News Archive - 6 December 2012

>* His first visit to Gaza shows growing Hamas confidenceBy Nidal al-MughrabiGAZA, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Hamas's exiled leader will step onto Palestinian land for the first time in 45 years on Friday for a "victory rally" in the Gaza Strip, displaying his newfound confidence after last month's conflict with...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will likely give India, South Korea, Turkey and others another six-month reprieve on Friday from financial sanctions because they have reduced their purchases of crude oil from Iran, two U.S. government sources said on Thursday. Oil shipments by Iran, the country's main source...

>LONDON/DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian oil tankers are sending incorrect satellite signals that confuse global tracking systems and appear to conceal voyages made by other ships to Syria, which, like Iran, is subject to international sanctions. The two countries are close allies and have helped each other deal with shortages by...

A senior U.S. official told revealed bombs were loaded with components of the deadly nerve gas sarin. Syrian forces have 60 days to use these bombs until the chemical mixture expires.

>* Egypt and Iran worries fuel supply concerns* Coming up: U.S. weekly jobless claims; 1330 GMT (Updates throughout, changes dateline, previous SINGAPORE)By Shadia NasrallaLONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Brent crude oil steadied below $109 per barrel on Thursday as worries about the global economy and oil demand balanced supply...

>* Stocks look to be supported by renewed hopes of a deal in Washington to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff of year-end tax hikes and spending cuts after President said a deal to avert the fiscal cliff was possible within a week, though he expressed it as a hope not...

>* 2012 full-year profit expected up mid-single-digit* Loan quality good; watchful in India, Middle EastBy Kelvin SohHONG KONG, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Standard Chartered expects to pay $330 million to settle a case with U.S. regulators who accused the Asia-focused bank of failing to comply with sanctions against Iran,...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is shifting warships into position to track and possibly defend against a planned North Korean rocket launch while urging Pyongyang to cancel its second such attempt this year, the head of the U.S. Pacific Command said on Thursday. Related Stories Deportation looms for...

Editor: Nick Macfie + 65 6870 3815 Global Picture Desk: + 65 6870 3775 Global Graphics Desk: + 65 6870 3595 (All times GMT) TOP STORIES Egypt demonstrators reject Mursi call for dialogue CAIRO - Demonstrators reject a call from Egypt's IslamistPresident Mohamed Mursi for a national dialogue after deadlyclashes...

CAIRO: Egypt's President Mohammed Mursi has said in a live address he will respect free speech but will not tolerate killings or sabotage.

Washington, Dec 7 (PTI) The virtual US Embassy Tehran has received almost two million page hits from Iranians since its launch, the State Department said on the occasion of its first anniversary.

Egypt’s President Mohammed Mursi has defied calls to curb his sweeping powers or suspend proposed changes to the constitution, infuriating thousands of protesters who have clashed with his supporters in recent days.

As the lights dimmed and the audience grew silent, the Ted Falasco Arts Center came alive with music from halfway around the globe. Click to Continue »

Like fruitcake, Barbara Walters' "Most Fascinating People'' is a December tradition some love and others loathe. And like fruitcake, the objects of her fascination can be rewrapped and regifted every few years.

The Report Card issues grades A through F, and incompletes where necessary, to a variety of news items in this space. Got an idea that makes the grade? Send it to Dneal@CITIZEN-TIMES.com.

Image via Reuters Hoo boy. Chinese telecom equipment provider Huawei has been having a rough couple of months what with all the speculation about spying coming from places as high up as the US government ...

JAKARTA, Dec 7 (Bernama) -- Indonesia and Mozambique have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in women`s empowerment, Indonesia's ANTARA news agency reported.

Azita Adelany and the other Iranian-Americans calling for regime change in Iran Thursday afternoon in Edmond were resolute yet calm.

PEORIA Ill -- Corporations doing business in Iran may be contributing to the country's attempt to gain nuclear weapons.

Oil down with Cushing inventory nearly flat Associated Press Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 8:48 a.m., Wednesday, December 5, 2012 Oil prices are down Wednesday after the government reported that stocks of crude are still running...

Rolls-Royce was one of the biggest FTSE 100 fallers today after it emerged it was involved in a corruption investigation relating to overseas intermediaries.

ROLLS-ROYCE was one of the biggest Footsie fallers after it emerged it was involved in a corruption investigation relating to overseas intermediaries.

U.S. crude held steady above $86 per barrel on Friday after dropping for three straight sessions, but prices were headed for their first weekly loss in five as euro zone worries and a looming U.S. fiscal crisis kept investors on the edge.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog's chief says his agency has intensified talks with Iran, but that it had made little headway in determining whether Tehran seeks to build an atomic bomb. WASHINGTON — The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency acknowledged Thursday that inspectors had made no progress...

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah recently underwent relatively minor back surgery and his hospitalization triggered a host of increasingly dire rumors about the state of his health. Though the 88-year-old monarch has since recovered and appeared in public, the episode has raised new questions about royal succession, an issue that has...

