News Archive - 9 December 2012

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>GENEVA (Reuters) - Atheists and other religious skeptics suffer persecution or discrimination in many parts of the world and in at least seven nations can be executed if their beliefs become known, according to a report issued on Monday. The study, from the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), showed...

>LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The French movie about an aging couple, "Amour," was the surprise choice for best film of 2012 by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association on Sunday, while Joaquin Phoenix was named best actor for his role as a troubled outsider in the cult drama "The Master.

>GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks, dollar up modestly after strong jobs dataSE Asia Stocks-Mixed; Manila at record peakWHAT IS HAPPENING IN MALAYSIA, IN TIMES LOCAL FOLLOWED BY GMT:* Islamic Banking and Finance Institute Malaysia signs memorandum of understanding with Binary University of Management and Entrepreneurship at Dataran Kewangan Darul Takaful, Kuala Lumpur at...

>The attack on Saudi Aramco - which supplies a tenth of the world's oil - failed to disrupt production, but was one of the most destructive cyber strikes conducted against a single business."The main target in this attack was to stop the flow of oil and gas to local...

>BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S. and Russian officials have given their commitment to a political solution for the deepening Syrian conflict, a United Nations envoy said on Sunday, but Moscow dismissed speculation it was preparing for President Bashar al-Assad's exit. With rebels now fighting on the doorsteps of Damascus, Assad's...

>MANAMA (Reuters) - Yemen's security chief has told Iran to stop training and funding Shi'ite Muslim rebels who, along with al Qaeda-backed Islamists and southern separatists, are staging one of three insurgencies threatening to pull the chaotic country apart. Major-General Ali al-Ahmadi, president of Yemen's National Security Board, also said...

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran says it has launched a video-sharing website in the latest move to create government-sanctioned alternatives to Internet powerhouses such as YouTube.

>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's foreign minister urged parliament on Sunday to agree a tough response to a U.S. law punishing Russian human rights violators, increasing the risk of a chill in relations with Washington. Moscow announced restrictions on meat imports from the United States on Friday although it denied...

>* Lavrov denies he's discussing Assad's fate* Assad forces pound rebels around Damascus* Syrian army frees kidnapped Iranian diplomatBy Erika SolomonBEIRUT, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Syrian rebels backed by radical Islamists captured a northern regimental command centre of President Bashar al-Assad's army, activists said on Sunday, as Russia dismissed speculation...

>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Hamas's vow to vanquish Israel after claiming "victory" in last month's Gaza conflict vindicates Israel's reluctance to relinquish more land to the Palestinians, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. Khaled Meshaal, the leader of the Islamist Hamas movement, made a defiant speech before thousands of supporters...

As nuclear peace talks are cancelled, overwhelming vote by general assembly calls for Israel to join nonproliferation treaty The UN general assembly has overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling on Israel to open its nuclear program for inspection. The resolution, approved by a vote of 174-6 with six abstentions, calls on...

In the Philippines, the death toll continued to rise this week . Over 300,000 people lost their homes, according to the Associated Press. Philippines Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said, "It's not only an environmental issue, it's also a poverty issue."

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea is replacing a faulty section of a long-range rocket in a bid to put its launch schedule back on track, and is receiving help from Iranian missile experts, a South Korean newspaper reported Monday, December 10. North Korea had said Sunday, December 9, it...

TEHRAN, Dec. 10 (MNA) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that war is not a solution to problems.

TEHRAN, Dec 10 (Bernama) -- A senior official of the Agriculture Jihad Ministry Nasser Tavakkoli said Iran's agriculture is among top twenty countries in the world, Iran's IRNA reported.

TEHRAN, Dec. 10 (MNA) - Ali Baqeri, the deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, met with the Chinese vice foreign minister, who is the country’s representative at the 5+1 group, on December 4 and 5 in Beijing.

SEOUL: A group of Iranian missile experts are in North Korea offering technical assistance with a planned long-range rocket launch condemned by the international community, a report said Monday.

Rachel Eldringhoff, Towson College Republicans: The best candidate for the Secretary of State is hands down Jon Huntsman. Huntsman was running for the presidential election a while back but lost majorly. Huntsman is the best candidate because of his moderate views. The only way to get issues and policies addressed...

SKOWHEGAN -- Skowhegan Police Chief Michael Emmons, 54, said jokes about his his age were common during his recent eight-month military tour in the deserts of Southwest Asia.

An overview of human rights trends and events around the world over the past 12 months. December 6, 2012 International 2012 has been a good and a bad year for human rights. Below are some of the highlights of the past 12 months. The list is not meant to be...

Iran has launched a video-sharing website in the latest move to create government-sanctioned alternatives to internet powerhouses such 
as YouTube.

# iran Iran's never been a fan of the real Internet. It completely blocked off Google and Gmail back in September before walking things back and letting Gmail through . Now, it's launched its own heavily-monitored, "safe" version of YouTube . More »

The British have always had special regard for the Mughal Emperors, who ruled India from 1526 to 1858. They were intelligent, cultured and tough – all virtues in the eyes of Westerners who came to India, awestruck by the luxury of the imperial court and the extent of its conquests.

