News Archive - 16 December 2012

>* White House yet to accept Boehner's proposal* Iran nuclear talks unlikely to yield results - sourceBy Florence TanSINGAPORE, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Brent crude held steady above $108 a barrel on Monday, drawing support from a brighter economic outlook for top energy consumer China, although investors remained skittish as...

>* Turkey reliant on Iranian oil and gasISTANBUL Dec 16 (Reuters) - Iran's president has cancelled a trip to Turkey a day after his military chief warned the deployment of NATO missiles along its border with Syria could lead to a "world war", Turkey's state-run Anatolian news agency said on...

>* Syrian VP most prominent figure to say Assad cannot win* French foreign minister says end is near for Assad* Rebels announce offensive in Hama province* Government jets bomb Palestinian camp in DamascusBy Mariam KarounyBEIRUT, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Syrian Vice President Farouq al-Sharaa has told a Lebanese newspaper that...

Newtown, Connecticut, was full of grief, full of horror and -- despite the emergence of new details -- full of questions Sunday, two days after a school shooting massacre rocked the New England community.

Warplanes have bombarded a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus for the first time in Syria's uprising.

Warplanes have bombarded a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus for the first time in Syria's uprising.

The senior advisor to the Supreme Leader says the European Union has become a puppet in the hands of the United States.

Today is Monday, Dec. 17, the 352nd day of 2012. There are 14 days left in the year.

Soheil Ayari Photo by: Eric Gilbert Soheil Ayari is a French race car driver born in Aix-les- Bains, Savoie, from an Iranian father and French mother. He claimed his first championship with the 1994 French Formula Ford Championship. After 11 national and international titles in single-seater (Macao Grand Prix Winner...

Today in History

In reply to Fiji Dictator's Road To Reform : Firstly just a clarification from the author - “Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry, the former prime minister ousted in Bainimarama’s 2000 coup…” Wasn’t the 2000 coup by George Speight and other disaffected Fijians? I am aware that Banimarama via the military played...

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime has shown surprising staying power in the vicious civil war that's been grinding on for nearly two years. One reason for its endurance is the contrast between its overwhelming advantage in firepower -- which it has used with utter disregard for non-combatants' lives --...

Argentina slapped a 30 million peso ($6 million) fine on a local subsidiary of global banking giant HSBC for failing to report suspicious transactions, authorities said.

Argentina slapped a 30 million peso (US$6 million) fine on a local subsidiary of British bank HSBC for failing to report suspicious transactions, auth...

China has rejected the international clamour to slap fresh sanctions on North Korea in response to that country's launch of a long-range rocket last week. Beijing's main argument is that the launch was "regrettable" but doing anything about it won't be "prudent".

TEHRAN, Dec 17 (Bernama) -- Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar announced on Saturday that the registration of candidates for the 2013 presidential election will start on May 7 and end on May 11.

Iran is backing presidential elections in Syria as part of a six-point plan outlined today to halt the 21-month civil war in Tehran's main Middle East ally. Related Stories Syria rebels capture military base Gunman shot himself as help arrived Footballer Ndlovu in car accident British boy feared among victims...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-ART-146-2012 December 14, 2012 An Article from the Asian Human Rights Commission World: An Interview With Noam Chomsky Nothing can justify torture Interviewed by Eric Bailey Professor Noam Chomsky is an Institute Professor ...

One of India's longest playing footballers, now retired, has been given the "Lifetime Achievement Award" for his "valuable contribution" to the game - from 1954 until his retirement in 2008.

HSBC hit with £1.2bn fine by US regulators, while SFO arrest three in connection with investigation into interest rate rigging The reputation of Britain's banking industry took a fresh battering when HSBC was slapped with a record £1.2bn fine by US regulators for money laundering and sanctions busting,...

BEIRUT (AP) — Syria's longtime vice president said Sunday that his regime and the rebels are both going down a losing path after 21 months of civil war, a rare admission by a top government official that President Bashar Assad's victory is unlikely.

The main Syrian opposition coalition must ensure the release of a Ukrainian journalist being held by an unidentified armed group which says it is affiliated with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) December 13, 2012 The main Syrian opposition coalition must ensure the release of a Ukrainian journalist being held by...

From NFL stadiums to churches to the Vatican, demonstrations of support and caring pour in for those affected by the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.:

LONDON/ZURICH (Reuters) - UBS AG is expected to be hit with a $1 billion-plus fine to settle charges of rigging Libor interest rates this week, making it the second bank to be brought to book for its role in the global scandal. Related Stories Italy awaits Monti's decision on political...

As the U.S. Congress prepares to tighten the vise around Iran with new sanctions, American leaders need to ask what previous measures have accomplished and whether additional ones would help or hurt efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

BEING one of the biggest Asian telecommunications companies with operations across ten countries, Axiata Group Bhd has flexed its muscles to firm its grip on the Cambodian market. It is present in Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Cambodia, I...

We are told almost endlessly that a respect for the principle of separation of powers is deeply ingrained in the DNA of every US citizen.

Assad regime loses second major Army installation; Syrian jets bomb Palestinian refugee camp, killing eight

Too harsh or too soft?

