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Monday, October 1, 2012 8:15 PM PDT

Today's Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News: At least 36 dead after Hong Kong ferry sinks following collision Opposition pitches class at "posh boy" PM Testy debate in Massachusetts for key U.S. Senate seat California lawmaker offers to revise "anti-Arizona" immigration bill Mandolinist, neurosurgeon among winners of 2012 "Genius" grants Colombian president to have prostate cancer surgery Factbox: Key facts about Colombian President Santos Georgian opposition celebrates as both sides see victory Volcker to appear before UK investigators into banks: FT British opposition pitches class at "posh boy" PM Kin of Colorado theater victims want guns discussed in presidential debate Before debate, Romney calls Obama weak on foreign policy Moroccan court upholds jail time for terrorism suspect Ahead of debate, Romney calls Obama weak on foreign policy Colombian president says to have prostate cancer surgery Mexican leftists free 80 prisoners in anger at vote loss Once-reclusive billionaire eyes power in Georgia Geopolitics, resources put maritime disputes back on map At least 25 dead after Hong Kong ferry sinks Lockheed won't issue notices on job cuts after U.S. government guidance Georgian opposition leader predicts election victory As governments look to growth, some jobs worth more: World Bank Company officials struggled with Minneapolis shooter: police Korea peninsula could face "thermonuclear war," North tells U.N. Cheating spouses keep Pakistani private detective busy Veterans agency shaken over wasted expenses, official resigns At least 14 killed in suicide attack on NATO patrol in Afghanistan Butch Cassidy's gun draws $175,000 in California auction WTO chief says Doha rescue in U.S., China's hands Republican senators: U.S. oil reserves should be kept for emergency FDA warns Zimmer over manufacturing of hip devices Arizona attorney general to face campaign finance complaint FDA chief says scarce funding hobbles sweeping food safety regulations RBS CEO says banks need culture change to regain trust Kenyan police post targeted, al Shabaab suspected Most Americans doubt Scientology is true religion: poll Supreme Court may narrow law in human rights cases Supreme Court rejects appeal on airport scanners Exclusive: Spain ready for bailout, Germany signals "wait"- sources Venezuela's Capriles vows to help Colombian peace talks At least 36 dead after Hong Kong ferry sinks following collision Mon,1 Oct 2012 07:36 PM PDT Reuters - HONG KONG (Reuters) - At least 36 people died and dozens were injured when a ferry carrying more than 120 people on a company outing collided with another ferry and sank near an island south of Hong Kong on Monday night in one of the city's worst maritime accidents. The ferry belonging to the Hong Kong Electric Company was taking staff and family members to watch a fireworks display to celebrate China's National Day and mid-autumn festival when it hit the other ship and quickly began sinking near Lama island. ... Full Story Top Opposition pitches class at "posh boy" PM Mon,1 Oct 2012 07:33 PM PDT Reuters - MANCHESTER (Reuters) - Opposition leader Ed Miliband will cast himself as a humble man of the people on Tuesday in a bid to underscore Prime Minister David Cameron's image as a privileged 'posh boy' whose government is out of touch with voters. Miliband, who is betting voters will punish the coalition government for the recession and hand Labour power in the 2015 election, is grappling with polls which show he is less popular than his own party or seen as a worse leader than Cameron. ... Full Story Top Testy debate in Massachusetts for key U.S. Senate seat Mon,1 Oct 2012 07:28 PM PDT Reuters - BOSTON (Reuters) - Democrat Elizabeth Warren's claim of Native American heritage was once again in the spotlight as she sparred with Republican rival Scott Brown on Monday in the second debate of the pair's contest for the U.S. Senate seat from traditionally Democratic Massachusetts. Recent polls show Warren, 63, a Harvard Law School professor and former official in President Barack Obama's administration, maintains a slim lead over Brown, who swept into the Senate in a special election in 2010 after the death of revered Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy. ... Full Story Top California lawmaker offers to revise "anti-Arizona" immigration bill Mon,1 Oct 2012 07:26 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A California lawmaker offered on Monday to revise a proposed law to shield some illegal immigrants from federal status checks, a day after the state's Democratic governor vetoed the bill as "fatally flawed." The bill as written would have barred local authorities from honoring federal detention requests on illegal immigrants, which may lead to deportation, unless those individuals were charged or convicted of a serious or violent felony. ... Full Story Top Mandolinist, neurosurgeon among winners of 2012 "Genius" grants Mon,1 Oct 2012 07:12 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - A bluegrass musician and a pediatric surgeon were among 23 of the world's most creative and original thinkers to be awarded no-strings-attached $500,000 "genius" grants this year, a U.S. charitable organization said on Monday. Also among the 2012 MacArthur Foundation fellows are a celebrated fiction writer, a Washington Post reporter and a Boston man