News Archive - 29 December 2013

>* Strike ends at Total's Gonfreville refinery* Nymex supported by lower U.S. stockpiles (Updates prices)By Jacob Gronholt-PedersenSINGAPORE, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Brent oil held steady above $112 per barrel on Monday, supported by continued unrest in oil-producing African nations.Escalating violence in South Sudan in the past two weeks...

>Some of the money was likely to be spent on weapons from France, Suleiman indicated in a televised address.One of the few institutions not overtaken by the sectarian divisions that plague the country, Lebanon's army is ill-equipped to deal with internal militant groups, particularly the Shi'ite Muslim guerrilla and...

After less than a year as secretary of state, John Kerry has emerged as a relentless evangelist for can-do -- or try-to-do -- diplomacy who’s taken risks, veered off-script and notched some tangible if tentative wins.

KUCHING: Seramai 366 dari 84 keluarga dipindahkan ke penempatan sementara di Marudi, Niah dan Bintulu akibat rumah dinaiki air sejak semalam.Lima sekeluarga dari Kampung Rida, Marudi dipindahkan ke Dewan Suarah Marudi.34 mangsa dari 11 keluarga di Niah ditempatkan di Sekolah Kebangsaan Iran, Suai dan 327 mangsa (72 keluarga)...

Television highlights.

If you want to work against peace between Israelis and Palestinians, if your aim is to ensure the two sides never work out their differences, then it’s a really good idea to support the boycott of Israel.

Brent crude prices, the benchmark for half the world’s oil, will weaken for a second year in 2014 as U.S. output expands and threats to Middle East and North African supply ease, the most-accurate forecasters said.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India's security officials have decided to take strict action against cross-border smuggling and to maintain peace on the border, Iran's IRNA reported officials as saying on Saturday.

Six years into the resettlement of tens of thousands of Bhutanese refugees to third countries from camps in Nepal, experts say there are lessons from the operation that can inform similar efforts around the world

(MENAFN - Muscat Daily) The National Ferries Company (NFC) will be starting three new routes in 2014. The new Shinas-Dibba-Khasab route is expected to start in January while the Sh...

Tehran, Dec 30 : Iran has installed 1,000 second generation (IR-2m) centrifuges in one of its nuclear enrichment sites, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI) of Iran Ali-Akbar Salehi said Sunday.

TEHRAN, Dec 30 (Bernama) -- The promotion of ties with independent countries has been Iran's top priority and unchangeable policy, Iran's IRNA reported Iranian First Vice-President Es-haq Jahangiri as saying on Saturday.

Authorities say a bank robber who shot and killed a Mississippi police officer was a longtime Oklahoma City resident.

The nuclear deal brokered by the United States and Iran in Geneva is historic. Just as the agreement to peacefully disarm Syria of its chemical weapons demonstrated, diplomacy makes the world a safer place.

DAMASCUS, Dec. 29 -- Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al- Moallem, said Sunday that his country is committed to Iran's participation in the upcoming Geneva II peace conference on Syria, saying that it's illogical to exclude Iran for political reasons by the U.S. and the exiled Syrian opposition.

Harry Basehart: Nothing transformative, but some advances madeRather than simply discuss the political highlights of 2013, it is more important to answer this question: Are we, as a nation, better off than we were one year ago?

PESHAWAR: A Pakistani trade delegation’s talks with Afghan counterparts and senior functionaries were overshadowed by veiled complaints from the hosts about the ‘unpredictability’ of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s land route due to protests and insecurity.

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1. Authors Margaret Atwood and Graeme Gibson: Atwood had just been passed over for...

French President Francois Hollande and Saudi King Abdullah on Sunday held talks on escalating tensions in the Middle East, with a focus on Lebanon and Syria, during a visit also aimed at boosting commercial ties. During the meeting Abdullah "expressed his concern, even anxiety, about regional crises -- Iran, Syria,...

Glenn Greenwald starts a new journalism venture and Hillary Clinton mulls a run for prez

The nationwide manhunt for a suspected bank robber and cop killer may have ended in Phoenix after an officer shot and killed a man following another bank robbery.

I hope you have a lot to look forward to in 2014. I certainly do.

French President Francois Hollande met Saudi King Abdullah yesterday on a visit aimed at boosting commercial ties and addressing escalating tensions...

French President Francois Hollande has met Saudi King Abdullah on a visit aimed at boosting commercial ties.

SINGAPORE, Dec 30 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures slipped on Monday but remained above $100 per barrel, after posting the biggest gain in more than two months, fuelled by a decline in U.S. oil inventories. FUNDAMENTALS * U.S. crude futures for February delivery edged down to...

