Gates blames past lack of troops for Taliban edge

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• Gates blames past lack of troops for Taliban edge
• Britain seeks to freeze pay of top public workers
• Quake-hit Indonesian city sprayed to stop disease
• North Korea says U.S. key to nuclear talks return
• N Korea 'ready for nuclear talks'
• Italy court to consider PM immunity
• Plan to save Dead Sea drought
• Freak snow storm hits New Zealand
• Abbas cabinet says will confront Israel; protests flare
• Gaddafi says to deliver "secret" speech on Tuesday
• Nobel prize-winning medical research long and costly
• Obama breaks precedent by not meeting Dalai Lama
• FACTBOX - A look at North Korea's nuclear arms ambitions
• Poll shows Australia govt has big lead as carbon vote looms
• Honduran de facto leader orders curbs lifted
• Gates blames past lack of troops for Taliban edge
• Obama orders federal government to cut emissions
• WITNESS - Holed up in embassy with ousted Honduran president
• FEATURE - Mega-ship, mountain fort could boost Haiti tourism
• North Korea says U.S. key to nuclear talks return

Gates blames past lack of troops for Taliban edge Posted: 05 Oct 2009 11:57 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates blamed the Taliban's revival on a past failure to deploy enough troops to Afghanistan and said U.S. forces would not withdraw whatever the result of President Barack Obama's strategy review.

Britain seeks to freeze pay of top public workers Posted: 05 Oct 2009 11:57 PM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will push for its toughest public sector pay deal for at least 30 years by seeking a pay freeze or minimal rise for the 750,000 best paid staff on the state payroll, the Treasury said on Monday.

Quake-hit Indonesian city sprayed to stop disease Posted: 05 Oct 2009 10:19 PM PDT PADANG, Indonesia (Reuters) - Health workers fanned out across Padang on Tuesday to douse the Indonesian city with disinfectant over concerns about disease outbreaks six days after a deadly earthquake rattled Sumatra.

North Korea says U.S. key to nuclear talks return Posted: 05 Oct 2009 10:19 PM PDT SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea, reportedly close to restoring the plant that supplies it nuclear bomb material, said on Tuesday it was ready to return to international negotiations on its weapons programme but first wanted talks with Washington.

N Korea 'ready for nuclear talks' Posted: 05 Oct 2009 10:01 PM PDT North Korea says it is willing to return to six-party international talks on its nuclear weapons programme.

Italy court to consider PM immunity Posted: 05 Oct 2009 09:59 PM PDT Italy's top court is to begin deciding whether Silvio Berlusconi has immunity from prosecution whilst in office.

Plan to save Dead Sea drought Posted: 05 Oct 2009 10:02 PM PDT A plan to pump water from the Red Sea into the Dead Sea could save the body of water from a severe drought.

Freak snow storm hits New Zealand Posted: 05 Oct 2009 02:25 PM PDT A freak snow storm has left hundreds of people stranded and unable to return to their homes in New Zealand's central North Island.

Abbas cabinet says will confront Israel; protests flare Posted: 05 Oct 2009 09:25 PM PDT RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - The Western-backed Palestinian government pledged on Monday "to confront Israel" via diplomatic means as Israeli troops clashed with protesters for a second day in the Jerusalem area.

Gaddafi says to deliver "secret" speech on Tuesday Posted: 05 Oct 2009 09:25 PM PDT RABAT (Reuters) - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi will discuss domestic policy on Tuesday in what he termed a "secret" speech to high-ranking supporters that will not be broadcast.

Nobel prize-winning medical research long and costly Posted: 05 Oct 2009 08:56 PM PDT SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The Nobel-winning medical science that points the way to a cancer cure was sparked by curiosity, not business sense, a new laureate said on Monday.

Obama breaks precedent by not meeting Dalai Lama Posted: 05 Oct 2009 08:56 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will not meet the Dalai Lama during his five-day trip to the U.S. capital beginning on Monday, the first time in 18 years the exiled Tibetan leader has visited Washington without seeing the president.

FACTBOX - A look at North Korea's nuclear arms ambitions Posted: 05 Oct 2009 08:56 PM PDT SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea is close to restoring its Yongbyon nuclear facility, South Korea's Yonhap news agency on Tuesday quoted an official in Seoul as saying.

Poll shows Australia govt has big lead as carbon vote looms Posted: 05 Oct 2009 08:56 PM PDT CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia's government has opened a near record 16-point gap over opposition conservatives, who are in disarray over an emissions trading scheme to be voted on by parliament within weeks, a survey showed on Tuesday.

Honduran de facto leader orders curbs lifted Posted: 05 Oct 2009 08:56 PM PDT TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - De facto Honduran leader Roberto Micheletti on Monday ordered an end to curbs on civil liberties and the media that shut down two broadcasters loyal to ousted President Manuel Zelaya and drew strong international criticism.

Gates blames past lack of troops for Taliban edge Posted: 05 Oct 2009 08:56 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday blamed the past U.S. failure to deploy enough troops to Afghanistan for the Taliban's revival and said U.S. troops would not withdraw regardless of the outcome of President Barack Obama's strategy review.

Obama orders federal government to cut emissions Posted: 05 Oct 2009 08:56 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama ordered federal agencies on Monday to monitor and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in a move designed to make the U.S. government "lead by example" in fighting climate change.

WITNESS - Holed up in embassy with ousted Honduran president Posted: 05 Oct 2009 08:56 PM PDT TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - For two weeks, I have slept with my finger on the shutter button, just meters from where Honduras' President Manuel Zelaya, ousted in a coup, waits in refuge and hopes for a return to power.

FEATURE - Mega-ship, mountain fort could boost Haiti tourism Posted: 05 Oct 2009 08:56 PM PDT LABADEE, Haiti (Reuters) - An ultramodern ocean liner and a 19th-century mountaintop fortress built by a slave rebellion leader figure prominently in Haiti's plans to revive tourism in the poorest nation in the Americas.

North Korea says U.S. key to nuclear talks return Posted: 05 Oct 2009 07:55 PM PDT SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Tuesday it was ready to return to international talks on ending its nuclear weapons programme, but demanded negotiations first with the United States.

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