Nine arrests in Walmart protest, business still brisk

By Jessica Wohl

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Nine people were arrested near a Walmart store in California on Friday as part of national protests for the rights of hourly workers, even as the world's largest retailer enjoyed what it said was its best ever start to the holiday shopping rush.

Hundreds of protesters, including some Walmart workers who skipped their shifts on the retail industry's busiest day, spoke, chanted and sang outside of Walmart stores around the United States, making pleas for higher wages and better healthcare for Walmart hourly workers.

OUR Walmart, an organization backed by the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) union, said it counted 1,000 protests in 46 U.S. states, including strikes in 100 cities - figures that Walmart said were "grossly exaggerated."

There was no evidence that such activity disrupted what appeared to be a strong start for Wal-Mart Stores Inc to the crucial holiday shopping season.

The arrest of nine people in Paramount, California, who told law enforcement they intended to be arrested, occurred at around 12 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET), well after the rush of specials that kicked off at 8 p.m. the night before and culminated with a 5 a.m. round of deals on "Black Friday," the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season.

Nine people, who refused to leave the street, were peacefully arrested for refusal to disperse, said Captain Mike Parker of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Three of those arrested were striking Walmart workers, OUR Walmart said.

Other demonstrations were smaller and less disruptive. At a Walmart on Chicago's South side, just one employee from the store's nearly 500 staff took part in the demonstration, according to Walmart. There, four busloads of protesters marched outside and were not stopped by police or security guards.

Many of the demonstrators were not Walmart workers, but were supporters such as Candice Justice, a retired teacher who stood with dozens of others in Chicago on Friday morning.

Walmart said it was aware of a few dozen protests on Friday, and said the number of workers that missed scheduled shifts was "more than 60 percent less than Black Friday last year."

The team organizing the protests disagreed.

"Right now there are hundreds and hundreds currently on strike," Dan Schlademan, director of Making Change at Walmart, a campaign anchored by the UFCW, said on Friday afternoon. He said he could not provide a specific number of striking workers.

'SAM WALTON WAS A GOOD MAN'

Walmart said five workers of the 250 scheduled to work at the Paramount, California store skipped shifts on Friday, while OUR Walmart said 18 did so.

One shopper leaving the store with his girlfriend said that the protest might deter him from shopping at Walmart again.

"We need to put ourselves in their shoes. I probably won't shop here; I don't think they should take advantage of workers," said Joe Tegue, a 30-year-old contractor.

For its part, Walmart said it recorded its best Black Friday events ever, with more shoppers than last year and nearly 10 million register transactions between 8 p.m. Thursday and 12 a.m. Friday. It said it sold more than 1.8 million towels, 1.3 million TVs and some 250,000 bicycles.

Shares of Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart rose 1.9 percent to $70.20 on Friday, outpacing the gains in the broader stock market during a shortened trading session.

Rosetta Brown, who has been with the company for 15 years and works at the Sam's Club in Cicero, Illinois, joined the protest and lamented how employees are treated now compared with the era of company founder Sam Walton.

"Sam Walton was a good man ... Walmart passed away with him," she said. Walton opened the first Walmart store in 1962 and died in 1992.

The Chicago worker who protested, Tyrone Robinson, said he earns $8.95 an hour working in the produce department, and that his shifts have been cut back to less than 40 hours per week.

Wal-Mart filed an unfair labor practice charge against the UFCW with the National Labor Relations Board last week in a bid to thwart the protests. Days later, OUR Walmart filed its own charge with the NLRB, saying the retailer was illegally attempting to deter workers from participating in strikes.

More allegations of violations are expected to be filed with the NLRB in the coming days, Schlademan said.

The NLRB regional office completed its investigation on Wednesday and submitted a report for further legal analysis, NLRB Director of Public Affairs Nancy Cleeland said on Friday.

"We don't expect to have any announcements or decision today or during the weekend," she said. (Additional reporting by Dana Feldman in Paramount, Calif., David Morgan in Washington and Jon Nielsen in Dallas,; writing by Ben Berkowitz; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe, Matthew Lewis and Bob Burgdorfer)

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Kobayashi sets up website to try and raise F1 funds

By Alan Baldwin

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Kamui Kobayashi, Japan's only current Formula One driver, is hoping a website campaign can help raise the funds to keep him on the starting grid next season after being dropped by the Sauber team.

Speaking to reporters at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix on Friday after Sauber announced Mexican Esteban Gutierrez would be taking his place in 2013, Kobayashi did his best to sound confident.

