News Archive - 13 January 2012

United Nations Secretary general Ban Ki-moon said on Friday that any killing like that of an Iranian nuclear scientist in Tehran last Wednesday was to be condemned. "Any terrorist act or killing anybody either a scientist or a civilian is strongly condemned,” UN Spokesman Eduardo del Buey Quoted Ban as...

Latin America is no longer a backyard of the United States as the region's countries are sovereign and cultured, IRI President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said. In a joint press conference with his Ecuadorian counterpart Rafael Correa on Thursday, President Ahmadinejad recommended hegemonic powers to respect other nations and recognize their rights.

A 22-year-old anti-regime protester has been shot dead by Saudi forces in the town of Awamiyah in the country's oil-rich Eastern Province, according to Press TV. Esam Mohamed Abu Abdellah was killed on Thursday after Saudi forces stormed the town and opened fire on protesters. Several demonstrators were also injured.

Millions of pilgrims have arrived in Karbala, Iraq to commemorate the anniversary of Arbaeen, the 40th day after the Ashura, the day Imam Hossein (A.S.), the third Shii Imam, was martyred in Karbala at the hand of the then bully rulers. Imam Hossein Ibn Ali (as) and 72...

A Lebanese man identified as Elias Younes -who is a retired employee at the Ogero Telecommunications Company - was arrested on suspicion of collaborating with the Zionist regime, Al-Manar television reported on Wednesday. The Lebanese army intelligence arrested the man who was labeled by the Zionist top intelligence officers as...

A funeral procession was held for the Iranian nuclear scientist, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, who was assassinated Wednesday in a terrorist attack in Tehran. On January 11, an unknown motorcyclist attached a magnetic bomb to the car of Iranian scientist Ahmadi Roshan near a college building of Allameh Tabatabaei University in...

Tehran's interim Friday prayers leader Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani described the Wednesday assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Ahmadi Roshan as a blow to Muslim nations. He said enemies of Iran are now seeking to encounter the whole Islamic ummah after they saw the idea of campaign against injustice speedily spreading...

Astronomers say they have determined the exact color of the Milky Way Galaxy as it is seen from other far away galaxies. The findings indicate that the Milky Way is redder than most spiral galaxies but when combined with its blue arms its overall color is white. "The best description...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Small Iranian military motorboats approached U.S. vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz twice last week but the Pentagon said the interactions were not seen as hostile, even at a moment of heightened tensions between the two countries. Video released by the Pentagon showed the armed...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama entered the White House in 2009 carrying an olive branch for Iran, determined to show the world that Washington would not play the villain in a relationship marked by blood and bitterness over three decades. Obama chose his words with excruciating care in reaching...

>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that harsh international economic sanctions against Iran, which Israel fears is developing a nuclear weapon to threaten it, have started to have an effect. In an interview in Saturday's "The Australian" newspaper, Netanyahu said: "For the first time I see...

>NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Friday in choppy trading as pressure from expectations of credit downgrades for some euro zone countries countered the supportive effect of potential supply disruptions in Nigeria and Iranian threats to shipping. Credit rating agency Standard & Poor's was set to downgrade several...

>* Iranian leaders vow not to abandon nuclear research* Hitman's target procured nuclear supplies -state radio* Japanese premier casts doubt on U.S.-led oil embargo (New throughout with scientist's funeral)By Mitra Amiri and Robin PomeroyTEHRAN, Jan 13 (Reuters) - The Tehran funeral on Friday of a nuclear scientist blown...

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron said he and other members of the international community are ready to ensure the Strait of Hormuz stays open should Iran attempt to block it in retaliation for sanctions.

>BEIJING Jan 13 (Reuters) - A Chinese firm hit by U.S. sanctions as Washington turns the screw on Iran's nuclear program was founded in the mid-1990s by a hard-drinking trader from a military background who regales dinner companions with how he spent much of his youth in a mental...

“The U.S. radar stationed in Turkey is no good for any Muslim country,” Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani said.

Iranian president's four-nation tour was seen as an attempt to side-step growing international tensions. Unions call for weekend halt of mass protests to allow talks on fuel crisis that threatens to choke off oil production.

Sheikh Hamad says "some troops should go to stop the killing" as US official says Iran helping Assad "suppress people".

MONTGOMERY Residents piled into the Municipal Court on Jan. 5 to watch the transformation of their municipal government as the Township Committee gathered for the annual reorganization meeting.

