Blindfolded boy to pick Copt pope

A BLINDFOLDED boy will select the new pope for millions of Coptic Christians in Egypt, becoming his mother's pride and joy in the process.

Nearly 2500 eligible voters made up of Coptic public officials, MPs, journalists and local councillors have already pre-selected three candidates to succeed pope Shenuda III, who died in March at the age of 88.

They are Bishop Rafael, 54, a medical doctor and current assistant bishop for central Cairo; Bishop Tawadros of the Nile Delta province of Beheira, 60; and Father Rafael Ava Mina, the oldest of the five original candidates at 70.

Their names will now be written on separate pieces of paper and placed in a box on the altar of St Mark's Cathedral, for God to guide the boy's hand towards the winner - in the beliefs of the Church and the faithful.

The final choice will be left to a boy, aged between five and eight, explained Bishop Pola from Tanta in the Nile Delta, in the first such contest since Shenuda was selected by the same method more than four decades ago, in 1971.

"A lot of families propose the names of children, that's why we lay down precise criteria and ensure the faithfulness of the family and the child to the Church," said the bishop.

Dozens of families have come forward.

"I pray my son George is selected to carry out the will of God," said one mother, Merihan Moros.

The interim head of the Church, Father Pachomius, will choose 12 boys to be invited to the ceremony. Then, he will instruct that one of them be blindfolded.

That boy will choose a piece of paper bearing the name of the 118th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa in the Holy See of St Mark the Apostle.

Bishop Pola told reporters that strict measures are taken to ensure there is no foul play: the three pieces of paper are all the same size, tied up the same way and placed in a transparent box.

The entire process is also televised before a large, live congregation.

Some Copts say the procedure should be updated.

"The faithful should vote after having prayed and fasted," according to Gamal Asaad, an intellectual in the community.

The Coptic pope serves as the spiritual leader of the country's Christians, who make up between six and 10 per cent of Egypt's 83-million-strong population.

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Rebels fight Syrian troops over airbase

SYRIAN rebels have launched a major assault on a strategic airbase in the north of the country, trying to disrupt strikes by warplanes and helicopters that pound rebel-held towns.

The assault, reported by activists, comes a day before the start of a key international conference in Qatar at which the United States and its allies aim to reorganise the opposition's political leadership and unite their ranks. The leadership-in-exile has been widely seen as ineffective and out of touch with rebel fighters on the ground.

Rebel forces attacked the Taftanaz airbase early on Saturday morning in fighting with government forces that continued into the afternoon, the anti-regime activist Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Joining Syrian rebels in the attack were fighters from Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaeda-inspired Islamic militant group made up of foreign jihadis, according to the Observatory. Al-Nusra fighters, who are considered among the most experienced and disciplined among the opposition forces, have led attacks on other airbases in the north in past months.

The Taftanaz base mainly houses military helicopters, near the main highway between the capital Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo, where rebels and the military have been battling for control for months.

Online activist videos claim to show the battle, with rebels firing rockets and mortars, and smoke rising over buildings and an airstrip area. An activist speaking in the video identifies it as an attack by rebels and Jabhat al-Nusra on the base.

The videos appear genuine and are consistent with other Associated Press reporting in the area.

The capturing of the base - and holding on to it - would be a major achievement for the rebels, who often complain they are outgunned by government forces.

Airstrikes have been one of the most effective and feared weapons of the regime in the civil war. Rebels managed to seize control of a pocket of territory around Aleppo, but government warplanes and helicopters continue to blast towns they hold from the air. In the fierce fighting over Aleppo itself, warplanes almost daily swoop in to strafe or bomb rebel-held neighbourhoods.

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NASA to text space station alerts

GALACTIC tourism may still be a daydream for most of us, but for anyone interested in a glimpse of the International Space Station sooner, NASA is ready to help.

The US space agency, celebrating the 12th anniversary of astronauts living and working on the orbiting lab, launched a new service Friday that alerts people when the space station is visible from their backyard.

Those who sign up will get an email or a text message with a few hours warning.

Then, when the moment is right, NASA said, you just go outside and look up - no fancy equipment required.

"It's really remarkable to see the space station fly overhead and to realize humans built an orbital complex that can be spotted from Earth by almost anyone looking up at just the right moment," William Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for human exploration and operations, said in a statement.

The space station is typically visible right at dawn or dusk, when the moon is the only brighter object visible in the night sky, NASA said.

It looks like a fast moving point of light, similar to Venus.

"Spot the Station" service is available worldwide, the agency said, adding the station's trajectory carries it over more than 90 per cent of the Earth's population.

To sign up, visit spotthestation.nasa.gov.

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Romney, Obama fight for an edge

REACHING for the finish line, Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama embarked on the final 72-hour haul of their long, grinding quest for victory, swatting at one another over what should motivate Americans to vote and making closing arguments that offer dueling pictures of what the next four years can and should bring.

The candidates began the day swatting at one another over what should motivate Americans to vote and making closing arguments that offer dueling pictures of what the next four years can and should bring.

Mr Romney opened a three-state campaign day in New Hampshire by faulting Mr Obama for telling supporters a day earlier that voting would be their "best revenge"

"Vote for revenge?" Mr Romney asked, oozing incredulity.

"I'd like to tell him what I'd tell you: Vote for love of country. It's time to lead America to a better place."

The Republican candidate released a TV ad carrying the same message

Mr Obama tended to presidential business before politics as he led a briefing at the government's disaster relief agency on the federal response to Superstorm Sandy.

The recovery effort still has a long way to go but pledging a "120 per cent effort" by all those involved, Mr Obama said. Then he began his own three-state campaign day in Ohio, the biggest battleground of Campaign 2012.

After holding mostly small and midsize rallies for much of the campaign, Mr Obama's team is planning a series of larger events this weekend aimed at drawing big crowds in battleground states.

Still, the campaign isn't expecting to draw the massive audiences Mr Obama had in the closing days of the 2008 race, when his rallies drew more than 50,000.

