News Archive - 10 November 2012

1st Half – Highlights   2nd Half – Highlights

>BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Iraqi government said on Saturday it had cancelled a $4.2 billion deal to buy military jets, helicopters and missiles from Russia, citing possible corruption in the contract. In a confusing exchange, the announcement by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's office was immediately contradicted by the acting...

>CEYLANPINAR, Turkey (Reuters) - Gun and mortar fire could be heard on Saturday from the Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain two days after it fell to rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad, and refugees who had fled to Turkey said they feared retribution from the air. Laden with...

>The Sikorsky helicopter crashed on Herekol mountain, in the Pervari area of Siirt province, Siirt Governor Ahmet Aydin said. The victims were members of the country's gendarmerie special forces and there were no survivors on board, he said.The Turkish military has been carrying out operations on the mountain in...

To listen to some of my friends, the world is about to end. With the reelection of Barack Obama the communization (or was that Islamization?) of America now is inevitable. I'm not thrilled with President Obama's victory. I am a classical, not a modern, liberal. That means I...

On hist first trip since being relected, President Barack Obama is planning a trip to Burma.

A teenager who helped to kill three men who responded to a fake job advert on Craigslist has been given a life sentence. Brogan Rafferty, 17, helped alleged killer Richard Beasley lure victims to a non-existent Ohio cattle farm. The teenager was tried as an adult.

Events

The economic outlook for the Middle East and North Africa region is mixed. Most of the region’s oil-exporting countries are growing at healthy rates while the oil importers face subdued economic prospects, the IMF says in its latest assessment.

Senior Iranian lawmaker Hossein Naqavi-Hosseini says the Islamic Republic will give a firm response to any act of unauthorized entry into the country’s territory.

..37 - Es asesinado el emperador romano Tiberio. 1118 - Probable fecha del fallecimiento de Balduino I, rey de Jerusalén. 1534 - Inglaterra rompe sus vínculos con el Papa.

TEHRAN, Nov. 11 (MNA) - The third ministerial meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) opened today in Tehran.

TEHRAN, Nov. 11 (MNA) – Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Director Fereydoun Abbasi has announced that Iranian experts will make the preparations necessary to take over the full control of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in late 2012 or early 2013.

Today's global economy is like a drunk meandering his way across a busy street after a year-long binge in the wee small hours of a Sunday morning.

In a move designed to benchmark the second term of his presidency, Barack Obama has agreed that his first international visit later this month will include Myanmar.

Long before he became the mayor of Seadrift, Elmer DeForest spent a decade serving his country.

Death by drone in Afghanistan and Pakistan comes out of a clear sky.

Augusta County was inundated with Romney/Ryan signs. One particular sign proclaimed: 'America v. Obama.' The American people have now voted and reaffirmed their faith in President Barack Obama's leadership.

It seems they are everywhere, from the foothills of the Himalayas to the vast tracts of the Sahara, searching the terrain and seas below like glinting birds of prey. Drones have become the emblem of war and intelligence-gathering in the 21st century.

Brian Hutchinson: Question the mission, the outcomes, but never the effort. The long road that Canadians started hasn’t ended; it’s up to Afghans to finish the job

The newly elected leader of Syria's main opposition group slammed the international community for what he called inaction.

President Barack Obama rolled to re-election Tuesday night, vanquishing former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and prevailing despite a weak economy that plagued his first term and put a crimp in the middle class dreams of millions.

The United States has launched a last-minute scramble for votes to secure its spot on the UN Human Rights Council in an election Monday.

Close inspection reveals a 'restricted' memo reminding the PM to mention Syria and the economy as he called Obama to congratulate him on winning a second term.

Compared to David H. Petraeus, Allen Dulles, the C.I.A. director from 1953 to 1961, was far worse: he was a notorious womanizer who was widely known for his extramarital liaisons.

About four years ago, Paula Broadwell began her Ph.D. dissertation on Gen. David Petraeus' innovative leadership skills.

Braxton and Kara Southwick live in a suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah, with their six kids. Braxton, a mechanic who prides himself on family values, once rode motorbikes professionally. He's also training his family to prepare for an attack of weaponized smallpox that he fears will bring the country...

Luis Luna, Jr., served in the U.S. Marine Corps to give back to the country that took in his immigrant father.

WITH victory in the bag, the real battle begins. Far from kicking back and basking in a post-election glow, President Obama returned to work last week facing a formidable set of challenges. Gone is the idealism and the notion of Obama as a transformative president who could change the very...

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The United States has determined that Iran was targeting unmanned aircraft in the Gulf. Officials said the Iranian military has been ordered to fire on U.S. Air Force unmanned aerial vehicles that patrol the Gulf. They said the Iranian Air Force has already begun firing toward...

TEL AVIV [MENL] -- Israel's leading strategic institute expects Iran to retaliate with its intermediate-range missile arsenal following any attack by the Jewish state.

