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News Peru's gas pipeline at risk after rebels destroy helicopters U.S. court fight starts for radical cleric sent from Britain U.S., Peru to update 60-year-old defense cooperation accord Egypt's Mursi says falls short of goals, seeks to assuage critics Tehran's Grand Bazaar reopens, currency trade still frozen Bus from Toronto overturns in New Jersey, 23 hurt Turkey strikes back at Syria after Erdogan warning Israeli leaders confront political rift as election looms Captain killed, tourists hurt in blast on Greek boat Tanzania asks for mediation over Lake Malawi dispute Israeli air force shoots down drone aircraft Iranian relief workers in Libya freed Somali president names political newcomer as PM, urges unity Touring South America, Panetta renews defense ties with Peru French police kill one in raid linked to Jewish market attack Iran denies offering new plan on nuclear impasse It's not just the economy: Why football and sharks can affect elections Hundreds attend funeral of members of Serb royal family Colombian president leaves hospital after cancer surgery Islamists shoot in air to disperse protest by Timbuktu women South African strikers press Amplats to revoke sackings Ex-papal butler convicted, sentenced to 18 months Yemen foils al Qaeda plan to bomb air base used by United States: official Blast in east Nigeria's Taraba wounds eight: official Islamist cleric from Britain to appear in U.S. court Iran fails to impose stronger rial rate, market frozen Nobel peace committee aims to stop eavesdroppers World Bank names former ICC prosecutor to head corruption panel Miners end South Africa strike at Petra Diamonds North Korean soldier defects to South across land border Turkish army returns fire after Syrian mortar strike Dissident blogger released after detention in Cuba Obama touts jobs report as he seeks to lift campaign South Korea, U.S. agree on boosting missile capability: media Storm Gaemi to hit central Vietnam, coffee at risk 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 Peru's gas pipeline at risk after rebels destroy helicopters LIMA (Reuters) - Peru's sole natural gas pipeline was left without maintenance services on Saturday after Shining Path rebels destroyed on the ground three helicopters belonging to the company that runs the pipeline. The aircraft were used by the company Transportadora de Gas del Peru, or TGP, to dispatch maintenance workers along the pipeline in the country's southern jungles. ... Full Story Top U.S. court fight starts for radical cleric sent from Britain NEW YORK (Reuters) - One-eyed radical Islamist cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri made his first appearance in federal court in New York on Saturday after Britain extradited him to the United States to face trial and a potential life sentence on terrorism charges. The Egyptian-born Hamza, 54, entered U.S. District Court in Manhattan after being refused the prosthetics - including his signature metal hook - that he wears because of his missing forearms. ... Full Story Top U.S., Peru to update 60-year-old defense cooperation accord LIMA (Reuters) - The United States and Peru decided on Saturday to renegotiate a 60-year-old defense cooperation agreement between the two countries as Washington seeks to deepen security ties with Latin America after a decade focused on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said updating the 1952 bilateral defense agreement with Peru would help the two countries work more closely on issues of mutual concern, from terrorism and drug trafficking to response to natural disasters. ... Full Story Top Egypt's Mursi says falls short of goals, seeks to assuage critics CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi said on Saturday he had fallen short of goals he promised to fulfill in his first 100 days in office, but aimed to assuage critics by highlighting his most prominent achievements. Mursi, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood, was handed power in June by the army council that ruled Egypt for 16 months following Hosni Mubarak's ouster in a popular uprising in 2011 and after a presidential election. ... Full Story Top Tehran's Grand Bazaar reopens, currency trade still frozen DUBAI (Reuters) - Tehran's Grand Bazaar reopened under close police supervision on Saturday, traders said, days after it was shut by clashes between riot police and protesters blaming the government for the collapse of the Iranian currency. Iran's government remained locked in a test of wills with currency dealers as it tried unsuccessfully to impose a stronger exchange rate for the rial, which lost about a third of its value in 10 days. ... Full Story Top Bus from Toronto overturns in New Jersey, 23 hurt NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nearly two dozen people were injured on Saturday when a bus traveling from Toronto to Brooklyn, New York, overturned while approaching an exit ramp on a New Jersey highway, according to New Jersey state police. Twenty-three of the 57 people aboard the bus were taken to hospitals, but none of the injuries was considered life- threatening, police spokesman Adam Grossman said. The accident occurred about 7:40 a.m. as the bus traveled east on Interstate 80 in Wayne Township. The bus overturned in a grassy area about 100 yards from the highway, he said. ... Full