactors have been restarted out of a possible 50.

The clean-up of TEPCO's plant is expected to take decades, with scientists warning that some settlements may have to be abandoned.

The public bailout that TEPCO received gives the government 50.11 per cent of the utility's voting rights, while the deal has an option allowing the Nuclear Damage Liability Facilitation Fund to raise that stake to nearly 76 per cent.


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Indonesian forces kill terror suspect

INDONESIAN security forces have raided suspected terror hideouts in central Sulawesi, killing one suspect and arresting two others.

Gunfire was exchanged early on Wednesday morning during the raids in the villages of Tambarana and Kalora in Poso district, said Maj Gen Suhardi Alius, the national police spokesman.

He added that a gun and seven homemade bombs were confiscated during the raid.

Hundreds of police and soldiers, along with the country's anti-terror squad, have been combing a mountainous jungle area in Poso that is believed to be home to a terrorist training camp.

Earlier in October, two police officers investigating terrorist activities in the area were found dead.

Poso in Central Sulawesi province was a flashpoint for violence between Christians and Muslims that left more than 1000 dead in 2001 and 2002.

Indonesia has been battling terrorists since the 2002 bombings in Bali that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.


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Fight for control of US senate looms

REPUBLICANS once seemed poised to take control of the US senate, but now face an uphill battle after nominating several controversial candidates, while some Democratic contenders have run stronger than expected campaigns.

The razor-thin race for the White House has overshadowed the fight for control of congress. But the stakes are high in the Senate contests.

With Republicans expected to retain control of the House of Representatives, a Republican Senate would give the party full control of the US government if Mitt Romney wins the presidency. If President Barack Obama is re-elected, he hopes to have a Democratic-controlled Senate to counteract the Republican House.

Voters will decide on a third of the Senate's 100 seats on November 6. Democrats hold a 53-47 advantage, counting two independents who caucus with them, and must defend 23 seats, including several gained during a Democratic wave in 2006. To win a majority, Republicans need a net pickup of four seats if Obama is re-elected, or three if Romney prevails. The vice-president casts a tie-breaking vote in an evenly divided Senate.

Analysts predict the Democrats will hold the Senate by a narrow margin.

Republicans are likely to pick up a seat held by a retiring Democrat in Nebraska, but even in that race recent polls show the race tightening with former Democratic Senator Bob Kerrey gaining ground. Other races once seen as almost-certain wins by Republicans have become less clear. In two cases, Republican prospects have been hurt by their candidates' comments about rape and abortion.

In Missouri, Todd Akin was deserted by the Republican establishment after he remarked in August that women's bodies have ways of avoiding pregnancy in cases of what he called "legitimate rape." He has fallen behind Claire McCaskill, who had been considered the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent.

In Indiana, moderate veteran senator Richard Lugar was expected to easily win re-election, but he lost a primary to Richard Mourdock, a favorite of the small-government, anti-tax tea party movement. Mourdock has come under intense criticism after saying in a debate that when pregnancy results from rape, it is "something God intended."

Two Republican retirements have also hurt the party's prospects. In Maine, the surprise retirement of Olympia Snowe, one of the last moderate Republican senators, has opened the way for Angus King, an independent former governor who is expected to win and vote with Senate Democrats. Republicans are expected to hold onto their seat in Arizona, though their candidate, congressman Jeff Flake, has faced a tough challenge from Democrat Richard Carmona, who served as surgeon-general in President George W. Bush's administration.

In addition to Nebraska, three other Democratic retirements offer opportunities for Republican gains. The strongest prospect seems to be conservative North Dakota, though the Democratic candidate, former state attorney-general Heidi Heitkamp, has run a strong campaign against Republican Rick Berg and has a narrow lead in some polls.

The other two races are very close. In Wisconsin, Democratic congresswoman Tammy Baldwin has kept the race close with four-term former Republican governor Tommy Thompson. In Virginia, former Republican senator George Allen is facing former Democratic governor and national party chairman Tim Kaine.

Republicans face longer odds in trying to capture the Connecticut seat of another retiring incumbent, Joe Lieberman, an independent who has sided with the Democrats. Republican Linda McMahon, a former professional wrestling executive who has spent more than $40 million in her bid to turn back Chris Murphy.

