Sun Oct 28, 2012 1:38am EDT (Reuters) - The Oklahoma City Thunder traded James Harden to the Houston Rockets on Saturday after the Western Conference champions were unable to reach an extension agreement with NBA's Sixth Man of the Year. In the multi-player trade, the Thunder acquired guards Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb, two first round picks and a second round p...

By Lisa Lambert and Sam Youngman NASHUA, N.H./KISSIMMEE, Florida | Sat Oct 27, 2012 11:50pm EDT NASHUA, N.H./KISSIMMEE, Florida (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney campaigned feverishly in closely contested battleground states on Saturday but changed travel plans to avoid Hurricane Sandy, the massive storm app...

Sat Oct 27, 2012 11:27pm EDT (Reuters) - Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue has postponed Tuesday's scheduled appeals on the New Orleans Saints bounty case, the league's official website reported on Saturday. No reason was given but the appeals were set to be heard in Washington D.C., which is bracing itself for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy.Four Saints play...

Sat Oct 27, 2012 10:21pm EDT (Reuters) - Natina Reed, a member of the R&B singing trio Blaque, was struck and killed by a car as she walked in a major roadway in Georgia, police said on Saturday. Reed, who also appeared in the cheerleader movie "Bring It On" in 2000, would have turned 33 on Sunday.She was struck by a car at about 10:30 p.m. Friday on a state ...

MECCA | Sat Oct 27, 2012 9:13pm EDT MECCA (Reuters) - Saudi authorities quickly dispersed a protest by hundreds of Syrian pilgrims calling for the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and denouncing what they said was international failure to stop bloodshed in Syria, a Reuters witness said. Protesters held up rebel flags and marched toward the Jamara...

DETROIT | Sat Oct 27, 2012 8:29pm EDT DETROIT (Reuters) - Miguel Cabrera and Buster Posey were selected Saturday as winners of the 2012 Hank Aaron Award as the most outstanding offensive players in each league. Both Cabrera, the Detroit Tigers third baseman who became the first Triple Crown winner since 1967, and Posey, the San Francisco Giants catcher w...

GAZA | Sat Oct 27, 2012 8:09pm EDT GAZA (Reuters) - Israel killed a Palestinian militant from the Hamas Islamist group and wounded another in an air strike on a motorcycle in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, Palestinian officials said. The Israeli military confirmed there was an attack but had no further details.The violence followed a three-day lull since a su...

BISSAU | Sat Oct 27, 2012 7:27pm EDT BISSAU (Reuters) - The suspected leader of a failed October 21 counter-coup attempt in Guinea-Bissau was arrested on Saturday, witnesses and a security official said. Captain Pansao Ntchama, a bodyguard to the then head of the army under ousted Prime Minister Carlos Gomes J...

LIMA | Sat Oct 27, 2012 7:03pm EDT LIMA (Reuters) - Two people died and 21 others were injured in Peru's capital on Saturday as protesters clashed with police trying to shut down a sprawling wholesale market, raising the death toll to four since street battles erupted at the site on Thursday. The unrest in Lima's downtown has stunned residents and could ...

By Andrius Sytas VILNIUS | Sat Oct 27, 2012 6:41pm EDT VILNIUS (Reuters) - Centre-left parties look set to be propelled to power in Lithuania's election on Sunday by voters angry at years of austerity, but an incoming government may have little choice but to stick to tough budget policies. Economists said the Baltic nation's high borrowing needs ...

By Richard Balmforth KIEV | Sat Oct 27, 2012 6:14pm EDT KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich's pro-business ruling party seems likely to win parliamentary elections on Sunday, but will face a re-energized opposition which has vowed to fight growing authoritarianism and corruption. The former Soviet republic of 46 million is more...

By Fergus Jensen JAKARTA | Sat Oct 27, 2012 5:31pm EDT JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's anti-terrorist squad arrested 11 suspected Islamic militants it said planned to attack the U.S. embassy, a plaza near Australia's embassy and the offices of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, a police spokesman said on Saturday. The Detachment 88 squad seized ...

BRUSSELS | Sat Oct 27, 2012 5:01pm EDT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Four Belgian tourists were killed when a tourist bus had an accident near the Jordanian city of Aqaba, the Belgian foreign ministry said on Saturday. Of 18 passengers on board with passports from Belgium or Luxembourg, another six were severely injured and the status of eight more was unknown, t...

By Philip Pullella ROME | Sat Oct 27, 2012 4:54pm EDT ROME (Reuters) - Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Saturday his centre-right bloc may withdraw its support from the government of Mario Monti, a move that could throw Italy into political chaos ahead of next April's national elections. "We have to recognize the fact that the init...

