Daily News Digest: Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News

Yahoo! News | My Alerts | Edit Alert

Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News Romney gains ground on Obama after strong debate Scientists tune into blue whale songs with defense technology Analysis - Tough rules and tight credit may thwart housing hopes IMF to lower global growth forecasts: German paper London needs four-runway airport - study Toyota China sales tumble as islands row hits Japan Inc Greek PM says can't manage beyond November without next aid tranche Romney says his 47 percent comment was "completely wrong" United Nations says little time to deal with Mali extremists US investigators visit Libya compound where ambassador was killed Rights groups grill Julio Iglesias on E.Guinea show US State Department 'appalled' by ambush in western Darfur Libya PM-elect withdraws govt list after discontent L.A. police chief proposes leniency for some arrested illegal immigrants Blast outside Nigerian bar kills one, wounds 11: witness Morocco bars visit by Dutch abortion rights ship Uganda police arrest opposition leader, fire teargas at protest Rwanda's Kagame defiant over accusations of backing Congo rebels Analysis: Republicans lead Obama in war for judicial dominance Weak U.S. labor market looms ahead of elections CNOOC bid for Nexen raises tough issues: Canada PM Obama fights back after debate setback Son of prominent Mexican politician shot dead Billionaires cool on London property as rich-bashing grows Bullard: Fed risks putting itself in a "box" by targeting unemployment Colombian drug boss turns himself in to U.S. officials Federal court is asked to put Oakland Police Department in receivership Lawmaker cites new cyber threats to financial networks Federal judge approves scaled-down Florida voter purge Parole granted to former Manson Family member Bruce Davis Georgia poll winner asks supporters to end vote-rigging protests Turks on Syrian border skeptical after shelling Analysis: In fog of numbers, little tax clarity from Obama-Romney Venezuela's Chavez fights young rival in re-election bid U.N. Security Council condemns Syrian attack on Turkey U.S. credit union regulator sues Credit Suisse State Department "appalled" by ambush in western Darfur White House in sight, Romney steers a more moderate course Judge allows suit over NY police tactics in public housing CNOOC bid for Nexen raises tough issues, says Canada PM 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 Scientists tune into blue whale songs with defense technology SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian scientists are using military technology for locating submarines to track rare blue whales hundreds of kilometers away by eavesdropping on their distinctive songs. Blue whales can communicate with each other over an entire ocean basin by emitting low frequency sounds, or deep songs. Scientists from the Australian Antarctic Division started using directional sonobuoys this year to detect whale sounds -- a big improvement on the standard visual method of monitoring whales. "Ultimately we're trying to get an abundance estimate for blue whales. ... Full Story Top Analysis - Tough rules and tight credit may thwart housing hopes LONDON (Reuters) - Britain needs more housing and is looking to build its way out of its worst slump since the 1930s, but a shortage of finance and grassroots resistance are proving hard to overcome. The government and the opposition Labour Party are competing to come up with plans to unblock the financial bottlenecks holding up new construction. Economists question their impact and some point to a much deeper problem blocking further housebuilding - the mixed feelings existing British homeowners have about it. ... Full Story Top IMF to lower global growth forecasts: German paper BERLIN (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund will lower its forecasts for global economic growth to 3.3 percent this year and 3.6 percent in 2013 from earlier forecasts of 3.4 percent and 3.9 percent respectively, a Germany newspaper reported on Friday. The IMF expects the euro zone economy to shrink by 0.4 percent this year and then grow 0.2 percent in 2013, business daily Handelsblatt said in a preview of the fund's latest forecasts which are due to be released next week. Chinese growth for 2013 is seen at 8.2 percent, versus a previous IMF estimate of 8. ... Full Story Top London needs four-runway airport - study LONDON (Reuters) - Britain needs to build a four-runway airport in west London or north of the capital if it wants to compete with other European hubs, according to a report by UK think tank Policy Exchange. Construction of a four runway airport close to the current Heathrow hub in west London is the best option for the UK, with a four-runway airport in Luton, north of London, the next-best solution to the capacity crunch at UK airports, said the study. ... Full Story Top Toyota China sales tumble as islands row hits Japan Inc BEIJING (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp's China sales fell about 40 percent in September from the year before, while those of rivals such as Hyundai and BMW jumped, underscoring how badly Japanese brands have been hit by a territorial row between the two countries. Showroom traffic and sales have plunged at Japanese car makers since violent protests and calls for boycotts of Japanese products broke out across China in mid-September over the Japanese government's purchase of a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea from their private owner. ... 