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Tornado Hits Portugal's Algarve: Eight Hurt

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 17 November 2012 | 16.15

A tornado has hit Portugal's popular holiday hotspot the Algarve, tossing and flipping vehicles - some with people inside - and causing flooding in areas.

Hundreds of people have been left homeless, trees uprooted, balconies, roof tiles and framework ripped off, and windows shattered as the violent winds struck the region.

Eight people were injured and taken to hospital for treatment. Firefighters said most of those injured had to be pulled out of overturned vehicles.

A car is flipped over during a tornado in Portugal. An overturned car

Television footage showed the tornado approaching the shore from the Atlantic near the town of Lagos.

The Algarve is a popular tourism destination, although November is low season.

Tornadoes are not common in Europe, but do occur occasionally in the northwest and south of the continent.


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Dozens Killed In Egypt School Bus Crash

At least 40 school children have been killed after a train collided with a bus in a city south of the Egyptian capital Cairo.

Egypt's official news agency said 40 children died, however a doctor at a hospital in Assiut, near the crash site, said the death toll was 38, among them 37 children.

The children were reportedly aged between four and six years.

"They told us the barriers were open when the bus crossed the tracks and the train collided with it," doctor Mohamed Samir said, citing witness accounts.

He said four children and two women were seriously injured in the accident in the city of Manfalut, near Assiut, some 190 miles south of the capital.

President Mohamed Mursi ordered his ministers to offer support to the families of those killed.

The governor of Assiut, Yahya Keshk, has ordered an inquiry.

Egypt's roads and railways have a poor safety record.

Egyptians have complained that successive governments have failed to enforce basic safety standards, leading to a string of deadly accidents.


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Eight People Reported Dead In Gaza Airstrikes

Israel has carried out 180 airstrikes in Gaza City, reportedly killing eight people and targeting the Hamas government headquarters.

Medics have told AFP that the eight people died in central and southern Gaza and 30 were injured in the latest strikes.

An aerial attack on Rafah in southern Gaza killed four people on Saturday, Palestinian medics said, while other strikes elsewhere in the city killed another four people.

The latest deaths raised the overall death toll in Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip to 38, as both sides continued to hurl missiles at each other. 

Three Israelis have been killed in the recent violence. Three soldiers were also hurt in rocket fire, the army said on Saturday.

Explosion as Israel airstrikes on Gaza City continue The airstrikes continued into the morning

Israel stepped up its air assault in retaliation to an unprecedented rocket strike aimed at the contested holy city of Jerusalem.

Israel's military also called up 75,000 reservists, raising speculation of a ground invasion.

Despite the violence, Tunisia's foreign minister arrived in the coastal enclave early Saturday in a show of Arab solidarity, heading to a hospital to visit the wounded.

The headquarters of the Hamas government, a police compound, a mosque and a vast network of smuggling tunnels were all bombed in overnight airstrikes.

"The cabinet headquarters was targeted with four strikes and the government stresses that it remains committed to its positions and its stand alongside the people," the Hamas government said in a statement.

Israeli aircraft also kept pounding their original targets, the militants' weapons storage facilities and underground rocket launching sites.

Rocket fire by militants into Israel resumed after dawn following a relative lull overnight, but the number was still lower than on the previous three days since the start of the offensive, an Israeli military spokesman said.

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City. Israel has launched more missiles into Gaza, with four flattening Hamas HQ

Israeli leaders have threatened to widen Operation Pillar of Defence if the rocket fire from the Gaza Strip does not halt.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said options included the possible assassination of Hamas' prime minister Ismail Haniyeh and other top leaders.

"Every time that Hamas fires there will be a more and more severe response," he told Israel's Channel 2 TV.

US President Barack Obama has reiterated his country's support for Israel's right to defend itself against rocket attacks from militants in the Gaza Strip.

In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr Obama also expressed his regret over the loss of Israeli and Palestinian civilian lives, the White House said.

Mr Netanyahu called the President to update him on the situation in Israel and Gaza and expressed his "deep appreciation to the President and the American people for the United States' investment in the Iron Dome rocket and mortar defence system, which has effectively defeated hundreds of incoming rockets from Gaza and saved countless Israeli lives".

The two leaders also discussed options for de-escalating the situation.

Mr Obama also spoke to Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and praised his country's efforts to ease tensions in the region.

On Friday morning, Gaza's Hamas prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, and a slew of other government officials lined up in front of the cabinet building to welcome Egypt's Prime Minister Hisham Kandil, on a brief trip.

A ceasefire had been declared during Mr Kandil's visit - officially to show solidarity with the Palestinian people - but lasted just three hours.


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BP: Manslaughter Charges Over Oil Disaster

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 16 November 2012 | 16.15

Two employees of BP face manslaughter charges over the Gulf of Mexico spill, as the oil giant agrees to pay a record £2.8bn fine.

Legal papers allege that well site leaders Robert Kaluza and Donald Vidrine acted negligently in their supervision of key safety tests performed on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig before an explosion killed 11 workers in April 2010.

David Rainey, who was BP's vice president of exploration for the Gulf of Mexico, also faces charges of obstruction of Congress and false statements.

Earlier on Thursday, BP agreed to pay £2.8bn over six years after reaching a deal with the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The company will plead guilty to 14 criminal charges relating to the disaster.

Thick oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill floats on the surface of the water and coats the marsh wetlands in Bay Jimmy near Port Sulphur, Louisiana. Thick oil from the spill pictured in Louisiana after the disaster

"I want to be clear that today's resolution does mark the end of our efforts, and our criminal investigation remains ongoing," US Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters.

