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Reuters World News Headlines - Yahoo! News Obama fights back after debate setback Son of prominent Mexican politician shot dead Colombian drug boss turns himself in to U.S. officials Outspoken gay marriage foe installed as San Francisco archbishop Russia considers Arctic licenses for western oil majors: FT Georgia poll winner asks supporters to end vote-rigging protests Turks on Syrian border skeptical after shelling Venezuela's Chavez fights young rival in re-election bid Facebook IPO lawsuits to be heard in New York State Department "appalled" by ambush in western Darfur Blast outside Nigerian bar kills one, wounds 11: witness United Nations says little time to deal with Mali extremists U.S. investigators visit Libya compound where ambassador was killed Ex-Greek deputy interior minister in wealth probe kills himself U.N. Security Council condemns Syria attack on Turkish town World Bank chief Kim signals changes to come U.S. backs Turkey, hopes Syria dispute doesn't escalate Son of ex-Mexican opposition party chief shot dead Colombian president says doing well after cancer surgery Italy moves to rein in graft, local government finances Libya PM-elect withdraws government list after discontent World Bank chief signals major changes ahead for lender UK policeman accused over soccer stadium disaster to retire Romney gains ground on Obama after strong debate South African mine unrest spreads, Toyota hit by strike U.S. military helped FBI team in Benghazi visit: Pentagon Turkey steps up Syria strikes, says will defend borders Jordan's King Abdullah dissolves parliament ahead of elections Russia proposes diluted U.N. text on Syria attack in Turkey U.S. sees Turkish response to Syria as appropriate, proportionate Former head of Egypt's Ezz Steel jailed, fined Russia dismisses talk of new spy scandal with U.S. Nuclear operators must act now on safety: EU Pregnant human rights worker gets text threats in Russia Jordan's Islamists to march, angry at slow reform Rwanda's Kagame defiant over accusations of backing Congo rebels Exclusive: EU poised to agree ban on Iranian gas imports Analysis: Romney scores in debate, but will it be enough? Libyan protesters storm assembly over cabinet line-up South Africa police fire tear gas at striking miners 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 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 Outspoken gay marriage foe installed as San Francisco archbishop SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The Catholic Church on Thursday installed Salvatore Cordileone, a leader in the fight against same-sex marriage, as archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Following his installation as the religious leader of more than 500,000 Catholics in the largely gay-friendly Bay Area, Cordileone, 56, delivered a sermon and spoke about his recent arrest after failing a sobriety test at a police checkpoint. "God has always had a way of putting me in my place," he said. "With the last episode in my life, God has outdone Himself. ... Full Story Top Russia considers Arctic licenses for western oil majors: FT LONDON (Reuters) - Russia is considering allowing Western companies to own oil licenses in its Arctic waters, Energy Minister Alexander Novak was quoted as saying in Friday's Financial Times. The FT reported, without providing a full direct quote, that Novak said the proposal would allow foreign oil majors not only to operate offshore projects but also to "have access to production" and become "co-owners of the licenses". Novak was cited as saying the idea was being discussed in the energy ministry, although no final decision had been taken. ... 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 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 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 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 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 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 U.S. 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 analyze 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 Ex-Greek deputy interior minister in wealth probe kills himself ATHENS (Reuters) - A former Greek deputy interior minister being investigated by the financial police on suspicion of amassing ill-gotten wealth has committed suicide, police said on Thursday. A family member found Leonidas Tzanis, a socialist politician, at his home in the central Greek town of Volos on Thursday evening, a police official said. He had hanged himself. Tzanis served as deputy interior minister from 1999-2000 after being elected to parliament as a lawmaker for the socialist PASOK party in 1993. A lawyer, he was married with two children. ... Full Story Top U.N. Security Council condemns Syria attack on Turkish town UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council strongly condemned on Thursday a mortar attack by Syria on a Turkish border town that killed five people and demanded that "such violations of international law stop immediately and are not repeated." "The members of the Security Council underscored that this incident highlighted the grave impact the crisis in Syria has on the security of its neighbors and on regional peace and stability," the 15-member council said in a statement. ... Full Story Top World Bank chief Kim signals changes to come WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the World Bank said on Thursday he is preparing broad reforms at the development lender to make it more effective in ending global poverty and will discuss the changes with member countries at meetings in Tokyo next week. The annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank from October 11-14 in Japan will be the first opportunity for Jim Yong Kim to put his mark on the institution since becoming president in July. "We're not ready to ask for specific changes yet ... ... Full Story Top U.S. backs Turkey, hopes Syria dispute doesn't escalate WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States expressed hope on Thursday that Turkey's border clash with Syria does not escalate further, but stood by its NATO ally's right to defend itself against aggression spilling over from Syria's internal armed conflict. The State Department said Turkey's decision to mount retaliatory artillery strikes after a Syrian mortar killed five civilians in southeastern Turkey on Wednesday was appropriate and proportional. Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters, "We hope that this doesn't escalate into a broader conflict. ... Full Story Top Son of ex-Mexican opposition party chief shot dead MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The son of the embattled former leader of the Mexican political party set to take power in December was found shot to death in a town south of the U.S. border notorious for drug cartel violence, authorities said on Thursday. Jose Eduardo Moreira, 28, the son of the former chairman of Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, and ex-Coahuila state governor Humberto Moreira, was found shot to death near Ciudad Acuna, across the Rio Grande river from Texas, late on Wednesday, the state's public safety director said. ... Full Story Top Colombian president says doing well after cancer surgery BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos made his first public appearance after prostate cancer surgery on Thursday and said he was fine and working from his hospital room. At a critical time in his presidency when Santos is about to start peace negotiations with Marxist rebels, the 61-year-old shocked the Andean country this week when he announced he was suffering from prostate cancer and needed surgery. "Everything went fine ... ... Full Story Top Italy moves to rein in graft, local government finances ROME (Reuters) - Italy's cabinet approved emergency legislation on Thursday to rein in the spending of regions and provinces and avoid any repetition of recent financial scandals involving local government. In one such incident, which came to light last week, police seized documents related to expense claims at the regional government of Piedmont and on Wednesday the head and four employees of a tax collection agency were arrested for allegedly pocketing some 100 million euros ($130 million) of the money they had gathered. ... Full Story Top Libya PM-elect withdraws government 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 World Bank chief signals major changes ahead for lender WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the World Bank said on Thursday he will signal to member countries at meetings in Tokyo next week he is preparing broad reforms at the development lender to make it more effective in fighting poverty. The annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank from October 12-14 will be the first opportunity for Jim Yong Kim to outline his vision for the lender since taking the reins of the institution in July. "We're not ready to ask for specific changes yet... ... Full Story Top UK policeman accused over soccer stadium disaster to retire LONDON (Reuters) - A senior police officer accused of taking part in a cover-up of police failings in the worst sporting disaster in British history - a soccer stadium crush in which 96 fans were killed - said on Thursday he would retire next year. Norman Bettison, chief constable of West Yorkshire Police, said he would stand down in March to allow a full investigation into allegations about his "integrity" to be conducted. ... 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 South African mine unrest spreads, Toyota hit by strike CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp said it had been forced to shut its South African car factory for four days because of an illegal pay strike, the first sign of wildcat mine stoppages spreading into other parts of Africa's biggest economy. Trade union leaders at the Japanese car giant's Durban plant said workers would return on Friday after winning a 5.4 percent pay rise inspired in part by a hefty increase won last month by strikers at Lonmin's Marikana platinum mine. ... Full Story Top U.S. military helped FBI team in Benghazi visit: Pentagon WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Thursday confirmed a visit of an FBI investigation team to the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi where the U.S. ambassador was killed in an attack last month and said U.S. military personnel provided support to the mission. "At the request of the FBI, the department provided logistic and security support to the investigation team in order to conduct work on site in Benghazi," Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters. "(Department of Defense) personnel completed that support earlier today and have departed Benghazi along with the investigation team. ... Full Story Top Turkey steps up Syria strikes, says will defend borders AKCAKALE, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkey stepped up retaliatory artillery strikes on a Syrian border town on Thursday, killing several Syrian soldiers, while its parliament approved further military action in the event of another spillover of the Syrian conflict. Seeking to unwind the most serious cross-border escalation in its 18-month-old crackdown on dissent, Damascus apologized through the United Nations for shelling which killed five civilians in southeast Turkey on Wednesday and said it would not happen again, Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said. ... Full Story Top Jordan's King Abdullah dissolves parliament ahead of elections AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordan's King Abdullah on Thursday dissolved the country's pro-government rubber stamp parliament, a constitutional move to pave the way for elections expected early next year. The announcement was made on the eve of a rally organized by the main Islamist opposition, the Muslim Brotherhood, which is hoping to stage its largest demonstration on Friday since Arab Spring-inspired protests erupted last year. The Brotherhood and a coalition of tribal and other Islamist groups have been pressing the monarch to speed up what they consider to be the slow pace of political reform. ... Full Story Top Russia proposes diluted U.N. text on Syria attack in Turkey UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia on Thursday blocked adoption of a draft U.N. statement condemning a deadly Syrian mortar attack on a Turkish town and proposed a weaker text