By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Dan Williams GAZA/JERUSALEM | Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:57am EST GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said it was poised to escalate attacks on the Gaza Strip on Sunday following a surge of rocket and mortar salvoes by Hamas and other Palestinian factions. A missile strike wounded four Israeli troops on jeep patrol along the Gaza b...

By Dan Williams JERUSALEM | Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:43am EST JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli forces fired into Syria on Sunday in what the military called a warning, after stray munitions from fighting between Syrian troops and rebels hit the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The incident, described by Israel Radio as the first direct engagement of the Sy...

By Patrick Werr CAIRO | Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:42am EST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's government has proposed tax changes and reducing energy subsidies to cut a budget deficit running at about 11 percent of gross domestic product, Egyptian newspapers reported. The austerity steps, certain to be unpopular, are part of an economic program drawn up in part ...

CEYLANPINAR, Turkey | Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:35am EST CEYLANPINAR, Turkey (Reuters) - Syrian helicopters and artillery bombarded the Ras al-Ain area near the border with Turkey on Sunday, days after Free Syrian Army rebels captured it during an advance into the northeast, opposition campaigners said. Helicopters fired rockets at a grain storage area near the...

By Aung Hla Tun YANGON | Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:10am EST YANGON (Reuters) - An earthquake struck central Myanmar on Sunday near its second-biggest city, Mandalay, killing at least six people, with the death toll likely to rise as part of an unfinished bridge fell into the Irrawaddy River and several workers were missing. The earthquake, put at magnit...

By Michael Martina BEIJING | Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:09am EST BEIJING (Reuters) - China's films are taking a hit from a trade deal that allows for more U.S. movie imports, the country's broadcast regulator said on Sunday, with their share of the box office take sliding even as the industry's total revenues outpace those of last year. The movie pact, w...

SINGAPORE | Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:07am EST SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Rory McIlroy followed in the footsteps of Ryder Cup team mate Luke Donald when he became the second player to win the money list crowns in both Europe and the United States on Sunday. World number one McIlroy finished third at the Singapore Open to secure the European Tour Race to Dubai title ...

By Rania El Gamal DOHA | Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:05am EST DOHA (Reuters) - Syrian opposition groups have signed an initial agreement to form a new coalition of forces fighting to end the rule of President Bashar al-Assad, Syrian delegates at talks in Doha said on Sunday. "An initial deal has been signed. The evening session will be for electing the pr...

By Patrick Johnston SINGAPORE | Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:04am EST SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Two Asian Tour golfers say they have been made to feel like traitors by fellow competitors for challenging the circuit's policy to fine members who play on the rival OneAsia Tour. Malaysian Danny Chia and Guido Van der Valk of Netherlands have both incurred penaltie...

By Michael Winfrey and Lefteris Papadimas ATHENS | Sun Nov 11, 2012 6:58am EST ATHENS (Reuters) - When Greece's government pushed through a law last week aimed at slashing public wages and raising taxes, its biggest threat was not the firebrand opposition or the 100,000 protesters thronged at the gates of parliament. It was the assembly's workers...

By Michael Holden and Kate Holton LONDON | Sun Nov 11, 2012 6:42am EST LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's BBC must undergo a radical overhaul in the wake of "shoddy" journalism which led to the resignation of its chief or its future will be in doubt, the head of the state-funded broadcaster's governing body said on Sunday. Chris Patten, chairman of the...

By John O'Brien SINGAPORE | Sun Nov 11, 2012 6:40am EST SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Italian teenager Matteo Manassero displayed all the nerve and experience of a seasoned veteran to edge out Louis Oosthuizen on the third hole of a playoff and claim a thrilling Singapore Open victory on Sunday. The first two days of the $6 million co-sanctioned event we...

KABUL | Sun Nov 11, 2012 5:52am EST KABUL (Reuters) - A roadside bomb killed a family of six, including a baby born just hours before, in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, local officials said. The family was leaving a maternity hospital in Khost province in a pick-up truck when the bomb exploded, said a statement from the office of the provincial governor....

By Michael Winfrey and Harry Papachristou ATHENS | Sun Nov 11, 2012 5:50am EST ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece is expected to approve a 2013 budget on Sunday that includes unpopular spending cuts and tax hikes so it can receive an international aid payment and avoid insolvency. The parliamentary vote is a test of confidence in Prime Minister Antonis Sa...