Bob Dudley, chief executive of BP, said: "We apologise for our role in the accident and as today's resolution with the US government further reflects, we have accepted responsibility for our actions."

Under the deal, BP has pleaded guilty to 11 felony counts of misconduct or neglect and three misdemeanour counts - including one under the Clean Water Act and one for obstructing Congress.

BP will pay £2.5bn to the DoJ in instalments over five years. It will pay an additional £331m to the SEC over a period of three years.

The oil company will make the first payment of £110m to the SEC this year.

The group has already paid out more than £24bn relating to the oil spill.

Mr Dudley said: "All of us at BP deeply regret the tragic loss of life caused by the Deepwater Horizon accident as well as the impact of the spill on the Gulf Coast region."

He added: "Since the spill, we have worked hard to rebuild confidence in the company.

"We take seriously not only our commitment to safety and operational excellence but also our communications with stakeholders, including the public, the government and our investors."

The settlement removes some of the uncertainty hanging over the stock since the disaster, but it does not cover outstanding civil claims against the group.

BP said it will "continue to vigorously defend itself" against civil claims and allegations of gross negligence.

"We are open to settlements, but only on reasonable terms," said Mr Dudley.

The settlement does not include individual civil claims or any compensation sought from individual states along the Gulf Coast.

BP said, as part of the settlement, it had agreed to improve safety at its Gulf of Mexico drilling operations and appoint two monitors to review safety and ethics at the company.

The group has struggled to repair its reputation after the Deepwater explosion, despite paying out billions of dollars so far to cover costs and claims.

It has been selling assets as part of its pledge to raise cash to pay the costs of the Gulf of Mexico disaster.

It has recently sold a Texas City refinery, five oil and gas fields in the US Gulf of Mexico and its Bristol-based liquified petroleum gas (LPG) distribution arm.


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Petraeus Affair 'Posed No Risk To Security'

Timeline Of The Scandal

Updated: 4:48pm UK, Wednesday 14 November 2012

A timeline of the tangled relationships at the center of a scandal involving former CIA Director David Petraeus and Army General John Allen.

:: Spring 2006 Paula Broadwell meets Gen David Petraeus when he has a speaking engagement at Harvard University, where she is a graduate student.

:: January 2007 Gen Petraeus is confirmed by the Senate as the commanding general for US troops in Iraq.

:: 2008 Ms Broadwell initiates a case study of Gen Petraeus' leadership; Socialite Jill Kelley and her husband host social events in Tampa for the area's military brass, including Gen Petraeus and General John Allen.

:: October 2008 Gen Petraeus is named commander of US Central Command, based at MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, Florida.

:: June 30, 2010 The Senate confirms Gen Petraeus as the commander for war in Afghanistan.

:: 2010-2011 Ms Broadwell makes multiple trips to Afghanistan and receives unprecedented access to Gen Petraeus and his commanders as she researches a biography of the general

:: September 6, 2011 Gen Petraeus is sworn in as CIA director.

:: November 2011 Gen Petraeus begins an extramarital affair with Ms Broadwell, according to close friend and retired Army Colonel Steve Boylan.

:: December 2011 Ms Kelley and her twin sister, Natalie Khawam, have Christmas dinner with Gen Petraeus and his wife, Holly.

:: January 24, 2012 Ms Broadwell's biography, "All In: The Education of General David Petraeus," is released.

:: May 2012 Ms Kelley receives anonymous, harassing emails about Gen Petraeus. An FBI investigation starts soon after.

:: Summer 2012 FBI agents determine that Ms Kelley's emails were from Ms Broadwell. The FBI finds a private account tied to Gen Petraeus, and emails indicating Gen Petraeus and Ms Broadwell are having an affair. The FBI interviews them both.

:: July 2012 The affair between Gen Petraeus and Ms Broadwell ends, according to Col Boylan.

:: Summer 2012 Though the FBI has concluded there was no national security breach, Attorney General Eric Holder is notified of the affair.

:: September 2012 Gen Petraeus and Gen Allen write letters on behalf of Ms Khawam during her divorce custody battle.

:: The week of October 29, 2012 The FBI interviews Gen Petraeus and Ms Broadwell again. Both have already acknowledged the affair.

:: November 6 The Justice Department informs Director of National Intelligence James Clapper of the investigation. Mr Clapper urges Gen Petraeus to resign.

:: November 7 The White House is first notified about the affair involving Gen Petraeus; it is the general's 60th birthday.

:: November 8 President Barack Obama is told of the affair. Gen Petraeus meets with Mr Obama at the White House and asks to resign.

:: November 9 Mr Obama accepts Gen Petraeus' resignation. Ms Broadwell's husband cancels her upcoming 40th birthday party.

:: November 11 Ms Kelley's identity is revealed by the Associated Press; she issues a statement asking for privacy.

:: November 13 The Pentagon reveals an investigation has been opened into "inappropriate" emails dating from 2010 to 2012 between Ms Kelley and Gen Allen, now top American commander in Afghanistan.

Gen Allen's nomination to be the next commander of US European Command and the commander of NATO forces in Europe is put on hold.

:: November 21 A meeting to discuss the FBI investigation is scheduled with the FBI, CIA acting director Michael Morell and senior members of Congress.


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Gaza: Israeli Strike As Egypt PM Visits

There have been fresh exchanges of fire between Israel and Hamas militants despite a temporary ceasefire in place for a visit by Egypt's Prime Minister to Gaza.

Several sites in southern Israel have been hit by rockets fired from inside the Gaza Strip - the Israeli air force responding by attacking a Hamas commander's house.

