News Archive - 3 March 2011

>CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez pushed a vague peace plan for Libya on Thursday, saying his friend Muammar Gaddafi supported foreign mediation and accusing the West of eyeing the North African nation's oil. Though rebels have rejected talks with the Libyan president and some analysts view the Chavez...

>"We have received recent indications that Bob is being held somewhere in southwest Asia," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a brief statement."As the government of Iran has previously offered its assistance in this matter, we respectfully request the Iranian government to undertake humanitarian efforts to safely return...

WASHINGTON — Four years after a retired FBI agent mysteriously vanished inside Iran, U.S. officials have received proof he is alive, a remarkable development that has dramatically intensified secret negotiations to bring him home, The Associated Press has learned. The U.S. had lacked reliable information about whether...

>NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fleeing after years of war in Iraq, many refugees arriving in the United States can't find the jobs they need to rebuild their lives. Unemployment among Iraqi refugees is estimated at nearly three times the national average of 9 percent, and up to 2,000 of those...

>GENEVA (Reuters) -- A United Nations report hailing Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's rights record was on Thursday sidelined by the world body's Human Rights Council just a few days before it was due to be adopted. The report, reflecting a three-hour debate in the council last November, included praise for...

Blink and you might have missed it. Or, more to the point, fallen asleep before you got to item number 42 under "Other Matters" of the International Atomic Energy Agency's latest report on Iran's nuclear program. It reads:On 15-16 February 2011, the agency conducted an inspection at the Bushehr...

I guess I was wrong about Iran. Back in January 2007, I blogged about the World Award of Monotheistic Religions, which was hosted by Tehran. The third place winner? Michal Jandura of Poland, whose piece showed three interlocking books -- one marked with a cross, one with a star...

>LONDON (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has launched an appeal against a ruling that he should be extradited from Britain to Sweden over alleged sex crimes, his lawyer said on Thursday. Last week Assange, who infuriated the U.S. government by publishing thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic cables,...

>LONDON (Reuters) - Gold eased on Thursday after the Arab League said a Venezuelan proposal to end the Libyan conflict was under consideration, but entrenched uncertainty over the future of the region kept prices within sight of record highs. Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa told Reuters on Thursday that...

Report: Ohio payroll drops 2nd year in row COLUMBUS A newspaper’s analysis finds what Ohio pays

WASHINGTON -- Four years after a retired FBI agent mysteriously vanished inside Iran, U.S. officials have received irrefutable proof he is alive, a dramatic development that has intensified diplomatic efforts to bring him home, The Associated Press has learned. The U.S. had lacked reliab...

The Israel Defense Forces arrested a wanted terror suspect Thursday evening in Jericho. The suspect was turned over to security agencies for further investigation.

Libia acusó a cinco enfermeras y a un médico de haber contagiado el sida a 438 niños. El Gobierno usó a los facultativos de chivos expiatorios porque pensaba que nadie reclamaría su libertad.

(AP:SINGAPORE) Oil prices hovered near $102 a barrel Friday in Asia as Libyan government and rebel forces dug in amid fierce fighting, raising investor fears of protracted oil output cuts in the OPEC nation.

Americans feeling the effect of higher oil prices Associated Press NEW YORK The recent surge

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Dozens of retirees from Century Aluminums now-shuttered Ravenswood plant rallied at the state Capitol Thursday to help gain lawmaker support to get their health benefits reinstated. Early last year, Century informed its retirees 65 and...

Mullets — business in the front, party in the back.

Oil rose, headed for a third weekly gain in New York, as unrest in Libya renewed concern supply disruptions may spread to the Middle East while signs of U.S. economic recovery stoked speculation fuel demand will increase.

I would like to publicly thank UF President Bernie Machen for moderating the Jewish Awareness Month and Accent show featuring Alan Dershowitz event this past Wednesday evening. UF is lucky to have someone like Machen at the helm of our institution who shared, “If you have not been to Israel,...

Early next year, thrill-seekers will be able to visit Iraq thanks to a British firm offering the first package holiday to the war-torn country in two decades.

A former FBI agent from Broward County who has been missing in Iran since 2007 may be alive, U.S. officials announced Thursday.

Pump prices, which are already the highest ever for early March, jumped another 4 cents Thursday. The national average is $3.43 per gallon, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service.

A former Federal Bureau of Investigation agent, Robert Levinson , who mysteriously vanished in Iran four years ago is reportedly alive, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement Thursday. Levinson disappeared in Iran in March 2007 from the Iranian island of Kish, a Persian Gulf resort,...

