News Archive - 2 December 2011

>* US encouraging partners to impose sanctions on Iran* Turkey has deepened ties with Iran in recent yearsANKARA, Dec 2 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has urged Turkey to pass new sanctions against Iran, increasing pressure on Washington's Middle East ally to join a tightening web of...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta urged Israel on Friday to get back to the "damn" negotiating table with Palestinians and take steps to address what he described as the Jewish state's growing isolation in the Middle East. Panetta, addressing a forum in Washington, also made one of his...

>LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's ambassador to Iran described on Friday how he took refuge while a mob rampaged through his embassy in Tehran, smashing windows, tearing up portraits and starting fires, while seven staff were seized by protesters at a second compound. Speaking three days after the attack by protesters...

What are the options for dealing with Iran's nuclear program? We can do nothing; but doing nothing isn't a real option. We can use our military to target Iran's nuclear sites, but this is bound to have unforeseen consequences. Or we can sanction Iran.

>"We believe the sanctions track in the Security Council has been exhausted," he told reporters in response to a question about Iran and its nuclear program. "We continue to believe very strongly that negotiations should continue with Iran."The United States and European powers, trying to further isolate Iran, have...

Burhan Ghalioun, a potential leader of the new, post-Assad Syria, took the plunge this week and declared that the new regime will cut off relations with Iran, and stop the arms supplies to both Hamas and Hezbollah.

>(Reuters) - A cyber warfare expert claims he has linked the Stuxnet computer virus that attacked Iran's nuclear program in 2010 to Conficker, a mysterious "worm" that surfaced in late 2008 and infected millions of PCs. Conficker was used to open back doors into computers in Iran, then infect them...

>PARIS (Reuters) - Britain is not convinced that the EU treaty needs changing to tackle the euro zone debt crisis, Prime Minister David Cameron said Friday, after discussing plans for tougher governance in the bloc with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Cameron said after meeting Sarkozy in Paris that the crisis...

>TEHRAN (Reuters) - Crowds chanted "Death to Britain" at Tehran University on Friday prayers as a hardline Iranian cleric warned the U.N. and European Union against siding with London after students and militia stormed the British embassy in Tehran. Cleric Ahmad Khatami denounced those who tied themselves to "the...

> Financials...

>Tensions with Iran are already high after Britain responded to an attack on its embassy in Tehran on Tuesday by shutting down the Iranian embassy in London and expelling its staff.Press TV, which broadcasts in English and has an office in London, was punished for failing to say that...

The disgraceful attack by hardline Basijis - the same group that beat and killed peaceful demonstrators in Iran in 2009 - against the British embassy...

LONDON (Reuters) - All Iranian diplomats left Britain on Friday after being expelled in protest at the storming by protesters of the British embassy in Tehran, a government spokesman said. "I can confirm that, earlier this afternoon, all diplomatic staff of the Iranian Embassy in London took off from Heathrow...

According to a research from John Bumgarner, a retired U.S. Army special operations veteran and former intelligence officer, Conficker was used to open back doors into computers in Iran, whilst infecting them with Stuxnet.

Litchfield 40, Amherst 39

RTS stock futures dropped and OAO Gazprom slid the most in a week on speculation oil, Russia’s biggest export earner, has hit a peak.

Yahya Jammeh, who recently was elected to a fourth term as the president of Gambia, speaks to reporters after voting Nov. 25 in the capital of Banjul.

The Chairman of the board of Governors of the Petroleum Commission, Prof. Ivan Addae-Mensah, has cautioned Ghanaians, to be watchful of the activities of foreign interests that always seek to control the affairs of resource-rich economies, through diabolic means, which hurt such countries and even threaten their political stability.

President Zardari cuts a sorry Kafkaesque figure.

WASHINGTON -- Ignoring a presidential veto threat, the Democratic-controlled Senate Thursday overwhelmingly approved a massive, $662 billion defense bill. The vote was 93-7 for the bill authorizing money for military personnel, weapons systems, national security programs in the Energy Department and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in the fiscal...

