U.S. goes from F1 wasteland to land of promise

By Steve Keating

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Once a Formula One wasteland, the United States is suddenly being viewed as a land of promise for the world's glamour circuit with F1 commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone calling for up to three races in the U.S.

After a five-year hiatus, F1 makes its long-awaited return to America this weekend, resurrecting the U.S. Grand Prix and along with it hopes that the series may finally be ready to conquer a market it has long coveted.

With the newly constructed $400 million Circuit of the Americas providing the spectacular beach head, a successful race in the Texas capital could pave the way for even more grands prix in the U.S. with possible races in New York and Los Angeles.

F1 teams up and down the Austin paddock could not hide their delight at being back in the U.S. while Ecclestone gushed a new found enthusiasm for a market he had once dismissed.

"The Americas are probably big enough to have five or six grands prix," Ecclestone told reporters. "We're trying to get something sorted out in New Jersey/New York, we've had a lot of requests.

"Maybe we can do something in LA (Los Angeles) in the future.

"It's a shame it (New Jersey) didn't go through as planned, it won't happen in 2013 and hopefully we can resurrect it in 2014."

Unable to find a permanent home, F1 has barnstormed its way around the U.S. with Austin becoming the 10th city to host the series after Sebring (Florida), Riverside (California), Watkins Glen (New York), Phoenix (Arizona), Dallas (Texas), Detroit (Michigan), Las Vegas (Nevada), Long Beach (California) and Indianapolis (Indiana).

But with the country's first purpose built F1 track already drawing rave reviews and a 10-year contract in place, the series appears ready to take up residence in Texas while looking to spread the F1 gospel to the rest of the country.

"It is imperative to stay here a long time and consider this as a starting point," Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali told reporters. "We have the duty to teach the American public the sport.

"For me the most important thing from now, this weekend forward, is to make sure our American friends speak about Formula One every day."

Teams would not be against three stops in the U.S., which is the biggest market for many outfits, including Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes Benz.

"It's crucial for Formula One to be a true world championship you've got to have a race in America, said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner. "For the first time ever we've got a circuit that's been specially made to bring out the best and showcase Formula One cars.

"It's a crucial race for Red Bull. America is Red Bull's biggest market."

Certainly, F1 will have to produce more than one good race weekend if it is to stake out a place on the ultra-competitive U.S. sporting landscape.

Ecclestone admits he does not know why F1 is so popular in some countries yet virtually ignored by others, including the U.S.

"It's a strange thing I don't no, no idea," said Ecclestone. "When I arrived here the guy at customs said, he had not heard of Formula One."

In Texas, NASCAR is king and it is likely more eyeballs and television remotes will be focused on Homestead, Florida where the Chase championship will also be decided on Sunday.

Forcing their way into the U.S. sporting spotlight will not be easy but it is fight F1 teams say they are up for.

"We have to make sure, as Formula One as a whole that we put on a show this weekend and over the coming years we build this into a fantastic event, which clearly the foundations are here," said McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh.

"This is the country of the automobile and we've never come here and done a good enough job to create interest.

"We have a very different product from NASCAR, I see NASCAR reaching their exciting finale this weekend which is an unfortunate coincidence but I think we have to work very hard to be as commercially smart as NASCAR to compete.

"We've got to now work very hard we sell it (Formula One) in America in a way we haven't done in the past."

(Editing by Julian Linden)

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Czechs level with holders Spain in Davis Cup final

By Jason Hovet

PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych brought the hosts level at 1-1 with holders Spain in the Davis Cup final with a battling five-set victory over Nicolas Almagro on Friday.

The first day split leaves everything to play for in the reverse singles on Sunday.

Spain, without the injured Rafa Nadal, are bidding for a fourth Davis Cup crown in five years, while the Czechs are aiming to become the first country in 22 years to win men's and women's team titles in the same season.

"We opened the chance for Sunday. That's a good step for us," Berdych said.

