News Archive - 26 November 2012

>* International Telecommunications Union poised to assert authority over Internet* Russia, others to argue for legitimacy of national censorship regimes* Secretary-General Touré sees "light-touch" regulation* Internet architect Vint Cerf warns of "dinosaurs" stifling free speechBy Joseph MennSAN FRANCISCO, Nov 26 (Reuters) - An unprecedented debate over how the global Internet...

Ehud Barak, Israel's defense minister, shocked many with his announcement Monday that he's leaving politics. Barak was seen as a moderating influence in Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

>Sudan blamed Israeli military planes for a huge explosion last month at the Yarmouk plant in Khartoum, the country's biggest small arms and ammunition factory. Four people were killed during the blast, according to Sudan.Israel has not commented on the accusations but Israeli officials have accused Sudan of funnelling...

>* Deal is largest overseas deal for ONGC* Transaction seen closing first half of 2013* ConocoPhillips shares down 0.5 percentBy Swetha GopinathNov 26 (Reuters) - ConocoPhillips is to sell its 8.4 percent stake in Kazakhstan oil field Kashagan for about $5 billion to Oil and Natural Gas Corp,...

>* But Israel did not say whether it would attendBy Fredrik DahlVIENNA, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Iran and Arab nations on Monday criticised a decision to put off talks on banning atomic bombs in the Middle East, with Tehran blaming the United States for a "serious setback" to the nuclear...

>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak, a leading strategist in confronting Iran over its nuclear program, said in a surprise announcement on Monday that he would quit political life after the January 22 national election. Some commentators speculated Barak was trying to duck a trouncing for his tiny...

>* End of hunger strike shows continued influence* Brother describes him as in good conditionBy Nick TattersallANKARA, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Snatched by Turkish commandos in Nairobi, Kurdish rebel chief Abdullah Ocalan looked resigned and bewildered as he was flown back to Ankara, the gallows beckoning. A decade later, on...

>Turkey riled Syria, Russia and Iran by requesting the NATO surface-to-air Patriot system, designed to intercept aircraft or missiles, last Wednesday after weeks of talks on how to shore up security on its 900-km (560-mile) border as the conflict in Syria deepens.Syria, which called the move "provocative", and its...

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- Derrick Favors scored three of 19 points on clutch free throws late in the game Sunday and the Utah Jazz recorded a 105-103 comeback win over Denver.

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- Cam Newton passed for a pair of touchdowns and ran for two more Monday, boosting the Carolina Panthers past reeling Philadelphia 30-22.

TEHRAN, Nov. 27 (MNA) -- Iran’s Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari and a number of Navy commanders, officers, and personnel visited the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini and paid tribute to the founder of the Islamic Republic and renew their commitment to his ideals on Monday ahead of 7th of...

While Mursi yesterday softened his rhetoric about the decrees that exempted him from all judicial oversight, he retained the provision freeing the council writing the country’s new constitution from legal challenge.

A gushingly worded report on a political leader put out by the BBC on November 15 has received ecstatic welcome by netizens all over the world, as reflected by the way they have been filling Web sites, Facebook, twitter and other social networks with admiring references to it.

TEHRAN, Nov. 27 (MNA) -- Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, the Iran’s Navy commander, held a press briefing here on Monday.

The foreign ministers of Iran, Turkey and Azerbaijan are set to hold a meeting to discuss issues of common interest to the three countries.

New Delhi: Over 6,000 Indians are currently languishing in foreign jails with the maximum of 1,691 being lodged in Saudi Arabia. External affairs minister Salman Khurshid, replying to a question in Rajya Sabha, said a total of 6,293 Indians are imprisoned in various countries.

Prof. Bhim Singh, Chairman, National Panthers Party has urged Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India to act boldly and daringly saying no to western conspiracy to colonize Indian economy under the new pretext in the name of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) which in fact is fraud on the...

The Toronto Film Festival artistic director warns india's film sector that it must abandon formulaic storytelling to succeed. read more

MEMPHIS, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol each scored 19 points Monday and the Memphis Grizzlies used a big fourth quarter to speed past Cleveland 84-78.

Editor: Michael Perry + 612 9373 1804 Global Picture Desk: + 65 6870 3775 Global Graphics Desk: + 65 6870 3595 (All times GMT / ET) Receive this schedule by email: http://mediaexpress.reuters.com TOP STORIES Euro zone, IMF secure deal on cutting long-term Greek debt BRUSSELS - Euro zone...

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Some printers made by South Korea's Samsung contain a hard-coded account that could let an attacker take control of the device remotely, security experts say.

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 30: Susan E. Rice, ambassador and U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), attends a UN Security Council meeting.