Among Democratic incumbents, the most vulnerable may be Jon Tester in the conservative western state of Montana, who is in a tight race with Republican congressman Denny Rehberg.

Republicans have two vulnerable incumbents. In the liberal state of Massachusetts, recent polls show Scott Brown trailing Elizabeth Warren, who set up Obama's Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In Nevada, Democratic Congresswoman Shelley Berkley has made a strong run for the seat held by Dean Heller, who was appointed last year to replace a senator who had resigned in a sex scandal.


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Fire at Saudi wedding kills 25: reports

A FIRE sparked by celebratory gunfire has killed at least 25 people at a wedding in Saudi Arabia, media report.

The bullets struck electric decorations that triggered a short-circuit, igniting a women-only marquee at the wedding on Tuesday night in Eastern Province, said Al-Yaoum newspaper, citing civil defence chief General Abdullah Khsheiman.

Al-Yaoum, which is based in the province, said at least 28 people died in the fire, although various other reports put the death toll at 25, all of them women and children.

The governor of the oil-rich region, Prince Mohammed bin Fahd bin Abdul Aziz, ordered a prompt investigation into the incident, the Okaz daily reported on Wednesday.

Only women and small children were in the tent in line with strict rules of segregation in the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom.

In July 1999, 76 people died in a similar incident in Eastern Province.


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Organised criminals to face tougher laws

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 30 Oktober 2012 | 19.50

CHANGES to existing laws to crack down on organised criminals, including those who fly under false names, have passed the lower house.

Attorney-General Nicola Roxon earlier this month introduced a legislative package to ensure commonwealth criminal law remained up to date and effective.

Organised criminals often fly under false names.

The bill will make it a crime to use a false identity to book a flight over the internet or to take commercial flights.

It will also be a crime to use a false identity when identifying oneself for a flight.

Other measures in the package include allowing illicit drugs to be listed by regulation.

The move is aimed at preventing criminals exploiting loopholes created when lists of controlled drugs don't keep pace with the market for illicit substances.

The bill also expands laws against identity theft by making it a crime to use a carriage service like the internet or a mobile phone to obtain identity information with the intention of committing another offence.

It increases the commonwealth's penalty unit scheme by raising the value of a single unit from $110 to $170.

The maximum fine for obtaining a financial advantage by deception would jump from $66,000 to $102,000 for an individual under the changes.

The Crimes Legislation Amendment (Serious Drugs, Identity Crime and Other Measures) Bill 2012 passed the lower house on Tuesday.


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'Tsunami money spent on unrelated jobs'

ABOUT a quarter of the $US148 billion ($A143.91 billion) budget for reconstruction after the March 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster has been spent on unrelated projects, including subsidies for a contact lens factory and research whaling, a Japanese government accounting shows.

The audit documents released last week buttressed complaints over shortcomings in the reconstruction effort. More than half the Y11.7 trillion ($A142.67 billion) budget is yet to be disbursed, stalled by indecision and bureaucracy, while nearly all of the 340,000 people evacuated from the disaster zone remain uncertain whether, when and how they will ever resettle.

Many of the non-reconstruction-related projects loaded into the budget were included on the pretext they might contribute to Japan's economic revival, a strategy that the government now acknowledges was a mistake.

"It is true that the government has not done enough and has not done it adequately. We must listen to those who say the reconstruction should be the first priority," Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said in a speech to parliament on Monday.

He vowed that unrelated projects will be "strictly wrung out" of the budget.

But ensuring that funds go to their intended purpose might require an explicit change in the reconstruction spending law, which authorises spending on such ambiguous purposes as creating eco-towns and supporting "employment measures."

Among the unrelated projects benefiting from the reconstruction budgets are: road building in distant Okinawa; prison vocational training in other parts of Japan; subsidies for a contact lens factory in central Japan; renovations of government offices in Tokyo; aircraft and fighter pilot training, research and production of rare earths minerals, a semiconductor research project and even funding to support whaling, ostensibly for research.

Some 30 million yen ($380,000) went to promoting the Tokyo Sky Tree, a transmission tower that is the world's tallest freestanding broadcast structure. Another 2.8 billion yen ($35 million) was requested by the Justice Ministry for a publicity campaign to "reassure the public" about the risks of big disasters.