. . NETPAC Asian Film Festival (JAFF) 2012 yang berlangsung di Yogyakarta pada 1 - 5 Desember lalu membuka tirai dengan filem 'Rumah dan Musim Hujan' karya Ifa Isfansyah. Film-filem apa lagi yang dinobat sebagai pemenang dalam festival yang telah memasuki tahun ke-7 itu?

Today is Pearl Harbor Day. President Franklin Roosevelt called it "a date which will live in infamy."

The former Defense Secretary discusses the evolution of America's military, the dangers in Iran and Syria, and what it felt like to get bin Laden

Based on the strange but true story of an audacious CIA rescue mission during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis that involved six State Department employees in Tehran posing as a Hollywood film crew to escape the country, the film "Argo" hopscotches across the globe and among different genres. It goes...

>* Funds can be used only for permissible bilateral trade* Provision to shackle Iran's oil revenues-Treasury's CohenBy Roberta RamptonWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has aggressively ramped up its use of financial sanctions this year to pressure Iran to stop pursuing nuclear weapons, but a measure that takes effect in...

Egyptian leader vows to carry through with referendum on constitution backed by Islamist allies, says dialogue is only solution

Israel ETF Continuing Run Despite Risks - ETF News And Commentary

Oil prices in positive territory to start the US trading session

The recent outburst of violence in Gaza diverted the Western media's attention from Syria. But Iran, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's closest regional ally, has remained focused on Syria. Iran has also continued to provide arms to the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

HONG KONG: Standard Chartered (StanChart) expects to pay US$330mil to settle a case with US regulators who accused the Asia-focused bank of failing to comply with sanctions against Iran, further denting profit growth this year.

Future MP Oqab Saqr strongly rejected Thursday accusations that he was involved in sending arms to Syrian rebels, saying that audio recordings allegedly implicating him in the case were doctored.

Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Morsi has defied calls to curb his sweeping powers or suspend proposed changes to the constitution, infuriating thousands of protesters who have clashed bloodily with his supporters in recent days.

The article "Obama to Khamenei: Make No Mistake. The Military Option Is Solid" is an exclusive article and can be purchased.

Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Lloyd Austin will be nominated to be the next commander of U.S. Central Command, the Defense Department announced Thursday.

Maybe there can be such a thing as too much of the oral history — especially this year, when the form seemed to reach its peak. We've picked a few favorites. Related Stories NYPD Credits Occupy with the Drop in Crime After Sandy A Secret Libyan Arms Deal, the Rise of...

DUBLIN: Surprise talks Thursday between US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and the UN peace envoy to Syria failed to reach any "sensational decisions" on ending the conflict.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and UN peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi on Thursday as world leaders desperately seek an end to the conflict in Syria.

Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi said he will not tolerate killings or sabotage but will respect free speech, in a live address to the nation on Thursday after bloody clashes between his supporters and opponents.

WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - A recently announced hackingof the U.N. nuclear agency's computer servers was not the firsttime an attempt had been made to break into the organization'scomputer system, the head of the agency said on Thursday. Yukiya Amano, director general of the International AtomicEnergy Agency, said that...

Washington's Iranian Future Cross-posted with TomDispatch.com Let’s start with the obvious but important: on entering the Oval Office in January 2009, President Obama inherited a seemingly impregnable three-decade-long “Wall of Mistrust” in Iran-U.S. relations. To his credit, that March he directly addressed all Iranians in a message...

The 2012 Red Ribbon Award prize of dlrs 10,000 was handed over to Afraye Sabz Association for its outstanding work in response to HIV at the community level.

A group of Basij members daringly confronted Tehran toxic pollution on Thursday. Sort of! They paraglided right into it!

An official of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said Thursday that the US military officials will have to confirm, sooner or later, that the drone captured by Iran two days ago belongs to them. The IRGC officials further advised the US officials to carefully count their drones once again.

An earthquake in the city of Zahan in northeastern Iran near Afghanistan border has left eight people dead and 30 injured. ILNA reports that 12 towns have suffered damage and are calling for emergency aid.

YANBU, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- Saudi Arabia's state oil company has launched major seismic studies in the Red Sea off the kingdom's west coast in a bid to boost production offshore.

Dozens of student activists kept behind bars in Iran, some since 2009, must be freed immediately and unconditionally to mark National Student Day. December 5, 2012 International Dozens of student activists kept behind bars in Iran, some since 2009, must be freed immediately and unconditionally, Amnesty International urged on Thursday,...

You don’t have to be a jazz aficionado to recognize “Take Five,” the smoky instrumental by the Dave Brubeck Quartet that instantly evokes swinging bachelor pads, hi-fi systems and cool nightclubs of the 1950s and ’60s. “Take Five” was a musical milestone — a deceptively complex jazz composition that managed...

Russia in Talks to Extend Lease of Gabala Radar Station in Azerbaijan/ Defendants in the Oboronservis Case: ‘It’s Not Our Fault. We Did What We Were Told’

Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Morsi has defied calls to curb his sweeping powers or suspend proposed changes to the constitution, infuriating thousands of protesters who have clashed bloodily with his supporters in recent days.

