News Archive - 2 December 2012

>NEW DELHI Dec 3 (Reuters) - Faced with soaring demand, stagnant output at home and a need to diversify from Iranian crude imports lost to Western sanctions, Indian oil companies are hungry for deals like ONGC's Kashagan buy that promise supplies sooner rather than later. State-run ONGC Videsh has agreed...

>* Army, rebels struggling for advantage in Syrian capital* EgyptAir says resuming flights to Damascus* Western intelligence says Assad gets arms through airportBy Erika SolomonBEIRUT, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Syrian forces pounded rebel-held suburbs around Damascus with fighter jets and rockets on Sunday, opposition activists said, killing and wounding dozens...

>* Russia wants to build new nuclear plants in Turkey* Putin arrives on Monday for talks on energy, Syria (Previous KARASU, adds Turkish energy minister, details)By Evrim ErginISTANBUL, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Russia is willing to increase gas supplies to Turkey this winter if Ankara requests, Russian Energy Minister Alexander...

>* Car bomb in Homs kills 15 and wounds 24-SANA* Army, rebels struggling for advantage in Syrian capitalBy Erika SolomonBEIRUT, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Syrian army forces pounded rebel-held suburbs around Damascus with fighter jets and rockets on Sunday, activists said, killing at least ten and wounding dozens in an...

>Saeed Malekpour, an Iranian citizen and Canadian resident, was arrested in 2008 while visiting relatives in Iran, according to Amnesty International.Although Iranian authorities accused him of running a pornography site, Amnesty has said the charges appear to stem from a software program created by Malekpour that was used without...

>BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO foreign ministers, meeting for the first time this week since Russia appointed a new ambassador to the military alliance, are hoping to improve ties with Moscow despite a fresh row over plans to send anti-aircraft missiles to Turkey. A NATO spokeswoman said the meeting aimed to...

>The report came as North Korea said on Saturday it would carry out its second rocket launch of 2012 between December 10 and December 22, near the first anniversary of the death of young leader Kim Jong-un's father.The Iranian mission, Kyodo said, is made up of four experts from...

Russian President Vladimir Putin will spend one day in Ankara Monday after it was agreed that their differences over Syria and the deployment of NATO Patriot anti-missile batteries along the Turkish-Syrian border will be left to one side and talks would focus on bilateral economic ties.

After the latest failed missile defence tests, critics wonder why the US has spent $100bn on the system.

Regarding “Bringing Iran around” (Nov. 3 editorial), let me start by defining who we are dealing with when talking about the Iranian leadership. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a fanatic as someone who is “marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion.”

TEHRAN, Dec 3 (Bernama) -- Head of Iran Veterinary Organisation affiliated to Ministry of Agriculture Jihad Mohsen Dastoor said on Saturday Iranian status has been acclaimed by European Union food standard authority as high quality caviar exporter.

US steps up spying on Iran's nuclear reactor: Report

Movies Opening This Week Generation P See Steven Rea's preview on H2. Playing for Keeps See Steven Rea's preview on H2.

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No matter how hard he worked, Zabiulla could not earn enough to afford a wedding. Despite his father’s disagreement, he decided to join the Afghan police force, one of the few guaranteed ways to earn a living. “We can go hungry, but we don’t want to lose you,” the father...

>* Tension in Israel, Syria and Egypt offer more support* U.S. fiscal deficit remains single biggest worry* Coming up: Euro zone manufacturing PMI; 0858 GMTBy Ramya VenugopalSINGAPORE, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Brent crude rose toward $112 per barrel on Monday on signs economic growth was reviving in China, the...

The reported ruling follows a lawsuit stemming from allegations of breach of contract and lost profits related to a yellow pages listing service,according to reports.

Lake Ridge Academy won 15 of the 30 awards given at the Model United Nations competition.North Ridgeville, OH (PRWEB) November 30, 2012 Over 70 Lake Ridge Academy Upper School students participated in the Lorain County Model United Nations Conference sponsored by the Cleveland Council on World Affairs on Wednesday...

MINISTER OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS and International Transport George Hutson says there’s no truth in an Internet report that Government and the group called United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) have reached an agreement to end the “reflagging” of Iranian vessels in Barbados.

Negin Shojaeinia performs Saturday with the Persian Cultural Society at 1,001 Nights, a Middle Eastern cultural showcase.

WASHINGTON — The amount of heat-trapping pollution the world spewed rose again last year by 3 percent. So scientists say it’s now unlikely that global warming can be limited to a couple degrees, which is an international goal.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un continued to dominate Time's online poll for the most influential figure in this year's news, according to the weekly magazine's website. Kim garnered 2,257,077 vote .....

