News Archive - 2 November 2012

>* Pyongyang: UN report reflects hostile US, EU policy* North Korea says political pressure won't change itBy Louis CharbonneauUNITED NATIONS, Nov 2 (Reuters) - North Korea's U.N. delegation declared on Friday that it was proud of Pyongyang's social system and human rights record and rejected as baseless a U.

>BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army abandoned its last base near the northern town of Saraqeb after a fierce assault by rebels, further isolating the strategically important second city Aleppo from the capital. But in a political setback to forces battling to topple President Bashar al-Assad, the United Nations said...

>That's why online travel consultants Cheapflights.com (wwww.cheapflights.com) have come up with a list of Top 10 fire festivals around the world. Reuters has not endorsed this list:1. Guy Fawkes Night (Bonfire Night) - England"Remember, remember the fifth of November - gunpowder, treason and plot" goes the nursery...

>LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Bank of Scotland said it may face fines in relation to how it set Libor and other interest rates and is keen to settle the matter as soon as possible. RBS is under investigation by U.S. and UK authorities over its part in the interest...

>KOGELO, Kenya/JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - In the tiny Kenyan village of Kogelo, U.S. President Barack Obama's ancestral homeland, some people talk of hurt feelings of the kind experienced when a favorite relative has failed to get in touch. Four years ago, Kogelo, and Africa in general, celebrated with noisy gusto...

Former Massachusetts governor and Republican Party presidential nominee Mitt Romney is running neck and neck with President Barack Obama in advance of Tuesday's U.S. election. A profile shows more of the man who would become the 45th president of the United States if he defeats Obama on November 6.

For the past few months, Sedalia Municipal Court Judge Deborah Mitchell has been in Afghanistan working as a justice advisor through the Justice Sector Support Program.

The presidential debates provided a lot of information to voters. Yet some issues were not discussed and some not to the extent that they should have been. I’ll mention just two:

This is a selection of stories, classified ads and commercial ads from the Celina Record first published Thursday, September 27, 1962.

Former presidential candidate and retired four-star Gen. Wesley Clark stopped in Marietta Friday to encourage volunteers and make an eleventh-hour pitch for President Barack Obama. "I'm a foreign policy guy.

A senior Iranian commander has warned Qatar against the ramifications of getting involved in the US’s and al-Qaeda’s conspiracy to destabilize Syria.

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez has spent a lifetime in New Jersey politics, a career that took off in the political cauldron that is Hudson County.

$250 a 500 pound bomb. $12 a casualty plus cost of aircraft.... 20 million casualties equal $250 million using existing aircraft to drop the 500 pound bombs.

Also: Cee Lo Green accused of slipping ectasy in woman’s drink; Amanda Bynes gets naked in salon; 'Twilight’ stars do first interview together since cheating scandal; Hurricane Sandy destroys Rosei’s O’Donnell’s property; Prince William’s guard fired gun in car.

Texas Blinks in Standoff; Sandy's Unequal Effect

Today is Saturday, Nov. 3, the 308th day of 2012. There are 58 days left in the year. A reminder: Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday at 2 a.m. local time. Clocks go back one hour.

If your son or daughter died in service to their country, would you not want answers? The attack on our Benghazi consulate is a scandal of epic proportions, pretty much ignored by the news media. That, in itself, makes the mainstream media just as complicit as Barack Obama and Hillary...

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's a choice sure to touch the lives of all 315 million Americans, some in profound ways — their livelihoods, their health, their sense of freedom or confidence in the future, maybe even whether they go to war or live in peace.

THE WORSHIP MOVEMENT – IN THE MOUNTAINS, a one-day conference hosted by the Women of Excellence Ministry of the Greater Shiloh Church, begins at 9 a.m. Nov. 17 at the Inn at Pocono Manor, Route 314, One Manor Drive, Pocono Manor. The keynote speaker is prophetess Cynthia Thompson, Eternal...

With much of the Middle East in turmoil, the possibility of a war over Iran’s nuclear program, and a growing al-Qaida threat in Africa, the global security challenges facing the U.S. president in the next four years are huge. President Barack Obama and his challenger, Mitt Romney, are presenting...

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) describes herself as a bipartisan "independent voice" in a pitch to voters in a campaign ad.

A FORMER banking regulator who helped prosecute more than 1,000 white-collar criminals in the US has said Ireland is creating a “completely unjust society” by not properly investigating the causes of the economic crisis.

Five fascinating snapshots of past US elections

TARZANA - On the night the fire destroyed their church, some members of the local Assyrian community said they felt as if a loved one had died. | PHOTOS

*(Los Angeles, CA ) – On October 20, 2012 the last Los Angeles “Uplifting Minds II” (ULMII) entertainment conference’s national talent competition showcase went world-wide again when a competitor from Iran joined the line-up. It was Los Angeles residents Ny’Aira, Mesiyah and Charles Fletcher that walk away as the winners...

