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Iran has released a video of the U.S Spy drone that it shot down earlier last week. U.S has also confirmed that it has indeed lost one of it’s Spy drones in a mission but said that it was lost due to some malfunction.

Iran’s Press TV on Thursday broadcast an extended video tour of the U.S. spy drone that went down in the country–and it indeed appeared to look mostly intact.

American officials have acknowledged that an unmanned U.S. reconnaissance plane was lost on a mission late last week, but have insisted that there is no evidence the drone was downed by hostile acts by Iran. Rather, they said, the drone likely went down because of a malfunction, and they implied the advanced stealth reconnaissance plane would likely have fallen from such a high altitude–the RQ-170 Sentinel can fly as high as 50,000 feet–that it wouldn’t be in good shape.

But Iranian military officials have claimed since Sunday that they brought down an American spy drone that was little damaged. And now they have provided the first visual images of what looks to be a drone that at least outwardly appears to be in decent condition, in what is surely another humiliating poke in the eye for U.S. national security agencies.

The Pentagon declined to comment on the released images Thursday, a Defense Department spokesman told Yahoo News. But military analysts said it appeared to them to be the American drone in question.

Here is the video released by Iran’s Press TV :

Analysts also noted that the video of the drone released by Iran did not show the drone’s underside. “Pretty intact,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ James Lewis said by email. “Interesting that they covered the underside.”

Iran has just said that it has shot down an unmanned US Spy Plane for violating it’s airspace. Still there has been n0 confirmation from the US confirming that it was a US plane. Guess confirming or denying just isn’t going to help put the US in good light.

Iran’s armed forces have shot down an unmanned U.S. spy plane that violated Iranian airspace along the country’s eastern border, the official IRNA news agency reported Sunday.

An unidentified military official quoted in the report warned of a strong and crushing response to any violations of the country’s airspace by American drone aircraft.

“An advanced RQ-170 unmanned American spy plane was shot down by Iran’s armed forces. It suffered minor damage and is now in possession of Iran’s armed forces,” IRNA quoted the official as saying.

No further details were published.

The type of aircraft Iran says it downed, an RQ-170 Sentinel, is made by Lockheed Martin and was reportedly used to keep watch on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan as the raid that killed him was taking place earlier this year.

The surveillance aircraft is equipped with stealth technology, but the U.S. Air Force has not made public any specifics about the drone.

Iran said in January that two pilotless spy planes it had shot down over its airspace were operated by the United States and offered to put them on public display. In July, Iranian military officials showed Russian experts several U.S. drones they said were shot down in recent years.

The Islamic Republic holds frequent military drills, primarily to assert an ability to defend against a potential U.S. or Israeli attack on its nuclear facilities.

Tehran has focused part of its military strategy on producing drones for reconnaissance and attacking purposes.

Iran announced three years ago it had built an unmanned aircraft with a range of more than 600 miles (1,000 kilometers), far enough to reach Israel.

Ahmadinejad unveiled Iran’s first domestically built unmanned bomber aircraft in August 2010, calling it an “ambassador of death” to Iran’s enemies.

Christmas is around the corner, so does Scams. Each and every year, People become victims to Online scams. Christmas scams is of no exception to the long list.

So, here we attempt to give you some tips on how to avoid scams this Christmas.

Here we go.

Fake holiday help. Getting a seasonal job can be a great idea. In fact, it is one of our 5 Best Ways to Make More Money. But there are people out there preying on those who need work. Common scams to look out for include all manner of work-from-home jobs. If the so-called employer asks for money up front or your Social Security number, you might be on the verge of becoming a victim rather than an employee.

Fake charities. Don’t ever, ever, ever give money to any charity – even spare change – without checking them out first. And that’s something you can’t do if someone’s on your porch, at an intersection, or on the sidewalk asking for money. Read 4 Tips to Find the Right Charity, then visit the FTC’s website for a charity checklist.

