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News Obama touts jobs report as he seeks to lift campaign Turkey warns Syria more strikes would be fatal mistake Child molester Sandusky likely to speak at sentencing U.S. deficit ends fourth fiscal year above $1 trillion: CBO U.S. jobless rate tumbles to near four-year low At least seven crashes tie up Florida highway Probe points to friendly fire in Arizona Border Patrol death Nervous Venezuelans stock up on supplies before election Foxconn's iPhone plant "paralyzed" as thousands strike: report Britain extradites Islamist cleric to United States Merkel to visit Greece as money running out South Africa's Amplats fires 12,000 strikers, union leader shot Romney closes gap with Obama to 2 points after debate: Reuters/Ipsos poll As rial plunges, Congress looks at expanding Iran sanctions Militants' extradition could give Obama political headache U.S. jobless rate tumbles to near four-year low EADS-BAE merger plan hits political crunch point Iran blames economic "conspiracy" as criticism grows Supreme Court to hear appeal over FCC rule making Lehman's brokerage, Europe units settle $38 billion of claims Israeli police use stun grenades to break up al-Aqsa protest Spain tops agenda for euro zone permanent bailout fund What if a post-election Fed were shackled? Kenyans can sue UK over colonial-era torture Exclusive: Credit Suisse probed over mortgages - sources Analysis: Investors opt for gold ahead of U.S. "fiscal cliff" Analysis: Egypt's Mursi dogged by own promises in first 100 days Obama touts jobs report as he seeks to lift campaign Analysis: Cold, calm and cloudy may mean power cuts for Western Europe Syrian rebels say capture air defense base near Damascus Greek PM says can't manage beyond November without next aid tranche Rivalry between Libyan cities sharpens over rebel's death Romney says his 47 percent comment was "completely wrong" Turkish border town suffers spillover of Syrian violence Analysis: Republicans lead Obama in war for judicial dominance World's fastest radio telescope starts up in Australian outback Facebook IPO lawsuits to be heard in New York Exclusive: Credit Suisse probed over mortgages - sources Federal judge approves scaled-down Florida voter purge Romney gains ground on Obama after strong debate Obama touts jobs report as he seeks to lift campaign FAIRFAX, Virginia (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday hailed a drop in the U.S. jobless rate to the lowest level since he took office, saying the country had "come too far to turn back now," as he sought to recover from a lackluster debate performance against Republican challenger Mitt Romney. A decline in unemployment to 7.8 percent in September, announced just more than four weeks before Election Day, gave an unexpected shine to the most vulnerable part of Obama's record - his economic stewardship - and offered him a chance to reset his re-election bid. The rate dropped from 8. ... Full Story Top Turkey warns Syria more strikes would be fatal mistake ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's prime minister said on Friday his country did not want war but warned Syria not to make a "fatal mistake" by testing its resolve, and its army retaliated for a third day running after more mortar rounds from Syria landed on its soil. In a belligerent speech to a crowd in Istanbul, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that Turkey would not shy away from war if provoked. The speech followed a Syrian mortar barrage on a town in southeast Turkey that killed five people on Wednesday. ... Full Story Top Child molester Sandusky likely to speak at sentencing (Reuters) - Convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky is likely to break a long silence when the former Penn State assistant football coach is sentenced next week, a defense attorney said on Friday. Sandusky, 68, is expected to receive what amounts to a life sentence on Tuesday at Centre County Court in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. He was convicted in June on 45 counts of molesting 10 boys over a 15-year period in a scandal that rocked college athletics and riveted national attention on child sexual abuse. ... Full Story Top U.S. deficit ends fourth fiscal year above $1 trillion: CBO WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The federal budget deficit for the just-ended 2012 fiscal year shrank by $207 billion from the prior year, but still marked its fourth straight year above $1 trillion, Congress' budget referee estimated on Friday. The deficit equaled about 7 percent of U.S. economic output, down from 8.7 percent in 2011, 9 percent in 2010 and 10.1 percent in 2009, but it was still greater than in any other year since 1947, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said. Economists generally consider any deficit that exceeds 3 percent of U.S. ... Full Story Top U.S. jobless rate tumbles to near four-year low WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. unemployment rate unexpectedly dropped to 7.8 percent in September and reached its lowest level since President Barack Obama took office, providing a boost to his re-election bid. The Labor Department said on Friday that employers added 114,000 workers to their payrolls last month, a moderate