By Robert-Jan Bartunek BRUSSELS | Sat Oct 27, 2012 3:29pm EDT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A European Parliament delegation has called off a trip to Iran after a request to meet two jailed activists was refused. The decision came after Iran's ambassador to the European Union said it was impossible to guarantee that the members of the European Parliament ...

BAGHDAD | Sat Oct 27, 2012 3:26pm EDT BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Bombings on Shi'ite neighborhoods in Baghdad and a blast on an Iranian pilgrim bus killed more than 30 people on Saturday, marring Iraqi celebrations of the second day of the Islamic Eid al Adha religious festival. Violence in Iraq has eased sharply, but Sunni Islamist insurgents and al Qaeda's Ir...

By Oliver Holmes BEIRUT | Sat Oct 27, 2012 1:14pm EDT BEIRUT (Reuters) - Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad renewed their bombardment of major cities on Saturday and rebels launched several attacks, further undermining a truce meant to mark the Muslim Eid al-Adha religious holiday. The violence, reported by residents, opposition sup...

By Brian Homewood BASEL | Sat Oct 27, 2012 1:04pm EDT BASEL (Reuters) - Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro will meet on Sunday for the first time since their epic Olympic Games clash after both beat French opponents to reach the final of the Basel Open. Argentine Del Potro overpowered Richard...

WASHINGTON | Sat Oct 27, 2012 12:12pm EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama holds a narrow lead of 2 percentage points over Republican challenger Mitt Romney in Reuters/Ipsos poll results released on Saturday, leaving the race effectively tied as fewer voters say they are likely to change their minds. Obama led Romney by 47 percent to 45 perc...

By Alessandra Rizzo LONDON | Sat Oct 27, 2012 11:16am EDT LONDON (Reuters) - The family of the BBC presenter at the center of a sex abuse scandal that has rocked the broadcaster offered its "deepest sympathy" to the late Jimmy Savile's victims on Saturday, saying it felt "despair and sadness". The statement came as the Roman Catholic Church in En...

By Abhishek Takle GREATER NOIDA, India | Sat Oct 27, 2012 10:08am EDT GREATER NOIDA, India (Reuters) - Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was unshaken in his belief that he can win this season's Formula One title despite rival Sebastian Vettel taking another dominant pole position at the Indian Grand Prix on Saturday. The Spaniard qualified only fifth whi...

LONDON | Sat Oct 27, 2012 10:07am EDT LONDON (Reuters) - London Olympics organizing committee chairman Sebastian Coe had sleepless nights worrying about possible terrorist attacks during this year's Games, according to his autobiography to be published next month. Coe, 56, who exuded calm and confidence as the chairman of the committee that organized the...

SHANGHAI | Sat Oct 27, 2012 9:20am EDT SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Swede Peter Hanson's lead was trimmed to a single shot by world number one Rory McIlroy in the third round of the BMW Masters golf on Saturday. Northern Ireland's McIlroy hit a three-under-par 69 to move within one stroke of fellow-Ryder Cup winner Hanson, who shot a third round 70 to hold the l...

By Sherilee Lakmidas and Jon Herskovitz JOHANNESBURG | Sat Oct 27, 2012 9:18am EDT JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Workers have reached a deal with Anglo American Platinum to reinstate 12,000 miners sacked for an illegal strike, which could end the last big industrial action rocking South Africa's mining sector. Months of often violent wildcat strikes h...

KHARTOUM | Sat Oct 27, 2012 9:11am EDT KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese rebels shelled the main city of the oil-producing South Kordofan state during a visit of Sudan's defense minister, Abdel Raheem Muhammad Hussein, rebels and residents said. Sudan's army has been fighting rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-North) in South Kordof...

ROME | Sat Oct 27, 2012 8:26am EDT ROME (Reuters) - Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, reacting to a Milan court's conviction for tax fraud, said on Saturday he would stay in politics. Berlusconi told an Italian television interviewer that he felt "obliged to stay in the field" in order to protect other Italians from what he called judicial injusti...

BAGHDAD | Sat Oct 27, 2012 8:11am EDT BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Two blasts hit a Baghdad Shi'ite neighborhood and a bus full of Iranian pilgrims on Saturday, killing at least 13 people on the second day of the Islamic Eid al Adha religious festival. Sunni Islamist insurgents and al Qaeda's Iraq wing often target Shi'ites in an attempt to stir up the kind of se...