SINALOA, Mexico, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Maria Susana Flores Gamez, the 20-year-old winner of the 2012 Woman of Sinaloa beauty pageant, was killed during a shootout in her native Mexico.

Sabtu lalu bertempat di The Pool, Ampang, telah pun berlangsung majlis EH! 20 Yang Anggun Dan Disenangi. Untuk yang tidak mengetahui, EH! adalah salah satu majalah yang sangat popular di Malaysia. Majlis ini diadakan untuk menunjukkan penghargaan kepada selebriti-selebriti tempatan.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Boris Diaw led a parade of six Spurs scoring in double figures Monday and San Antonio administered a 118-92 pounding to winless Washington.

CALGARY, Alberta, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- A Canadian couple were recovering at a Calgary hospital Monday after surviving a weekend mauling by a grizzly bear, authorities said.

Pro-settler hardliners swept a vote on Monday held by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, effectively tossing four of his closest allies and backers of Middle East diplomacy off a list of candidates running with him in a Jan. 22 election. Click here for the rest of the article...

NEW YORK, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- New York Giants running back Andre Brown has a broken left fibula and has been placed on injured reserve, head Coach Tom Coughlin said Monday.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak waves to media after a conference in Tel Aviv, Monday, Nov. 26, 2012. Barak shook up the Israeli political system Monday with the abrupt announcement that he is quitting politics and will not run in general elections in January.

Listen to the Audio JEFFREY BROWN: And now to the conflict in Syria. Government warplanes bombed rebel headquarters near the Turkish border today, reportedly missing their target, but sending hundreds of Syrians fleeing. Margaret Warner has been on a reporting trip to the region. In her third and final story,...

NOV 27 — Australian Communication Minister Stephen Conroy’s recent decision not to impose a mandatory Internet filter on sexually explicit content is a welcome injection of realism into the frequently febrile discussion of how to manage public access to online pornography. With the key exception of child pornography, which should...

>* Adverts for Asia risk jobs rise 22 pct this year* Roles going in-house, talent shortage a concernBy Rachel ArmstrongSINGAPORE, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Tough regulations aimed at banks have jolted demand for compliance, risk and legal officers, creating one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal job...

Jerusalem (AFP) Nov 25, 2012 Israeli and US defence officials have successfully tested the David's Sling missile defence system, completing the first phase of the weapon's development, the defence ministry said on Sunday. "The Israel Missile Defence Organisation and the US Missile Defense Agency completed the first phase of the...

The Hamas prime minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, said in a televised speech last week that his group remained committed to a policy of indiscriminate murder. He gave this policy a different name, of course. “Resistance,” he said, “is the shortest way to liberate Palestine.”

Damascus, Syria (UPI) Nov 26, 2012 Syrian rebels, despite deep fractures between rival groups, have been making important gains against the forces of embattled President Bashar Assad. These aren't war-winning victories but they are hurting the Damascus regime. In recent weeks, rebels have held a large swath of territory in...

Circle games After being confined to his Tehran apartment and banned from his profession in 2010, director Jafar Panahi has become known more as a victim of Iranian human-rights abuse than as a great filmmaker. Loading Please Wait After being confined to his Tehran apartment and banned from his profession...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- A U.S. astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut have been chosen for an unprecedented one-year mission aboard the International Space Station in 2015, NASA says.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Pro-settler hardliners swept a vote on Monday held by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, effectively tossing four of his closest allies and backers of Middle East diplomacy off a list of candidates running with him in a January 22 election.

Submitted by Daniel J. Graeber of OilPrice.com , In mid-December, the U.S. military will have only one aircraft carrier positioned in the Persian Gulf region for the first time in two years . At the same time, the Iranian navy said it was kicking off a 10-day exercise in...

This summer, as the Syrian economy began to unravel and the military pressed hard against an armed rebellion, a Syrian government plane ferried what flight records describe as more than 200 tons of “bank notes” from Moscow.

Who would have thought that out of the late ’90s freshman rap-rock class it would be Kid Rock who survived? Who thrived, even, without overdosing, fading into obscurity or morphing into Ted Nugent? “ Rebel Soul ,” Rock’s ninth album, completes his impressive transition from immature, pimped-out bullgod to slightly...

WASHINGTON -- Intrade, the online prediction market that gained popularity as an informal oddsmaker for the presidential election, shut itself to U.S. customers Monday after regulators charged it with illegally facilitating bets on future economic data, the price of gold and even acts of war.

A view of the participants representing different religions and cultures. (SPA) Prominent personalities from different countries attend a symposium at Hilton Hotel in Vienna.

Snowbirds: 'This is our time': We look at how snowbirds chose this area over all others and why all the little things they buy and do that go beyond the obvious make them part of the community. By Caroline Perez, reporting by Britt Kennerly.