who makes some of the finest violin bows the modern world has ever seen. Since the program was initiated in 1981, the John D. and Catherine T. ... Full Story Top Colombian president to have prostate cancer surgery Mon,1 Oct 2012 07:03 PM PDT Reuters - BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said on Monday he would undergo surgery for a non-aggressive prostate cancer in a health scare that seemed unlikely to derail his government's imminent talks with Marxist rebels to end decades of war. Santos, 61, said the tumor was discovered as part of a routine checkup and will be removed on Wednesday. "It's a small tumor located on the prostate gland and it's a good prognosis. It's not aggressive," he said at the presidential palace in Bogota, flanked by his doctor and his wife. "There's a 97 percent chance of being totally cured. ... Full Story Top Factbox: Key facts about Colombian President Santos Mon,1 Oct 2012 07:03 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos is to be operated on Wednesday for a small cancerous tumor in the prostate. Here are some facts about Santos: * Born into one of Colombia's most powerful families, Santos is the consummate political insider. His great uncle, Eduardo Santos, served as president. A cousin was a vice president. Before moving into politics, Santos was an editor at the country's leading newspaper, El Tiempo, once owned by his family. ... Full Story Top Georgian opposition celebrates as both sides see victory Mon,1 Oct 2012 06:15 PM PDT Reuters - TBILISI (Reuters) - An opposition coalition led by a billionaire tycoon claimed victory in a parliamentary election in Georgia and initial results released on Tuesday put it ahead of President Mikheil Saakashvili's ruling party in the former Soviet republic. Thousands of supporters of the Georgian Dream coalition celebrated in the streets of the capital Tbilisi after the election on Monday, sounding car horns and carrying blue party banners and red-on-white national flags over their heads. ... Full Story Top Volcker to appear before UK investigators into banks: FT Mon,1 Oct 2012 06:09 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Paul Volcker, the former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman, will appear before Britain's Commission of Banking Standards this month, Andrew Tyrie, chairman of the commission, said in the Financial Times on Tuesday. Volcker, architect of the "Volcker Rule" governing so-called proprietary trading by U.S. investment banks, will appear before the commission on October 17 to compare and contrast banking behavior and practices between Britain and the United States. ... Full Story Top British opposition pitches class at "posh boy" PM Mon,1 Oct 2012 06:03 PM PDT Reuters - MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - British opposition leader Ed Miliband will cast himself as a humble man of the people on Tuesday in a bid to underscore Prime Minister David Cameron's image as a privileged 'posh boy' whose government is out of touch with voters. Miliband, who is betting voters will punish the coalition government for the recession and hand Labour power in the 2015 election, is grappling with polls which show he is less popular than his own party or seen as a worse leader than Cameron. ... Full Story Top Kin of Colorado theater victims want guns discussed in presidential debate Mon,1 Oct 2012 05:32 PM PDT Reuters - DENVER (Reuters) - Relatives of victims of a Colorado movie theater shooting rampage demanded on Monday that President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney address gun violence in their first presidential debate this week in Denver. In a letter to debate moderator Jim Lehrer, relatives of eight of the 12 people who died at a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" in July urged him to ask the men who want to lead the country about mass shootings in Colorado at Wednesday night's debate. "To ignore the problem of gun violence where two of the worst shootings in U.S. ... Full Story Top Before debate, Romney calls Obama weak on foreign policy Mon,1 Oct 2012 05:29 PM PDT Reuters - BURLINGTON, Massachusetts (Reuters) - Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney launched a fresh attempt on Monday to paint President Barack Obama as weak on foreign policy, saying he had let U.S. leadership atrophy, while the two candidates prepared for their critical first debate on Wednesday. Romney's aides said the weak U.S. economy remains his chief priority heading into the November 6 election, but the Democratic president's handling of national security is also fair game. ... Full Story Top Moroccan court upholds jail time for terrorism suspect Mon,1 Oct 2012 05:00 PM PDT Reuters - RABAT (Reuters) - A Moroccan appeal court on Monday upheld the conviction of a dual Belgian-Moroccan national for terrorism charges that included plotting to train militants in Algeria, in a case that revived allegations about the use of torture to extract confessions. The court of appeal in Rabat's twin city, Sale, sentenced Ali Aarrass to 12 years in prison, reducing by three years an earlier sentence against him in November 2011, said Nicholas Cohen, one of his lawyers. "The masquerade continues," Cohen told Reuters after attending the trial in Sale. ... Full Story Top Ahead of debate, Romney calls Obama weak on foreign policy Mon,1 Oct 2012 04:59 PM PDT Reuters - BURLINGTON, Massachusetts (Reuters) - Republican challenger Mitt