News Archive - 21 February 2011

>RIYADH (Reuters) - Oil markets have abundant supplies, top exporter Saudi Arabia said Monday, as a wave of revolution that has already toppled two presidents tightened its grip on OPEC member Libya and drove prices to a 2-1/2 year-high. Energy ministers were arriving in the Saudi capital Riyadh on the...

>LONDON (Reuters) - Like Iran and Myanmar before it, Libya's relative isolation gives its rulers much more diplomatic flexibility to mount a bloody crackdown than counterparts in Egypt, Tunisia or Bahrain -- but that may not be enough. Early on Monday, one of the sons of Libya's Colonel Muammar Gaddafi...

With Iran violently suppressing demonstrators in the streets and Libya using brute force in the face of mass protests, it was reassuring to know that the UN sprang into quick action. Just as it did after the rigged elections in 2009, Tehran was using arrests, live fire, torture and...

> Israel has said it takes a "grave view" of the Iranian move, which will involve an Iranian frigate and a supply ship. The northbound convoy from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean leaves at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT), according to the Suez Canal schedule. (Reporting by Yusri Mohamed,...

>Global arms manufacturers are vying for deals worth billions of dollars at the Middle East's largest defense expo - International Defense Exhibition & Conference (IDEX) - which opened on Sunday in Abu Dhabi.Heightened security concerns due to political unrest in parts of the Arab world and worries over Iran's...

>LONDON (Reuters) - Brent crude oil futures hit a fresh 2-1/2 year high of $104.60 a barrel on Monday as clashes in Libya threatened to disrupt oil flows from the OPEC member. Brent futures were up $1.86 at $104.38 a barrel by 0932 GMT, after breaking above...

>BERLIN (Reuters) - Iranian drama "Nader and Simin: A Separation" won the Golden Bear for best picture at the Berlin film festival on Saturday, while its ensemble cast also picked up the best actor and actress prizes on a triumphant night. Director Asghar Farhadi's portrayal of a marriage in crisis...

> Oil prices extended their gains on Monday as unrest in Libya escalated, renewing concerns that protests could spill into other oil-producing countries. Iran was the next big worry, analysts said. The leader of the Al-Zuwayya tribe in eastern Libya has threatened to cut oil exports to the West unless...

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011 12:55:00 SINGAPORE: The first major protests to hit an OPEC country put the oil industry on edge Monday, sending crude prices jumping and raising speculation about the use of emergency oil reserves that have only been touched twice in two decades. In addition to Libya, the...

Doha (AFP) Feb 21, 2011 Iran foments instability in the Middle East but is not behind popular protests in Bahrain and other countries in the region, top US military officer Admiral Mike Mullen said Monday in Qatar. "Iran, I still believe, is a country that continues to foment instability in...

The first major protests to hit an OPEC country put the oil industry on edge Monday, sending crude prices jumping and raising speculation about the use of emergency oil reserves that have only been touched twice in two decades.

For a long time Egypt has been a stable strongman state, and has been governed for 30 years by Hosni Mubarak, a U.S. ally in the region. However, the repressive stability of his regime has finally been challenged.

The forces of youth disaffection and technological openness are seeing protests against repressive authority spreading from Tunisia to Egypt to Bahrain and Libya. Iran, Yemen and Saudi Arabia may be next.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures hit a 2-1/2 year high on Tuesday on concern that violence in Libya could cut more of the OPEC-member's output and that a similar story could play out in other ...

TEHRAN, Iran, Feb 22 (Bernama) -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the best way to resolve the problems facing regional countries is to prevent the United States from interfering in their internal affairs, Iran's Mehr News Agency (MNA) reported.

> Sinopec's plant in the northern port city will turn a 50,000 barrels per day (bpd) crude unit into a splitter able to process 1 million tonnes per year of Iranian condensate, or roughly 23,500 bpd. "The revamp work should be completed around March/April. The new facility should be ready...

Abu Dhabi (AFP) Feb 22, 2011 Western arms makers, squeezed by budget cuts at home, jostled to ink deals at the biggest arms fair in the Middle East as crackdowns on anti-regime protestors claimed hundreds of lives in the region. Shiny fighter jets and armoured vehicles were showcased at the...

...Iranian warships found themselves cheek to jowl with a major concentration of America naval might piling up in the Red Sea and Suez and were not sure what would happen if they went forward with their mission to transit the Suez Canal for the Mediterranean for the first time...

Currency, Commodity and Equity Markets Roiled, Is this the Long-Awaited Risk Reversal?

Yesterday’s Daily Reckoning left off with a tantalising question. Will the regime-toppling global inflation wave hit Australia’s shores? And if it does, what will it mean to your investments? For every variable rate mortgage holder in Australia (and that’s most of them) this is probably the most important question of...

