PA official hints Israel, Hamas in secret talks
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said Saturday that the Palestinian Authority will soon expose information on "secret talks" between Israel and Arab and Palestinian elements aimed at preventing the PLO from submitting its UN status upgrade proposal. Abu Rudeina hinted that a channel of communication had been established between Hamas and other Arab elements and Israel.
NYS Board Of Elections: It’s Possible Voting May Be Permitted Beyond Tuesday
New York state law allows for an extra day of voting if turnout is drastically suppressed because of a natural disaster like Superstorm Sandy. That could potentially postpone state, congressional and even presidential election results beyond Tuesday’s Election Day...The commissioners, two Democrats and two Republicans, would make that decision after Election Day. Any second day would have to be scheduled within 20 days.
Kenya policeman killed, 10 injured in church attack
A policeman has been killed and 10 people were injured in a grenade attack on a church in Kenya, officials say. The attack took place in the town of Garissa, near the border with Somalia. Unconfirmed reports say that gunfire was later heard at the scene of the explosion. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
MOTHER OF SEAL: 'I BELIEVE THAT OBAMA MURDERED MY SON'
A father and a mother used the word “murder.”...The families of three Americans killed in the Sept. 11 U.S. consulate attack in Benghazi, Libya, are offering widely different reactions to recent reports that U.S. personnel issued several requests for help that were turned down.Patricia Smith, the mother of slain State Department employee Sean Patrick Smith, is now blaming President Barack Obama for her son’s death.
G20 flags U.S. fiscal cliff, Europe's debt woes
Finance chiefs of the world's 20 leading economies are ringing alarm bells over the U.S. fiscal cliff and Europe's debt woes at a meeting in Mexico this weekend as they look to push back deficit reduction targets to help boost growth. Unless a fractious U.S. Congress can reach a deal, about $600 billion in government spending cuts and higher taxes are set to kick in on January 1, threatening to push the American economy back into recession and hit world growth.
Bombing Kills Taliban Enemy in Pakistan
A prominent anti-Taliban politician in northwestern Pakistan was killed on Saturday in a suicide bombing, underscoring the dangers faced by politicians who stand up to the insurgents.
Bishop Tawadros new pope of Egypt's Coptic Christians
Bishop Tawadros has been chosen as the new pope of Egypt's Coptic Christians, becoming leader of the largest Christian minority in the Middle East. His name was selected from a glass bowl by a blindfolded boy at a ceremony in Cairo's St Mark's Cathedral. Three candidates had been shortlisted. The 60-year-old succeeds Pope Shenouda III, who died in March aged 88.
Netanyahu ready to resume negotiations 'today'
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is ready to return to negotiations with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas as early as today, he said at the opening of Sunday's cabinet meeting, Army Radio reported
Syria opposition groups hold crucial Qatar meeting
Syrian opposition groups have gathered in the Qatari capital, Doha, for a key meeting on how to form a more united front against President Assad. The meeting could lead to a replacement body for the Syrian National Council (SNC), the main opposition in exile. Rebel forces in Syria have criticised the SNC as out of touch, and the opposition is also split ideologically.
U.S. disaster relief in a race against freezing cold
Fuel supplies headed toward disaster zones in the U.S. Northeast on Saturday and a million customers regained electricity as near freezing temperatures threatened to add to the misery of coastal communities devastated by superstorm Sandy.
Syrian tanks enter demilitarized Israeli frontier
Three Syrian tanks entered the demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights on Saturday, Israel said, raising concerns violence from Syria's civil war could heat up a long-quiet frontier that has not seen such an incursion in nearly 40 years.
Strong earthquake shakes southern Philippine island of Mindanao, but no injuries or damage
A strong earthquake rattled the southern Philippine island of Mindanao early Saturday, but there were no reports of any injuries or damage and no tsunami warnings were issued. The quake, which hit at 2:17 a.m., had a magnitude of 6.4, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology measured the magnitude at 6.5.