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

UK - A world wine shortage has been predicted after forecasts that production would slump to its lowest level in at least 37 years following inclement weather that ruined grape harvests across the globe. The fall is likely to push up prices, as demand exceeds supply, and see Italy overtake France – where the flow of wine is set to dry up by nearly a fifth - as the largest producing country. Production is expected to fall by 24% in Argentina, with Spain, Hungary and New Zealand also suffering reductions, according to the figures.

USA - As of Monday, the federal government has operated without a formal budget for three and a half years. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid “last adopted a budget on April 29th, 2009,” according to a Monday press release from the Senate Budget Committee’s Republican staff. “A budget requires only 51 votes to pass and yet the Majority has refused to even meet its legal obligation to draft one,” said the release.

CHINA - China has started making concerted efforts to chase Japanese ships out of waters surrounding the disputed Senkaku islands in the East China Sea, ratcheting up tensions between Asia’s two largest economies. The Chinese State Oceanic Administration – which enforces the nation’s maritime interests – said four of its ships on Tuesday tried to expel Japanese vessels out of waters where they were operating “illegally”. Mr Li said the Chinese government was still restraining itself and would not lightly add to the tension. “But if the Japanese don’t change their ways and return to the path of negotiation, such friction could increase,” he said. “Then, it would not be a question of just four vessels but many more.”