WASHINGTON: The scandal that brought down CIA Director David Petraeus started with harassing e-mails sent by his biographer and paramour, Paula Broadwell, to another woman, and eventually led the FBI to discover the affair, US officials told The Associated Press on Saturday.

MANILA, Philippines – Free cakes? Free movies? What do you give Makati’s most famous senior citizen on his birthday? Vice President Jejomar Binay marks a milestone today, November 11, as he turns 70. In honor of the occasion, Rappler puts together a quick look at his colorful life and personality.

Proposed high-level talks between Israel and its Muslim neighbors on a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction have been called off, The Associated Press, citing diplomats, reported Saturday.

Syrian opposition group's new leader urges West to send rebels weapons without conditions

Conservative policies are opposed by a majority of Canadians.

Tehran, Nov 11 (IANS) Iran's permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asghar Soltanieh has confirmed the resumption of talks with the UN nuclear watchdog, according to Mehr news agency.

Canada is deeply concerned about reports suggesting an Iranian blogger was killed in prison by authorities.

The dust-up between Iranian jets and a U.S. drone over the Persian Gulf on Nov. 1 focuses attention on the increasing use of unmanned aerial vehicles in this hotspot, among others.

Attempts to find Arab-Israeli common ground on banning weapons of mass destruction from the Mideast have failed, and high-profile talks on the issue have been called off, diplomats said Saturday.

Tennis ace Novak Djokovic has found focus back in his game after his father's health condition saw steady improvement.

Conrad Black: The geopolitical vacuum incarnated by Obama, Romney and Republicans who sat the race out, will create a powerful and dangerous vortex. These will be perilous times

A prominent press freedom group has joined the U.S. State Department to demand Iran conduct a full investigation into the reported death of a jailed blogger.

An Iranian political analyst has described recent violation of Iran’s airspace by a US drone an “act of provocation” and against the international law, Press TV reports.

Fulham striker Dimitar Berbatov has insisted that he is not lazy, and gave his all for Manchester United. The Bulgarian, who fired 57 goals in 149 United games but could never lose the 'idle' tag while his time there, believes he left Old Trafford with his head held high.

MYANMAR TRAIN BLAZE LEAVES 25 DEAD, 100 INJURED YANGON: Investigators searched for clues on Saturday to the cause of a train derailment and an ensuing blaze that killed 25 people and injured nearly 100 more in northern Myanmar.

IRAN brushed aside newly-imposed US sanctions over media censorship, which it said was essential to preserve "moral values" in the Islamic republic.

Horst Teltschik, the former national security advisor to Chancellor Helmut Kohl and former chair of the Munich Security Council, sees a need for action in Germany following Obama's re-election.

THE REASON WHY Obama’s photo is in the schools is that he caters to all unions, including the corrupt teachers union, spending our tax money to buy their votes. Just look at GM. My 5,500 shares of GM stock became worthless, while the government and the UAW now have millions...

This week, the White House announced that President Obama will visit Burma (also known as Myanmar), long an international pariah that has just recently begun to reform, later this month. He will be the first president to do so, moving with astonishing speed on building ties with this strategically located...

TEHRAN, Nov. 10 (MNA) -- The brilliant "fall foliage" is Tehran’s main attraction in the most colorful season of the year.

Iran's state television says a passenger train has derailed in central Iran, killing 4 and injuring 35 people on board.

The nine remaining Lebanese pilgrims being held in Syria have urged their families to protest outside the Iranian and Syrian embassies in Beirut, freed hostage Awad Ibrahim says.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The newly elected leader of Syria's main opposition bloc in exile struck a combative tone Saturday, saying international inaction rather than divisions among anti-regime groups are to blame for the inability to end the bloodshed in Syria.

The jailed son of Iran's former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has been accused of spying.

Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Saturday.

Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai began a five-day visit to India from Friday as he reached Mumbai first to accelerate the investment opportunities in the war ravaged nation by meeting the business leaders there.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers are working on a set of new and unprecedented sanctions against Iran that could prevent the Islamic republic from doing business with most of the world until it agrees to international constraints on its nuclear program, officials say.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration is considering a new approach in negotiations to curb Iran's nuclear program that would ease economic sanctions faster than previously offered if Tehran makes greater concessions than it has ever discussed.

The practice of enforced disappearances perseveres in many countries, a group of independent United Nations experts warned, following their review of more than 400 cases spanning 31 nations.

TEHRAN, Nov. 10 (MNA) -- Tehran’s Diplomatic Gallery is currently playing host to an exhibition of harps and tars created by Abdollah Abbasi.

Prime minister wants to persuade the UAE to buy Eurofighter Typhoons to replace their ageing French Mirage jets David Cameron has defended British arms sales to Gulf countries as "entirely legitimate" but insisted that the Arab spring is a positive development and that there are no "no-go areas" in talks...