News Archive - 18 February 2011

>MANAMA (Reuters) - Bahrain's king has offered a national dialogue "with all parties" in a conciliatory move to resolve a crisis that has killed six people since it began and wounded hundreds, rocking the key regional ally of the U.S. More than 60 people were in hospital on Saturday...

>BERLIN (Reuters) - Iranian drama "Nader and Simin: A Separation" is the title to beat as this year's Berlin film festival heads toward the closing ceremony on Saturday where the coveted Golden Bear for best picture is handed out. A subtle and gripping examination of Iran's social divide, religious traditions...

>NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped on Friday in volatile pre-holiday trading, as front-months relinquished early gains made on news Egypt will allow Iran to send navy ships through the Suez Canal and intensifying unrest in the region. U.S. front-month March crude contract expires next Tuesday after Monday's...

>CAIRO (Reuters) - Millions took to the streets to celebrate a new Egypt on Friday, reminding military rulers to keep their promise of a swift transition to democracy after protests swept away autocrat Hosni Mubarak in just 18 days. On an emotional day that was also a memorial to the...

> * NITC says it's an "innocent party" caught up in sanctions (Adds further comment, detail, background) By Jonathan Saul LONDON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Iran's biggest crude oil tanker operator NITC said on Friday its ship insurers had declined to renew policy cover for the coming year due to...

> On the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude for March delivery was up $1.27 at $87.63 a barrel. In London, ICE Brent April crude LCOJ1 as up 34 cents at $102.93 a barrel by 11:29 a.m. EST (1629 GMT). (Reporting by Gene Ramos; Editing by John...

TEHRAN, Iran — Thousands of government supporters called for the execution of opposition leaders at Friday prayers in the Iranian capital Tehran, following last week's anti-government demonstrations. Hardline cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati said during the Friday prayers that the opposition leaders have lost their reputation among people and are...

> * Money market and debt tensions likely to check gains (Recasts, updates prices, adds quote) By Anirban Nag LONDON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The euro rebounded on Friday on a media report that quoted a senior European Central Bank official as saying that interest rates could be raised, although...

>CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt has approved the passage of two Iranian navy ships through the Suez Canal, an army source said, a move that could annoy Israel whose right-wing foreign minister has called Iran's actions a provocation. "Egypt has agreed to the passage of two Iranian ships through the Suez...

> * UAE expected to announce big deals By Stanley Carvalho & Mahmoud Habboush ABU DHABI, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Global arms manufacturers will vie for deals worth billions of dollars at the Middle East's largest military expo as unrest sweeping across the region pushes countries to beef up security.

>LONDON (Reuters) - World shares hit fresh 30-month highs on Friday, driven by bullish views of both economic growth and corporate earnings, although gains were threatened by rising oil prices linked to Middle East tension. Brent crude rose above $103 a barrel, as unrest spreading across the Middle East fanned...

King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain is the latest autocrat to choose brutality, rather than reform, to try to silence his people’s demands for a more just government.

High-tech censors used to tamp down any signs of unrest

The Iranian government has moved jailed leaders of the Baha'i faith to a section with dangerous, hardened criminals. The seven leaders of the faith were sent to prison on charges that included "corruption . . .

CAIRO — Thousands gathered Friday for a third day of violent demonstrations in Benghazi, Libya's second-largest city, in an unprecedented challenge to the mercurial 41-year reign of Moammar Gadhafi. Human rights groups said 24 people had been killed across the North African country, though activists say the count may be...

At a panel discussion on Egypt, University of Mary Washington professor Mehdi Aminrazavi said there has been love-hate relationship between the Shiite clergy and the government leaders in Iran. The nation he referred to was incorrectly identified in a story yesterday. The story also incorrectly identified the Islamic faiths in...

Federal prosecutors acknowleged that the government blundered in the prosecution of an Oregon man convicted of helping to smuggle money through an Islamic charity, but said Friday that the errors weren't serious enough for a new trial.

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

A gripping Iranian families drama and a sombre, uncompromising Hungarian tale were the favourites to win the Golden Bear top prize at the 61st Berlin film festival Saturday.

Children quietly listened to the Kinship Care Program Coordinator, Angela Burda, Friday, as she explained the agenda for a cultural festival taking place that day.

