News Headlines - 24 January 2012

▽Government debt rises to a record of £1tn - BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16698293
Government debt has risen to a record £1 trillion from £883bn a year ago... However, Chancellor George Osborne is still on course to hit his borrowing target for the financial year of £127bn. The total for the year so far stands at £103.3bn.

▽Petroplus bankruptcy: Government 'confident' no petrol shortage as refinery stops sales - Telegraph.co.uk
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/9034701/Petroplus-bankruptcy-Government-confident-no-petrol-shortage-as-refinery-stops-sales.html
The Government is "confident" that there will be no petrol shortage in London and the South East after Petroplus, Europe's largest independent oil refiner, filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday.

▽Gulf Arab states to pull observers from Syria - BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16698754
Gulf Arab states have announced that they are withdrawing from the Arab League's observer mission in Syria.

▽Iran Denounces EU Oil Ban - Voice of America
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Iran-Denounces-EU-Oil-Ban--137948963.html
Iran has denounced the European Union's decision to ban new purchases of Iranian oil and freeze the assets of the country's central bank, calling the moves "illogical and unfair."

▽Japan's Darvish aiming to be world's best pitcher - AFP
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hNgxSdZPwtrD9meMQij4Vc-0G0nw?docId=CNG.8d5e2552ac41ed92a266b1f1bc84371c.1b1
Japanese hurler Yu Darvish told home fans Tuesday he was moving to the US major league to pit his skills against better batters because he wanted to become the world's "number one pitcher".