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Reflecting on a challenging year, President Barack Obama says he’s hoping for more economic progress following action by Congress to prevent tax increases at the start of 2012.

“It was good to see members of Congress do the right thing for millions of working Americans,” said Obama, using his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday to deliver a New Year’s message.

He said the public made itself heard on a Social Security payroll tax cut and that was one big reason that lawmakers agreed to extend it for two more months.

The American people, Obama said, “had the courage to believe your voices could make a difference.”

The president said he expects Congress to finish the job when lawmakers return to Washington in January and extend the tax cut through the end of the year.

Reflecting on 2011, Obama said it was a time of great challenge and progress, including the end of the war in Iraq, the death of Osama bin Laden and signs of an economic recovery.

“There’s no doubt that 2012 will bring even more change,” Obama said. “And as we head into the new year, I’m hopeful that we have what it takes to face that change and come out even stronger _ to grow our economy, create more jobs and strengthen the middle class.”

On the eve of an election year, Obama said the months ahead will help determine “what kind of country we want to be and what kind of world we want our children and grandchildren to grow up in.”

Sen. Johnny Isakson, delivering the GOP address, outlined his party’s commitments to the American people for 2012.

The Georgia lawmaker said his party’s No. 1 goal is to make it easier for small businesses to create jobs.

“We’ll accomplish this by focusing on three things: fundamental tax reform, regulatory reform and energy security,” he said.

Isakson said that while some people may think Congress will be too consumed with the 2012 elections to accomplish anything significant, the public deserves better.

“Americans cannot wait until after the November election,” he said. “They need us to do our job and do it right now to create an economic climate that makes it easier to put people back to work.”

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OTTAWA—The New Housing Price Index rose 0.2 per cent in October after a similar increase in September.

Statistics Canada reports the metropolitan regions of Toronto and Oshawa, and Edmonton were the top contributors to the increase.

The agency says their positive impact was offset in part by decreases in Vancouver and Victoria.

Between September and October, Edmonton (up 0.6 per cent) posted the largest monthly price advance, followed by Toronto and Oshawa (0.4).

In Edmonton, price increases were primarily the result of higher material and labour costs as well as higher land values, while in Toronto and Oshawa, some builders cited good market conditions paperless payday loans.

The agency says prices were unchanged in nine of the 21 metropolitan regions surveyed.

The most significant monthly price declines were recorded in Victoria (down 0.6 per cent) and Saskatoon (down 0.3).

Year over year, the index was up 2.5 per cent in October.

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Tropical Storm Kenneth has formed in the eastern Pacific Ocean, with forecasters calling it a rare late-season tropical storm.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Sunday that Kenneth had maximum sustained winds near 40 mph (65 kph). The storm was centered about 525 miles (845 kilometers) south of Manzanillo, Mexico.

Projections show Kenneth moving west out to sea, away from land, over the next several days payday lenders.

The eastern Pacific hurricane season ends Nov. 30.

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As protests erupted in Rome and other cities, Italy’s new premier unveiled his economic plan Thursday, vowing to spur growth yet fairly spread the sacrifices Italians must accept to save their country from bankruptcy and the eurozone from a disastrous collapse.

As Mario Monti spoke, riot police clashed with anti-austerity protesters in Milan, signaling the depths of resistance the economist-turned-premier will have to overcome if his plan is to succeed.

“The end of the euro would cause the disintegration of the united market,” the former European Union competition commissioner told the Senate ahead of a confidence vote on his one-day-old government. “The future of the euro also depends on what Italy will do in the next weeks. Also, not only.”

Monti formed his new government Wednesday, shunning politicians and turning to fellow professors, bankers and business executives to fill key cabinet posts.

A day later he revealed plans to fight tax evasion, lower costs for companies so they can hire more and possibly lower taxes rates for women, to encourage their increased participation in the work place. Hee warned Italians they must brace for more “sacrifices,” including the probable return of a property tax on primary residences.

“We must convince the markets we have started going down the road of a lasting reduction in the ratio of public debt to GDP. And to reach this objective we have three priorities: budgetary rigor, growth and fairness,” Monti said.

He said he would quickly work on lowering Italy’s staggering public debt, which now stands euro1.9 trillion ($2.6 trillion), about 120 percent of its GDP.

“But we won’t be credible if we don’t start to grow,” Monti said.

His administration must restore confidence in the country’s financial future and avoid contagion that would worsen the eurozone’s debt crisis. Italy’s spiraling financial crisis helped bring down media mogul Silvio Berlusconi’s 3 1/2 year-old government last week, after months of squabbling over how to save Italy from financial ruin.

