A US judge has signed a judgment that finds Iran, the Taliban and al-Qaeda responsible for 9/11, counter to the FBI's official reports relating to the incident. - Press TV talks with James Fetzer, founder of Scholars for the 9/11 Truth in Madison about why Iran has only now been included in the list ten years after the fact and why Saudi Arabia was excluded from the list even though 15 of the alleged highjackers were from Saudi Arabia according to the FBI list. Mr. Fetzer outlines numerous facts and references that indicate a strong involvement by Israel in 9/11, but Israel is also not listed on the US default judgment. What follows is an approximate transcript of the interview.

The United States, Japan, South Korea and most leading European countries have boycotted a minute's silence at the United Nations General Assembly for North Korea's late leader, Kim Jong-il. - Australia's representative was in the General Assembly during the tribute. The tribute, demanded by North Korea, was the highest-profile international move yet sought by the government in Pyongyang in its quest for global recognition for the hardline leader, who died last Saturday at the age of 69. The awkward silence was a ''protocol'' move following a North Korean request, according to the UN General Assembly president, Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser. But many diplomats from countries that took part in the protest called the tribute inappropriate. They said the Security Council turned down North Korea's demand for a gesture to Mr Kim. North Korea's UN ambassador, Sin Son Ho, and another diplomat from the North Korean mission stood with their heads bowed during the silence. Barely a third of the General Assembly's 193 members were present.

Just two weeks after the Russian capital saw its biggest opposition rally in nearly twenty years, Russians unhappy with the results of the December 4 parliamentary elections have gathered once again.

But this time, it's in even bigger numbers, with the hopes that their collective voice will be heard. Police estimate the current number of demonstrators at about 29,000. They are coming together to protest against vote fraud – and to demand a new ballot.

This time around, the rally is being held on Akademika Sakharova Boulevard, with nearby streets closed off to traffic. Police have refrained from calling in reinforcements from the Defense Ministry, but are maintaining a presence at the rally; metal detectors and barriers have been set in advance.

RT’s crew at the scene say the police on duty are friendly and polite, a fact which has also been stressed by human right activists at the rally.

The protest's organizers have managed to collect around 100,000 US dollars, which they say is more than enough to provide necessities like a stage from which speakers will address the crowds, as well as lighting and sound equipment. Taking into account the time of year, and the current weather conditions, organizers will also spend some of the donations on basic comforts for the protesters – hot drinks, snacks and restrooms.

The Telegraph: Russian protests: live

Iran's Navy has launched a massive 10-day naval exercise codenamed “Velayat 90” which covers an area stretching from the east of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Aden. - In this exercise which began on Saturday, Iran's Navy will showcase naval forces' latest equipment, innovations and creativities. Different classes of submarines, including Tareq and Ghadir, the newest ground-to-sea missile systems and torpedoes will be employed in the maneuvers. Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari rejected reports about possible one-day closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the drill at a press conference on Thursday.

AWIP: Persian Gulf red line for US: Panetta - Iran has warned that if its national interests are jeopardized, the Islamic Republic will not hesitate in closing the Strait of Hormuz. The strategic oil passage between Iran and Oman connects the Persian Gulf with the Sea of Oman. - US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta [responded, saying] any disruption in maritime transportation in the Persian Gulf would be crossing a red line for Washington.

The systematic crackdown and violence used by the US police against the Occupy movement's protesters is turning the country into a fascist state, a political analyst tells Press TV. - “There has been a coordinated effort [to suppress protests] in forty cities directed by the National Securities Administration and by military and by coordination with police chiefs that has been in place. It's a national policy of crackdown,” said Ralph Schoenman, American author and political commentator from Berkeley, in an interview with our channel on Friday. The Occupy movement began when a group of demonstrators gathered in New York's financial district on September 17 to protest, among other things, against the excessive influence of big corporations on the US policies as well as the high-level corruption and unjust distribution of wealth in the country. The movement has now spread to many major US cities, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Oakland, Philadelphia, and Portland.

Over the past few weeks, police forces have broken up Occupy encampments in cities and towns across the US, harshly attacking and arresting dozens of protesters. According to St. Pete for Peace, an Occupy-affiliated group from St. Petersburg, Florida, there have been 5,425 arrests during Occupy protests in 94 cities across the US up to December 12. “And I suggest we see this in the context of a recently approved National Defense Authorization Act [NDAA], which allows for those charged with threatening national security in any form or associating with those who are supposed to be a threat to the national security, as defined by the military, to be subject to disappearance, indefinite detention without entitlement to a lawyer or to due process or charge or trial,” the commentator added. The NDAA, which was passed in mid-December by the US Congress, applies to suspects of terrorism.