Amnesty International today criticised Irans judicial system for undermining its own rule of law. Speaking after prisoner of conscience Nasrin Sotoudeh reportedly ended her hunger strike after the Iranian authorities lifted a travel ban on her 13-year-old daughter, Amnesty International Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa programme...

Oil futures move lower in volatile trade on Thursday, adding to the prior day’s losses when a much bigger-than-expected rise in U.S. gasoline supplies sent prices lower, while supply fears in the Middle East dent losses.

The U.S., Canada, and European allies are squaring off against Russia and China at a U.N. Internet summit. At stake: the future of how the Internet will be run.

The price of oil hovered below $88 a barrel on Thursday as mounting evidence of ample seasonal U.S. crude stocks was partly offset by ongoing worries over the Middle East.

The head of Afghanistan's intelligence service has been wounded in an assassination attempt, a senior Afghan official said. Related Stories Street deaths as Egypt crisis grows Nasa-Noaa satellite images shows the Earth at night Earthquake leaves six dead in Iran Clooney reveals Sudan 'war crimes' Ex-Thai PM faces murder charge

The European markets are modest to moderately higher on Thursday, ahead of key interest rate decisions from the Bank of England and the European Central Bank, after Standard and Poor's lowered Greece's credit rating. The Asian markets were mostly weak amid growth concerns.

We should be in demand as a mediator, but the government’s approach to conflict management has strained our credibility abroad

H&R Block's fiscal second-quarter loss narrowed, helped by cost-cutting efforts. Revenue climbed mostly because of a strong tax season in Australia.

LONDON (SHARECAST) - The Footsie had erased most of the morning's gains by Thursday lunchtime, as investors awaited a policy rate decision in Europe and some jobless claims figures in the US later this afternoon.

LONDON (Reuters) - Top share index hit a one month high on Thursday, but lagged European peers as its defensive stocks weighed and held it below previous year-highs ahead of the European Central Bank policy decision. The FTSE 100 failed to sustain a break through the 5,920 level, which it...

The Bank of England has left its base interest rate unchanged and has not authorized any additional stimulus measures, a decision which was widely expected by the market.

Nasrin Sotoudeh, a jailed human-rights lawyer, ended her hunger strike after Iran met her demands.

ONE of the men who shared a camp with Berwickshire’s famous soldier bear Wojtek has died. He was in his eighties.

LONDON — Standard Chartered bank says it expects to pay $330 million in fines to US agencies to settle charges of violating sanctions against Iran. The bank said Thursday that it believes investigations by the US Department of Justice, the Treasury and the Federal Reserve will soon be resolved. Standard...

A United Nations agency says prices of basic foods fell by 1.5 percent last month, with the international prices of all commodities except dairy products dropping.

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines, the world's third largest exporter of bananas, lost a quarter of its crop in Typhoon Pablo (Bopha), an industry group said Thursday, December 6, adding that the typhoon has also likely spread a destructive pest. The Philippine Banana Growers and Exporters Association said the deadly...

Film star George Clooney has highlighted satellite evidence from a US-based anti-genocide group that 26 villages in Sudan were deliberately set on fire last month. Related Stories Hundreds die in Philippines typhoon Hundreds perish in typhoon disaster Street deaths as Egypt crisis grows Nasa-Noaa satellite images shows the Earth at...

Iran’s Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani says the US offer to hold bilateral talks with Iran immediately after the passing of a sanctions bid against the Islamic Republic is merely a “political gesture.”

I explained to Tok Guru that for 20 years since Merdeka, PAS has been having an image of a kampong party. In fact, not many people outside Terengganu know Tok Guru and even in Terengganu not everyone knows who he is. Hence PAS needed to be ‘marketed’ to the urban...

>* Miners provide strength on China demand* Banks higher; StanChart up on Iran case hopes* Rolls-Royce drops on SFO bribery talksBy Jon HopkinsLONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Britain's top share index pushed higher on Thursday, testing resistance to further gains above 5,900, led by mining firms and banks.The mining...

>* China, India to lead decline in December lifting* China's lifting likely to be lowest this year at 242,000 bpdBy Osamu TsukimoriTOKYO, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Iran's crude exports are set to drop by about a quarter in December from the preceding month to the lowest since tough sanctions were...

LONDON (SHARECAST) - City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open up just one point from yesterday's close of 5,892, as investors balance renewed hopes surrounding the 'fiscal cliff' in the US with concerns over the monetary policy decisions of the Bank of England (BoE) and the European Central Bank...

NEW YORK: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi have been named among the top 20 most powerful persons in the world by Forbes magazine in its annual power rankings which placed US President Barack Obama as number one for a second year in a row. Read more...

Maybe Israel only is threatening to kill off any chance of a two-state solution with the Palestinians.

A United Nations committee tasked with protecting the world’s oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, craftsmanship and knowledge of nature Wednesday added 20 new items to the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

HSBC Holdings Plc might pay a fine of $1.

[Sudan Tribune]Washington -The United States Navy denied statements made by Sudan foreign minister Ali Karti yesterday saying that U.S. ships made a stop for a few hours in Port Sudan last month.