Medics said it killed two people, one of them a child, raising the Palestinian death toll since Wednesday to 21. Three Israelis were killed by a rocket on Thursday.

Sky's Middle East Producer Tom Rayner said: "We've seen at least 4 rockets launched from Northern Gaza in the last 10 minutes - ceasefire may be over before it has even really begun."

Hisham Kandil has already condemned Israeli action against Gaza as "unacceptable aggression" - and says his country will intensify efforts to secure a truce in the conflict.

"This tragedy cannot pass in silence and the world should take responsibility in stopping this aggression," he said at a press conference in Gaza City's Shifa hospital after seeing some victims from an air strike.

Palestinians extinguish a fire after Israeli air strikes targeted Interior Ministry building in Gaza City. An interior ministry building in Gaza City comes under fire from Israel

"Egypt will not hesitate to intensify its efforts and make sacrifices to stop this aggression and achieve a lasting truce."

Sixteen thousand Israeli army reservists have been called up and heavy artillery has been seen on the Gaza border, increasing the possibility of a ground attack. Israel has given the green light to the call-up of up to 30,000 army reservists.

The Palestinian territory suffered a second night of heavy bombardment, with Israeli warplanes hitting targets in and around Gaza City.

"There have been 130 strikes overnight until now," Hamas interior ministry spokesman Islam Shahwan said.

He said the strikes destroyed a building belonging to the interior ministry, while there were also reports that training positions used by various Palestinian militant groups had also been hit.

Egypt's Prime Minister Hisham Kandil. Egypt's Prime Minister Hisham Kandil

The Israeli army said 11 Palestinian rockets had been fired from Gaza at Israel overnight.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier said all offensive actions would be called off during Mr Kandil's visit - as long as Palestinian groups refrain from firing rockets across the border.

A senior Israeli official said: "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to an Egyptian request to cease all offensive operations in Gaza during the visit of the Egyptian prime minister there this morning, which is supposed to last for about three hours.

"In the answer that has been forwarded to Egyptians, we've said that the Israel Defence Forces will cease fire on the condition that there won't be fire from Gaza into Israel during that period."

Two rockets from Gaza landed near Tel Aviv in the first such attack on Israel's commercial capital in 20 years. One fell into the Mediterranean Sea and the other in an uninhabited part of one of the suburbs south of the city.

Prime Minister David Cameron has blamed Hamas militants for the escalation of violence in a phone call to Mr Netanyahu.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: "The Prime Minister said that he was extremely concerned by the dangerous situation and deeply sorry for the loss of civilian life on both sides.

An Israeli armoured vehicle moves towards the border with the Gaza Strip. An Israeli armoured vehicle moves towards the border with the Gaza Strip

"He said the rocket attacks from Gaza into southern Israel by Hamas and other armed groups were completely unacceptable and that the increasing frequency of rocket attacks in recent days was the immediate cause of the situation.

"He made clear that Hamas bears the principal responsibility for crisis.

"The Prime Minister said that the priority must be to de-escalate the crisis. He called on Mr Netanyahu to do all he could to avoid civilian casualties and emphasised that both sides needed to avoid a spiral of violence that would be in no-one's interest, particularly at a time of instability in the region."

Israel's "Pillar of Defence'' operation, which it said was in response to an escalating barrage of rocket fire from Gaza, began with the targeted assassination of Hamas' top military commander Ahmed al Jaabar on Wednesday.

The resurgent conflict has confronted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi with the biggest test yet of his commitments - to his fellow Islamists and to Egypt's 1979 peace treaty with Israel.

He is also under pressure to show Egyptians that his policies differ from those of his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, who came under fire from the Muslim Brotherhood, which brought Mr Morsi to power.

Mr Morsi has rejected what he has called Israel's aggression in Gaza, saying that it threatens to destabilise the nation.


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Anti-Austerity Protests Turn Violent In Spain

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 15 November 2012 | 16.15

A day of anti-austerity protests across Europe has ended in clashes between demonstrators and riot police in Madrid and Barcelona.

More than 140 people were arrested and dozens injured across the two cities, including two people who were said by police to be carrying material to make explosives.

After sporadic skirmishes through the day, the demonstrations continued into the night with fierce fighting breaking out at the tail end of rallies.

Police charged scores of protesters near the parliament building in Madrid after coming under a hail of broken bottles and stones.

Under attack near the capital's main railway station Atocha, police fired rubber bullets into the ground and air to disperse crowds. Rubbish bins were set alight and at least two shop windows were shattered.

At least one police vehicle was torched in Barcelona, and Spanish media showed images of a 13-year-old boy with his head bloodied from a beating by a riot police officer.

A protester throws stones at riot police officers at the end of a demonstration in Spain. A protester throws a stone at police near the parliament building in Madrid

Protests also turned violent in Italy, where police used tear gas to disperse crowds.

In bailed-out Portugal, where the government intends to intensify austerity measures next year, the second general strike in eight months left commuters stranded as trains ground to a virtual halt and the Lisbon subway was shut down.

About 200 flights to and from Portugal were also cancelled, while hospitals provided only minimum services and rubbish bins were left uncollected.

Marches in 40 Portuguese cities were reportedly peaceful until nightfall when a small group of protesters threw rocks and bottles at police protecting the parliament building in Lisbon.

A police charge dispersed the protesters who fled the scene. At least five people were injured.

Airports across Europe - including Heathrow - were forced to cancel flights to and from striking nations.