Masahiro Matsumura, a politics professor at St. Andrews University in Osaka, Japan, said justifying such misuse by suggesting the benefits would "trickle down" to the disaster zone is typical of the political dysfunction that has hindered Japan's efforts to break out of two decades of debilitating economic slump.

"This is a manifestation of government indifference to rehabilitation. They are very good at making excuses," Matsumura told The Associated Press.

Near the crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant, which suffered the additional blow from the worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, recovery work has barely begun.

More than 325,000 of the 340,000 people evacuated from the disaster zone or forced to flee the areas around the nuclear plant after the March 11, 2011 disaster remain homeless or away from their homes, according to the most recent figures available.

In Rikuzentakata, a fishing enclave where 1,800 people were killed or went missing as the tsunami scoured the harbour, rebuilding has yet to begin in earnest, says Takashi Kubota, who left a government job in Tokyo in May 2011 to become the town's deputy mayor.

The tsunami destroyed 3,800 of Rikuzentakata's 9,000 homes. The first priority, he says, has been finding land for rebuilding homes - on higher ground. For now, most evacuees are housed, generally unhappily, in temporary shelters in school playgrounds and sports fields.

"I can sum it up in two words - speed and flexibility - that are lacking," Kubota said. Showing a photo of the now non-existent downtown area, he said, "In 19 months, there have basically been no major changes. There is not one single new building yet."

The government has pledged to spend 23 trillion yen ($295 billion) over this decade on reconstruction and disaster prevention, 19 trillion yen ($245 billion) of it within five years.

But more than half the reconstruction budget remains unspent, according to the government's audit report.

The dithering is preventing the government, whose debt is already twice the size of the country's GDP, from getting the most bang for every buck.

"You've got economic malaise and political as well. That's just a recipe for disaster," said Matthew Circosta, an economist with Moody's Analytics in Sydney.

Part of the problem is the central government's strategy of managing the reconstruction from Tokyo instead of delegating it to provincial governments. At the same time, the local governments lack the staff and expertise for such major rebuilding.

The government "thinks it has to be in the driver's seat," Jun Iio, a government adviser and professor at Tokyo University told a conference in Sendai. "Unfortunately the reconstruction process is long and only if the local residents can agree on a plan will they move ahead on reconstruction."

"It is in this stage that creativity is needed for rebuilding," he said.


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Europe stocks rebound on positive earnings

EUROPEAN stock markets and the euro have rebounded as investors cheered positive company earnings and thousands of job cuts at Swiss bank UBS, despite a lull in trading caused by monster storm Sandy.

London's FTSE 100 index of top companies on Tuesday rose by 0.87 per cent in value to stand at 5,845.30 points in late morning deals.

Frankfurt's DAX 30 won 1.06 per cent to 7,279.40 points and in Paris the CAC 40 gained 1.17 per cent to 3,448.67.

Madrid's IBEX 35 jumped 0.99 per cent to 7,805.10 points.

European stock markets closed lower on Monday awaiting pivotal debt talks on Greece due this week and in thin volume owing to US trading being suspended as Sandy bore down on New York.

"Although the US markets remain closed for the second day in a row, courtesy of Sandy, which is not only affecting the trading volumes but also interrupts the presidential election (race) - European markets experience what, given the circumstances, could be called a rally," said Gekko Global Markets trader Anita Paluch.

"The boost comes from the better than expected earnings results reported by heavyweight companies like Deutsche Bank and BP. The UBS news to slash the jobs is also interpreted in a positive way."

Shares in UBS rallied 5.18 per cent to 13.8 Swiss francs on an index up 0.63 per cent overall. The banking giant on Tuesday announced nearly 10,000 job cuts worldwide, saying that the costs of restructuring its hard-hit investment bank had pushed it deep into loss in the third quarter.

In Frankfurt, Deutsche Bank's share price advanced 3.74 per cent to 34.54 euros after the German lender announced a better-than-expected performance in the third quarter.

Deutsche Bank said in a statement its net profit after minority interests rose by 3.0 per cent to 747 million euros ($A940.63 million) in the period from July to September.

In London, BP rocketed 5.40 per cent to 447.95 pence after better-than-expected earnings for the third quarter.

In foreign exchange trading on Tuesday, the euro rose to $US1.2952 from $US1.2900 late in New York on Monday, as traders brushed aside news of rising German unemployment.

