12/31/2011 05:28:00 AM
live news
Iran delayed promised long-range missile tests in the Gulf on Saturday and Tehran signaled it was ready for fresh talks on its disputed nuclear program.
Iran's state media initially reported early on Saturday that long-range missiles had been launched during naval exercises, a move that may irk the West concerned over threats by Tehran to close off a vital oil shipping route in the Gulf.But Deputy Navy Commander Mahmoud Mousavi later went on the English language Press TV channel to deny the missiles had in fact been fired."The exercise of launching missiles will be carried out in the coming days," he said.
Ten days of Iranian naval drills have coincided with increased tension over Tehran's nuclear program with Washington and its allies. The European Union said it was considering a ban...
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Syrian opposition fears failure of Arab mission
The Syrian opposition is pessimistic about the chances that Arab League monitors now visiting the country can halt President Bashar al-Assad's 9-month crackdown on anti-government protest, activists said on Saturday.
There is little faith in the ability of the small observer team from fellow Arab states to bring about a withdrawal of armed forces from Syria's most turbulent cities and open the way to a peaceful dialogue leading to change, they said. Some activists fear the country may slip into civil war if the Arab mission fails. An opposition leader in exile predicted the United Nations would have to step in....
North Korea names Kim Jong-un army commander
North Korea's new leader, Kim Jong-un, has been formally named supreme commander of the country's armed forces, state media said.Kim Jong-un, who took over after the death of his father Kim Jong-il earlier this month, was appointed at a meeting on Friday, KCNA news agency said.
The move is seen as a clear sign that the young leader is fast consolidating power over North Korea.
Kim Jong-il, who had ruled since 1994, died of a heart attack on 17 December.
On Wednesday, a huge funeral procession was staged for the late leader in the snowy streets of the capital, Pyongyang.
Father's will According to KCNA, Kim Jong-un "assumed supreme...
Ethiopian troops capture Beledweyne from Somalia militants
Ethiopian forces have captured the central Somali town of Beledweyne from al-Shabab Islamist militants.Al-Shabab said its forces were surrounding the town after making what it called a planned withdrawal.
Eyewitnesses said armoured vehicles and heavy artillery were used in the attack, which Ethiopia said was made at the request of the Somali government.
Somalia's prime minister meanwhile announced an operation "to liberate the tyranny of... al-Shabab from Somalia".
"Early this morning, the Somali National Army recaptured some al-Shabab-occupied territories engaging the enemies in Hiiraan and other regions of the country," said Abdiweli...
Friday, December 30, 2011
WHO "deeply concerned" by mutated birdflu research
The World Health Organization issued a stern warning on Friday to scientists who have engineered a highly pathogenic form of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, saying their work carries significant risks and must be tightly controlled.
The United Nations health body said it was "deeply concerned about the potential negative consequences" of work by two leading flu research teams who this month said they had found ways to make H5N1 into a easily transmissable form capable of causing lethal human pandemics. The work by the teams, one in The Netherlands and one in the United States, has already prompted an unprecedented...
Analysis: N.Korea's missile-maker seen in key role in new regime
During the funeral ceremonies for North Korean leader Kim Jong-il this week, the man in charge of the isolated state's missile program and possibly its nuclear plans, paid a quiet visit to the mausoleum where the body lay in state.
Little is known about elderly and silver-haired Ju Kyu-chang, but he appears to be a key member of the North Korean team developing nuclear weapons. The European Union has named the 73-year-old, who is believed to have trained as a metal alloy specialist and studied in Russia, as one of the individual North Koreans to attract sanctions slapped on the rogue communist state. ...
Insight: Dark holiday in Detroit as Church downsizes
Emmanuel Miller comes to Saint Leo Catholic Church at least twice a month.
The 52-year-old doesn't often visit the ornate cathedral upstairs. His emphysema, which gives him violent bouts of coughing, could make it difficult to sit through a Mass.It is the soup kitchen in the basement, which has blossomed into a clinic with a dentist office, that sustains him. There he gets a hot meal and free treatment."My son helps me pay my rent, (but) I've been denied social security so I need a little more help than that," Miller said.The brown brick building at 4860 15th Street is at the center of the next downsizing to hit this failing city:...
Israel kills al Qaeda-linked chief in Gaza strike
Israel killed the leader of an al Qaeda-inspired faction in the Gaza Strip on Friday, accusing him of involvement in firing rockets and a planned attack on the Jewish state from the neighboring Egyptian Sinai.
The deadly air strike was Israel's second against a Salafi Islamist militant this week. Militants identified him as Momen Abu Daf, chief of the Army of Islam, among a loose network of Palestinian groups which profess allegiance to al Qaeda and have been reinforced by volunteers who slip in from the Sinai.Gaza's Islamist Hamas rulers, who have sometimes reined in more radical groups, are seeking an accommodation with secular...
Exclusive: U.S. mulls transfer of senior Taliban prisoner
The Obama administration is considering transferring to Afghan custody a senior Taliban official suspected of major human rights abuses as part of a long-shot bid to improve the prospects of a peace deal in Afghanistan, Reuters has learned.
The potential hand-over of Mohammed Fazl, a 'high-risk detainee' held at the Guantanamo Bay military prison since early 2002, has set off alarms on Capitol Hill and among some U.S. intelligence officials.As a senior commander of the Taliban army, Fazl is alleged to be responsible for the killing of thousands of Afghanistan's minority Shi'ite Muslims between 1998 and 2001.According to U.S. military documents...