General strike Police clash with protesters in Malaga

In Spain, where one in four workers is unemployed, airlines including Iberia, Iberia Express, Air Nostrum, Vueling, Air Europa and easyJet cut more than 600 flights including some 250 international routes.

Hospitals fully staffed emergency and surgery rooms, but non-essential care was scaled back.

The country is teetering on the brink of calling for a European bailout, with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy trying to put off a rescue that could require even more EU-mandated budget cuts.

Economy Minister Luis de Guindos spoke of "a long crisis that has meant sacrifice and uncertainty," but added: "The government is convinced that the path we have taken is the only possible way out."

Union-led rallies were also called across France and in Poland, while high-speed Thalys rail services between Belgium and Germany were cancelled for the day.


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Gaza Rocket Attack Kills Three Israelis

Three Israelis have been killed after a rocket fired from Gaza hit a building in the south of the country, according to police.

The casualties were the first since Israel attacked targets in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, killing Hamas' top military commander.

Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the rocket struck an apartment building in the town of Kiryat Malahi.

World leaders have urged Israel to show restraint after prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to "expand" military operations in Gaza following the killing of Ahmed al Jaabari.

US President Barack Obama and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon both telephoned Mr Netanyahu ahead of an urgent UN Security Council meeting on the deteriorating situation.

According to the White House, Mr Obama reiterated US support for Israel's right to self-defence against rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip but urged Israel to avoid civilian casualties in the Palestinian territory.

They agreed that Hamas must stop the attacks, which have seen more than 120 rockets fired into Israel over the last five days, in order to allow tensions to ease.

Ahmed Jaabari killed in airstrike The head of Hamas' military wing Ahmed al Jaabari who was killed

Mr Ban told the Israeli PM of his expectation that "Israeli reactions are measured so as not to provoke a new cycle of bloodshed," the UN said.

He also expressed his concerns about "an alarming escalation of indiscriminate rocket fire from Gaza into Israel".

So far, at least seven people, including Mr Jaabari, have been killed in more than 50 Israeli airstrikes - codenamed Operation Pillar Of Defence. Two young children were also among the dead.

The Israeli military is ready, if necessary, to send ground troops into Gaza, according to its official Twitter account. It has also been authorised to call up army reserve units.

In a televised address, Mr Netanyahu said: "If it becomes necessary, we are prepared to expand the operation.

"We will not tolerate a situation in which Israeli citizens are threatened by rocket fire."

Defence minister Ehud Barak, appearing with the prime minister, said: "We are at the beginning of the event, and not the end."

Palestinian militants said the airstrikes had opened "the gates of hell" for the Jewish state.

An Israeli man stands next to a car damaged by a rocket fired by Palestinian militants A car destroyed by a rocket fired by Palestinian militants

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said another 55 rockets had been fired at Israel in the aftermath of the airstrike that killed Mr Jaabari.

Gaza's Hamas government welcomed the decision of Egypt, one of only two Arab countries to have a peace treaty with Israel, to pull out its envoy and urged Arab leaders to take "decisive action".

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum said: "The occupation committed a dangerous crime and crossed all the red lines, which is considered a declaration of war."

The emergency Security Council meeting came at the request of Egypt, Morocco and the Palestinians.

"Once again the international community is witness to Israel's malicious onslaught, using the most lethal military means and illegal measures against the defenceless Palestinian civilian population," the Palestinian Authority's UN envoy, Riyad Mansour, told the Council.

"A direct firm message must be sent to Israel to cease immediately its military campaign against the Palestinian people and to abide ... by its obligations under international law."

Speaking to reporters, Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor urged the international community to condemn "indiscriminate rocket fire against Israeli citizens - children, women".


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China Unveils Xi Jinping As New Leader

Who Is Xi Jinping?

Updated: 7:25am UK, Thursday 15 November 2012

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

He will lead the world's most populous nation of 1.3 billion people for the next 10 years and could be at the helm when China becomes the world's largest economy but who is Xi Jinping? And why should you care anyway?

Mr Xi is a "princeling" -  the son of one of the founding members of the Chinese Communists, Xi Zhongxun, a guerrilla commander who went on to form the party alongside Chairman Mao.

Mr Xi's father and Mao fell out. Xi Senior was tortured and placed in jail for several years.

During the Cultural Revolution - when millions of Chinese died under Mao's leadership - the Xi family were sent to live in communes as peasants along with so many others.

In recent and rare interviews Xi Jingping talks about this difficult time in his life which he refers to as a "struggle" which helped develop him into a stronger man.

Mr Xi and those around him now represent the first generation of leaders to experience first-hand the struggle of being a child through the Cultural Revolution. Many speculate that this could mould his leadership, especially in terms of how he deals with the widening gap between rich and poor in China.

After the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, Mr Xi moved back to Beijing to continue his education. He was educated into Communist Party and quickly rose through the ranks, first in Hebei Province and then in Fujian Province.

In 2000 he was made governor of Fujian Province followed by acting governor of Zhejiang in 2002. He built economies in those two provinces which have become larger than both Hong Kong and Taiwan.

He has a daughter who studies at Harvard and a wife who is more famous than he is.

Peng Liyuan is a folk singer, fluent in English and a Major-General in the People's Liberation Army. She is, by all accounts, a beautiful woman - her name even means "beautious beauty".

Ms Peng will be far more of an American-style first lady when compared with her elderly and reclusive predecessor, Hu Jintao's wife.

In public, Mr Xi also contrasts with his stiff and formal predecessor. He is a charismatic and a relaxed public speaker.

He is well travelled too, having lived in the United States for a short time as a young man. In recent years, in preparation for his rise to the very top, he's been to a number of Western capitals.