Gold prices grew to $US1,713.43 an ounce on the London Bullion Market from $US1,707 an ounce on Monday.

Tokyo's stock market closed lower on Tuesday after the Bank of Japan announced monetary easing that was only slightly bigger than market forecasts and cut its growth outlook.

Just before the Tokyo market closed down 0.98 per cent, the central bank said it would add another Y11 trillion ($A134.14 billion) to its Y80 trillion asset purchase scheme to provide liquidity to the economy and jumpstart growth.

It also said it expected the economy to grow just 1.5 per cent in the year to March, instead of the 2.2 per cent previously predicted.

Expectations of new easing had sent markets higher in recent weeks, while the yen had suffered a sell-off.


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Sandy carves path of destruction in US

AMERICANS have awoken to scenes of devastation after megastorm Sandy battered the East Coast, flooding parts of New York City, paralysing transport and leaving millions without electricity.

The storm weakened as it moved further inland on Tuesday but forecasters still warned of gale-force winds and flooding along the densely-populated coast, where a massive fire broke out in New York City and a levee broke in New Jersey.

At least 17 people were killed in the United States and Canada as the storm roared ashore late on Monday, pounding several major cities with heavy rain and hurricane-force winds that toppled trees and ripped down power lines.

President Barack Obama declared a "major disaster" had hit the states of New York and New Jersey, an order that cleared the way for federal grants and loans to help storm victims acquire temporary housing and repair damage.

Seawater coursed between the iconic skyscrapers of New York's financial district in lower Manhattan, flooding subways and road tunnels and shorting out the power grid, leaving a half-million households and businesses in the dark.

Further south, the sea surged over vast swathes of the eastern seaboard, turning coastal cities into ghost towns as the high winds grounded flights and shut down rail links, public transport and government offices.

The catastrophe completely overshadowed the US election race, forcing a halt to campaigning a week before Americans were due to go to the polls to choose between President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney.

Hurricane Sandy had killed 67 people as it tore through the Caribbean, and reports of more deaths began to arrive after it made landfall at 8.00pm on Monday (1100 AEDT Tuesday) in New Jersey and began to wreak havoc in the United States.

Authorities had ordered hundreds of thousands of residents in areas from New England to North Carolina to evacuate their homes and seek shelter, but many chose to stay on, to the frustration of police and local officials.

Falling trees tore down power cables, plunging what weather experts said were millions of homes into darkness, while storm warnings cut rail links and marooned tens of thousands of travellers at airports across the region.

A nuclear power plant in New Jersey declared an alert as waters rose.

The Oyster Creek nuclear power plant, just north of Atlantic City, New Jersey, was already on a scheduled outage as Sandy made landfall, and the industry regulator said there was no immediate danger.

The hurricane sent a record storm surge of 13.7 feet (4.15 metres) into lower Manhattan, flooding seven major subway tunnels used by hundreds of thousands of daily commuters and swamping cars in the financial district.

"The New York City subway system is 108 years old, but it has never faced a disaster as devastating as what we experienced last night," city transport director Joseph Lhota said early Tuesday.

Firefighters meanwhile struggled to contain a massive blaze in the Queens borough that destroyed more than 50 homes, and in northern New Jersey police in boats pulled residents from second-story windows after a levee broke.

Hours earlier, a power sub-station exploded in a burst of light captured by amateur photographers as a massive blackout left much of Manhattan, and some 500,000 homes across New York City, in darkness.

The flood waters had begun to recede early Tuesday, but the Con Edison power company said it could take a week to completely restore power.

Disaster estimating firm Eqecat forecast that Sandy would affect more than 60 million Americans, a fifth of the population, and cause up to $20 billion (15 billion euros) in damage.

Refineries closed and major arteries such New York's Holland Tunnel were shut to traffic. The operator of two major New Jersey nuclear plants said they might have to be closed, threatening half the state's power supply.

The New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq and the futures markets in Chicago were closed for Monday and Tuesday, along with federal government offices and the entire Amtrak rail network on the eastern seaboard.

Obama urged Americans to heed local evacuation orders as he stepped off the campaign trail and spent the day in the White House helping to coordinate the response to the disaster.

