Israel scoffs at Iran’s attempt to seek post in UN committee |
- Israel scoffs at Iran’s attempt to seek post in UN committee
- Asian shares steady, oil prices recover as crude inventories decline
- Major League Soccer’s team of 2014: Henry, Keane and Wright-Phillips
- US court approves return of stolen dinosaur remains to Mongolia
- National Board of Review film awards: ‘A Most Violent Year’ shines through
- Ferguson authorities start probe on protesters responsible for looting, arson
| Israel scoffs at Iran’s attempt to seek post in UN committee Posted: 02 Dec 2014 04:54 PM PST
Iran was elected to the 19-member committee in April for a four-year term from 2015. The United States and Israel are also members of the committee, which acts as a kind of gatekeeper for rights groups and other NGOs seeking access to UN headquarters to lobby and participate in meetings and other events. When Iran was first elected to the committee, the United States sharply criticised it as a "troubling outcome" because of what it said was Tehran's poor human rights record. The US mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment on Iran's bid to become vice chair of the committee. In a letter obtained by Reuters, Iran presented its candidacy for vice-chair of the committee, which will begin meeting in late January. Israel, which views Iran and its nuclear program as an existential threat, was clearly displeased by the idea. "Imagine if Iran ran this committee in the same way it runs its country — human rights activists would be detained, journalists would be tortured, and anyone with a social media account would find himself arrested on fabricated charges," Israeli UN Ambassador Ron Prosor told Reuters. Iranian officials were not immediately available to comment on Prosor's remarks. The committee decides which NGOs will be accredited at the United Nations. Conservative developing nations worked to block accreditation of an international gay-lesbian NGO several years ago and the issue was taken to the General Assembly, which voted to accredit the group. Late last month a UN General Assembly committee adopted a resolution condemning Iran's human rights record and urging the government to make good on promises of reform. — Reuters  |
| Asian shares steady, oil prices recover as crude inventories decline Posted: 02 Dec 2014 04:53 PM PST
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was flat, while Japan's Nikkei stock average added 0.6 per cent in early trade, after marking a seven-year closing high yesterday. Wall Street posted solid gains yesterday, with the Dow Jones industrial average closing at a record high, boosted by gains in energy shares as investors searched for bargains in the sector. US crude was up more than 1 per cent to US$67.76 (RM232) a barrel in early Asian trading, after industry group American Petroleum Institute (API) released data showing US crude stocks fell 6.5 million barrels last week. In recently volatile trade amid massive oversupply, US crude tumbled yesterday after rising 4 per cent on Monday, its biggest gain since August 2012. Saudi Arabia would only consider cutting production if other countries, including non-OPEC producer Russia, joined in limits, former Saudi intelligence chief PrinceTurki bin Faisal said yesterday. While economists fear the sharp drop in global energy prices could fan deflationary pressures in some countries, both New York Fed President William Dudley and Vice Chair Stanley Fischer this week both painted a mostly rosy outlook for the US economy and welcomed the cheaper oil. "Both were relatively optimistic on the US economy and went out of their way to stress upside benefits to US economy of weaker oil prices," Steven Englander, global head of G10 foreign exchange strategy at CitiFX, said in a note. "All of this is extremely positive for USD, given that fed funds has priced in an extremely flat policy hike path and the USD looks extremely sensitive to interest rate differentials in the current environment," he added. Rising Treasury yields added to the appeal of the US dollar today. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield ticked up to 2.292 per cent in Asian trade, up from its US close of 2.285 per cent. The greenback was steady at 119.23 yen, not far from its Tuesday high of 119.29, That was its strongest level since August 2007, when it rose as high as 119.84. The euro was flat on the day at US$1.2385. The dollar's recent strength has weighed on spot gold which dipped 0.2 per cent to US$1,196.30 an ounce today. — Reuters |
| Major League Soccer’s team of 2014: Henry, Keane and Wright-Phillips Posted: 02 Dec 2014 04:51 PM PST
The team included six Americans, notably Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Landon Donovan, who will play his final MLS match in Sunday's Major League Soccer Cup final against the New England Revolution in Los Angeles. Players, reporters and club officials voted to name the final lineup. Keane scored an MLS career-high 19 goals for the Galaxy and set up 14 more. The 34-year-old — Ireland's all-time leading scorer — made the team for the third time. Wright-Phillips, who plays for New York, scored 27 goals — one shy of the league record — in his first full MLS season, which including three hat tricks. Henry, 37 and a pivotal forward for France as they won the 1998 World Cup and the Euro 2000 titles, created 14 goals in what is his final MLS campaign. Donovan scored 10 goals and set up 19 others, the most assists in MLS. He has 144 goals and 136 assists, both league records, as was his seventh selection to the MLS Best XI. Other non-US players on the MLS team were Nigerian international striker Obafemi Martins of Seattle and Argentine midfielder Diego Valeri of Portland. Martins led the Sounders with 17 goals and set-up a team-high 13 others as Seattle won the US Open Cup for the fouth time. The 30-year-old former Inter Milan and Newcastle striker proved to be a talismanic player for them as The Sounders won all 12 games he scored in. Valeri netted 11 goals to earn his second Best-XI nod after being named last year's MLS Newcomer of the Year. New England midfielder Lee Nguyen, Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez, Seattle defender Chad Marshall, DC United defender Bobby Boswell and DC goalkeeper Bill Hamid — all Americans — round out the lineup. — AFP |