Mr Xi's inner thoughts, aspirations for his country's direction and attitude towards the West are not widely known.

A comment he made on a 2010 visit to Mexico is often used as an example of his true colours.

"Foreigners with full bellies, and nothing better to do than point fingers at China. China does not export revolution, or famine, or poverty or mess around with other countries. So what else is there to say," he said.

But his first speech to the media on Thursday as leader was more conciliatory.

"Just as China needs to learn more about the world, so does the world need to learn more about China," he said.

However, despite all that, walk down any street in Beijing and you'll find the Chinese know very little about their new leader. And in the West it would not be an embarrassment to admit to not having ever heard of the man.

The reason for this is simple. China operates what can be called a black-box system of government. It is a system closed to its subjects. It is extremely hard to see how it operates and who is pulling the levers.

The Communist Party runs or contributes to almost every facet of life in China. Its 80 million or so members make it the largest political party in the world. And yet China is so large, they represent just 6% of the country's population.

It is that 6% who have some say over who in community rises up each of the thousands of different party organisations.

With a pyramid effect fewer and fewer people endorse those who will sit above them - and that is why very few people know who Mr Xi is, what he is like, what he stands for and in what direction he will take the world's most populous nation.

Reform is the buzzword for China's next 10 years. Many had believed that following the country's economic reforms in the 1990s, political and social reform would come under Mr Hu and Mr Wen. It didn't happen.

China is now at a crossroads. Past Chinese leaders have lifted the country economically beyond all expectations; it is now the world's second wealthiest country.

But its economic explosion coupled with a downturn in exports to the West has produced a long list of explosive problems.

The wealth gap is wider than ever. Corruption is rife. The cities are the most polluted in the world. Factory production is slowing. Now mix all that in with an increasingly restive population which is more technologically connected and geographically mobile than ever: this is the China Xi Jinping must lead.

He has never really revealed whether he is just a moderniser or a genuine reformer. The direction he chooses will determine China's fate.

And remember, China's fate matters to the West.

China has holdings of more than $1trn (£631bn) of US debt. It is buying up Western companies and increasingly Western companies are investing in China.

If further reform comes, think of the opportunities which could help lift the West out of economic crisis.

But if China crashes, it could bring the rest of us down with it.


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Brazil Plane Crash Captured On CCTV

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 14 November 2012 | 16.15

A security camera has captured the moment a plane crashed on landing close to a major road in Sao Paolo.

The corporate jet overshot its designated runway at Congonhas Airport, slid down an embankment, bounced on a retaining wall and crashed in a cloud of smoke.

Media reports in Brazil claimed the pilot of the Cessna 525B Citation aircraft suffered serious injuries, but two passengers were largely unhurt.

The plane apparently failed to brake after touching down - and then smashed to the ground with its twin engines still operating.

All three people on board were able to escape the wreckage as fire crews doused the aircraft.


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Anti-Austerity Strikes: Protests Grip Europe

A wave of anti-austerity anger is set to sweep across Europe with general strikes planned in Spain and Portugal and walkouts in Greece and Italy - grounding flights, closing schools and shutting down transport.

Tens of thousands of workers are expected to take part in the dozens of co-ordinated protests in a so-called European Day of Action and Solidarity against spending cuts and tax hikes.

In Spain - the fourth-biggest eurozone economy - activists and unions will be staging an evening rally outside the parliament in the capital Madrid.

Airlines operating in the country including Iberia, Iberia Express, Air Nostrum, Vueling, Air Europa and easyJet cut more than 600 flights including some 250 international routes.

A protest by public workers in Lisbon. A protest by public workers in Lisbon last month

Hospitals in Spain will fully staff emergency and surgery rooms but non-essential care will be scaled back.

Spain, where one in four workers is unemployed, is now teetering on the brink of calling for a European bailout, with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy trying to put off a rescue that could require even more EU-mandated budget cuts.

Protests are also being called in 40 towns and cities across bailed-out Portugal, including Lisbon and Porto.

Portuguese airline TAP said it was grounding more than 160 flights, most of them international.

Greece, struggling to satisfy international lenders that it has cut spending sufficiently to qualify for bailout funds and to avoid default, has called a three-hour walkout and a rally in Athens.

Italian unions, too, are seeking a four-hour work stoppage.

The European Trade Union Confederation said it was the first time that it had appealed for a day of action that includes simultaneous strike action in four countries.

An anti-austerity rally in Athens. A rally in front of the parliament in Athens, earlier this month

"By sowing austerity, we are reaping recession, rising poverty and social anxiety," its general secretary Bernadette Segol said in an online statement.

"In some countries, people's exasperation is reaching a peak. We need urgent solutions to get the economy back on track, not stifle it with austerity. Europe's leaders are wrong not to listen to the anger of the people who are taking to the streets."

Union-led rallies are also being called across France and in Poland, while high-speed Thalys rail services between Belgium and Germany have been cancelled for the day.

Just 20% of Spain's long-distance trains and a third of its commuter trains are expected to run, while Lisbon's Metro will be shut completely with only 10% of rail services in action.

Tensions have been rising in Spain since last Friday when a woman jumped from her apartment to her death as bailiffs tried to evict her from her home in the country's second apparent suicide linked to evictions.

On Monday, the country's largest banks agreed to halt repossessions for the most vulnerable for two years.


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China: Calls For Reform As New Leader Chosen

China's 18th Communist Party Congress has closed in Beijing. The week-long Congress ended 24 hours before the next leader of the Communist Party is officially confirmed.