"The election will take care of itself next week," Obama said. "Right now, our number one priority is to make sure that we are saving lives... and that we respond as quickly as possible to get the economy back on track."


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Egypt annuls Centamin's goldmine contract

AN Egyptian court has cancelled a goldmine concession for exploration company Centamin, causing its share price to plummet and fuelling investor concerns in the politically turbulent country.

Centamin, for its part, denied on Tuesday that a final decision had been made to annul parts of its contract, saying the court did not have the jurisdiction to cancel it.

Cairo's administrative court annulled the government contract, signed under ousted former strongman Hosni Mubarak, which allowed London and Toronto-listed Centamin to exploit the Sukkari gold mine for 30 years. The company also has an office in Australia.

The cancellation came after a complaint by a former parliamentarian that the deal had short-changed Egyptians.

Following the decision, Centamin's shares plunged by around 35 per cent on the London Stock Exchange before trading was suspended.

Centamin, however, said that a final decision on its Sukkari contract had not yet been made.

"No details of a final decision (regarding the contract) are available," it said in a statement to the London stock exchange.

"Centamin confirms that it is not a party to this case ... and that the court does not have jurisdiction to cancel it," it added, saying that mining operations would continue until further information was available.

In July, Centamin denied reports its Sukkari deal could be annulled because it had violated the contract, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Tuesday's decision may be appealed.

Centamin began production in Sukkari, its main asset and the largest goldmine in Egypt, in 2009. Its contract is the latest Mubarak-era agreement that has come under judicial review.


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Aust, US defence treaty bill passes Senate

Written By Unknown on Senin, 29 Oktober 2012 | 19.50

AUSTRALIA and the United States will be able to trade arms and defence technology more freely under legislation passed by the Senate.

The Defence Trade Controls Bill 2011 implements a treaty Australia signed with the US in 2007 to co-operate on the trade of defence and dual-use items.

The agreement means companies won't have to get an individual export licence for every application to the US.

It also allows some items to be exported from America without a licence.

The federal government says the bill will help deliver equipment to Australian troops faster.

It will also provide opportunities for the Australian defence industry to win contracts in the US defence market.

About half of Australia's war-fighting equipment comes from the US.

Australia's defence force will replace or upgrade about 85 per cent of its equipment during the next 10 to 15 years.

The US passed legislation to implement the treaty in September 2010.

But Australian Greens senator Scott Ludlam told parliament his party was opposed to the bill as it facilitated weapons trade.

Senator Ludlum suggested the bill was being rushed through the Senate to provide a positive photo opportunity for Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Defence Minister Stephen Smith when they greet visiting senior US officials in Perth next month.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defence Secretary Leon Panetta are scheduled to attend the annual Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) there on November 14.

Liberal senator Ian McDonald earlier urged the government to allow more time for the bill to be scrutinised.

He said rushing it through without proper consideration could cause "irreparable harm" to Australia's research departments and defence industries.

"This is just symptomatic, emblematic of what this government is all about," the senator said.

The Senate also passed the Customs Amendment (Military End-Use) Bill 2011, which will enable the defence minister to block certain goods from being exported if it was deemed to endanger Australia's security, defence or international relations.

The bills, which passed with amendments from the government, opposition and Greens, now return to the lower house for a final tick of approval.

University of Sydney vice-chancellor Professor Jill Trewhella praised the amendments to the legislation saying they ensured that Australian researchers will not be disadvantaged against their American counterparts.

"The amendments to the bill... will mean that Australian research will continue to have its maximum impact on health, manufacturing, agriculture, mining, engineering, communications, and more," Prof Trewhella told AAP.


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Clinton in Algeria to press action on Mali

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is holding talks in Algeria to press for a possible military intervention in neighbouring Mali, large swathes of which have been overrun by Islamists.

The US and France have launched a diplomatic offensive to secure Algeria's vital backing for such action in Mali, where al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) is tightening its grip on the north.

The UN Security Council this month called on West African nations to step up preparations for a military force to reconquer the territory held by AQIM and other jihadist groups.

"Algeria being the strongest Sahel state became a critical partner in dealing with AQIM," a US State Department official said aboard Clinton's plane, which touched down in Algiers on Monday morning.

"In the context of what happened in north Mali when the government forces up there collapsed and the coup happened, Algeria's importance has become ever more important and it will really be a central focus in the talks between the secretary and president," said the official.