Mr Obama's closing weekend also includes two joint events with former President Bill Clinton: a rally at night in Virginia and an event Sunday in New Hampshire.

The two presidents had planned to campaign together across three states earlier this week, but that trip was called off because of Sandy. And, of course, there is always Ohio.

In a whiff of 2008 nostalgia, some of Mr Obama's traveling companions from his campaign four years ago were planning to join him on the road for the final days of his last campaign. Among them are Robert Gibbs, who served as Mr Obama's first White House press secretary, and Reggie Love, Mr Obama's former personal aide who left the White House earlier this year.

Likewise, virtually Mr Romney's entire senior team has left the campaign's Boston headquarters to travel with Mr Romney for the contest's final three days. Most will connect with Mr Romney at his morning New Hampshire event.

Their presence for the campaign's waning hours is an admission that the strategy and planning is largely complete. His schedule has been set, the ads have been placed, and Mr Romney's message has been decided.

The tight inner circle that has worked with him for several years in most cases plan to enjoy the final moments on the campaign trail as Mr Romney's side.

"It's been a long road," Ann Romney told reporters aboard the campaign plane, offering breakfast pastries to Secret Service agents and reporters alike. After campaigning on her own for the past month, she hooked up with her husband for the final swing.

Mr Romney hosted a massive rally Friday night in West Chester, Ohio, drawing more than 10,000 people to the Cincinnati area for an event that featured rock stars, sports celebrities and dozens of Republican officials. It was a high-energy event on a cold night designed to kick off his own sprint to the finish.

Mr Romney arrived in New Hampshire close to midnight after an 18-hour day on the campaign trail that took him from Virginia to Wisconsin to Ohio.

After his morning rally on the New Hampshire seacoast, he was making an afternoon appearance in Iowa, and two more in Colorado. He shifted an original plan to campaign in Nevada in favour of a schedule likely to bring him back to Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

On Saturday, Mr Obama's first stop was in Mentor, Ohio, then he was campaigning in Milwaukee and Dubuque, Iowa, and ending the day in Bristow, Va. On Sunday, he was taking his campaign to New Hampshire, Florida, Colorado and, yes, Ohio.

Polling shows the race remains a toss-up heading into the final days. But Mr Romney still has the tougher path; he must win more of the nine most-contested states to reach 270 electoral votes: Ohio, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Colorado, Nevada, Wisconsin, Iowa and New Hampshire.

Mr Romney has added Pennsylvania to the mix, hoping to end a streak of five presidential contests where the Democratic candidate prevailed in the state.

Mr Obama won Pennsylvania by more than 10 per centage points in 2008; the latest polls in the state give him a 4- to 5-point margin. Mr Romney will campaign in the Philadelphia suburbs on Sunday.

Mr Obama aides scoff at the Romney incursion, but they are carefully adding television spending in the state and are sending Clinton to campaign there Monday.

In crucial early voting, Mr Obama holds an apparent lead over Mr Romney in key states. But Mr Obama's advantage isn't as big as the one he had over John McCain four years ago, giving Mr Romney hope that he could make up that gap in Tuesday's election.

About 25 million people already have voted in 34 states and the District of Columbia.

No votes will be counted until Election Day, but several battleground states are releasing the party affiliation of people who have voted early. So far, Democratic voters outnumber Republicans in Florida, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio. Republicans have the edge in Colorado.

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Three police shot dead in Egypt's Sinai

GUNMEN have killed three Egyptian policemen and seriously wounded a fourth in El-Arish, in the Sinai Peninsula, state television says.

"Armed men who might belong to a jihadist group attacked a police vehicle and fired on its passengers before fleeing," a security source said on Saturday.

The dead and wounded were taken to the general hospital in El-Arish, where one of the policemen died from serious wounds," a medic said.

A civilian was also wounded.

Security forces threw up a cordon around the city in an attempt to capture the gunmen.

Security in the desert and mountainous region collapsed after an uprising ousted president Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.

Since then, several militant attacks in the Sinai, which borders Israel and the Gaza Strip, have targeted police and soldiers, including a brazen August 5 ambush on an army outpost that killed 16 soldiers.

On Friday, Bedouin tribesmen attacked a police post in the central Sinai city of Nakhl, attempting to free one of their number who was in detention.

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Syrian tanks enter Golan, Israel says

ISRAEL'S military says three Syrian tanks have entered the demilitarised zone in the Golan Heights.

A military spokeswoman says Israel complained to the UN peacekeeping force in the area after the tanks entered the area on Saturday.

The spokeswoman, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military protocol, did not elaborate. The relatively low-key response suggested Israel did not see the armour as an immediate threat.

The Israeli news site Ynet said the tanks and two armoured personnel carriers drove a few kilometres away from Israeli military positions.

There are concerns in Israel that violence from Syria's civil war could spill over a long-quiet frontier. Misfired Syrian shells have exploded inside Israel on several occasions. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it.

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Euro debt crisis will take 5 years: Merkel

GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel says Europe's sovereign debt crisis will last at least five more years.

Merkel says the continent is on the right path to overcome the crisis but "whoever thinks this can be fixed in one or two years is wrong".

Two years ago some heavily indebted European countries were dragged into the turmoil that first gripped global financial markets in 2007.

Greece in particular has been struggling with the austerity conditions imposed on it by countries such as Germany.

But Merkel told a regional meeting of her Christian Democratic Party on Saturday that the time had come for "a bit of strictness".

Otherwise, she says, Europe won't be able to attract international investment.

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Object thrown from stolen car strikes man

A MAN is in hospital with serious head injuries after being hit by an object thrown from a suspected stolen car in the Northern Tablelands of NSW.

Police had been trying to stop the suspect vehicle but called off their pursuit on the New England Highway near Glen Innes at about 4.20pm (AEDT) on Thursday.

Shortly afterwards, when the vehicle passed another car, a heavy object was thrown from it.