The top Czech player, ranked sixth in the world, used his booming serve to good effect and drew inspiration from the vocal home support to win 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-7 6-3.

Earlier, Spain's top player David Ferrer beat Radek Stepanek 6-3 6-4 6-4 in an equally hard-fought opening match.

Berdych and Stepanek are expected to team up for Saturday's doubles match against the Spanish duo of Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez, who are just coming off a doubles victory at the ATP Tour Finals.

World number 11 Almagro pushed Berdych all the way and won the fourth set tiebreak with one of his 21 aces but the Spaniard's brave resistance was finally broken by the 6ft 5in (196 cm) Czech.

"I messed it up a bit," Berdych said of the fourth set. "I gave him too much of an advantage in the tiebreak. So I was really looking forward to playing with this crowd at my back. It is an amazing feeling."

Berdych delivered 13 aces of his own and was the first to break serve in the eighth game on his way to winning the first set. But in the second, Almagro found his own serve and had a well-timed backhand winner that broke Berdych.

Berdych used his power game in the third set to force Almagro into a few costly mistakes, with the Spaniard committing 53 unforced errors in the 3 hour, 58 minute match.

SPANISH RUN

The Czechs have been keen to avoid a repeat of their last clash with Spain in the final, when they were crushed 5-0 on the clay courts of Barcelona in 2009.

They are trying to win a first Davis Cup title since Czechoslovakia lifted the trophy in 1980.

Spain, meanwhile, have won five cups since 2000, and looked ready to cruise to this year's title after the opening match.

With Nadal sidelined by a knee injury, the Spanish are relying on Ferrer, 30, who just finished the best season of his career and, at fifth, is the highest ranked player in the final.

Stepanek struggled to impose himself on the Spanish number one, who fought off the Czech's mid-set rallies.

"It wasn't a stroll by any means, it cost me a lot of effort. Above all it was hard for me to finish off the points," Ferrer told Spanish television.

Ferrer looked at ease on the indoor hard court the Czech team picked for the final in the anticipation that its pace would favour the home nation.

The Czechs were also hoping to benefit from the support of 13,000 fans at the O2 Arena - the same venue where the Czech women lifted the Fed Cup trophy two weeks ago.

(Additional reporting by Iain Rogers in Madrid; Editing by Ken Ferris and Nick Mulvenney)

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Circuit to provide spectacular stage for F1 showdown

By Steve Keating

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The $400 million Circuit of the Americas stepped into the spotlight on Thursday as Formula One's best surveyed the track that could crown a driver's champion and breathe life into a sport largely ignored in the United States.

The eyes of the motor racing world will be focussed on Texas this weekend as Formula One returns to the U.S. after a five-year hiatus with the Circuit of the America's providing a spectacular stage for what could be a dramatic finish to the season and the start of a new era for the glamour series in a market it is determined to conquer.

Unfamiliar ground to every driver, the undulating 5.516km (3.4 mile) circuit carved out of the south Texas scrublands will provide a level playing as Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel tries to fend off a challenge from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and clinch a third consecutive driver's championship.

Unable to find a suitable long-term venue, Formula One has barnstormed its way around the U.S. with Austin becoming the 10th city to host a race after Sebring (Florida), Riverside (California), Watkins Glen (New York), Phoenix (Arizona), Dallas (Texas), Detroit (Michigan), Las Vegas (Nevada), Long Beach (California) and Indianapolis (Indiana).

But even before one of the sleek cars had turned a wheel on the track, Formula One's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone gave the circuit two thumbs up, hopeful that the long search for a permanent U.S. home had finally come to an end.

"It looks very much like a permanent circuit and I hope it remains permanent as far as Formula One goes," praised Ecclestone. "We have a contract and we would be happy to stay here.

"It's absolutely first class. All things we wanted to get done have been done.

"We've taken the good bits from all the different circuits and tried to put them together. It should make good racing."

Until Thursday, most drivers' view of the circuit had come in simulators used to help familiarize them to the 20 turn layout.

