Syria to discuss Brahimi peace proposals with Russia

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad sent a senior diplomat to Moscow on Wednesday to discuss proposals to end the conflict convulsing his country made by international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, Syrian and Lebanese sources said.Brahimi, who saw Assad on Monday and is planning to hold a series of meetings with Syrian officials and dissidents in Damascus this week, is trying to broker a peaceful transfer of...

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Tunisia seeks gold in former dictator's assets

On a crisp December morning in Tunis, a finance ministry official named Mohamed Hamaied was demonstrating the horsepower of maroon V-12 BMW on the runway of a national guard airfield. Beside him sat an agent for a potential buyer.“You know, this is the same runway that Ben Ali fled from,” remarked another passenger, automotive expert Mourad Bouzidi, from the back seat.The BMW is among the seized possessions...

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Russia's adoption ban exposes political rift

Russia's upper house of parliament today unanimously approved a ban on US citizens adopting Russian children, a highly charged move that appears to have prompted an unusual public split among government officials.The Dima Yakovlev bill, named after one of 19 Russian children to die due to abuse or negligence at the hands of adoptive US parents in the past two decades, now goes to the Kremlin for President...

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Iraq: New protests break out in Sunni stronghold

 Large, noisy demonstrations against Iraq's government flared for the third time in less than a week Wednesday in Iraq's western Anbar province, raising the prospect of a fresh bout of unrest in a onetime al-Qaida stronghold on Syria's doorstep. The rallies find echoes in the Arab Spring. Protesters chanted "the people want the downfall of the regime," a slogan that has rippled across the region...

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NewsWatch features Hyatt Hotel and The Michael Mondavi Family's "Canvas Art of Wine" iPad App on AppWatch

NewsWatch, a nationwide television show, recently aired a news segment about “Canvas Art of Wine”, a new app by Hyatt Hotels and the Mondavi Family. The segment aired as part of “AppWatch”, a weekly review of the top apps in the marketplace. Washington, DC (PRWEB) December 26, 2012 NewsWatch, a nationwide television show, recently aired a news segment about “Canvas Art of Wine”, a new app by Hyatt...

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Caroms, quirks and odd bounces in sports in 2012

Maybe if they were 22 years old - throwing down drinks in a bar and their faces painted in school colors - this would make sense.But they were far from 22 and their complexions had long lost the glow of youth. And, most assuredly, they were not in a bar.They were two basketball fans, both past the age of Medicare eligibility, and they took their game seriously. They also happened to be patients in...

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Sports ode 2012: London, Lance, a Tide of Giants

So how was your year? Setbacks, advances?Hey, no doubt, it went better than Lance's.First up on sports' yearlong ride:An unrelenting Crimson Tide.JoePa makes his great migrationTrailed by heartache, litigation.Eli's coming and Giants rollPast Brady in the Super Bowl.Suddenly, all's Linsanity:Headlines, puns, sheer inanity.Banned Ryan Braun left fans aghast.An arbiter says not so fast.Daytona, Kenseth...

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2012 sports review: a month-by-month look back

Who were the top newsmakers this year in the world of sports? American-Statesman writer Kevin Lyttle revisits the year’s biggest stories — and the athletes, teams or coaches who made them so big:JANUARY: ROLL, SECThose insufferable SEC football fans become even more empowered when Alabama beats LSU 21-0 in an all-SEC BCS title game. It’s the conference’s sixth consecutive national championship and...

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Sports year: Sad sagas the story of 2012

AP SPORTS WRITERJerry Sandusky will spend the rest of his life in prison, Penn State football played under NCAA sanctions and Joe Paterno passed away.Lance Armstrong abandoned his fight against doping allegations. Roger Clemens won his court battle, despite lingering skepticism over whether he used steroids. The impact of early-stage dementia forced Pat Summitt to step down from her coaching perch.Again...

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NY surfer who survived Sandy drowns in Puerto Rico

 A lifeguard widely praised as a hero after Superstorm Sandy for rescuing neighbors endangered by rolling floodwaters and a fire that destroyed several homes in a small community where grief has been a frequent visitor has died in a surfing accident in Puerto Rico.The death of 23-year-old Dylan Smith on Sunday brought sadness again to residents of the Belle Harbor section of the Rockaways, which...