It hit the other driver on the head, leaving his passenger to take over as he was left incapacitated.

The car was eventually stopped by the passenger and the injured man was taken to Armidale Hospital with serious head injuries, after being treated at the scene.

Officers from New England Local Area Command arrested four men and one woman who are assisting them with inquiries.

A critical incident team from a neighbouring command will investigate circumstances surrounding the police operation, overseen by the Professional Standards Command.

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It's crunch time for Abbott, warns Wilkie

OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott is facing crunch time and has to prove he could be prime minister, an independent MP has claimed.

If he fails to come up with detailed policies, Mr Abbott could be in trouble, according to Andrew Wilkie.

Speaking to ABC's Lateline on Thursday night, Mr Wilkie said the Liberal leader has experienced "a rough couple of months".

"It was always going to come to the point where people were expecting him to be the alternative prime minister, to be a statesman, a man who offered a range of well thought out and detailed and fully-costed policies," said Mr Wilkie, federal member for Denison.

"He's reached crunch time. If he hasn't started acting like that, if he doesn't roll out good policies, costed policies, he could well be in strife."

Either party could win an election at this stage, according to Mr Wilkie, but he described both Mr Abbott and Prime Minister Julia Gillard as "two deeply unpopular politicians".

He said that even with hindsight, he believes he made the right decision in backing Ms Gillard, however.

Discussing Ms Gillard's now infamous misogyny speech, he said he was surprised "at how effective it has been for her".

The prime minister would have had the "moral high ground" if she had taken the unprecedented step of supporting the opposition's motion to remove Peter Slipper as Speaker however, he added.

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US stocks gain in early trade

US stocks have registered solid gains as the markets rebounded from a two-day shutdown and a hesitant reopening a day earlier.

Earnings reports ahead of the opening were mixed: ExxonMobil (-0.68 per cent) reported a smaller-than-expected seven per cent dip in profit for the third quarter.

Pfizer (-1.37 per cent) disappointed with a 14 per cent fall in net income and lowered guidance for the rest of the year.

Ten minutes into trade on Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 72.01 points, or 0.55 per cent, at 13,068.47.

The broad-based S&P 500 gained 4.85 points, or 0.34 per cent, at 1,417.01.

The Nasdaq added 13.67 points, or 0.46 per cent, at 2,990.90.

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Court hands Iraq VP 2nd death sentence

AN Iraqi court has convicted the country's Sunni vice-president on charges of instigating bodyguards to assassinate a senior government official and sentenced him to death.

Thursday's verdict was the second death sentence for Tariq al-Hashemi in less than two months, both delivered in absentia since he is in exile in Turkey.

Hashemi fled Iraq in December 2011, when the Shi'ite led-government accused him of playing a role in numerous attacks

He has denied the charges.

The criminal court in Baghdad also sentenced Hashemi's son-in-law to death on the same charges.

Supreme Judicial Council spokesman Abdul-Sattar Bayrkdar said the two suspects instigated bodyguards to kill an official by sticking a bomb to his car.

Hashemi's lawyer Muayad Obeid al-Ezzi said he was not informed about the hearing or verdict.

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Israel fesses up: We killed Arafat deputy

LIFTING a nearly 25-year veil of secrecy, Israel is admitting that it killed the deputy of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in a 1988 raid in Tunis.

Israel has long been suspected of assassinating Khalil al-Wazir, who was better known by his nom de guerre Abu Jihad.

But only on Thursday did the country's military censor clear the Yediot Ahronot newspaper to publish the information, including an interview with the commando who killed him.

Dozens of brazen operations have been attributed to Israel over the decades. But Israel rarely takes responsibility.

The acknowledgement gives a rare glimpse into the country's covert operations.

Abu Jihad founded the Palestinian Liberation Organisation with Arafat and was blamed for a series of attacks against Israelis.

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Sandy toll rises to 34 in NYC

THE number of deaths in New York City from superstorm Sandy has risen again, from 24 to 34, city police say.

The increase raises the national toll to 82 across 15 US states hit by the storm, according to US media reports.

The overall toll from the storm thus went up to 154, including fatalities in Canada and the Caribbean, where Haiti and Cuba were hit particularly hard.

In New York the majority of those killed were hit by trees that fell on their homes or cars as the storm whipped into the city.

Others were electrocuted when they stepped in water electrified by downed power cables, or drowned in the storm surge that flooded into homes at the peak of the storm.

Sandy hit the east coast on Monday night, with violent winds that carried unprecedented amounts of water into parts of New York City. The storm caused massive power outages, plunging much of lower Manhattan into darkness.

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Mum stabbed son, 7, more than 100 times

Elzbieta Plackowska, 40, who was charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of her 7-year-old son and a 5-year-old girl. Source: AP

PROSECUTORS say a suburban Chicago woman stabbed her 7-year-old son more than 100 times and a 5-year-old girl about 50 times and slit both their throats because she was angry with her husband.

A DuPage County judge ordered 40-year-old Elzbieta Plackowska of Naperville held without bond.

Prosecutor Robert Berlin says Ms Plackowska gave investigators several stories about Tuesday's killings but eventually said she killed her son, Justin, because she was angry that her truck driver husband left her alone to care for the child.

Mr Berlin says Ms Plackowska then killed the girl she was babysitting, Olivia Dworakowski, because the child had witnessed the attack on her son.

Ms Plackowska didn't speak during the hearing overnight other than to indicate she could not afford an attorney.

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European austerity hits GlaxoSmithKline Q3

PHARMACEUTICAL company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) says net profit was 18 per cent lower in the third quarter as sales fell in Europe and the United States.

For the three months ending September 30, GSK said on Wednesday that net profit was STG1.12 billion ($A1.75 billion), down from STG1.38 billion last year.

Revenue fell eight per cent to STG6.5 billion.

Sales declined by nine per cent in Europe, where the company faced pricing pressure from government austerity drives. US sales fell six per cent following the end of a co-promotion agreement for incontinence drug Vesicare and declining sales of Avandia for diabetes.

