News Archive - 24 January 2013

>The comment by the Massachusetts Democratic senator, whose Senate confirmation is regarded as a virtual certainty, suggests the United States could consider a new peace initiative despite the failure of President Barack Obama's first-term efforts.U.S.-brokered peace talks broke down in 2010 amid mutual acrimony. Since then Israel...

>He also said during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that he is hopeful there can be progress with Tehran on the diplomatic front.The panel had been expected to quiz Kerry about his approach to Iran. Critics have said he has failed to push for tougher...

>GENEVA (Reuters) - Israel is expected to boycott the U.N. Human Rights Council next week despite the United States urging its ally to show up for an examination of its record, the U.S. ambassador said on Thursday. The Jewish state is scheduled to be in the dock of...

>BAKU (Reuters) - Azeri police used tear gas and water cannon on Thursday to disperse hundreds of protesters demanding the resignation of a regional leader, the day after cars were torched and a hotel set ablaze in a night of rioting. Nizami Alekperov, Ismailli regional governor, rejected protesters' demands, but...

>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's next government must heed voters and devote itself to bread-and-butter issues, not thorny foreign policy problems such as Iran's nuclear plans and the Palestinian conflict, senior politicians said on Thursday. Israelis worried about housing, prices and taxes have reshaped parliament, forcing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - John Kerry urged Congress to fix the U.S. economy to ensure America's role as a world leader and pledged to keep pressure on Iran at a Senate hearing on Thursday that left little doubt he will win easy confirmation as secretary of state. The five-term U.

Scott Preston News Reporter A December poll by ABC News showed that the majority of Americans endorsed intervention in Syria if the government were to use chemical weapons against its own people. In a secret cable leaked last Tuesday, State …

Seoul (The Korea Herald/ANN) - Burwell Bell, a former commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, predicted Thursday that North Korea could conduct a nuclear test in the near future, stressing that the allies should remain ready to handle the threat.

Late yesterday, Bloomberg reported that Chinese tech giant Lenovo is pondering an acquisition of Research in Motion (RIM) , in a move that would presumably be aimed at boosting its own mobile business. ...

John Mundy doesn’t think Canada should be abandoning its diplomatic relations with Iran because it sends the wrong message to the international community - that political dialogue with the country is “futile.”

The United States is facing a number of thorny diplomatic challenges at the start of President Barack Obama's second term.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Sen. John Kerry, the president’s nominee for secretary of state, put America’s anxiety over Iran front and...

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., second from right, speaks with committee member Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., right, as he arrives for the start of his confirmation hearing to become the next top diplomat, replacing Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, center seated, Thursday, Jan. 24,...

Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger warned Thursday that a "nuclear Iran" is "approaching" and urged relevant stakeholders to decide how to respond sooner rather than later.

Mumbai: The stage is set for the celebrations of the birthday of Prophet Mohammed in India, a pre-independence tradition to unite Hindus and Muslims against the British, with over half a million people likely to participate in a procession here.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand D-NY said today she's inclined to support Chuck Hagel's nomination to serve as defense secretary after talking to him about issues of concern to her, including the treatment of gays in the military.

Also: J.J. Abrams to direct 'Star Wars; Sylvester stallone blackmailed by sister; Halle Berry believes her breasts are corn chips; Lance Armstrong turns down 'Dancing With the Stars.

Tim Duncan was selected to his 14th All-Star game, Spurs teammate Tony Parker is joining him, and the Chicago Bulls also had two reserves chosen Thursday for next month's game in Houston.

The activist says Bill Condon's "The Fifth Estate" is a "massive propaganda attack" and is "fanning the flames" of war. read more

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has attended prayers at a Damascus mosque, in a rare public appearance.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. John Kerry, President Barack Obama's nominee for secretary of state, collected pledges of support Thursday and testified at his confirmation hearing that U.S. foreign policy should be defined by a helping hand as well as military strength.

Jan 24, 2013 (CIDRAP News) – In a new analysis of serologic studies from 19 countries, researchers estimate that about 24% of the population were infected with the 2009 H1N1 influenza (pH1N1) virus during the first year of the pandemic, a finding modestly higher than what US health officials estimated...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, in lifting a ban on women serving in combat, said women have become integral to the military's success and have shown they are willing to fight and die alongside their male counterparts.

Syria is unlikely to see peace this year as the fighting edges closer to civil war, Iran's ambassador to Baghdad said.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Arctic air gripped parts of the United States on Thursday, making life miserable for people still without heat months after superstorm Sandy and turning steam from a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania into a snowfall substantial enough to shovel. Related Stories Rights groups call on Iran...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic support for Chuck Hagel's nomination for defense secretary grew on Thursday as the former Republican senator allayed concerns about his past statements on Israel and Iran.