Fake check scams. If someone is giving you money, how can you be scammed? The answer involvesfake checks. In these instances, buyers want what you’re selling on sites like eBay or Craigslist. Their next step is to offer you a cashier’s check for more than your asking price, on the condition that you return the difference. Weeks later, you are informed by your bank that the check was a phony, and you’re now out your money and your goods. The American Bankers Association has some tips to avoid being a victim, but in short, avoid cashier’s checks in situations like this and never return any difference in cash.

Counterfeit merchandise. In New York and other major cities, it is common to see street vendors selling fake watches and purses that appear to be high-end, name-brand goods. The modern version of these scams is to sell the merchandise online where the buyer has even less opportunity to inspect it. As Stacy said, beware of items that are priced well below their competitors, and be sure to buy from an authorized retailer.

Fake vacation rentals. This growing scam involves people who advertise a property they don’t even own! Sometimes the scammer goes to the effort of hijacking the real owner’s email, like in this case recently reported in The Washington Post. Other times, the scammers merely show pictures of a place they pretend to represent. You send them money and show up to find you’ve got no place to stay. Solution? Take every possible step to ensure you’re dealing with the true owner of the property, and always pay by credit card, not wire transfer.

Email scams. Many scams start with email, so be especially skeptical of anything that shows up in your inbox. Some messages involve references to recent events, such as a natural disaster or the death of a public figure. Others purport to award lottery winnings or the transfer of wealth from a foreign country. Don’t ever respond to unsolicited email.

Phishing scams. An email from a legitimate company, like your bank, insists you log in to their website. You’re then directed to a copycat site that steals your username and password. If you ever doubt any email, don’t reply. Instead, call the company or open up a new browser window and go directly to their website. Check out these anti-phishing tips from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Bottom line? Ninety-nine percent of scams happen when we’re too gullible, too greedy, in too much of a hurry, or when we’re feeling especially charitable. Be generous…but be vigilant.

Cyber Monday deals, always bring good business to the shoppers. The Cyber Monday practice that got famous among shoppers in the year 2005 has been a success ever since and i believe Cyber Monday deal 2011 will be of no exception.

For readers who do not know what Cyber Monday deals is all about, its nothing but a day of Shopping .

The Cyber Monday deal was proposed by Shop.org on 2005 to promote the sales following thanksgiving and black friday. The term Cyber deal was well received by the online and offline shoppers who were going on a spree to buy all the items.

Seeing the success in Business, the shopkeepers started announcing offers and gift coupons for people to create a win-win situation for both consumers and sellers.

This igniting factor, that is to say discounts and gift coupons, encouraged the general users to shop the immediate Monday after thanksgiving.

Thus was created a tradition of shopping the next Monday after thanksgiving, Its been a success for 6 years. So what does the Cyber Monday Deals 2011 promise for the shoppers?

Well, as always, free gift coupons and discounts are waiting for the consumers this Monday with companies such as Best Buy and Amazon trying to rope the shoppers to its premises.

Amazon website has interesting offers with following message,

Black Friday may be over, but we’ve still got the party going. Cyber Monday Deals Week starts today, and we’re putting our best deals right here. Some Cyber Monday deals are in limited supply, and all will go quickly–but don’t worry if you miss one, because we’ll keep adding new ones throughout the day, all week long. Plus don’t forget to subscribe to our deals e-mails to get daily updates.

If you visit the official Amazon website, you can see a option highlighting Cyber Monday deals.  Amazon has listed all exciting items for you folks. So people interested for electronic gadgets this is your day

Some of the items that will be available from this midnight include,

• Sony Cybershot DSC-HX5V 10.2 MP Digital Camera: $199 (save $150)
• Pentax K-5 Digital SLR (Body Only): $999 (save $200)
• Microsoft Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Bundle (includes Fable III and Halo Reach): $199 (save $100)
• Nokia N8 (Unlocked): $299.99 (save $249)
• Monster Diddybeats Headphones: $59.99 (save $89)
• Up to 50 percent off select VTech electronic toys

PCworld says, “Best Buy also is promoting its online Cyber Sale, which it says is Sunday and Monday, as opposed to Amazon’s weeklong event. Its carrot for shoppers is also different — if you spend $100 or more and use in-store pickup Best Buy will email you a $10 electronic gift card you can use online or in stores. Best Buy also doesn’t show you how much of a discount you’re getting when you put an item in your shopping cart, so it will help if you know the normal selling price of any items you might want to buy.”