number, but it said a combined 86,000 more jobs were created in the prior two months than it had previously thought. Other aspects of the report also were strong. In particular, a separate survey of households found a big surge in hiring. ... Full Story Top At least seven crashes tie up Florida highway (Reuters) - A collision on Florida's Interstate 75 on Friday sparked a series of additional crashes involving dozens of cars, shutting the roadway and leaving at least 52 people injured, a spokesman for the Florida Highway Patrol said. The initial accident, which occurred on Friday afternoon near the border of Sarasota and Manatee counties on the west coast of Florida south of Tampa, is believed to have been caused by weather conditions and driver error, said spokesman Chris Miller. He said he expected the highway would be reopened within a few hours. ... Full Story Top Probe points to friendly fire in Arizona Border Patrol death PHOENIX (Reuters) - Friendly fire probably killed a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Arizona near the Mexican border this week, the FBI said on Friday, citing "strong preliminary indications." Nicholas Ivie was one of three agents patrolling on foot about four miles (eight km) north of the border before daybreak on Tuesday when gunfire erupted as the agents responded to a tripped ground sensor, authorities have said. A second agent was wounded in the incident near the town of Naco, an area known as a smuggling corridor. The third agent was unharmed. ... Full Story Top Nervous Venezuelans stock up on supplies before election (Note: Election law forbids publication of polls in Venezuela for a week before voting) CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelans packed supermarkets on Friday to stock up on food and other essentials in case of trouble around Sunday's presidential vote, which was shaping up as the biggest electoral challenge of Hugo Chavez's 14-year rule. Energetic young state governor Henrique Capriles has gained momentum in the closing days of the campaign and he seemed to have the opposition's best chance of unseating Chavez since the socialist president came to power in 1999. ... Full Story Top Foxconn's iPhone plant "paralyzed" as thousands strike: report SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Thousands of workers went on strike Friday at a Foxconn plant in China that makes Apple Inc's iPhone 5, paralyzing production of the smartphone, rights advocate China Labor Watch reported. The reported strike comes at a crucial time for the U.S. corporation, weeks after kicking off its largest-ever global rollout of the smartphone. Apple is already struggling with supply constraints, analysts say. ... Full Story Top Britain extradites Islamist cleric to United States LONDON (Reuters) - Britain extradited Islamist cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri to the United States on Friday to face terrorism charges after the one-eyed radical preacher finally failed in his eight-year battle to avoid deportation. The Egyptian-born Abu Hamza is accused by Washington of supporting al Qaeda, aiding a kidnapping in Yemen and plotting to open a training camp for militants in the United States. ... Full Story Top Merkel to visit Greece as money running out BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel will make her first visit to Greece next week since the euro zone debt crisis erupted, in a show of support for Athens after it said it would run out of money at the end of November without fresh international aid. Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras hailed the trip as a positive development at a time when his country is locked in negotiations with euro zone and IMF creditors who are holding back some 31.5 billion euros ($41 billion) in urgently needed loans. "The key is liquidity. ... Full Story Top South Africa's Amplats fires 12,000 strikers, union leader shot JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's Amplats fired 12,000 wildcat strikers on Friday, a high-stakes attempt by the world's biggest platinum producer to push back at a wave of illegal stoppages sweeping through the country's mining sector and beyond. Later on, a trade union leader was shot dead near a mine run by platinum producer Lonmin in a potentially explosive escalation of the two-month-old violent labor unrest that took the death toll to 49. ... Full Story Top Romney closes gap with Obama to 2 points after debate: Reuters/Ipsos poll WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's lead over challenger Mitt Romney has narrowed to just two percentage points since the Republican's strong performance in their first debate, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday. In more bad news for Obama, one in five voters said the Democrat's performance in the contest in Denver on Wednesday made them feel more negative about him and almost a third said they felt more positive about his Republican challenger. ... Full Story Top As rial plunges, Congress looks at expanding Iran sanctions WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers are considering expanding American economic sanctions on Iran - measures that already have helped push that country's currency into free fall but have not yet convinced Tehran to abandon its nuclear program. Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, a member of the Senate Banking and Foreign Relations Committees, said he plans to push for new penalties on foreign banks that handle any significant transactions with the central bank of Iran. Only oil-related transactions are now covered by sanctions. ... Full Story Top Militants' extradition could give Obama political headache WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The British government's imminent move to extradite five prominent Islamic militants to the United States for trial could trigger security and political headaches for President Barack Obama and his administration. After years of appeals, two British judges gave final legal sanction on Friday to the extradition of the militants, who include a one-time U.K.-based spokesman for late al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and a notorious hook-handed imam who once preached at a big London mosque. ... Full Story Top U.S. jobless rate tumbles to near four-year low WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. unemployment rate unexpectedly dropped to 7.8 percent in September and reached its lowest level since President Barack Obama took office, providing a boost to his re-election bid. The Labor Department said on Friday that employers added 114,000 workers to their payrolls last month, a moderate number, but it said a combined 86,000 more jobs were created in the prior two months than it had previously thought. Other aspects of the report also were strong. In particular, a separate survey of households found a big surge in hiring. ... Full Story Top EADS-BAE merger plan hits political crunch point PARIS/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Tensions over a supermerger between EADS and BAE Systems spilled into the open on Friday and cast doubt on a rapidly approaching deadline as France, Britain and Germany jockeyed over the role of the state in the world's largest aerospace and arms group. After rattling investors with a $45 billion merger project last month, the chief executives of Europe's largest aerospace firms headed into the weekend with the fate of their historic tie-up plans hinging on events outside their control. ... Full Story Top Iran blames economic "conspiracy" as criticism grows DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran will defeat a "conspiracy" against its foreign currency and gold markets, an adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday, with pressure mounting on the authorities to deal with the rapid collapse of the rial. Riot police fought demonstrators and arrested money changers in and around the Tehran bazaar on Wednesday during protests triggered by the fall of the Iranian currency, which has lost a third of its value against the dollar over the last ten days. ... Full Story Top Supreme Court to hear appeal over FCC rule making (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Friday to review the ability of a federal agency to set its own jurisdiction, in a decision that could affect the ability to deploy wireless telephone services across the United States. At issue in the case was the ability of the Federal Communications Commission to step in and help further the placement of wireless communications facilities when state and local governments failed to act on applications fast enough, even if it means superseding local zoning standards. ... Full Story Top Lehman's brokerage, Europe units settle $38 billion of claims (Reuters) - The U.S. brokerage unit and a European unit of the former Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc said they settled litigation over $38 billion of asset claims, a major step toward customers and creditors recovering money. The announcement Friday by Lehman Brothers Inc and Lehman Brothers International Europe comes four years after Lehman, once Wall Street's fourth-largest investment bank, filed for bankruptcy at the height of the 2008 global financial crisis. ... Full Story Top Israeli police use stun grenades to break up al-Aqsa protest JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli police hurled stun grenades to disperse dozens of protesters who threw stones outside the al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third holiest site, after Friday prayers. Two people were slightly injured and one person was arrested for attempting to stab a policeman as he was being taken into custody, Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. The mosque is part of a site revered by Jews as well as Muslims, and is a frequent source of friction between these religious groups. ... Full Story Top Spain tops agenda for euro zone permanent bailout fund BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone finance ministers will formally launch the euro zone's permanent, 500-billion-euro bailout fund on Monday, bolstering the single currency area's defenses against the sovereign debt crisis that is now threatening Spain. The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) will be used to lend to distressed euro zone sovereigns in return for fiscal and structural reforms that put the economy of a country that lost investor trust back on track. ... Full Story Top What if a post-election Fed were shackled? LONDON (Reuters) - Investors