Sales in emerging markets rose 11 per cent and overtook Europe as the company's biggest market in terms of revenue.

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Hollande wants 'concrete' action from Iran

FRENCH President Francois Hollande says he wants "concrete acts and gestures" from Iran to show it is not pursuing nuclear arms - and he backs "other sanctions" if Tehran fails to do so.

"This is a threat which cannot be accepted by France," he said, addressing a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"We have voted for many sanctions and are ready to vote others as long as necessary," the French leader said, underscoring that he wanted "proof that Iran has abandoned this drive."

Iran denies Israeli and Western suspicions that its nuclear program is a front for a drive for a weapons capability.

Hollande also urged Israel and the Palestinians to resume peace talks without any conditions.

"Only negotiations can lead to a definitive solution," he said.

Direct peace talks have been on hold for more than two years, with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas refusing to negotiate as long as Israel continues to build and approve new Jewish settlements.

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Casino tender process guidelines changed

GOVERNMENT guidelines on bypassing competitive tendering were changed just before billionaire businessman James Packer put forward his proposal for a $1 billion hotel and casino in Sydney, it has been claimed.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that a clause specifying that independent evaluations were needed before a scheme could be allowed to avoid going to tender was removed on August 17.

That was exactly a week after NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell met Mr Packer to discuss the proposed "six-star" hotel and VIP gaming resort at Barangaroo, and two weeks after Mr Packer officially put forward his plan, the newspaper said.

It says guidelines in the Working with Government document requiring evaluation by the relevant government agency to confirm there would be better value for money in avoiding a tender process have now been replaced by the Public Private Partnership Guidelines, which do not include that requirement.

A spokesman for Mr O'Farrell told the Herald the changes were "minor administrative changes to keep the document up to date and relevant".

The plan has reached the second stage of the state government's "unsolicited proposals" process.

A more detailed proposal from Crown Ltd is to be considered by the government panel, and if that is approved and a binding offer made, all that stands between Mr Packer and his casino dream is a vote in NSW parliament.

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Swiss customs seize tear gas in lipsticks

SWISS customs have seized nearly 500 canisters of illegal tear gas made in China and hidden inside innocent-looking lighters and lipsticks.

Michel Bachar, spokesman for the Swiss customs service, said officers at Geneva airport uncovered the canisters after they grew suspicious of a package from China supposedly containing electronics destined for a Swiss import-export company.

He said the tear gas was hidden inside pink and yellow-topped lighters and coloured metal-cased lipsticks.

"This is the first time in Switzerland that we find tear gas hidden in lighters," Bachar said, holding up one of the see-through plastic casings filled with an orange liquid.

"Behind each of these lighters, there is a potential victim," he said, demonstrating how someone could offer to light a cigarette and spray an unsuspecting victim straight in the face.

"It sends chills down my spine," he said.

He said the gas was being tested at a laboratory to determine the exact substance and how toxic it was.

He said the canisters were to be sold illegally on the Swiss market.

Pepperspray is legal in Switzerland, but other forms of tear gas are not, and people caught carrying just one small canister face a fine of at least 300 Swiss francs ($A313).

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At least 24 storm dead in New York:

THE number of deaths in New York City from superstorm Sandy has risen from 18 to 24, police have announced.

Many of the storm victims were killed by falling trees uprooted by the torrential wind and rains unleashed by the massive storm, which made landfall late Monday.

Other bodies have been found in flood-hit sections of the city which were inundated with unprecedented amounts of water, while one seafront district was ravaged by more than 20 blazes.

Officials have said New York's death toll could mount as the search for victims continues.

The rise in New York raises the death toll in the United States and Canada to at least 49.

Another 67 deaths in Caribbean countries were blamed on Sandy.

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Greek unions call 48-hour general strike

GREECE'S main union has called a 48-hour general strike for next week in protest at a new wave of austerity measures unveiled by the government in order to unlock EU-IMF bailout loans.

"The central aim and demand of the unions is the rejection (by parliament) of unacceptable, destructive and coercive measures imposed by the troika," the GSEE union said in a statement, referring to the EU, IMF and European Central Bank.

Greece's coalition government earlier on Wednesday passed a law through parliament that facilitates the sale of state companies, and unveiled a budget pledging nearly 9.4 billion euros ($A11.85 billion) in cuts next year.

Most of the savings will come from pensions and state salaries that have already been drastically reduced over the past two years.

A union official said the 48-hour strike planned for November 6-7 was timed to coincide with the dates on which the budget and other reform measures are expected to be debated by parliament next week.

The Greek government must approve the latest austerity round, worth 13.5 billion euros over the next two years, before it runs out of money on November 16.

Eurozone finance ministers are to discuss on November 12 whether Athens will be given a 31.2-billion-euro loan instalment from its EU-IMF financial assistance package, which is tied to reform progress.

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Switzerland lifts Novartis flu vaccine ban

SWITZERLAND'S national drug agency announced on Wednesday it was lifting a ban on sales of flu vaccines made by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis after documenting that concerns over impurities were unfounded.

"Swissmedic lifts the suspension of deliveries and use of Novartis flu vaccines (since) the company has managed to document the quality of the batches that have been and will be delivered in Switzerland," the agency said in a statement.

Last week, Switzerland joined Italy, Austria and Germany in freezing the sale and use of Novartis's Fluad and Begripal flu vaccines after white particles were seen in syringes carrying them.

But Swissmedic said on Wednesday the company had convinced it that the particles were not signs of impurities but had occurred during the vaccine manufacturing process itself.

"Such (particles) can in effect be created during the manufacturing of the vaccine, but dissolve if the syringe is used in conformity with instructions," the agency said, stressing the syringe should be lightly shaken before use.

"The security and efficiency of the vaccine are in no way weakened by these (particles) present in some syringes," it said, adding that its own labs had tested the vaccines and had confirmed their quality.