World's largest oil exporter seen capable of filling any gap left from possible Iran sanctions

Protestors gathered for an hour outside of the University of Michigan Museum of Art Wednesday to mark the 10th anniversary of the arrival of the first prisoners to Guantanamo Bay.

WASHINGTON, Jan 13, 2012 (AFP) -The US government is concerned that Israel is preparing to take military action against Iran over US objections, and has stepped up contingency planning to safeguard US facilities in the region, The Wall Street Journal reported late Friday.

The United States believes Iran is supplying munitions to aid Syria's bloody protest crackdown in an initiative spearheaded by Tehran's revolutionary guard supremo, according to senior US officials.

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran on Friday hurled new threats of retaliation against the West for the assassination of one of its nuclear scientists, but it also signaled a readiness to negotiate on at least one of the nuclear disputes behind the country's worsening feud with the United States.

The US has announced it will restore full diplomatic relations with Burma, rewarding new democratic reforms.

ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo yesterday signed a law to prohibit companies that conduct $20 million or more in business with Iran’s energy sector from bidding on contracts in New York.The Iran Divestment Act was the first bill passed by state lawmakers this year.“This new law ensures that companies...

Former US Middle East envoy George Mitchell says the idea of launching a military strike against Iran is untenable, as the measure could wreak tremendous havoc on Israel.

A Chinese oil firm which the United States placed sanctions on saying it was the largest seller of refined petroleum products to Iran has denied the claim as "fiction", state-run media said Saturday.

HOUSTON — Terron Henry was busily preparing food for his Jamaican restaurant Friday morning when his assistant told him an SUV was mysteriously parked behind his Houston business.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Marine Corps has identified the four Marines in a video shown urinating on what appear to be dead Taliban fighters and has named a lead investigating officer to decide whether they should be charged, Marine officials said Friday, without releasing any names.

Mysore, Jan 13 : An Iranian student of the Mysore University was arrested by the Police on charges of forging a study permit certificate.

Cantor said he would push for the speedy implementation of the new US sanctions on Iran’s central bank, and he favored Congress passing further measures to penalize Tehran if it does not stop its nuclear program.

New Delhi, Jan 13 : Taking note of the fact that engagement with energy resource rich Central Asia is emerging as key trend in India’s foreign policy, the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses(IDSA) has organised a two-day international conference on 'Energy Transportation and Economic Links in Eurasia: Emerging Partnerships'...

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 14 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia is likely to extend gains towards the 1,550 point level next week, following a round of well-received debt auctions in Spain and Italy, an expected monetary easing in China and huge liquidity on the domestic front.

WASHINGTON — Tensions rising by the day, the Obama administration said Friday it is warning Iran through public and private channels against any action that threatens the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf. The Navy revealed that two U.S. ships in and near the Gulf were harassed by...

Thank goodness we don't have to hear Newt Gingrich for a while.

The "right to privacy" goes back further than Roe v. Wade. It actually stretches back to another Supreme Court case -- Griswold v. Connecticut. Remind people what this means.

Moscow, January 12 (KCNA) -- A Russian economic expert recently predicted that the confrontation between China and the U.S. will become acute.

Pyongyang, January 13 (KCNA) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez exposed the nature of the United States which dislikes the development of relations between his country and Iran.

Moscow, January 12 (KCNA) -- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Wednesday called on Iran and other concerned parties to resolve the Iran nuclear issue by dialogues.

Pyongyang, January 13 (KCNA) -- The Iranian permanent representative at the International Atomic Energy Agency, when interviewed by a news agency on Jan. 10, dismissed the West's "concern" over Iran's nuclear activities.

Pyongyang, January 13 (KCNA) -- The Iranian government and people are standing firm against the persistent politico-military threats and sanctions by the U.S., Israel and the West.

The economy, Europe and earnings, including reports from Goldman Sachs, eBay, Google and Microsoft, will command a lot of investor attention. And 3 big reports will help clarify whether the housing market is starting to mend.

Kuma Games online series chronicle real-life conflicts in the Middle East

Two wounded Syrians were transferred to Tripoli’s public hospital from the border by Lebanese Red Cross ambulances Friday, according to the National News Agency.