calling for "restraint" on the border, without referring to breaches of international law. Western diplomats complained that Russia's proposed Security Council statement, if accepted by the 15-members, would weaken the message to an unacceptable degree. Negotiations on the non-binding statement were continuing, they said. U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said U.N. ... Full Story Top U.S. sees Turkish response to Syria as appropriate, proportionate WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Thursday it considered Turkey's response to Syrian mortar fire this week to be appropriate, proportionate and designed to deter any future violations of its sovereignty by Syria. Turkey stepped up retaliatory artillery strikes on a Syrian border town on Thursday, killing several Syrian soldiers, while its parliament approved further military action in the event of another spillover of the Syrian conflict. ... Full Story Top Former head of Egypt's Ezz Steel jailed, fined CAIRO (Reuters) - A Cairo court sentenced the former chairman of Ezz Steel to jail for seven years on graft charges on Thursday, the second such sentence handed to the businessman and ex-official in ousted leader Hosni Mubarak's party. Ahmed Ezz, who was a top official of Mubarak's National Democratic Party and a hate figure for protesters seeking to end his rule, was also fined 19.3 billion Egyptian pounds ($3.2 billion), judge Makram Awad said. ... Full Story Top Russia dismisses talk of new spy scandal with U.S. MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Thursday the Kremlin had nothing to do with a network alleged by the United States to be smuggling military technology to Moscow. The U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday it had broken up an elaborate network aimed at illegally acquiring U.S.-made microelectronic components for Russian military and spy agencies. It charged 11 people with taking part. The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed surprise at the allegations. ... Full Story Top Nuclear operators must act now on safety: EU BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Regulators and operators should act now to improve safety at nuclear power plants, the EU energy commissioner said on Thursday, following inspections across the European Union. The stress tests, carried out in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, found safety improvements costing between 10 billion ($12.90 billion) and 25 billion euros were necessary in European plants, a draft seen by Reuters showed this week. "Nearly everywhere there is major potential for improvement," Energy Commission Guenther Oettinger told reporters. ... Full Story Top Pregnant human rights worker gets text threats in Russia MOSCOW (Reuters) - A senior researcher for Human Rights Watch in Russia has received a series of threatening text messages, some implying her unborn child would come to harm, in what the group said was a reflection of an increasingly hostile climate for activists. Many rights groups and other non-governmental organizations say they are facing increasing barriers to their work since President Vladimir Putin returned to the Kremlin in May. ... Full Story Top Jordan's Islamists to march, angry at slow reform AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordan's main Islamist opposition is preparing to flex its muscles in a march on Friday that could be its biggest demonstration since Arab Spring-inspired protests last year against the slow pace of political reform. The "Friday to Rescue the Nation" rally called by the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest opposition party, in the capital Amman will press for broader political representation and a more democratic parliament. But plans by pro-government groups to stage a counter-demonstration have raised fears of clashes. ... 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 neighboring 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 Exclusive: EU poised to agree ban on Iranian gas imports BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union is poised to ban imports of Iranian gas as part of a set of new measures to ratchet up pressure on the Islamic Republic over its nuclear programme, diplomats said on Thursday. Diplomats from EU member states have started preparing a package of sanctions against Iran with a goal of formally adopting them at a meeting of foreign ministers on October 15 in Luxembourg. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Romney scores in debate, but will it be enough? WASHINGTON (Reuters) - After several difficult weeks, Republican Mitt Romney found his footing on Wednesday night in a strong debate performance against Democratic President Barack Obama. The question is whether it is too late to make a difference. Romney could see a burst of fundraising, new interest from undecided voters and a wave of support from his fellow Republicans after he appeared to have emerged as a clear victor in his first face-to-face confrontation with Obama. Romney likely will benefit from favorable news coverage as well. ... Full Story Top Libyan protesters storm assembly over cabinet line-up TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Protesters who believed their town was underrepresented in a proposed Libyan government stormed the national assembly on Thursday as it prepared to scrutinize the prime minister-elect's nominations. Libya's first democratic government since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi has already proved controversial as Mustafa Abushagur's nominees exclude the biggest party in congress, the liberal National Forces Alliance (NFA). ... Full Story Top South Africa police fire tear gas at striking miners JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African police fired tear gas at striking miners near the Rustenburg operations of the world's top platinum producer Anglo American Platinum, Talk Radio 702 reported on Thursday, as seven weeks of labor unrest show little sign of abating. The radio station also reported that the striking miners hurled stones at the police. (Reporting by Tiisetso Motsoeneng; Writing by Ed Stoddard; Editing by David Dolan) Full Story Top

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