By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN | Sun Nov 11, 2012 5:36am EST AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordan's former spy chief, once one of the country's most feared and powerful officials, was sentenced to 13 years in prison on Sunday in the first high-profile case from an anti-corruption crackdown driven by popular protests. Retired General Mohammad al-Dahabi, who ran...

By John O'Brien SINGAPORE | Sun Nov 11, 2012 5:22am EST SINGAPORE (Reuters) - World number one Rory McIlroy finished with a flourish at the Singapore Open on Sunday when a monster eagle putt at the par-five 18th lifted the Briton up to third place, but like all champions, he was disappointed not to win. McIlroy struggled to maintain his focus and...

By Ben Blanchard BEIJING | Sun Nov 11, 2012 4:05am EST BEIJING (Reuters) - China's top official in charge of fighting copyright piracy on Sunday slammed what he said was deliberate distortion of the problem by the Western media caused by the country's poor global image, saying important facts had been ignored. Foreign governments, including the U...

Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:22am EST (Reuters) - Ten-time all-star Paul Pierce stepped up late in the game to help the Boston Celtics grind out a hard fought 96-92 away victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Saturday. Having lost to the Bucks eight days earlier, the Celtics dished out a little payback with Pierce notching up nine rebounds and...

By Richard Cowan WASHINGTON | Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:08am EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The "fiscal cliff," a metaphor drawn from nature, was actually created by members of the U.S. Congress, who designed it to be so horrible that they and the president would come to their senses and avert it in the nick of time. That time is now with the start this wee...

TOKYO | Sat Nov 10, 2012 10:13pm EST TOKYO (Reuters) - Sharp Corp aims to raise the output from its Kameyama No.2 plant to near 100 percent, from a current 30 percent, as early as the end of 2012, by mass producing larger, high definition, power-saving IGZO screens, the Yomiuri newspaper said on Sunday. The Kameyama plant makes IGZO displays, which consu...

By Aung Hla Tun YANGON | Sat Nov 10, 2012 10:02pm EST YANGON (Reuters) - A major earthquake measuring 6.6 magnitude struck central Myanmar on Sunday, around 60 km (37 miles) northwest of the city of Mandalay, the U.S. Geological Survey said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the quake, which was initially measured at 7.0 ...

By Dan Levine Sat Nov 10, 2012 10:01pm EST (Reuters) - Apple Inc and HTC Corp announced on Saturday a global patent settlement and 10-year licensing agreement that ends one of the first major conflagrations of the smartphone patent wars. Apple sued HTC in 2010, accusing the Taiwanese handset company of infringing on the iPhone maker's patented technology....

Sat Nov 10, 2012 9:08pm EST Washington State junior wide receiver Marquess Wilson said Saturday he left the school's football program earlier this week because of alleged abuse by the coaching staff. "It is with a heavy heart that I announce my decision to forgo playing football for Washington State University," Wilson said in a statement. "I realize the school i...

LOS ANGELES | Sat Nov 10, 2012 8:36pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Judy Garland's blue and white gingham dress from "The Wizard of Oz" sold for $480,0000 at a Beverly Hills auction on Saturday, while a slice of Prince William's wedding cake fetched $1,375. Julien's Auctions said the price for the pinafore dress and white puffy-sleeved blouse that Garland ...

By Michael Holden and Kate Holton LONDON | Sat Nov 10, 2012 8:30pm EST LONDON (Reuters) - BBC director general George Entwistle resigned just two months into the job, after the state-funded broadcaster put out a program denounced by its chairman as shoddy journalism. The BBC, reeling from revelations that a former star presenter was a paedophile,...

By Jonathon Burch CEYLANPINAR, Turkey | Sat Nov 10, 2012 7:26pm EST CEYLANPINAR, Turkey (Reuters) - Gun and mortar fire could be heard on Saturday from the Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain two days after it fell to rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad, and refugees who had fled to Turkey said they feared retribution from the air. Lad...

HAMBURG | Sat Nov 10, 2012 7:25pm EST HAMBURG (Reuters) - World heavyweight champion Vladimir Klitschko was made to go the distance against Polish challenger Mariusz Wach but earned an unanimous points decision on Saturday to retain his four title belts. The 36-year-old Ukrainian, who holds the IBF, IBO, WBO and WBA crowns, was never seriously troubled b...