"We see I think still some seats that are available so we try to get a seat," he said. "If we can find some sponsors I think it is easier."

Kobayashi said money, or rather his lack of it, was "the main issue for sure" in why Sauber, who have several Mexican sponsors, had opted for Gutierrez alongside Germany's Nico Hulkenberg.

"This is Formula One," shrugged the Japanese, the son of sushi restaurant owner, who arrived in Formula One with Toyota support but no other backing and joined Sauber when the carmaker pulled out at the end of 2009.

"For Sauber it is my last race but for myself I think it is different.

"Everybody looks really worried but I don't really worry at the moment, I try to work hard to get sponsors and find out what's available for next year's seat."

Kobayashi, an extrovert overtaker, has huge popularity in Japan after finishing third for Sauber in his home race at Suzuka this season but he has suspected for some time that he would not be kept on at the team.

He said he was trying to harness some of the goodwill at home through a 'www.kamui-support.com' website, with the url posted on his Twitter account to 93,000 followers, offering wristbands in exchange for a donation.

"Suzuka had more than 100,000 people at the race... over the three days we had 200,000," said Kobayashi, comfortably Japan's most successful grand prix driver by career points scored.

"I think we have a lot of potential to get some money from the fans as well. It has been just two days but it's going to help my career for sure."

Force India, Caterham and Marussia still have seats available but all have made it clear that they are looking for sponsorship money as part of the deal. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ken Ferris)

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Ten Tottenham fans injured in Rome attack

By Cristiano Corvino

ROME (Reuters) - Ten supporters of English soccer club Tottenham Hotspur were injured, one of them seriously, during an attack in Rome in the early hours of Thursday ahead of a Europa League match against Serie A side Lazio, police said.

The 10, nine British and one American, were attacked outside a pub near the centre of Rome by dozens of masked men. One suffered injuries to an artery and is in a serious condition.

The match ended 0-0 but a group of Lazio supporters chanted "Juden Tottenham, Juden Tottenham" when the game got underway and unfurled a banner saying "Free Palestine".

Tottenham have a large contingent of Jewish supporters while Lazio have long had fans with extreme right-wing sympathies.

"We will have to wait and see if there is anything to act upon," Tottenham coach Andre Villas-Boas told reporters. "If there is, UEFA have to act."

European football's governing body UEFA fined Lazio 40,000 euros last month for racist chanting directed at black players in a match against Tottenham in London in September.

A local resident who witnessed the violence outside the pub earlier on Thursday and called the police said the assailants appeared to have planned the attack.

"The Italians were very organised, with helmets, bats, even balaclavas. There were much fewer of the English," Giuseppe Tamborra said.

"I saw four people lying on the ground, one with his forehead cut open from here to here, probably with a stool taken from the bar."

The attack took place at the Drunken Ship, a popular tourist pub, which was left wrecked by the fight according to photographs published in Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport which showed piles of smashed and overturned bar stools and a pool of blood on the cobblestones outside.

"PURE DELINQUENCY"

Commenting on their Facebook page the American owners of the bar, located in the central square of Campo dei Fiori, called the incident a "tragedy" and said they would consider claiming damages.

Italian newspaper La Repubblica described the scene as "urban warfare" and said up to 100 Lazio 'Ultras' - hard core fans of the club - had attacked the pub.

However, police said that among 15 Italians detained were two fans of AS Roma, Lazio's bitter city rivals, who were charged with violence and grievous bodily harm.

Lazio issued a statement saying any suggestion that the assailants were Lazio supporters was "totally groundless".

It said the episode was "pure delinquency" that had nothing to do with football and called for those responsible to be punished.

Some Italian media reports said the attack may have been politically motivated given the politics of many Lazio supporters, while many fans of the north London side claim a Jewish identity for the club, some referring to themselves as the "Yid Army".

Tottenham fan Dave Illesly said he had left the bar shortly before the violence started.

"That is the trouble with football you never know, when you come abroad to foreign countries trouble comes to you," Illesly said.

(Additional reporting by Massimiliano di Giorgio, Naomi O'Leary and Gavin Jones; Editing by John Mehaffey and Alison Wildey)

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Asian shares set for weekly gain as outlook improves

By Alex Richardson

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian shares marked time on Friday but were on course for a weekly gain of nearly 2 percent, after manufacturing surveys from China and the United States raised hopes that the global growth outlook is improving at last.