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Pakistan militant chief offers help to US

THE founder of a Pakistan-based Islamist group blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, who is under a $US10 million ($A9.72 million) US bounty, has offered humanitarian aid to the United States as it battles superstorm Sandy.

Sandy hammered the eastern United States early on Tuesday, flooding much of New York City, hitting several states with heavy winds and torrential rain and leaving at least 14 people dead.

Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, the founder of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant outfit and now head of the charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa, said his organisation was ready to offer every possible help to the storm-hit American people.

"Jamaat-ud-Dawa is ready to send its volunteers, doctors, food, medicines and other relief items on humanitarian grounds if the US government allows us," Saeed said in a statement.

"America may have any opinion about us, it may fix bounties on our heads but as followers of the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed, we feel it is our Islamic duty to help Americans trapped in a catastrophe."

Jamaat-ud-Dawa is seen as a front for LeT, which Washington and Delhi blame for the commando-style attacks on India's financial capital in 2008 that killed 166 people.

In April the United States offered $10 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Saeed, who lives openly in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore.

Saeed's charity has long denied terror accusations and is known around Pakistan for its relief work in the wake of the devastating Kashmir earthquake of 2005 and the floods of 2010, which were the worst in the country's history.

He was put under house arrest a month after the Mumbai attacks, but was released in 2009 and again in 2010 as Pakistan's highest court upheld his release on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence to detain him.

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Storm and fire devastates 50 homes in NY

FIREFIGHTERS in boats have rescued more than 25 people from 50 homes in a New York neighbourhood that were destroyed by a mass blaze after superstorm Sandy, officials say.

The Breezy Point district of Queens was left a smouldering tangle of wood and metal on Tuesday after the blaze. Firefighters said it was "a miracle" that only two minor injuries were reported.

Floodwaters were chest high on the street and firefighters used boats to make rescues, a fire department spokesman said.

About 25 people were trapped in an upstairs apartment in one home, and the apartment roof was ablaze when the people were rescued, according to New York media reports.

Smoke from the blaze covered a wide area.

Breezy Point is near Rockaway Beach, where firefighters rescued many people from flood-stricken homes during the mega-storm.

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US search continues for Bounty captain

THE US Coast Guard continues searching the Atlantic Ocean for the captain of the HMS Bounty, which sank on Monday during Hurricane Sandy.

Coast Guard Captain Joe Kelly said on Tuesday that 63-year-old Robin Walbridge could still be alive in the Gulf Stream waters more than a day after the replica 18th century sailing vessel sank in high winds and waves. The Coast Guard says the ocean temperature in the search area is nearly 26 degrees celsius.

Kelly says Wallbridge went overboard early on Monday when the ship rolled as the deck slid below 5.5-metre waves.

The Coast Guard rescued 14 crew members by helicopter. Hours later, they found 42-year-old Claudene Christian, who was later declared dead.

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Air force general assassinated in Damascus

A SYRIAN air force general has been assassinated in northern Damascus, state television says, blaming the killing on "terrorist groups."

"As part of their campaign to target national personalities and scientists, armed terrorist groups assassinated Air Force General Abdullah Mahmud al-Khalidi in the Damascus district of Rukn al-Din," the broadcaster said.

"He was one of Syria's foremost experts in aviation," it said, adding that he was a father of four children.

The general was a member of the Syrian Air Force command, a security source in Damascus told AFP on condition of anonymity.

He was shot dead on Monday evening as he left a friend's home, the source added.

The regime of President Bashar al-Assad routinely refers to rebels fighting to overthrow it as terrorists.

Since late July, air force fighter jets and helicopters have played a key role in the war against rebels.

On Tuesday alone, fierce air strikes hit targets in Damascus province, the northwestern province of Idlib and the central province of Homs, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

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London police to sell Scotland Yard HQ

LONDON police are looking to sell off their Scotland Yard headquarters as part of a series of budget cuts as Britain struggles to shrink its huge deficit, a senior officer has revealed.

Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey said the Metropolitan Police was hoping to save around STG6.5 million ($A10.15 million) per year by moving to a smaller base.

The Met moved into its New Scotland Yard offices in 1967. It bought the central London building for STG124.5 million in 2008 but it costs STG11 million per year to run.

As the force faces staff cuts, there will be more empty space at the site.

"It's an expensive building to run and it's an expensive building to maintain and as we go through this change program it's going to have space in it that we don't need. In central London that's an expensive luxury."

Police budgets across the country are being cut and the Met has been asked by London Mayor Boris Johnson to make STG500 million of savings by 2015.

It is expected that the move would take around two years once approved.

The force wants to move to a smaller headquarters in central London, still around the Whitehall government district.

Around a third of the Met's 700 buildings will need to be sold off, Mackey said.

The British economy escaped from its longest double-dip recession since the 1950s, official data showed on Thursday, rebounding by 1.0 per cent in the third quarter with the help of the London Olympics.

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Bayer to acquire Schiff; reports Q3 rise

GERMAN drug and chemical maker Bayer AG says it is buying US vitamin and supplement maker Schiff Nutrition International Inc for $US1.2 billion euros ($A1.17 billion) in a cash deal it hopes will bolster the offerings of its consumer health division.

The announcement came as the Leverkusen-based company reported net income fell 17.8 per cent to 528 million euro in the third quarter due to one-off items - including 205 million euro related to costs associated with litigation over the birth control pills marketed as Yasmin or Yaz, which are claimed to cause blood clots. Bayer said it also took a special charge of 134 million euro in restructuring expenses.

Group sales were up 11.4 per cent to 9.665 billion euro, and board chairman Marijn Dekkers said the company had made good progress from a strategic perspective in the third quarter, strengthening its life sciences business through acquisitions and making progress on innovations.

"We remain on a successful path and we confirm our guidance for 2012," he said.

In acquiring Schiff, which is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has offices in Emeryville, California, Bayer said it would be paying 34 euro per share - well above the $23.2 Schiff closed at on Friday, it's most recent day of trading.