Story Top Turkey strikes back at Syria after Erdogan warning ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey returned fire after Syrian mortar bombs landed in a field in southern Turkey on Saturday, the day after Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan warned Syria that Turkey would not shy away from war if provoked. It was the fourth day of Turkish retaliation for firing by Syrian forces that killed five Turkish civilians on Wednesday. The exchanges are the most serious cross-border violence in Syria's conflict, which began as a democracy uprising but has evolved into a civil war with sectarian overtones. They highlight how the crisis could destabilize the region. ... Full Story Top Israeli leaders confront political rift as election looms JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned his defense minister, Ehud Barak, on Saturday to discuss allegations he had undermined the premier during recent trips to the United States, raising further speculation of an early election. The rift between Netanyahu and Barak, once close allies who have largely presented a united front when it comes to dealing with what they see as an Iranian drive to obtain a nuclear bomb, could grow into an issue that brings down the government. ... Full Story Top Captain killed, tourists hurt in blast on Greek boat ATHENS (Reuters) - A small replica cannon blew up on a mock pirate ship off the southern Aegean island of Kos on Saturday, killing the boat's captain and injuring five passengers, Greek coastguard officials said. The cannon had been loaded with explosive powder, such as that found in fireworks. A coastguard official, who declined to be named, said the captain died in the explosion. Two Dutch passengers, a Belgian and two German children were hurt, a second coastguard official told Reuters. ... Full Story Top Tanzania asks for mediation over Lake Malawi dispute DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Tanzania called on Saturday for an international mediator to resolve a long-standing border dispute with Malawi, conceding the latest talks over territorial rights to Lake Malawi and its potential reserves of oil and gas have failed. The call comes after Malawi accused its neighbor of intimidating its citizens, halting talks with Tanzania over the ownership of the lake. "It is clear now, that we cannot resolve the issue between us," Tanzania's foreign affairs minister, Bernard Membe, told a news conference. ... Full Story Top Israeli air force shoots down drone aircraft JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The Israeli air force shot down a drone after it crossed into southern Israel on Saturday, the military said, but it remained unclear where the aircraft had come from. The drone was first spotted above the Mediterranean in the area of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip to the west of Israel, said military spokeswoman Avital Leibovich. It was kept under surveillance and followed by Israeli air force jets before it was shot down above a forest in an unpopulated area near the border with the occupied West Bank. Leibovich said it was shot down at about 10 a.m. ... Full Story Top Iranian relief workers in Libya freed BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Seven Iranian relief workers who had been taken hostage by an armed group in July in the Libyan city of Benghazi were freed on Saturday, a Libyan security source and the Libyan Red Crescent Association said. The seven Iranian men arrived in Benghazi in late July as guests of the Libyan Red Crescent to help with relief work in the city. They were seized from their vehicle by an unknown armed group in the heart of Benghazi. ... Full Story Top Somali president names political newcomer as PM, urges unity MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Saturday named political newcomer Abdi Farah Shirdon Saaid as the country's new prime minister, a man diplomats say is untainted by the clan rivalry and feuding that has plagued Somalia for decades. "I know (Saaid) and have selected him because he is competent," said Mohamud, who along with his prime minister face the daunting task of trying to set up Somalia's first effective central government since the outbreak of civil war in 1991. "I urge the parliament and the civilians to support him," he said in a statement. ... Full Story Top Touring South America, Panetta renews defense ties with Peru LIMA (Reuters) - Defense ministers from Peru and the United States agreed on Saturday to update their 60-year-old defense cooperation agreement as a step toward deepening military ties between the two countries. The accord was reached as the United States works to re-engage Latin America, a region that has at times complained of being neglected over the past decade as Washington fought wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. ... Full Story Top French police kill one in raid linked to Jewish market attack STRASBOURG/PARIS (Reuters) - An Islamist suspected of a grenade attack on a Jewish market was shot and killed by police in the northeastern city of Strasbourg on Saturday and 11 others detained in what prosecutors called a "vast anti-terrorist operation". Elite police squads carried out simultaneous operations against a network of radical Islamists in the Paris region and in Strasbourg, Nice and Cannes early on Saturday. ... Full Story Top