"There is a strong recognition that Algeria has to be a central part of the solution," the official added.

Clinton, on her second visit to Algeria after a trip last year, was on Monday holding talks with Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci before a meeting and lunch with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Algeria shares a long border with Mali, where extremists and rebel groups took over large parts of the north after a coup in March.

Both it and Mauritania have called for dialogue in a bid to reach a political solution, after initially ruling out sending troops.

The common influence among the fundamentalist armed groups ruling northern Mali is AQIM, which originated in Algeria and is active in regional countries including Mauritania.

The Security Council on October 12 approved a resolution urging West African states to speed up preparations for a force of up to 3000 troops that would attempt to recapture northern Mali.

It gave the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) until November 26 to clarify its plans.

Algeria, with its powerful army, was at first opposed to any military intervention in Mali, fearing a destabilisation of its territory inhabited by 50,000 Tuaregs.

Since April, AQIM and Tuareg allies Ansar Dine and the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) have imposed Islamist sharia law in parts of Mali that they have effectively partitioned.

According to another State Department official travelling with Clinton, Algeria has been "warming to the idea" of intervention led by West African states.

"One of the things that we'll be talking about is ... the role that Algeria could play if ECOWAS provides the boots on the ground... in coordination with the forces of Mali," the official said.

The United States and France are willing to provide the international force with logistical support, but analysts say Algeria's backing is essential.

"An intervention in northern Mali is possible without the military support of Algeria, but not without its consent," said Pierre Boilley, head of the Centre of African Studies, a French think-tank.

Algeria's foreign ministry said the talks with Clinton would focus on "the consolidation of the security and economic partnership between the two countries as well as regional issues."


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Two dead as Typhoon Son-Tinh hits Vietnam

TWO people have been killed and thousands of homes damaged as Vietnam's coast was lashed by Typhoon Son-Tinh, authorities say, after the storm caused deadly landslides and floods in the Philippines.

Strong winds destroyed large tracts of crops, brought down power lines and ripped the roofs off houses after Son-Tinh, which has been downgraded to a tropical depression, made landfall in the north of the country late Sunday.

Two people were confirmed killed, while two others were missing, an official from the National Committee on Flood and Storm Control in Hanoi told AFP on Monday, adding that it was the biggest typhoon to hit Vietnam since the start of the storm season, with wind speeds of up to 140 kilometres per hour.

The wind also felled a 180-metre television tower, the tallest in northern Vietnam, in Nam Dinh City, according to state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper.

Vietnam is hit by an average of eight to 10 tropical storms every year, often causing heavy material and human losses.

More than 50,000 people were evacuated in preparation for the bad weather, while authorities imposed a sea ban in some areas and dozens of domestic flights were cancelled.

Son Tinh left a total of 27 people dead and nine missing in the Philippines, according to figures from the government's civil defence office on Monday, after it tore down trees and caused flash floods and landslides.


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Greek journalist in court over bank data

A GREEK investigative journalist has appeared in court after publishing names from an alleged list of Swiss bank accounts that the Athens government has been accused of trying to cover up.

Costas Vaxevanis, a veteran television journalist who is editor of the Hot Doc magazine, published the list in its inaugural issue on Saturday.

It included more than 2000 names, allegedly from a controversial list of HSBC account holders that was originally leaked by a bank employee and passed to Greece in 2010 by France's then finance minister Christine Lagarde.

Vaxevanis says he received the information in an anonymous letter whose sender claimed to have received it from a politician.

He has been charged with breach of privacy and faces a maximum three-year jail sentence if convicted.

"Instead of arresting thieves and ministers breaking the law they want to arrest the truth," Vaxevanis commented on his Twitter account on Saturday.


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Pearson, Bertelsmann confirm tie-up

PEARSON Plc will merge its Penguin Books division with Random House, which is owned by German media company Bertelsmann, in an all-share deal that will create the world's largest publisher of consumer books.

The planned joint venture brings together classic and best-selling names. As well as publishing books from authors such as John Grisham, Random House scored a major hit this year with Fifty Shades of Grey. Penguin has a strong backlist, including George Orwell, Jack Kerouac and John Le Carre.

