News Archive - 4 November 2012

>* Dispute strains Iran's fragile relations with Gulf ArabsDUBAI Nov 4 (Reuters) - Iran will increase its naval presence in the Gulf to strengthen its authority over three islands which the United Arab Emirates says are its territory, Tehran said on Sunday.The islands sit near oil shipping routes at...

>* Obama to visit three swing states Monday, Romney fourBy John WhitesidesWASHINGTON, Nov 5 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney make a frenetic dash to a series of crucial swing states on Monday, delivering their final arguments to voters on the last day of an extraordinarily...

>* Saudi Arabia interested in "substantial" new orderBy Mohammed AbbasLONDON, Nov 5 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron will visit the Gulf and Middle East on a three-day diplomacy and trade trip this week, his office said on Monday, adding that selling BAE Systems-built fighter jets would be high...

>CONCORD, New Hampshire (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney sprinted to an unpredictable finish in the last 48 hours of a close White House race on Sunday, trying to turn out supporters and woo undecided voters in a handful of toss-up states. The two rivals crisscrossed...

>A Defence Ministry statement said a fifth battery of the rockets used so far to fend off salvoes fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, would be added to the system "within a short time" following successful tests of an upgrade.Tests were carried out on the system "to...

>* Major goal is to align opposition abroad with rebels in Syria* Some analysts are sceptical of major resultsBy Rania El Gamal and Regan DohertyDOHA, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Syria's splintered opposition factions began talks in Qatar on Sunday on forging a common front for their war against the army...

>* School closures in Sandy aftermath boost "Ralph"* Strong international sales for Bond film "Skyfall"By Piya Sinha-Roy and Ronald GroverLOS ANGELES, Nov 4 (Reuters) - "Wreck-It Ralph," Disney's animated film about a videogame character who destroys everything in his path, scored the highest-grossing opening weekend in Disney animation history with...

>* Parliament partly blames him for economic crisis* Economic pressure has worsened political divisionsBy Yeganeh TorbatiDUBAI, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Iran's parliament on Sunday told President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad he must appear before the assembly within a month to explain his economic policies at a time of crisis, his second such...

The winner of this gruelling and bitterly contested presidential race will have little time to bask in their achievement.

A look at a dozen promises apiece from President Obama and challenger Mitt Romney, with some handicapping:

SYDNEY: Asylum seekers sent by Australia to the tiny island of Nauru entered the fifth day of a hunger strike on Monday, vowing to continue their protest indefinitely, refugee advocates said.

Polls say Obama is No. 1 north of the border, but who is best for Canada?

RULERS in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are worried Britain will abandon air bases once our troops pull out of Afghanistan

With just a few short days until the election, the Chamber’s Legislative affairs Committee met to discuss the soon-to-be-over election season of 2012. As we do each year, the committee reviews the list of candidates and develops a position to be articulated prior to the election.

(VIENTIANE ) - Dozens of European and Asian leaders gathered in impoverished Laos on Monday for a major summit dominated by the eurozone debt crisis and growing territorial tensions in the region.

Mitt Romney’s Team Wants to Let 'Em Loose in Iran Cross-posted with TomDispatch.com It’s the consensus among the pundits: foreign policy doesn’t matter in this presidential election.  They point to the ways Republican candidate Mitt Romney has more or less parroted President Barack Obama on just about...

Port operations personnel stand ready for line handling as the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise arrives at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia in this Nov. 4, 2012 handout photo.

Chinese cars are growing in popularity in countries like Brazil, Russia and Saudi Arabia, where buyers are more interested in low cost than in Western brands.

LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron begins a three-day visit to the Gulf on Monday aimed at selling Typhoon Eurofighter jets and discussing regional security threats, his Downing Street office said.

Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, U.S. Bancorp and PNC have been hit by cyberattacks that have caused Internet blackouts and delays to online banking sites by a group claiming Middle Eastern ...

Imports of oil from the kingdom have grown by more than 20 percent, leaving the United States vulnerable to tensions in the Persian Gulf.

WASHINGTON (MCT) — Counties in 31 states are accepting tens of thousands of electronic absentee ballots from U.S. soldiers and overseas civilians, despite years of warnings from experts that Internet voting is easy prey for hackers. Some of the states made their technological leaps even after word spread of...

HSBC faces a final bill of $1.5bn (£937m) for the "shameful and embarrassing" US money-laundering scandal that has engulfed the lender. Here are a few other banks that have been fined because they violated US sanctions.

French president backs transition government for Syria and calls Iran's nuclear ambitions a "threat" to the region. French President Francois Hollande voiced support for a transitional Syrian opposition government and called Iran's nuclear ambitions a "threat" to the region and the world.

The most senior politician to defect from the Bashar al-Assad's regime has revealed that the President repeatedly rejected calls by his own government for a political compromise, in favour of all-out war.

The fourth Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF), to be held from November 17 to 24, will present the Mena premiere of the new US box office hit, Ben Affleck’s hostage thriller Argo.