The sale is expected to close by the end of the year, Bayer said.

Bayer said Schiff's portfolio includes brands in three of the largest health supplement segments - joint care, cardiovascular health and immune support. Products include Tiger's Milk nutrition bars, Omega 3 supplement MegaRed, and the probiotic supplement Digestive Advantage.

"This transaction represents an excellent strategic fit for our HealthCare business," Dekkers said. "The Schiff business significantly enhances our presence and position in the United States, which accounts for more over-the-counter and nutritional product sales than any other country in the world."

Bayer shares were up 0.6 per cent in morning European trading to 66.88 euro.

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French official: Arafat to be exhumed

CRIMINAL investigators from France will exhume Yasser Arafat's remains next month to try to find out how the Palestinian leader died, a French official says.

The official said the team from France will arrive sometime between November 24 and November 26 in the West bank city of Ramallah.

Palestinian authorities confirmed the timetable and said a separate Swiss investigative team would also arrive in Ramallah at the same time. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

The push to re-examine circumstances surrounding Arafat's November 2004 death came after a Swiss lab recently discovered traces of polonium-210, a deadly radioactive isotope, on clothes said to be his.

The discovery revived suspicions of poisoning.

The immediate cause of Arafat's death was a stroke, but the underlying source of an illness he suffered in his final weeks has never been clear.

Investigators from France and Switzerland will conduct parallel probes into Arafat's death, acting separately on behalf of Arafat's widow Suha Arafat and the Palestinian Authority, who each had misgivings about the other's investigation. Suha Arafat formally asked for a French investigation into his death this summer.

While their probes are separate, the French and the Swiss are to visit the grave together and will only be allowed one chance to draw samples, according to Palestinian officials.

Earlier in October, the Palestinians said the process of digging out Arafat's remains will be conducted privately.

But keeping the event a secret will likely be a challenge since Arafat lies in a giant mausoleum outside government headquarters in a central area of Ramallah.

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US, Canada launch joint cybersecurity plan

CANADA and the United States announced Friday they were launching a joint cyber-security plan to protect their digital infrastructure from online threats.

The action plan, under the auspices of the US Department of Homeland Security and Public Safety Canada, aims to better protect critical digital infrastructure and improve the response to cyber incidents.

"Canada and the US have a mutual interest in partnering to protect our shared infrastructure," said the Public Safety Minister Vic Toews.

"We are committed to working together to protect vital cyber systems, to respond to and recover from any cyber disruptions and to make cyberspace safer for all our citizens."

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the plan "reinforces the robust relationship" between their two agencies.

Through the plan, Washington and Ottawa hope to improve collaboration on managing cyber incidents between their respective cyber security operation centres, enhance information sharing and engagement with the private sector and pursue US-Canadian collaboration to promote cyber security awareness to the public.

The announcement came after the US House Intelligence Committee warned earlier this month that equipment supplied by Chinese telecoms groups Huawei and ZTE could be used for spying and called for their exclusion from government contracts and acquisitions.

Canada later invoked a "national security exception" that could exclude China's Huawei Technologies from a role in helping build its new super secure government network.

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14 rescued, two missing from HMS Bounty

US Coast Guard helicopters have rescued 14 members of the crew of HMS Bounty, a tall ship replica abandoned in the midst of Hurricane Sandy, but two people are still missing, the Coast Guard says.

A Coast Guard HC-130 aircraft remained on the scene off the coast of North Carolina searching for the two missing crew members, it said.

"The 14 people are being flown to Air Station Elizabeth City where they will be met by awaiting emergency medical services personnel," the Coast Guard said.

The Bounty's 16 crew members had abandoned ship, donning cold water survival suits and life jackets and launching two lifeboats as the tall ship foundered in heavy seas 250 kilometres from the eye of Hurricane Sandy.

The HC-130 aircraft was dispatched in response to a distress call and established communications with the Bounty's crew, the Coast Guard said.

Then two Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters reached the site from Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

The first "hoisted five people into the aircraft, and a second helicopter arrived and rescued nine people", the Coast Guard said.

"The C-130 Hercules aircraft remains on scene and is searching for the two missing crew members and a third Jayhawk crew is en route to assist search and rescue efforts," the Coast Guard said.

The owner of the vessel, which was built for the 1962 movie Mutiny on the Bounty with Marlon Brando and has also featured in Pirates of the Caribbean with Johnny Depp, said he lost contact with the crew late Sunday.

The current HMS Bounty is a replica of the eponymous British vessel known for the mutiny that took place in Tahiti in 1789.

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French judge frees implant firm founder

A FRENCH judge has ordered the release of the founder of breast implant company PIP, which sparked a global health scare over potentially faulty products, after eight months in preventive detention.

Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) boss Jean-Claude Mas, 73, was ordered released but will be "placed under judicial supervision", his lawyer Yves Haddad said, adding he would be freed later on Monday.

Mas - who is due to go on trial in April - will have his movements restricted and is barred from meeting Claude Couty, his former right-hand man at the company.

PIP shut down in 2010 after it was revealed to have been using substandard industrial-grade silicone gel.

Between 400,000 and 500,000 women in 65 countries are believed to have implants from PIP, once the world's third-largest silicone implant producer.

Mas, a former travelling salesman who got his start in the medical business by selling pharmaceuticals, founded PIP in 1991 to take advantage of the booming market for cosmetic implants.

He reportedly told investigators that he used fake business data to fool health inspectors.

Industrial-grade gel was used in 75 per cent of PIP breast implants, saving the company about one million euros ($A1.26 million) a year, according to a former company executive.

Mas and four other former PIP officials are due to go on trial from April 17 to May 14 next year in a keenly awaited trial that will involve about 180 lawyers and some 4600 complainants.

French officials have said that cancers, including cases of breast cancer, have been detected in 20 French women with the implants, but have insisted there is no proven link.

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Small explosion in Sydney front yard

SLEEPING residents have been woken by something that went bang in the night in Sydney's west.

