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TOP STORIES
War intensifies across Syria, refugee crisis deepens
BEIRUT - Rebels battle to hold onto Syria's main north-south
highway as government forces fight insurgents on several fronts
across country (SYRIA-CRISIS/ (WRAPUP 2), moved, pix, by Angus
MacSwan, 925 words)
+ See also:
- SYRIA-CRISIS/TURKEY-RUSSIA, moved, by Nick Tattersall and
Thomas Grove, 1,248 words
World finance chiefs cautiously optimistic over Europe
TOKYO - World finance leaders express cautious optimism that
Europe is making progress toward containing its debt crisis as
officials lay the groundwork for a potential bailout request
from Spain, tempering a sense of gloom hanging over the global
economy (IMF-ECONOMY/(WRAPUP 1), expect 0600, pix, tv, by Lesley
Wroughton and Anna Yukhananov, 700 words)
Fiery Biden sets stage for Obama recovery attempt
WASHINGTON - Joe Biden's spirited performance in the vice
presidential debate has Republicans criticizing him for snide
grins and a comment on Libya, but it sets the stage for
President Barack Obama to try to regain his footing in a rematch
with challenger Mitt Romney next Tuesday (USA-CAMPAIGN/ (UPDATE
4), moved, pix, by Patricia Zengerle, 1,000 words)
+ See also:
- USA-LIBYA/BIDEN (ANALYSIS), moved, by Susan Cornwell, 881
words
- USA-CAMPAIGN/BIDEN, moved, pix, by Jeff Mason, 400 words
European Union wins Nobel Peace Prize
OSLO - European Union wins Nobel Peace Prize for promoting
peace, democracy and human rights over six decades, morale boost
for bloc as it struggles to resolve its economic crisis
(NOBEL-PEACE/(UPDATE 7), moved, pix, tv, graphic, by Balazs
Koranyi and Victoria Klesty, 913 words)
+ See also:
- NOBEL-PRIZE/EU-PROFILE (FACTBOX), moved, 470 words
- NOBEL-PRIZE/PEACE-EU (TIMELINE), moved, 399 words
- NOBEL-PEACE/EU-REACTION (HIGHLIGHTS) (UPDATE 2), moved,
992 words
ASIA
"Radio Mullah" sent hit squad after Pakistan schoolgirl
PESHAWAR, Pakistan - One of Taliban's more feared
commanders, Maulana Fazlullah, carefully briefed two killers
from his special hit squad on their next target -- 14-year-old
girl who had angered Taliban by speaking out for "Western"-style
girls' education (PAKISTAN-GIRL/, moved, pix, by Jibran Ahmad,
787 words)
Nobel winner Mo Yan calls for jailed laureate's freedom
GAOMI, China - Nobel Literature Prize winner Mo Yan
unexpectedly calls for release of jailed compatriot Liu Xiaobo,
who won Nobel Peace Prize two years ago, having come under fire
from rights activists for not speaking up for him (CHINA-MOYAN/
(UPDATE 2), moved, pix, tv, by Michael Martina and Maxim Duncan,
828 words)
Canada PM says "very different" China system a Nexen concern
DAKAR - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper says China's
"very different" political and economic systems are a concern as
his government decides whether to approve CNOOC Ltd's $15.1
billion bid for oil producer Nexen Inc. The comments are some of
the most revealing Harper has made in connection with the
landmark CNOOC deal, which has raised fears over Chinese
state-owned enterprises buying up Canadian energy assets.
(CANADA-HARPER/CHINA (UPDATE 3), moved, pix, by Joe Penney, 586
wrods)
Graft trial adjourned for HK's billionaire Kwok brothers
HONG KONG - The billionaire Kwok brothers' corruption trial
was adjourned on Friday until January to allow the prosecution
more time to gather evidence in Hong Kong's highest-profile
graft case in decades. (HONGKONG-SUNHUNGKAI/ (UPDATE 1), moved,
pix, tv, by Alex Frew McMillan, 406 words)
Indonesia acts to over-ride patents on HIV drugs
JAKARTA - Government takes steps to over-ride patents on
range of HIV drugs, highlighting growing trend by Asian states
to allow local production of cheap generic drugs that cut into
sales of global pharmaceutical companies (INDONESIA-HIV/ (UPDATE
1), by Matthew Bigg, 666 words)
MIDDLE EAST
Egypt's liberals, Islamists clash, 110 reported injured
CAIRO - Opponents and supporters of President Mohamed Mursi
clash in first street violence between rival factions since
Islamist leader took office (EGYPT-PROTEST/ (UPDATE 5), moved,
pix, tv, by Yasmine Saleh and Marwa Awad, 846 words)
U.S. intelligence set back when Libya base abandoned
WASHINGTON - U.S. intelligence efforts in Libya have
suffered a significant setback due to the abandonment and
exposure of a facility in Benghazi, Libya identified by a
newspaper as a "CIA base" following a congressional hearing this
week, according to U.S. government sources.
(USA-LIBYA/INTELLIGENCE, moved, by Mark Hosenball, 900 words)
Clinton says U.S. must embrace Arab Spring despite dangers
WASHINGTON - United States must look past violence and
extremism that erupts after "Arab Spring" revolutions and boost
support for region's young democracies to forge long-term
security, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says (USA-MIDEAST/,
moved, by Andrew Quinn, 633 words)
Iraq agrees to buy 28 Czech combat jets
BAGHDAD/PRAGUE - Iraq agrees to buy 28 combat planes from
Czech Republic for about $1 billion as part of Prime Minister
Nuri al-Maliki's programme to rebuild country's air force and
control its vulnerable airspace (IRAQ-MILITARY/ (UPDATE 2),
moved, by Suadad al-Salhy and Jason Hovet, 465 words)
+ See also:
- IRAQ-QAEDA/JAILBREAK (UPDATE 1), moved, 300 words
EUROPE
Freed Pussy Riot member says protests must be "more cunning"
MOSCOW - Newly released from Russian prison, Pussy Riot's
Yekaterina Samutsevich says her protests against Vladimir
Putin's rule has to become "more cunning" and that she will
fight to free fellow band members still in jail
(RUSSIA-PUSSYRIOT/, moved, by Thomas Grove, 441 words)
Russia local elections seen extending Putin's power
VOSKRESENSK, Russia - Soviet-era industrial town of
billowing smokestacks famous for turning out top ice hockey
players is unlikely electoral battleground for President
Vladimir Putin and his ruling United Russia party
(RUSSIA-ELECTIONS/, moved, by Gabriela Baczynska, 1,080 words)
UNITED STATES
Congress widens scrutiny of US meningitis outbreak
WASHINGTON - U.S. lawmakers widen their investigation into
the deadly meningitis outbreak to include the role state
regulators played in monitoring the pharmacy that produced
steroid treatments blamed for killing 14 people in six states
(USA-HEALTH/MENINGITIS (UPDATE 2), moved, graphic, pix, by David
Morgan, 1,200 words)
AFRICA
UN Security Council asks for Mali plan within 45 days
UNITED NATIONS - Security Council urges African regional
groups and United Nations to present within 45 days specific
plan for military intervention in Mali to help government troops
reclaim north of country from Islamist extremists
(MALI-CRISIS/UN (UPDATE 1), moved, by Michelle Nichols, 768
words)