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News World Bank names former ICC prosecutor to head corruption panel Obama touts jobs report as he seeks to lift campaign Panetta rejects Karzai criticism of Afghan war effort Saudi man dropped from U.N. al Qaeda sanctions list Guinea's Conde sacks 11 ministers in surprise cabinet shake-up Exclusive: U.N. chief wants Italy's Prodi as envoy to troubled Sahel Ecuador ordered to pay Occidental $1.77 billion in damages Cuban blogger arrested ahead of Spanish activist's trial As rial plunges, Congress looks at expanding Iran sanctions Judgment looms for butler who leaked papal papers Merkel to visit Greece as money running out South Africa's Amplats fires 12,000 strikers, union leader shot Child molester Sandusky likely to speak at sentencing Turkey warns Syria more strikes would be fatal mistake Mexico investigates police over killing of politician's son South African union leader shot dead near Lonmin mine: NUM Georgia vote rivals in talks on smooth transfer Italy needs anti-corruption authority: Transparency International Kenya wary of being seen as an occupying force in Somalia port Kyrgyzstan opposition MPs charged with attempted coup Romney closes gap with Obama to 2 points after debate: Reuters/Ipsos poll Nervous Venezuelans stock up on supplies before election French hostage in Somalia pleads for his life on video Morocco withdraws accreditation from AFP reporter Factbox: Nagorno-Karabakh - disputed by Azerbaijan, Armenia U.N. chief says sanctions on Iran affecting its people Armenian president says Azerbaijan threatens new war Police clash with protesters in Bahrain Asylum seekers in 500 km protest march across Germany American gunman killed in Israeli hotel shoot-out Iran blames economic "conspiracy" as criticism grows EU questions "taboo" against broad trade embargo on Iran Russia extends Tajik base lease to curb militant threat Turkish army returns fire after mortar attack from Syria U.N. Security Council condemns "terrorist attacks" in Aleppo Britain to extradite Islamist cleric to United States Russia's Putin in charge at 60, but facing threats EU watchdog bemoans stagnant talks on insurer rules Four killed in machete gang attack on Kenyan minister In biggest protest, Jordan Islamists demand change World Bank names former ICC prosecutor to head corruption panel NEW YORK (Reuters) - The former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court will lead a review of Bangladesh's investigation of alleged corruption tied to a major bridge project, the World Bank said late on Friday. Luis Moreno Ocampo will head the three-member panel and deliver a report to the World Bank, one of several steps necessary for the Washington-based development institution to resume its $1.2 billion line of credit. Ocampo sought to prosecute individuals for crimes against humanity at the ICC, located in The Hague, Netherlands. ... 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 Panetta rejects Karzai criticism of Afghan war effort ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT (Reuters) - Progress in Afghanistan has cost thousands of military lives and it would be helpful if Afghan President Hamid Karzai expressed gratitude for that sacrifice, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Friday, bluntly rejecting the Afghan leader's recent criticism of the war effort. "We have made progress in Afghanistan because there are men and women in uniform who have been willing to fight and die for Afghanistan's sovereignty and their right to govern and secure themselves," Panetta told reporters aboard his plane to Latin America. ... Full Story Top Saudi man dropped from U.N. al Qaeda sanctions list UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council's al Qaeda sanctions committee decided on Friday to remove Saudi businessman Yasin Abdullah Ezzedine Qadi from the U.N. sanctions list, German U.N. Ambassador Peter Wittig announced. "The Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee today agreed to follow the Ombudsperson's recommendation and remove Mr. Qadi's name from the Al Qaeda Sanctions List," Wittig, chairman of the committee, said in a statement. ... Full Story Top Guinea's Conde sacks 11 ministers in surprise cabinet shake-up CONAKRY (Reuters) - Guinea's President Alpha Conde sacked 11 of his government ministers in a surprise cabinet reshuffle announced on state television late on Friday. The statement from the presidency gave no reason for the shake-up, but the move comes amid heightened tensions in the world's top supplier of the aluminum ore bauxite over long-delayed parliamentary elections. Among the principle changes was the nomination of former prime minister and career diplomat François Louceny Fall to the post of state minister for foreign affairs. ... Full Story Top Exclusive: U.N. chief wants Italy's Prodi as envoy to troubled Sahel UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Security Council on Friday he wants former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi to be his envoy to the troubled Sahel region, where West African states seek U.N. backing for military intervention in Mali. "I would like to inform you of my intention to appoint Mr. Romano Prodi (Italy) as my Special Envoy for the Sahel," Ban said in a letter to the 15-nation council, obtained by Reuters. "Mr. ... Full Story Top Ecuador ordered to pay Occidental $1.77 billion in damages (Reuters) - The World Bank's arbitration center (ICSID) has ordered Ecuador to pay nearly $1.77 billion in damages to U.S.