The euro was also enjoying a positive week, despite data on Thursday pointing to the euro zone sliding into its deepest recession since 2009, with the currency standing up around 1 percent on last Friday's close on optimism that a funding deal for debt-choked Greece will ultimately be agreed.

Activity was subdued across financial markets on Friday, with exchanges in Japan and the United States closed for holidays.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan was little changed, with a rise of 0.2 percent in South Korean shares balanced by a similar percentage decline in Australian stocks.

The MSCI index was up around 1.9 percent on the week.

The euro eased about 0.1 percent to around $1.2870 and was steady versus the yen, not far below a six-and-a-half month high against the Japanese currency scaled in the previous session.

Thursday's HSBC flash Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for China, which showed expansion in the factory sector accelerating for the first time in 13 months, gave a broad lift to riskier assets such as commodities, with oil, copper and gold all on course for weekly gains.

(Editing by Eric Meijer)

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Burglar of Steve Jobs' house admits to eight break-ins

By Malathi Nayak

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A former salesman who lost his job and ended up homeless admitted in a plea deal on Wednesday to burglarizing Steve Jobs' house and seven other homes in a crime spree capped by his break-in at the late Apple founder's Silicon Valley residence.

In return for his plea of "no contest," legally equivalent to a guilty plea in California, Santa Clara County prosecutors agreed to recommend that Kariem McFarlin, 35, be sentenced to no more than seven years and eight months in prison.

Jailed since his arrest in August, McFarlin would otherwise face a maximum penalty of more than 16 years behind bars when he returns to court for sentencing on January 17, his lawyer said.

McFarlin was originally charged with one count of burglary and one count of receiving stolen property for the July 17 break-in and theft that occurred at Jobs' home while the house was unoccupied and undergoing renovations.

More than $60,000 in jewelry, along with several computers and Jobs' wallet were stolen in the burglary, which came nine months after the high-tech executive had died at age 56 following a lengthy battle with cancer.

The house in Palo Alto, about 30 miles (48 km) south of San Francisco, had briefly become a shrine for admirers who left flowers outside in the weeks after Jobs' death. McFarlin apparently had no idea the English country-style home belonged to Jobs when he entered the property, authorities said.

The investigation that followed led authorities to a storage locker where McFarlin had stashed stolen goods from previous burglaries he was found to have committed since March of 2011.

The various cases were combined, and he ultimately pleaded no contest to eight counts of first-degree burglary, including the Jobs break-in, and one count of receiving stolen property.

Like Jobs' house, McFarlin had singled out other homes that appeared temporarily vacant during construction or renovation in upscale San Francisco Bay-area communities. Authorities said McFarlin had spent the night in some of them.

A college graduate who once played football for San Jose State University, McFarlin had held steady jobs in sales for 15 years before ending up unemployed, defense attorney James Kellenberger told reporters after Wednesday's hearing.

"After he lost his job, he ended up homeless and living in a car," Kellenberger said.

Police initially tracked down McFarlin with help from Apple investigators, who noticed an iPad stolen from the Jobs house was connected to the company's servers on July 18, the morning after the burglary, according to court documents in the case.

The user of the iPad was re-installing the operating system, and by tracing the Internet connection, police found McFarlin's home in Alameda, just south of Oakland.

Shackled and dressed in green prison garb on Wednesday, McFarlin appeared expressionless through the proceedings and said little except to answer, "no contest," when asked how he would plead to the charges.

(Reporting By Malathi Nayak; Editing by Steve Gorman and Andrew Hay)

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Justin Bieber will not face charges from paparazzo run-in

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Teenage pop star Justin Bieber will not face charges for an alleged altercation with a man who was taking photos him at a suburban shopping center in May, Los Angeles prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Deputy District Attorney Mara McIlvain said in a report there was "insufficient evidence for proof beyond a reasonable doubt" that the Canadian singer scuffled with paparazzo Jose Hernandez-Duran before leaving the shopping center with his girlfriend, actress Selena Gomez.

The photographer accused Bieber, 18, of leaving a van to kick him in the abdomen and punch him in the face. Officials called to the scene in Calabasas, 30 miles (48 km) west of Los Angeles, found no apparent injury or trauma to the photographer.

A later doctor's evaluation indicated "minor swelling" to the photographer's right cheek and "redness" on his lower abdomen but labeled the injuries "superficial."