Monti’s choice of unelected experts for his Cabinet and the prospect of tough reforms have fueled unrest. In cities from north to south, students clashed with police in protests against feared budget cuts Thursday, while previously planned transport strikes idled buses and trains.

Police in riot gear scuffled with students in Milan, as they tried to march to Bocconi University, which educates Italy’s business elite. Monti is Bocconi’s president.

“The government of the banks,” read one placard held by a youth in Milan.

In Palermo, Sicily, demonstrators hurled eggs and smoke bombs at a bank, and protesters threw rocks at police who battled back with pepper spray, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. One protester was injured in the head in Palermo, where police charged demonstrators who were trying to occupy another bank.

In Rome, hundreds of students gathered outside Sapienza University, while others assembled near the main train station. They marched toward the Senate, where lawmakers were holding a confidence vote in the evening on the new government.

Riot police in Turin reported several police injuries as they held back protesters trying to break through barriers in three locations.

Last week, parliament gave final approval to a package that will reform pensions, slash state spending and open up the economy. But Monti strongly suggested that much harsher medicine was needed to heal Italy’s finances and revive the stubbornly stagnant economy direct payday lenders.

He indicated Italians would be paying new taxes. Italy’s lack of a property tax on primary residences _ a move backed by Berlusconi_ is “a peculiarity, if not an anomaly” in Europe, Monti said.

Monti, who also is serving as finance and economy minister, said if Italy fails to grow and does not stay united, “the spontaneous evolution of the financial crisis will subject us all, above all the weakest, to far harsher conditions.”

He pledged to tackle chronic and widespread tax evasion to increase revenue, but also to further his goal of social fairness. Hiding or underreporting income by the self-employed is rampant in Italy, and workers with paychecks have long complained they bear an unfair share of the nation’s high taxes.

Monti said his government would consider reforms to lower Italy’s “elevated” tax rates. Employers say high payroll taxes discourage them from hiring.

In the workplace, Monti called for structural reforms but added “we must avoid the anguish which accompanies it.”

The question of how long Monti’s government will last has sparked intense debate among Italy’s political parties.

Some, like Berlusconi’s longtime ally the Northern League, refuse to back Monti’s government. Monti has said he intends to govern until the legislative period expires in the spring 2013. The League, which is strong in the affluent north, wants elections earlier.

Holding both thumbs down _ in a sign of rejection _ at the end of Monti’s speech was Senator Roberto Calderoli, a Northern League leader.

Pro-Catholic parties have said they would give “carte blanche” to the Monti government.

Some in Berlusconi’s conservative People of Freedom Party have called for early elections, but top party officials have said they will support Monti in parliament to achieve anti-crisis measures.

Monti indicated he was looking for wide support among Italians.

To encourage more women in jobs _ at 40 percent, the rate of Italian women in the workforce is one of Europe’s lowest _ he said he would consider lower tax rates for them.

In Rome, protester Titti Mazzacane said she was skeptical about the new government. While Monti chose “decent and competent people,” the government … “is a little bit too free-market liberal. I am a bit scared,” said the 53-year-old elementary school teacher.

Public schools have been hard hit by budget cuts from previous Italian governments.

Antonio Romano, who was distributing leaflets to protesters, said the government’s strategy is “make the workers and retired people pay for the crisis, not those who provoked the crisis. I mean big business, bankers.”

A transit strike of several hours idled the subway system and many buses in Rome. Milan was hit by a similar transit walkout.

State railways said a 24-hour nationwide train strike, called by one small union, affected only 5 percent of the train rains.

Alitalia reduced flights Thursday, warning that a four-hour afternoon strike in the air travel sector could cause flight delays. The walkout mainly involved air traffic controllers and airport workers, not Alitalia personnel.

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Young Innovations Inc. raised profits in the third quarter despite sales that were little changed.The Earth City-based developer and maker of dental equipment reported a net income of $4.1 million, or 51 cents a share, compared to $3 Internet Payday loans.9 million, or 49 cents, a year ago. Sales edged down 0.9 percent to $26.2 million.

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Stocks rose in early trading Thursday on strong retail sales news and encouraging reports about corporate profits. The Dow Jones industrial average was headed for its best week over the last five.

Retail sales increased 1.1 percent in September, the biggest gain in seven months and twice what economists projected. Retail sales are a key barometer of consumer spending, the biggest contributor to economic activity.

