Arguementative Obama Heats Up Debate with Romney

President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney faced off Tuesday in the second of three nationally televised debates. This forum contained far more confrontation than the first, with the candidates occasionally lapsing into arguments.

With his poll numbers fading after a listless performance in the first debate, President Obama was far more energetic and aggressive in the second debate. He and Governor Romney tangled in a town hall-style forum at Hofstra University, near New York City, where the two candidates fielded questions from an audience of undecided voters. On several occasions they began to argue, as in this exchange on energy policy:

Filipino Government and Muslim Insurgents Sign Preliminary Peace Deal

Diego DiGhero

From VOA News and wire services

The Philippine government and Muslim rebels waging a decades-long separatist insurgency in the south of the country have signed a preliminary peace deal that outlines steps to end the conflict by 2016. President Benigno Aquino and Moro Islamic Liberation Front Chairman Murad Ebrahim witnessed the signing ceremony on October 15 in the presidential palace in Manila.

Officials say the agreement specifies the extent of power, revenues and territory in the south, creating a new Muslim autonomous region called the "Bangsamoro." The framework, negotiated with MILF rebels in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur this month, sets up a 15-member Transition Commission, which has until 2016 to draft laws setting up the new region.

Gazprom and Ukraine in lucrative and difficult tango

Gazprom’s foreign customers are asserting themselves more boldly in their dealings with the giant Russian energy company. French, German, Slovakian and Turkish companies have renegotiated their contracts for natural gas; the European Union has launched an antitrust investigation; Lithuania recently filed a $1.9 billion legal claimagainst Gazprom over alleged price gouging.

(AFP/ Getty Images ) - Supporters of former Ukranian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko hold her picture as they protest in front of the court in Kiev on Aug. 29. The gas business made a fortune for Tymoshenko in the 1990s, thrust her into politics a decade later, and, now that she’s a former prime minister, has put her into prison.

But no country is more bound up in Gazprom’s increasingly troubled fortunes than Ukraine. And no country has had as little success in dealing with Gazprom.Ukraine has simply been too important to Russian energy policy — and to the flow of money that policy supports.

Libyans Oppose Possible U.S. Retaliation for Benghazi Attack

The United States is said to be weighing the option of a military strike against those found responsible for the September 11 attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya that killed four American embassy personnel dead, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens. One of the first hurdles they face is identifying who carried out the attack. The main suspects in the case, the militant Ansar al Sharia, have denied responsibility, despite witness accounts of their involvement.

Hamas Fires from Gaza an Anti-Aircraft Missile Smuggled from Libya

Zach Pontz

An anti-aircraft missile was fired from Hamas-controlled Gaza last week at an Israeli aircraft but missed its target, the Hebrew language newspaper Yediot Aharonot reported on October 16.
According to the report the missile was smuggled in from Libya. Israeli authorities have worried that the missiles could be used against the Jewish state since an estimated 1,000 of them went missing from Libya’s arsenal in the aftermath of the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.
The Russian made Strela-2 surface-to-air missile system can hit aircraft flying as fast as 1,118 miles an hour and at altitudes up to 7,500 feet.

Berlin and Paris Compromise on Bank Oversight

 
Ahead of this week's European Union summit in Brussels, Chancellor Merkel and French President Hollande staged a public battle over euro-zone reform. On Thursday night, however, the two quickly reached a compromise on the introduction of banking oversight. But difficult questions remain.
 
European leaders have reached agreement on the roadmap to a banking oversight regime in the euro zone. Following a public back-and-forth between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande, the 27 European Union heads of state and government on Thursday night found a compromise at their two-day summit in Brussels.

ΔΗΜΟΣΚΟΠΗΣΗ ΤΗΣ VPRC: Πρώτος ο ΣΥΡΙΖΑ, 3ο κόμμα η Χρυσή Αυγή

Προβάδισμα 3,5 μονάδων έναντι της Νέας δημοκρατίας καταγράφει ο ΣΥΡΙΖΑ σύμφωνα με νέα δημοσκόπηση που δημοσιεύθηκε την Παρασκευή, με την Χρυσή Αυγή να σταθεροποιείται στην τρίτη θέση.