-based Occidental Petroleum for seizing the company's assets in 2006, but the Andean country said it would appeal the decision. It also ordered Ecuador to pay pre-award interest on the amount at the rate of 4.188 percent per annum, compounded annually from 16 May 2006 until the date of the award. The ruling was posted on the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) website. https://icsid.worldbank. ... Full Story Top Cuban blogger arrested ahead of Spanish activist's trial BAYAMO, Cuba (Reuters) - Cuba arrested a dissident blogger and other activists one day before the start of a Spanish activist's high-profile manslaughter trial, a rights advocate said on Friday, in a move the U.S. State Department said is aimed at silencing critics. Blogger Yoani Sanchez, her husband, Reinaldo Escobar, and their driver were taken into custody along with a half dozen other local dissidents on Thursday, said Elizardo Sanchez of the independent Cuban Commission on Human Rights. ... 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 Judgment looms for butler who leaked papal papers VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A trial that has thrown open the window on a betrayal of trust and sensitive secrets in the Vatican will come to a head on Saturday with final arguments before judges deliver their verdict on Pope Benedict's former butler. The so-called "Vatileaks" trial, which began last Saturday, is due to wind up after only four hearings when the prosecution and defense make closing arguments on Saturday morning. ... 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 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 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 Mexico investigates police over killing of politician's son MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican police officers are among the suspects under investigation in the killing on Wednesday of a son of the former chairman of the country's most powerful political party. Homero Ramos, attorney general of the state of Coahuila, said on Friday seven people had been arrested in connection with the killing of Jose Eduardo Moreira, son of Humberto Moreira, ex-chairman of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI. Ramos told Mexican radio that local officials appeared to be involved in the murder, among them police officers. ... Full Story Top South African union leader shot dead near Lonmin mine: NUM JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A branch leader of South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) was shot dead on Friday near a mine run by platinum producer Lonmin as labor unrest sweeps the mining sector. NUM spokesman Lesiba Seshoka told Reuters the union leader had been killed "execution style" in the evening hours but gave no further details. Earlier on Friday Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) fired 12,000 wildcat strikers, a high-stakes attempt by the world's biggest platinum producer to push back at the illegal stoppages in Africa's biggest economy. (Reporting by Ed Stoddard) Full Story Top Georgia vote rivals in talks on smooth transfer TBILISI (Reuters) - The opposition coalition that won Georgia's parliamentary election started talks with members of President Mikheil Saakashvili's party on Friday to ensure a smooth transition of power in the former Soviet republic. Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire head of Georgian Dream, the coalition that won a majority of parliament seats in the October 1 election after a bitter campaign, said he expected to nominate his cabinet on Monday. ... Full Story Top Italy needs anti-corruption authority: Transparency International ROME (Reuters) - Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International on Friday urged Italy to create an independent authority to fight graft, which costs taxpayers 60 billion euros ($78 billion) a year. The recommendation goes further than an anti-corruption bill the technocrat government of Prime Minister Mario Monti wants to pass before a national election, likely to be held in April. A report published earlier this year by Transparency International said 87 percent of Italians regarded corruption as one of the country's most serious problems and blamed political parties. ... Full Story Top Kenya wary of being seen as an occupying force in Somalia port KISMAYU, Somalia (Reuters) - From the rooftop of Kismayu's rundown port, Kenyan troops scoured the waters across to the southern Somali city, part of an operation to flush out rebel remnants after al Qaeda-backed militants fled last week from their last major stronghold. While Somali government troops and militia fighters allied to Mogadishu patrol Kismayu's sandy streets, Kenya's army is mostly camped out at outlying sites, keen not to alarm a population that traditionally opposes foreign intervention. ... Full Story Top Kyrgyzstan opposition MPs charged with attempted coup BISHKEK (Reuters) - A court in Kyrgyzstan on Friday charged three opposition nationalist members of parliament with attempting to stage a coup after they led a crowd which tried to storm government headquarters in a protest over a Canadian-owned gold mine. The charges followed a protest on Wednesday during which demonstrators demanded that the state should nationalize the Kumtor gold mine, Kyrgyzstan's flagship venture with Canada's Centerra Gold Inc. The mine accounted for 12 percent of Kyrgyz GDP and over a half of all its exports in 2011. ... 