Pluton Resources Limited (ASX:PLV) Hardstaff Peninsula Phase II Drilling Program Received High Grade Iron Concentrate Results From Davis Tube Recovery

The big game that everybody anticipated between Team Canada and Manitoba won’t be played until Wednesday night at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

Call it the last stand of Freedom 65.A bill that once seemed poised to sweep away the last vestige of legislated mandatory retirement in Canada is losing political steam following objections from Canadian businesses and labour organizations.

THE PHILIPPINES marks this week the 25th anniversary of the EDSA Revolt. Like Czechoslovakia’s Velvet Revolution or Ukraine’s Orange Uprising, people power in the Philippines uprooted a dictator without loss of a single life.

Malaysian police said Tuesday they have dented a major drugs syndicate with the arrest of two Iranian women with over 6.2 kilogrammes of methamphetamine on a resort island.

>RIYADH/DUBAI (Reuters) - A tide of unrest that has swept the Middle East and stoked oil prices above $100 a barrel is likely to dominate talks in Saudi Arabia next week designed to narrow the gap between consumer nations and resource-holders. The nearly 100 countries invited to the International Energy...

Jonathan Toews capped a four-goal second period, and the Chicago Blackhawks rallied to beat the St. Louis Blues, 5-3, Monday at Scottrade Center.

Sherry Middaugh has a front-row seat for the most impressive coming-out party of the 2011 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

Last week's Memphis champion Andy Roddick decided to pull out of this week's $442,500 Delray Beach International Tennis Championships, while Sam Querrey posted a first-round victory Monday in Florida.

Without doubt, it was the most exciting week in history for Canadians on the world tennis stage.

The Arab revolutions, which are claiming pro-US regimes once regarded as forces of moderation, highlight the way western attitudes to vicious dictators are almost always coloured by convenience. 22 Feb 2011 2:19 PM

Iran’s regime will be harder to overthrow than Egypt’s president. There are few times in history when so many uprisings have occurred at the same time. The protests from Libya to Bahrain continue and at least one or two more Middle Eastern dictatorships will almost certainly fall soon.

WASHINGTON, Tuesday 22 February 2011 (AFP) - Social media, cellphone cameras, satellite television, restive youth and years of pent-up anger are proving to be a toxic mix for authoritarian regimes in the Middle East.

Discredited forces appear to lack any capacity to fill power vacuum or serve as transitional structure to civilian rule

A strong quake hit New Zealand’s second-biggest city of Christchurch on Tuesday for the second time in five months, toppling buildings, causing “multiple fatalities,” trapping people beneath rubble and sparking fires.

Black Range Minerals Limited (ASX:BLR) Obtain Right To Acquire 100% Of The Hansen Uranium Deposit In USA

U.S. Dollar Rallies and Kiwi Falls on Libya, Earthquake News

Archer Exploration Limited (ASX:AXE) Advise Substantial Ground Gravity Anomaly Over Wildhorse Plains Iron Targets

High Volatility on a Thin Trading Day Demands Caution

Adelaide Energy Limited (ASX:ADE) Holdfast-1 Weekly Drilling Report Ended 22 Feb 2011

SUEZ CANAL officials say two Iranian naval vessels are expected to start their passage through the strategic waterway early today.

Yen Fluctuates Wildly amid Libya Turmoil, Rating Agency Action

Benitec Limited (ASX:BLT) Hepatitis B RNAi Program With Biomics Biotechnologies Moves To The Next Stage Following Successful Stage 1 Results

FINANCE VIDEO: Clifford Bennett Market Overview: Middle East Caution Intensifies

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- A U.S. naval flotilla is massing against two Iranian warships at the entrance of the Suez Canal seeking passage through to Egypt, a U.S. spokesman says.

The Cannes-winning director cites "schedule problem" as the reason for Baron Geisler's non-inclusion in "Prey."

Turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa pushed oil and gold prices higher yesterday, as BP announced that it was considering evacuating staff from Libya. Related Stories Identity crisis at Halifax leads to banking trouble Draft Budget for region not deliverable, says economist TK Maxx plan to close city...

EUROPEAN DIARY:Overwhelmed by a wave of protests, we have to juggle anxieties about fleeing migrants with our belief in democracy and human rights, writes ARTHUR BEESLEY

Brian Conley founded Alive in Baghdad back in 2005, using Iraqis to create weekly video packages reporting the news from the ground. Since then, his group, Small World News , has rolled out projects in Mexico, Gaza, Tehran and other locations in the Middle East and Latin America. His latest...

MAJOR oil and gas producers and suppliers will sign in Riyadh on Tuesday a charter primarily aimed at limiting price volatility and the role of speculators, officials said.