Google Inc. surged more than 6 percent after reporting that its online advertising and search dominance helped third-quarter profits rise 26 percent.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 101 points, or 0.9 percent, to 11,579 at 10:02 a.m. Eastern time. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 13, or 1.1 percent, to 1,218. The Nasdaq composite index rose 32, or 1.2 percent, to 2,653.

The Dow is up 4.2 percent for the week, putting it on track for its best week since the week ending Sept. 16.

Apple Inc.’s new iPhone goes on sale today. Record-setting early orders for the iPhone 4S showed why the company has thrived despite the weak economy. Apple shares rose more than 2 percent before the market opened.

European markets extended an eight-day rally despite an overnight downgrade of Spain by Standard & Poor’s and warnings from Fitch about big banks. Food and soap company Unilever PLC announced a major acquisition, and Swiss agrochemicals firm Syngenta reported strong third-quarter sales.

Retail sales are the government’s first look at consumer spending each month. Consumers account for 70 percent of economic activity. If they cut back, a recession is more likely. When they spend more, economic growth is more likely.

Google reported late Thursday that its third-quarter revenue was one-third higher than last year. It was Google’s fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year revenue growth. Google is doing well because of the reach of its search engine and the effectiveness of its ads.

The government also said Thursday that businesses added to their stockpiles for the 20th consecutive month while sales rose for a third straight month. The increase suggests businesses remained confident enough to keep stocking their shelves.

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With NATO warplanes circling overhead, revolutionary fighters battled block by block Saturday as snipers rained fire from rooftops in fierce street fighting in Moammar Gadhafi’s hometown _ the most important remaining bastion of support for the fugitive leader.

The battle for Sirte is crucial because Libya’s new leaders have promised to declare liberation after it is captured even though fighting continues elsewhere and Gadhafi remains on the run. That will allow them to move forward with setting a timeline for elections and establishing normalcy in the oil-rich North African nation.

Revolutionary forces launched a major attack on Friday, pushing into the Mediterranean coastal city from the west, east and south after a three week siege from the outskirts in which they said they were giving civilians time to flee.

Gadhafi forces also remain entrenched in the central city of Bani Walid, but the transitional leaders say they will declare liberation without it because Sirte’s fall will give them control over all seaports and harbors.

British Defense Secretary Liam Fox pledged to keep up NATO airstrikes even after Sirte’s fall, saying the international military action would continue as long as the remnants of the regime pose a risk to the people of Libya.

“We have a message for those who are still fighting for Gadhafi that the game is over, you have been rejected by the people of Libya,” he told reporters Saturday in Tripoli.

Anti-Gadhafi forces met strong resistance as they pushed to within less than half a mile (kilometer) from loyalist fighters dug in around Sirte’s Ouagadougou convention center and Green Square in fierce street fighting in the heart of the city.

Libya’s de facto leader, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the head of the governing National Transitional Council, said the battle has been “ferocious,” with 15 revolutionary fighters killed and 180 wounded on Friday low interest rate personal loans.

“Our fighters today are still dealing with the snipers positioned on the high buildings and we sustained heavy casualties,” he said at a joint news conference in Tripoli with Fox and Italian Defense Secretary Ignazio La Russa.

Suleiman Ali, commander for revolutionary forces, said loyalist forces have been driven away from Ibn Sina Hospital where hundreds of civilians have sought refuge from the fighting.

A military spokesman in Tripoli, Abdel-Rahman Busin, said he expected the city to be declared free in the next 24 hours.

“They’ve pretty much taken the city and it’s just a few pockets of resistance,” he said, adding snipers were still posing a major threat.

NATO warplanes flew overhead but no strikes were immediately reported.

Abdul-Jalil called on the international community to help Libyans treat the wounded, saying they could deduct the cost from Libyan assets that were frozen under Gadhafi’s regime.

Sirte, 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli, is key to the physical unity of the nation of some 6 million people, since it lies roughly in the center of the coastal plain where most Libyans live, blocking the easiest routes between east and west.

The international community has rallied around Libya’s efforts to move forward with forming a new government, with transitional leaders promising elections within eight months after liberation is declared.

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CUPERTINO, CALIF./NEW YORK—Computer buffs and admirers of technology rushed to Apple shops from New York to Australia on Thursday to mourn Steve Jobs, praising him as a visionary who transformed the daily activities of countless millions.