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 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 French hostage in Somalia pleads for his life on video ABU DHABI/PARIS (Reuters) - An Islamist group in Somalia released a video on Friday in which a French secret agent held in the Horn of Africa country since 2009 is shown pleading with French President Francois Hollande to negotiate his release and save his life. The video appeared on a website used by Islamist militant groups around the world. Reuters could not immediately verify its authenticity. Two French intelligence officers from the DGSE agency were kidnapped by the al Shabaab rebel group in Somalia in 2009 but one, Marc Aubriere, escaped a month later. ... Full Story Top Morocco withdraws accreditation from AFP reporter RABAT (Reuters) - The Moroccan government said on Friday it was withdrawing the accreditation of an Agence France-Presse (AFP) correspondent, accusing him of casting doubt on the monarchy's neutrality in an election. In a statement carried by state media, the government accused Omar Brouksy of "unprofessional" reporting on Thursday's vote in Tangier, a re-run after a parliamentary election last year. ... Full Story Top Factbox: Nagorno-Karabakh - disputed by Azerbaijan, Armenia (Reuters) - Armenia's President Serzh Sarksyan accused Azerbaijan on Friday of threatening a new war over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Here is a look at the background to the conflict the Nagorno-Karabakh region. * The status of Nagorno-Karabakh or "mountainous Karabakh", has been disputed since the end of World War One, when Armenia and Azerbaijan became independent from the Russian empire. Soviet rule was imposed in the South Caucasus in 1923, and predominantly Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh became an autonomous region within the Azeri Soviet republic. ... Full Story Top U.N. chief says sanctions on Iran affecting its people UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - International sanctions on Iran are having "significant" effects on the Iranian people and also appear to be harming humanitarian operations in the country, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said in a report to the U.N. General Assembly released on Friday. The Iranian currency has fallen during the past year and over the last ten days alone has lost a third of its value, sparking street protests. U.S. official and other Western officials blame the drop on a combination of economic mismanagement and sanctions. Iran is under U.N., U.S. ... Full Story Top Armenian president says Azerbaijan threatens new war YEREVAN (Reuters) - Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan accused Azerbaijan on Friday of threatening a new war over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh disputed by the south Caucasus neighbors. Azerbaijan is accumulating a "horrendous quantity" of arms in preparation for a resumption of fighting, Sarksyan, 58, told Reuters in an interview. He said Armenia wanted a negotiated settlement to the conflict and that he would spare no effort to achieve it. ... Full Story Top Police clash with protesters in Bahrain ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Police in Bahrain used water cannon and tear gas on Friday to disperse hundreds of protesters after a memorial for a Shi'ite man jailed over last year's pro-democracy uprising, witnesses said. Clashes erupted when police tried to stop protesters reaching Pearl Roundabout, the focus of the mass protests that began in February last year. One water cannon caught fire as protesters threw petrol bombs and stones and a policeman was injured, witnesses said. ... Full Story Top Asylum seekers in 500 km protest march across Germany BERLIN (Reuters) - Dozens of asylum seekers have defied an order restricting their freedom of movement and marched 500 km through Germany to protest against what they say is inhumane treatment by the authorities. The marchers, from Africa, Asia and Latin America, danced across Berlin's city limits on Friday carrying signs calling for better living conditions and an end to deportations. "How long we stay in Berlin depends on how long it takes for our demands to be met," said Ashkan Khorasani, a 23-year-old who fled Iran two years ago to escape political persecution. ... Full Story Top American gunman killed in Israeli hotel shoot-out JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An American man opened fire in an Israeli seaside hotel packed with tourists on Friday after losing his job there, killing one person before being shot dead in a stand-off with security forces. The firefight erupted in the popular Red Sea resort of Eilat when New York native William Hershkovitz, 23, attacked a security guard at the Leonardo Club hotel and snatched his gun, officials and witnesses said. He then shot dead one of the hotel chefs, whom police identified as 33-year-old Armando Abed. ... 