NEW YORK: US stocks clawed back early sharp losses on SandP's downgrade of France, Spain, Austria and Italy and new worries over Greece Friday, but still ended the day in the red. At the close the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 48.96 points (0.39 percent) at 12,422.

There was no question too small – and no topic too big – for Adm. Jonathan Greenert during a whirlwind visit to the aircraft carrier Enterprise. Three months into his job as chief of naval operations, weeks before the release of a pared-down defense budget, the Navy’s top-ranking officer flew...

WASHINGTON — The United States is restoring full diplomatic relations with Myanmar , a landmark in the Obama administration's drive to reward democratic reforms by a government the U.S. previously treated as a pariah.

WASHINGTON / BEIJING - The United States should advance economic ties with China to reduce the adversarial nature of the relationship between the world's two largest economies, the head of the US Chamber of Commerce said.

With predictions that the cost of gasoline could reach record highs in 2012, AAA reported this week that the price of a gallon of gas went up an average of 11 cents in California in the last month. Northern California communities experienced a 9 cent...

US stocks clawed back early sharp losses on S&P's downgrade of France, Spain, Austria and Italy.

(MCT) McClatchy-Tribune News Service

SINGAPORE, Jan 14 — US sanctions against Singapore oil trader Kuo Oil Pte Ltd are “unilateral” and “above and beyond” the curbs agreed on by the United Nations Security Council, Singapore’s foreign ministry said late yesterday. The United States imposed sanctions on Thursday on Kuo Oil, China’s state-run Zhuhai Zhenrong...

Also: Heather Locklear’s family wants her to get help; Group not happy with Jennifer Lopez’s Fiat endorsement; Ricky Gervais is re-loaded for the Golden Globes.

In this edition of Screen Czech: just what is it that Czechs like in their movies? That and other questions will be answered by Briana Cechova, the head of the Czech National Film Archive. And, a look back on the one of the Czech Republic’s most famous film directors.

At a time of heightened tensions with Iran, U.S. military officials told CNN Friday that U.S. military and Coast Guard ships had two close encounters earlier this month with high-speed Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf that exhibited provocative behavior. The incidents occurred January...

Western powers were drawing up plans Friday for tougher sanctions on Iran, despite the reluctance of Russia and Asia to take part, diplomatic pressure having failed to halt Tehran's nuclear drive.

NEW YORK, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Light, sweet crude oil prices in New York dropped to $99 per barrel Friday, with worries over Iran on the back burner.

What do Venezuela , Nicaragua, Cuba and Ecuador have in common as we start 2012? The controversial visit of Iran ’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad . Apparently, the Iranian leader, facing additional international economic sanctions, increasing internal political pressure and a deteriorating economy, decided it was a good strategy to highlight the support...

The Special Screenings Programs present a variety of acclaimed and visionary films by a diverse group of global filmmakers - from Hollywood

In order to keep the sanctions on Iran strong, the government should say no to all waivers. We must continue to find ways to stop Iran ’s nuclear program. Stop all companies from doing business with Iran .

British Prime Minister David Cameron said the world would “come together” to prevent Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz oil shipment route and that Russia should take a tougher stance against Syria during his visit to Saudi Arabia yesterday.

President Ahmadinejad gains support of an Iran-friendly bloc on his country's nuclear ambitions, but scores no notable accomplishment

WASHINGTON - The White House says President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (REH'-jehp TY'-ihp UR'-doh-wahn) have spoken on the phone to discuss Syria, Iraq and Iran, and affirm their support for democracy and engagement at a fraught moment for the Middle East.

Iranian president's visit to Latin America is seen as an attempt to side-step growing international tensions.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor tells The Hill that Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear capabilities. Read more...

QUITO : Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad headed for home on Friday after achieving his goal of securing the backing of four Latin American allies in his country's nuclear standoff with the West.

The Navy says that in separate incidents in and near the Persian Gulf, Iranian military speedboats approached a U.S. Navy ship and a U.S Coast Guard cutter.

>Some of the measures advanced late last year. Sanctions on foreign banks handling transactions related to Iranian oil sales became law on December 31.The administration of President Barack Obama is now determining how aggressively it will implement those sanctions, and could begin applying them in late June.The House...

One of the biggest suppliers of oil to the United States may shut off the spigot this weekend, pushing crude and gasoline prices higher for Americans.

