News Archive - 23 February 2011

>NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Drinking yogurt with extra vitamin D may help people with diabetes regulate their blood sugar, a study from Iran finds. In the trial, 90 adults with diabetes were divided into three groups, all given daily yogurt drinks: one group received plain yogurt, one got yogurt...

Pandemic upheaval against America's most preferred despots in the Mideast and North Africa, military overextension in Central Asia and overall economic decline, have threatened to split asunder the hegemonic shield U.S. planners designed during the early bright of the Cold War, including policies that led to the rise...

>MANAMA (Reuters) - Bahrain has released 23 Shi'ites accused of trying to topple the island's Sunni Muslim monarchy and who were among what the government said on Wednesday was a total of 308 prisoners freed on the orders of the king. The prisoner release was a further concession to the...

>Accusing the pair of "serious human rights abuses," the White House warned similar steps may be taken against other Iranian officials, and repeated calls for the Tehran government to respect its citizens' rights."The list of names is not exhaustive and will continue to grow based on events in Iran,...

> The Treasury said in a statement that the Tehran Prosecutor General, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, and the commander of the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps' Basij Forces, Mohammed Reza Naqdi, were added to its Office of Foreign Assets Control blacklist. The action bans any U.S. persons from transactions with them...

Could the Arab Spring Have Toppled Saddam?

Israeli jets bombed several sites in the Gaza Strip early Thursday in response to a rocket attack on a southern Israeli city, the military said.

UAE- Mild tremors continue to alarm Fujairah residents

Washington, Feb 24 (PTI) US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has accused Iran of pursuing double standards on human rights, in praising the pro-democracy movement in Egypt while crushing its own people's rights.

(RTTNews) - Seven Yemeni lawmakers said Wednesday that they have resigned from President Ali Abdullah Saleh's ruling GPC party as a sign of protest against what they described as the government's brutal crackdown on tens and thousands of protesters demanding the resignation of the long serving president.

Alan Jackson is very excited about his debut visit to Australia next week. He is aware of the feverish appetite for his brand of traditional country music.

The US has slapped sanctions against two Iranian officials allegedly responsible for serious human rights abuses in the aftermath of the 2009 presidential elections.

The crisis in Libya sent most Asian shares down and oil to fresh highs on Thursday amid fears of a bloodbath as the government of the north African country tries to crack down on an insurrection.

Protesters throughout the Middle East and northern Africa are pressing their governments for reforms. But the U.S. military is keeping an especially close watch on the two countries that are key to the American military's ability to operate in the region. read more

New Delhi, Feb 23 : ASSOCHAM expressed the fear that India's industrial sector could be hit as global oil prices advance towards fresh highs after violent protests in Libya, a major producer of oil, threatening to disrupt crude supplies.

TEHRAN : Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday condemned the violent crackdown on protesters in the region and called on Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi to meet public demand, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported.

Fuel costs could reach uncharted territory should unrest spread to other oil giants

The popular revolts shaking the Arab world are also shifting the balance of power in the region, bolstering Iran's position while weakening its bitter rival, Saudi Arabia.

Former World Bank President and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz compared current revolts in Egypt and the Middle East to examples of revolutions in Asia, Africa and Latin America, emphasizing the importance of popular movements.

Everyone knows who "Big Brother" is, of course, because we all had to read George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four at some point in our schooling. Big Brother is the fictional benevolent figurehead in Orwell's "negative Utopia" masterpiece, whose beaming visage is a front for a totalitarian police state that spies...

A pump pressure gauge is seen at an oil depot. The crisis in Libya has sent most Asian shares down in value while pushing oil to fresh highs amid fears of a bloodbath as the government of the north African ...

TO DANCE or not to dance? That’s the stark reality facing the United States over its foreign policy today.

10 countries , 30 Starters surely the biggest motorsports event to hit the Philippines! MARCH 27 PLAYDATE FOR 2011 FIM ASIA PUERTO PRINCESA INTL MX For the eight straight year, the City of Puerto Princesa in Palawan will host the opening round of “The Motocross Masters of Asia”, the Philippine...

In reply to Send In The Clowns : Why don’t you do some work on the sheer arrogance and bloody minded of DIC ’s who are keeping 900 accepted refugees in prison and decide they don’t have to tell them anything about their “cases”. Asking for refugee protection is supposed...