Dictators are "Disposable": The Rise and Fall of America's Military Henchmen History Repeats Itself? From the "King of Java" to the Pharaoh of Egypt

Latest reports from Bahrain speak of considerable tension marked by anti-king and anti-government slogans shouted by thousands of Shia mourners.

Ralph Peters has worn many hats over the years. A retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army , he was a foreign area officer and a global strategic scout for the Pentagon. He authored more than two dozen books and once played guitar in a rock 'n' roll band.

Beirut, Feb 18 : Hundreds of Syrians protested police violence after traffic wardens reportedly beat up a young man in Damascus, a Syrian opposition website reported Friday.

The world knows his name. For more than six years, he was held hostage by Iran-backed militants in Lebanon. On Friday, Terry Anderson visited his hometown of Batavia for the first time since the summer of 1992. He's back to promote peace starting in his very own hometown.

Blame Stephen Fry. And Lindsay Lohan. And Lady Gaga. Oh, and Katy Perry. But Fry proved the master. In Twitter the preening polymath found his true calling, sending out an ever changing and oddly riveting mix of self-promotion and...

MANAMA, Saturday 19 February 2011 (AFP) - Bahrain's crown prince has vowed to hold a national dialogue, after security forces opened fire on anti-regime protesters in the capital amid reports that up to 55 people had been wounded.

WASHINGTON, Saturday 19 February 2011 (AFP) -- President Barack Obama Friday personally appealed to the King of Bahrain for restraint and condemned violence by the US-allied government against protesters in the latest Middle East flashpoint.

Embattled regimes across the Middle East cracked down on swelling anti-government protests on Friday, as the traditional Muslim day of prayer gave way to violence and bloodshed in Bahrain and Libya.

WASHINGTON: Popular unrest sweeping the Middle East highlights the US military’s reliance on Arab regimes that offer privileged access to airfields and ports from Cairo to Qatar.

Few bets are safer today than that we will see more uprisings in the Mid dle East in 2011, though maybe not everywhere. One irony of revolution is that it is hardest to do where it is needed most. Hosni Mubarak was a dictator, but his rule was neither absolute...

Uruguay has announced it intends to increase cooperation with Iran, particularly in the agricultural sector, despite the sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear program.

Washington - US President Barack Obama spoke by telephone Friday evening with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, condemning violence against demonstrators and urging "meaningful reform," the White House said.

Companies must take steps to secure their computer networks, Wesley Clark warned dozens of Internet security professionals in Minneapolis this week.

Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz remains in discussion with the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) after turning down an offer to become the country’s national coach, according to the Iranian Student’s News Agency (ISNA). Queiroz is reported to be also in talks with Saudi Arabia, which, last...

Thousands of mourners called for the downfall of Bahrain's monarchy as burials began yesterday with tanks on the streets.

Listen to the Audio JIM LEHRER: Troops in Bahrain opened fire today on crowds of protesters who defied a ban on demonstrations. Hospital officials said at least 50 people were wounded. It came a day after a government crackdown in the Persian Gulf kingdom, where the U.S. Navy's Fifth...

It was an anniversary that passed quietly last month. In January, the area once known as the Nevada Test Site turned 60. Now, the site has a new name and a new mission as well.

Pro-government forces shot protesters in Bahrain, Yemen, Libya, and Djibouti yesterday, as authoritarian rulers in the region sought to suppress calls for political change sparked by Egypt and Tunisia.

Embattled regimes across the Middle East cracked down on swelling anti-government protests as the traditional Muslim day of prayer gave way to violence and bloodshed in Bahrain and Libya.Bahraini police opened fire on protesters...

I, along with many other Americans, I’m sure, have been closely following...

While television cameras focused on Cairo these last few weeks, the U.S. military was busy redeploying four Navy carrier strike forces and sending Marine landing assault crafts into the Red Sea—thus reinforcing what was, in fact, a military coup in...

HONG KONG - Oil prices remained high in Asia on Thursday as a Japanese minister fretted about the effects of Middle East unrest, while stock markets were mixed, some edging higher on increased global confidence.

Millions took to the streets to celebrate the new Egypt yesterday, reminding the country's current military rulers to keep their promise of a swift transition to civilian

A TEAM of security researchers in Dublin has played a key role in deciphering the virus at the centre of a cyber attack that briefly shut down parts of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure last year.

SALT LAKE CITY — The director of the Middle East Center at the University of Utah has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation.