Iran denies offering new plan on nuclear impasse DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran denied on Saturday a U.S. media report that it had offered a "nine-step plan" aimed at solving its stand-off with the West over its disputed nuclear program. The New York Times reported on Thursday that Iran had proposed a plan to European officials that required the West to lift harsh oil and economic sanctions in return for the eventual suspension of uranium enrichment by Tehran. It reported Iranian officials tried to gather support for the proposal during a visit last month to the United Nations. ... Full Story Top It's not just the economy: Why football and sharks can affect elections WASHINGTON (Reuters) - On the Saturday before the November 6 election, President Barack Obama might want to root for Ohio State University's football team when it takes on his home-state University of Illinois. A win by the Buckeyes could boost his chances of carrying Ohio, a crucial battleground state. Obama can take heart that Florida beachgoers haven't suffered from a spate of shark attacks this year, which could have hurt his prospects there. On the other hand, the brutal drought that has gripped much of the Midwest could make it tougher for the president to win Iowa. ... Full Story Top Hundreds attend funeral of members of Serb royal family TOPOLA, Serbia (Reuters) - Hundreds of mourners gathered on Saturday for the reburial of Serbian Prince Pavle Karadjordjevic, his wife and son, decades after their deaths in exile, a ceremony important for many Serbs who retain a strong sentimental attachment to the royal dynasty. Following exhumation from a cemetery in Switzerland last month, the three coffins draped in Serbian flags and escorted by Serb Army Guards were transferred to the Oplenac royal chapel in the southwestern town of Topola, the resting place for most of the royal family. ... Full Story Top Colombian president leaves hospital after cancer surgery BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was released from a hospital on Saturday and said he was "totally cured" after successful surgery for prostate cancer that had not spread beyond the gland. Santos, 61, said on Monday that doctors had discovered a tumor on his prostate. The cancer announcement came two weeks before his government was to start peace talks that could put an end to almost 50 years of war with Marxist rebels. ... Full Story Top Islamists shoot in air to disperse protest by Timbuktu women BAMAKO (Reuters) - More than 100 women marched against the imposition of strict Islamic law in the northern Malian town of Timbuktu on Saturday, but were dispersed by gunmen linked to al Qaeda firing shots in the air, witnesses said. Islamists linked to al Qaeda's North African wing, AQIM, have been in control of the fabled desert town since April and have steadily imposed their interpretation of sharia law, banning music and forcing women to cover themselves with veils. Women gathered in the main square late morning and were due to march around the town but they were stopped by gunfire. ... Full Story Top South African strikers press Amplats to revoke sackings JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Hundreds of striking South African workers rallied on Saturday to press Anglo American Platinum to revoke its decision to fire 12,000 wildcat strikers amid a wave of labor strife sweeping Africa's largest economy. Nearly 50 people have been killed since August in labor conflict in the crucial mining sector, and President Jacob Zuma's ruling ANC is struggling to damp down some of the worst social unrest since the end of apartheid in 1994. ... Full Story Top Ex-papal butler convicted, sentenced to 18 months VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A Vatican court convicted Pope Benedict's former butler of stealing sensitive documents and sentenced him to 18 months detention on Saturday, at the end of one of the most sensational trials in the recent history of the Holy See. A Vatican spokesman said the pope, who reigns as a supreme monarch in the world's smallest city state, would "most likely" pardon Paolo Gabriele. ... Full Story Top Yemen foils al Qaeda plan to bomb air base used by United States: official ADEN (Reuters) - Yemeni security forces foiled a plan by militants linked to al Qaeda to bomb an air base jointly used with the United States to carry out attacks against the group, a security official said on Saturday. A car packed with explosives was discovered by authorities near the gate of Al Anad air base in Yemen's southern province of Lahj, the official told Reuters. "This was a planned suicide attack. Once the car was discovered, security forces immediately arrested two men who were inside the vehicle ... The car was filled with explosives and anti-tank missiles," he added. ... Full Story Top Blast in east Nigeria's Taraba wounds eight: official LAGOS (Reuters) - An explosion near a state television studio in eastern Nigeria's Taraba state wounded eight people overnight, the emergency services said on Saturday. It was the second blast in the remote town of Jalingo, in Nigeria's volatile ethnically and religiously mixed Middle Belt, in two days. A blast at an outdoor bar there killed at least one person and wounded 14 on Thursday. National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) spokesman Yushua Shuaib said by text