The popular liberation movements in Tunisia and Egypt brought to light the social and moral injustices under which the people were disenfranchised from their citizenship rights and deprived of their freedom by the wicked authorities, acting as organized mobs torturing or eliminating anyone who stood in their way.

Oil climbed to the highest level in more than two years and gold rose for a seventh day amid intensifying turmoil in Libya. Asian stocks and U.S. index futures declined while the New Zealand dollar weakened.

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Recent events in the Middle East have many commentators frantically speculating about what the future holds for Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Yemen, Iran, Bahrain, Libya, Syria and any other country whose citizens are choosing to rise up in protest. Across the region, people are bravely standing up, with many common...

PETALING JAYA: Attracting more than 600 cyclists with the likes of Anuar Musa, Noreffendy Rosli and Mohd Hariff Saleh, the third edition of Kencana SIC Bikeathon at Sepang Circuit on Sunday was hailed as another success and event organisers Sepang International Circuit (SIC) are inspired to develop the event further...

U.S. stock futures declined, signaling the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index may retreat from its highest level since June 2008, after the Libyan government attacked protesters and rebels claimed control of the second- biggest city, Benghazi.

As violence escalates in the Middle East, one bold regional voice stands out — Turkey.

Jeff Lee: So Vancouver was just knighted again as the most livable city in the world. Damn. There goes the neighbourhood again. Martha, we're moving!

The uprising in Bahrain may have more serious implications for the US than they care to acknowledge. The replacement of a longstanding ally by a populist regime formed from Islamist parties who in the 2006 elections won 32 out of 40 seats in the lower house of Parliament may be...

THE Voice of America (VOA) website was attacked by Iranian hackers on Monday, disabling its internet news service to more than 30 countries, including Zimbabwe.

Tens of thousands of Bahrainis rallied in support of their beleaguered government Monday, dwarfing the opposition’s movement and raising new questions about whether the calls for major reforms will lead instead to more sectarianism for a key American strategic ally.

While 78 percent of women contribute online, only 66 percent of men do so.

The first major protests to hit an OPEC country put the oil industry on edge Monday, sending crude prices jumping and raising speculation about the use of emergency oil reserves that have only been touched twice in two decades.

If, on Presidents Day 2011, I had to rank the last twelve presidents since America became the world's most powerful empire in World War II, I'd put them in the following order.

An Iranian diplomat has quit the country’s consulate in Milan to join the opposition “Green Wave” movement in France , the group said in a statement yesterday.

Political unrest across the Middle East has investors on tenterhooks, as many worry about the possible fallout of further demonstrations and the possible collapse of regional governments.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blasted “cancerous” Israel yesterday, a day after its premier Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the planned passage of Iranian warships through the Suez Canal.

Hundreds of demonstrators are gathered at the Pearl roundabout in Manama, Bahrain's capital, as their protest against the government and ruling royal family entered its ninth day.

MOSCOW / CAIRO, February 22 (RIA Novosti) - Many foreign nationals became stranded in Libya, where mass protests and violence escalated since mid-February, as the country's authorities ordered to close airspace, Germany's DPA news agency said.

Democracy Now! is following the popular uprisings as they travel this week across the globe from Iran, Libya, and to the United States, where a massive movement to protect unions and the middle class has taken Wisconsin by storm. IRAN Iranian protesters returned to the streets on Sunday to...

The eccentric and feared regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya was on the verge of collapse on Monday night as opposition forces took major cities and the dictator himself fled the capital.

For a list of the greenest 2011 model-year vehicles, there sure are a lot of traditional gasoline engines among the top 12 cars ranked by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

As Arab governments from Bahrain to Yemen and the clerical rulers in Iran alike wrestle with how to get a grip on the Internet's role in spreading unrest, the Communist Party in Beijing has steadily applied one of the world's most sophisticated censorship programs.

As violence and unrest continues to spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa, Amnesty International has sent experienced research teams to the region to monitor developments as they unfold.

Global oil prices are soaring because of the unrest in key oil-producing states in the Middle East and North Africa.

The oil-rich nation said the market is sufficiently supplied, despite a wave of unrest in the Middle East that caused prices to spike Monday.

As protests continue across the Middle East and North Africa, a few tech-savvy individuals have crafted simple tools for tracking recent developments by tapping into social media platforms. Software developer Virender Ajmani created a Google Maps Mashup that plots recent tweets from Bahrain, Egypt, Libya and Iran in real-time...

Baghdad (UPI) Feb 21, 2011 Amid violent uprisings against autocratic Arab regimes, the Iraqi government says it has taken a novel step to head off trouble: shelving plans to buy 18 Lockheed Martin F-16s and diverting a $900 million down payment to buy food for its poor. Whether that decision...

