News Archive - 31 December 2012

1st Half – Highlights 2nd Half – Highlights

>Tensions between Shi'ite, Kurdish and Sunni factions in Iraq's power-sharing government have been on the rise this year. Militants strike almost daily and have staged at least one big attack a month.The latest violence followed more than a week of protests against Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki by thousands...

Across the world and in the United States, governments struck down anti-piracy measures ACTA, SOPA, and PIPA after facing a chorus of public scorn. The Japanese government, [...]

As I sit in my living room two blocks from the new architectural masterpiece that is the Warriors stadium, I am overwhelmed by the noise of the announcers and the game music.

Palestinian workers rebuild a house in Gaza City, Monday, Dec. 31, 2012. Israel has started allowing long-banned building materials into the Gaza Strip, its first key concession to the territory's Hamas rulers under a cease-fire that ended eight days of intense fighting last month, the military said Monday.

We’ll not make too much of Mitt Romney’s unfortunate remarks in London, the first stop of his European tour. He didn’t say anything plenty of others weren’t saying, and it’s no badge of shame to be beaten up in the British tabloids.

Two years after the Arab Spring changed the political landscape in Middle East, the region realized this year that the second stage of the pivotal uprisings is more difficult than the euphoric first. Host Jacki Lyden talks to Robin Wright, a joint fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace...

LOS ANGELES The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Monday it has extended voting for the 2013 Oscars, after reports of problems with a new online polling system.

Every year Dispatches From The edge gives awards to news stories and newsmakers that fall under the category of “Are you serious?” Here are the awards for 2012.

On January 1, the Virginia-based Hermitage Art Gallery will ring in the New Year with an exhibit dedicated solely to contemporary Iranian art. Curated from the collection of gallery owners Mehri and Nasser Hosseini, the exhibition will feature more than 40 works of modern art by seven Iranian artists.

Facebook's Instagram starts a Web page for those wanting to share their New Year's Eve photos from around the world. Photo Credit: m7erbia via Instagram

To begin on a happy note, the world didn’t end last year. Dec. 21 came and went without a sign of the Four Horsemen, leaving the Mayans (or rather their ancestors) with egg all over their faces. It just goes to show the perils of prediction, but why would we...

By Dave BartonThat instantly recognizable signature. The O an open mouth yawping in protest. The dot of the I like a projectile being thrown. The remaining letters leaning forward to attack. You...

John Sheardown, 88, died Sunday night after a long battle with Alzheimers. He worked in Iran with Ken Taylor in 1979, when six Americans escaped an embassy under siege and sought shelter. They stayed with John and his wife Zena.

THE retired Canadian diplomat who helped get US envoys out of Iran in 1979 has died at the age of 88.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brent crude rose on Monday, closing 2012 up for the fourth straight year after geopolitical threats to production offset worries about flagging oil demand. As oil prices edged higher on optimism about a positive outcome to the U.S. budget negotiations, Brent closed the year averaging...

The world rarely mourns dead dictators. The death of an authoritarian ruler usually means chaos and more suffering for the people they ruled. A year ago I drafted a list of the aging and sickly dictators of this world whose days were numbered for natural reasons. Political enemies often...

The purpose of the visit was to get to know one another. The Iraqi official received me with palpable friendliness.

The global oil industry has had to cope with significant challenges in 2012, mainly related to the ongoing risk of disruptions in oil supplies in the Gulf because of the Iranian nuclear crisis, and the possibility of Iran closing down the vital Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian forces have carried out what they call cyber warfare tactics for the first time as the Islamic republic's naval units staged manoeuvres in the key Strait of Hormuz.

A number of members of parliament called on the Yemeni government to break diplomatic relations with Turkey, dismiss several security officials and ban the use of motorcycles in major cities following the continuing assassinations of officials by gunmen on motorcycles.

The jailed daughter of the former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has been moved to solitary confinement in Tehran, a spokesman has confirmed.

Following is a ranking of the most popular interviews published by Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) in 2012. More detailed information about the most popular stories covered by Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) in 2012 READ HERE TOP 10 INTERVIEWS Varna Architect Kalina Pavlova vs. TIM: Being Brave Is Not...

More than 20 people have been arrested in Moscow for trying to hold an unsanctioned protest. Related Stories Three dead, 21 hurt in car blast Rape protests end New Year parties Pilgrims among Iraq bomb victims Iran tests weapons across Hormuz Sydney starts the new year rolling

One's a skull made of videotapes, one's half-shredded, another has the movie title completely blacked out. But they still work.

TEHRAN, Dec. 31 (MNA) – Velayat 91 Marine Exercises Spokesman has said that newest version of RAAD surface-to-air missile was fired successfully in Velayat 91 maneuvers.

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) - Crude oil prices fell on Monday as traders' hopes of a last-minute compromise deal between US politicians to avert the "fiscal cliff" faded, analysts said.

PM Julia Gillard and Coalition Leader Tony Abbott have wished all a safe and happy New Year.

TEHRAN, Dec. 31 (MNA) – The Deputy Manager of Tehran Province of Endowment and Charity Organization has said that 23 endowments were registered for charity in Tehran Province, worth of US $ 5.3m.

Islamic Republic tests 'Raad' (Thunder) defense system and underwater torpedoes as part of its ongoing naval exercise.

Associated Press Neil Armstrong would always be taking that first step onto the moon, and Dick Clark was forever "the world's oldest teenager.

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel has started allowing long-banned building materials into the Gaza Strip and will continue to do so if the quiet along their border holds, the military said Monday in its first key concession to Hamas under the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire that ended eight days of fighting last month.