But after getting their first look at the circuit the two words most commonly used to describe the twisting track were, "challenging" and "interesting".

"I think everyone has done simulation," said McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, the last driver to win a U.S. Grand Prix back in 2007 in Indianapolis. "It is quite a difficult track and quite difficult to learn initially but it looks fantastic to drive.

"I really started to enjoy it once I got use to it but it took perhaps a little longer than some of the other circuits to learn.

"It's going to be very interesting this weekend."

Vettel had also tested in a simulator but reserved judgment on the circuit until he gets out in a race car for first practise on Friday.

"By the looks of it, it looks quite interesting but there is always the feeling you get inside the car which is the important so I am looking forward tomorrow," said the German.

"Before anything happens we have to make sure we get the maximum on Friday and Saturday because the points are there to grab on Sunday. Not before."

Vettel, who will be competing in his 100th grand prix, must finish Sunday's race with 15 more points than his Spanish rival, which can be produced by many combination of results.

A sixth victory this season would give Vettel the title if Alonso places outside the top four. Should Alonso fail to score a point Vettel must still finish at least third to keep the title from going down to the final race of the season in Brazil on November 25.

While Vettel may hold a slight advantage in the standings, Alonso believes he has the edge when it comes handling the pressure having four times entered the final races of the season fighting for a title.

"In 2006 I arrived at the last race fighting with Michael (Schumacher) in Brazil," recalled Alonso. "It was a quite stressful and intense weekend.

"In 2007, it was also a very stressful last race fighting three for the world championship and in 2010 we arrived Abu Dhabi fighting for world championship in the last race. I was much more calm there and confident.

"Now in these last two races I feel completely normal...this is the fourth time we fight for the world championship hopefully until the last race.

"We will concentrate on our job and try to do a good weekend and fight for the championship in Brazil. In my case I cannot do anything thing here, I can only save this match point and wait for Brazil."

(Editing by Julian Linden)

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Walking, cycling may ease cancer-related fatigue: study

REUTERS - People who have been treated for cancer often have lingering fatigue, but regular walking or cycling might help boost their energy, according to a UK study that looked at more than two thousand people.

The long-lasting tiredness of cancer patients has been blamed both on the cancer itself, including cancer-related pain, and on the effects of treatments such as chemotherapy. Prior studies point to talk therapy, nutrition counseling and acupuncture as possible remedies.

But light-to-moderate exercise has the advantage of being something people can do on their own time, for little or no cost, said the researchers, whose findings appeared in The Cochrane Library.

"We're not expecting people to go out and be running a mile the next day," said Fiona Cramp, who worked on the analysis at the University of the West of England in Bristol.

"Some people will be well enough that they're able to go for a jog or go for a bike ride, and if they can, that's great. But we would encourage people to start with a low level."

Cramp and her colleague James Byron-Daniel pooled findings from 38 studies that directly compared more than 2,600 people with cancer-related fatigue who did or didn't go through an exercise program.

The majority of that research looked at women with breast cancer and the type of exercise program varied, from walking or biking to weight training or yoga. More than half of the studies included multiple exercises or allowed participants to choose their own type of physical activity.

The amount of prescribed exercise ranged from two times per week to daily workouts, lasting anywhere from ten minutes to two hours, depending on the study.

When they combined the results, the researchers found physical activity both during and after cancer treatment was tied to improved energy. In particular, aerobic exercise such as walking and cycling tended to reduce fatigue more than resistance training.

"What we do know is there will be an appreciable difference; the average patient will get a benefit from physical activity," Cramp said, though the actual benefit will vary.

For example, there were exercise-related benefits for people with breast cancer and prostate cancer, although not for those with leukemia and lymphoma.

"Some of the hematologic patients may not have the reserves to always tolerate the aerobic exercise," said Carol Enderlin, who has studied fatigue and cancer at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock.