Iranian court’s amnesty commission refuses to commute sentence for Hamid Ghassemi-Shall

Chevron is not apologizing," a lawyer told the judge, saying the court process that led to the ruling was corrupt in a country where the rule of law has deteriorated so dramatically that it is recognized as being below the court procedures in place in Iran and North Korea.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. national security and intelligence agencies expect Bahrain's government to ride out the protests and violence sweeping the Gulf kingdom, a small but vital ally to Washington in a volatile region.

THE SHORT-TERM and self-interested policies of Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi have not only damaged Italy but have made the country an international laughing stock, according to documents released by the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks and published yesterday by L’Espresso magazine.

Security forces opened fire Friday on Bahraini protesters for a second straight day, wounding at least 50 people as thousands defied the government and marched toward Pearl Square in an uprising that sought to break the political grip of the Gulf nation’s leaders.

U.S. Dollar in the Market’s Crosshairs Next Week as Investors Eye Growth Data

THE recent establishment of the Malaysia Nuclear Power Corp is yet another indicator that the Government is moving ahead with nuclear power (NP). Despite earlier assurances that public consultations will help determine the NP decision, this critical process appears to have been bypassed.

(UPI) -- Thousands of Iranians took part in pro-government rallies Friday, expressing "hatred" for opposition leaders and demanding they be executed, officials said.

Vienna, 18 February 2011-The South and East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East and Central Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), is concerned over the new security regulations approved by the municipal authorities in the Serbian...

Soldiers opened fire Friday on thousands of Bahraini protesters, who defied a government ban in an effort to topple the Gulf nation's Western-allied monarchy.

(RTTNews) - The British government has revoked licenses for exporting some security gear and arms to Bahrain and Libya over fears that they may be used to suppressing the anti-government protests progressing in those two countries, the Foreign Office said Friday.

PETALING JAYA: Some of the biggest names from the professional ranks in the continent will be eyeing the prized medals in the men’s senior road race in the Asian Cycling Championships in Korat, Thailand, today.

Reuters reported that a third of the Libyan town of Al-Bayda is under the control of demonstrators, citing the representatives of two opposition groups.

Pro-government forces shot protesters in Bahrain, Yemen, Libya, and Djibouti yesterday, as authoritarian rulers in the region sought to suppress calls for political change sparked by Egypt and Tunisia.

Nearly 47 years ago in Detroit, Michigan, Malcolm X passionately delivered a speech titled, The Ballot or the Bullet. In this speech he described the gravity of the African-American struggle for civil rights and more broadly, America's struggle for a democracy that lived up to the ideals upon which...

Tehran, Feb 18 (AFP) Tens of thousands of Iran regime loyalists poured on to the streets of Tehran today, demanding that opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi be hanged for their "rebellion." "Death to Mousavi! Death to Karroubi!

EUR/USD: Trading the German IFO Business Confidence Survey

NEW YORK, N.Y. - A Chevron Corp. lawyer said Friday that the company will not apologize for damage that an oil company it purchased is accused of causing to Ecuador's rainforest even though the refusal means a US$9.5-billion judgment against it will nearly double within days.

JOHANNESBURG (BP)--As uprisings in parts of Africa and the Middle East continue to escalate, many Christians are seeing God make Himself known in the midst of chaos.

Swissy at Range Resistance

Wall Street managed to close on Green..

AUD/CHF Ascending Channel Provides Swing Trading Opportunity

Qatar Airways to fly to Venice

Both left and right are guilty of promoting a 'good Jews' and 'bad Jews' division. All Jews need to refuse to play along It is understandable that the Holocaust casts a long shadow over postwar discussions of antisemitism, but it is also the source of many of the misunderstandings and...

Treasuries fell and the euro rebounded from an early drop as a European Central Bank official said the bank may need to boost interest rates as inflation pressures grow. U.S. stocks and oil fluctuated.

TEHRAN, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Masked security forces took the place of the guards normally posted outside the home of Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, witnesses said.

Egypt has agreed to allow two Iranian naval vessels to transit the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean, a military official said Friday, ending several days of confusion over their planned passage, which Israel’s foreign minister has labelled a provocation.

Bahraini police fired at protesters in the capital as regimes across the Mideast hit back at opposition.

