Iran faces oil revenue problem

By John Defterios, CNNJanuary 8, 2013 -- Updated 1535 GMT (2335 HKT)With elections in June, it remains unclear how energy policy will evolve after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's eraSTORY HIGHLIGHTSThe IEA has suggested Iraq surpassed Iran in output for the first time in over 20 yearsThe Iranian people are faced with spiralling inflation and job layoffs within the state sectorIranian oil revenues...

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Depardieu skips drink-drive court for Strauss-Kahn film

PODGORICA: Gerard Depardieu skipped a drink-driving court appearance in Paris on Tuesday to work on a film in Montenegro in which he will play Dominique Strauss-Kahn, but claimed he had told French officials he would be absent and the matter had been settled.The "Cyrano de Bergerac", "Green Card" and "Asterix & Obelix" star, who has already pleaded guilty to driving his scooter while...

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Ailing Hugo Chavez to miss inauguration date

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: Officials say Hugo Chavez will not be in Venezuela for inauguration dayNEW: Government, opposition differ on what happens next; lawmakers debating issueChavez's term automatically renews, the government saysThe Constitution makes it clear that this is not the case, opponents say(CNN) -- Medical treatment in Cuba will keep Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez from being sworn in for...

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Armstrong allegedly offered USADA large "donation"

(CBS News) Cyclist Lance Armstrong once offered a large "donation" to the same agency that recently concluded he and his team had used illegal substances, causing him to be stripped of his seven Tour de Frances wins. The brazenly inappropriate gesture made to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is recounted by the agency's CEO Travis Tygart, who tells Scott Pelley the whole story of his agency's investigation...

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CIA Nominee May Have 'Zero Dark Thirty' Problem

Navy SEALs are seen fighting through a dust storm in the new thriller directed by Kathryn Bigelow, "Zero Dark Thirty." (Columbia Pictures/AP Photo)There’s only one White House staffer portrayed in the new movie “Zero Dark Thirty,” and it is someone described in the credits as “National Security Advisor.”It’s a position that’s possibly filled in real life by John Brennan, the president’s counterterrorism...

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Why Al Jazeera deal doesn't seem right

STORY HIGHLIGHTSAl Gore sold Current to al Jazeera and could net an estimated $70 millionHoward Kurtz: Gore's Current network failed to gain an identity or viewers He says it's odd that the former vice president is selling to an oil-rich potentateKurtz: Al Jazeera may have a tough time getting traction with U.S. viewersEditor's note: Howard Kurtz is the host of CNN's "Reliable Sources" and is Newsweek's...

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AIM deal begs questions: Tan Cheng Bock

SINGAPORE: Former long-time PAP backbencher Tan Cheng Bock has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the sale of computer systems used by town councils, raising several questions in a post on his Facebook page on Monday, including whether it was right and beneficial to give up ownership of software developed using public funds.Dr Tan, who was chairman of West Coast-Ayer Rajah Town...

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Enough with 'Happy New Year' already

Time to put away all things New Year's, says Dean Obeidallah, starting with the constant "Happy New Year" greetingSTORY HIGHLIGHTSDean Obeidallah: You can stop saying Happy New Year now. It's tacky and too lateEven South Jersey School of Etiquette president said after the first week, stopHe says we don't say Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukah when those holidays are overObeidallah: It gets progressively...

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Judge rules suspected Oikos gunman unfit for trial

One Goh appears in an Alameda County Superior courtroom in Oakland, Calif., Monday, April 30, 2012. / AP Photo/Paul Sakuma OAKLAND, California A judge ruled on Monday that a man accused of killing seven people at a small Northern California Christian college is not mentally fit for trial. 15 PhotosShootings at Oikos University A public defender representing defendant One Goh said a psychiatrist...

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Cops Break Down as They Describe Aurora Horror

Two veteran police officers broke down on the stand today during a preliminary hearing for accused movie theater gunman James Holmes, with one officer choking up when he described finding the body of a 6-year-old girl inside the theater.Sgt. Gerald Jonsgaard needed a moment to compose himself as he described finding the little girl, Veronica Moser Sullivan, in the blood splattered...

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