News Archive - 17 February 2011

>MANAMA (Reuters) - Parts of the Middle East and Arab North Africa could see renewed displays of public anger toward their governments on Friday as protesters in Bahrain bury four people killed when police broke up an activist camp. Crowds have taken to the streets in Libya, Yemen, Iran and...

> * But no proof that Tehran has decided yet to build bomb By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON, Feb 17 (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence agencies believe Iranian leaders have resumed closed-door debates over the last four years about whether to build a nuclear bomb. But a recent update to a...

>SYDNEY/TOKYO (Reuters) - The Swiss franc held near two-week highs on Friday, having powered higher on mounting Middle East tensions, while the U.S. dollar lost steam as U.S. yields dipped from peaks hit earlier in the month. The Swiss currency, traditionally sought in times of heightened geopolitical tension,...

>NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. investors piled on a dizzying two-year advance in stocks on Thursday, using a brief slip on negative economic news as an opportunity to buy into market leaders. The technology sector showed strength, with Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O) up 9.8 percent to $25.68...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States expressed deep concern on Thursday over unrest in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet and a strategic ally on oil supply lines from the Gulf. As anti-government protests roil the Middle East, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton telephoned Bahrain's...

> * Oil prices steady amid Israel-Iran tensions * Middle East unrest boosts safe-haven franc, Treasuries (Updates prices, adds details) By Wanfeng Zhou NEW YORK, Feb 17 (Reuters) - The safe-haven Swiss franc and U.S. government bonds rallied on Thursday, while oil prices steadied near recent highs as unrest...

>WASHINGTON Feb 17 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on Iran's Bank Refah for facilitating the purchase of millions of dollars worth of missiles and tanks by the Defense Ministry. Those purchases enabled Iran's leadership to maintain its fighter jets and submarines, the U.S. Treasury Department...

While last week the focus of US naval deployment in the Middle East emphasized securing the Suez Canal in the midst of the Egyptian revolution, this week the developing story is the passage of two Iranian warships through this very canal. Not surprisingly, two US naval groups - am aircraft...

>Critics at the annual film festival have put the two pictures way out in front of the pack as the 10-day festival, called the Berlinale, approaches the closing ceremony on Saturday evening when the prizes are handed out.What the reviews say and judges decide often differ, however, making it...

>MANAMA (Reuters) - Police in the Gulf island kingdom of Bahrain attacked demonstrators camped out in the capital on Thursday, killing three, in a move to stifle pro-democracy protests inspired by similar movements across the Middle East. "They are killing us!" one man told Reuters as police firing buckshot...

* Israel-Iran tension, spreading Mideast unrest boost Brent * Rise in U.S. crude inventories keeps lid on U.S. crude * Coming Up: U.S. weekly jobless claims, U.S. January CPI (Updates throughout, previous ...

> The Suez Canal Authority was "informed today about the cancellation of two scheduled trips of two Iranian warships and no new date was set to cross the Suez as part of the southern convoy coming from the Red Sea," the canal official, who declined to be named, said. The...

MANAMA, Bahrain — The toll of dead and injured from an overnight attack on peaceful protesters in Bahrain mounted Thursday, and with threats of new unrest in this strategic emirate, the United States faced a painful new foreign-policy dilemma in the home port of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

Thousands of Libyan protesters defied threats of violence and arrest in several cities on Thursday, mounting one of the sharpest challenges to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi's 40-year rule in a "day of rage" modeled on the uprisings coursing through neighboring countries.

Manama, Bahrain — Bahrain's leaders banned public gatherings and sent tanks into the streets Thursday, intensifying a crackdown that killed five anti-government protesters, wounded more than 200 and turned a hospital into a cauldron of anguish and rage against the monarchy.

TOKYO: The dollar was rangebound against major currencies in Asia trade Friday following a negative market response to US data overnight and ahead of the G20 finance ministers' Paris meeting this weekend.

Military locks down capital Manama after police assault on peaceful demonstrators leaves four dead.

By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI and BARBARA SURKAssociated PressMANAMA, Bahrain -- Bahrain's leaders banned public gatherings and sent tanks into the streets Thursday, intensifying a crackdown that killed five anti-government protesters, wounded more than 200 a ...

Sapulpa Lions Club membership gathered once again together to meet after the having two regular meetings were cancelled by inclimate weather.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Talks between the United States and Russia over a new anti-ballistic missile system for Europe are stuck on a key point, with Russia demanding to run the system jointly and the U.S. refusing to yield.