China is turning to Turkmenistan for more gas as Russia’s OAO Gazprom, the world’s biggest producer, has yet to agree on prices and pipeline routes with Asia’s fastest-growing market.

Thanks to Muammr Gaddafi’s airstrikes near a Libyan oil terminal, and protests in Iran adding to the continuing chaos in Middle East and North Africa (MENA), on Wednesday, March 2, Brent oil settled at its highest level since August 2008 at $116.35 a barrel, while WTI futures on NYMEX...

Paris/New York, 1 March - Armed conflict is robbing 28 million children of an education by exposing them to widespread rape and other sexual violence, targeted attacks on schools and other human rights abuses, UNESCO’s 2011 Global Monitoring Report warns.

Gold is poised for a fifth weekly advance, matching the longest run of gains since October, as turmoil in the Middle East bolstered demand for the metal as an investment haven.

Restore a MiG-29? No problem for Tim Morgan ARLINGTON When John Sessions imported and restored MiG-29 roared aloft from Arlington Airport in late January, the flight made news headlines across the Pacific Northwest, and around the world via YouTube videos and Internet sites.

Iran and Tajikistan have mounted a joint exhibition and sale festival in Dushanbe, showcasing the necessary goods for the Persian New Year holidays of Nowruz.

Citing the need to bring its policies in line with the United States and Europe, the Israeli government indicated Thursday that it will move to join international sanctions against Iran.

(03-03) 17:35 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) -- Wary that Libya's bloody crisis could devolve into humanitarian chaos, President Barack Obama on Thursday insisted he is considering every intervention option, including military...

If the upheavals in North Africa and the Middle East run out of control, global economic recovery will be put at risk from increased oil prices Amid the growing tensions in North Africa and the Middl .....

We interrupt our usual dose of knuckleheads, ne'er-do-wells and look-at-me ballplayers to check in on a vanishing breed of athlete: The classy superstar, as in Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter.

Passing what Julian Assange supposedly describes as his "masculinity test" sounds tough, but Vaughan Smith, former soldier and founder of the Frontline Club, is one of a handful of Assange associates to have done so. (Ian Hislop, Daniel Domscheit-Berg and The New York Times all appear to have failed.)

NEW YORK: Oil prices retreated Thursday from two-year highs set a day before as investors took out profits and hoped that the conflict in Libya might be resolved by international mediation.

Indian refiners have made payment of 1.5 billion for crude bought from the National Iranian Oil Company, ending over two months of supply concerns after the RBI scrapped a regional money-transfer mechanism.

The Shiite opposition groups in Bahrain said on Thursday they are ready to negotiate with the Gulf nation's Sunni rulers.

Iranian Deputy Commerce Minister Hamid Safdel says Iran's non-oil exports, excluding gas condensates, will reach $301 billion in a five-year period starting on March 21, 2011.

The top leadership of Congo and the World Chabad-Lubavitch movement gathered Tuesday night in Kinshasa to celebrate two decades of friendship. American Jewish groups plan to read the Book of Esther at the Iranian UN Mission in NYC to send a message to Ahmadinejad: You won't win.

Several Jewish groups in the U.S. have decided to celebrate the holiday of Purim differently this year, and have decided to hold a Megillah reading at the Iranian UN Mission in Manhattan, New York.

Let's not beat around the bush here: Battlefield 3 looks freaking amazing. At their GDC preview event, the folks at DICE showed off a PC version of the title and did their best to blow the collective minds of everyone present.

Associated Press - March 3, 2011 6:14 PM ET WASHINGTON (AP) - The Florida family of a retired FBI agent who went missing in Iran four years ago says it is tremendously encouraged by news that...

Geneva/Benghazi (ICRC) – Credible reports indicate that two Libyan Red Crescent ambulances were shot at yesterday in Misrata, west of Benghazi, resulting in two volunteers being injured and one of the ambulances being completely burnt.

The mysterious fortune of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak got an early boost from millions of dollars in cash bribes delivered by CIA-connected arms merchants in the late 1970s, according to two participants.

Follow Israel news on and . Several Jewish groups in the U.S. have decided to celebrate the holiday of Purim differently this year, and have decided to hold a Megillah reading at the Iranian UN Mission in Manhattan, New York.

MUAMMAR Gaddafi’s speeches grow ever more delusional: last Thursday he accused al-Qaeda of putting hallucinogenic pills into the coffee of unsuspecting Libyan 17-year-olds in order to get them to attack the regime. But he also said something important.