It’s a bit of a mug’s game for an editor to ask someone to comment on what’s supposed to be a razor-thin U.S. presidential election. It’s even more of a mug’s game for a writer to actually do it.

>(Reuters) - In a campaign that has focused on the U.S. economy, Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney have devoted less attention to world affairs. Even their October 22 debate, which was meant to focus on foreign policy, often veered back to the domestic economy. Following...

The Iranian judiciary has reduced the prison term of labour activist Reza Shahabi from six years in jail to four, human rights groups report.

Russia has taken over broadcasting the Islamic Republic's satellite programs after the European company Eutelset stopped dealing with the Iranian government due to the EU sanctions against Iran.

Sanctions have failed to deter Iran from supplying its needed drugs for animals, Head of the Iranian Veterinary Organization Mohsen Dastoor said Sunday, adding that embargos have actually pushed the country towards domestic production. -FNA

The Iran Cinema Organization (ICO) plans to establish regulations to control hijab, the Islamic dress code, for Iranian actresses participating in international events.

Iran's Noshad Alamiyan and the host nation's Petrissa Solja emerged as the winners of the respective Under 21 Men's and Under 21 Women's Singles titles at the GAC GROUP 2012 ITTF World Tour German Open in Bremen on Saturday 3rd November.

Following similar remarks by the Iranian finance minister, the president of Tehran's chamber of commerce also hinted at plans to replace oil revenues with taxes in next year's budget. -Nima Farahabadi, Rooz

Stephen Durham, 65, is one of the many candidates registered with the Federal Elections Commission running for president of the United States who hopes to be elected via write in.

The festival of wooden sculptures is underway by the Chamkhaleh coasts in Langroud, nothern Iran. Langarud is a city in Iran's Gilan Province located on the south coast of the Caspian Sea. 36 sculptures in 16 groups are participating in the festival that will last for 10 days. -Sajad Rafikhah,...

>DIYARBAKIR, Turkey Nov 4 (Reuters) - A car bomb exploded in southeast Turkey on Sunday as a police vehicle passed by, killing one person and wounding 12 others, security sources told Reuters.The blast occurred in the town of Semdinli in Hakkari province on Turkey's borders with Iraq and Iran,...

>Israel accuses Sudan of channeling weapons from Iran to Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, via Egypt's Sinai desert. Sudan denies the charge but often expresses sympathy for Hamas in its conflict with Israel.A blast at Khartoum's Yarmouk arms factory last month drew new attention to the accusations after...

(MENAFN - Muscat Daily) Striker Hassan Zahr found a crucial second-half equaliser to help ten-man Salalah secure a 1-1 away draw against Oman Club in their fourth round match in the Omantel Elite ...

(MENAFN - Muscat Daily) A team from Oman TV recently descended 130m into the Majlis al Jinn cave with the help of a rope for the first phase of shooting a documentary film that will help throw light ...

France's president said Sunday his country will stand against instability in Lebanon, two weeks after the assassination of a senior Lebanese intelligence official sparked clashes between pro- and anti-Syrian groups.

Iran's parliament on Sunday summoned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for a grilling over his handling of last month's currency crisis which saw the rial plunge 40 percent against the dollar, state media said.

Couples try to maintain the peace as they vote for different presidential candidates Can a politically divided marriage survive this presidential election?

Good morning, it’s Sunday November 4 and there’s a slight chance of a shower again today.

WASHINGTON - Mitt Romney has a ton of promises to keep if he becomes president, and that's on his first day alone, never mind the other 1,460 days. Barack Obama was similarly full of beans in his first presidential campaign, racking up will-do's by the hundreds, big and small.

Washington had hoped to turn Iraq into a full-fledged democracy. But the country remains a far cry from that goal. Instead, religion keeps cropping up as the dominant issue in both domestic and foreign policy.

As Arizona voters prepare to decide Tuesday whether Democrat Richard Carmona or Republican Jeff Flake will become Arizona's 11th U.S. senator, polls show the race could be the closest Senate contest the state has seen in more than three decades.

Beirut (dpa) - President Francois Hollande pledged France‘s support for stability and unity in Lebanon during a three-hour visit Sunday in the wake of the recent killing of domestic intelligence chief Wissam al-Hassan."France will confront with all its power anyone who seeks to destabilize Lebanon in order to guarantee...

An Iranian lawmaker has dismissed reports about the suspension of the enrichment of uranium to the 20% degree in Iran, stressing that the Islamic Republic has made no changes in its nuclear energy policies, Press TV reports.

The world's markets may think the worst of the financial crisis in Europe is over after three turbulent years, but the people who control the purse strings of the world's businesses are not breathing any easier.

Obama: Supports access to abortion.

Defense Minister welcomes Palestinian President Abbas' conciliatory remarks to Ch, 2, words which garnered mixed reactions from Israeli leaders.

The Navy's unmanned surface vehicle is designed to defeat swarms of small attack craft.