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 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 United Nations says little time to deal with Mali extremists UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman told a closed Security Council meeting on Thursday that Mali urgently needed international help to reclaim the north of the country from Islamist militants and that "time is not on our side," U.N envoys said. Mali descended into chaos in March when soldiers toppled the president, leaving a power vacuum that enabled Tuareg rebels to seize two-thirds of the country. But Islamist extremists, some al Qaeda allies, hijacked the revolt in the north. ... Full Story Top US investigators visit Libya compound where ambassador was killed BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - A team of U.S. investigators travelled for the first time to the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on Thursday to analyse the crime scene where the U.S. ambassador was killed in an attack last month, Libyan and U.S. sources said. FBI agents were sent to Libya after the September 11 assault on the U.S. diplomatic mission and on another facility in which Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed. ... Full Story Top Rights groups grill Julio Iglesias on E.Guinea show DAKAR (Reuters) - Human rights groups are urging Spanish music star Julio Iglesias to distance himself from Equatorial Guinea's government ahead of a planned concert in the Central African state's capital next week. In a letter sent to Iglesias on September 26 and seen by Reuters on Thursday, U.S.-based advocacy groups Human Rights Watch (HRW) and EGJustice called on the singer to examine how his concert is being financed in a country earning a vast income from natural resources but still afflicted with widespread poverty. ... Full Story Top US State Department 'appalled' by ambush in western Darfur WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Thursday it was "appalled" by an attack that killed four Nigerian peacekeepers and wounded eight others earlier this week in Sudan's western Darfur region. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the United States condemns the ambush on UNAMID personnel that occurred on October 2, and called for an investigation into the attack and for those responsible for the violence to be held accountable. ... Full Story Top Libya PM-elect withdraws govt list after discontent TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's prime minister-elect said on Thursday he had withdrawn his proposed government list, just a day after presenting it to the national congress for approval, after protesters stormed the assembly and politicians voiced discontent over his nominations. Speaking on Libyan television, Mustafa Abushagur said he was ready to change some of his nominations in his proposed line-up which excluded the biggest party in congress, the liberal National Forces Alliance (NFA). ... Full Story Top L.A. police chief proposes leniency for some arrested illegal immigrants LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck on Thursday unveiled plans to refrain from handing over illegal immigrants arrested for low-level offenses to federal authorities for potential deportation. The move by Beck represented a victory for immigrant rights activists just days after California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed bill that would have extended statewide an approach similar to what Beck is proposing. Under a federal program launched in 2008 called Secure Communities, U.S. ... Full Story Top Blast outside Nigerian bar kills one, wounds 11: witness MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - A bomb at an outdoor bar in a remote part of eastern Nigeria killed at least one person and wounded 11 on Thursday, a witness said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast in the town of Jalingo, Taraba state, an area which has been occasionally targeted by Islamist sect Boko Haram. The sect is waging a low level insurgency against President Goodluck Jonathan's government and wants to impose sharia law on the northern part of Nigeria, a country whose 160 million people are spilt roughly evenly between Muslims and Christians. ... Full Story Top Morocco bars visit by Dutch abortion rights ship RABAT/AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Morocco on Thursday barred Dutch abortion rights activists from docking their campaign ship to spread awareness about safe abortion methods in a Muslim country that bans the practice. Women on Waves announced last week its intention to send their ship into the Moroccan port of Smir after visits to traditionally Roman Catholic countries Spain, Portugal and Ireland at the invitation of local women's groups. ... Full Story Top Uganda police arrest opposition leader, fire teargas at protest KAMPALA (Reuters) - Police in Uganda on Thursday arrested Kizza Besigye, the country's most prominent opposition leader, after firing teargas to disperse his supporters at an anti-government rally in Kampala, the police said. Besigye, who heads Uganda's biggest opposition party, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), lost a presidential election in February last year to President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for over 26 years. Besigye denounced the poll as fraudulent and has since refused to recognise the current government. ... Full Story Top Rwanda's Kagame defiant over accusations of backing Congo rebels KIGALI (Reuters) - President Paul Kagame said on Thursday Western governments were "dead wrong" in blaming Rwanda for the rebellion in neighbouring eastern Congo and threatening Kigali with aid cuts, and he pledged to stand firm against his accusers. The United States urged Rwanda on Monday to publicly condemn rebels who have seized parts of Congo's east, an appeal that highlighted U.S. frustration over Kigali's alleged involvement. ... 