Friday, January 6, 2012

Screws tighten on Iran as big buyers shun its oil (Reuters)

Screws tighten on Iran as big buyers shun its oil (Reuters)

Screws tighten on Iran as big buyers shun its oil (Reuters)

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 05:59 PM PST

FILE - In this Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008 file photo, an Iranian money changer holds currency with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's image in Tehran, Iran. The latest U.S. sanctions to be imposed on Iran have not only unveiled the depth of the country's economic woes, but exposed new fault lines within the government just two months before parliamentary elections that should bolster the control of the ruling clerics. (AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian, File)Reuters - Iran faced the prospect of cutbacks in its oil sales to China and Japan as new measures to block Tehran's crude exports over its nuclear program appeared to be driving its economy to the wall.

Turkish ex-army chief in jail over anti-government plot (Reuters)

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 12:11 AM PST

Reuters - Former Turkish armed forces chief General Ilker Basbug spent his first night behind bars on Friday, charged with trying to overthrow the government in an unprecedented development likely to exacerbate tensions with the military.

Fidel Castro says world marching into abyss with shale gas (Reuters)

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 08:45 PM PST

Reuters - Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro said on Thursday the world was on an "inexorable march toward the abyss," which he blamed in part on the discovery and exploitation of vast reserves of so-called "shale gas" around the world.

Gunmen kill 6 in Nigeria church attack (Reuters)

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 04:02 PM PST

Reuters - Gunmen opened fire on a church service in Nigeria on Thursday, killing six people and wounding 10, the church's pastor said, the latest in a string of attacks that has raised fears of sectarian conflict in Africa's most populous nation.

Analysis: Iran could close Hormuz -- but not for long (Reuters)

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 12:48 PM PST

Reuters - Should Iran's rulers ever make good their threats to block the Straits of Hormuz, they could almost certainly achieve their aim within a matter of hours.

As U.S. Explores Dialogue with Muslim Brotherhood, Israelis Urge a Tougher Line Against Islamists' Rise (Time.com)

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 10:45 PM PST

Time.com - Unlike its predecessor, the Obama Administration has understood the limits on Washington's ability to remake the Middle East to its own specifications

Britain's Hague says Myanmar needs more reforms (AP)

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 12:49 AM PST

British Foreign Secretary William Hague, left, and Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi walk on the lawn to a news conference after their meeting at the latter's residence in Yangon, Myanmar Friday, Jan. 6, 2012. Hague was on a two-day visit to Myanmar since Thursday. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)AP - Britain's foreign secretary says Myanmar's recent reforms are cause for hope but are not yet enough and that foreign supporters of democracy must not ease pressure on its military-backed government.

Israeli schools under fire as underperforming (AP)

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 12:44 AM PST

In this Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012 photo, Ultra Orthodox school children walk to school in the Mea Shearim Ultra Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Jerusalem. About one-quarter of Israel's first graders study in ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools that give short shrift to subjects like reading, science and math. Another quarter study in underfunded classes in the Arab sector. Israeli high school students rank below average among developed countries on international tests. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)AP - About one-quarter of Israel's first graders study in ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools that give short shrift to subjects like reading, science and math. Another quarter study in underfunded classes in the Arab sector. Israeli high school students rank below average among developed countries on international tests.

Police detain 20 in deadly Mexico prison riot (AP)

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 06:14 PM PST

Mexican navy marines stand outside the Altamira prison in the town of Altamira, Mexico, Wednesday Jan. 4, 2012, after a prison riot broke out leaving 31 inmates dead. Mexican authorities have detained 20 inmates for alleged involvement in the prison riot, in a state bordering Texas and are investigating whether prison staff were also responsible. A fight ensued when one cell block invaded another Wednesday afternoon, causing a brawl among prisoners armed with makeshift knives, clubs and stones, said Morelos Canseco, interior secretary of Tamaulipas state. (AP Photo/Luis Alejandro Avendano)AP - Mexican authorities have detained 20 inmates for alleged involvement in a prison riot that killed 31 in a state bordering Texas and are investigating whether prison staff were also responsible.

5 dead, others wounded in Nigeria church attack (AP)

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 02:26 PM PST

AP - Gunmen attacked a church in northeast Nigeria during a prayer service Thursday night, killing at least five people and wounding others in an assault that occurred amid an increasingly violent campaign by a radical Muslim sect.

Radio broadcaster shot dead in south Philippines (AP)

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 12:43 AM PST

AP - Gunmen fatally shot a radio broadcaster as he drove his car with his wife and son in what an advocacy group said Friday was the 150th journalist slain in the Philippines since democracy was restored in 1986.

Economy seen growing, but global risks loom (Reuters)

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 05:19 PM PST

Reuters - Canada will likely see a second year of modest economic growth in 2012, but is highly vulnerable to turmoil in Europe, the United States and elsewhere, some of Canada's top economists predicted on Thursday.

East Timor Mulls Politics of Teaching Portuguese in School (Time.com)

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 10:45 PM PST

Time.com - East Timor, the world's second youngest country, faces a unique challenge: few of its teachers speak the country's legal lingua franca, Portuguese. So what should schools teach?

Despite convictions, UK's Stephen Lawrence case still not fully resolved (The Christian Science Monitor)

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 12:32 PM PST

The Christian Science Monitor - A controversial racist murder case was wrapped up in court after almost two decades yesterday. But today, the case seems far from over. The sentences of the two found guilty of Stephen Lawrence's death are being reevaluated, and new information has emerged that could help police track down three more suspects. 

Iran's Regime Hands Rafsanjani Six-Month Prison Sentence (Time.com)

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 10:45 PM PST

Time.com - A six-month prison sentence for the daughter of Hashemi Rafsanjani appears designed to dragoon the former President's support for an election process whose fairness he has questioned

Conflicting signals on reform in Burma (Myanmar) (The Christian Science Monitor)

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 11:45 AM PST

The Christian Science Monitor - Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi says she believes that her country will hold full democratic elections in her lifetime, a good sign for the country, which has long been notorious for its oppressive military rule.
Posted by Harshad at 1:31 AM

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