Iran dares Israel to attack, because the retaliation would send the Jewish state to “the dustbin of history,” a senior Revolutionary Guards commander said, according to the Fars news agency Monday.

“Our greatest wish is that they commit such a mistake,” the chief of the Guards’ aerospatial division, Amir-Ali Hadjizadeh, was quoted as saying.

“For some time there has been a hidden energy we hope to expend to consign the enemies of Islam forever to the dustbin of history,” he said.

“Our ballistic (missile) capacity never ceases to grow,” he added.

The comments were one of the most belligerent reactions yet by an Iranian official to speculation that Israel was considering launching air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The threat — raised recently in Israeli media reports, and by Israeli President Shimon Peres — comes amid rising international tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme.

A November 8 report by the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said intelligence strongly suggested Iran was researching nuclear weapons.

Iran has denied its nuclear programme has any military dimension.

Government officials have said they are willing to cooperate with the IAEA, while Iranian military officers have talked up their country’s ability to counter-attack if strikes are launched.

American Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, has made a public statement, stating US will not surrender its role as a global power.

Since 2008 recession, countries such as China, Russia, Libya, Iran have been calling for a change in International monitory system which is in the control of US. The reason for the call in change, according to the world leaders, is due to the fact that America is doomed and can no longer fulfill its commitments to the world as a global leader.

Not to mention, the high rumor on the very invade of Libya by US is to stop the-then Libyan leader Gaddafi  who was about to change the system of selling Oil on the basis of Dollar currency.

Economic times reports the Defence Secretary Leon Panetta as saying, “As we examine our geographic priorities, it’s important to remember that we can and we will do more than one thing at a time. US security commitments are not zero-sum.

“And even as we enhance our presence in the Pacific, we will not surrender our status as a global power and a global leader,” Panetta said in his remarks at the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada.

“As a country with global interests and responsibilities and with a military with unique global strength and reach, America will remain committed to global security,” Panetta said.

He added, “In particular, we will continue to defend our shared interests in free and open commerce, the rule of law, freedom of movement across the global commons of air and sea and space and cyberspace, which is ultimately the bedrock of our security and our prosperity and that of our allies.”

I wonder what made the defense secretary  defend the US global status all of a sudden. Are they worried that they might lose the crown? Do they already know that they are out of the race?

Only time will tell.

Whats yours reaction on the story? Share with us your views via comments

Get ready for Extreme Weather across your cities, this is what the Climate Scientist are telling us.The scientist said to the top politicians, preparations will save lives and money otherwise weather extremes may overwhelm some locations, making some places uninhabitable.

The Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a new special report on global warming and extreme weather after meeting in Kampala, Uganda. This is the first time the group of scientists has focused on the dangers of extreme weather events.

MSN reports, lead author, Maarten van Aalst, director of the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre in the Netherlands, as saying: “We need to be worried.

“And our response needs to anticipate disasters and reduce risk before they happen rather than wait until after they happen and clean up afterward… risk has already increased dramatically.”

The report said “a changing climate leads to changes in the frequency, intensity, spatial extent, duration, and timing of extreme weather and climate events, and can result in unprecedented extreme weather and climate events” and that some of these extreme events are caused by the increase of man-made greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Fellow study lead author, Chris Field of Stanford University, said: “We face many challenges in the future; those include floods, drought, storms, and heatwaves.”

Mr Field said scientists are not quite sure which will be the biggest threat to the world because disasters are weather extremes interacting with economics and where people live and it’s clear that losses from disasters are increasing, and in terms of deaths more than 95% of fatalities from the 1970s to the present have been in developing countries.

The 29-page summary of the full special report, which will be completed in the coming months, said extremes in some unnamed regions at some point in the future could get so bad they may need to be abandoned.

Mr van Aalst added: “Such locations are likely to be in poorer countries but even in some developed northern regions of the world, such as Canada, Russia and Greenland, cities might need to move because of weather extremes and sea level rise from man-made warming.”