| US court approves return of stolen dinosaur remains to Mongolia Posted: 02 Dec 2014 04:44 PM PST
A federal court judge in the Eastern District of New York ruled that the skull and vertebrae of the Alioramus dinosaur, a relative of the Tyrannosaurus Rex, must be forfeited by the French fossil dealers who exported the remains. "We are determined to expose and halt the flow of stolen cultural property entering our ports," Loretta Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement. In January, US Customs and Border protection officials seized the dinosaur fossils, sent to New York from France by Geofossiles Inc, which claimed that the skull was a French-made replica, the statement said. In a petition for the items' release, Geofossiles later conceded that the fossils were genuine, originating from Mongolia, and provided forged documents claiming that the remains could legally be exported, the statement said. The company also attached a contract to sell the skull for US$250,000 (RM856,000). Under Mongolian law, significant fossil discoveries cannot be permanently exported or sold to non-Mongolians, even if privately owned. Geofossiles could not immediately be reached for comment. Now that the skull and vertebrae have been forfeited, the Mongolian government, which assisted with the forfeiture case along with the Central Museum of Mongolian Dinosaurs, can submit a petition for the return of the fossils. — Reuters |
| National Board of Review film awards: ‘A Most Violent Year’ shines through Posted: 02 Dec 2014 04:43 PM PST
The star of the film, Oscar Isaac, shared the best acting prize with Michael Keaton, who portrayed a has-been actor in "Birdman". Jessica Chastain nabbed the supporting actress prize for playing Isaac's wife. "The film is an exhilarating crime drama," Annie Schulhof, the president of the NBR, said about "A Most Violent Year". "It is a compelling story that has outstanding performances and it is visually stunning," she added. Clint Eastwood was named best director for "American Sniper", about a Navy SEAL played by Bradley Cooper. Edward Norton picked up the best supporting actor prize for his role in "Birdman", and Julianne Moore won the top actress award for her portrayal of a 50-year-old woman with early-onset Alzheimer's disease in "Still Alice". "Her performance is breathtaking and so nuanced and heartbreaking. She is one of our most consummate actresses," Schulhof said of Moore. The NBR, a US-based group of movie industry watchers and film professionals, will present the awards in New York on Jan 6. The prizes pit "A Most Violent Year" against the coming-of-age film "Boyhood", which won three New York Film Critics Circle prizes - best film, director and supporting actress - on Monday as leading contenders ahead of the Academy Awards on Feb. 22. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller received the best original screenplay award from the NBR for their film "The Lego Movie" and Paul Thomas Anderson earned the best adapted screenplay for "Inherent Vice". "How to Train Your Dragon 2" was named best animated feature, while "Wild Tales", directed by Argentine Damian Szifron, won the top foreign language film prize. The NBR awarded the best documentary to "Life Itself", about the film critic Roger Ebert, and gave Jack O'Connell, who appeared in "Starred Up" and "Unbroken", its breakthrough performance award. Gillian Robespierre won the best directorial debut prize for the romantic comedy "Obvious Child" and the World War Two film "Fury", starring Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf, picked up the best ensemble award. Comedian Chris Rock, who wrote, directed and stars in the film "Top Five", won the NBR's spotlight award. — Reuters |
| Ferguson authorities start probe on protesters responsible for looting, arson Posted: 02 Dec 2014 04:39 PM PST
St. Louis County police said yesterday they are probing who was responsible for setting fires, looting and destroying property last week after the announcement that a grand jury decided not to indict white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for killing 18-year-old Michael Brown on August 9. One person of interest in the investigation is Brown's stepfather Louis Head, St. Louis County police spokesman Brian Schellman said. Head was caught on video comforting Brown's distraught mother after the November 24 announcement of no indictment, and then turning to a crowd of protesters and screaming repeatedly: "Burn this bitch down." "Our department is currently looking into this as a part of the entire investigation that includes the arsons, looting, destruction of property, etc.," Schellman said. The findings will be presented to the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, he said. Head could not immediately be reached for comment. Attorneys representing Brown's family did not respond to a request for comment. Protests have continued since Brown's death, and were mostly peaceful in recent months until the grand jury announcement spurred a fresh outbreak of rioting. Protest leaders have said St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch's decision to announce the lack of indictment at night contributed to the unrest. The protests eased by the Thanksgiving holiday, and Nixon said yesterday that the guard had completed its duties within the city of St. Louis though it would continue to support law-enforcement agencies in Ferguson and other areas of St. Louis County. He said there were some 1,200 troops still stationed in the St. Louis area. Nixon said in a statement he remained in touch with local and state law-enforcement officials to discuss the status of "the missions." He said the officials had agreed there would be a systematic reduction in guard operations as conditions improved. Guard troops were initially deployed to Ferguson for a short time in August during violent protests after Brown's death. In both August and over the past week, they provided security at police and fire stations, utility substations, hospitals, shopping malls and sports stadiums. — Reuters |
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