MANAMA (Reuters) - Bahrain opposition groups welcomed a government appeal for dialogue to break a deadlock in the restive kingdom, saying they were prepared to meet without any pre-conditions, but called for the results of talks to be put to a referendum.

The French-language drama "Amour" was chosen as the year's best film Sunday by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, whose prizes are among a flurry of year-end honors that help sort out the Academy Awards race.

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An internal report for the U.S. Congress has concluded that Iran probably is no longer on track, if it ever was, to having an ocean-crossing missile as soon as 2015. The study casts doubt on a view long held by U.S. intelligence agencies that Iran...

  Colleen LaRose answered the door of her duplex near Philadelphia to find an FBI agent standing on the porch.  He had questions about her interest in Islamic websites.

MANAMA (Reuters) - Bahrain needs to prosecute officials responsible for human rights violations during its Arab Spring protests to make reconciliation with the opposition possible, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for democracy, human rights and labour Michael Posner said on Sunday. Related Stories Analysis - North Korea a looming...

VIENNA: Iraq, the world's fastest growing crude exporter, expects more quick gains next year as foreign companies push production towards the highest level ever, Iraqi Oil Minister Abdul-Kareem Luaibi said on Sunday.

It was the boy's eyes that haunted Priscillia. He was dressed in full army gear, a red beret, and sunglasses, and he carried an AK-47 automatic assault rifle. He was tall but there was about him a teenage gangliness that gave away his age. Yet it was the eyes that...

The twisted rules of war.

An official of Iran's Science, Research and Technology Ministry has lamented the German press propaganda about collaboration between Iran and the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst -- DAAD).

Who has the best?

The 18th International exhibition on Electronics, Computer and E-Commerce (Iran Elecomp 2012) kicked off at Tehran Permanent International Fairgrounds on Sunday. Some 386 Iranian and foreign exhibitors from countries such as China, Portugal, and the Netherlands have taken part in the event.

A senior member of Iran's conservative faction says the Islamic Republic system is prepared to accept opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi if they recant from the position they took following the 2009 elections.

Iran's Education Minister appeared in Parliament to apologize for the recent fire at an elementary school that left 32 students with serious burn injuries. Some media outlets have interpreted the Education Minister's apology as "tongue in cheek" but he has rejected such interpretations.

The arrival of autumn has brought beautiful sceneries to Golestan National Park in northern Iran. The park is situated in Golestan Province between the eastern parts of the Alburs Mountains and the western fringes of the Khorasan-Kopet Dag. -Abutaleb Nadri

Works of three generations of female Iranian painters were put on display in an exhibition at Tehran's Mellat Gallery on Friday evening. One hundred works by 47 artists have been selected for the exhibit entitled "Alternative View", the gallery announced in a press release on Sunday.

Unchecked illegal gold mining and decades of indiscriminate logging contributed to the high death toll in the Philippines’ worst natural disaster this year, officials and experts said.

When our media is filtered and refiltered, bleached by content guidelines and automatic takedown algorithms, we run the risk of living a life with the objectionable and graphic and terrifying, in other words the real, strained out. The pervasion of cameras means the documentation of everything, and this is at...

The most likely is a retreat into the mountains controlled by his minority Alawite community. 

Crossbred wool has a future - but its uses need to be diversified instead of just concentrating on carpets. read more

The Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee warned the Obama administration it must act more urgently to prevent Syria's government from using chemical weapons.

It will be a journalistic assignment like no other. Call it "the longest walk". In what is probably the longest, most arduous piece of reportage ever undertaken, Paul Salopek, an experienced writer for the Chicago Tribune and National...

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will return to Cuba Sunday for another surgery after doctors diagnosed him with recurring incidence of cancer. The 58-year-old socialist leader, who won the re-election Oct. 7, named a successor for the first time, signaling that he may have to step down as the president, news...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iran are unlikely to sign currency swap arrangement (CSA), as central banks of both the countries believe that such an option “is not available”, officials told Business Recorder on Saturday.

A newly re-elected Obama must rethink his strategy with Iran if he ever hopes to break down the wall of mistrust.

The United States is blocking a meeting of the Quartet of Middle East mediators, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday.

TEHRAN, Dec. 9 (MNA) -- Iranian Parliament (Majlis), presided by Ali Larijani, held an open session here on Sunday morning with the attendance of Education Minister Hamidreza Hajibabaii.

Iran’s Ambassador to Ethiopia Ali Bahreini has expressed the Islamic Republic’s readiness to make more investments in the African country, Press TV reports.

This was a pretty intense week, as you’re about to find out from our weekly picks. So before we get into that, let’s mellow out a little bit with some classical Chinese poetry. “Climbing Stork Tower” is ...

Dear Editor: There is good news, in fact a double helping. First, of course, Mitt Romney lost the election, so he won’t be bombing Iran, as recommended by Matthew Kroenig in a recent issue of …