News Archive - 20 December 2012

>* Iran's clout seen increasing, arms flown to Syria* Maliki seen playing Washington, Tehran offBy Barry Malone and Peter AppsBAGHDAD/WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - When a group of Americans and their heavily armed guards arrived at the Turkish embassy for a party in September, Iraqi police outside blocked their path.

>BRUSSELS Dec 20 (Reuters) - The war in Syria has become divided across sectarian lines, increasingly pitting the ruling Alawite community against the majority Sunnis, with foreign fighters assisting both sides, United Nations human rights investigators said on Thursday."As battles between government forces and anti-government armed groups approach the...

If former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel is nominated to be the next secretary of defense, it is unlikely that he will have a smooth ride to confirmation. Leading the Pentagon would mean overcoming an already vocal opposition from pro-Israel groups and others who object to his stance on Iran and...

REUTERS - War-torn Syria enjoyed some rare soccer success by beating Iraq 1-0 in Kuwait on Thursday to win the West Asian Championships for the first time. Ahmad Al Salih headed the winning goal for Syria's Red Eagles in the 75th minute of the final and they rode their luck...

* Boehner abandons fiscal cliff plan as Republicans balk * Stokes worries about demand from world's biggest oilconsumer * Brent's target at $111.45 aborted -technicals * Coming Up: U.S. durable goods orders ...

Patna, Dec 21 (IANS) The upcoming Nalanda International University, near the ancient seat of learning in Bihar, has initiated a global competition to select the best architectural designs for its buildings, an official said.

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>* Reduction likely from 10 to 20 percent from this year's level* Cuts may result in a further loss of $5 bln for the year for IranBy Chen Aizhu and Manash GoswamiBEIJING/SINGAPORE, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Asian buyers of Iranian crude will deepen import cuts in 2013 and struggle to...

>BEIJING Dec 21 (Reuters) - China's state-run Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp, the firm that started Beijing's Iran oil business, expects to maintain its crude oil contract with Tehran at a steady volume for 2013, unfazed by tightening Western sanctions, trading officials told Reuters. Iran's top Asian oil customers -- China, India,...

At first, many people thought that they could just ignore the neocons' pre-emptive Swift Boat attack on President Obama's expected nomination of Chuck Hagel to be Secretary of Defense. After all, these right-wing war-firster voices backed Romney in 2012 and McCain in 2008. Who cares whether they support President...

North Korea’s successful launch of a long-range rocket is sparking fresh speculation over the communist state’s covert partnership with Iran, another rogue nuclear aspirant.

In Latest Update, UN Independent Panel Finds More Breaches Of Human Rights Law By Parties To Syrian Conflict

Symbolic moves to delist opposition group and name secret branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard are an effort to pressure Tehran

WASHINGTON -- A major gay rights group said Thursday, Dec. 20, that Chuck Hagel's comments on gays and his past votes are "unacceptable," another strike against the former Republican senator's chances of becoming the next defense secretary.

Russia's president says change is needed in Syria and the conflict must be resolved by negotiation.

An online clarion call this week halted -- if briefly -- a Lebanese Internal Security Force (ISF) request to poke into mobile phone data sessions, SMS traffic, citizens' browsing logfiles, IP addresses and passwords, chats, emails and apps used in a bid to decipher unsolved crimes. Ironically, it coincided...

The father of Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Scott Brown has died.

What to watch for today The US might resolve its “fiscal cliff.” In the US, a night-time vote on Speaker John Boehner’s fiscal cliff “Plan B” is expected in the House of Representatives. If passed, the ...

U.S. crude stayed above $90 a barrel on Friday after five days of gains, though prices pulled back a touch on caution over U.S. budget talks as Republicans in the U.S. Congress pushed ahead with a plan that stands no chance of becoming law.

Gary Andersen is Wisconsin's new football coach.

The U.N. Security Council has imposed sanctions on two Iranian companies for smuggling arms to Syria and other countries.

A U.S. senator is urging an investigation into whether two guns recovered at the scene of a shootout in Mexico that killed a beauty queen were part of the U.S. gun-smuggling operation known as "Fast and Furious."

>By Roberta RamptonWASHINGTON Dec 20 (Reuters) - The world's spare oil production capacity outside of Iran rose slightly in the last two months, but a seasonal jump in winter heating consumption led to drawdowns from global stocks, the U.S. government said on Thursday in a bimonthly report.In November...

>The move was welcomed by the United States. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said in a statement that the two firms blacklisted by the Iran sanctions committee were "significantly involved in Iranian arms smuggling, including smuggling to Syria.""These companies - Yas Air and SAD Import...

The alleged ringleader of a 2009 attack in which his South Florida middle school classmate was doused with alcohol and set on fire has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.

If you're in the market for a rational cause for crippling, existential fear about the extinction of all human life, read this terrifying list.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The 15-nation U.N. Security Council on Thursday unanimously authorised the deployment for at least one year of an African-led military force to help defeat al Qaeda and other Islamist militants in northern Mali. Related Stories U.N. Security Council to vote on authorizing Mali force...

The head of a European Parliament human rights delegation is urging Bahrain to release political prisoners as a step toward easing an anti-government uprising in the strategic Gulf nation.

