News Archive - 19 January 2013

>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday a country with as many enemies as Israel cannot afford a weak ruling party, after polls ahead of Tuesday's parliamentary election showed a slide in his support. Two polls on Friday showed Israel's right-wing and religious bloc winning a slim...

Barack Obama will on Sunday (US EST) be sworn in to the US presidency for a second term.

Barack Obama will on Sunday be sworn in to the US presidency for a second term.

Hollywood's myth-making machine never lets facts get in the way of a good story

Iranian airlines face turbulent times

Barack Obama will Sunday be sworn in to shoulder the power and burden of the US presidency for a second term, launching two days of inaugural rituals darkened by domestic discord and crises abroad.

WASHINGTON, Jan 19, 2013 (AFP) -- Barack Obama will Sunday be sworn in to shoulder the power and burden of the US presidency for a second term, launching two days of inaugural rituals darkened by domestic discord and crises abroad.

Barack Obama, battered but still popular after a bruising first term as President, will be sworn in for another four years to lead an America perhaps as divided politically and socially as at any time since the Civil War 150 years ago.

A high-ranking Iranian business official says shares of Iran’s companies will soon be traded at Pakistan’s largest and oldest stock exchange under a cooperation agreement between Tehran and Islamabad to expand economic relations.

Police said a man hit two pedestrians and left the scene, even though one of the victims crashed through his windshield and landed inside his car.

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran responded to a 2010 cyber attack on its nuclear facilities by beefing up its own cyber capabilities, and will be a "force to be reckoned with" in the future, a senior U.S. Air Force official told reporters on Thursday. General William Shelton, who heads Air...

Exclusive: Leon Panetta returned to government in 2009 amid hopes he could cleanse the CIA where torture and politicized intelligence had brought the U.S. to new lows in world respect.

India is hesitant to implement all aspects of US and European Union (EU) sanctions against Iran, a congressional report has said. The report attributed India's stand to New Delhi's reliance on Tehran on Afghanistan and the historic, cultural and economic ties between the two nations. "India is implementing UN sanctions...

The conservative group American Future Fund released Friday its first television ad in a multi-platform campaign against former Sen. Chuck Hagel as President Barack Obama's defense secretary nominee.

The conservative group American Future Fund released Friday its first television ad in a multi-platform campaign against former Sen. Chuck Hagel as President Barack Obama's defense secretary nominee. The spot will air on cable television in New York, the group said, and is critical of the state's senior senator, Chuck...

The senior policeman at the centre of the News of the World phone hacking investigation is now working on corporate fraud cases for a security company that advised on the Royal Wedding.

Supporters of gun rights gather at the State Capitol to protest legislation that would restrict gun rights.

HE can’t remember when he last saw a Test and admits modern rugby baffles him, but Jim Aitken knows how to beat the English – by being a bloody nuisance with a hard edge, writes Iain Morrison

Barack Obama, battered yet still popular after a bruising first term as president, raises his right hand Sunday to be sworn in for another four years as the leader of an America that is, perhaps, as divided politically and socially as at any time since the US Civil War 150...

Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to leave soon. Nominated: Sen. John Kerry is expected to be quickly confirmed. His confirmation process begins Thursday.

TEL AVIV [MENL] -- The Iranian-sponsored Hizbullah was determined to have enhanced its air defense umbrella. Military sources said Hizbullah has acquired a range of advanced surface-to-air missiles from Iran and Syria in 2011. They said the SAMs would enable Hizbullah to target Israel Air Force assets that fly over...

The Missile Defense Agency appears to have solved a flaw in the guidance system of Raytheon Co.'s latest interceptor warhead designed to protect the U.S. from intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to the Pentagon's testing office.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has floated specific dates for reopening talks with the U.S. and other world powers about its nuclear program. At the same time, Tehran has left U.N. nuclear inspectors empty-handed when it comes to addressing Western suspicions that it's conducting tests related...

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's vice president hit out at the country's business leaders on Saturday, saying they were seeking to destabilize the nation while cancer-stricken President Hugo Chavez fights to recover from surgery. Related Stories Iran says progress made in U.N. nuclear talks France seeks support for Africa's Mali...

The crisis in Mali has led to various human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, rape and torture.

Algeria said Saturday that at least 19 hostages and 29 militants have died in a standoff between Islamists who stormed a natural gas plant deep in the Sahara, and special forces trying to drive them out.

TEHRAN, Jan. 19 (MNA) – Iranian representative to IAEA has said that Iran would never stop Uranium enrichment.

TEHRAN, Jan. 19 (MNA) – Latest statistics on internet penetration rate in the Middle East show that Iran with 42 million users enjoys the highest number of internet users in the region, but it has 14th rank in broadband internet.

The latest round of talks between international inspectors and Iran showed little progress. More discussions are planned, but 2013 may be the year that the U.S. will decide whether to take military action against Iran.

SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen's parliament approved the transitional government's 2.77 trillion rials (8.1 billion pounds) 2013 spending plan on Saturday, four weeks after it was passed by the cabinet, after the former president's party withdrew objections to some spending. Related Stories Explosion rocks government-held area of Syria's Aleppo...

With Israel’s election days away, Orthodox Jews swayed in prayer at a meeting of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, delaying his entrance while politicians waited politely. Click here for the rest of the article...

By Michael S. Rosenwald The Washington Post. KNOXVILLE, Md. -- The artist was a spy. In some of the world's most dangerous places, his cover was often his palette.

Word on the national security street is that General James Mattis is being given the bum's rush out of his job as commander of Central Command, and is being told to vacate his office several months earlier than planned. Why the hurry?

Good morning, it’s Saturday January 19 and we’ll warm up a bit more today.

India on Saturday said its response to the Pakistani cross border provocation and the killing of Indian soldiers was not “influenced” by any country, including the U.S.External Affairs Mini...

The inauguration of a U.S. president is traditionally a highly scripted celebration, with seating charts, schedules, dress rehearsals and planning committees that map each moment of the history-making day from start to finish.

>The Islamic state and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) met this week, but did not manage to revive an investigation into Iran's suspected nuclear arms research, the U.N. organization's officials said on Friday.Iran's ambassador to the body, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, later said some progress had been made...