BEIRUT | Sat Oct 27, 2012 8:08am EDT BEIRUT (Reuters) - Opposition activists in Syria said forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad had renewed their heavy bombardment of major cities on Saturday, further undermining a truce meant to mark the Muslim Eid al-Adha religious holiday. The bombardment came on the second day of the truce called by internationa...

By Alan Baldwin GREATER NOIDA, India | Sat Oct 27, 2012 7:30am EDT GREATER NOIDA, India (Reuters) - Formula One championship leader Sebastian Vettel roared to pole position at the Indian Grand Prix on Saturday as Red Bull flexed their muscles with a third successive one-two sweep in qualifying. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, Vettel's closest challeng...

By Alan Baldwin GREATER NOIDA, India | Sat Oct 27, 2012 7:18am EDT GREATER NOIDA, India (Reuters) - Ferrari moved to placate angry Indian authorities on Saturday with an assurance that a navy flag on their Formula One cars was not a political statement of support for Italian sailors detained for killing local fishermen. The Italian navy flag will...

By Robert-Jan Bartunek BRUSSELS | Sat Oct 27, 2012 7:00am EDT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Iran has canceled a European Parliament delegation visit to Tehran after the group asked to meet two Iranian activists awarded a top EU rights prize, a parliament spokeswoman said on Saturday. The decision came after senior officials at the parliament, which on Fri...

PAUKTAW, Myanmar | Sat Oct 27, 2012 6:33am EDT PAUKTAW, Myanmar (Reuters) - Boatloads of Muslims struggled to reach refugee camps and sought safety on islands and in coastal villages on Saturday as Myanmar tried to put out the fires of a week of sectarian unrest that has shaken its fragile democratic transition. Dozens of rickety wooden vessels packed wi...

DUBAI | Sat Oct 27, 2012 4:44am EDT DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri has called on Muslims to kidnap Westerners, join Syria's rebellion and to ensure Egypt implements sharia, SITE Monitoring reported on Saturday, citing a two-part film posted on Islamist websites. The Egypt-born cleric, who became al Qaeda leader last year after the dea...

By Patrick Johnston KUALA LUMPUR | Sat Oct 27, 2012 3:59am EDT KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Tiger Woods found lakes, bunkers and cart paths to stall his third round charge up the CIMB Classic leaderboard on Saturday, as Bo Van Pelt grabbed a share of the lead after flirting with golf's magical 59. Defending champion Van Pelt double-bogeyed the last t...

NINGBO, China | Sat Oct 27, 2012 3:47am EDT NINGBO, China (Reuters) - Police dispersed more than a thousand protesters in the eastern Chinese city of Ningbo on Saturday who were demonstrating against plans to expand a petrochemical plant. The protests, which had turned violent on Friday, illustrate a major challenge for the leadership as it readies for i...

By Steve Ginsburg DETROIT | Sat Oct 27, 2012 2:43am EDT DETROIT (Reuters) - After losing the first two games of the World Series in San Francisco, the Detroit Tigers are delighted to be hosting Game Three at Comerica Park on Saturday. The Tigers are undefeated in four post-season games at Comerica in 2012 and their 50 home wins in the regular sea...

By Alexei Oreskovic and Alistair Barr SAN FRANCISCO | Fri Oct 26, 2012 11:46pm EDT SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The firing of Citigroup stock analyst Mark Mahaney on Friday in the regulatory fallout from Facebook Inc's initial public offering was greeted with shock and dismay in Silicon Valley, where Mahaney was a well-known and well-liked figure. "...

By Larry Fine Fri Oct 26, 2012 10:42pm EDT (Reuters) - A remarkable odyssey has taken Ryan Vogelsong to baseball's grandest stage with the chance to put a stranglehold on the World Series for the San Francisco Giants in Saturday's Game Three against the Tigers in Detroit. The 35-year-old Vogelsong has toiled in parts of 10 seasons in the minor leagues, pi...

LOS ANGELES | Fri Oct 26, 2012 8:56pm EDT LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The one-time confidante of Britney Spears said he crushed up drugs in the pop singer's food to help her sleep and disabled her phone lines during the height of her meltdown five years ago, Spears' mother testified on Friday. Lynne Spears told the Los Angeles jury in a civil trial that Sam ...

By Steve Ginsburg DETROIT | Fri Oct 26, 2012 8:54pm EDT DETROIT (Reuters) - Detroit's perceived advantage in pitching evaporated during the first two games of the World Series and now the Tigers find themselves facing the San Francisco Giants' hottest starter in Game Three on Saturday. The Tigers entered the Fall Classic well-rested and were able...