The charter school amendment will be decided Tuesday. If it doesn't pass, it will be the greatest upset since David conked Goliath with a rock. Give me the money that has been made available to the pro-charter amendment forces (over $2 million, almost all of it out-of-state

MECCA, Saudi Arabia — Now that she has finished the hajj and is returning home to Egypt, Magda Bagnied says her family will no doubt try to convince her to put on the headscarf to demonstrate her religiosity after a pilgrimage meant to cleanse her of sin and bring her...

IRAN’S president has backed down in a public row with the judiciary after the Islamic Republic’s supreme ­leader described such disputes as treason.

Reports say the candidate's son Matt Romney brought a good-will message to America's "number-one geopolitical foe."

At least 18 people have been killed in a huge blaze that erupted after gunmen opened fire on a passenger van at a petrol stall in restive southwest Pakistan, officials say.

With several leagues concluding dramatically and others just kicking off, Goal.com's editorial team from across the continent gives you the best of Asia for the month of October

On Nov. 4, 1979, Lee Schatz watched through his binoculars as Iranian protesters scaled the walls of

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-ART-107-2012 November 2, 2012 An Article from the Asian Human Rights Commission PAKISTAN: The stereo-type statement of the foreign minister during the UN UPR made her a laughing stock Zulfiqar Halepoto Introduction: In the second round of the 14th Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the Human Rights...

US fine dents Standard Chartered profits LONDON (AP) — Standard Chartered PLC says its operating profit for the first nine months has been badly dented by a settlement with a U.S. authority over alleged sanctions violations. The bank agreed in August to pay $340 million to a New York...

Most of the personnel attached to the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi were spies, according to The Wall Street Journal

(Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, is pursuing the White House for the second time. Here are key facts about him. - Romney, 65, espouses traditional Republican positions to cut taxes, reduce federal regulations, shrink government spending and bolster the U.S.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Critz and Republican challenger Keith Rothfus are battling for the new 12th Congressional District seat in what is a nationally watched race.

The situation of Russian compatriots in Belarus does not cause concern. This was stated in Minsk head of Rossotrudnichestvo, Konstantin Kosachev, 29-30 October working visit to Belarus, the representation of rossotrudnichestvo in the Republic.

Sure, polling may suggest that the world isn't following the 2012 U.S. election as closely as it did the 2008 presidential race, but that doesn't mean people overseas don't care about the campaign's outcome.

Jack Hood Vaughn, who led the Peace Corps at the height of its volunteer enrolment in the late 1960s, died on Monday at his home in Tucson, Ariz.. He was 92.

In moral terms, President Obama hasn’t let us down, writes David Brooks. But the scope of Obama’s vision has contracted over his four years in office. If re-elected, it would be interesting to see if he returns to his earlier largeness.

Ozyildiz said Friday his country is still pursuing efforts to secure the release of the remaining nine Lebanese hostages in Syria, a day after freed journalist Fidaa Itani returned to Beirut.

Hollande will visit Beirut Sunday in a show of support for President Michel Sleiman’s efforts to preserve stability in the face of security threats following tensions linked to last month’s assassination of al-Hasan.

Sen. Lindsey Graham Has Dire Warning About Hackers

Thousands of Iranians chanting “Death to America” burnt US flags yesterday to mark the 33rd anniversary of the seizure of the US embassy in Tehran, just days before the American presidential election.

Standard Chartered is close to agreeing a final settlement with US regulators over allegations that it breached anti-money laundering sanctions against Iran.

The US has said it is glad to be part of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC). It said such regional and multilateral institutions play a vital role in addressing the shared challenges.

LAHORE: As long-frozen cricket ties between Pakistan and India thaw, the two arch-rivals are also hoping this weekend's Kabaddi Asia Cup can bring the countries closer together.

Every time he goes to his car, the key chain with the Molson beer logo reminds Mark Lijek of that astounding rescue — 32 years ago in revolutionary Iran — that has now become Ben Affleck’s hit movie, Argo.

Gurgaon, Nov. 2: Salman Khurshid today hinted he had always wished to return to the foreign ministry ever since his stint as junior minister in the mid-1990s, and had kept himself well prepared.

For the first time in the recent history of Israel, I believe I am the first non-Jewish Iranian of a Persian heritage to be the keynote speaker at the Israel Dental Association Congress. The event will be held in Tel Aviv on November 15 and 16, 2012. The meeting...

With the weekend Eid al Adha “ceasefire” broken in Syria, and continuous fighting since, there appears to be less and less hope of a resolution to the sectarian conflict in Syria that is turning into a civil war and an international quagmire.