By Martyn Herman LONDON | Sat Nov 10, 2012 5:53pm EST LONDON (Reuters) - Towering Argentine Juan Martin del Potro snapped Roger Federer's three-year unbeaten sequence at the ATP World Tour Finals on Saturday to earn a semi-final against world number one Novak Djokovic at the season-ending showpiece. Del Potro, fresh from beating the Swiss in the ...

By Martyn Herman LONDON | Sat Nov 10, 2012 5:46pm EST LONDON (Reuters) - Andy Murray's tearful defeat in his first Wimbledon final proved the catalyst for the Scot's golden summer, according to Roger Federer, the man who crushed Murray's hopes that day in July. Federer's ruthless display on Centre Court to win a seventh Wimbledon title was a mass...

By Nidal al-Mughrabi GAZA | Sat Nov 10, 2012 5:26pm EST GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli tank fire killed four Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Saturday after militants blew up an Israeli army jeep with an anti-tank missile, wounding four soldiers. Palestinian fighters retaliated by firing rockets into southern Israel and an Israeli air strike targeted ...

LOS ANGELES | Sat Nov 10, 2012 5:23pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop star Justin Bieber and his girlfriend, Selena Gomez, a Disney actress and singer, have broken up, ending a relationship that made them one of Hollywood's most high-profile young couples, media reports said. Bieber, 18, and Gomez, 20, disclosed their relationship in February 2011 when t...

By Kevin Gray MIAMI | Sat Nov 10, 2012 5:12pm EST MIAMI (Reuters) - With almost all ballots in Florida counted, U.S. media on Saturday projected President Barack Obama the winner in that state four days after he won Tuesday's national election. Florida brings his total of electoral votes to 332 versus 206 for Republican challenger Mitt Romney.Flo...

Sat Nov 10, 2012 4:31pm EST (Reuters) - Charlie Beljan checked out of a Florida hospital after a major health scare and retained his Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic lead on Saturday. Beljan, hospitalized after suffering an elevated heart-rate and shortness of breath at the tournament in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, shot a one-under 71 for a 203 total a...

Sat Nov 10, 2012 4:01pm EST (Reuters) - South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin has landed a $25.7 million bid from the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have 30 days to negotiate a contract with the Hanwha Eagles player, the National League team said on Saturday. "We are thrilled to have this exciting opportunity," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti told Major League Basebal...

Sat Nov 10, 2012 3:36pm EST (Reuters) - IBM, which is being sued by chemicals manufacturer Avantor Performance Materials for fraud and breach of contract in connection with a software project, said the accusations were blown out of proportion and that it was surprised by the move. "We believe the allegations in the complaint are exaggerated and misguided and are ...

By Peter Rutherford MACAU | Sat Nov 10, 2012 2:54pm EST MACAU (Reuters) - Kickboxing champion Cung Le let his fists do the talking for once with a devastating one-punch knockout of Rich Franklin in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's first event in China early on Sunday. Le's win in the main event at Macau's Venetian hotel takes him a step close...

LONDON | Sat Nov 10, 2012 2:24pm EST LONDON (Reuters) - Windsurfing has reclaimed its place in the Olympic program after the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) voted on Saturday to reinstate it at the expense of kiteboarding. The ISAF decided to retain men's and women's windsurfing at the governing body's annual general meeting in Dun Laoghaire, Ire...

Sat Nov 10, 2012 2:21pm EST (Reuters) - Washington manager Davey Johnson has agreed to return for another season with the Nationals, the Major League Baseball team said on Saturday. The 69-year-old Johnson, the oldest manager in the Majors, steered the young Nationals to a Major-League best 98-64 record and the National League East title before falling in the fir...

MADRID | Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:51pm EST MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's conservative prime minister and the leader of the opposition aim to agree measures on Monday to stop banks evicting homeowners after a woman's suicide before her property was repossessed caused public outrage. "No one should be without a home for not being able to pay," Alfredo Perez Rubalca...

By Tom Brown MIAMI | Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:44pm EST MIAMI (Reuters) - The wife of Alan Gross, the U.S. contractor jailed in Cuba for crimes against the state, said she hopes President Barack Obama's re-election will soon help lead to her ailing husband's release from the communist-ruled country. Gross, 63, has been locked up in Cuba since December 2...