The two companies said on Monday that Bertelsmann would own a controlling 53 per cent share of the joint venture, which will be known as Penguin Random House.

Bertelsmann would keep full control of Verlagsgruppe Random House, its trade publishing business in Germany, and Pearson would retain the right to use the Penguin brand in education.

The announcement appears to put paid to any hopes that News Corp may have had in netting Penguin. Reports over the past couple of days have indicated that News Corp had expressed an interest in buying Penguin for STG1 billion ($A1.56 billion) in cash.

Pearson declined to comment on the possible interest of News Corp.

News Corp owns HarperCollins, another big publishing house.

Under the terms of the deal, Random House worldwide chief executive Markus Dohle will be CEO of the new group while Penguin's CEO John Makinson will be the chairman of its board of directors.

"Together, the two publishers will be able to share a large part of their costs, to invest more for their author and reader constituencies and to be more adventurous in trying new models in this exciting, fast-moving world of digital books and digital readers," said Marjorie Scardino, chief executive of Pearson.

Bertelsmann's Dohle said the link-up will "create a publishing home that gives employees, authors, agents, and booksellers access to unprecedented resources."

The closing of the deal is scheduled to take place in the second half of 2013 following regulatory approval.

Pearson said the deal does not require approval by shareholders; Bertelsmann is privately-owned.

Pearson shares were down one per cent at 1209 pence in midmorning trading in London.


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Troika seeks 150 new Greek reforms

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 28 Oktober 2012 | 19.50

INTERNATIONAL auditors will demand Greece carry out a further 150 reforms to its recession-battered economy and suggest holders of Greek debt take a further hit, German newsweekly Spiegel has reported.

Citing an interim version of the findings of the troika of creditors, Spiegel said Athens would get an extra two years to carry out the reforms in its program but this delay would cost billions of euros.

Greece has completed 60 per cent of the reforms already demanded of it, the report says, according to Spiegel. A further 20 per cent are being debated by the Greek government, while the rest are outstanding.

Among the additional reforms demanded are a loosening of the hiring-and-firing laws, changes to the minimum-wage rules and a lifting of certain professional privileges, Spiegel said.

The report also suggests that creditors including other eurozone countries take a "haircut", or write-off, on some of their holdings of Greek debt, meaning taxpayers would be funding the bailout.

The European Central Bank (ECB) would not write off its holding of Greek debt because this would amount to financing Greece, which is strictly forbidden, Spiegel reported.

But the ECB - which is part of the troika along with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union - is prepared to forgo profits on its Greek debt holding, the weekly said.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble dismissed the idea of a further haircut for Greece as unrealistic.

"That is a discussion which has little to do with the reality in the member states of the eurozone," he told German radio station Deutschlandfunk.

However, he suggested that Greece could buy back some of its debt at lower prices from bond holders.

Private investors in Greek debt accepted to write off almost all of the value of their holdings as part of the second Greek bailout package negotiated this year.

But so-called "official sector" bondholders, including other eurozone governments, have until now been spared such a write-off.

Greece is striving to persuade the troika it has made enough progress in reforms and painful austerity cuts to unlock a 31.5 billion euros ($A39.73 billion) slice of aid needed to stave off bankruptcy.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has said Greece's coffers will be empty in mid-November. Spiegel said the long-awaited report would be published on November 12 at the latest.

Creditors differ on how much the two-year delay would cost, with the EU and ECB estimating 30 billion euros and the IMF 38 billion euros, Spiegel said.

In order to ensure reforms are carried out, further tranches should be stored in a frozen account and released when changes have been implemented, Spiegel said.

Changes would also be made to the budgetary laws in Greece, meaning, for example, that taxes would automatically rise if reforms are not implemented when required, the newsweekly reported.

Without referring to the specific measures outlined in the Spiegel report, Schaeuble said such a control mechanism could "perhaps create the credibility that we have not had in Greece programs until now".

The interim report was presented on Thursday to officials in Brussels, who are preparing the next meeting of eurozone finance ministers, expected to take place by teleconference on Wednesday.


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Wen's family denies 'hidden riches' report

LAWYERS have denied a report that Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's family has amassed $US2.7 billion ($A2.63 billion) in "hidden riches," a Hong Kong newspaper said.

The New York Times said in a lengthy article on Friday that most of the alleged wealth was accumulated by Wen's relatives after he rose to high office in 2002.