The U.S. loses a critical component of job creation when immigration policy does not allow highly educated foreigners to stay and foster startups

Israeli intelligence officers from the Mossad posed as CIA officers to recruit Sunni Baluch militants who have carried out numerous attacks against Iranian security forces and civilians, journalist Mark Perry reported Friday at Foreign Policy magazine. The allegation of the "false flag" operation is based on memos in U.S.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration is warning Iran publicly and privately not to threaten the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf. Spokesmen were vague Friday on what the United States would do if Iran did block the Straits of Hormuz.

Veiled women, radical rabbis and gender segregation: Israel is facing a rise in the influence of ultra-Orthodox Jews. Their efforts to impose a strictly conservative worldview have led to growing tensions with the country's secular society. A resolution to the conflict is vital for Israel's future.

Of all the realisations Barack Obama has made in three years in the White House, this may be the most crucial - the US is a Pacific nation. Odd as it sounds, the US spent the past decade forgetting a fact that's obvious from consulting a map or tracking container...

Tensions rising by the day, the Obama administration said Friday it is warning Iran through public and private channels against any action that threatens the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf. The Navy revealed that two U.S. ships in and near the Gulf were harassed by Iranian speedboats...

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is warning Iran publicly and privately not to threaten the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf. Spokesmen were vague Friday on what the United States would do if Iran did block the Straits of Hormuz.

During a speech at a dinner in Flint honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Thursday night, Sen. Debbie Stabenow took a moment to ask the audience to keep Amir Hekmati's family in their thoughts.

NEW YORK - A Muslim man was sentenced Friday to life in prison for joining a failed plot to firebomb John F. Kennedy Airport in 2007 by blowing up jet fuel supplies with the help of a notorious al-Qaida explosives expert.

The Bagger previews the Golden Globes on TimesCast and other odds and ends in awards-related news.

Paul’s views on Israel have been controversial to say the least.

David M. Shribman reviews The Obamas, by Jodi Kantor

CHRISTINE ARMARIO Associated Press MIAMI Before a crowd of exiles and immigrants, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said Friday that the United States needs an immigration policy that is humane and gets the country to a point where "we no longer ever again have people hiding in the shadows."...

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Friday that his government will close its consulate in Miami after the U.S. government expelled a diplomat.

Meet Ginia Rinehart, the heir to the Hancock mining empire.

By Debbie Emery - Radar Reporter As the Marines identified in the viral video urinating on three dead bodies in Afghanistan face criminal charges , a veteran's group has expressed their condemnation of their inhuman acts. "Like people worldwide, our entire military and veterans community is outraged by the vile...

A health ministry day featuring featuring family practitioner Dr. David Moore begins at 11 a.m. Saturday at Ebenezer Seventh-day Adventist Church, at 1699 Olive Road. Call (706) 738-1119 for more.

The following commentary comes from an independent investor or market observer as part of TheStreet's guest contributor program, which is separate from the company's news coverage. By David Gillie for ETF Digest ... Click to view a price quote on TAN . Click to research the Financial Services industry.

The Japanese government on Friday began backtracking on its pledge to join Washington's drive to strangle Iranian oil exports as top figures insisted no decision had yet been made.

ADAM SCHRECK Associated Press BAGHDAD Iraq's Sunni deputy premier called Friday for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to step down and warned that the country's festering political crisis risks sparking a wider sectarian conflict in the region. Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq stood by an earlier charge that Iraq is becoming...

Muhammad Ali’s wife says the boxing great is still a “big kid” who enjoys his birthday parties.

APNewsBreak: UN visit to Tehran set for Jan 28 Associated Press Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 01:13 p.m., Thursday, January 12, 2012 VIENNA (AP) — A senior U.N. nuclear agency team will visit Tehran on...

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is relying on a secret channel of communication to warn Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that closing the Strait of Hormuz is a "red line" that would provoke an American response, according to United States government officials.

Muhammad Ali is turning 70, but the boxing great is still a "big kid" who enjoys his birthday parties, his wife said.

Thai police were questioning a Lebanese man with alleged links to Hezbollah militants as the US Embassy and Israel warned of a "real and credible" terrorist threat against Americans and Israelis in Bangkok. read more

AMMAN (Reuters) - Unrest in Syria cost at least 15 lives on Friday and troops backed by tanks attacked Zabadani, a town near the border with Lebanon, an opposition leader said, in the first big military assault since Arab League monitors arrived last month. The League chief said he feared...