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 Weak U.S. labor market looms ahead of elections WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fears of government austerity likely kept U.S. job gains modest and the unemployment rate elevated in September, an outcome that could weigh on President Barack Obama's re-election bid. Employers are expected to have added 113,000 jobs to their payrolls last month, according to a Reuters survey of economists. That would be up from 96,000 in August, but it would still fall short of what is needed to cut the jobless rate. Indeed, economists expect the unemployment rate, a key focus in the race for the White House, to tick up by a tenth of a percentage point to 8. ... Full Story Top CNOOC bid for Nexen raises tough issues: Canada PM OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada said on Thursday that a $15.1 billion Chinese bid for domestic oil company Nexen Inc raised difficult policy questions, but the government gave no sign it would bow to an opposition demand to veto the deal. Speaking hours after the main opposition party demanded a veto on CNOOC Ltd's bid, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the government would look at a range of issues in determining whether the deal, the largest foreign takeover ever launched by a Chinese firm, would be of net benefit to Canada. ... Full Story Top Obama fights back after debate setback DENVER (Reuters) - A day after a muted performance in a presidential debate, U.S. President Barack Obama fought back against Republican rival Mitt Romney on Thursday and the Democrat's re-election campaign vowed to learn lessons from the setback. A feisty Obama told a rally of some 12,000 people that the former Massachusetts governor was untruthful during Wednesday's 90-minute debate in Denver, which most observers reckoned the Republican won. "When I got onto the stage, I met this very spirited fellow who claimed to be Mitt Romney," Obama said. ... Full Story Top Son of prominent Mexican politician shot dead MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A son of the former chairman of Mexico's most powerful political party was found shot dead in a town south of the U.S. border notorious for drug traffickers, as the violence dogging the country struck the ruling establishment. The body of Jose Eduardo Moreira, son of the embattled ex-chairman of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and former Coahuila state governor Humberto Moreira, was discovered near Ciudad Acuna, across the Rio Grande river from Texas, late on Wednesday, the state's government said on Thursday. ... Full Story Top Billionaires cool on London property as rich-bashing grows LONDON (Reuters) - The love affair between the global super-rich and London property is souring as UK politicians tap into a mood of public resentment of the wealthy, with tax increases and rhetoric playing up their own humble origins. Prices of homes costing more than 10 million pounds have risen 56 percent since 2007 as overseas investors park money in the relative safety of London bricks and mortar, with foreign buyers accounting for about a two thirds of deals, a report by property consultant Knight Frank shows. ... Full Story Top Bullard: Fed risks putting itself in a "box" by targeting unemployment MEMPHIS (Reuters) - The U.S. central bank risks limiting its policy flexibility by explicitly tying its actions to a numerical unemployment target, a senior Federal Reserve official said on Thursday. "I think this threshold thing will put the committee in more of a box," said St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard, voicing disagreement with fellow policymakers, referring to the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). ... Full Story Top Colombian drug boss turns himself in to U.S. officials BOGOTA (Reuters) - Suspected Colombian drug trafficker Luis Enrique Calle has surrendered to U.S. drug enforcement officials in Panama, Colombia's defense minister said on Thursday. "These criminals have no option. The pressure by the security forces leaves them no room and that's why they end up handing themselves in," Colombian Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon told a press conference in Bogota. ... Full Story Top Federal court is asked to put Oakland Police Department in receivership (Reuters) - A group of plaintiffs in a long-running civil rights complaint involving allegations of police brutality asked a federal court on Thursday to put the Oakland Police Department into receivership. The plaintiffs, who are parties to a consent decree to resolve the allegations, asked U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson of Oakland to take action "because less drastic means have failed to bring the city into compliance with reforms mandated," a court filing said. ... Full Story Top Lawmaker cites new cyber threats to financial networks WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee said on Thursday that significant new cyber threats to U.S. financial networks appeared to be emerging from an "unusual" source. Committee Chairman Mike Rogers did not specifically identify the purported new threat nor its origin but referred several times to what he described as Iran's growing cyber espionage capabilities. ... 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 Parole granted to former Manson Family member Bruce Davis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A former member of the notorious Manson Family cult and a two-time convicted killer came a step closer to freedom on Thursday when he was granted parole, but the decision was subject to a mandatory review and could still be reversed, California prison officials said. Bruce Davis, 69, has been in state prison serving a life sentence since his 1972 conviction for the murders of music teacher Gary Hinman and stuntman Donald "Shorty" Shea. ... Full Story Top Georgia poll winner asks supporters to end vote-rigging protests TBILISI (Reuters) - The winner of Georgia's parliamentary election urged his supporters on Thursday to end street protests against alleged vote rigging by rivals allied to President Mikheil Saakashvili. The