The power transition ended with a vote by the Communist Party's central committee on who will be the next party secretary.

But everyone already knows that it will be the current Vice President Xi Jinping.

It has been a carefully choreographed, opaque, political process - and one which ordinary Chinese are completely divorced from.

We went to the suburbs of Beijing to meet a woman who wanted to represent the people - but her efforts were squashed by the authorities.

The suburbs of Beijing are a world away from the ruling elite.

Wu Lihong showed us her police detention papers - she was illegally held in Beijing for two weeks then sent thousands of miles away, to ensure she missed the deadline to stand as an independent candidate in local elections.

She enjoyed huge public support amongst her community for standing up to officials who were bulldozing local homes to redevelop the area.

Now forced to move away from her old neighbours she has a message for China's new president and his inner circle.

She said: "They are national leaders, who are supposed to represent the people's interests from the people's perspective.

"They should let people participate more and allow them to vote. I was merely fighting for the limited rights that belong to ordinary people.

She added: "It is extremely difficult for ordinary people to be elected as people's representatives.

"Under the current system, all representatives are assigned by government officials. It's impossible for ordinary people to compete."

Political reform and a slowing economy will undoubtedly be the biggest challenges for the new leadership.


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Syria: Opposition Form Coalition Against Assad

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 13 November 2012 | 16.15

Syria's divided opposition groups have struck a deal to form a new umbrella organisation which they hope will defeat President Bashar al Assad.

After four days of wrangling in Qatar, representatives of groups including rebel fighters, veteran dissidents and ethnic and religious minorities agreed to form the coalition supported by Western and Arab backers.

Muslim cleric Ahmed Moaz al Khatib, 52, a Damascus moderate who left Syria three months ago, was elected president of the coalition, with prominent dissident Riad Seif and female opposition figure Suhair al Atassi chosen as his deputies.

Mr Seif, who championed the US-backed reform proposals on which the agreement was based, said the group had signed a 12-point agreement to establish the coalition.

In a document seen by journalists, the parties have agreed "to work for the fall of the regime and of all its symbols and pillars", and ruled out any dialogue with Mr Assad's government.

They agreed to unify the fighting forces under a supreme military council and to set up a national judicial commission for rebel-held areas.

A provisional government would be formed after the coalition "gains international recognition", and a transitional government after the regime has fallen.

It remains to be seen whether the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces can overcome four decades of rule by President Assad's family.

But for those allies who see the coalition emulating Libya's Transitional National Council, the deal has been welcomed.

A rebel fighter prepares to fire an RPG in Aleppo The new coalition is aiming to break a stalemate Syria's civil war

"We will strive from now on to have this new body recognised completely by all parties ... as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people," said Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim of Qatar, a supporter of the rebels.

Turkish foreign minister Ahmed Davutoglu said there was "no excuse any more" for foreign governments not to support an opposition whose internal divisions had given many pause.

France, a vocal backer of the rebels and which once ruled Syria, hailed the deal.

"France will work with its partners to secure international recognition of this new entity as the representative of the aspirations of the Syrian people," said foreign minister Laurent Fabius.

The US had also strongly promoted the plan for the Doha meeting to unite the various factions.

Meanwhile, Israel has fired warning shots into Syria after mortar fire from fighting in the civil war-hit nation hit the UN-monitored ceasefire line between Syria and the occupied Golan Heights.

It was the first time Israel has been drawn into the unrest in the neighbouring country, and was the first Israeli fire directed at the Syrian military since the 1973 war.

It came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet that Israel was "ready for any development" and as his defence minister warned a "tougher response" would follow.


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Australia: Warning As Bushfire Destroys Homes

Around 150 firefighters have been battling a bushfire in South Australia, which has destroyed at least seven homes.

The large blaze at Tulka tore through about 5,000 acres of scrubland and residents were evacuated from their homes.

The fire burned within containment lines but was yet to be brought under control.

Fire service spokesman Malim Watts said despite a change in the wind, Tulka, seven miles south of Port Lincoln, still faced a serious fire threat.

"When this fire started it took off at incredible speed. Very dangerous conditions, catastrophic conditions in fact which basically means that for that community it's a day of survival," said Mr Watts.

It was unclear what sparked the fire but it quickly gathered force due to the hot weather.

Koala given water amid bushfire A koala is given water by a driver amid a blaze

A similar number of firefighters also battled a blaze at Humbug Scrub, north east of Adelaide, he added.

There was a lucky escape there for a koala, which was spotted by a driver and given water.

"He had a bit of a drink of water. Yeah, but he's but he's not looking too well really," the man said.

A number of other fires were also being tackled in the state.

Officials are warning of a long and difficult summer ahead for firefighters, as South Australia and most other states are anticipating hot and dry weather ahead.

"We've had a lot of rainfall, a lot of growth, a lot of vegetation and we're expecting a very busy fire season as a consequence of that," a fire official said.

Southeastern Australia was last devastated by bushfires in February 2009, when a horrific blaze swept through Victoria state, killing 173 people and destroying more than 2,000 homes.

It was Australia's worst natural disaster in modern times.


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Petraeus: FBI Agents Search Home Of Mistress

FBI agents have been searching the North Carolina home of the woman whose affair with David Petraeus led to his resignation as director of the CIA.

A spokesman for the bureau confirmed agents went to Paula Broadwell's home in Charlotte on Monday night.

But Shelley Lynch declined to say what the agents were doing there.

Witnesses described seeing agents carrying cardboard boxes often used for gathering evidence during a search.