staring squarely at the U.S. fiscal cliff may well be ignoring a bigger monetary policy pitfall. Many asset managers are puzzled at the how little attention world markets seem to have paid to the U.S. Republican party's stiff criticism of the hyper-active Federal Reserve and its successive bouts of reflationary money printing since 2008. ... Full Story Top Kenyans can sue UK over colonial-era torture LONDON/NAIROBI (Reuters) - Three elderly Kenyans tortured by British colonial forces were told they can sue Britain, in a London court judgment likely to encourage other claims dating back to the days of the British Empire. The government, which had tried for three years to block their legal action, said on Friday it planned to appeal as the judgment could have far-reaching legal implications. ... Full Story Top Exclusive: Credit Suisse probed over mortgages - sources NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. federal and state authorities are investigating Credit Suisse AG over mortgage-backed securities packaged and sold by the bank, people familiar with the probe said on Thursday. The Justice Department and the New York Attorney General are among those probing Credit Suisse's actions, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. A spokesman for Credit Suisse, Switzerland's second-largest bank, declined to comment. Zurich-based Credit Suisse is the second bank known to be targeted by U.S. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Investors opt for gold ahead of U.S. "fiscal cliff" LONDON (Reuters) - Investors are going for gold as their top commodities choice in what looks like a turbulent fourth quarter for the sector, planning for the possibility of a "fiscal cliff" that could shrink the U.S. economy and spur more money printing. Many are wary of extending exposure in several basic resources - including industrial metals - as global economies struggle and a slowdown dampens demand in top raw materials consumer China. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Egypt's Mursi dogged by own promises in first 100 days CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi has won grudging respect from detractors in his first 100 days by sending the army back to barracks faster than anyone expected and raising Egypt's international profile in several newsmaking visits abroad. Yet his political fortunes and those of the Muslim Brotherhood which propelled him to power may well depend on his delivering on more mundane issues such as easing traffic congestion and bread and fuel shortages by October 7 as promised. ... Full Story Top Obama touts jobs report as he seeks to lift campaign FAIRFAX, Virginia (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday hailed a drop in the U.S. jobless rate to the lowest level since he took office, saying the country had "come too far to turn back now," as he sought to recover from a lackluster debate performance against Republican challenger Mitt Romney. A decline in unemployment to 7.8 percent in September, announced just more than four weeks before Election Day, gave an unexpected shine to the most vulnerable part of Obama's record - his economic stewardship - and offered him a chance to reset his re-election bid. The rate dropped from 8. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Cold, calm and cloudy may mean power cuts for Western Europe FRANKFURT/PARIS (Reuters) - Western Europe faces a potential electricity supply crisis this winter as France and Belgium struggle with their ageing reactors and after Germany took out a big chunk of its nuclear capacity. Tight power supply may spark local blackouts in the event of a severe cold spell and could also trigger price spikes at a time industry, bruised by the economic slowdown, badly needs to save energy costs. As winter nears, policymakers and the energy industry are under high pressure to implement pre-emptive remedies to avoid any disruption. ... Full Story Top Syrian rebels say capture air defense base near Damascus BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels say they captured an air defense base with a cache of missiles outside Damascus, a rare advance in a city where President Bashar al-Assad's forces have them on the back foot. A video posted on YouTube shows dozens of rebels dressed in army fatigues celebrating as black smoke rises from a military installation behind them. A middle-aged man holding an assault rifle says the assault on the base, in the Eastern Ghouta area was carried out by a rebel battalion from the town of Douma - both places are a few miles east of the capital. ... Full Story Top Greek PM says can't manage beyond November without next aid tranche BERLIN (Reuters) - Greek leader Antonis Samaras told a German paper in an interview published on Friday his country could not manage beyond November without the next tranche of international aid and suggested the ECB could help by easing the terms of its Greek debt holdings. "The key is liquidity. That is why the next credit tranche is so important for us," Samaras told the business daily Handelsblatt. Asked how long Greece could manage without it, he said: "Until the end of November. Then the cash box is empty. ... Full Story Top Rivalry between Libyan cities sharpens over rebel's death MISRATA, Libya (Reuters) - For