billionaire leader of the Georgian Dream coalition sought to calm tensions after his supporters protested outside local election commission offices and were accused by their opponents of making threats to officials. "I'd like to ask you to stop all street protests," Bidzina Ivanishvili said in comments to reporters. ... Full Story Top Turks on Syrian border skeptical after shelling AKCAKALE, Turkey (Reuters) - Frightened residents of a Turkish border town shelled by Syria expressed skepticism on Friday that military and political retaliation by Ankara would succeed in deterring more deadly strikes by Damascus forces. Turkish artillery bombarded Syrian military targets for a second day on Thursday, responding to the mortar fire that killed five people the day before in the southeastern town of Akcakale. ... Full Story Top Analysis: In fog of numbers, little tax clarity from Obama-Romney (Reuters) - For an event so freighted with expectations of tax insights, the Obama-Romney debate on Wednesday offered few clues on what the candidates' tax plans could mean for average Americans. Republican nominee Mitt Romney stuck to his strategy of promising tax cuts. To pay for this, he pledged again to close yet-to-be-named tax loopholes. And he said new tax revenues would come from economic growth spurred by lower taxes. ... Full Story Top Venezuela's Chavez fights young rival in re-election bid (Note: Election law forbids publication of polls in Venezuela a week prior to voting) CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez faces the toughest election of his 14-year rule on Sunday in a vote pitting his charisma and oil-financed largesse against fresh-faced challenger Henrique Capriles' promise of jobs, safer streets and an end to cronyism. Chavez, 58, staged a remarkable comeback from cancer this year and wants a new six-year term to consolidate his self-styled socialist revolution in the OPEC nation. ... Full Story Top U.N. Security Council condemns Syrian attack on Turkey UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Thursday condemned a Syrian mortar attack on a Turkish border town that killed five people and demanded that "such violations of international law stop immediately and are not repeated." The rare agreement on a Syria statement condemned the attack "in the strongest terms" and came after Russia rejected an initial text on Wednesday's incident and proposed a diluted version calling on both Turkey and Syria to exercise restraint. ... Full Story Top U.S. credit union regulator sues Credit Suisse (Reuters) - The U.S. credit union regulator filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Credit Suisse Securities (USA), alleging misrepresentations in the underwriting and sale of mortgage-backed securities. The National Credit Union Administration said in a statement that three failed credit unions paid more than $715 million for the securities at issue in the lawsuit, which filed in U.S. district court in Kansas. "Credit Suisse is one of several firms that sold faulty securities to corporate credit unions, which led to their collapse," the agency said. ... Full Story Top State Department "appalled" by ambush in western Darfur WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The State Department said on Thursday it was "appalled" by an attack that killed four Nigerian peacekeepers and wounded eight others earlier this week in Sudan's western Darfur region. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the United States condemns the ambush on UNAMID personnel that occurred on October 2, and called for an investigation into the attack and for those responsible for the violence to be held accountable. ... Full Story Top White House in sight, Romney steers a more moderate course WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A beaming Mitt Romney made a surprise visit to a meeting of conservative activists in Denver on Thursday, telling the group that his debate with President Barack Obama the night before had given voters "a choice between two different visions for America." During the first of three debates between the two presidential candidates, Romney himself appeared to have made a few choices, less than five weeks before the November 6 election. ... Full Story Top Judge allows suit over NY police tactics in public housing NEW YORK (Reuters) - A lawsuit by a group of black and Latino New York City public housing residents who say police violated their civil rights may proceed to trial, a judge ruled on Thursday. The case, filed in 2010, is one of three proposed class action lawsuits before Manhattan Federal Judge Shira Scheindlin. All three suits say the New York Police Department's controversial crime-fighting tactic known as "stop and frisk" improperly targets minorities. ... Full Story Top CNOOC bid for Nexen raises tough issues, says Canada PM OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada admitted on Thursday that a Chinese bid for domestic oil company Nexen Inc raises difficult policy questions, but the government gave no sign it would bow to an opposition demand to veto the deal. Speaking hours after the main opposition party demanded a veto on CNOOC Ltd's $15.1 billion bid, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the government would look at a range of issues as it determines whether the transaction, the largest foreign takeover ever launched by a Chinese firm, is of net benefit to Canada. ... Full Story Top

You received this email because you subscribed to Yahoo! Alerts. Use this link to unsubscribe from this alert. To change your communications preferences for other Yahoo! business lines, please visit your Marketing Preferences. To learn more about Yahoo!'s use of persona l information, including the use of web beacons in HTML-based email, please read our Privacy Policy. Yahoo! is located at 701 First Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94089.