"They do not always have the oxygen carrying capacity, for instance," because the disease and treatment affect blood cell counts. For those people, non-aerobic exercise or exercise at a lower does may be a better option, added Enderlin, who was not part of the research team.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/TMV6SC

(Reporting by Elaine Lies)

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Formula One romance lost on Americans

By Steve Keating

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Americans have had a long-standing love affair with the car but the romance of Formula One, that sets hearts of motor sports fans around the world a flutter, has never managed to get pulses racing in the United States.

After a five-year hiatus, F1 returns to the United States this weekend for the U.S. Grand Prix at the $400 million Circuit of the Americas, where Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel can clinch a third successive driver's title.

As jet-setters, high rollers and A-listers descend on Austin, the quirky Texas capital is gearing up for a week that will see an estimated $220 million poured into the state economy.

Hotel rooms, if one can be obtained, are going at triple the normal rates while rental car companies are soldout and requests for reservations at one of the city's top restaurants are met with a laugh.

In the United States, however, the appeal of motor racing's glamour circuit has somehow been lost on the country that sells more Ferraris and Porsches than any other and it is likely more eyeballs will be focused on Homestead, Florida on Sunday where NASCAR's Chase championship will be decided.

"The truth is we find that there is no crossover," Eddie Gossage, the president of Texas Motor Speedway near Dallas, which hosts two of NASCAR's biggest races, told Reuters.

"NASCAR fans tend to look down their nose at Formula One fans and Formula One fans tend to look down their nose at NASCAR.

"It's apples and sausages, it's not even apples and oranges they are so unlike each other.

"First of all road racing isn't an American sport, oval racing is.

"It's like soccer in this country. It has never succeeded and I don't think it will ever succeed because it is not our game.

"It's not an American sport and that is never going to change."

The U.S. has been a market Formula One covets but is also one that commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone has viewed as more of a luxury than a necessity as the circuit searched out new venues to expand its global brand.

But the teams, car manufacturers and sponsors have not been so cavalier about the importance of having a U.S. race on the calendar with all of them keen to return to one of their biggest markets.

Once focused on wooing over NASCAR and IndyCar fans, F1 now appears more intent on catering to its base in yet another attempt to crack the U.S. market, with the Austin venue the 10th to host the race.

"They need to be here," said Gossage.

"It's the world's largest economy and Formula One is a global sport so it's an obvious hole on their schedule."

Gossage, whose track attracts more than 140,000 spectators to each race, said he was unthreatened by Formula One's appearance in Texas and wished U.S. Grand Prix promoters luck, then added they would probably need it.

"I think a lot of people were surprised about Austin it isn't a large market or an international market," he said of the Texan state capital.

"I think it will be quite successful this year the question is can it sustain that success.

"You look at the history of Formula One in the U.S. and it has never maintained any degree of success in the last 30 years.

"I hope they can but it is going to be a challenge ...they (Formula One) haven't made it easy for themselves."

(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)

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Stocks hit by U.S. fiscal fears, weak yen lifts Nikkei

By Alex Richardson

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian stocks mostly fell on Thursday, taking their lead from a drop in Wall Street shares as investors reacted to the prospect of drawn-out negotiations to avert the looming U.S. "fiscal cliff" by shedding riskier assets.

The retreat from risk also weighed on commodities, with the exception of oil, which jumped in the previous session due to rising tensions in the Middle East after Israel launched an offensive against Palestinian militants in Gaza.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.5 percent. But Tokyo's Nikkei rose 0.6 percent as the lift given to exporters by a sharp fall in the yen the previous day outweighed global concerns.

"U.S. stocks fell, and there are concerns about the developing situation in Israel, so sentiment is cautious and the outlook is cloudy and unclear," said Kenichi Hirano, operating officer at Tachibana Securities in Tokyo.

U.S. stocks fell more than 1 percent on Wednesday after President Barack Obama reiterated his call for the wealthy to pay higher taxes, setting the stage for a tough budget battle with Congressional Republicans.

