Eight Killed in Eastern DRC Clash
Officials in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo say eight people were killed when militiamen attacked rangers in the famed Virunga National Park.
Authorities say the Mai Mai Pareco group ambushed a park patrol traveling with an army escort on Thursday. Two rangers, a soldier and five militiamen were killed in the clash.
Virunga Park, known for its rare mountain gorillas, is the site of frequent clashes between soldiers and the rebel and militia groups active in the region. The park lies near Congo's border with Uganda.
Separately, an attack at the home of a prominent Congolese doctor has drawn international condemnation.
Rights groups say armed men entered Dr. Denis Mukwege's home in eastern South Kivu Province late Thursday, killed his security guard and held some of his family members at gunpoint.
Dr. Mukwege, a surgeon and head of a local hospital, was not home at the time.
Rights groups say he may have been targeted for his work treating thousands of Congolese women and girls who have been victims of sexual violence.
Amazon reports loss led by its stake in LivingSocial
Online retailer Amazon has reported a bigger than expected quarterly loss, led by its investment in struggling online deals service LivingSocial.
Amazon made a loss of $274m (£170m) for the July to September period, compared with a profit of $63m a year earlier.
The overall loss is equivalent to 60 cents per Amazon share. Amazon said that 37 cents of the loss was due to its stake in LivingSocial.
Without this it would still have lost 23 cents, more than market targets.
Analysts had expected Amazon to post a loss of just seven cents per share.
The additional losses were caused by Amazon continuing to spend heavily on expanding its business, both in existing and new markets around the world.
Its revenues for the quarter grew 27% to £13.8bn from $10.9bn a year earlier, also below analyst expectations.
Amazon said its best-selling product was its Kindle Fire HD tablet computer, but it did not release exact sales figures.
Shares in the company fell 3% in after hours trading.
Amazon spent $175m buying an undisclosed stake in LivingSocial back in December 2010.
Analyst Ken Sena of Evercore Partners, said you had to look at Amazon over the longer term rather than just one quarter.
"Amazon lost money this quarter, but it is still a story that requires some patience," he said.
"There is more flexibility down the road to drive gross margin expansion. It's still exciting longer term."
UK economy returns to growth with help from Olympics
The UK economy emerged from recession in the three months from July to September, helped by the Olympic Games.
The economy grew by 1.0%, according to official gross domestic product figures (GDP), which measure the value of everything produced in the country.
The Office for National Statistics said that Olympic ticket sales had added 0.2 percentage points to the figures.
The figures are welcome news for business and ministers, said the BBC's economics editor Stephanie Flanders.
"The positive 'surprise' in these figures is largely to be found in the service sector, which is estimated to have grown by 1.3% in the third quarter, after shrinking by 0.1% in the three months before," she said.
The data also exceeded expectations from economists, who had predicted an increase of 0.6% in the quarter.
The economy had been in recession for the previous nine months and has still not recovered the levels of output seen before the financial crisis in 2008.
The ONS said that beyond the effect of ticket sales, it was hard to put an exact figure on the Olympic effect, although it cited increased hotel and restaurant activity in London as well as strength from employment agencies.
The GDP figures were also enhanced by comparison with the previous three months, because the second quarter had an extra public holiday as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June, as well as unusually bad weather, which reduced growth.
"There is still a long way to go, but these figures show we are on the right track," said Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne.
"Yesterday's weak data from the eurozone were a reminder that we still face many economic challenges at home and abroad."
Shadow chancellor Ed Balls praised the news but said that the figures "show that underlying growth remains weak".
"A one-off boost from the Olympics is welcome," he said. "But it is no substitute for a plan to secure and sustain the strong recovery that Britain desperately needs if we are to create jobs, get the deficit down and make people better off."
The data is a preliminary estimate from the ONS, meaning that the third-quarter figures could be revised higher or lower.
"While the news is positive, the estimate must be put in context," said David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce.
"The 1% GDP figure for the third quarter is affected by distortions in the second quarter due to the Jubilee and Olympic ticket sales. Compared to a year earlier, the figures show that the economy is stagnant."
The ONS said that the economy had contracted by 6.4% between the start of 2008 and the middle of 2009, and had since recovered about half of that output.
The level of output in the third quarter of 2012 was almost exactly the same as it had been in the third quarter of 2011.
S&P cuts French banks' credit rating
Three French banks including BNP Paribas have had their credit rating downgraded by ratings agency Standard and Poor's (S&P).
Explaining its decision, S&P said that French banks faced increased economic risks, which left them "moderately more exposed to the potential of a more protracted recession in the eurozone".
The other two lenders to be downgraded are Cofidis, and Banque Solfea.
S&P also warned that 10 other banks might be downgraded in the future.
These 10, which have been placed on a negative outlook, include Credit Agricole and Societe Generale.