Preliminary results from the Democratic Republic of Congo's presidential election show incumbent Joseph Kabila leading opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi. Related Stories US storm debris washes up in Ireland 20 years on Wife's verdict awaits Herman Cain as he admits 'friend' was a secret Gillard's party backs gay marriage Low key...

DEB RIECHMANN Associated Press MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan Zara, an Afghan mother of seven, doesn't know what to tell her children when they ask about dinner. "I simply tell them that we must wait until their father gets home to see if he's going to bring anything," she said, speaking from under...

Russia's ambassador to the UN has described the latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Iran's nuclear program as a public relations maneuver.

DOHA, Dec 02, 2011 (AFP) - The Sunni Muslim monarchies of the Gulf fear that Shiites on the Arabian peninsula will rise up against their rule, inspired by the Arab Spring, community leaders in the region say.

Russia's deputy foreign minister has lashed out at the sanctions by Western countries against the Islamic Republic of Iran, describing the policy as wrong and pointless.

Twenty-five diplomats and embassy employees arrived in Tehran Saturday morning after Iran was ordered to close its embassy in London, according to IRNA, the country's official news agency.

CONCORD ? Former New Hampshire U.S. Sen. Bob Smith is endorsing Newt Gingrich for President.

A group of Iranian diplomats who were expelled from Britain after the UK's Tehran embassy was ransacked, have arrived home, Iranian media say.

WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta spoke sternly on Friday to America's closest ally in the Middle East, telling Israel that it is partly responsible for its increasing isolation and that it now must take "bold action" -- diplomatic, not military -- to mend ties with its Arab neighbors...

(RNS) A quick glimpse at a calendar is one way to see how religiously diverse the United States has become.

Australia's ruling party has voted to endorse same-sex marriage but this reversal of its long-standing position is unlikely to lead to gay marriage being legalised in the country. Related Stories Craigslist job adverts 'lured unemployed to their deaths' US storm debris washes up in Ireland 20 years on Wife's verdict...

Chilliwack’s Sabah Fadai is taking part in an MFC bout Friday in Edmonton. After months of training, Chilliwack-raised mixed martial arts fighter Sabah Fadai will look to make a strong first impression when he enters an Edmonton ring Friday for his first major North American bout.

Now the real struggle for Egypt begins.

GE Aviation drops F-35 jet engine

Former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer has called on the European Union (EU) to come back to the negotiating table and settle its disputes with Iran diplomatically.

Iranian diplomats have arrived home following their expulsion from London in retaliation for attacks on British compounds in Tehran.

IRAN’S diplomats were flown out of Britain yesterday after being expelled by the UK Government in response to protesters storming its embassy in Tehran, toughening a confrontation between Tehran and the West over its nuclear programme.

The US Senate has unanimously approved harsh new economic sanctions on Iran.

Oil price drops to below $100 a barrel Associated Press Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 09:24 a.m., Thursday, December 1, 2011 NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices are falling after a four-day surge, as traders await...

Iranian diplomats have arrived home following their expulsion from London in retaliation for attacks on British compounds in Tehran. Related Stories I was trapped on Scientology cruise ship while Tom Cruise partied Craigslist job adverts 'lured unemployed to their deaths' US storm debris washes up in Ireland 20 years on...

Iranian director Tahmineh Milani cut short her participation at the International Film Festival of India and returned to Iran amidst reports of resentment there about her being a jury member alongside Israeli filmmaker Dan Wolman.

European ministers tighten sanctions against Iran, black listing another 180 officials and organisations.

Ambassadors and diplomats in Tehran are 'shocked' by the damage protesters caused in Britain's embassy.

Britain's actions follow the worst attack on a foreign mission since the 1979 revolution but the UK clearly thinks it would be a mistake to cut off all contact with Tehran Britain's dramatic decision to shut down the Iranian embassy in London and the UK mission in Tehran marks a...

THERE is nothing new in Israel`s threatening military action against Iran but of late matters appear to have taken a more ominous turn.

AS prime minister for the past four years, Vladimir Putin never really went away.

More than half of all carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere comes from five countries, report shows.