In a haunting account, Labour MP David Miliband, pictured with brother Ed and father Ralph, tells how he's pieced together his family's extraordinary history

The Fed's "operation twist" is supposed to end this month and a much more challenging phase of monetary policy will follow, where it will have to boost growth.

This year was the most difficult I’ve ever had to pick ten favorite films, let alone to rank them one to ten. 2012 was, on balance, an excellent year, but I wouldn’t call any of its movies “masterpieces.” I confess that it was down to the wire for me...

Art People Gallery, a premier San Francisco art gallery, presents internationally renowned Artist Hessam Abrishami in his show “Unique Impression.”San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) November 30, 2012 Art People Gallery, a premier San Francisco art gallery, presents internationally renowned Artist Hessam Abrishami in his show “Unique Impression.”Abrishami creates colorful...

America:Alfred Hitchcock was a bit of a sadist. Certainly, the master of the dark side had a “murderous fascination with blondes”, as the British Film Institute once noted in a tribute.

Iran has suspended the death sentence for a computer programmer convicted on charges of running a pornographic website after he “repented for his actions,” his lawyer has said.

Global emissions of carbon dioxide were at a record high in 2011 and are likely to take a similar jump in 2012, scientists reported Sunday — the latest indication that efforts to limit such emissions are failing.

B.C.'s busiest emergency department is scheduled to reopen on Monday — two weeks after it was completely flooded.

Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.), who lost his congressional reelection bid to Democrat Patrick Murphy, said Friday that his recent defeat does not mean his political career is over, pointing out that Abraham Lincoln only served one term in Congress.

The mother of a missing girl abducted by her father says she prays her "little bundle of joy" is safe and well, three years after she was taken.

WASHINGTON -- When Susan Rice's potential nomination to the post of secretary of state hit another snag this past week, the White House found itself in a quandary.

Turkish officials say they have evidence Assad regime could resort to ballistic missiles if air campaign against rebels fails A request by Turkey for Nato Patriot missile defences to be deployed on its territory followed intelligence that the Syrian government was contemplating the use of missiles, possibly with chemical warheads,...

More than 1,600 new Defense Department agents will collect intelligence and report findings to CIA, said to be overstretched The US military plans to send hundreds more spies overseas as part of an ambitious plan that will more than double the size of its espionage network, it was reported Sunday.

Syrian state television broadcast images Sunday of more than five dead bodies with Lebanese identification, reporting that the men were among 21 Lebanese Salafist fighters who fell into a Syrian Army ambush Friday.

Future Movement’s speakers blasted Hezbollah Sunday and reiterated March 14 calls for the government’s resignation as the only way to resolve the political crisis during a rally in north Lebanon to commemorate a top security official slain in a car bomb.

Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour said Sunday he had held positive talks with Turkish officials on the issue of nine Lebanese hostages held in Syria.

PICKET:(VIDEO) Obama's foreign policy 'team of rivals' conflict returns to haunt him

Cairo — Egypt’s nascent democracy is at grave risk because of the actions of both the victors and the vanquished. Islamists and liberal secularists claim to champion and cherish democracy but not enough to actually practice it. Many of the Islamists who helped to narrowly elect Mohammed Morsi as president...

Syrian army forces pounded rebel-held suburbs around Damascus with fighter jets and rockets Sunday, activists said.

By The Washington Post WASHINGTON — The Pentagon will send hundreds of additional spies overseas as part of an ambitious plan to assemble an espionage network that rivals the ...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate resoundingly approved on Friday expanded sanctions on global trade with Iran's energy and shipping sectors, its latest effort to ratchet up economic pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program. The new package, which keeps in place exemptions for countries that have made significant...

KABUL, Afghanistan — A 23-year-old woman is making history as the first female rapper in Afghanistan, wearing Western clothes and...

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner appeared on all five of the Sunday talk shows to give his thoughts on the current state of the fiscal cliff negotiations. Consider this the highlight package. 

The amount of heat-trapping pollution the world spewed rose again last year by 3 percent. So scientists say it's now unlikely that global warming can be limited to a couple degrees, which is a…

TEHERAN - Iran has suspended the death sentence against a computer programmer convicted for allegedly designing a pornographic website after he “repented”, Mehr news agency reported Sunday quoting his attorney.

The Palestinians have missed multiple opportunities for peacemaking, but the Israelis have shown a lack of empathy, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said.

