 | SPD nominate Steinmeier as chancellor candidate
At a special party caucus in Berlin, Germany's Social Democrats have nominated Frank-Walter Steinmeier with 95 percent approval to be the party's chancellor candidate in expected elections next autumn. In his nomination speech, the current vice-chancellor and foreign minister called on the delegates to rally behind the party. One-time party head Frank Müntefering was reinstated as party chairman after retiring from politics nearly a year ago. The Social Democrats hope the duo will be able to reverse the party's current downward trend in the polls. |  | | Iraqis protest US troop presence
Thousands of Iraqis have taken to the streets to protest a draft security agreement between Iraq and the United States. In the capital Baghdad, a crowd of Shiites burned effigies of US leaders, and demanded the immediate withdrawal of American troops. The protests – organised by supporters of the radical Shiite cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr – come as US and Iraqi leaders seek to close a deal on the continued presence of American soldiers in Iraq. al-Sadr has called on the Iraqi parliament to reject the pact, which would reportedly extend the American presence until 2011. The current mandate for US forces in Iraq expires at the end of December. | | | Sarkozy at Camp David to seek finance change
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso are at Camp David near Washington. They are to meet with US President George W. Bush to discuss the ongoing global financial crisis. The French president, backed by other European leaders, is pushing for an overhaul of the world's financial system. He arrived at Camp David from Canada where he and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper called for an international summit to address the issue by year's end. The White House has said it would not yet commit to such a summit or any new policy proposals. | | | Tens of thousands attend Haider funeral
Tens of thousands of Austrians have paid their final respects to divisive far-right politician Jörg Haider. The Alpine country's top politicians attended the funeral of the former 58-year-old Carinthian province governor in the city of Klagenfurt. Haider died one week ago in a car crash while driving under the influence of alcohol at twice the speed limit. The populist leader of the Alliance for the Future of Austria party was a polarising figure due to his anti-immigrant stance and revisionist views of the Nazis. | | | Insurgents kill Russian soldiers in Caucasus
Insurgents in the Russian province of Ingushetia have killed at least two Russian interior ministry troops and wounded five more. The militants ambushed a convoy on Saturday in the Caucasus region. An opposition Web site said the death toll was much higher and that numerous vehicles were destroyed in the attack. Russian officials in Moscow and in Ingushetia could not be reached for comment about the claim. Ingushetia is a poor, mainly Muslim republic that has experienced an overspill of violence from neighbouring Chechnya. | | | Zimbabwe asks neighbours to help save power-sharing deal
Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvagirai says power sharing talks with President Robert Mugabe are to continue on Monday. The two leaders have so far failed to reach a compromise on the allocation of key ministries in a unity government. Ex-South African President Thabo Mbeki, who is mediating the talks, said the two sides were not deadlocked, despite four days of inconclusive negotiations. Officials from several African nations, representing the Southern African Development Community, are to meet in Swaziland on Monday to try to broker an agreement. Tsvangirai has refused to accept a government in which Mugabe controls all of the nation's security forces. | | | China eases restrictions on foreign journalists
China's official news agency says the communist country is easing restrictions for foreign journalists. Xinhua News Agency says the new rules will allow foreign correspondents to interview Chinese citizens without applying for special permission from the government. China first lifted the requirement during the Beijing Olympics in August. The new announcement makes the temporary arrangement permanent. | | | US and Russia to consider further caps on nukes
The US State Department says it will hold talks with Russia next month on whether to renew a treaty to limit the two powers' nuclear arsenals. The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, also known as START, was signed in 1991, and caps the number of nuclear weapons the two powers can maintain. The treaty expires next year, and Moscow has been pressuring Washington to extend it. The State Department said the two parties would meet in Geneva in mid-November to consider the issue. | | | NATO convoy attacked in western Afghanistan
NATO forces in Afghanistan say a suicide bomber has attacked one of the alliance's convoys in the western province of Herat, injuring several soldiers. NATO did not elaborate on the number of casualties, or what nationality they were. The car bomb exploded at the gates of a base that is run by Italian and some Spanish troops. Afghan authorities said no Afghans were hurt. | | | F1: Hamilton claims pole position for Shanghai
In Formula One motor racing, Britain's Lewis Hamilton has taken pole position for Sunday's Shanghai Grand Prix. The current leader in the drivers' standings could wrap up the championship this weekend, if he wins and nearest competitor Felipe Massa finishes outside of the top four. Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen of Finland will begin the race in second position, while his Brazilian team mate, Massa, will start in third. Massa trails Hamilton by five points in the overall standings, with two races left in the season. | | | | |
European Leaders Meet Bush to Discuss Economic Turmoil