Britain has expelled Iranian diplomats and shut its embassy in Tehran following attacks by protesters.

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China has said it wants to expand into the US rail and road engineering market.

Pyongyang, December 2 (KCNA) -- Ivan Shawvaker who is a spokesperson for the Green Party of Switzerland said in an exclusive interview with IRNA on Friday that the new sanctions imposed on Iran by certain western countries will just make the situation more convulsive, having no other effect.

Pyongyang, December 2 (KCNA) -- Pakistan and Iran on Monday agreed to bolster regional cooperation to combat drug smuggling. On Nov. 25 Russia and Belarus signed agreements on gas import and export, the plan for building nuclear power plant.

WASHINGTON ? Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney toughened his rhetoric against Newt Gingrich Friday in a sign he is starting to take seriously the challenge from his surging rival.

Tehran, December 1 (KCNA) -- The minister of Oil of Iran on Nov. 27 rejected the West's threat against his country. The minister said that West's sanctions against Iran's oil industry will cause problems for the global oil market.

Britain has warned there will be serious consequences for Iran after the storming of its embassy in Tehran.

Britain has warned there will be serious consequences for Iran after the storming of its embassy in Tehran.

WASHINGTON — Pentagon chief Leon Panetta on Friday warned there was no guarantee a US military strike on Iran would hit intended targets linked to Tehran’s nuclear program, saying the sites are “difficult to get at.”

Russia has claimed the UN can do no more to impose sanctions on Iran.

Britain has warned there will be serious consequences for Iran after the storming of its embassy in Tehran.

World oil prices surged as traders reacted to news that protesters had stormed Britain's embassy in Tehran.

LONDON, Dec 2 (Reuters) Oil rose above $109 a barrel on Friday as some evidence of a sustained recovery in the United States and rising tension over major oil exporter Iran countered concern about the euro zone debt crisis.

A daily watch of someone stricken with a severe malady will more or less confirm with every twitching observed that the patient’s situation is critical.

U.S. soldiers leaving Al Faw palace at Camp Victory, one of the last American bases in this country where the U.S. military footprint is swiftly shrinking, after a special ceremony in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011. Vice President Joe Biden thanked U.S. and Iraqi troops for...

Press TV, a television channel funded by the Iranian government, has been accused of running fake stories about American drone strikes in Somalia in a bid to discredit the US.

The last remaining Iranian diplomats in Britain left the country last night, expelled by the Foreign Secretary after an attack on the UK embassy and diplomatic residence in Tehran outraged Western capitals and plunged diplomatic relations with the Islamic republic to their lowest level in recent times.

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Friday that Israel must work to end its increasing "isolation" in the region by repairing diplomatic ties with Egypt and Turkey and renewing peace efforts with the Palestinians.

GERMANY is the poster child for Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) success in promoting renewable energy (RE). The country’s Renewable Energy Law which was passed in 2004 led to a massive growth in solar and wind energy, making the country a global leader in green technology. It currently has the largest solar photovoltaic...

Iraqi vendor Khundier Abbas was able to flee unharmed when the first of three bombs exploded this week in the market in Baghdad’s Bab al-Sharji neighborhood where he keeps his stall.

The storming of the British Embassy in Tehran has bared a rift in Iran’s ruling elite with hard-liners pushing Iran toward global isolation as they maneuver for the upper hand over President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ahead of elections in 2012.

In the aftermath of the Nov. 26 NATO attack on two border posts that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, the question being asked is whether the assault was a “fog of war” incident or a calculated hit aimed at torpedoing peace talks in Afghanistan?

The EU put 13 Syrian officials on its sanctions list on May 17. The measures included asset freezes and travel bans and arms embargo.

These are some of the more than 7,000 immigrants who officially became U.S. citizens during a ceremony in Pomona on Tuesday. (Herald News photo by Alejandro Cano)

(The Associated Press) WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called on Israel Friday to “reach out and mend fences” with Turkey, Egypt and other security partners in the Middle East, saying he is troubled by the Jewish state’s growing isolation in the volatile region.

