News Archive - 15 December 2012

Iran warns against Patriot deployment on Syria frontier

>BEIRUT (Reuters) - Iran's army chief of staff warned NATO on Saturday that stationing Patriot anti-missile batteries on Turkey's border with Syria was setting the stage for world war. General Hassan Firouzabadi, whose country has been a staunch supporter of President Bashar al-Assad throughout the 21-month uprising against his rule,...

Iran, other countries horrified by Connecticut massacre

>Twenty-eight people, including the gunman, died in Friday's shooting spree in the town of Newtown, Connecticut, including 20 children and six adults killed at the school and one adult killed at a nearby site, police said.Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast described the killings as "tragic," according to Iran's...

Patriot missiles in Turkey threaten "world war" -Iran army chief

>Turkey asked NATO for the Patriot system, designed to intercept aircraft or missiles, in November after talks about how to bolster border security after repeated episodes of gunfire spilling into Turkish territory from Syria's civil war."Each one of these Patriots is a black mark on the world map, and...

Sri Lanka raises gasoline price to record to cut losses

>Sri Lanka raised the price of a litre of gasoline by 10 rupees to 159 rupees ($1.24), a record high level in terms of the local currency.Susantha Silva, the managing director of Ceypetco said the state-run firm's losses stood at 75 billion rupees ($583.43 million) at the...

Egyptians vote on divisive constitution

TEHRAN, Dec. 16 (MNA) –Egyptians queued to vote on Saturday on a constitution promoted by the Muslim Brotherhood as the way out of a prolonged political crisis and rejected by opponents as a recipe for further divisions in the Arab world's biggest nation.

UniMAP VC Receives Top Award In Korea

KANGAR, Dec 16 (Bernama) -- Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) vice-chancellor, Prof Datuk Dr Kamarudin Hussin received the World Inventor Grand Order of Merit award at the World Inventor Award Festival (WIAF) 2012 held in Seoul, South Korea yesterday.

Syria and chemical weapons: Fabricating an excuse for invasion

TEHRAN, Dec. 16 (MNA) – In the last few days, the media in every nook and cranny of the planet has been abuzz with “news” about the Syrian military loading “precursor chemicals for the deadly sarin nerve gas into aerial bombs” and “awaiting final orders from President Bashar al-Assad” before...

Kroner: Teens respond to former addict's message

CHAMPAIGN — Chris Herren saw himself in Thursday’s crowd. As the former NBA player spoke at Combes Gym to nearly 2,000 teenagers from throughout central Illinois, he interrupted himself for a brief comment directed at two students sitting in the upper west balcony. “You can sit tight, or you can...

TAKE A LOOK - Economies in the Middle East and North Africa

Economies in the Middle East and North Africa are coping with the aftermath ofthe Arab Spring uprisings and an unstable global environment. Many have boostedfiscal spending to sustain growth and head off popular discontent, putting thegovernment finances of some under pressure, although the budgets of most Gulfoil exporters are still...

Assad defies the pundits

Even though Syrian rebels now hold vast swathes of territory, President Bashar al-Assad's regime has stood firm despite predictions of its fall.

OPEC considers oil output, Iran-Saudi rivalry

OPEC considers oil output, Iran-Saudi rivalry Associated Press Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 6:47 a.m., Tuesday, December 11, 2012 VIENNA (AP) — Tough decisions await OPEC oil ministers sitting down this week for a policy meeting.

Iran warns Turkey over NATO’s missile system

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A top Iranian military commander warned Turkey on Saturday against stationing NATO anti-missile systems on its territory, saying such a move risks conflict with Syria.

Karabakh's smouldering conflict

The frozen conflict threatening to heat up again

U.S. imposes new sanctions against Iran

The United States stepped up pressure on Iran over its nuclear program on Thursday, imposing sanctions on seven companies and five individuals, including Iran's atomic energy chief.

Nov. consumer price index surprises with 0.5% fall, interest rate drop may follow

The consumer price index dropped by 0.5% in November, the Central Bureau of Statistics reported Friday. The major drop was a surprise to analysts.

Iran ex-diplomat talks of ordeal in UK

A former prominent Iranian diplomat recently won a UK High Court ruling blocking his extradition to the U.S., where he was wanted for allegedlly seeking to export banned material to Iran.

Nigerian governor, ex-security head die in air crash

YENAGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) - The governor of Nigeria's volatile Kaduna state and a former national security adviser were among six killed when a helicopter crashed in the southerly oil-producing Bayelsa state on Saturday, officials said. Related Stories Iran warns against Patriot deployment on Syria frontier Mandela had gallstones removed, recovering...

Israeli election downplays Palestinian issue

JERUSALEM (AP) — Peacemaking with the Palestinians, once the main issue by far in Israeli politics, has been strikingly absent from the campaign for next month's general election. After years of public frustration with failed peace efforts, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's badly divided challengers are trying instead to tap the...

Chuck Hagel, John Kerry share similarities as expected Obama Cabinet nominees

John F. Kerry and Chuck Hagel, President Obama’s likely picks to head his second-term national security Cabinet, have much in common, including decorated service in Vietnam and opposition to the Iraq war. Read full article >>

No progress made in Saudi diplomats’ cases in Yemen

Khaled Al-Enazi, left, and Abdullah Al-Khaledi. About three weeks have passed since the tragic murder of Saudi diplomat Khaled Al-Enazi, but Yemeni security officials are hitting dead ends in their search for the killer, Saudi and Yemeni officials here said yesterday.