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 EU questions "taboo" against broad trade embargo on Iran BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union has begun discussing the possibility of a broad trade embargo against Iran, moving beyond the web of energy, business and financial restrictions imposed so far, in an effort to pressure Tehran not to build nuclear weapons. Talks are advancing with extreme caution because of European governments' traditional reluctance to impose measures that increase pain on a country's citizens rather than on their government. "General sanctions on trade are still taboo," said one EU diplomat. ... Full Story Top Russia extends Tajik base lease to curb militant threat DUSHANBE (Reuters) - Russia extended its military presence in Tajikistan for 30 years on Friday in a deal to secure the southern fringes of its former Soviet empire after NATO troops leave Afghanistan. The countries' defense ministers signed an agreement prolonging Russia's lease on a base in the former Soviet republic until 2042 during a visit by President Vladimir Putin. The lease had previously been due to expire on January 1, 2014, the same year most foreign combat troops are due to leave Afghanistan, which shares a long, mountainous and porous border with Tajikistan. ... Full Story Top Turkish army returns fire after mortar attack from Syria ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The Turkish military returned fire after a mortar shell fired from Syria landed in countryside in southern Turkey, the state-run Anatolian news agency reported the governor of Hatay province as saying on Friday. Turkish artillery bombarded Syrian military targets on Wednesday and Thursday in response to shelling by Syrian forces that killed five Turkish civilians further east along the border. (Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Nick Tattersall and Kevin Liffey) Full Story Top U.N. Security Council condemns "terrorist attacks" in Aleppo UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Friday unanimously condemned what it described as "terrorist attacks" in the Syrian city of Aleppo earlier this week, a series of coordinated suicide bombings which killed 48 people in the northern metropolis. "The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks in Aleppo, Syria on 3 October, causing dozens of deaths and over one hundred civilians injured, responsibility for which was claimed by the Jebhat al-Nusra group affiliated with al Qaeda," the 15-nation council said in a non-binding ... Full Story Top Britain to extradite Islamist cleric to United States LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said it would extradite Islamist cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri to the United States as soon as possible 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 Russia's Putin in charge at 60, but facing threats MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin turns 60 on Sunday, his grip on power weaker than in the past but under little immediate threat if the oil price stays high. Adoring supporters will celebrate in cities from Siberia to Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia, where the ruling party's loyal Young Guard will unfurl a banner on a bridge which they say symbolizes Putin's role by uniting Asia and Europe. Opponents will make their feelings known much closer to home, protesting near Moscow's Red Square under the banner: "We're sending the old man into retirement". ... Full Story Top EU watchdog bemoans stagnant talks on insurer rules FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The European Union's powerful insurance watchdog EIOPA on Friday blasted stagnant political talks to finalize new risk capital rules for the insurance sector, saying delay was undermining EU credibility internationally. The rules, known as Solvency II, are aimed at better protecting consumers by forcing sweeping improvement in insurers' risk management systems and capital strength. But the regulation is now stuck in talks between the Commission, the European Parliament and EU national governments. ... Full Story Top Four killed in machete gang attack on Kenyan minister MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - A gang of youths brandishing machetes attacked a Kenyan cabinet minister at a public meeting and killed his bodyguard before the crowd beat three of the attackers to death, police said on Friday. Fisheries Minister Amason Kingi was unharmed in the Thursday night incident, which police blamed on a separatist group campaigning for the secession of Kenya's coastal strip. "We believe these are the people who are coming from the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC). We know they have bad intentions for this region. ... Full Story Top In biggest protest, Jordan Islamists demand change AMMAN (Reuters) - Thousands of Jordanian Islamists marched on Friday in the largest demonstration since Arab Spring-inspired protests erupted last year, calling on King Abdullah to accelerate democratic reforms. At least 15,000 protesters from across the country flocked to the main street leading to the Husseini mosque in downtown Amman after Friday prayers and chanted: "Listen Abdullah, our demands are legitimate" and "People want to reform the regime." Hundreds of young bearded men also chanted: "We are free men, not slaves" and "Freedom... ... Full Story Top

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