Wikinews Shorts: November 7, 2008

Labour victory in UK by-election
November 7, 2008 Labour Party candidate Lindsay Roy defeated the Scottish Nationalist candidate by 6,737 votes, to win the UK parliamentary seat for Glenrothes in Scotland. Opinion polls had predicted a close race, but personal campaigning by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and a high turnout of 52% in Thursday's vote, secured a high margin for the UK's governing party.

Explosion kills 12 at Russian bus stop
November 7, 2008

28 people were wounded and at least 11 are dead after an explosion in the centre of Vladikavkaz, capital of the North Ossetia region of Russia. Local authorities suspect that Thursday's explosion was caused by a female suicide bomber.

Magnitude 6.4 earthquake in South Pacific
November 7, 2008 At 0719 UTC (6.19 on Friday evening local time) a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 120 kilometres (75 miles) north east of the South Pacific island of Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. It was followed by several less powerful aftershocks. Reports from the US geological service placed the focus of the quakes at a depth of 35 km. Press reports say that no tsunami warnings were issued.

Vanuatu experienced a similar earthquake on Wednesday, near the island of Efate. That event had a magnitude of 6.3.

GM reports 2.5 billion US$ loss for third quarter
November 7, 2008 June 29, 2024 American car manufacturer General Motors has lost 2.5 billion US dollars in its third quarter of 2008. The hemorrhage of cash has prompted GM to suspend talks of a "strategic acquisition" that some business analysts say may be referring to a possible buyout of Chrysler. Revenue has fallen nearly 5.8 billion dollars, greatly due to the recent global economic crisis which has caused consumers to sharply cut back on spending. The report indicates that GM could go bankrupt in 2009 without government assistance.

Financial crisis update: further stock exchange falls on Thursday
November 7, 2008

World stock markets posted another drop at close of trading yesterday. Blue chip indices showed losses of 3.55% in Tokyo and 6.84% in Frankfurt. Oil prices echoed the trend, falling to $60.77 per barrel, down 6.94%.