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Nasty weather threatens Gulf Coast for Christmas

Nasty weather, including a chance of strong tornadoes and howling thunderstorms, could be on the way for Christmas Day along the Gulf Coast from east Texas to north Florida.The storms held off long enough, though, to let Christmas Eve bonfires light the way for Pere Noel along the Mississippi River, officials said.Farther north, much of Oklahoma and Arkansas were under a winter storm warning, with...

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U.N. approves new debate on arms treaty opposed by U.S. gun lobby

The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Monday to restart negotiations on a draft international treaty to regulate the $70 billion global trade in conventional arms, a pact the powerful U.S. National Rifle Association has been lobbying hard against.U.N. delegates and gun control activists have complained that talks collapsed in July largely because U.S. President Barack Obama feared attacks...

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Snowboarder dies in avalanche at Tahoe-area resort

A 49-year-old California man died Monday after being buried in an avalanche while snowboarding at a Sierra ski resort, one of several avalanche-related emergencies in the Lake Tahoe area after recent storms dumped up to 3 feet of fresh snow.Donner Ski Ranch, about 90 miles northeast of Sacramento, closed as rescue teams began their search.The Nevada County Sheriff's Department identified the man as...

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Dockworkers at Northwest ports reject pact offer

 Dockworkers at four U.S. Pacific Northwest ports moved closer to a possible labor clash with grain shippers on Monday, as parties in a larger, separate dispute at 15 East and Gulf coast ports agreed to mediation ahead of strike deadline set for December 30.The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) announced nearly 3,000 of its members had voted to reject a contract proposal that...

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Insiders steal a march in leak prone Asian markets

When South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co announced last month it had overstated the fuel efficiency levels on around one million of its cars in the United States and Canada some investors were left fuming more than others.Some had already sold their shares before the announcement on November 2. The stock fell 4 percent on November 1 with about 2.2 million shares changing hands, the highest trading...

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Nokia to get payments in patent deal with RIM

Struggling Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia has settled its patent dispute with BlackBerry maker Research in Motion in return for payments, as it tries to exploit its trove of technology patents to boost its finances.Terms of the agreement were confidential, but Nokia said on Friday it included a one-time payment to be booked in the fourth quarter, as well as ongoing fees, all to be paid by RIM.Nokia...

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WhatsApp goes free for iPhone for a limited time

Popular cross-platform texting app WhatsApp reduced its iPhone app from $0.99 to free on Thursday. The app now delivers 10 billion messages per day, which is no surprise considering how consumers are choosing to use app-based messengers instead of paying for texting. WhatsApp is so popular, Facebook (FB) is reportedly interested in acquiring it. While it’s true the Android version of WhatsApp is also...

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HTC brushes off Microsoft’s earlier rejection, will reportedly make Windows RT tablets after all

Microsoft (MSFT) may have barred HTC (2498) from participating in the first wave of Windows RT tablets, but that apparently hasn’t stopped the company from gearing up for the next wave. Unnamed sources have told Bloomberg that HTC “is working on a 12-inch device and a 7-inch version” of a Windows RT tablet “that can also make phone calls.” The planned seven-inch tablet, which will be unveiled alongside...

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RIM shares fall at the open after earnings

 Research In Motion Ltd fell in early trading on Friday following the BlackBerry maker's Thursday earnings announcement, when the company outlined plans to change the way it charges for services.RIM, pushing to revive its fortunes with the launch of its new BlackBerry 10 devices next month, surprised investors when it said it plans to alter its service revenue model, a move that could put the...

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South Korea's president-elect promises 'new era of change'

South Korea’s President-elect Park Geun-hye signaled today the tough policy toward North Korea that she’s likely to pursue when she embarks on her five-year term as president in February.She began the day after winning the presidential election by visiting the national cemetery, bowing before the grave of her father, Park Chung-hee, the long-ruling dictator who was assassinated by his intelligence...

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In India, a Hindu nationalist rebuilds image with Muslim votes

The Hindu nationalist leader of the western state of Gujarat, known for his alleged role in the 2002 riots in which 1,000 Muslims were killed, won his fourth consecutive term as chief minister in a landslide on Thursday. The victory puts the controversial figure on track to be a strong contender for prime minister of India in 2014.Despite the controversy surrounding Chief Minister Narendra Modi, he...

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