SCOTLAND, UK - The 2012 Church of Scotland / ACTS Autumn Conference ‘Ecumenism in an Age of Change’ was held in Augustine United Church, Edinburgh on Saturday 27 October. This was a particularly enjoyable day with over 80 ecumenical enthusiasts gathering to share fellowship, experience and good practice. The key speaker was Natasha Klukach, Programme Executive of the World Council of Churches, who spoke of ‘Belonging to a Global Network’. Natasha presented a clear eyed view of the major ecumenical issues and initiatives of our time, including preparations and hopes for the 2013 WCC Assembly in Busan, South Korea. Her presentation led to lively discussion and left the group encouraged and inspired.

UK - For many Eurosceptics, Wednesday night’s vote in Parliament was a watershed moment which unambiguously sets Britain on the road to eventual exit from the European Union. Even among pro-Europeans, there is a growing sense of resignation. On the current trajectory, it now seems more likely than not that Britain will be out of Europe by the end of the next parliament. Sooner or later, Britain’s relationship with Europe is going to have to change fundamentally if further progress is to be made. The question is whether it makes sense to pull the plug now, or whether there is more to be gained from a wait-and-see approach.

NASA - Our planet's protective magnetic bubble may not be as protective as scientists had thought. Small breaks in Earth's magnetic field almost continuously let in the solar wind — the stream of magnetic, energized plasma launched by the sun toward the planets — new research has found. "The solar wind can enter the magnetosphere at different locations and under different magnetic field conditions that we hadn't known about before," Melvyn Goldstein, an astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a statement. Charged particles in the solar wind can interrupt GPS signals and power systems, as well as create dazzling auroras.

USA - US military commanders have warned their Israeli counterparts that any action against Iran would severely limit the ability of American forces in the region to mount their own operations against the Iranian nuclear programme by cutting off vital logistical support from Gulf Arab allies.

US naval, air and ground forces are dependent for bases, refuelling and supplies on Gulf Arab rulers who are deeply concerned about the progress Iran has made in its nuclear programme, but also about the rising challenge to their regimes posed by the Arab spring and the galvanising impact on popular unrest of an Israeli attack on Iran.

EUROPE - Britain is deeply opposed to the draft European Union budget and is threatening to veto it. Germany too has its doubts. The two countries could torpedo the upcoming EU summit, but Chancellor Merkel is eager to find a compromise. Prime Minister David Cameron, on the other hand, has his hands tied - and a protracted battle may ensue.

EUROPE - The European debt crisis and related austerity measures continue to drive up unemployment across the euro zone. In September, according to statistics released on Wednesday, fully 18.5 million people were without work in the common currency area, more than ever before. The trend toward spiking unemployment rates was particularly strong in those countries suffering the most under the ongoing euro-zone debt crisis. Between September 2011 and the same month a year later, the unemployment rate in Spain rose from 22.4 percent to 25.8 percent and in Portugal from 13.1 to 15.7 percent. In Greece, unemployment rose from 17.8 to 25.1 percent from July 2011 to July 2012, the last figures available for the country.

USA - Russia’s Central Election Commission chief has ranked the American electoral system among the “worst in the world.” One of the main problems with the US electoral system is the lack of transparency, Vladimir Churov argues in an article published in Wednesday’s issue of Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

USA - While high winds and rain brought on by superstorm Sandy tormented residents along much of the East Coast, the state of West Virginia was blanketed in a freak snowstorm as a result of the weather. Roughly a quarter of a million people across West Virginia lost power on Monday as Sandy caused extreme weather conditions across a large chunk of the US. In the town of Webster Springs, residents were forced to endure upwards of 17 inches of snow, a rare occurrence in the state for this time of year. Additionally, the AP reports that more than 30 local highways were closed by snow, ice, high water, and downed trees and power lines.

USA - As New York struggles to recover from Hurricane Sandy, there’s at least one victim of the destruction no one will be sad to see go. According to reports, a large portion of the city’s teeming rat population may have drowned in the floodwaters that filled the subways, tunnels and basements of Lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. Sam Miller, a spokesman for the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, emailed back the reassurance that the city has ‘not seen an increase in rats above ground caused by Hurricane Sandy.’

USA - When Hurricane Sandy struck New York, it washed away years of scientific research from the New York University School of Medicine, including genetically modified mice, enzymes, antibodies and DNA strands. The hospital, which is among the best research facilities in the country, had not prepared to evacuate during the storm. But after a power outage left the facility in the dark, the building was forced to evacuate, leaving valuable research materials behind. The hospital’s generators were outdated and placed in ineffective areas. Thousands of mice that had been genetically modified and used for cancer research drowned when the building on E. 32ndSt. flooded. Many of the mice had taken years to produce.

USA - A major oil spill has occurred in the strait of water separating Staten Island, NYC and the state of New Jersey. The spill, of more than 300,000 gallons of diesel fuel, reportedly occurred in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. The Coast Guard said the incident occurred in the Arthur Kill tidal strait as fuel leaked from the Motiva oil tank facility, according to a report by NBC New York. Some 200 people have been working to contain the spill. Oil has already started to wash up on a nearby shore, authorities said.

ISRAEL - Iran’s decision to produce fuel rods from a third of its medium-enriched uranium stockpile delayed its alleged nuclear weapon program, says the Israeli defense minister. But Tel Aviv continues to advocate a military solution to halting it. The Iranian move, which clearly clashes with its alleged goal of obtaining a nuclear bomb as soon as possible, is just a temporary set-back in Israel’s eyes and apparently does not change its aggressive rhetoric. Defense Minister Ehud Barak estimates that Israel and its allies will have to take decision over a military solution of the stand-off in “eight to ten months”, because sanctions and diplomacy will fail to curb Iran’s nuclear ambition, Britain's Daily Telegraph cites the minister as saying.

UK/EUROPE - Dozens of Conservative MPs will today urge David Cameron to defy Brussels and demand a cut or a freeze in the vast EU budget. The move comes amid increasing signs that the Prime Minister is preparing to ‘drop the V-bomb’ – use Britain’s veto – for a second time.

WASHINGTON, USA/BERLIN, GERMANY - Regardless of who will win the presidential elections in the United States, German political observers are not anticipating a change of course in US foreign policy. "It is essentially immaterial who wins," predicts an expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP).

USA - Storm damage projected at £12 billion [latest estimate $50 billion]. Ten people in New York among the dead. Many killed by falling trees. President Barack Obama has declared a 'major disaster' in New York and Long Island