Misrata shopkeeper Akram Abdesalam Sider, there is only one way Libya's leaders should deal with the former Muammar Gaddafi stronghold of Bani Walid - attack it. The rivalry between the two towns is long standing and they backed opposing sides in last year's war. But the divide has grown deeper since the death last week of Misrata rebel fighter Omran Shaban after two months in detention in Bani Walid. He was released in critical condition and flown to Paris but died soon after. ... Full Story Top Romney says his 47 percent comment was "completely wrong" HARRISONBURG, Virginia (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said on Thursday his comment on a secretly taped video in which he disparaged 47 percent of voters as dependent on government "was just completely wrong," as he attempted to repair the damage from the controversy. Romney's interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity was the first time he completely disavowed remarks he made at a private fundraiser in May and which have emerged as a major stumbling block in his campaign against Democratic President Barack Obama. ... Full Story Top Turkish border town suffers spillover of Syrian violence AKCAKALE, Turkey (Reuters) - Standing outside his two-storey house, Mehmet stretched his arm through his shattered living room window, pulling at a tear in the net curtain as shards of glass crunch under his feet. "This is how close we came," he said. Mehmet was sitting at home with his family on Wednesday when mortars fired from Syria came crashing down near his house in Akcakale, a Turkish border town that has seen itself unwittingly sucked into the conflict raging in its southern neighbor. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Republicans lead Obama in war for judicial dominance WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When Barack Obama was elected president, critics and supporters alike thought the Democrat would move swiftly to appoint strong liberal judges to balance out Republicans' longstanding push for a conservative judiciary. At the nation's 13 powerful U.S. appeals courts, that has not happened. Obama's 30 appointees have generally been moderates who mainly served on lower courts and were often selected in consultation with Republican senators. ... Full Story Top World's fastest radio telescope starts up in Australian outback MURCHISON, Australia (Reuters) - In the remote Australian outback, scientists have launched the world's fastest radio telescope which will exponentially increase astronomers' ability to survey the universe, mapping black holes and shedding new light on the origins of galaxies. The Australia Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), with an array of 36 antennas each 12 meters (40 feet) across, started peering into the universe on Friday from a far-flung cattle station in Western Australia state. The A$152 million ($155. ... Full Story Top Facebook IPO lawsuits to be heard in New York (Reuters) - Dozens of lawsuits against Facebook Inc, the NASDAQ exchange and various underwriters will be centralized before a federal judge in New York, who must sort through the legal aftermath of Facebook's botched initial public offering. A panel of federal judges on Thursday ordered that cases filed around the United States be transferred to U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet in Manhattan. Facebook had requested the transfer, while some investors sought to keep their cases in California. ... Full Story Top Exclusive: Credit Suisse probed over mortgages - sources NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. federal and state authorities are investigating Credit Suisse AG over mortgage-backed securities packaged and sold by the bank, people familiar with the probe said on Thursday. The Justice Department and the New York Attorney General are among those probing Credit Suisse's actions, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. A spokesman for Credit Suisse, Switzerland's second-largest bank, declined to comment. Zurich-based Credit Suisse is the second bank known to be targeted by U.S. ... Full Story Top Federal judge approves scaled-down Florida voter purge TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a challenge to Florida's recent voter purge efforts, clearing the way for the removal of about 200 suspected non-U.S. citizens from state voter rolls before the November 6 presidential election. District Judge William Zloch dismissed the remaining challenges from voter advocacy groups, including the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights and the Florida Immigrant Coalition. ... Full Story Top Romney gains ground on Obama after strong debate WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney gained ground on Democratic President Barack Obama after a strong performance in their first debate heading into the November 6 election, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken after their prime-time face-off. Romney is now viewed positively by 51 percent of voters, the first time he has enjoyed a net positive in the U.S. presidential race, the poll found. Obama's favorability rating remained unchanged at 56 percent, according to the poll. ... Full Story Top

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