Police are investigating a small explosion in the front yard of a home in Oak Street, Parramatta about 11.30pm (AEDT) on Monday.

Early investigations suggest an item may have been thrown into the home's carport area by someone walking past.

A crime scene has been established and investigations are continuing, police said.

Anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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German inflation steady at 2.0% in October

INFLATION in Germany, Europe's biggest economy, remained steady at 2.0 per cent in October, official data shows.

The German consumer price index (CPI) rose by 2.0 per cent on a 12-month basis this month, according to a flash estimate using cost-of-living data from six of Germany's 16 regional states.

In September, the 12-month inflation rate had also stood at 2.0 per cent.

On a monthly basis, the cost of living in Germany was unchanged, the national statistics office Destatis said in a statement.

Using the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), the ECB's inflation yardstick, the rate of inflation in Germany was also unchanged at 2.1 per cent in October.

The ECB defines price stability as increases in HICP of close to but just below 2.0 per cent.

Preliminary inflation data are calculated using consumer price data for six of Germany's 16 federal states.

Final data, based on statistics for all 16 states, are scheduled to be published on November 9.

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Politician joins magazine that exposed her

A FORMER Taiwanese politician has announced she is joining the tabloid magazine that exposed her affair and drove her into exile in a high-profile sex scandal 11 years ago.

Chu Mei-feng, formerly a Taipei city councillor and the chief of Hsinchu city government's cultural bureau, became notorious in December 2001 when she was filmed by an estranged friend having sex with a married man.

The 40-minute video compact disc of Chu's affair was given away free by tabloid magazine Scoop and spread throughout Asia via the internet and black markets.

Eleven years later, Chu has decided to serve as the magazine's honorary publisher.

"Eleven years ago, Scoop forced me into exile. Eleven years later, it (the new job) brought me back to my birthplace," the 46-year-old told reporters on Monday, presenting them with the latest edition that features her on its cover.

Chu cashed in on her notoriety by launching a singing career, performing to sell-out crowds in Singapore and Hong Kong. She was banned from performing in Malaysia on the grounds that she was a bad role model for young people.

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New York road tunnels to close for storm

NEW York state authorities have ordered the closure of two of three key Manhattan road tunnels because of the risk of floods from Hurricane Sandy.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said the Holland and Brooklyn-Battery tunnels would close from 2pm on Monday (0500 on Tuesday AEDT).

He told a press conference the predicted flood levels from the looming hurricane were "really extraordinary".

New York subway and commuter trains and buses have already shut down because of the storm.

Cuomo said Manhattan bridges would close if wind speeds hit 100km/h and weather forecasts had predicted gusts of 145km/h.

Experts have also predicted a storm surge of up to 3.5 metres when the hurricane hits.

"These forecasts for the surge are really extraordinary," the governor said.

Cuomo said the state had decided to call up an extra 1000 national guard troops on top of 1100 already mobilised. He said rescue boats and military boats and had also been put on alert.

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NYC to close subway ahead of storm

NEW York authorities have ordered the subway, commuter trains and buses to close ahead of the arrival of a feared super-storm.

The New York subway and regional buses will stop from 7pm (11am AEST), state governor Mario Cuomo announced as he warned that the impending storm was "not something to be taken lightly".

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Profit falls at China energy giant Sinopec

CHINESE oil giant Sinopec, Asia's largest refiner by capacity, says third-quarter net profit fell 9.4 per cent from a year earlier due to a lower contribution from its chemicals business.

Sinopec reported a net profit of 18.33 billion yuan ($A2.82 billion) for the three months ended September 30, a 1.89 billion yuan drop from 20.22 billion yuan in the same period last year.

The decline was "mainly due to plummeting results of the chemicals segment which resulted from changes in the chemical market and demand", the company said in a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Sinopec reported a refinery throughput of 4.39 million barrels a day in the first nine months of the year, up from 4.37 million a year earlier.

"We have ... accelerated an upgrade in the quality of oil products, and adjusted the product mix to increase the output of gasoline and jet fuel," the company said.

The company reported 12.2 billion yuan in exploration expenses for the first nine months, a 31 per cent increase from the previous year.

It said it was focused on achieving growth in reserve and production volume, as well as enhancing exploration in key areas.

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US airlines cancel flights over storm

AIRLINES have cancelled hundreds of flights into airports along the US east coast ahead of the arrival of a major storm.

Air France cancelled all flights into New York and Washington on Monday while US airlines have called off hundreds of domestic flights. New York airports were to stay open on Sunday but the airport authority warned passengers to expect disruption.

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New York transport shut down due to storm

HUNDREDS of US flights have been cancelled and New York's subway and buses have been ordered to close ahead of the arrival of a feared super-storm.

Air France has cancelled all flights into New York and Washington on Monday while US airlines have called off hundreds of domestic flights.

New York airports were still open on Sunday but the airport authority warned passengers to expect disruption.

The New York subway and trains will be suspended from 7pm on Sunday (1000 AEDT on Monday), Governor Mario Cuomo announced, as he warned the impending storm is "not something to be taken lightly".

The buses will stop running two hours later.

New York's public transport system is America's largest. The subway alone has more than five million passengers a day.

Rainfall is expected to start in New York late Monday (AEDT).

Hurricane Sandy is headed north from the Caribbean to meet a winter storm and a cold front.

Experts say the rare hybrid storm that results will cause havoc over 1200 kilometres from the East Coast to the Great Lakes.

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Ten dead after Nigeria church bombing

A SUICIDE attacker has driven a car bomb into a Nigerian church, sparking fierce reprisals in which a Christian mob burned a man alive in a day of bloody of violence that has left at least 10 people dead and 145 wounded.

Christian youths took to the streets of the northern city of Kaduna with machetes and sticks after the blast, targeting those they believed to be Muslims as anger again boiled over due to repeated church bombings in recent months.