Flags outside Apple’s headquarters at 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino, California, flew at half mast as mourners gathered on a nearby lawn. Distraught Apple fans left flowers and a man played the bagpipes.

“In my mind there is no difference between him and a Pasteur,” said Chitra Abdolzadeh, a healthcare worker in Cupertino, in reference to French chemist Louis Pasteur. Photos: Fans say farewell outside Apple stores Olive: Apple’s best days are in the past

Ben Chess, 29, an engineer at an Internet company and a former Apple intern, drove to the Apple HQ from San Francisco after work to lay a bunch of flowers. “It’s the right thing to do,” he said.

Jobs, who died on Wednesday aged 56, overturned the way users browse the Internet by giving them the iPod, iPhone and iPad. He had stepped down as chief executive of the world’s largest technology company in August.

Computer fans in China seemed particularly moved.

“I came here to see how they’ll operate on the first day after they had lost Steve Jobs,” Jin Yi, 27, said in China’s biggest Apple store in Shanghai, which opened last month.

“I also came here to mourn in my own way. It is such a pity today. He created these gadgets that changed people’s perceptions of machines. But he did not manage to witness the last step in which, through his gadgets, people’s lives can be effectively fused with these machines.”

In Hong Kong, Charanchee Chiu laid a single sunflower and white rose in front of the city centre Apple store.

“I am sad. I think he should have lived longer,” he said, acknowledging that he had sent messages to Jobs to advise him on health and Tai Chi, the Chinese form of martial arts reputed to improve practitioners’ well-being.

At the downtown San Francisco Apple store, people held pictures of Jobs aloft on iPads and taped greeting cards and post-it notes to the store window saying “thank you Steve” and “I hate cancer.” Candles and red apples were placed outside.

Store employee Cory Moll described Jobs as a personal inspiration. “We’re lucky to have had him for as long as we did,” said Moll, holding an iPad displaying a quote in memorial to Jobs.

“What he’s done for us as a culture, it resonates uniquely in every person. Even if they never use an Apple product, the impact they have had is so far-reaching.”

Across the country in New York City, an impromptu memorial made from fliers featuring pictures of Jobs was erected outside a 24-hour Apple store on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, with mourners snapping photos of it on their iPhones.

“We will miss you Steve, RIP. Thank you for your vision,” read one flier.

Business professor Gary Hamel said he left for the store as soon as he found out about Jobs’ death.

“As soon as I heard the news, I came out to this Apple store to pay my respects,” he said, clutching the power cord he had just bought inside. “I saw tears in some people’s eyes.”

Outside an Apple store in New York’s SoHo neighborhood, two men laid candles, bouquets of flowers, an apple and, for a while, placed an iPod Touch on the ground.

At a Boston store, student Angelos Nicolaou said Jobs had “inspired us to be rebels and challenge the status quo. I hope there will be more leaders like him. It seems like the world is running out of them.”

In Sydney, Australia, lawyer George Raptis, who was five years old when he first used a Macintosh computer, made his way to the glass-panelled Apple store when he heard the news.

“He’s changed the face of computing,” he said. “There will only ever be one Steve Jobs.”

Some of those who flocked to Apple stores when they heard of Jobs’ passing were thinking of Apple’s future without its co-founder. The company named Tim Cook as its new CEO at the end of August when Jobs stepped down.

“They had a lot of time to prepare for the transition,” said Guilherme Ferraz, 44, a Brazilian businessman outside a Manhattan Apple store. “Tim Cook will continue his legacy.”

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Companies paid the same amount for wholesale goods last month as a drop in energy prices offset higher food costs.

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core wholesale prices edged up 0.1 percent, the smallest increase in three months. The figures indicate that inflation pressures are easing.

The Labor Department says the Producer Price Index, which measures price changes before they reach the consumer, was unchanged in August, after a 0.2 percent rise in July.

In the past 12 months, the index has increased 6.5 percent, mostly due to higher gas and food costs. That’s the smallest 12-month rise since March, though much bigger than the annual changes late last year.

Core prices rose 2.5 percent in the past 12 months, the same pace as July.

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The Toronto stock market reduced afternoon losses but closed down more than 200 points amid plummeting gold prices and fresh anxiety over a potential default by the Greek government on its loans.

The S&P/TSX composite index was down two per cent or 238.71 points at 12,148.83. The TSX Venture Exchange lost 39.57 points to 1,745.53.

The Canadian dollar was up 0.40 of a cent at 100.80 cents (U.S.) after earlier dipping below parity for the first time since January as investors nervous about Europe