Christian Dior’s recent firing of star designer John Galliano is a poignant example of the need to “Make Sure You Look Good Naked,” a strategy design principle that Paul Carroll and I laid out in our recent article, “Four Principles for Crafting Your Innovation Strategy.”

In his previous books, the journalist Ron Rosenbaum has tackled big topics — Hitler’s evil, Shakespeare’s genius — with acuity and irreverence, believing, correctly, that some things are too important to leave to the experts. He’s proud of his gonzo amateur status, so much so that you half suspect he...

The sudden upheaval in the Middle East that in a matter of weeks has toppled regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, and threatens autocrats in Libya, Yemen and Bahrain, is forcing Israel to grapple with how to recalibrate for dramatic change.

Expanding on its recent warnings about the situation in Libya, federal financial regulators caution firms to be wary of doing business with firms and individuals in Egypt and Tunisia, too.

James Travers, a former editor-in-chief of the Citizen and more recently a national columnist for the Toronto Star, has died, according to multiple sources at the Star. His death was reportedly of complications after having his spleen removed at an Ottawa hospital.

Israel is rightly concerned about security risks stemming from the popular uprisings across the Middle East. But Daniel Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum, a conservative think tank, believes the most important change that could emerge from the uprisings is the destabilization of the Islamist movement if the protests...

My name is Mackenzie Eaglen. I am a Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation. The views I express in this testimony are my own, and should not be construed as representing any official position of The Heritage Foundation.

FILE - In this Dec. 22, 2007 file photo, Christine Levinson, the wife of missing former FBI agent Robert Levinson, takes part in a news conference at the Swiss Embassy in Tehran. The US has proof that ex-FBI agent Robert Levinson is alive, four years after vanishing in Iran. (AP...

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Dennis Lockhart said he favors completing $600 billion in Treasury purchases because the recovery still faces risks.

Tokyo's Narita Airport has seen its fair share of soccer players pass through the arrival and departure halls over the years. It welcomed Japan back from a successful World Cup last summer and greeted the Asian Cup trophy in January. In the past few months, it has also seen a...

USM hosted a public forum on the ongoing revolutions sweeping the Middle East on Tuesday, with USM President Selma Botman and others speaking on the roles of women and religion in the demonstrations and their impact ...

In a press conference with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Obama denounced the Libyan president

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama insisted Thursday that Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi "step down from power and leave," his most explicit statement of support for rebels challenging Gadhafi's four-decade rule in a region convulsed by uprisings against authoritarian regimes. Gadhafi has vowed to stay. Obama did not rule out...

As the world's attention remains focused on the uprisings in the Arab world, Iran's regime is now looking more vulnerable than in the past. Tens of thousands of Iranians protested March 1, according to unconfirmed reports, partially in response to the kidnapping and incarceration of the two leaders of...

Libyan revolution continues with over 6000 people having already been killed during the uprisings, while the German FM has stated any intervention would be counter-productive.

NEW YORK - The recent surge in oil prices is cascading through the U.S. economy, forcing sharp increases in gasoline and other fuels that will impact spending for months to come.

Professors from University of Kentucky's College of Arts and Sciences and Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce are available to comment on the intensifying situation in Libya and provide context for associated uprisings in Bahrain, Iran, Morocco and Yemen.

West Point, N.Y. — Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told cadets at the U.S. Military Academy Feb. 25 that they must continue changing the culture of the Army to ensure the service can handle the challenges facing America.

I took the hammer to The Washington Times the other day for a dumb story on a report that says terrorists may have caused the financial crash of 2008.

Computerworld - Microsoft last week changed how it delivers an update that disables AutoRun, a Windows feature that big name worms, including Conficker and Stuxnet, have used to infect millions of PCs.

Libyan opposition leaders rejected a mediation offer by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez , a friend and ally of Muammar Qaddafi , as armed rebels held out against regime attacks and prepared to push toward Qaddafi’s stronghold, Tripoli.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge has dismissed Iran's complaint that the London 2012 logo is racist and should be changed before the Games next year.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Lime Market Review" report to their offering.

The Obama Administration and the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) have a problem. Their program to get to a capable defense against ballistic missiles of all ranges, called the Phased Adaptive Architec...

FORCES LOYAL to Col. Moammar Gadhafi are locked in a fierce battle with rebel forces for the control of Port Brega, an oil export terminal 800 kilometers east of Tripoli, underscoring his determination not to be toppled in the same way leaders of Egypt and Tunisia crumbled after their armies...

The United States must remain engaged in the broader Middle East, where recent events have altered the strategic landscape, a senior military commander told the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday.

