AFP: Unknown gunmen killed 11 people as they prepared to illegally leave Pakistan in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, officials said on Saturday.

New York Times: The United States and Europe announced strengthened sanctions against Iran on Friday, increasing the number of blacklisted companies and individuals linked to the Iranian nuclear program, in coordinated actions that underscored the failure to resolve one of the most intractable international disputes.

Reuters: The installation of Patriot anti-missile batteries sent by NATO members to bolster Turkey’s defenses against a possible missile attack from Syria will only harm Turkey’s security, Iran’s defense minister was quoted as saying on Saturday.

AFP: The United States on Friday sanctioned four Iranian companies, including one accused of providing weapons to the Syrian regime’s crackdown.

Bloomberg: China cut its imports of Iranian crude in November before it won a renewed exemption from U.S. penalties on banks that process payments for the Islamic republic’s oil.

AFP: The UN Security Council on Thursday slapped sanctions on two Iranian firms accused of supplying arms to the Syrian government, a UN statement said.

AFP: Top Iranian presidential aide Ali Akbar Javanfekr was hospitalised on Thursday for a “heart condition” after leaving Tehran’s notorious Evin prison for medical treatment, media reports said.