During the GOP debate on foreign policy and national security, Wolf Blitzer claimed that the United States spends as much as $2 billion per week in Afghanistan and over $100 billion per year. Given this considerable investment and the even more devastating losses inherent to any war, many in Washington...

Oil rose to a two-week high to cap its first gain in three weeks amid concern that tension between Iran and the West will intensify, threatening shipments from OPEC’s second-biggest crude producer.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi authorities said on Friday a rare attack inside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone this week was carried out by a suicide bomber in a car and may have targeted the country's prime minister.

It may not seem like it now but Romney will lose in Iowa and Huntsman will win in New Hampshire, eventually becoming the Republican nominee for president.

This admission that the problem with a nuclear Iran is not that it would attack Israel but that it would alter the regional balance of power is incredibly significant.

New York (dpa) - The UN Security Council Friday extended the mandate of its mission in Libya for another three months so it can provide needed assistance to the transitional government in Tripoli.The new mandate will expire on March 16 with the possibility of a renewal based on recommendations...

Brazil coach Bernardo Rezende: "Iran has had very impressive results in this tournament. They have been amazing. They have given energy to those watching them. We are trying to improve and learn from each match. We have to win these next two matches. We studied their blocking and attacking.

Brazil recorded a comprehensive victory over Iran in straight sets (25-20, 25-18, 25-16) on the first day of fourth-round action in the 2011 FIVB Men's World Cup at Yoyogi National Gym on Friday.

U.S. stocks were little changed, wiping out gains spurred by a decrease in the jobless rate, while Treasuries and the dollar rose amid concern next week’s summit of European leaders will fail to stem the debt crisis.

The diplomatic row between Britain and Iran escalated today. Ambassador Dominick Chillcott claims the invasion and desecration of British sovereign territory in Tehran - the embassy and a secure compound - must have had the support of the Iranian leadership.

PARIS, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Syria's main opposition group would cut military ties to Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas if Bashar Assad is deposed and the group takes over, its leader said.

Exclusive: With one month to go before the Iowa caucus, Jon Swaine looks at the Iowa Caucus.

Russia opposes new sanctions against Iran and believes negotiations with Tehran on its disputed nuclear program can be resumed, Moscow's U.N. ambassador said Friday.

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez will try to revive his influence in Latin America today when he hosts more than 30 regional heads of state, six weeks after announcing he was cured of cancer.

U.S. Senate candidate Gary Glenn made his case to Lenawee County Republicans Thursday night, telling them he’s more conservative than rival Pete Hoekstra and saying that incumbent Debbie Stabenow threatens to turn the U.S. into a socialist country.

The American ambassador to NATO said Russian objections over a proposed NATO shield based in Europe would not affect its progress.

US stocks were little changed, wiping out gains spurred by a decrease in the jobless rate, as Europe debt woes weigh on sentiment.

In retrospect, weakness in the face of aggression is almost impossible to understand — or forgive. Why did the West do so little while the Nazis gathered strength in the 1930s? While the Soviet Union enslaved half of Europe and fomented revolution in China in the late 1940s?

Prime Minister Stephen Harper travels to the White House next week to chat with a president accused of playing politics with Canadian crude.

NEW YORK — Oil prices rose more than 4 percent this week after a series of developments suggested that higher oil demand and tighter global supplies lay ahead.

One of the obstacles to the growth of online business in Europe has been that consumers are often left with no effective means of redress with traders if things go wrong.

Editor's note: Robert M. Danin is the Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

(Kitco News) - After a strong showing this week, most market watchers expect gold to build on gains for next week, with a critical European Union summit meeting on Dec. 9 to also

As intense discussions begin in Bonn this weekend in preparation for the December 5 international conference on Afghanistan, India will for the first time get attention it has never gained during...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - World stocks edged higher on Friday and registered their biggest weekly advance since March 2009 as data showed a drop in the U.S. jobless rate, while the euro fell after four days of gains. The jobs data supported the view that the U.S. economy...

PARIS, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- A Syrian opposition leader said the group would cut military ties to Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas should President Bashar Assad be deposed and the group take over.