As troubled regimes continue to go down, oil prices are moving up everywhere. The violent turbulence in Libya is expected to raise gasoline prices in Israel within the coming days. The regional upheavals and energy issues barged into an open...

BENGHAZI, Libya (CNN) -- Even as Moammar Gadhafi called on the military to crack down on anti-government protesters, reports emerged Wednesday that the Libyan leader was facing growing international and domestic opposition, including from his own military.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday accused Iran of a repressive crackdown on protesters and political opponents in the past 10 days, including the killing of peaceful demonstrators by security forces.

There’s a protest this weekend in San Francisco, in support of folks in Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, Morocco, and other Arab popular movements as they struggle against dictatorships and repressive governments.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Iran is gradually overcoming problems in its nuclear program, and could still detonate a nuclear device within a year if it put its mind to it, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said.

Whatever happens in Libya, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in the short term, the oil price is likely to remain high for some time, at best denting world economic growth. Read more on the blog...

Listen to the Audio JIM LEHRER: Now we talk to two Americans who have known the Libyan leader for a while. Ambassador David Mack was a political officer and translator in the American Embassy in Tripoli at the time of the 1969 revolution that brought Gadhafi to power. He went...

For Richard Post and many other Reno-area motorists, worries over political unrest in the Middle East can be measured at the gas pump.

MANAMA, Bahrain -- The popular revolts shaking the Arab world have begun to shift the balance of power in the region, bolstering Iran's position while weakening and unnerving its rival, Saudi Arabia, regional experts said.

A boast from Libya's defected justice minister that he can prove that Moammar Gadhafi ordered the 1988 bombing of a U.S. jetliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, stirred hope among families of the 270 dead that the rogue dictator might be held accountable someday.

Iran's industrial and mineral exports have reached nearly 18 billion dollars during the first 10 months of the current Iranian year starting March 21, 2010.

Senate advances bill to ban Iran investment By Robert Gehrke The Salt Lake Tribune Updated Feb 23, 2011 07:31PM MDT The Utah Senate gave preliminary approval to a bill that would prohibit the state from investing in petroleum companies that do business in Iran. “This is a unique situation dealing...

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday expressed deep concern of the Iranian government`s persecution of its citizens, as protests during the past 10 days have once again taken the streets in the Middle Eastern country. "It has been made clear to the world that Iran denies its...

BRUSSELS - THE Nato military alliance said on Wednesday it was monitoring two Iranian warships that have entered the Mediterranean Sea, a presence that has unnerved Israel. 'We follow events in the region and we follow these two Iranian warships with as much interest as we do any other warships...

JERUSALEM, Feb. 23-- The passage of two Iranian warships through the Suez Canal on Tuesday, the first time for Iranian naval ships to use the strategic international shipping route in over 30 years, came only days after the ouster of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who was seen by Israel...

Deteriorating Human Rights Situation in Iran Press Statement Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State Washington, DC February 23, 2011 The United States remains deeply concerned by the persecution of Iranian citizens at the hand of their government. Over the past ten days, we have witnessed the bravery of thousands of...

Battlefield 2 maps resurrected as a bonus for pre-orders

This is nowhere near over. By “This”, we mean the regional contagion, spreading violence and rising geopolitical risk in the Middle East and North Africa. Reports say that Libya has stopped producing oil and that pipeline delivery to Europe (Italy) is interrupted.

Canadian snowboarder Kory Wright became the Bahamas' first winter Olympian after winning a 2005 World Cup event.

The advance team of an eventual 55-strong search and rescue team with 11 tonnes of equipment is scheduled to arrive in Christchurch at 4pm on Thursday 24 February. All other members of the team arrive on Friday 25 February. This team, drawn from ...

What America couldn't do

Is Colonel Sanders laughing from beyond the grave at a Japanese baseball team? That is one of the more unusual sporting hexes

(AP:WASHINGTON) The U.S. government on Wednesday accused two Iranian officials of involvement in "serious human rights abuses" and blocked any assets they might have in the United States, while sharply criticizing Iran's government for persecuting its own citizens.

A generation after they lost their loved ones in the Lockerbie bombing, families may finally be close to confirming what they’ve long known in their gut: Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi ordered the attack that killed 270 people days before Christmas 1988.

Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon called Wednesday for respect from the United States, making the case that the two neighbouring countries should act as partners on the world stage.