FBI agents at home of Paula Broadwell An agent carries an evidence box into the home

They walked through the open garage of the home and knocked on a side door before entering the building.

Retired General Petraeus resigned his CIA post last week after acknowledging an extra-marital affair.

Former staff members said he was shocked to learn last summer that Ms Broadwell was suspected of sending threatening emails to another woman warning her to stay away from him.

Federal law enforcement officials said Jill Kelley began receiving harassing emails in May. She reported the emails, which then triggered an investigation that led to Gen Petraeus' resignation.

FBI agents traced the alleged cyber harassment to Ms Broadwell, officials added, and discovered she was exchanging intimate messages with a private account. That account was found to belong to Gen Petraeus under an alias.

Gen Petraeus, 60, told a former associate he began an affair with Ms Broadwell, 40, a couple of months after be became CIA director. They ended the relationship four months ago.

The FBI has said sensitive, possibly classified, documents relating to Afghanistan have been found on her computer.


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Greece Approves 2013 Austerity Budget

Written By Unknown on Senin, 12 November 2012 | 16.15

Greek MPs have approved the country's 2013 austerity budget - which involves fresh spending cuts.

The budget was passed by a 167-128 vote in the 300-member parliament.

It came days after a separate bill of deep spending cuts and tax hikes for the next two years squeezed through with a narrow majority following severe disagreements among the three parties in the governing coalition.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras pledged that the spending cuts would be the last Greeks have to endure.

"Just four days ago, we voted the most sweeping reforms ever in Greece," he said.

"The sacrifices (in the earlier bill and the budget) will be the last. Provided, of course, we implement all we have legislated.

"Greece has done what it was asked to do and now is the time for the creditors to make good on their commitments."

Athens says that with the passage of the two bills, the next loan instalment, worth 31.5bn euros, should be disbursed. Without it, the government has said it will run out of cash on Friday, when 5bn euros worth of treasury bills mature.

Finance ministers from the 17-nation eurozone are meeting in Brussels later today, with Greece high on the agenda.

However, German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has indicated it is unlikely that the ministers will decide on the disbursement at that meeting.

"We all ... want to help Greece, but we won't be put under pressure," Mr Schaeuble told the newspaper Welt Am Sonntag.

Mr Schaeuble said the so-called troika of debt inspectors would probably not deliver their report on Greece's reform programme by Monday. The creditors also want to see what the debt inspectors have to say about Greece's debt sustainability.

But speaking minutes before the vote, the prime minister pledged the bailout funds would be disbursed "on time".

Finance minister Yannis Stournaras also stressed the precariousness of Greece's cash reserves, with the treasury bills due on Friday.

"Without the help of the European Central Bank, the refunding of these treasury bills from the banking system will lead the private sector to complete suffocation," Mr Stournaras said.

Disbursement of the next instalment is essential "because the state's available funds are marginal, although better than expected because the 2012 budget is being executed better than expected," he said.

He added that the funds are needed to pay salaries and pensions, as well as for the import of medicines, fuel and food.

Greece is mired in a deep recession heading into its sixth year, with more than a quarter of Greeks unemployed.

Battered by a mountain of debt and a gaping budget deficit, Greece has been relying on international bailout loans from other eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund since May 2010.


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Syria: Opposition Form Coalition Against Assad

Syria's divided opposition groups have struck a deal to form a new umbrella organisation which they hope will defeat President Bashar al Assad.

After four days of wrangling in Qatar, representatives of groups including rebel fighters, veteran dissidents and ethnic and religious minorities agreed to form the coalition supported by Western and Arab backers.

Muslim cleric Ahmed Moaz al Khatib, 52, a Damascus moderate who left Syria three months ago, was elected president of the coalition, with prominent dissident Riad Seif and female opposition figure Suhair al Atassi chosen as his deputies.

Mr Seif, who championed the US-backed reform proposals on which the agreement was based, said the group had signed a 12-point agreement to establish the coalition.

In a document seen by journalists, the parties have agreed "to work for the fall of the regime and of all its symbols and pillars", and ruled out any dialogue with Mr Assad's government.

They agreed to unify the fighting forces under a supreme military council and to set up a national judicial commission for rebel-held areas.

A provisional government would be formed after the coalition "gains international recognition", and a transitional government after the regime has fallen.

It remains to be seen whether the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces can overcome four decades of rule by President Assad's family.

But for those allies who see the coalition emulating Libya's Transitional National Council, the deal has been welcomed.

A rebel fighter prepares to fire an RPG in Aleppo The new coalition is aiming to break a stalemate Syria's civil war

"We will strive from now on to have this new body recognised completely by all parties ... as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people," said Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim of Qatar, a supporter of the rebels.

Turkish foreign minister Ahmed Davutoglu said there was "no excuse any more" for foreign governments not to support an opposition whose internal divisions had given many pause.

France, a vocal backer of the rebels and which once ruled Syria, hailed the deal.

"France will work with its partners to secure international recognition of this new entity as the representative of the aspirations of the Syrian people," said foreign minister Laurent Fabius.

The US had also strongly promoted the plan for the Doha meeting to unite the various factions.

Meanwhile, Israel has fired warning shots into Syria after mortar fire from fighting in the civil war-hit nation hit the UN-monitored ceasefire line between Syria and the occupied Golan Heights.

It was the first time Israel has been drawn into the unrest in the neighbouring country, and was the first Israeli fire directed at the Syrian military since the 1973 war.

It came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet that Israel was "ready for any development" and as his defence minister warned a "tougher response" would follow.