Manama/Tehran, Feb 18 (IANS) Bahrain's king has praised the military for its crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Manama even as he stressed that the government has widened the scope for 'peaceful and legal freedom of expression'.

United Nations, Feb 18 : Condemning the crackdown on anti-government protesters in Bahrain, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked authorities to respect human rights as the present situation in the country "calls for bold reforms, not repression".

Protesters call for government to quit after three killed and hundreds wounded in police crackdown

MANAMA – Police in the Gulf island kingdom of Bahrain attacked demonstrators camped out in the capital yesterday, killing three, in a move to stifle pro-democracy protests inspired by similar movements across the Middle East.

A jihadist takeover in Pakistan -- which is a 'real possibility today'-- would have devastating consequences not only for the country but the entire world, and particularly for India, says Bruce Riedel in his new book.

MANAMA, Bahrain – The gleaming banking centre of Bahrain is an oasis of moderation and tolerance, symbolized by its appointment of a woman from its small Jewish minority to be ambassador to the United States.

- Religious minorities in Pakistan have been subjected to an increasing number of attacks in recent years.

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice announced to the UN's Arab group that she will support their statement condemning Israel for its settlement construction after failing to convince the group to support her language.

NEW YORK (AP) — Arriving back in the United States after a 37,000-mile (59,550-kilometer) trip around the world, most of it overland in a 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser, I made a funny mistake.

HONG KONG: Oil prices pushed higher in Asia on Thursday as a Japanese minister fretted about the effects of Middle East unrest, while stock markets were mostly underwhelmed by a strong session on Wall Street.

A California high school's message benches were intended to encourage student self-expression. Now students are complaining school administrators painted over what they expressed.

Unemployment, poverty, repression, and corruption are common problems in the Middle East and North African region where the flames of protest have been burning in recent months.

>TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei stock average on Friday held on to gains after hitting a 9-1/2-month high the day before, but most investors were moving to the sidelines ahead of a long weekend in the United States. Although many market players took profits after a four-day rally, downward pressure...

Malaysia is on track to achieve its developed nation target after gross domestic product (GDP) growth exceeded 6 per cent last year, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

We may never know whether U. S. contact with the Egyptian military played a role in its moderation, but interaction between human rights defenders and security officials ought to be elevated to a higher place in the human rights agenda.

In an interview with Time magazine September last year, Israeli political scientist Tamar Hermann arrogantly stated that “the Palestinian is no longer a threat anymore. A nuisance, yes.” He continued by saying there is no sense of urgency about the Palestine-Israel peace process. He also said that Israelis are...

WASHINGTON - A GROUP of US lawmakers on Wednesday unveiled legislation to toughen sanctions on Iran for its nuclear energy program, calling for international companies traded on US exchanges to reveal investments in the Islamic Republic. 'If we can bring greater transparency to any investment being made in Iran, we...

Confronting multiple crises across the Middle East, the Obama administration reprimanded key ally Bahrain on Thursday for a violent crackdown on anti-government protesters inspired by the fall of the longtime autocratic leader in Egypt.

Unrest has spread across the Middle East and North Africa. Here's a look at what has happened -- and what is happening -- in various countries:

Four people have died in Bahrain when riot police with clubs and tear gas smashed into demonstrators.

I faced three scenarios with Harvey. The first? He tried to charm the hell out of me. That weaseling didnt work, he insisted on buying whatever I had on film, which I suspected hed nuke. War was the third option, but we never got there, says Barry Avrich, who wrote,...

The Associated Press The Associated Press Bahrain's leaders banned public gatherings and sent tanks into the streets Thursday, intensifying a crackdown that killed five anti-government protesters, wounded more than 200 and turned a hospital into a cauldron of anguish and rage against the monarchy. Bahrain's streets were mostly empty after...

Dow Jones: 12,318.14 (+29.97) SP 500: 1,340.43 (+4.11) Nasdaq: 2,831.58 (+6.02)

Nyay Bhushan One of India's most acclaimed filmmakers, Vishal Bhardwaj, describes his collaboration with Matthew Robbins on their Panorama section entry. read more

A former Lebanese minister, Essam Naaman, says that the Bahraini regime's fall will be tantamount to 'disaster' for the United States.