Στις προτιμήσεις του κοινού ο ΣΥΡΙΖΑ λαμβάνει 30,5% έναντι 27% που συγκεντρώνει η Νέα Δημοκρατία, όπως αναφέρει δημοσκόπηση της VPRC για την εφημερίδα "Η Ελλάδα αύριο".

Παράνομη η μείωση του κατώτατου μισθού

 Παράνομη κρίθηκε η μείωση του κατώτατου μισθού για τους εργαζόμενους κάτω των 25 ετών στα δύο τρίτα του εθνικού κατώτατου μισθού από επιτροπή του Συμβουλίου της Ευρώπης, ενώ κρίθηκε επίσης παράνομη και η παράταση ενός έτους στην δοκιμαστική περίοδο που οι εργαζόμενοι μπορεί να απολυθούν χωρίς ειδοποίηση:

Σύμφωνα με το Reuters, οι δύο μεταρρυθμίσεις που έγιναν υπό την πίεση των διεθνών δανειστών της Ελλάδας πρέπει να καταργηθούν.

Οι δύο αποφάσεις που ελήφθησαν το 2010 αφορούν τη δοκιμαστική περίοδο κατά την οποία οι εργαζόμενοι μπορούν να απολυθούν χωρίς προειδοποίηση και τη μείωση των αμοιβών για τους νέους κάτω των 25 ετών στα δύο τρίτα του εθνικού κατώτατου μισθού.

«ΣΥΜΜΑΧΙΑ» ΟΜΠΑΜΑ-ΚΛΙΝΤΟΝ ΗΠΑ: Χίλαρι για πρόεδρος το 2016;

Αν ο Μπαράκ Ομπάμα επανεκλεγεί στις 6 Νοεμβρίου, θα μπορεί να ευχαριστήσει γι αυτό τους Κλίντον. Ο Μπιλ ήταν ο πιο ταλαντούχος υποστηρικτής του στο συνέδριο των Δημοκρατικών, η Χίλαρι είναι στις επάλξεις αντιμετωπίζοντας τις επικρίσεις των Ρεπουμπλικανών για την επίθεση κατά του αμερικανικού προξενείου στη Βεγγάζη.

"Δεν μπορεί κανείς παρά να θαυμάσει τους Κλίντον: ο Μπιλ και η Χίλαρι Κλίντον έχουν κάνει πολύ περισσότερα ακόμη κι από τον ίδιο τον Μπαράκ Ομπάμα για την επανεκλογή του", δήλωσε στο τηλεοπτικό δίκτυο Fox News ένας από τους πολιτικούς πολέμιους του πρώην προέδρου των ΗΠΑ, ο ρεπουμπλικανός Νιούτ Γκίνγκριτς. Πράγματι, εκτιμά ο Κώστας Παναγόπουλος, αναλυτής στο πανεπιστήμιο Fordham, "ο πρόεδρος Ομπάμα θα κερδίσει ή θα χάσει στον απολογισμό του, αλλά αν επανεκλεγεί, αυτός θα οφείλεται σε μεγάλο βαθμό στους Κλίντον.

Swiss army prepares for euro unrest

 

BRUSSELS - The Swiss army is preparing for possible internal civil unrest as well as waves of refugees from euro-countries as the economic crisis drags on.
Switzerland, a non-EU, non-euro country landlocked between eurozone states, last month launched a military exercise to test its preparedness to deal with refugees and civil unrest.

“It's not excluded that the consequences of the financial crisis in Switzerland can lead to protests and violence,” a spokesperson of the Swiss defence ministry told CNBC on Monday. “The army must be ready when the police in such cases requests for subsidiary help.”