Romney launched a fresh attempt on Monday to paint President Barack Obama as weak on foreign policy, saying he has let U.S. leadership atrophy, while the two candidates prepared for Wednesday's critical first debate. Romney's aides said the weak U.S. economy remains his chief priority heading into the November 6 election, but the Democratic president's handling of national security is also fair game. ... Full Story Top Colombian president says to have prostate cancer surgery Mon,1 Oct 2012 04:57 PM PDT Reuters - BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said on Monday that he would undergo surgery for non-aggressive prostate cancer and that the tumor was caught "in time". "It's a small tumor located on the prostate gland and it's a good prognosis, it's not aggressive," he said in an address to the nation. (Reporting by Eduardo Garcia and Jack Kimball) Full Story Top Mexican leftists free 80 prisoners in anger at vote loss Mon,1 Oct 2012 04:55 PM PDT Reuters - MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Supporters of a Mexican leftist party, angry at losing a local election, went on the rampage and set 80 prisoners free from a detention center in the southern state of Chiapas. Activists from the Party of the Democratic Revolution also set fire to the town hall in the town of Motozintla, near Mexico's border with Guatemala, in the rampage on Sunday, said Chiapas state interior minister Noe Castanon. ... Full Story Top Once-reclusive billionaire eyes power in Georgia Mon,1 Oct 2012 04:51 PM PDT Reuters - TBILISI (Reuters) - Until a year ago, few people in Georgia knew what billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili looked like. The 56-year-old tycoon was best known in the former Soviet republic as a free-spending philanthropist with a spectacular home overlooking Tbilisi, and for keeping penguins, kangaroos and lemurs at a private zoo at another home outside the capital. But he hated publicity and avoided photographers. When he bought Pablo Picasso's "Dora Maar au Chat" for $95. ... Full Story Top Geopolitics, resources put maritime disputes back on map Mon,1 Oct 2012 04:33 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Small and occupied largely by seabirds, goats and a unique indigenous species of mole, the islands named Senkaku by Japan and Diaoyu by China have long been largely ignored. But as rising powers face off against each other in a battle not just for influence but also vital resources, such disputed islets, reefs, and areas of seabed are swiftly growing in importance; and not just in Asia. ... Full Story Top At least 25 dead after Hong Kong ferry sinks Mon,1 Oct 2012 04:31 PM PDT Reuters - HONG KONG (Reuters) - At least 25 people died after a Hong Kong ferry packed with more than 120 people collided with another ferry and sank near Lamma island on Monday night in one of the city's worst maritime accidents. Low visibility hampered rescue efforts, with many passengers trapped in the flooded upturned ferry before it sank, said survivors. Nine people suffered serious injuries or remain in a critical condition, the government said in a statement. The accident occurred on Monday night in the waters off Lamma, an island south of Hong Kong popular with tourists and expatriates. ... Full Story Top Lockheed won't issue notices on job cuts after U.S. government guidance Mon,1 Oct 2012 04:24 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House got some good news on Monday when Lockheed Martin said it would not issue notices of possible job reductions before the November 6 election. With numerous defense industry jobs on the line in critical states including Virginia, a wave of job cuts could embarrass Democratic President Barack Obama's administration. Lockheed's announcement followed assurances from the U.S. ... Full Story Top Georgian opposition leader predicts election victory Mon,1 Oct 2012 04:19 PM PDT Reuters - TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgian opposition leader Bidzina Ivanishvili said he believed his opposition coalition had won a parliamentary election on Monday, despite the ruling party's own claim of victory. Shortly after a spokeswoman for President Mikheil Saakashvili's United National Movement said the ruling party would have a majority in the 150-seat parliament, Ivanishvili said he expected his Georgian Dream to win at least 100 seats. The rival claims could open the way to a post-election standoff. ... Full Story Top As governments look to growth, some jobs worth more: World Bank Mon,1 Oct 2012 04:02 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Creating jobs can help governments improve the lot of their citizens, but some jobs have more impact than others when it comes to helping societies move ahead, the World Bank said in a report on Monday. As countries around the world struggle with high unemployment, especially among youth, the World Bank cautioned that economic growth alone cannot create jobs that improve people's lives and reduce conflict, contrary to conventional wisdom. ... Full Story Top Company officials struggled with Minneapolis shooter: police Mon,1 Oct 2012 04:00 PM PDT Reuters - MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Two company officials battled a worker they had just fired for tardiness and poor performance when he embarked upon a shooting rampage that killed five people and wounded three at a Minneapolis sign manufacturer last week, police said on