The man suspected of robbing banks and killing a police officer was convicted of threatening President Barack Obama in 2010, the Secret Service said Sunday.

Jerusalem (AFP) Dec 29, 2013 Israel prepared Sunday to free 26 Palestinian prisoners under peace talks brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is returning to the region to boost the faltering negotiations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to the phased release of 104 Palestinian prisoners...

Beirut (AFP) Dec 29, 2013 Lebanon announced a Saudi pledge of $3 billion on Sunday to buy military equipment from France, as it buried leading Sunni politician Mohammad Chatah, killed in a Beirut car bombing. Friday's killing of Chatah, a prominent critic of the Syrian regime, revived painful memories of...

A year of catastrophic climate change, war, rebellion, whistleblowers and a poignant death slips by to shape 2014 and beyond.

Today is Monday, Jan. 6, the 6th day of 2013. There are 359 days left in the year.Highlights in history on this date:1492 - King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella ride victoriously into Granada after their armies defeat Boabdil, the...

TWENTY-THIRTEEN has been a terrible year for several Arab nations. It has been terrible because the promise of greater freedoms and political reforms has been reversed, violently in some instances, by taking a few countries down the path of anarchy and complete chaos.

Latest VideoDecember 29th, 2013     Central Bank : Babak Zanjani have not paid 2 billion Euro price of oil he have sold ! Following arrest of businessman Reza Zarab accused of corruption in Turkey , now the Iranian Central Bank declared that  billionaire Babak Zanjani who is related to Reza Zarab...

Latest VideoDecember 29th, 2013     Ali Motahari call for trial of Mousavi Karoubi, Mohseni ejei consider their crime unforgivable ! While Ali Motahari criticize the judiciary for keeping the status co toward Kaoubi and Mousavi and call for trial of both + Ahmadinejad , Moheseni Ejei consider commited crime by them...

As the Australian dollar continues to 'head south' many Australians are now, once again looking north; to Bali where, thanks to the rapid fall in the Indonesia rupiah over the past few months, holidays are still 'amazing value' according to an Australian 'think tank'.

Is the Obama administration, like its predecessor in the White House, still “fighting evil” and “hunting evildoers” in Iraq, almost exactly two years after US troops left the country? Looks like it.

This video is about ordinary Mexicans forming local assemblies and democratically forming armed militias (they use a different name) to defend their communities against the extreme violence (murder, rape, kidnapping, extortion for 'protection') of the big drug trafficking criminal organizations that, as the book Narcoland: The Mexican Drug Lords and...

Tumultuous news from across the world kept our heads spinning much of the past 12 months. Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic and Bloomberg View talks with NPR's Arun Rath about the biggest stories around the globe this year, from Iran to China.

The Geneva II talks and scheduled presidential election in Syria have the potential to make 2014 a defining year in the Syrian crisis.

Former Lebanese finance minister Shatah wrote the following open letter last week to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

Latest VideoDecember 29th, 2013     Majlis closed its doors to listen to report of Masoumeh Ebtekar about pollution ! Former hostage taker of American Embassy in Tehran who is appointed as president deputy and director of environment agency  Masoumeh Ebtekar presented a report about environment and pollution , behind closed door...

Latest VideoDecember 29th, 2013     Anti narcotic dogs and police chasing smugglers car Anti narcotic dogs and police chasing smugglers car .  ...

2013 was a dismal year in the Middle East. More than two years after the uprisings of the Arab Spring, the region has largely descended into chaos and violence. NPR's Arun Rath talks to Marc Lynch, a Middle East analyst at George Washington University.

New York AIDS crusader launches campaign to partner with Jews and others worldwide.

President Obama's nuclear weapons policies are seriously flawed. A world free of nuclear weapons starts with the United States.

Siyaka Research suggests that according to available data for November Sri Lanka will achieve the country's tea export USD earning target of $1.5 bn in 2013.

Obama had campaigned for re-election on the hope that a second term would bring with it a new spirit of compromise after years of partisan rancor on Capitol Hill. Instead, great expectations disappeared in fumbles and failures.

There were tales of human tragedy and political triumph, long-sought justice and a ferocious debate over taxes. But at the end of 2013, no story captured the public interest and left a more indelible mark on the city of Boston and the state of Massachusetts than the bombing of the...

Latest VideoDecember 29th, 2013     Majlis interogate minister of science for appointment of staff involved in post riots election The minister of science Reza Faraji Dana came to Majlis on Sunday 29 December to answer question of members about appointment of people involved in post election riots and connected to...

With the Geneva Nuclear Accord still far from implementation a month after it was signed in Geneva, the United States and Iran are moving into stage two of their rapprochement: They are now fighting together to crush Al Qaeda terror in Iraq, debka file ’s exclusive military sources report.