Immigration officials say child must go back, but promise to bring him to Sydney to live with relatives while refugee claims processed

There is a voluminous literature about the causes of 1979 Iranian revolution. All aspects of social reality, from socio-economic to political and cultural, have been thoroughly examined. Marxist-oriented sociologists have obviously focused on the economic dimensions of Iranian society: the rise of rural and urban unemployment, rapid immigration, the...

Despite tightening international economic sanctions, Iran is driving to boost its energy industry, including a natural gas pipeline to Iraq and Syria that may even run to southern Europe and another to run through Turkey to Europe.

Walking through a crowd of a million people isn’t easy, even when they are in as celebratory a mood as the crowd today in Tahrir Square. But the reason I felt so comfortable – as rebellions all over the Middle East are bursting out – is that the past three...

After Egypt set Arab imaginations alight, autocrats from Qaddafi to the Khalifa dynasty face an assault unparalleled since the post-World War II revolutions that brought independence.

Friday, a day of prayer and piety in the Muslim world, has become a day of protest. The quasi-revolutions that ousted the authoritarian presidents of Tunisia and Egypt are multiplying, with protests spreading to Algeria, Jordan, Syria, Libya, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Bahrain and Morocco.

Brazil Friday set out its foreign policy aims under new President Dilma Rousseff, talking up China ties, blaming rich countries for hampering global trade talks, stressing dialogue with Iran, and saying it sees itself as an agent for "world peace."

I am standing beside a high lamppost in the center of Tahrir Square that the young rebels call the "erhal." Erhal means "go away" in Arabic, and during the 18 days before Hosni Mubarak fell, a huge banner was posted here by demonstrators that said "Erhal." People would...

Amid party, some Egyptians apologize to the president

By Wanfeng Zhou

Can online dating predict a revolution? One site says yes.

Security forces in countries including Libya and Bahrain have used illegal and excessive force in response to the legitimate demands of their people, the top U.N. human rights official charged on Friday.[...]

A Google maps user has posted an interactive map outlining the locations and details associated with protests in Libya. Users select icons on the map to separate reports of protests, police violence and death tolls. “All electricity and gas has...

Senior Iranian lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi says that the US-engineered UN sanctions against Iran have adversely influenced Europe's economy.

> White House spokesman Jay Carney, briefing reporters on an Air Force One flight from California to Oregon, said, "We're monitoring that, obviously." "But we also would say that Iran does not have a great track record of responsible behavior in the region," he said. (Reporting by Matt Spetalnick)...

Mir Hossein Mousavi the main Iran opposition leader whose rebellion against the government has rocked the Islamic republic is now completely cut off from the outside world his website reported Friday.

Geneva - The United Nations human rights chief on Friday slammed Bahrain, Libya and other Middle Eastern governments for their "excessively heavy-handed" response to opposition protests.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay says the team is concerned about a bill making its way through the Statehouse which could allow people to carry guns inside Lucal Oil Stadium.   And, a proposal to force parents of home schooled children to register with the Illinois State Board of Education...

MANAMA - BAHRAINI security forces opened fire on Friday on anti-regime protesters in the capital, with reports of up to 55 wounded, after the army vowed 'strict measures' to restore order after a deadly police raid. Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa promised to open a national dialogue once calm...

MANAMA, Saturday 19 February 2011 (AFP) -- Embattled regimes across the Middle East cracked down on swelling anti-government protests Friday, as the traditional Muslim day of prayer gave way to violence and bloodshed in Bahrain and Libya.

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) - Security forces opened fire Friday on Bahraini protesters for a second straight day, wounding at least 50 people as thousands defied the government and marched toward Pearl Square in an uprising that sought to break the political grip of the Gulf nation's leaders.

BRASILIA, Feb 18, 2011 (AFP) - Brazil said Friday it will maintain its dialogue with Iran under new President Dilma Rousseff, continuing a cordial relationship started under her predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Soldiers fired tear gas and shot heavy weapons into the air Friday as thousands of protest marchers defied a government ban and streamed toward the landmark square that has been the symbolic center of the uprising against the Gulf nation's leaders.

Spain says Iran has apologized for the detention of a Spanish diplomat during recent street protests in Tehran. Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez said Friday her Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Salehi, called her Thursday night to say Iran is sorry and that such incidents wouldn't happen again.

If Saudi Arabia begins to appears vulnerable, in the least, to publicly expressed internal discontent, $100 oil will look cheap in a hurry!

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