There are more ways to travel than just for pleasure. Beyond the popular landmarks, museums, restaurants and beaches, there are cultures that differ greatly from our own. Author Rick Steves’ 2009 book, “Travel as a Political Act,” expounds on his own experiences exploring foreign cultures and the new knowledge and...

Whatever the outcome of the protests, uprisings, and rebellions now sweeping the Middle East, one thing is guaranteed: the world of oil will be permanently transformed. Consider everything that’s now happening as just the first tremor of an oilquake that will shake our world to its core.

The Middle East is currently experiencing a series of unprecedented revolutions and uprisings. It started with Tunisia, spread to Egypt, Yemen and Bahrain and is gripping Libya now. The events are compelling Saudi Arabian, Jordanian a Copyright 2011 Vail Daily. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast,...

The question is whether the U.S. President will satisfy their request.

The turmoil that resulted in the ouster of longtime autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt and has spread to Libya, Bahrain, Jordan, and elsewhere in the Arab world reflects a convergence of values between those countries and the United States, says Middle East expert Richard W. Murphy.

The surge in oil prices continues to drive retail gasoline prices higher in the U.S.

Gold and silver have recovered somewhat from slight falls in Asia overnight. With geopolitical instability looking set to climb and possibility of a military confrontation in the Mediterranean, any sell off of precious metals will likely be tentative.

Top Iranian military commander Hassan Firouzabadi says the recent Islamic uprisings in the Middle East and Northern Africa have posed a major threat to the US and Israel.

Two Iranian warships passed through the Suez Canal a second time on their way home after a stop in Syria.

An asylum seeker who won a last-minute reprieve as he was due to be deported to Afghanistan in November is detained again.

The Iranian Ambassador to Armenia offered to establish a joint enterprise for sheep breeding and meat production, as well as cooperate in bee-farming and floriculture.

There's perhaps never been a more precarious time for gasoline prices.

In the wake of a trillion-dollar war that gave Iran more say than the United States in Iraq's future, and the longest war in U.S. history in Afghanistan that seems headed for another trillion dollars and is yet to shrink the Taliban insurgency, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates...

The two Iranian warships that crossed the Suez Canal last week and docked at a Syrian port are on their way home, reports said Thursday. A security official at the Canal said that the ships had entered the Canal on their way back to Iran, and were due to reach...

Famed defense attorney Alan Dershowitz said Wednesday it's no coincidence that attacks on Jews have become the "rant du jour," as seen most recently with actor Charlie Sheen and Christian Dior designer John Galliano.

The often unrecognised work of visiting students is finally being given the kudos it deserves, writes Keeli Cambourne.

Demonstrations have spread across parts of the Middle East and Africa. Here is the latest from each country and the roots of the unrest.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad describes the latest developments in the Middle East and North Africa as the initiation of a "significant event" promised by divine prophets.

FOUR sisters have come from Iran to give Australia a glimpse of the ancient art of Persian puppetry.

The following commentary comes from an independent investor or market observer as part of TheStreet's guest contributor program, which is separate from the company's news coverage. NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The argument has been made that the super-spike we saw in oil prices into 2008 was a simple aberration. As...

Bahraini opposition groups said on Thursday they were now ready to enter into talks with the government without pre-conditions, but have sent a letter to the crown prince saying they want a new government and constitution.

>The RFS said on its website (www.rfs.ru) that the March 29 game in Doha would celebrate the two countries' winning bids to host the World Cup. In December, FIFA awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively.It will be Russia's second successive friendly...

> Below are details of some of the plants which have recently started up in the Gulf states and others which are planned in coming years. ABU DHABI Emirates Aluminium (EMAL) (Mubadala Development Company and Dubai Aluminium) is looking to double capacity at its new smelter to 1.4 million...

"An electronic war has been launched against Iran," an official was quoted as saying. Accurate or not, most reports and expert conjecture peg the responsibility for the creation of Stuxnet with the United States and Israel.

Oil prices backed off a 2-1/2 year high Thursday, but held firmly above $100 a barrel as escalating violence in Libya continues to fuel concerns about further supply disruptions.

Agencies, Paris, Mar 03 Libyan authorities loyal to Col. Moammar el-Gaddafi have captured three crew members of a Dutch naval helicopter who were rescuing European citizens, last Sunday, the Dutch Defense Ministry said on Thursday, the first report of foreigners being by held in Libya's bloody and unfolding uprising.

A deputy police commander says a suicide bomber targeting Iraqi soldiers collecting their paychecks has killed eight people in the western city of Haditha.