Investors fear that the package of tax increases and spending cuts mandated to come into force next year if a deal is not agreed - the so-called fiscal cliff - will pitch the world's biggest economy back into recession.

Currency markets were little changed in early Asian trading, with the euro steady around $1.2730 and the yen at 80.17 to the dollar.

The yen had fallen the most against the dollar in two months on Wednesday after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda indicated he would call a snap election for next month.

Japan's main opposition Liberal Democratic Party, which favours further monetary policy easing by the central bank, leads in opinion polls and the prospect of an early election is regarded as negative for the yen.

U.S. crude traded down a few cents around $86.25 a barrel. Benchmark Brent crude had risen more than 1 percent on Wednesday towards $110 a barrel after Israel launched airstrikes in retaliation from rocket attacks on its territory, killing the military chief of Hamas.

Gold eased 0.1 percent to around $1,724 an ounce.

(Additional reporting by Dominic Lau and Lisa Twaronite in Tokyo; Editing by Michael Perry)

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Accuser recants sex claims against Elmo puppeteer - report

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The man who claimed he had underage sex with the puppeteer behind "Sesame Street" character Elmo recanted his claims on Tuesday, U.S. media reported.

The unnamed man, now 23, had claimed that Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash had a sexual relationship with him when the accuser was 16 years old, potentially engulfing one of the biggest childhood brands in an underage sex scandal.

"He wants it to be known that his sexual relationship with Mr. Clash was an adult consensual relationship," the law firm Andreozzi and Associates, who represent the man, told U.S. media outlets in a statement.

Clash, 52, who had denied the allegations, said in a statement obtained by Reuters on Tuesday: "I am relieved that this painful allegation has been put to rest. I will not discuss it further."

New York-based Sesame Workshop said on Monday that its own inquiry had concluded that the claims of underage sexual conduct against Clash were unsubstantiated.

"We are pleased that this matter has been brought to a close, and we are happy that Kevin can move on from this unfortunate episode," Sesame Workshop said in a statement on Tuesday.

Clash, 52, the voice of Elmo for nearly three decades, had acknowledged a past relationship with his accuser but said on Monday the pair were both consenting adults at the time. He termed the allegations "false and defamatory."

"I am a gay man. I have never been ashamed of this or tried to hide it," Clash said on Monday, saying he was taking a break from the TV show to deal with the situation.

Sesame Workshop said the allegations involving Clash came to its attention in June when the accuser first contacted the company by email. A company executive said it had found "absolutely no evidence that the allegations were true."

The Elmo character debuted on "Sesame Street" in 1979. While Clash was the third performer to animate the child-like shaggy red monster, Sesame Workshop credits him with turning Elmo into the international sensation he became.

(Reporting By Eric Kelsey and Piya Sinha-Roy, editing by Jill Serjeant and Cynthia Johnston)

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Row flares over global fight against fake medicine

By Ben Hirschler

LONDON (Reuters) - A group of experts calling for a global treaty to stop the lethal trade in fake medicines has been barred from attending a World Health Organisation meeting, highlighting deep divisions that are blocking progress on the subject.

Leading academics and health professionals hoped to provoke debate on the need for a new international law to prevent falsified and substandard drugs reaching the market with a paper published in the British Medical Journal on Wednesday.

Their article, which sets out a clear case for a fake drugs treaty similar to existing ones on money laundering and human trafficking, comes a week before 100 states hold the first meeting of its kind to discuss the problem in Buenos Aires.

But lead author Amir Attaran of the University of Ottawa said he was told on Monday by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that he and other non-governmental representatives could not attend, following an objection by India.

A WHO spokeswoman declined to comment on the details of particular invitations but said it was up to member states to determine who was permitted to attend. Indian officials, whose government is wary of multinational drug firms using the issue to curb competition, were not immediately available for comment.

Attaran called it a "scandal" that only government officials would be at the meeting in Argentina to discuss strategy.