Sending Natural Gas Abroad

The United States can make money and help the planet by lifting export restrictions.

Hagel's record on Israel draws scrutiny

The administration backed down from one confirmation fight -- and may be running into another one.

The politics of U.S. power play

For some time now, a certain strategic vision has been gaining traction: The United States is becoming energy-independent, paving the way for its political retreat from the Middle East and justifying its strategic "pivot" toward Asia. This view seems intuitively correct, but is it?

Iran Displays Air Competence

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The Iranian Air Force has surprised the U.S. military with the interception of a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle, a report said.

Trilateral Trade Council | Business Recorder

A trilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between the governments of Pakistan, Turkey and Afghanistan. Its objective: to promote trade between the three countries and enhance economic co-operation.

‘Patriot missiles pave way for world war’

Chairman of Iran's Armed Forces Chiefs of Staff Major General Hassan Firouzabadi has warned that deployment of NATO Patriot missiles along Turkey's border with Syria can pave the way for a “world war.”

Movie Of The Year 2012: AP Writers Make Their Picks

1. "Argo" – Directing just his third feature, Ben Affleck has come up with a seamless blend of detailed international drama and breathtaking suspense, with just the right amount of dry humor to provide context and levity.

Russia’s Gabala Pullout No Security Risk – Defense Ministry

Russia’s decision to stop using the Gabala radar station in Azerbaijan will not hurt its security, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

Roger Cohen: Forget the fiscal cliff - the future still belongs to the United States

With the United States running a huge deficit, the incomes of the “99 per cent” stalled, the fiscal cliff approaching fast, the nation’s dependence on external financing from China acute, and Washington gridlock a recurrent political condition, this may seem like an odd moment to be bullish on America. But...

Oil gains on Chinese demand hopes

Oil prices rose on Friday on expectations for improved demand in China after data showed the manufacturing sector of the world's No. 2 oil consumer expanded in December at its fastest pace in more than a year.

US Pressure of No Effect on Pakistan-Iran Ties

TEHRAN, Dec. 15 (MNA) – Editor-in-Chief of NNI commented on the Pakistani people position on US sanctions on Iran, saying that Pakistani nation and state believe that Iran has a right to peaceful nuclear energy, and that sanctions are illegal and unfair.

Army arrests gang for circulating forged currencies

The Lebanese Army arrests a six-member gang for circulating forged foreign currencies in the market.

Is This Driller a "Buy Low" Scenario?

Is This Driller a "Buy Low" Scenario?

Editorial: Too Big to Indict; Banks Acquire Impunity Through Size

Too Big to Fail, the bitter banking epithet of the bailout years, found its mirror this week in New York, where HSBC, the London-based banking giant, agreed to pay $1.9 billion to settle a money-laundering complaint.

Iranian presidential election scheduled for June 14, 2013

“The presidential election will be held simultaneously with Iran’s fourth city council elections,” Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar said.

World leaders express shock over latest US shooting

UNITED NATIONS: World leaders expressed shock and horror after a gunman massacred 20 small children and six teachers Friday in the US state of Connecticut, one of the worst school shootings in history.

Turkey is the world’s leader in jailing journalists

TEHRAN, Dec. 15 (MNA) – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has just issued a report finding that the number of journalists imprisoned worldwide reached a record high this year, many of whom were jailed on the untenable pretext that they were terrorist sympathizers.

UPDATE 1-Search for answers begins after US school massacre

>* Violence moves President Obama to tears* Monsignor describes scene as "just brutal"By Chris Kaufman and Hilary RussNEWTOWN, Conn., Dec 15 (Reuters) - Residents of the small Connecticut community of Newtown were reeling on Saturday from one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history, as police sought...

Arch rival Iran sympathises with US after 'tragic' school shooting

Iran was quick on Saturday to express condolences after the "tragic" shooting rampage that left 26 people dead, including 20 small children, at an elementary school in the United States.

Zasypkin distances himself from Iran embassy statement

Russia’s Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin distances himself from a statement issued following a recent meeting he took part in along with his counterparts from Iran, Syria and China.

We Are Cold, Hungry And Mighty

December 15, 2012: In North Korea the government was forced to quickly re-open the Chinese border, despite earlier orders to close the border for the December 7-18 mourning period for Kim Jong Il (who died a year ago).

Homemade In Iran

December 15, 2012: At the end of November Iran announced a new class of warships, the Sina-7 class frigates. All that was shown was pictures of the completed hull and superstructure. The ship had yet to be fitted out with weapons, electronics or most other equipment.

Syrian troops attack rebels near Damascus

Syrian government troops have launched a major attack on rebel-held areas south of the capital Damascus, opposition activists said on Saturday.“The Syrian troops are trying, under a barrage...

US-Iranian nuclear talks fail. Iran has plutonium for 24 Nagasaki-type bombs

The secret, one-on-one nuclear negotiations President Barack Obama launched with Iran have run into a blank wall.

Forex Flash: Main risks for the US economy in 2013 – TD Securities

FXstreet.com (Barcelona) - For the year of 2013, TD Securities analysts are more bullish on growth prospects given their view that underlying fundamentals are much improved, "as evidenced

Cinematography Oscar: Why 'Argo' and 'The Dark Knight Rises' Shot on Film

Digital photography may be the wave of the future, but celluloid was behind two of this year's biggest contenders. read more