Attackers beat a motorcycle taxi driver near the church, then put his bike on top of him before dousing him with petrol and setting him on fire, an AFP correspondent who saw the violence said. Two other bloodied bodies apparently killed by the mob were seen near the church.

A rescue official on condition of anonymity also spoke of the man being burnt and said rescuers could not save him because the mob was too violent.

The mob also attacked an ambulance in the ensuing violence, but there was no indication that rescuers were wounded.

The attacker rammed what residents said was an SUV into St Rita church, shaking the Malali neighbourhood of Kaduna, a city that has suffered a wave of deadly violence blamed on Islamist extremist group Boko Haram.

"All of a sudden it drove on high speed and rammed into the church wall, forcing its way into the church premises," said witness Samuel Emmanuel.

"Initially I thought the driver had lost control of the vehicle. Suddenly there was a huge explosion as the car reached the church building. It was dust, fire and smoke all over."

A spokesman for Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency confirmed the bomb attack and said rescuers had rushed to the scene.

"A number of casualties evacuated to hospitals," said Yushau Shuaib. The incident was suspected to be triggered by a suicide bomber in a car."

An AFP correspondent said mobs were yelling "why the church?" and some were carrying weapons, including machetes. Local elders were seeking to restore calm.

Residents had earlier spoken of clashes having broken out between Christian and Muslim residents.

The attack came after Friday's Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, but it was not clear if there was any link.

In June, Boko Haram claimed responsibility for three suicide attacks on churches in Kaduna state, where the city of Kaduna is located, which led to deadly rioting. Dozens of people were killed in the violence.

Boko Haram's insurgency in northern and central Nigeria has led to more than 2800 deaths since 2009. While Muslims have often been its victims, it has in recent months also specifically targeted churches.

President Goodluck Jonathan has said the group is seeking to incite a religious crisis in Africa's most populous nation and largest oil producer, roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominately Christian south.

Kaduna is a large mainly Muslim city in Nigeria's north and includes a sizeable Christian population.

Nigerians have grown increasingly frustrated with security forces' inability to stop Boko Haram attacks, and there have been warnings of more reprisals if the violence continued.

Some Evangelical church leaders in Nigeria have said Christians may be forced to defend themselves if something is not done to address the unrest.

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Berlusconi 'declares war' on Italy PM

ITALIAN ex-prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's warning that his centre-right party could withdraw its support for the government has been seen by the press as a declaration of war against Prime Minister Mario Monti.

"In the next few days we will decide with the leadership of my party whether it is better to immediately withdraw our confidence or to keep it, given the upcoming election (in April)," Berlusconi said at a media conference on Saturday after he was sentenced to jail for tax fraud.

"We need to weigh this government policy that leads to a spiral of recession for our economy" against the way "a vote of no-confidence could be seen by the world of finance", the 76-year-old added.

Reactions to Berlusconi's comments were splashed across the front pages of the Italian press on Sunday, with the leading Corriere della Sera saying "Berlusconi threatens to topple Monti", while other headlines declared "Berlusconi attacks Monti" and "Berlusconi against Monti".

"Berlusconi in his bunker has declared war on Monti and Merkel," left-wing newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano said, referring to Berlusconi's accusation that the Italian prime minister was following policy dictated by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Berlusconi, who was sentenced to jail for tax fraud on Friday, last week announced he would not run in next year's election but vowed to remain in politics to reform the justice system that found him guilty.

The scandal-hit three-time prime minister was toppled in November last year over his handling of the economy in the face of deep financial crisis and was succeeded by Monti, a sober economist and former European commissioner.

Berlusconi's latest comments came as tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in Rome during a "No Monti Day" on Saturday called by unions, left-wing parties and other groups to protest at austerity measures in recession-hit Italy.

Banners carried slogans such as "Cuts, only cuts" and "Monti Out" to denounce a series of structural reforms the government has imposed in an effort to battle off the eurozone debt crisis.

Critics have accused Monti of failing to boost growth and of stifling the population with high taxes. Italy's unemployment rate is at 10.7 per cent, but much higher among younger voters.

Sicilians were also voting on Sunday in a regional ballot on the Mediterranean island seen as a test of the political waters ahead of the national election.

Latest opinion polls say a member of Berlusconi's People of Freedom (PFL) party is running head-to-head for Sicily regional president against a candidate from the left-wing Democratic Party (PD).

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Greek have given everything: president

GREEK President Carolos Papoulias says the nation's people have given all they have to drag the country out of its crippling economic crisis, and voiced hope it will end soon.

Papoulias says recovery from the crisis, which has made the heavily indebted country dependent on international aid for two years, has to come "soon, because you cannot ask more from these people who have given everything".

The president nonetheless expressed his optimism that "despite the hardships, Greek people will exit the crisis".

Papoulias was speaking at the end of an annual military parade in the northern city of Thessaloniki on Sunday to celebrate Greek resistance to the Axis powers during World War II.

This year's event also marked the end of a three-day celebration commemorating the Balkan Wars of 1912-1914 that restored Thessaloniki to Greek control.

Underlining Greece's contribution in World War II, Papoulias said many people outside Greece want to "forget" about it, because they don't want to "recognise what Europe owes to this small Greece".

The Thessaloniki parade and an annual student parade in Athens both took place under increased security measures to avoid potential trouble.

In addition to a heavy police presence, special traffic regulations were imposed in the northern city, while the Athens city centre was sealed off from early in the morning.

There was also tight security around the platforms where officials were sitting.

Anti-austerity protests organised around Greece by members of radical leftist party Syriza and communist-affiliated group Pame mostly took place without incident.

Tension flared briefly in Thessaloniki when protesters tried to break the police blockade, but demonstrators then moved to another part of the city and held an uneventful march there, state broadcaster Net reported.

Last year, thousands of anti-austerity protesters had blocked the Thessaloniki parade, forcing the president to walk away minutes before the start of the event.

Tension had also run high at many of the student parades around the country and minor scuffles had broken out between protesters and police in various cities.

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