S&P has lowered its long-term rating on BNP Paribas from AA- to A+.
Banque Solfea has been cut from A to A-, and Cofidis from A- to BBB+.
S&P said French banks faced problems including "a relatively high public debt burden, reduced external competitiveness, and persistent high unemployment, which are being aggravated by the ongoing eurozone crisis, a more protracted recession across Europe, and lower domestic growth prospects".
Obama, Romney Campaign in Key Battleground States
President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney continue to campaign across the country with the U.S. presidential election less than two weeks away. President Obama cast an early vote in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois, while Mitt Romney held rallies in the key state of Ohio.
Concluding what he called his "48-hour-fly-around-marathon campaign extravaganza" across the country, Obama flew on Air Force One from Los Angeles, California to Tampa, Florida.
Florida is hotly contested, although recent polls have shown Romney ahead there. After Florida it was on to Virginia, another important battleground state where a win could be crucial, as both men seek 270 electoral votes needed to secure victory November 6.
Obama used his appearance in Richmond to comment about a high-profile endorsement from former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
"I was proud and humbled to learn that we have Colin Powell's support in this campaign. I am grateful to him for his lifetime of service to his country both as a soldier and as a diplomat, and every brave American who wears this uniform of this country should know that as long as I am your commander-in-chief, we will sustain the strongest military the world has ever known," said President Obama.
At each stop, the president used the term "Romnesia" to describe what he calls the former Massachusetts governor's shifting positions on domestic and foreign policy issues.
"If you can't remember what you said just a week ago, if you can't remember the plans on your own web site, and you're worried you might be coming down with a case of Romnesia, I want you to know Obamacare covers pre-existing conditions. We can make you well," said Obama.
Romney campaigned at a steel company in Ohio where the race is tight. Polls show President Obama with a slight lead, and electoral analysts say the state with its 18 electoral votes could be the deciding factor in the election.
Romney attacked what he called the smallness of Obama's campaign, saying Americans cannot afford four more years of the president's leadership.
"The president's campaign is slipping because he cannot find an agenda. He has been looking for it. There are only 12 days left. He has not had a chance to defend it or to describe it to the American people in our debates, and so the American people now have to recognize that given the big challenges we have and the big election we have, it is time for a big change," said Romney.
Before ending his marathon cross-country campaign trip, President Obama's last stop before returning to Washington was to his hometown of Chicago.
There, he became the first U.S. president to cast his own early ballot in a presidential contest. Obama's wife, Michelle, cast her own early ballot last week.
With the U.S. election only two weeks away, polls continue to show the race essentially tied. Both campaigns are hoping to sway undecided voters, and will be concentrating their efforts in the nine battleground states right up until election day.
EU Expresses Concern About Russia Treason Law
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has expressed concern about Russia's new legislation which broadens the definition of treason.
Ashton's office issued a statement Thursday, saying that “the new law would expand the scope for prosecution of and reduce the burden of proof for charges of treason and espionage.”
Current law describes high treason as espionage or other assistance to a foreign state damaging Russia's external security. The new bill expands it to include moves it describes as being against Russia's “constitutional order, sovereignty and territorial and state integrity.'' It also changes the interpretation of treason to include activities such as financial or consultative assistance to a foreign state or an international organization.
Russia's lower house of parliament, or Duma, on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed the bill drafted by the Federal Security Service. It is expected to pass swiftly through the upper house before it is signed into law by President Vladimir Putin.
Critics say the new law is part of the Kremlin's crackdown on dissent.
Ashton noted that the new law follows a number of recent legislative and judicial developments in Russia that, taken together, “would limit the space for civil society development, and increase the scope for intimidation.”
Moscow has rejected human rights concerns, saying the law is being enacted to strengthen security.
Suspected Afghan ‘Insider Attack’ Kills 2 Americans
The U.S. military says it is investigating the deaths of two American service members after a man wearing an Afghan National Police uniform used his weapon against them.
Military officials said Thursday's incident occurred in Uruzgan province. It is not clear if the attacker was a member of the Afghan National Security Forces.
The incident bears the hallmark of a so-called “insider attack,” in which Afghan security forces or insurgents disguised in Afghan or coalition uniforms open fire on NATO personnel. Such attacks have escalated this year, killing more than 50 coalition troops.
Separately, British officials are investigating an incident from Wednesday, in which two British service members were killed in an “exchange of gunfire” in Helmand province.
Local Afghan officials tell the French news agency the incident was the result of “friendly fire,” but British authorities have not confirmed that.
Elsewhere, Afghan officials say security forces killed a senior Taliban commander and 24 of his fighters in northern Afghanistan.
Officials in the governor's office of Faryab province said they sent reinforcements after insurgents attacked a village market. Five police officers died in the gunbattle.