The first college social fraternity, the Kappa Alpha Society, was formed at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y. 1941: A Japanese naval task force consisting of six aircraft carriers left the Kuril Islands, headed toward Hawaii. The British government announced that Queen Elizabeth II had volunteered to start paying taxes...

The American Academy of Pediatrics says docs should pre-prescribe Plan B birth control to girls under 17

Standing before throngs of cheering supporters Sunday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called for an end to the division among Palestinians in the wake of the United Nations upgrading the authority's status -- as Israel refused to acknowledge that newfound recognition.

Scientists have turned fantasy into reality by developing a missile that targets buildings with microwaves that disable computers but don't harm people.

KARACHI: An Iranian parliamentary delegation led by Alaeddin Boroujerdi, Chairman National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, called on Sindh Governor, Dr. Ishrat ul Ebad Khan, at the Governor House here on Sunday.

Rick Thorne worked as a custodian in Chelmsford, Mass., schools for 22 years, earning $20 an hour cleaning floors, cutting grass and setting up for assemblies in the city about 30 miles northwest of Boston.

A senior Iranian commander says sanctions, crippling or otherwise, cannot stop the Islamic Republic from moving forward.

Iran's nuclear chief said that in October fuel was removed from the country's sole nuclear reactor because debris had been left behind during its construction.

ISLAMABAD: Advisor to Prime Minister on Petroleum and Natural Resources, Dr. Asim Hussain, called on the Iranian Foreign Minister, Dr. Ali Akbar Salehi, on Sunday and discussed matters of mutual interest.

New clues and a powerful Wall St. skeptic challenge the official story of CIA financier Nick Deak's brutal murder

China is “literally testing the waters” to see how far it can go in provoking America’s tolerance with the plan to board foreign ships as an act of asserting its claim over virtually the entire South China Sea.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said on Sunday it was withholding this month's transfer of tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority, after the United Nations' de facto recognition of a Palestinian state. Related Stories Iran pushes out Afghans as regional power-play heats up EU ministers to debate post 2020 green subsidy...

Deeply colorful pomegranates and persimmons arrive just as we begin to feel winter’s gray weight.   Overcast skies and dripping rain are no match for these bright fruits. They decorate branches and produce stalls with their jewel-like red and orange tones, daring us to defy dreariness.   They join less...

A report in a prominent U.S. newspaper says the air corridor over Iraq has become a main supply route for weapons for the beleaguered government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The New York Times, in a story posted on its website late Saturday, said the American effort to stem...

OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Burkina Faso began voting on Sunday in parliamentary elections that will determine if long-serving President Blaise Compaore has the power to ditch constitutional term limits and run for another period in office in 2015. Related Stories Iran pushes out Afghans as regional power-play heats up EU ministers...

Iran's oil minister has said the country plans to increase its oil production capacity to up to 5.2 million barrels per day by early 2016.

UNITED NATIONS - For years, the tiny oil sheikdom of Qatar has been a reliable U.S. partner in the Middle East - as a host to the largest American military base in the region and as a diplomatic bulwark against Iran. It has backed the fall of autocratic rulers...

HERAT, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Ghaus worked in Iran for five years but has nothing to show for it. All he has are memories of being jailed, beaten and sent home to Afghanistan. Afghanistan's oil-rich western neighbour has for years been a destination for Afghans seeking work or fleeing war. Afghanistan...

The recent hostilities between Israel and Hamas are a chance for the United States to think strategically. Or, better yet, rethink - specifically the Obama administration's "pivot to the Pacific."

IRAQ, Dec. 2 (MNA) -- Reporters from Iran and a number of other countries visited Iraq’s Camp Ashraf for the first time on November 27.

Melbourne, December 2 (ANI): Since other people's social customs can be very different from yours, experts have listed out some pitfalls to watch out for while travelling to other countries to make sure that they do not mean anything offensive in that culture.

Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has moved his chief of staff and rumored successor, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, to another job, according to the president's official website on Saturday.

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi has downplayed the Israeli war rhetoric against Iran, saying the threats by the Tel Aviv regime to launch a strike against Iran are just worthless claims.

Rowan University president Ali A. Houshmand says 2012 "really wasn't easy," an uncharacteristic understatement by a man whose speaking style tends toward emphatic. If not dramatic.

Andrew Marr, the passionate BBC presenter, wants to film a television programme about the 'alluring' but 'dangerous' Iran.

Iran's nuclear chief says fuel was removed from the country's sole nuclear reactor in October because debris had been left behind during its construction.