The International Telecommunication Union, a special UN organisation that is "committed to connecting all the world's people," just completed 10 days of largely closed-doors meetings in Dubai, where the agenda seemed more aimed at controlling global communications.

The resignation of Israel’s ultra-nationalist and belligerent Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, indicted this week on charges of fraud and breach of trust, signals a significant shift in the poli...

New book profiles the trailblazers who made Toronto a city where immigrant women could get a foothold.

Saudi artist Ibrahim Khabrani has chosen to portray the purity of the silent innocence of women in his solo exhibition By Pass, currently running at Al-Alamia art gallery.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran criticized the European Union on Sunday for giving its prize for human rights and freedom of thought to two Iranians, a lawyer and a filmmaker, who were cut off from the outside world for defying the country's leadership.

DUBAI (Reuters) - The son of influential former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was released from prison on Sunday night after spending more than two months in detention, the official IRNA news agency reported.

KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) - A series of blasts hit Iraq's Kirkuk on Sunday, killing at least six people and wounding tens more in neighbourhoods across the ethnically mixed city, security and hospital sources said. Related Stories Iran says oil revenues down by half - paper Ex-chancellor Schroeder's wife entering German...

Iran is calling for a halt to violence in Syria, hit by a 21-month civil war.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's opposition leaders say they will press ahead with a campaign of public rallies against President Vladimir Putin despite a modest turnout at one weekend protest in Moscow. Related Stories Iran says oil revenues down by half - paper Ex-chancellor Schroeder's wife entering German politics Absent Chavez...

BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Four policemen in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi were killed when a police compound was attacked on Sunday, a security official said, in the latest violence to plague the cradle of Libya's uprising. Related Stories Iran says oil revenues down by half - paper Ex-chancellor...

Speaking at a service for Brooks on Sunday at the Montagne Center, State Rep. Joe Deshotel recalled that some Democrats felt abused when Republicans called them SOBs — but not Brooks. About 400 people attended the ceremony for Brooks, who died Tuesday after a sudden illness at the age of...

It wasn't exactly a surprise last week when Russia and Azerbaijan announced they had failed to agree on terms to extend the lease of the Gabala radar station which the Russian military operates in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan had little incentive to let Russia keep using the radar, and so demanded a...

As the tide of fighting seems to shift against Syrian President Assad, the government can still rely on Russia, as well as China and Iran, for support. But it's more than arms deals driving Moscow's support for Damascus.

All over the planet, from our strongest allies to our bitter foes, world leaders have expressed shock and sympathy over the terrible tragedy that occurred on Friday in Newton, Connecticut. The shooting of 20 young victims at the Sandy Hook Elementary School and six of their teachers moved even the...

Former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel is a contrarian Republican moderate and decorated Vietnam combat veteran who is likely to support a more rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

[This is Africa]China's media presence in Africa steps up a gear, with the launch of a state-run newspaper focused on Sino-African relations.

>U.S. and European Union sanctions are designed to slash oil revenues to starve Tehran of funds that might be channeled into expensive nuclear weapons programs.Iran denies it is seeking nuclear weapons, saying its atomic program is solely for peaceful purposes."Because of the sanctions, revenues collected from the...

The Washington Post is reporting that nuclear negotiations between six major powers and Iran could resume soon , probably in Istanbul. Initial meetings could begin as early as next week, though they are more likely to start after the New Year's Day holiday.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Militants holed up in a half-built house in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar battled security forces on Sunday after taking part in an attack on a nearby airport the previous night, officials said. Related Stories Iran warns against Patriot deployment on Syria frontier Israel's Lieberman...

TEHRAN, Dec. 16 (MNA) – Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Mehdi Akhoundzadeh will travel to Turkmenistan today to attend a working meeting of deputy foreign ministers and special envoys of the Caspian Sea littoral states on the formulation of the legal regime of the sea.

Tehran -- The planned deployment of NATO Patriot missiles along Turkey's border with Syria could lead to a "world war", says Iranian army official. "Each one of these Patriots is a black mark on the world map, and is meant to cause a world war," General Hassan Firouzabadi said, Reuters...

TEHRAN, Dec. 16 (MNA) – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Friday that 300 people own 60 percent of the country’s wealth.

The UN is considering deploying up to 10,000 peacekeepers in Syria as an emergency measure, reported Russian news agency Ria Novosti, citing sources in the UN.

TEHRAN, Dec. 16 (MNA) – A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman on Friday encouraged Iran to further strengthen its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and called for a new round of talks between Tehran and world powers over the country’s nuclear program.

TEHRAN, Dec. 16 (MNA) – Iran’s Sharif University of Technology has been placed among the world’s 350 best universities in 2012, according to the rankings recently published by the Times Higher Education magazine.

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel criticised the centre-left opposition for blocking her government's efforts to cut income taxes by 6 billion euros, telling a German newspaper those parties will have to explain that to voters in next year's election. Related Stories Iran warns against Patriot deployment on Syria frontier...

TEHRAN, Dec. 16 (MNA) -- Mohammad Bana stepped down as coach of Iran Greco-Roman wrestling team on Thursday.