McIlvain's report indicated that Bieber became frustrated when photographers obstructed his vehicle as he attempted to leave the shopping center. He then left the vehicle, charged at Hernandez-Duran and fell after taking a swing at his camera.

Witnesses told investigators they could not determine if Bieber had struck Hernandez-Duran, who kept on taking photos of the singer after the incident. They said the photographer was approached by a lawyer soon after the run-in.

McIlvain said there were no photos of a scuffle between Bieber and Hernandez-Duran, even though many photographers were present.

Bieber's publicist could not immediately be reached for comment.

The pop star swept the American Music Awards on Sunday, winning three, including the top prize of the night, and performed live during the show.

(Reporting By Eric Kelsey, editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and David Brunnstrom)

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Henry could return for third Arsenal spell, says Wenger

LONDON (Reuters) - Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry could be on his way back to the north London club for another spell on loan from New York Red Bulls in January, according to manager Arsene Wenger.

"He has been practising with us," Wenger said on the club's website (www.arsenal.com) on Tuesday. "Will I sign him again in January? I don't know. I don't rule it out. He is sharp."

Arsenal's 228-goal record scorer, now 35, returned to the club last January, netting against Leeds United in the FA Cup and grabbing a late winner at Sunderland in the Premier League.

Wenger was delighted with Henry's impact and believes he could be a valuable asset if he came back for a third spell, especially if the club lose Ivory Coast striker Gervinho and Morocco forward Marouane Chamakh to the African Nations Cup.

"Last year I did it because we lost Gervinho. It was a good connection. This year we lose Gervinho again as they are playing in the Africa Cup of Nations two years in a row," said Wenger whose team have suffered an indifferent start to the season.

"So we will be confronted with a shortage. Particularly if Chamakh should go. I cannot stand in his way. Then we will be short," added the Frenchman ahead of Arsenal's Champions League match at home to Montpellier on Wednesday.

Wenger knows Henry, who has finished the season in the United States after his Red Bulls team lost to D.C. United in Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference semi-finals earlier this month, is influential both on and off the pitch.

"You know what he gives you. He gives you hope, especially when he comes on. That is the most important thing," he said.

"He is a communicator. An extrovert. Very intelligent. He can only give good advice to players because he was in their position when he arrived here." (Writing by Ken Ferris; Editing by Nick Mulvenney)

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Australia's Watson left out for second South Africa test

ADELAIDE (Reuters) - Australia's Shane Watson has failed in his bid to prove his fitness for the second test against South Africa and was left out of an unchanged team for the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.

The 31-year-old all rounder missed the drawn first test in Brisbane with a calf injury but had hoped to play as a specialist batsman in the second, which starts on Thursday.

"At this stage we think he's a couple of days short of his best," Australia captain Michael Clarke told a news conference.

"Our job is to get him fully right and we've now got eight days until the third test in Perth."

Lefthander Rob Quiney, who made nine in his single innings on debut at the Gabba, keeps his place in the side and is again likely to bat at number three.

Paceman Ben Hilfenhaus has also retained his position in the team with left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc again handed the 12th man spot he had in Brisbane.

Team - Michael Clarke (captain), David Warner, Ed Cowan, Rob Quiney, Ricky Ponting, Mike Hussey, Matthew Wade, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Pattinson, Nathan Lyon. (Reporting by Ian Ransom, writing by Nick Mulvenney)

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Red carpet, choppers champagne greet Formula One in Texas

By Melanie Warner

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Celebrities and well-heeled Formula One fans from around the world hit art shows, book signings, fashion shows and parties this weekend in the Texas capital that is hosting the first U.S. Grand Prix in five years.

The glittering off-track events to celebrate Sunday's Formula 1 race are a change of pace from the gritty, hip gatherings that typically accompany the city's well-known extravaganzas such as Austin City Limits Music Festival and the South by Southwest film, music and interactive festivals.

"The response has been extraordinary, surpassing even our most confident expectation," said Nicholas Frankl, who has produced Formula One parties in Monaco, Cannes, Abu Dhabi, Miami and London.

Frankl's bash at the downtown Ballet Austin complex, with ticket prices ranging to more than $9,000, featured gold-infused Comte de Mazeray bottles of champagne. New and vintage Lamborghinis lined the event's parking lot.

At the Full Tilt Fashion Show at the W Hotel, attendees paying $300 got a champagne and cocktail brunch, a see-and-be-seen red-carpet entrance and a show with designs by Hugo Boss, Versace and Austin designer Linda Asaf.