Egyptian and Israeli officials began talks in Cairo on Monday on the cease-fire understandings with Hamas, but the process remained opaque.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A committee of the U.N. General Assembly expressed serious concern on Monday over violence in Myanmar between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists and called upon the government to address reports of human rights abuses by some authorities.

The latest Bond film has shaken the Australian Box Office, pulling in $12.3 million in its opening weekend.

A 36-year vet's take.

In a sign of the disarray of the Israeli center, Defense Minister Ehud Barak resigned on Monday.

U.S. regulators on Monday sued the online prediction market Intrade, saying it illegally let customers bet on future economic data, the price of gold and even possible acts of war.

(MENAFN - AFP) US regulators on Monday charged predictions market Intrade with violating options laws for selling contracts on news topics like political races and Academy Awards winners to US ...

MORGAN HILL, Calif., Nov. 26 (UPI) -- A suspect in a gang-related killing in San Jose, Calif., was arrested as he stood in a Walmart checkout line on Black Friday, police said.

>Spain's tax agency said the company had managed to send over seven machines designed to make parts for turbines used in energy plants, in a scheme that violated United Nations security council sanctions against Iran.A source close to the operation named the company involved as ONA Electroerosion.The machines,...

It's not your average art gallery, its location isn't exactly associated with avant-garde works, and the person running it is from another country. Mention Kuwait and you elicit talk of oil wealth, desert sands, and Iraq's invasion of the emirate in 1990. Interestingly, it's been a center for art...

When thee is an elephant in the room, it is best to acknowledge it. For the United States, the next four years will be Obama. For China, the next 10 years will be Xi.

There are uncanny similarities between partisan politics in the run-up to that crisis and the present strife over tax policy, budgetary priorities, and the national debt.

Today is Monday, Nov. 26, the 331st day of 2012. There are 35 days left in the year. Today's Highlights in History: On Nov. 26, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered nationwide gasoline rationing, beginning Dec. 1. The motion picture "Casablanca," starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, had its world...

HAVANA, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Colombia's largest rebel group, FARC, has denied violating a cease-fire after the military charged the group lured government troops into a mine field.

MELBOURNE, Fla., Nov. 26 (UPI) -- A student at the Florida Institute of Technology is facing charges for allegedly using a homemade device to cause an explosion in a dormitory, records show.

JERUSALEM—Israel and Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip began indirect talks Monday in Egypt aimed at forging a new era of relations between the bitter enemies following a cease-fire that ended the heaviest fighting in nearly four years.

Today is Monday, Nov. 26, the 331st day of 2012. There are 35 days left in the year.

>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A more powerful version of the interceptor system that Israel said downed 90 percent of rockets fired by Gaza militants before a ceasefire last week should be ready for deployment within three years, an aerospace official said on Monday. He said Israel would need only one or...

>* Hotel guests in Dubai increase 9.6 pct in H1* Growth may be higher in 2013* Huge new real estate development to support growth* Large debt repayments still overhang economyBy Martin DokoupilDUBAI, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Dubai's economy expanded 4.1 percent from a year earlier in the first...

>By Daniel FinerenDUBAI Nov 26 (Reuters) - Iran's state budget for the next fiscal year may assume exports of just 1 million barrels of oil a day, an Iranian budget planning commission member told the semi-official Fars news agency on Monday, about half volumes shipped in 2011."Apparently, the government...

Internet forums in Israel sprang to life when Ehud Barak made his surprise announcement that he would retire from politics in eight weeks. The key question is, does he mean it?

Spain raids company over Iran exports suspected of breaking sanctions over nuclear program

ISRAELI Defense Minister Ehud Barak, a leading strategist in confronting Iran over its nuclear program, said in a surprise announcement yesterday he would quit political life after the January 22 national election.

TEHRAN, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- The Iranian government said it aims to increase its oil storage capacity at a facility in the Persian Gulf by more than 8 million barrels.

Hewlett-Packard said in a letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it had determined that its products were procured from a partner that was not informed that their ultimate destination was Syria.

>Nov 26 -Overview-- In view of its large financial assets and sizable fiscal surpluses, we believe that Abu Dhabi's government has a considerable buffer to support its economy and mitigate the risks from external vulnerabilities.-- We are therefore affirming our 'AA/A-1+' sovereign credit ratings on Abu Dhabi.-- The...

>MUSCAT (Reuters) - State-owned Oman Air, the sultanate's national carrier, expects its revenue to grow 30 percent in 2012 because of expanded operations, its chief executive officer said on Monday. "I am pleased to say we are expecting a 30 percent revenue rise this year due to increased flights to...