The U.N. Security Council has authorized military action to help reunify Mali but is demanding progress first on political reconciliation, elections and the training of African forces.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — From California to New York, teacher and public-worker retirement funds are reconsidering their investments in gun makers and confronting an uncomfortable fact: Their pensions have supported the manufacture of deadly weapons, in some cases the same type of gun used in the Connecticut school shooting.

OTTAWA - Canada is dropping an Iranian group that once allied itself with Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from its official list of terrorists. In taking the Mujahedin-e-Khalq, or MEK, off the list, the Conservative government is following the lead of the United States and the European Union. The...

The Afghan army has been preparing to take over the country’s security as NATO’s 2014 deadline to withdraw all combat troops moves to within a year. But even with 300,000 national security forces now hired, Afghanistan still faces a challenge from the Taliban, al-Qaida and Haqqani networks. According to political...

You can almost see it coming: With every breaking news story of catastrophes man-made and natural, some racist or bigot will come up with new conspiracy theory that somehow, in some way, Jews or Israel played a behind-the-scenes role in instigating it. This seems particularly true with large-scale disasters,...

Daryoush Sarreshteh , an Iranian national and former mayor of Tabriz, died from heart attack days after he was investigated by the customs officers in Dulles Airport, Virginia after a long absence on his way back from Tabriz, Iran. Sepideh Sereshteh, a nurse in Falls Church, said that they had...

A Iranian-American pastor, Saeed Abedini, has reportedly been arrested and charged in Iran while visiting his family. Reports say the 32-year-old Christian convert has been detained in Tehran's Evin prison since late September. The charges against him are not clear.

Yalda Night as called in the Persian solar calendar is a night with especial ceremonies. Families get together on Yalda Night at the home of the elders until after midnight. They are served with dried fruits, nuts, and winter fruits like pomegranates and watermelons, which are said to symbolize the...

BEIRUT - Rebels thrust into a strategic town in Syria'scentral Hama province, activists said, pursuing a string ofterritorial gains to help cut army supply lines andcement a foothold in the capital Damascus to the south. - - - - WASHINGTON - As a year-end deadline looms, Republicans inthe U.S.

There are lots of questions about Huawei ; questions like "Why does the CCP have an office in your headquarters?" or "Why are several countries investigating you?" or "You did ...

The U.S. State Department says it is in contact with the family of a man described by activists as an Iranian-American Christian pastor jailed in Tehran.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a $633 billion defense bill for next year despite Pentagon complaints that it spares outdated but politically popular weapons at the expense of the military's ability to fight.

BOSTON -- Gov. Deval Patrick predicted movement in the Legislature next session on stalled gun control legislation, drawing a distinction between weapons used for sport and hunting and those designed first and foremost for military use. During his mo

In a letter to the White House, Iran experts insisted diplomacy, not further sanctions, will have the best results. But US actions since then indicate more sticks than carrots. 

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>The agency quoted a foreign ministry spokesman as saying the six powers - the United States, Russia, France, Britain, Germany and China - were still negotiating with the Islamic republic on a possible date and location for talks.Iran is refining uranium to a fissile concentration of 20 percent, which...

Jailed adviser of Iranian president given brief leave for medical treatment

When it comes to looking ahead and taking someone`s word or opinion into consideration we often subconsciously affirm or reject the information based on the reputation of the person giving you the information. So when the banking sector has started claiming that 2013 will be a better year for the...

As we come to the end of 2012 we find that, like a movie, the stresses and strains, the thrills and spills and loose ends are all being tidied up into a relatively happy ending.

LONDON (Reuters) - British police investigating claims an officer fabricated evidence that led to a minister resigning said on Thursday they had arrested a second man over the reporting of a row outside Prime Minister David Cameron's Downing Street residence. Related Stories Seven companies enter 4G airwaves race - Ofcom...

From our archives: Payal Singh Mohanka on the Indian hockey legend who passed into the ages on Thursday.

>LONDON (Reuters) - Hedge funds owned by commodity giants including Cargill and Louis Dreyfus have outwitted their standalone rivals in a year of market volatility that has disrupted traditional models for oil and metals trading. They have used their knowledge of agricultural markets to trade products that have been less...

>* Sultanate experienced wave of unrest in 2011By Saleh Al-ShaibaniMUSCAT, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Omanis vote in their first municipal election on Saturday, a modest opening apparently designed to stem discontent about graft and lack of jobs in what is normally one of the Arab world's quietest corners.Stability in...

>Dec 20 - In its end-year outlook report, Fitch Ratings says a broadly stable outlook for the MENA region in 2013 will mask continued divergence between oil exporters and oil importers.Another year of solid economic performance is ahead for the region's oil exporters rated by Fitch; Bahrain, Kuwait and...

>DUBAI/GENEVA (Reuters) - Iran is becoming increasingly creative in dodging Western sanctions, managing to sell a rising volume of fuel oil to generate revenue equal to up to a third of its crude exports, which have been badly hit by restrictions. Compared with the first half of the year, Iran...

>Ali Akbar Javanfekr, Ahmadinejad's press adviser and head of the state news agency IRNA, was sent to Tehran's Evin prison in September to serve a six-month term for publishing an article deemed offensive to public decency.Javanfekr's son, Mohammad Javanfekr, told Fars news agency late on Wednesday evening that his...