The clash exposes distrust among governments, the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare campaigners about how to tackle fake and dangerous medicines, which are a growing problem in both poor countries and rich. Risks include ineffective material packaged as medication and real drugs made in poor conditions.

In developing countries, the WHO estimates that more than 10 percent of medicine may be fake or substandard, with bogus malaria drugs a particular threat in parts of Asia and Africa.

But the danger is real in the rich world, too.

Earlier this year, fake vials of Roche's cancer drug Avastin were found in the United States, while a recent U.S. meningitis outbreak, due to contaminated steroid injections, shows the country is not immune to quality problems.

In the European Union, medicines are now the top illicit product seized at the border and authorities have found fake versions of drugs purporting to come from companies including Sanofi, Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca.

LAW TOUGHER ON TOBACCO THAN FAKE DRUGS

The need for action seems clear enough - but advancing the debate involves navigating some big divides.

India, whose large drugs industry produces cheap generic versions, is concerned that Western governments backed by Big Pharma are using the fight against fakes as a cover to restrict trade in unpatented medicines much needed by the world's poor.

Some health activists support New Delhi's charge that worries about counterfeit drugs are being hijacked by "Big Pharma" global pharmaceutical companies to protect their profits and patented products against legitimate generic competitors.

In east Africa, for example, international drug companies have taken advantage of anti-counterfeiting laws that are sometimes poorly drafted to curb sales of otherwise legitimate generics, threatening the availability of essential drugs.

India is particularly resistant to any role for pharmaceutical firms in setting the agenda, and Brazil has expressed similar concerns in the past.

Given the distrust, the authors of the paper in the BMJ - who include leaders of nursing, pharmacy and public health bodies - argue there is a need to find neutral ground to address what appears to be a gaping hole in international law.

They point out that thanks to a new convention on tobacco control, international law is now tougher on counterfeit cigarettes than it is on fake medicines.

"We hope that this will form the basis for getting some consensus on a definition of counterfeit drugs, which would then be transferable into a legal instrument," said another of the paper's authors, Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The lack of a treaty means there is no agreement on which medicines are illegal and criminals can do business in countries where laws or enforcement are lax. There is also no requirement for police and prosecutors to cooperate across borders.

(Editing by Alastair Macdonald)

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First map produced of universe 11 billion years ago

By Chris Wickham

LONDON (Reuters) - An international team of astronomers has produced the first map of the universe as it was 11 billion years ago, filling a gap between the Big Bang and the rapid expansion that followed.

The study, published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, shows the universe went through a phase roughly three billion years after the Big Bang when expansion actually started to slow, before the force of so-called 'dark energy' kicked in and sent galaxies accelerating away from each other.

Much is known about the immediate aftermath of the Big Bang from studies of its afterglow in the cosmic background radiation, and its accelerating expansion over several billion years can be seen with a look at the way distant galaxies are moving.

"Only now are we finally seeing its adolescence... just before it underwent a growth spurt," said Mat Pieri at the University of Portsmouth in Britain, one of the authors of the study.

Little is known about dark energy, and its counterpart dark matter, but astronomers argue the force must exist to account for the speed at which the universe is expanding. Together, dark energy and dark matter are believed to make up about 96 percent of the universe.

The new study supports the theory that dark energy was somehow created as the universe expanded, by detailing a period when gravity was winning the tussle and slowing the expansion.

"If we think of the universe as a roller coaster, then today we are rushing downhill, gaining speed as we go," said Pieri. "Our new measurement tells us about the time when the universe was climbing the hill - still being slowed by gravity."

The map, the work of 63 scientists from nine countries, was compiled using a novel technique for studying the intense light from 50,000 distant quasars as it passes through clouds of hydrogen in space on its way to Earth.

They produce a picture of the ancient universe in same way thousands of flashlight beams would light up a bank of fog.

"The quasars are back-lights," Pieri told Reuters, and the way the gas in front of them absorbs some of the light allows astronomers to get a detailed picture of these distant clouds of gas known as the intergalactic medium.