U.S. officials painting a grim scenario for repressive Arab rulers who fail to ‘move on’ democratic reforms

Surging global equity prices, junk bond yields at record lows, the return of "covenant-lite" deals -- for many observers we’re seeing a replay of the heady first months of 2007, writes Karen Maley, of Business Spectator. Read more on the blog...

New York - The safe-haven Swiss franc and US government bonds rallied on Thursday, while crude oil prices rose as unrest in the Middle East and tensions between Israel and Iran escalated.

>LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - When Bruce Davis steps down as executive director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on June 30 after more than 20 years, it will create the most significant leadership shift in the organization's recent history. Here are 10 tips for remaking the...

> FINANCIAL NEWS: TUOI TRE -- The central bank's office in Ho Chi Minh City has compiled a list of banks that have required extra fees from businesses buying dollars and will investigate the banks, said Nguyen Hoang Minh, deputy director of the office. -- The State Securities Commission said...

Shiite protesters in Bahrain bury their dead on Friday after a bloody crackdown with funerals potentially serving as a rallying point to test the ruling family's resolve to crush demonstrations inspired by Egypt. At least four protesters died in clashes on Thursday, beginning with a pre-dawn assault by riot police...

MANAMA - BAHRAIN'S leaders banned public gatherings and sent tanks into the streets on Thursday, intensifying a crackdown that killed five anti-government protesters, wounded more than 200 and turned a hospital into a cauldron of anguish and rage against the monarchy. Bahrain's streets were mostly empty after the bloody clampdown,...

The international community last night called on Bahrain to show restraint after a bloody police raid yesterday to remove protesters camped out in the capital Manama left four people dead and hundreds wounded.

Five killed, hundreds hurt as security forces swoop in to break up protest camp in capital’s Pearl Square

Bahrain's army has deployed across Manama vowing "strict measures" to restore order after a police raid on anti-regime protesters killed three, wounded nearly 200 and enraged the opposition.

The Bahraini regime cannot violently suppress its own people without the US support, a political expert says amid the escalation of pro-democracy protests in the Persian Gulf Arab state.

BENCHMARK crude settled higher yesterday as protests rocked some Middle East nations and concerns grew about oil supply disruptions. West Texas Intermediate crude for March delivery rose US$1.37 to settle at US$86.36 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Egypt's political upheaval has been followed by an unprecedented breakdown of security, with few police on the streets and the army unable to fill the vacuum.

CAIRO, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Egyptian pro-democracy leaders plan a "victory march" in Cairo on Friday to celebrate the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule last week, and perhaps remind the military of the power of the street.

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Lyrics from an ancient Passover melody -- "Let My People Go" -- kept resonating as I watched the nonviolent toppling of President Hosni Mubarak 's oppressive Egyptian government after nearly three decades.

The 61st Berlin Film Festival has been a contradictory affair. The city has been buzzing. There has been plenty of star wattage. Madonna was in town to show international distributors footage from her directorial debut feature, W. E., at a private screening. The King's Speech bandwagon passed through. Bob...

A high-powered Iranian state media delegation on Thursday arrived for a four-day visit to Zimbabwe to explore areas of cooperation with their local counterparts.

Internet traffic in Bahrain, the Persian Gulf kingdom wracked by a third day of protests, has declined by about 20%, likely as a result of more aggressive government filtering, a Web security company said today.

Chinese national oil companies have picked up a key Western ally in their bid to reduce barriers to investment erected by governments who worry they may be mere extensions of Beijing’s aggressive foreign policy.

Nyay Bhushan One of India's most acclaimed film-makers collaborates with Hollywood screenwriter Matthew Robbins for Bhardwaj's "7 Khoon Maaf" ("Susanna's Seven Husbands"). read more

Republicans have promised to cut spending and restore fiscal discipline in Washington. Yet they shy away from one of the biggest pieces of our federal budget: defense spending.

Here's a Trivial Pursuit question with an answer that isn't at all trivial. Which two nations still reserve places in their parliaments for unelected religious clerics, who then get an automatic say in writing the laws the country's citizens must obey? The answer is Iran... and Britain.

NEW YORK, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Crude oil prices jumped higher Thursday in New York as traders kept an eye on developments in the Middle East.

Why are we in this mess?

Anti-government protests inspired by revolts that toppled rulers in Tunisia and Egypt are gaining pace in the West Asia and North Africa despite political and economic concessions by the governments.

VIENNA: In an underground chamber near the city of Natanz, surveillance cameras offer the world a rare glimpse into Iran's largest nuclear facility.