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post newspaper published a letter on Sunday it said was written by two lawyers for Wen's family, Bai Tao and Wang Weidong, saying that The Times' report was untrue.

The report said family members have not conducted any illegal business activities, do not hold shares in any companies, and that Wen has never been involved in his family's business activities or allowed those activities to influence his policies.

A spokeswoman for The Times, Eileen Murphy, said the newspaper was "standing by our story, which we are incredibly proud of and which is an example of the quality investigative journalism The Times is known for."

In an article reporting on the lawyers' statement, The Times said its earlier article did not allege any illegal business activity and that there was no evidence that Wen had personally intervened to help family members' investments.

"The article pointed out that as prime minister in a country where the state plays a large role in the economy, Mr Wen oversaw many government officials whose decisions could play a large role in the fortunes of businesses and investors," it said.

Recent foreign media reports about wealth accumulated by Chinese leaders and their families have added to tensions as China prepares next month for a once-a-decade leadership transfer.

In particular, The Times' report is a blow to Wen's reputation as a politician concerned with bettering the lives of ordinary Chinese.

Chinese authorities have blocked access to The Times' English website and its Chinese-language site that carried a translated version of the story. Searches for the names of Wen, his wife and son on China's popular Twitter-like Sina Weibo microblogging site also were blocked on Sunday.


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British hounds added to endangered list

TWO of Britain's most iconic dog breeds have been added to an endangered list amid a reduction in the number of new puppies.

The old English sheepdog, famously used to advertise Dulux paint, has been added to a "watchlist", reports The Sunday Times, after just 316 of its puppies were registered with the Kennel Club in 2012.

"When the Dulux adverts originally came out we were inundated. They were very popular but their popularity has dwindled," breeder Sharon Tolliday said.

She cited "a misapprehension that the breed is high maintenance" for accelerating the dog's fading favour.

Also listed for its "serious risk of extinction" is the pembroke Welsh corgi, favoured by the Queen.


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Talk of X Factor role for Kylie

PRODUCERS of Britain's X Factor are planning talks with Kylie Minogue, hoping to convince the Aussie singer to join the show's judging panel, reports the Sunday Express.

The move would see Minogue, 44, follow in the footsteps of her younger sister Dannii, 41, who left the popular talent program in 2010 citing Australian TV commitments.

X Factor bosses would hope big name Kylie would bring a much-needed boost to the show's ratings.

During an interview this week Minogue's boyfriend, Spanish model Andres Velencoso, admitted the couple are big fans of X Factor.

Asked about such a role, Melbourne-born Minogue has said in the past: "I've been there and never had anyone to hold my hand, so it would be quite nice to do that for someone else."


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Sex like sport in Aust: Robbie Williams

SEX is like a sport in Australia, according to Robbie Williams, who says the country is blessed with some "cracking players".

But the bad news for any Aussie angel hoping to let him entertain her on a future tour Down Under is that the English pop singer says he's "loved up" with his wife after the recent arrival of their first child.

The 38-year-old, who's renowned for his cheeky humour and risque on-stage behaviour, says trips to Australia allow him to push the boundaries.

"I love coming to Australia because it's encouraged, I'm given more rope in Australia," he told the Seven Network on Sunday.

"Sex is like a sport in Australia ... and what a cracking set of players you have over there."

Williams and his actress wife Ayda Field became parents for the first time last month with the arrival of Theodora Rose.

He said becoming a father was "unexplainable" but it had made him a better man.

"She came out and I went 'this is all I want to do, this makes sense, I want to be with her, I want to watch her grow, and I want to be daddy'."

In a wide ranging interview ahead of this week's release of his eighth studio album, Williams, who has been teetotal for 12 years, also touched upon his well-documented struggles with substance abuse.

"Unfortunately I'm a textbook addict," he said.

"I will use anything at all possible to change the way I feel."

He said that at his lowest ebb, although he never considered committing suicide, he didn't care whether he lived or died.

"There were moments where I didn't care if it ended (although) I don't think I was going to end it."

But Williams said he was now a very different person.

"I'm very content, I'm loved up, I've got a little girl I need to look after.

"I'm very pleased, honoured and happy to do that."

Williams' new album, Take The Crown, will be released on November 2.


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