Authorities say the Taliban commander, Yaar Mohammad, was the insurgent group's “shadow governor” of the region, enforcing the militants' own rule of law outside the central government.
The Taliban have traditionally been active in southern and eastern Afghanistan, but in recent years have spread their insurgency to the country's remote north.
Ukraine Blames ‘Foreign’ Security Forces in Russian Activist’s Disappearance
Ukrainian officials say foreign security agencies are responsible for the disappearance of a Russian opposition activist, who said he was kidnapped and forcibly taken to Moscow.
An Interior Ministry spokesman said Thursday it is clear that criminal elements were not involved in last week's disappearance of Leonid Razvozzhayev, an assistant deputy of the opposition Just Russia party.
Razvozzhayev told human rights activists visiting him in detention earlier this week that he was abducted by masked men in Kyiv, where he had been seeking asylum. He said he was taken across the Russian border and held in a building for several days, where he was tortured into confessing to plotting mass riots against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The activist's lawyer on Thursday said his client had retracted his confession, saying it had been made under pressure.
Russia's Investigations Committee said Razvozzhayev turned himself in on Sunday in Ukraine and admitted to involvement in organizing mass disturbances in Russia.
In Moscow, the U.S. embassy expressed concern to the Russian government about the activist's situation and requested an investigation into the case.
The United Nations refugee agency also voiced its concern, and stressed that as an asylum-seeker, Razvozzhayev is protected by international refugee law. The agency's Kyiv office on Monday confirmed that the activist disappeared after registering for asylum last week.
Razvozzhayev was featured in a pro-Kremlin documentary in which he and other activists appeared to plan mass riots and a coup in an effort funded by Georgian politician Givi Targamadze.
He faces up to 10 years if convicted.
Razvozzhayev's arrest follows a criminal probe launched last week by Russian authorities against two other opposition activists on charges they organized riots in May in Moscow. Left Front party leader Sergei Udaltsov was released and ordered to stay in Moscow, but his aide, Konstantin Lebedev, is in police custody.
Hurricane Sandy is currently approaching Central Bahamas.
The Meteorological Service has advised that Hurricane Sandy is currently approaching Central Bahamas. A Hurricane Warning remains in effect for Northwest and Central Bahamas, which includes Grand Bahama, Bimini, Abaco, the Berry Islands, Andros, Eleuthra, New Providence, Exuma, Cat Island, rum Cay, San Salvador, Long Island and Ragged Island of the southeast Bahamas.
Hurricane Sandy is located at present to the south west of the Turks and Caicos Islands as the centre of the storm moves closer to the Central Bahamas. At 11:00 a.m. the centre of Hurricane Sandy was located south south west of Long Island, 85 miles south south west of George Town, Exuma and 215 miles south-south west of Nassau. Sandy is expected to remain a Category 2 hurricane as it moves through the Bahamas.
The Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies would like to draw to the attention of residents that the Turks and Caicos Islands have not been placed under a Hurricane Watch as the Turks and Caicos is outside of the zone for Tropical Storm conditions and does not pose a threat to the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Based on its current track the storm is travelling on a path that could see the Turks and Caicos Islands experiencing gusty winds and intermittent showers.
The Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies will continue to monitor Hurricane Sandy and will update the public if the need arises.
Residents are reminded to listen to your local radio and television stations and adhere to the Flood Tips and information that is being shared.
Flood Tips
Be prepared to move immediately to higher ground should this becomes necessary. Do not wait for instructions to move.
Move essential items to an upper floor or place them on tables, chairs or building blocks.
Be aware of ponds, drainage channels, and other areas known to flood.
Motorists should not attempt to cross flooded streets.
KNOW YOUR POLLING STATION
The Supervisor of Elections, Dudley Lewis, has announced the allocation of voters to polling stations for the forthcoming General Election on 9 November, today, Thu, 25 Oct 2012.
The Elections Ordinance requires him to allocate each elector to the appropriate designated polling station within their electoral district in any case where there is more than one polling station in that district.
This is done by the Supervisor providing a list to the presiding officer that details the persons who are to vote at that polling station by reference to the order of their family names.
The official list of voters to be provided to each polling station is specified in the Ordinance and it contains only the details of those persons who are allocated to vote at that station.
To be able to vote at the polling station, your details must appear on the official list for that station. This means that you have to vote at the polling station to which you have been allocated within your electoral district.
If you try to vote at another polling station in the electoral district to which you have not been allocated and where your details do not appear on the official list, you will not be allowed to vote and will be referred to the polling station to which you have been allocated.
If you wish to check which polling station you should attend, you can do so by contacting the Elections Officer at Tel: 946-2801, ext 11705 or ext 11703 or by checking the register of electors for your electoral district which has been deposited for inspection at the various places used for such purposes in each electoral district.