message that a woman and five children were among the wounded, alongside two others. ... Full Story Top Islamist cleric from Britain to appear in U.S. court NEW YORK (Reuters) - Islamist cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri will appear before a federal judge in New York on Saturday after Britain extradited the one-eyed radical preacher to the United States to face trial and a potential life sentence on terrorism charges. The Egyptian-born Abu Hamza, 54, 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. He was flown late on Friday to the United States along with four other men also wanted on U.S. terrorism charges. ... Full Story Top Iran fails to impose stronger rial rate, market frozen DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's government was locked in a test of wills with currency dealers on Saturday as it tried unsuccessfully to impose a stronger rial exchange rate, after a plunge by the currency earlier in the week triggered street protests. Iranian news agencies reported that the government's new foreign exchange center, used by importers of some basic goods, was selling U.S. dollars at a rate of 25,970 rials. ... Full Story Top Nobel peace committee aims to stop eavesdroppers OSLO (Reuters) - The Nobel Peace Prize committee is tightening security to prevent eavesdroppers on decisions that can infuriate the powerful. "We have taken certain precautions," Geir Lundestad, the head of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, told Reuters in his office in central Oslo. The winner has already been chosen from about 230 candidates, but his or her name will remain secret until the formal 2012 award on October 12. "Leaks in general have not been a problem. But we want to protect that record." One fear is of lip-readers, perhaps using telescopes from nearby buildings. ... Full Story Top 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 Miners end South Africa strike at Petra Diamonds JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Several hundred miners have ended a strike that started earlier this week and dragged down operations at Petra Diamonds mines in South Africa, a union spokesman said on Saturday. The sit-in strike over working conditions and wages started on October 2 and was one of several work stoppages in the past several weeks that have rattled the mining sector in Africa's largest economy. "The Petra Diamond strike has ended. There was no deal. They just agreed to return to work," Lesiba Seshoka, spokesman for the powerful National Union of Mineworkers, told Reuters. ... Full Story Top North Korean soldier defects to South across land border SEOUL (Reuters) - A North Korean soldier killed two of his officers before crossing the heavily mined border into South Korea on Saturday, South Korea's defence ministry and media reports said. Defections across the Demilitarized Zone, a buffer zone dividing the two Koreas, are rare as the 250 km-long (155 miles) land border is heavily armed and tightly guarded. A defence ministry official confirmed a North Korean had defected across the land border, but provided no further details. ... Full Story Top Turkish army returns fire after Syrian mortar strike ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The Turkish military returned fire after a mortar bomb shot from Syria landed in countryside in southern Turkey on Saturday, the state-run Anatolian news agency reported. It was the latest in a series of Turkish retaliatory attacks in response to mortar bombs and shelling by Syrian forces that have killed five Turkish civilians further east along the border. The strikes and counter-strikes have been the most serious cross-border violence seen so far in Syria's conflict, and underlined how it could destabilize the region. ... Full Story Top Dissident blogger released after detention in Cuba BAYAMO, Cuba (Reuters) - Cuban authorities released prominent dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez late on Friday after detaining her on the eve of a Spanish activist's high-profile manslaughter trial in the eastern city of Bayamo. 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 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 South Korea, U.S. agree on boosting missile capability: media SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea and the United States have reached an agreement on extending the range of Seoul's ballistic missiles to counter the threat from North Korea, local media reported on Saturday, citing unnamed government officials. Under an agreement signed in 1979 and then revised in 2001 between the two military allies, the range of South Korean missiles is limited to 300 kilometers (186 miles) and a payload of 500 kilograms (1,102 lbs). ... Full Story Top Storm Gaemi to hit central Vietnam, coffee at risk HANOI (Reuters) - Tropical storm Gaemi is forecast to slam into Vietnam's central coast later on Saturday, dumping heavy rains and strong winds in the Central Highlands coffee belt, which could result in a decline in output, the government and traders said. The storm, the seventh to hit Vietnam this year, would be centered near the coastal provinces of Binh Dinh and Phu Yen, with winds travelling at up to 74 km (46 miles) per hour, a government statement said. ... 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

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