Major oil and gas producers and suppliers will sign in Riyadh a charter aimed at limiting price volatility.

Madrid - Israeli President Shimon Peres said Monday he believed Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi's reign was nearing an end. It was an "irony of history" that Gaddafi had recently expressed his desire for "a Middle East without Israel," but that it now looked like "there will be a Libya without...

MR. CARNEY: I'm going to try to do this relatively fast so that nobody gets hurt in landing here. To begin, I want to read you a statement by the President on violence in Bahrain, Libya, and Yemen:

JERUSALEM, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Documents released by WikiLeaks show Israel and Chile cooperated to spy on Iran as it developed its association with Venezuela.

The spectre of full civil war in oil-rich Libya and reports of the creation of an Islamic emirate in country's "Barqa" region has moved the Mid-East crisis into a more dangerous phase, setting ...

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) launched a verbal assault on President Obama this weekend, claiming that his foreign policy stance was so weak that it made "Jimmy Carter look like a Rambo tough-guy."

Though it's being reported that Libyan forces fired live rounds into peaceful demonstrations in Tripoli today, at least two soldiers have fled the nation after rejecting orders to attack their countrymen. According to a government source in Malta, two Libyan Air Force pilots today defected to the tiny island nation...

Two Iranian warships will cross the Suez Canal on Tuesday, four days after Egypt's post-Hosni Mubarak government gave the green light to the passage, Egyptian state-run news website EgyNews reported Monday.

The opposition group Coordination Council for the Green Path of Hope issued a defiant call for protests to commemorate the 7th day of the martyrdom of two students killed during the 25th Bahman (Feb.14) demonstrations. For the first time the reformist group's call to protest was asking for...

Libyan security forces attacked anti-government protesters as demonstrations spread across the Middle East and North Africa, a region that accounts for 36 percent of global crude output. Chinese authorities blocked foreign news reports on protests across the country to stamp out any movement toward pro-democracy revolts.

Throughout his detention, Gullam Sarwar Jamili held fast to his declarations of innocence, while American officials and a monitor from an international nongovernmental organization familiar with the case insisted the suspicions against him were warranted. But even after he was released last September, the truth remained hidden. Jamili, like most...

MANAMA, Bahrain — A prominent opposition figure accused by Bahrain of plotting against the state plans to return from London, an aide said Monday, in a move that could bolster protesters and force authorities into difficult choices.

ABU DHABI — The Shi'ite opposition, said to enjoy support from Iran, intends to paralyze Bahrain as part of an effort to topple the Sunni-led kingdom.

Abdelaziz Bouteflika (Algeria) 16% (32 votes) Hamid Karzai (Afghanistan) 2% (4 votes) Zillur Rahman (Bangladesh) 2% (3 votes) Joseph Kabila (Congo) 0% (0 votes) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Iran) 4% (7 votes) Shimon Peres (Israel) 3% (5 votes) Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad (Kuwait) 1% (2 votes) Asif Zardari (Pakistan) 11% (21 votes) Emir...

In honor of President's Day, please enjoy these speeches from some of our greatest fictional presidents. All too often these days, speeches from our presidents are merely jumbles of catchphrases, designed to merely not offend anyone. Our presidents are also rarely faced with asteroids or alien attacks, moments that inspire...

MANAMA, Bahrain - A prominent opposition figure accused by Bahrain of plotting against the state plans to return from London, an aide said Monday, in a move that could bolster protesters and force authorities into difficult choices.

Israel and Egypt's shared regional concerns and strategic interests will preserve the peace treaty and shield their bilateral relations On Saturday, February 12 the Egyptian...

Mike Huckabee falsely claims Muslims believe Jesus and his followers are 'infidels'

A severe lack of competition allowed a couple of sublime under-the-radar pictures to dazzle The first words I heard on the radio as I got into my Tegel airport taxi were "Kevin Spacey und Jeremy Irons". I'd missed their opening night film, Margin Call , but their names and faces are...

"Our Peace Prize-winning president is very busy bowing these days to kings. He is bending down to dictators, and he is brown-nosing the elites that are in Europe, and he's babying the jihadists who are following Sharia-compliant terrorism. He is callow and confused and inconsistent in his response to the...

When historians in future years grapple with the significance of the overthrow of the Mubarak regime in Egypt 10 days ago, coming as it did in the wake of the "Jasmine" January 14 Revolution in Tunisia, they may judge it not only as a seismic event, shattering and renewing the...

Mercedes Benz believes India would, in the foreseeable future, join the premium league to become one of the the top-five markets in the world for luxury cars. At present, though the segment is small in the country, it is growing at double the rate of the overall automobile sector.