LONDON (AFP) - Oil prices topped $110 on Wednesday for the first time since early September 2008 after news that a Libyan fighter pilot had disobeyed orders to bomb opposition stronghold of Benghazi, analysts said.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose security forces crushed protests against his 2009 re-election, has condemned state brutality against demonstrators in Libya and pr

A major theme of today's Glenn Beck was the idea of what side we're on, whether we're the good guys or the bad guys (ironically, this was also a major theme on this week's How I Met Your Mother , although I'm guessing it's a coincidence). Beck repeatedly claimed he...

"There is a way to be good again" – so writes Khaled Hosseini at the beginning of his novel The Kite Runner about epiphany and restitution in Afghanistan.

(AP:WASHINGTON) The U.S. government on Wednesday accused two Iranian officials of being involved in what it called "serious human rights abuses" and blocked access to any assets the two might have in American financial institutions.

While most travel companies are scrambling to cancel or postpone tours to the Middle East, a Seattle tour operator is organizing a late-March trip to what she calls the "New Egypt."

Senegal is to cut diplomatic ties with Iran after an investigation that showed that a seized Iranian arms shipment was intended for rebels fighting Senegalese troops.

What chance of N Korea's Kim Jong Il being toppled?

After crude oil hits a record high, find out how much gas jumped overnight and look up local prices...

A cruel dictatorship is in the process of collapsing in Libya, repressing its own people as it dies. And yet the Obama administration has barely said a thing about it. The president's statement Wednesday condemning the repression and laying out a process to consider additional steps on Libya was remarkably...

The chief of Iran's navy on Wednesday rejected Israeli criticism of Tehran's sending two Iranian warships through the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean Sea, saying the vessels pose no threat to the region.

The Muslim world, from North Africa to Iran, has experienced a wave of instability in the last few weeks. No regimes have been overthrown yet, although as of this writing, Libya was teetering on the brink. There have been moments in history where revolution spread in a region or around...

Searchers in earthquake-devastated Christchurch are looking to recover bodies rather than rescue survivors.

MCS Kenny has appointed Steven Bernard as VP of riser delivery. Bernard’s primary role will be supporting the growth of MCS Kenny, with a focus on expanding riser delivery services to the offshore industry.

Cairn Energy has contracted two deepwater DP rigs for a four-well exploration program this year offshore Greenland. The semisubmersible Leiv Eiriksson and the drillship Ocean Rig Corcovado will drill the wells. Cairn’s initial campaign last year delivered one sub-commercial gas discovery.

Italy and Spain depend on Libya for as much as 25 percent and 13 percent of total crude consumption, respectively, a supply not easily replaced on short notice.

The worldwide offshore rig market continues to suffer from oversupply as new rig deliveries outstrip demand. As new rigs built to ever-higher specifications are delivered, older rigs have more trouble securing contracts.

DAMASCUS, Syria - The chief of Iran's navy says a visit by two warships to Syria "is a peaceful message to all nations."

TRIPOLI—A bellicose Moamer Kadhafi clung to power on Wednesday after a call to arms to reclaim swathes of Libya lost to protesters, as demonstrators in Yemen and Bahrain defiantly faced down teetering governments.

Oil prices hit two-year highs amid concerns that the violent power struggle in Libya will spark further unrest in other major producing nations.

“Israel’s Situation in the Light of the Turmoil in the East,” a February 16 lecture by Chuck Freilich , Senior Fellow at the International Security Program Belfer Center for Sciences & International Affairs at Harvard, held the nearly 100 guests at the American Jewish Committee’s headquarters spellbound. Israel’s Deputy National...

(RTTNews) - Two top-ranked officials of Iran's Mahmoud Ahmedinejad government were sanctioned by the US Wednesday, over serious human rights abuses committed in the wake of the country's disputed 2009 Presidential election, it has been reported.

CAIRO — A defiant Moammar Gadhafi vowed to fight to his “last drop of blood” and roared at supporters to strike back against Libyan protesters to defend his embattled regime Tuesday, signaling an escalation of the crackdown that has thrown the capital into scenes of mayhem, wild shooting and bodies...

She says the US is working with international partners to send a clear message to the Libyan government

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

Even as Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi called on the military to crack down on anti-government protesters, reports came in Wednesday that a military aircraft had crashed because the crew refused to carry out bombing orders.