WASHINGTON - A look at where Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican presidential rival Mitt Romney stand on a selection of issues.

Destruction of Israel as a blackmail doesnt work because another Jewish State will be florusih remnat of Iran. StrategyWorld.com © 1998 - 2012 StrategyWorld.com. All rights Reserved.

Superstorm Sandy, Sandi Firth, Hector Timmerman, Alex Clare, Oleg Tyagnibok all make the JTA's Friday Five.

With a few days before the US presidential election, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott tells international observers from OSCE to stay out of his state.

Nine "EU-aspirant" and "EU-affiliated" countries have joined the Union's recent ban on Iranian gas imports and banks. EU candidates and EEA countries - Albania, Croatia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway and Serbia – have now subscribed to the EU sanctions against Iran over the Iranian nuclear program, EU Observer...

NAJAF, Iraq - The plunge in Iran's currency is proving bad for business in neighbouring Iraq.

As China and America face leadership transitions in coming weeks, the changes highlight how the Middle Kingdom is set to topple the US as the world's lone superpower. Nick O'Malley and John Garnaut report.

Late one afternoon in mid-February, China's president-in-waiting, Xi Jinping, stood on the front verandah of Sarah Lande's home in Iowa.

MANILA (PNA) -- The time was 1965, the place, Cavite City. Few people would have guessed they were looking at history when a skinny youngster w ...

Secretary Napolitano says a reserve of security pros is needed because a major cyberattack could make this week's hurricane damage look mild.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Gunmen attacked a bus in Pakistan's south-western Baluchistan province on Friday, killing at least 18 people including a woman and a child, police said.

Romney blames Obama for losing the country, but the fissure between the two nations runs deeper

>* Others on centre-left say can do better job than Kadima* Kadima has faltered since Sharon had strokeBy Allyn Fisher-IlanJERUSALEM, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Israel's once dominant Kadima party faces eclipse at a January election, with polls suggesting the movement created by former prime minister Ariel Sharon could be replaced...

>* Signs emerge of Gulf annoyance with Britain* Britain has vital Gulf commercial, strategic interestsBy Mohammed AbbasLONDON, Nov 2 (Reuters) - With billions of dollars worth of deals and vital geostrategic interests at stake, Britain can ill afford to upset its Gulf allies, yet signs are emerging of growing Arab...

BEIJING – It isn't only the U.S. presidential candidates who have had to withstand a verbal pummeling during the race -- China has been the subject of some of the most sustained attacks from Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, both of whom seem to be competing for who can...

To top off a disappointing week for the banks, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has released quarterly results that fell short of market estimates.

Tehran, Nov 2 (AFP) Thousands of Iranians chanting "Death to America" burnt US flags today to mark the 33rd anniversary of the seizure of the US embassy in Tehran, just days before the American presidential election.

The UAE is taking its green responsibility seriously and has offered to host the Indian Ocean Rim renewable energy forum next year. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, speaking at the 12th ministerial meeting of the association in Gurgaon on Friday, said UAE officials will discuss...

To top off a disappointing week for the banks, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has released quarterly results that fell short of market estimates.

>SINGAPORE Nov 2 (Reuters) - The lure of gold medals is driving unprecedented Asian interest in rugby sevens but Olympic inclusion is having a detrimental affect on the 15-man game in key markets like China, regional official Trevor Gregory told Reuters. The Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) vice-president was in...

President Obama's hypocrisy and double standards know no bounds. Related Stories Charities' thanks Cause of Sandy still uncertain Why is media still obsessed with the US? Society must stem this tidal wave of suicide Order's EU grant needs conditions

Israel may be openly hoping that Republican challenger Mitt Romney will end up stealing the presidency from Barack Obama, but for the Palestinians it makes little difference who takes over the White House.

JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel acknowledged Thursday it killed Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's deputy in a 1988 raid in Tunisia, lifting a nearly 25-year veil of secrecy and allowing a rare glimpse into the shadowy world of its secret operations.

The plunge in Iran's currency is proving bad for business in neighboring Iraq.

Protesters have gathered outside Berlin's Brandenburg Gate to mark the seventh day of a migrant hunger strike. The asylum seekers, mostly from Iraq,…

Iran's embattled president has backed down from a public dispute with his country's judiciary.

Jon Snow looks back on 30 years of news, trouble and love that have shaped Channel 4 News since it first launched in 1982.

In 2012, the most significant of the cyber espionage incidents were related to the activity of Madi, Gauss and Flame malware.

If he wins, President Barack Obama would try to apply the leverage of his victory toward a lasting economic revival on his terms, guided by political lessons learned and the legacy he wants.