[Video] Esteghlal Tehran – Perspolis Tehran Esteghlal Tehran 1 – 1 Perspolis Tehran (Week 9) 50′ [0-1] Adel Kolahkaj Get the Flash Player to see this content. Download 56′ [1-1] Hossein Kazemi Get the Flash Player to see this content. Download HT [0-0] First Half Highlights Get the Flash...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Senator John Kerry, on track to be America's next secretary of state, told US lawmakers on Thursday that he would work to boost ties with China, but warned of a "long slog" ahead.

Yemen says a Saudi national freed by U.S. authorities from detention at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and who later rose to second in command of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, has died. A government statement Thursday said Said al-Shihri died of wounds sustained in a counter-terrorism operation in late November.

Susan Rice may be defeated, and Hillary Clinton may be leaving Foggy Bottom, but John McCain isn't giving up on the idea that someone, someday is going to answer is questions about Benghazi.

LONDON (Reuters) - Two rights groups urged the Iranian judiciary on Thursday to quash death sentences against five members of Iran's Arab minority and halt their executions on grounds of torture and unfair legal proceedings. London-based Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, which is based in New York, said in...

The starkly different paths two of the president’s Cabinet nominees face were on full display at a Capitol Hill press conference Tuesday.

MATTHEW PENNINGTON Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — North Korea's plan to conduct a third nuclear test is "needlessly provocative" and will only increase its isolation, the White House said Thursday, as the U.S. expanded its financial sanctions against the north Asian country. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said he's seen...

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This week marks a nice occasion for reflections on freedom, with Martin Luther King Day and the Inauguration of Barack Obama. Another occasion is virtually unknown, having happened in a scarcely-viewed corner of western Asia, in Azerbaijan - a country which is actually a lot more important to America...

DAVOS, Switzerland — If there is one place bankers should be able to let down their guard a little, you would think it would be at the World Economic Forum in Davos, an exclusive gathering of 2,500 of the globe’s financial and corporate elite.

Secretary of State nominee Sen. John F. Kerry tells a Senate panel at his confirmation hearing that it's time to move away from diplomacy 'defined by troops or drones or confrontation.' WASHINGTON — Sen. John F. Kerry pledged Thursday that as secretary of State he would de-emphasize the military...

CAIRO - Egypt has yet to decide whether it will host talks between Iran and world powers on Tehran's controversial nuclear programme, the official MENA news agency reported on Thursday, quoting a diplomat.

More than four decades after he testified before the panel as a Vietnam War veteran-turned protestor, Senator John F. Kerry on Thursday returned to the witness chair before the Foreign Relations Committee for his nomination to be secretary of state. In a packed hearing room on Capitol Hill, where the...

>* Seaway pipeline seen back at full capacity within a week* U.S. jobless claims fall to five-year low* Coming up: EIA weekly oil inventories data at 1600 GMT (Updates prices, adds details on Seaway pipeline, U.S. jobless)By Claire MilhenchLONDON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Brent crude oil prices held...

>PORT SAID, Egypt (Reuters) - Egypt has seen no shortage of empires come and go, from its own ancient civilizations to those of Greece, Rome, Britain and France. Now, it is among the outposts of the latest Mediterranean power: China. Situated at the northern end of the Suez Canal, the...

>* Oil demand capped in the developed world* Gunvor profit up in 2012 (Recasts throughout with detail, comment)By Dmitry ZhdannikovDAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Swiss-based trading house Gunvor, once dominant in the Russian crude oil market, is looking at new oil and gas opportunities in the United States, its...

The discovery of oil in the Gulf after World War II triggered the rapid development of an industry that relied largely, in the beginning, on Western experts and technicians.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has hit out at a Hollywood film about his organisation as a “massive propaganda attack” against the whistle-blowing website.

TEHRAN, Jan. 24 (MNA) - Iranian Defense Minister will soon unveil the third generation of Iranian fighter jets, defense ministry official said.

LONDON, January 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ Visiongain´s analysis indicates that the global oil & gas infrastructure security market will reach a value of $28.44bn in 2013. This includes all of the products and services provided to protect critical …

A senior Iranian lawmaker has called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to adopt a non-political approach in its future talks with Tehran.

Russia will respond to unfriendly moves made by the United States, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on Wednesday. He noted that "our relations with the United States are a complicated issue."

Sen. John Kerry, President Barack Obama's nominee for secretary of state, said Thursday that the United States must get its fiscal house in order to lead worldwide, as lawmakers signaled his confirmation was a foregone conclusion.

Julian Assange has hit out at a Hollywood film about WikiLeaks as a "massive propaganda attack" after acquiring a script of the film which stars...

High up in the snowy peaks above Tehran, Iranians enjoy more than winter sports. They enjoy a taste of the Western comforts that have, for all intents and purposes, disappeared from the city below.