February 18, 2011

UAE -- The regime declined the proposal and hasn't issue the authorization for the gathering on February 14 in the fears that would lead to another big anti-government movement against the Islamic Republic, as what happened in 2009. The billions of dollars that has been paid annually as aid...

Not everyone wants democracy, or sympathizes with the popular protests crashing across the Middle East.

The U.S. will be watching developments in Bahrain anxiously as it is the headquarters of the U.S. navy's fifth fleet, which operates at least one aircraft carrier in the Gulf at all times, along with an amphibious group of ships with marines aboard.

With so much talk of military espionage, computer hacking and cybercrime, one could be forgiven for thinking the world is at war with itself over the internet.

Security forces deployed across the strategic Persian Gulf island of Bahrain on Thursday after a middle-of-the-night raid on an anti-government protest camp left at least three dead and hundreds injured, according to news sources.

Troops and tanks locked down the capital of this tiny Gulf kingdom after riot police swinging clubs and firing tear gas smashed into demonstrators, many of them sleeping, in a pre-dawn assault.

At one person has been killed in protests across Libya on Thursday, in what anti-government activists described as a "Day of Rage".

A man convicted of potting to blow up fuel tanks at New York's JFK Airport has been sentenced to life in prison.

MANAMA — Police in the Gulf island kingdom of Bahrain attacked demonstrators camped out in the capital yesterday, killing three, in a move to stifle pro-democracy protests inspired by similar movements across the Middle East.

Live coverage of continuing unrest across the Middle East and North Africa.

State Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D-Taylor) announced that the federal Transportation Enhancement Program has approved $40,000 in federal funds for improvements to the I-275 Metro Trail.

Gold saw slight gains in Asia and London, but it then accelerated even higher in New York and ended near its last minute high of $1384.68 with a gain of 0.68%. Silver waffled near unchanged in Asia and London before it stormed higher throughout most of trade in...

MATTHEW LEE Associated Press WASHINGTON The Obama administration expressed alarm and displeasure Thursday over a violent crackdown on anti-government protesters in key U.S. ally Bahrain as a wave of political upheaval moved across the Middle East. President Barack Obama supports peaceful protesters as Mideast nations deal with a wave...

    A local expert from Grambling State University talked about the younger generation's involvement, and how American technology helped inspire the movement.

Revolting against an abusive authoritative structure in attempts to achieve societal stability is a reoccurring theme throughout history. When basic civil liberties are breached, conflict ensues between the people and their government. If figures in leadership positions fail to obtain a resolution, citizens take matters into their own hands to...

"I know we've had political differences, but there are only about a hundred people in Syria who care about political differences. We can easily throw them in jail," Hafez Assad told a political opponent he was trying to win over to his side, according to Joseph Kraft, reporting for...

U.S. stocks piled on a vertiginous two-year advance on Thursday as investors dismissed a rise in jobless claims and consumer prices to focus on positive earnings and regional business activity.

Senior officers in Iran's Revolutionary Guards have written to their commanding officer demanding assurances that they will not be required to open fire on anti-government demonstrators.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has declared his forces will invade Israel's northern Galilee region if a new Middle East war erupts.

NEW YORK (TheStreet ) -- Gold and silver prices broke key resistance levels Thursday after a higher-than-expected inflation reading in the United States. Gold for April delivery settled $10 higher to $1,385.10 an ounce at the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, on thin volume. The gold...

Greater Sudbury Police are asking for the public's help in locating a pair of male youths who were about to harm a small dog on the Sudbury Secondary School property Tuesday evening.[...]

Benchmark crude settled higher Thursday, as protests rocked some Middle East nations and concerns grew about oil supply disruptions.

Anti-abortion bills tend to be a waste of time, money, and energy, but they've become a form of political martyrdom for the state Republicans who sponsor them

If the ruling al-Khalifa family of Bahrain wishes to transform a decades-old movement, aimed at bringing constitutional monarchy to its little island kingdom, into an Egyptian-style civic insurrection ...

The government said Thursday it was reviewing decisions to export arms to Bahrain after anti-government demonstrators were killed in clashes with security forces.

* Africa/Mideast unrest, Iran Suez Canal intent supports * U.S. economic data mixed, jobless claims above forecasts * Coming up: CFTC positions data, 3:30 p.m. EST on Friday (Recasts and updates prices, ...

Dennis Ross, the senior adviser on Middle East issues in the Obama administration, is addressing J Street’s annual conference this month, the group said.