TEHRAN — More than two-thirds of the Iranian parliament has signed on to a bill that would accelerate Iran’s nuclear program if Congress adopts new sanctions legislation, official news agencies said.

President Rouhani eyes increase of international visitors from four to 10 million a year.

Beirut (AFP) Dec 29, 2013 Saudi Arabia has pledged $3 billion for the Lebanese army to buy equipment from France, Lebanese President Michel Sleiman announced on Sunday. The kingdom "decided to provide generous assistance to Lebanon in the form of $3 billion for the Lebanese army to strengthen its capabilities,"...

An advisor to Leader of Iran's Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the US has no option but to honor its obligations under the recent Geneva nuclear deal.

BEIRUT (AP) — Saudi Arabia has pledged $3 billion to Lebanon to help strengthen the country's armed forces and purchase weapons from France, Lebanon's president said Sunday, calling it the biggest grant ever for the nation's military.

Congressional elections in November mean that every issue in the coming year will be framed in the context of who won or lost as Republicans and Democrats vie for control of the House and Senate.

TEHRAN: A top Iranian nuclear negotiator expressed hope Sunday a deal with world powers could be implemented within a month, but said technical talks on the matter are proceeding slowly, Mehr news agency reported.

RIYADH: French President Francois Hollande arrived in Saudi Arabia on Sunday for a visit aimed at boosting prospects of commercial cooperation between the countries and addressing escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Development underway for even more advanced centrifuges but Iran postpones launch of all new centrifuges due to nuclear talks.

Iran has agreed to provide Iraq with technical services for oil well drilling operations, a deputy head of National Iranian Drilling Company (NIDC) says.

Latest VideoDecember 29th, 2013     Controversial football coach Firooz Karimi , react to complain of Bafgh sport club Controversial football coach Firooz Karii who was involved in several scandals in the past  , react and respond to complain of “Sang Ahan Bafgh ” against him .  Watch video of Firooz...

Rahimpour who is visiting Ashkhabad made the remarks in a meeting with the Turkmen Foreign Minister Rasit Meredow. Meredow described Iran as Turkmenistan’s neighbor and its closest friend.

Mohamed Shattah's death comes as wave of violence ripping through country continues to sow sectarian tensions.

MARJEYOUN, Lebanon - The Israeli military fired a barrage of shells into southern Lebanon in retaliation after five Katyusha-style rockets were launched against the Jewish state on Sunday, officials said. The attacks struck uninhabited areas of both Israel and Lebanon without causing any casualties or damage, officials on both sides...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Increasingly vocal in its frustration over U.S. policies in the Mideast, Saudi Arabia is strengthening ties elsewhere, seeking out an alignment that will bolster its position after it was pushed to the sidelines this year. It may find a solution in France, whose...

President declares national day of mourning as hundreds gather to pay their respects

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hezbollah of being involved in firing rockets at Israel on Sunday, as his government warned Beirut of even tougher reprisals after the army shelled Lebanon.

Mumbai, Dec 29 (IANS) A handful of Indian movies have won international acclaim in the last few years, but veteran Naseeruddin Shah says that we still have a long way to go. He said: "We are deluding ourselves that we are making world-class cinema just because the photography has gotten...

If there are common threads running through the world turmoil of 2013, notably of its most unstable region, the Middle East, they are perhaps the indications of a political tide turning against Islamism.

The Death Trade, by Jack Higgins. Heroes Sean Dillon and Sara Gideon find themselves facing down Iran's nuclear ambitions in this international thriller.

Heart attacks claim the lives of around 90,000 Iranians each year, the director of data and statistics network of Iran’s Health Ministry says.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is blaming an international campaign to discredit his government for the corruption scandal that has…        

A political analyst has urged the American people to prevent the Congress from mandating the US to participate in a potential Israeli-initiated war with Iran through a piece of draft legislation, Press TV reports.

His father’s carpet emporium was already eight years in business when Arthur Kirishian, now 77, was born. On New Year’s Day, and after 85 years, Kirishian Oriental Rugs will close its retail showroom in Tacoma’s Stadium District.

Manzarek to Mandela and Chavez to Thatcher - Al Jazeera remembers those the world has lost this year.

DUBAI - Bahrain freed opposition leader Ali Salman on Sunday, a day after his arrest, although it slapped a travel ban on the head of the Shiite Al-Wefaq bloc, the prosecution said. Salman, head of the opposition Al-Wefaq bloc, had been questioned over accusations of "incitement to religious hatred and...

London: National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden will speak directly to Britain in a televised Christmas message, stressing the importance of privacy and urging an end to government surveillance.