Monday. Minneapolis police on Monday released more details about the investigation into Andrew Engeldinger's shooting spree at Accent Signage Systems Inc. on Thursday, the worst work-place shooting on record in Minnesota. ... Full Story Top Korea peninsula could face "thermonuclear war," North tells U.N. Mon,1 Oct 2012 03:40 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. policy toward North Korea has made the Korean peninsula the most dangerous place on the planet because a "spark" there could ignite a nuclear war, a senior North Korean official told the U.N. General Assembly on Monday. One of the last speakers at the 193-nation assembly's annual gathering in New York, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Pak Kil-yon was also full of praise for Kim Jong-un, the reclusive communist country's young new leader. "Today, due to the continued U.S. ... Full Story Top Cheating spouses keep Pakistani private detective busy Mon,1 Oct 2012 03:39 PM PDT Reuters - LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) - Twenty-three years of military service come in handy when Masood Haider gets a call from a suspicious spouse. He quickly dispatches a surveillance team to keep tabs on the partner believed to be heading off for an illicit rendezvous. In deeply conservative Muslim Pakistan where arranged marriages are common and adultery can be punished by death, it is an illustration of how much the society is changing that Haider's private detective agency exists at all. ... Full Story Top Veterans agency shaken over wasted expenses, official resigns Mon,1 Oct 2012 03:20 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Department of Veterans Affairs acknowledged "serious lapses in oversight" on Monday and a senior official resigned as an investigation detailed funds wasted on elaborate conferences and said employees got gifts like massages and helicopter rides. The revelations came just months after a scandal and shake-up at another U.S. federal agency, the General Services Administration, also over a lavish conference, and renewed questions about lax supervision of taxpayer dollars in a presidential election year. ... Full Story Top At least 14 killed in suicide attack on NATO patrol in Afghanistan Mon,1 Oct 2012 03:13 PM PDT Reuters - KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed 14 people, including three NATO soldiers and four police, and wounded 37 in volatile Khost province in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, a NATO spokeswoman and local officials said. A U.S. official in Washington confirmed the three soldiers killed were Americans serving in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. Six civilians and an Afghan interpreter also died in the attack. A witness told Reuters a suicide bomber wearing a police uniform struck as U.S. soldiers patrolled the city of Khost. ... Full Story Top Butch Cassidy's gun draws $175,000 in California auction Mon,1 Oct 2012 03:13 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A gun the Wild West outlaw Butch Cassidy wielded in the late 19th century and later tried to exchange for amnesty has drawn a $175,000 bid at a California auction house, the owner of the company said on Monday. The Colt revolver was turned over to a sheriff in Utah in 1899 as part of Cassidy's failed attempt to obtain amnesty from the state's governor, said John Eubanks of California Auctioneers & Appraisers. "He tried to become a regular citizen by turning over his guns," Eubanks said. ... Full Story Top WTO chief says Doha rescue in U.S., China's hands Mon,1 Oct 2012 03:09 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - World Trade Organization Director General Pascal Lamy on Monday acknowledged the Geneva-based grouping has been a "disappointing" forum for trade liberalization but placed the blame for moribund world trade talks on both China and the United States. Lamy, in a speech to the Brookings Institution, said it was clear a comprehensive agreement in the Doha round of world trade talks launched in 2001 "is out of reach in the short term. ... Full Story Top Republican senators: U.S. oil reserves should be kept for emergency Mon,1 Oct 2012 03:05 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Strategic reserves of oil should be kept for true supply shocks seven top Republicans in the Senate told President Barack Obama on Monday, urging the White House to avoid tapping stockpiles unless there is a "severe" disruption. The White House has said for months it was considering the merits of selling oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, or SPR, as a tool for dealing with oil prices spooked higher by Middle East tensions and Western restrictions on Iranian oil sales. ... Full Story Top FDA warns Zimmer over manufacturing of hip devices Mon,1 Oct 2012 02:56 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Zimmer Holdings Inc said it received a warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration citing problems with manufacturing and testing processes for artificial hip devices made at the company's Ponce, Puerto Rico, plant. The warning letter, dated September 19, does not restrict production or shipment of the hip devices, called Trilogy Acetabular Systems, or require withdrawal of any products from the market, Zimmer said in a regulatory filing. ... Full Story Top Arizona attorney general to face campaign finance complaint Mon,1 Oct 2012 02:52 PM PDT Reuters - PHOENIX (Reuters) - An Arizona county prosecutor will pursue a civil complaint against state Attorney General Tom Horne and a political associate, accusing them of violating campaign finance laws in 2010 when Horne ran for office, the prosecutor said on Monday. Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said the enforcement action accuses Horne, a Republican, of orchestrating the efforts of an independent committee run by ally Kathleen Winn that pumped an estimated $500,000 into campaign advertisements against Horne's opponent. ... Full Story Top FDA chief says scarce funding hobbles sweeping food safety regulations Mon,1 Oct 2012 02:14 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it is having difficulty implementing expansive new rules to improve food safety, nearly two years after President Barack Obama signed the standards into law, because of a lack of funding. FDA chief Margaret Hamburg predicted on Monday that her agency "very soon" will issue new regulations needed to enforce the Food Safety Modernization Act, a sweeping piece of legislation enacted to upgrade the security of the U.S. food supply after a deadly salmonella outbreak in 2009. ... Full Story Top RBS CEO says banks need culture change to regain trust Mon,1 Oct 2012 02:08 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Banks must undergo a wholesale change in their culture and refocus their behavior on meeting the needs of customers to restore trust in the industry, Stephen Hester, chief executive of part-nationalised Royal Bank of Scotland , said on Monday Speaking at the London School of Economics, Hester said he believed the finance industry's problems had arisen as a result of banks losing sight of their role in serving customers. ... Full Story Top Kenyan police post targeted, al Shabaab suspected Mon,1 Oct 2012 01:47 PM PDT Reuters - GARISSA, Kenya (Reuters) - Suspected al Shabaab militants threw a hand grenade at a Kenyan police post on Monday in the northern town of Garissa close to the border with Somalia, police said, a day after two police officers were shot dead in the same town. Kenya has been rocked by a series of grenade and gun attacks since it sent troops into Somalia last October in pursuit of Islamist al Shabaab rebels whom it blamed for kidnapping its security personnel and Western tourists. ... Full Story Top Most Americans doubt Scientology is true religion: poll Mon,1 Oct 2012 01:31 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Most Americans do not think Scientology is a true religion, more people would prefer to win an Olympic gold medal than a Pulitzer prize and celebrity endorsements do not carry much weight, according to a new poll released on Monday. Seventy percent of respondents to the 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll said the controversial Church of Scientology, which is popular with Hollywood stars such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta, was not a real religion, but 13 percent said that it was. ... Full Story Top Supreme Court may narrow law in human rights cases Mon,1 Oct 2012 01:19 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court seemed skeptical on Monday of allowing victims of human rights abuses to sue in American courts against the foreign corporations accused of aiding in the atrocities. But in oral arguments in one of the court's biggest human rights cases in years, some justices suggested they might not close U.S. courts to similar claims against individuals, including those who take refuge in the United States, or to claims involving U.S. companies. ... Full Story Top Supreme Court rejects appeal on airport scanners Mon,1 Oct 2012 01:18 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Monday refused to consider a Michigan blogger's challenge of the use of full-body scanners and thorough pat-downs at airport checkpoints. Without comment, the court declined to take up Jonathan Corbett's complaint that the Transportation Security Administration's use of the screening techniques violated passengers' protection against illegal searches under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. ... Full Story Top Exclusive: Spain ready for bailout, Germany signals "wait"- sources Mon,1 Oct 2012 01:11 PM PDT Reuters - MADRID (Reuters) - Spain is ready to request a euro zone bailout for its public finances as early as next weekend but Germany has signaled that it should hold off, European officials said on Monday. The latest twist in the euro zone's three-year-old sovereign debt crisis comes as financial markets and some other European partners are pressuring Madrid to seek a rescue program that would trigger European Central Bank buying of its bonds. "The Spanish were a bit hesitant but now they are ready to request aid," a senior European source said. ... Full Story Top Venezuela's Capriles vows to help Colombian peace talks Mon,1 Oct 2012 01:08 PM PDT Reuters - CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles pledged to help Colombia in its peace talks with rebels and distance himself from Iran should he defeat President Hugo Chavez in an increasingly tight race ahead of Sunday's election. The government of neighboring Colombia is due to start talks with Marxist FARC guerrillas this month in Oslo to try to end five decades of conflict. Chavez's government, accused by Bogota of backing the rebels in the past, supports the talks. ... Full Story Top

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