IRAN
Iran may quit anti-nuclear arms pact if attacked: envoy
Fredrik Dahl, Reuters – November 30, 2012
Any attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities may lead to it withdrawing from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a pact aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear arms, a senior Iranian official said on Friday.
Iran importing gold to evade economic sanctions, Turkish official says
Ivan Watson and Gul Tuysuz, CNN – November 29, 2012
Over the last six months, Iran has evaded U.S. sanctions by importing Turkish gold to pay for billions of dollars worth of energy sales to Turkey.Turkey’s deputy prime minister has described what amounts to a gold-for-oil barter system.
NORTH KOREA
North Korea moves closer to rocket launch, group says
Jethro Mullen, CNN – November 30, 2012
orth Korea has moved another step closer to the unusual and provocative move of launching a long-range rocket in wintertime, according to an analysis of satellite images by a U.S. academic website.
MISSILE DEFENSE
Russia ramps up NATO shield demands
RT – November 30, 2012
Russia says it wants solid guarantees “expressed in a legally-binding manner” that the US missile defense shield will never target Russian territory, Aleksandr Grushko said on Friday. He stressed, however, that the document should not be draped in the “language of political declarations,” but in clear military-technical fashion.
AFGHANISTAN
Panetta: US foresees ‘enduring presence’ to fight al-Qaida in Afghanistan
NBC News – November 30 ,2012
Al-Qaida fighters are still trying to make inroads into Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday, cautioning that battling the group would be a core U.S. mission there for years to come.
Senate backs quicker withdrawal from Afghanistan
AP, CBS News – November 29, 2012
Reflecting a war-weary nation, the Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday for an accelerated withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan after more than a decade of fighting.
SYRIA
Internet down nationwide in Syria
AP, USA Today – November 30, 2012
The Syrian government shut down the Internet across the country and cut cellphone services in select areas Thursday as rebels and government troops waged fierce battles near the capital’s airport, wounding two Austrian peacekeepers and forcing international airlines to suspend flights, activists said.
Syria peace progress rests with U.N. Security Council: mediator
Michelle Nichols, Reuters – November 30, 2012
International Syria mediator Lakhdar Brahimi said on Thursday he could not move forward with a peace plan unless it was backed by a U.N. Security Council resolution and he warned that a ceasefire would only hold if it was overseen by a peacekeeping mission.
CYBER WARFARE
Anonymous threatens Morsy with cyberwarfare
Sulome Anderson, Foreign Policy – November 28, 2012
Members of the amorphous hacker collective known as “Anonymous” released a video on YouTube Tuesday warning Egyptian president Mohamed Morsy that he risks cyberwarfare unless he relinquishes his claim to extrajudicial powers.
ISRAEL-PALESTINE
Trudy Rubin: Without upgraded Palestinian status, Israel faces Hamas rule in future
Trudy Rubin, Post-Bulletin – November 30, 2012
So why is the star of the moderate Abbas falling while Hamas militants bask in the global limelight? One major reason is the end of the peace process, which burnishes Hamas’ standing and undermines Abbas. Israeli-Palestinian talks have been stalled for nearly four years, in large part over the issue of continued Israeli settlement on the West Bank. Israel blames Abbas for the talks’ failure. Yet Netanyahu never showed real interest in facilitating the discussion.