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Emirates Superjumbo Turned Back By Engine Fire

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

An Emirates Airlines A380 jet bound for Dubai has been forced to return to Sydney after a fire in one of its engines just minutes after take-off.

The superjumbo had reached 10,000ft and had been flying for just 20 minutes when passengers said they heard a bang and felt the double-decker aircraft "judder".

They then saw flames shooting several metres out of one of the engines.

Passenger John Fothergill of Auckland, New Zealand, said he saw a flash.

"I thought it could have been lightning but then we saw flames come out of the engine. The whole interior of the A380 lit up," he told News Limited.

"You'd have to say there were two or three metre flames. (The) explosion shook the plane, there was a bigger judder."

Passenger Ross Clarke described hearing a loud bang.

"We were told by the pilot that something had gone wrong on the starboard engine, number three engine," he told Channel Seven News.

Emirates flight attendants moved to the windows to observe and asked passengers what they had seen.

Mr Fothergill's wife, Amal Aburawi, said the attendants appeared to panic more than the passengers.

"Everyone was running left and right, no-one knowing what's happened," she said.

In a statement the airline said: "Emirates flight EK413 from Sydney to Dubai on 11 November turned back shortly after take-off due to an engine fault. Passengers are being rebooked on alternative flights."

A mid-air engine blowout in November 2010 on an A380 using Rolls Royce Trent engines prompted Australia's Qantas Airlines to ground its entire fleet of Airbus superjumbos for nearly a month.

But Emirates, the world's biggest user of A380s, uses rival GP7200 engines built by Engine Alliance, a joint venture between engine manufacturers General Electric and Pratt & Whitney.

Emirates apologised for the inconvenience to its passengers, but said the safety was "of the highest priority and will not be compromised". The A380s, worth £235m ($375m) apiece, typically carry around 525 passengers.

The A380 aircraft, manufactured in Toulouse from parts sourced across Europe, have also been affected by cracks in the wings of a small number of planes. There are 18 airlines currently using the aircraft with total orders outstanding for 262.


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Turkey Helicopter Crash: 17 Troops Killed

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 11 November 2012 | 16.15

Seventeen Turkish soldiers have died after their helicopter crashed in southeastern Turkey in bad weather, an official has said.

The Sikorsky aircraft came down on Herekol mountain, in the Pervari district of Siirt province, according to Siirt governor Ahmet Aydin.

The victims were members of gendarmerie special forces and there were no survivors on board, he said.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash which reportedly happened in thick fog.

The helicopter was transporting troops to Pervari, where the Turkish army has been involved in operations against Kurdish rebels for three days, security sources told AFP.

The military has been on Herekol mountain in an attempt to flush out militants from outlawed separatist group the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) who have hideouts there.

Since the summer, there has been an upsurge in PKK attacks in southeast Turkey, particularly in the Hakkari region.

Turkish jets and helicopters have pounded PKK positions along the border with Iraq and Iran for three days, killing 42 militants, Hakkari's governor said.

Last month, a Sikorsky crashed in southeastern Diyarbakir province after it hit power lines, killing one soldier and wounding seven.


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Syria: 'Casualties After Two Large Blasts'

Two large explosions have struck the Syrian city of Deraa, causing multiple casualties, according to the state-run news agency.

The blasts were reportedly followed by clashes between regime forces and rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad.

Activists said dozens of members of the Syrian security forces were killed when two cars loaded with explosives drove into a military camp.

In what could have been a double suicide attack, the first car was driven into the camp and exploded, followed by the second vehicle, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Deraa Explosions Deraa was the birthplace of the Syrian uprising against Mr Assad

The blast from the second vehicle caused the casualties, it added.

Deraa, in the south of the country, was the birthplace of the Syrian uprising against Mr Assad, which erupted in March 2011.

The conflict began largely with peaceful protests against his rule but turned bloody after rebels took up arms in response to the regime's crackdown.

Activists say more than 36,000 people have died in Syria during the 19-month-long uprising.


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China To Step Up Space Ambitions In 2013

China is stepping up its ambitious space exploration programme with another manned space mission early next summer, according to its official news agency Xinhua.

The Shenzhou-10, with three crew members, is aiming for a primary launch window in June according to Niu Hongguang, deputy commander-in-chief of the manned space programme.

Mr Niu, speaking on the sidelines of China's 18th Communist Party Congress in Beijing, said officials had identified a back-up launch window for July or August.

He also revealed that one of the three astronauts would probably be a woman.

Chinese astronauts, from left, Liu Wang, Jing Haipeng and Liu Yang, wave after coming out of the re-entry capsule, right, of Shenzhou-9 spacecraft in Siziwang Banner of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Shenzhou-9 astronauts, from left, Liu Wang, Jing Haipeng and Liu Yang

China sent its first female astronaut, Liu Yang, into space earlier this year on the Shenzhou-9 in the country's first manual space docking mission.

The docking procedure was a major milestone in the country's ambitious space programme that has a goal of building a space station by 2020.

China has said it is working towards landing a man on the moon, but has not specified a time-frame.

The last time a man landed on the moon was during the United States' 1972 Apollo 17 mission.

Beijing has said it will also attempt to land an exploratory craft on the moon for the first time in the second half of next year and transmit back a survey of the lunar surface.

China sees its space programme as a symbol of its rising global stature, growing technical expertise, and the Communist Party's success in turning around the fortunes of the once poverty-stricken nation.

The country sent its first man into space in 2003. It completed a space walk in 2008 and an unmanned docking between a module and rocket last year.

The US is not expected to test a new rocket to take people into space until 2017, and Russia has said manned missions are no longer a priority.


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