"It becomes like an intercultural exchange," said designer Paulo Moore, an Austin resident originally from Argentina who also has lived in Switzerland and Monaco. "I feel like I'm a citizen of the world and is opening this huge window so we can cater to and accommodate different people."

More than 100,000 spectators were expected to watch the race, according to the Austin American-Stateman, which also quoted a race official as saying some 120,000 tickets had been sold as of Thursday.

Frankl said three-quarters of the attendees were from out-of-town or international.

Circuit Of The Americas, which is hosting the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix, said celebrities expected to attend included filmmakers George Lucas and Ron Howard, actors Kyle Chandler, Luke Wilson, Patrick Dempsey and Matthew LeBlanc, musician Enrique Iglesias and former U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly.

Many VIP attendees were arriving by helicopter to the six helipads at the $400 million Circuit Of The Americas facility, arranged by Charlie Bravo Charter, whose owner said 500 flights were scheduled for the weekend.

Formula One legend Mario Andretti was one of those who arrived by helicopter. Andretti, 72, said although the track has the best design for spectators that he has seen, he doesn't expect a "big wow" from foreign visitors.

"The Formula One contingent is very used to being in the Taj Mahal," said Andretti, a Circuit Of The Americas ambassador. "Nothing is going to impress them." (Editing by Corrie MacLaggan,Ellen Wulfhorst, Doina Chiacu)

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Huge plumes of smoke were seen billowing the Gaza sky Huge plumes of smoke were seen billowing the Gaza sky after five days of incessant bombing which Israel says is aimed at deterring Hamas fighters from launching rockets into its territory. The violence escalated after Israel killed a Hamas military commander in a raid on Wednesday. Fears are also growing of a ground assault by Israel as thousands of Israeli troops backed by armour massed along the border. "We are extracting a heavy price from Hamas and the terror organisations... The army is prepared to significantly expand the operation," Netanyahu said at the weekly cabinet meeting. The Israeli military said its aircraft had targeted dozens of underground rocket launchers overnight, "causing severe damage to the rocket launching capabilities of Hamas and other terror organisations". It said that its navy had also shelled Gaza. Egypt, meanwhile, stepped up efforts to achieve a truce as it hosted Palestinian and Israeli officials for ceasefire talks. French diplomat Fabius meanwhile termed it "an emergency situation" and pleaded that "war must be avoided". While US President Barack Obama declared that he respects Israel's right to defend itself, British Foreign Secretary William Hague warned Israel that a ground assault by it may cost it international support. Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi also warned that an Israeli ground invasion would have "serious repercussions". He said Egypt would never accept it "and neither will the free world". PTI WAJ DDC

From DJ EU Officials Spain Aid Cap Of 100 Bn Euros 'should Be Enough'

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Cop-turned-chain snatcher arrested

Visakhapatnam, Nov 17 (PTI) A suspended constable of Andhra Pradesh Special Police (APSP), wanted in over fourteen chain-snatching cases, was today arrested, police said. About 200 grams of gold ornaments and a motorcycle was recovered from the accused, police said. The accused- 30-year-old Nokku Prabhakar, a native of Madhurawada here, was earlier attached to APSP's 13th battalion at Adilabad and was suspended from duties few months ago for alleged misbehaviour, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Mohamoud Khan told reporters here. Prabhakara wanted to lead a lavish life and in order to earn quick money, he started snatching gold chains and was arrested in August, but was later released on bail, Khan said. But after his release, he again started snatching chains and was also involved in burglary cases. Police caught Prabhakar today while he is trying to steal goods from a house in the city. During the interrogation, Prabhakar confessed that he was responsible for several chain snatching cases. The accused would be before court tomorrow, police said. PTI CORR NP

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Villagers block road after local girl hit

Nahan, Nov 17 (PTI) A 21-year-old woman was critically injured when she was hit by a stone tossed up by the tyre of a truck passing through Rajpur village, following which villagers blocked the Rajpur-Badhana main road for over five hours today, police said. Neelam (21) was rushed to Paonta civil hospital and her condition was serious, DSP Paonta N S Negi said. The driver of the truck fled from the scene, after which agitated villagers blocked the main road, the DSP said. The administration and police persuaded the people to lift the blockade and normal traffic resumed at 6:00 PM, Negi said. He said the villagers agreed to end their agitation after Assistant Engineer of PWD assured them that steps would be taken to ensure that such incidents do not occur again. PTI PCL MNS

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