Ten dead as Syrians stage mass protests
Clashes erupted in Syria on Friday as hundreds of thousands filled the streets to demonstrate against the government of President Bashar al-Assad and activists said at least 10 people were shot dead.
Demonstrators determined to show the strength of their movement to Arab League monitors deployed in hotspots across the country threw rocks at security forces in the Damascus suburb of Douma where troops tear-gassed the chanting crowds.Five people were shot dead in the city of Hama and five in the city of Deraa in the south."Five were martyred today and at least 20 wounded when the Syrian security forces opened fire," the British-based Syrian Observatory...
Monday, December 26, 2011
Pakistan: PM Gilani denies he is to sack army chief
Pakistani PM Yousuf Raza Gilani has dismissed reports he is planning to sack army and intelligence chiefs. This follows latest rumours in the Pakistan media about a rift between politicians and the military.
Earlier, the army chief denied reports of plans to oust the civilian government - after the PM spoke of a conspiracy, referring to the army.
Tensions are high in the wake of a leaked memo that allegedly asked for US help to prevent a military coup.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari - who recently spent nearly two weeks in Dubai for medical treatment - denies any role in the memo.
Fools' talk "As far as the rumours that the...
Texas shooting: Gunman 'dressed as Santa' killed family
The gunman who shot dead six relatives before killing himself at a family Christmas celebration in Texas was dressed as Santa Claus, police say.Investigators found four women and three men, aged 15 to 59, dead among unwrapped presents and Christmas decorations in the flat's living room.
Two handguns were also recovered at the scene in the city of Grapevine, near Dallas, on Sunday.
Investigators do not know what prompted the killings.
Grapevine police Lieutenant Todd Dearing told the BBC that the suspected shooter was a 56-year-old man.
He said the gunman's victims were aged 15, 19, 22, 55, 58 and 59.
No-one was found alive at the home....
Fukushima accident: disaster response failed - report
A lack of preparedness for a disaster and failures in the response to it exacerbated the effects of the nuclear accident at Japan's Fukushima plant in March, a new report says.The government-commissioned study said plant operators and regulators had failed to adequately anticipate a huge tsunami and its likely impact.
The interim findings were issued by an independent panel set up in May.
More than 20,000 people were killed when an earthquake and tsunami struck.
Tens of thousands had to be evacuated as radiation leaked into the atmosphere, sea and food chain.
The six-reactor Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was badly damaged by the...
Oxford Street stabbing: Teenager dies near sports store
An 18-year-old has been stabbed to death in London, on one of the UK's busiest shopping streets.The man died outside the Foot Locker sports shop on Oxford Street, near the junction with Stratford Place.
Police said they were called to the scene at about 13:45 GMT. Nine people were arrested and part of the street, near Bond Street Tube, was closed.
Det Ch Insp Mark Dunne said there appeared to have been two groups of young people "opposing each other".
The incident happened as tens of thousands of people hunted for bargains in the area's shops, during what was a busy day for Boxing Day sales across the UK.
Police said there had been a second...
Syria: 50 Arab monitors arrive as bloodshed continues
A group of 50 Arab League observers has flown into Syria on a mission to monitor an end to violence the UN says has left more than 5,000 people dead. Ahead of their arrival, gunfire and shelling in the volatile city of Homs claimed 23 lives, the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Opposition activists have urged the monitors to visit Homs.
Protests against President Bashar al-Assad began in March. The government says it is fighting armed gangs.
Casualty figures are hard to verify as most foreign media are banned from reporting in Syria.
The latest bloodshed is reported to have taken place largely in the Baba Amr district...
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Syrian opposition calls for UN role to end crisis
With violence continuing, the leader of Syria's main opposition group is urging the Arab League to push for U.N. involvement in seeking an end to the bloodshed.
Burhan Ghalioun, the Paris-based leader of the Syrian National Council, made the plea in a televised speech marking Christmas.The Arab League has begun sending observers into Syria to monitor its compliance with a plan demanding an end to the regime's crackdown on political opponents. The 22-member bloc has warned that it could turn to the U.N. Security Council to help stop the violence that began in March.The Arab League plan demands the government remove its security forces and...
NKorea pointing to heir's uncle playing key role
North Korea is showing the uncle and key patron of anointed heir Kim Jong Un wearing a military uniform with a general's insignia — a strong sign he'll play a crucial role in helping the young man take over power and uphold the "military-first" policy initiated by his late father, Kim Jong Il.
As North Korea prepares for Kim Jong Il's funeral Wednesday, it is also warning South Korea against barring visits to Pyongyang by civilian groups hoping to pay respects, saying the obstruction will lead to "catastrophic consequences" for relations between the rivals.While millions continue to mourn Kim Jong Il, North Korea is offering hints about...
Hundreds pack Bethlehem church for Christmas Mass
Hundreds of Christian faithful, defying lashing rains and wind, celebrated Christmas Mass at Jesus' traditional birthplace on Sunday, spirits high despite the gloomy weather.
Worshippers dressed in their holiday best rushed under cover of umbrellas into St. Catherine's Church on Manger Square, leaving the plaza, with its 50-foot-tall (15-meter-tall) Christmas tree, deserted. The church was packed, and the overflow crowd waited eagerly in an arched corridor for a chance to enter.Inside, supplicants, some dressed in the traditional attire of foreign lands, raised their voices in prayer, kissed a plaster statue of a baby Jesus and took communion....