The study is the first fruit from a five-year project started in 2009. The team, from the third Sloan Digital Sky Survey, expect to expand the survey with light from about 160,000 quasars by the end of the project.

"We're essentially measuring the shadows cast by gas along a series of lines, each billions of light-years long," said Will Percival, a cosmology professor the University of Portsmouth.

"The tricky part is combining all those one-dimensional maps. The problem is like trying to recognise an object from a picture that's been painted on the quills of a porcupine," he said.

(Editing by Michael Roddy)

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Asian shares pressured by uncertainty over U.S., Greece

By Chikako Mogi

TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares eased on Tuesday, under pressure from worries about a U.S. fiscal policy standoff and deepening uncertainty over the euro zone's debt crisis as global lenders held back from giving further aid to debt-stricken Greece.

The euro remained on the defensive at $1.2705, hovering near a two-month low of $1.2690 touched on Friday. That in turn pinned the dollar near a two-month high of 81.10 hit on Monday against a basket of key currencies.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan inched down 0.1 percent, with Australian shares falling 0.3 percent.

Japan's Nikkei average opened up 0.4 percent after six days of decline. South Korean shares also opened slightly higher.

"Investors will ... be taking a wait-and-see attitude ahead of the political wrangle over the fiscal cliff," said Chun Jong-kyu, an analyst at Samsung Securities.

Although worries about the U.S. fiscal cliff -- nearly $600 billion worth of spending cuts and tax increases set to kick in early 2013 -- are preoccupying markets, analysts also note that the effects of aggressive quantitative easing by the U.S. Federal Reserve may be showing up in recent economic data.

Data has suggested that growth in China, the world's second-largest economy, may be picking up, with exports to China from South Korea and Taiwan growing in October, and that the United States is on a moderate recovery path.

Societe Generale analyst Sebastien Galy said the risk is not to overlook at a rapid divergence in economic indicators which show some countries are doing better than others.

Overnight, U.S. shares ended nearly flat in a light session while European shares ended lower.

Uncertainty over when Greece will get a crucial financial bailout kept markets nervous and boosted demand for safe-haven German bonds, which held near two-month highs on Monday.

Euro zone finance ministers gathered in Brussels did not agree to disburse more money to Greece on Monday, as expected. The euro zone and the International Monetary Fund clashed over a longer-term target date to shrink the country's debt pile, but Greece's international lenders agreed to give the country two more years to make the cuts demanded of it.

European Union officials said euro zone finance ministers will meet again on November 20 to discuss Greece.

U.S. crude futures fell 0.2 percent to $85.44 a barrel.

Oil slipped in choppy trading on Monday, as markets balanced concerns about U.S. fiscal problems against geopolitical tensions and strong oil demand in China.

(Additional reporting by Hyunjoo Jin in Seoul)

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NSE reports brisk trading in gold ETFs on Dhanteras

Mumbai, Nov 11 (PTI) The National Stock Exchange saw brisk trading in gold ETFs on the occasion of Dhanteras today recording a turnover of Rs 1,337 crore against Rs 636 crore on the same day last year. In terms of volume, the number of gold ETF (exchange traded fund) units traded went up by 81 per cent to 4,441 kg (each unit of ETF is equal to one gram of gold) over the same day last year, the exchange said in a release. Dhanteras is considered an auspicious day to buy precious metals like gold and the exchange held a special trading session today. Overall also, the volume in gold ETFs on the exchange have been going up. In the January-July period, the average monthly traded value in Gold ETFs on NSE grew by 28 per cent to Rs 1,195 crore against Rs 933 crore in the same period in 2011. Gold ETFs carry an advantage over physical gold like 99.5 per cent purity assurance. Currently, 14 Asset Management Companies offer this product on the NSE platform. PTI SM ABC SHS BSM

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Kenyan police ambush toll rises to 26