In remarks more natural for his hawkish predecessor, Vladimir Putin, President Dmitry Medvedev said the latest revolts in the Arab world were instigated by outside forces that were also scheming to topple the authorities in Russia.

As the turmoil in the Middle East spreads to Libya, a major oil producer, the shockwaves of Arab unrest are reverberating through the global oil supply chain – and threatening to spill over into the global economy.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "The 2011 Import and Export Market for Special Transactions and Commodities Not Classified by Kind in Iran" report to their offering.

ANKARA, Turkey — Hundreds of Americans climbed aboard a ferry Wednesday to escape the turmoil in Libya, part of a vast exodus of foreigners fleeing by ship, plane or van. Tripoli's airport was overwhelmed with stranded people seeking a way out. More than a dozen countries — including Russia, China,...

Col. Moammar Gadhafi of Libya vowed that he would "fight on to the last drop of my blood" and die a "martyr." We have no doubt that what he really meant is that he will butcher and martyr his own people in his desperation to hold on to power.

Prices At The Pump Soar

Iran's Navy chief Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayyari is due in Latakia Wednesday night • He will attend ceremonial Syrian welcome for two Iranian warships which transited Suez Canal • US State Department and EU support sanctions against Qaddafi without specifics or timelines • Netanyahu permits 300 Palestinians in flight from...

WORLD IN BRIEF Libya's Gadhafi vows to fight CAIRO (AP) -- A defiant Moammar Gadhafi vowed to fight to his "last drop of blood" and roared at supporters to strike back against Libyan protesters to defend his embattled regime Tuesday, signaling an escala

Oil prices soared to fresh two-year highs above $100 a barrel Wednesday amid concerns that a violent power struggle in Libya could disrupt the region’s supplies.

Oil prices surged once again today amid concerns that the violent power struggle in Libya will spark further unrest in other major producing nations.

It was not until Secretary of State Hillary Clinton walked to the George Washington University podium last week to enthusiastic applause that I decided I had to dissociate myself from the obsequious adulation of a person responsible for so much death, suffering and destruction.

Having spent most of her life in Jerusalem, singer Yasmin Levy was introduced to a hotbed of cultures, many of which find ways into her style of international music.

The redeployment of Iranian warships across the Suez Canal and the uprising in Libya sent waves across global energy markets. The Dow dropped nearly 200 points yesterday; the price of oil surged above $93 a barrel.

The influence of the new digital commons in democratic uprisings from Tunisia to Egypt to Bahrain has been chronicled at length in news reports from the Middle East, with Facebook, twitter and other social media winning praise as dictator-busters. But the importance of a much older form of commons...

NEW YORK — Oil prices rose past $99 a barrel on Wednesday as forces loyal to Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi clashed with protesters expanding their control over parts of the country.

A few hundred yards from the Pearl Roundabout, the epicenter of Bahrain's protest movement, you can be blissfully unaware of the turmoil that has suddenly engulfed this island kingdom.

TEHRAN, Feb. 23 (MNA) -- North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Pak Kil Yon has met with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in Tehran.

With the collapse of the Mubarak regime, the Middle East in turmoil and the corrupt Berlusconi finally facing a trial, this particular political climax has been a vivid backdrop to the 61st Berlin Film Festival.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "The Future of Iran Oil and Gas Storage Market to 2015- Trends, Drivers, Capex and Capacity Outlook of Storage Terminals and Companies" report to their offering.

TEHRAN, Feb. 23 (MNA) -- Tehran’s Ambassador to Berlin says that the German government does not approve of unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Crude oil prices rose to fresh two-year highs around $96 a barrel Wednesday, fanning concern about the impact of rising energy prices on the fragile global economic recovery.

Protests sweeping the Middle East have given new impetus to Lebanese youths who have launched their own revolt on Facebook in a bid -- albeit improbable -- to bring down Lebanon's confessional system.

About six months after the US Embassy in Iran was overrun in 1979, the American diplomat and hostage John Limbert welcomed an emissary from the revolutionary government. Limbert's facility for the Persian language was on full display when he eerily commented about the Iranian cultural quirk known as "taarof"...

European Union calls for investigation into possible crimes against humanity ahead of emergency UN meeting.

David Cameron has called for new sanctions on Iran, warning that the country will become an "international pariah" because of its nuclear programme.