Nairobi, Nov 11 (AFP) The police death toll from an ambush on Kenyan officers in the north of the country more than doubled to 26 today after more bodies were found. Locals in the northern district where the initial attack took place also said that fighting between police and gunmen had continued for a second day. The previous police death toll from yesterday's attack on officers pursuing cattle thieves was 11. But a police source who did not want to be identified told AFP: "More bodies have been recovered -- the total is now 29" -- including 26 police officers and three bandits. "Of the 18 bodies found this afternoon, 15 are policemen," added the source. The remoteness of the northern Baragoi district, where the attack took place, explained why it took a day after the attack for the bodies to be discovered, said the source. Witnesses to the attack told AFP that the attackers had used heavy weapons against the police officers. "More than 20 people were killed, new bodies were taken away and the fighting continued all day (today)," one resident, Paul Lenaimadu, told AFP. "Now we fear (police) reprisals because the force that is going to be used to pursue the cattle thieves is not going to be directly only against them and a lot of innocents will suffer," he added. The group of rustlers police were pursuing were already suspected of killing 13 people in another raid on October 30. They only set out after the rustlers when a deadline for the return of the cattle expired. (AFP) KUN

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Girlfriends, bikes, cellphones to blame for mishaps: Raman

Sat, Nov 10, 2012 at 23:32

Girlfriends, bikes, cellphones to blame for mishaps: Raman

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Girlfriends, bikes, cellphones to blame for mishaps: Raman

Girlfriends, bikes, cellphones to blame for mishaps: Raman

Like this story, share it with millions of investors on M3

Girlfriends, bikes, cellphones to blame for mishaps: Raman

Girlfriends, bikes, cellphones to blame for mishaps: Raman

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Raipur, Nov 10 (PTI) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh today kicked up a controversy when he blamed "girlfriends, bikes and mobile phones" for the rising cases of road accidents in the state. Speaking at a seminar on 'Road Safety' at a medical institute, he expressed concern over rising number of youths dying in road mishaps. "If there is a good motorcycle, a good mobile and a good girlfriend then accidents are bound to happen," the chief minister said. He said nearly 55 to 60 per cent road accident victims are youth. "It's a common sight to see youngsters driving two-wheelers while talking on cellphones which often leads to accidents. Youths should avoid such habits," Singh said. He lamented that while people are ready to spend thousands of rupees to buy motorcycles but are reluctant to purchase helmets which cost just a few hundred rupees. Opposition Congress was quick to condemn Singh's remarks terming them as a ploy to divert attention from government's failure to curb road accidents. Leader of Opposition in Assembly Ravindra Chaube said bad roads and corruption in transport department are main reasons for fatalities on road. PTI SNG RSY NSK KAS BSM

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Spanish woman rape case: Stolen money, valuables recovered

Mumbai, Nov 10 (PTI) City police, probing the Spanish musician rape case, today recovered the stolen money and valuables from the residence of the accused even as the victim left for her country. "A Sony camera, 70 Euros, 50 pounds, 17 cents, a Titan Raga watch and 2 American diamond earrings were among the things recovered from the residence of the accused at Reay Road in south Mumbai," Additional police commissioner Vishwas Nangare Patil said. The accused, Mohammad Badshah alias Anwar Mohammed Ismail Ansari, has confessed to the crime and is now in police custody, Patil said adding that "the victim left for her country on Thursday evening". Police have also recovered a mobile which the accused had stolen on the same night from another house before committing the offence at the residence of Spanish lady. During identification parade at Arthur Road jail on Thursday, the victim identified him as the one who robbed and sexually assaulted her after breaking into her flat in suburban Bandra in the early hours of Monday. Ansari has been booked for various offences including Sections 452 (house trespass), 392 (robbery), 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural sex) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Incidentally, Ansari had been arrested on October 27 for committing robbery at the residence of Bollywood actor Dino Morea but was later granted bail in this case. The accused, who is a habitual offender, was also externed from the city last year.PTI VM ABC KAS BSM

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