News Archive - 18 March 2011

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama headed for Brazil on Friday on a mission to reassert U.S. interests in Latin America's fast-growing economies even as he grapples with global crises raging from Libya to Japan. Obama's visit to the region's economic powerhouse will be the centerpiece of his effort...

>GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States was attacked for its human rights record on Friday as opponents including Cuba and Iran slammed its failure to close Guantanamo Bay and its decision to maintain military trials for terror suspects. The Obama administration, which two years ago joined the U.N. Human...

>RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi King Abdullah offered $93 billion in handouts on Friday and boosted his security and religious police forces, opting for a mixture of carrot and stick to stave off unrest rocking the Arab world. The rare televised address to the nation was devoid of any concessions on...

>NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped on Friday after two days of gains, as Libya declared a ceasefire, easing for the moment the threat of a Western air attack that could escalate the conflict and further damage oil facilities. Oil closed out a volatile week with yet another day...

U.S. President Barack Obama will travel to Brazil, Chile and El Salvador from March 19 to 23 in a bid to strengthen U.S. ties with Latin America.

''Nuclear power could make a significant contribution to the global electricity supply. Or it could be phased out - especially if there is another accidental or a terrorist-caused Chernobyl-scale release of radioactivity."

Yet again, our leaders think they’ve got a calling to save a country in the Middle East.

Protest leaders have been arrested and the very location of the demonstrations uprooted. Will such physical acts cow the opposition?

Master of Ceremonies Sean Balingit, who is the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce vice-president and Beaumont Planning Commission chairman, looks on as members of Tahquitz High School’s JROTC presents the colors at the opening ceremony of San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital’s 60th anniversary celebration.

Calendar

FRAZIER MOORE AP Television Writer NEW YORK This is white-knuckle television. For several weeks (though it seems like forever) a crush of news has left us slack-jawed in astonishment, horrified, heartsick and alarmed at what might come next. There are uprisings across the Mideast, with bloody consequences. There's the wrath...

''Nuclear power could make a significant contribution to the global electricity supply. Or it could be phased out - especially if there is another accidental or a terrorist-caused Chernobyl-scale release of radioactivity."

Confounding days for the nuclear industry's true believers.

The GLAAD Media Awards, honoring Grammy Award winner Ricky Martin, are presented March 19 in Manhattan. Andy Cohen hosts the event at the Marriot Marquis.

BAGHDAD -- The American invasion of Iraq was supposed to take only a few months: a quick blitz to depose dictator Saddam Hussein, find and dismantle weapons of mass destruction and go home.

Isaiah Thomas scored 19 points and No. 7 seed Washington held off a late rally to beat 10th-seeded Georgia 68-65 on Friday night in the second round of the East regional.

Iran's Health Minister Marzieh Vahid-Dastjerdi says Tehran and Ankara are determined to raise the level of cooperation in medical and health spheres.

BILLINGS, Mont. — Facing mounting pressure from Congress over gray wolves, wildlife advocates reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Interior on Friday to lift the species' federal protections in Montana and Idaho and allow hunting to resume.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- The awards ceremony for the Gulf Cooperation Council Women's Games was hardly on the grandest of stages.

Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) Director Abolhassan Faqih says the first group of Iranian relief workers will be dispatched to Japan in the near future.

Night curfew imposed, protesters cleared from Bahrain site

"I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, this is an internal dispute in Libya, and what business is it of ours? On the other hand, Gadaffi, daffy or what ever his name is HAS attacked the United States in the past."

Tehran, Mar 18 (AFP) Thousands of Iranians marched today in Tehran in support of the revolts rocking Bahrain, Libya and Yemen, state television reported.

Pyongyang, March 18 (KCNA) -- The international community said with appreciation that the Korean people demonstrate their dignity as great and powerful people and the DPRK as a socialist land of Songun thanks to the treasured sword of single-minded unity.

Tehran, March 17 (KCNA) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke strongly against the warmongering nations of the world, calling them devoid of care for humanity on March 12.

Kuala Lumpur, Mar 18 (PTI) Malaysian authorities have seized two containers possibly containing equipments used to make nuclear weapons from a ship bound for Iran.

Tehran, March 16 (KCNA) -- Iran has denied reports made by Western countries that the country has been offering arms to extremist groups in Afghanistan, a spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry told a press TV on Tuesday.

In the great Middle East who dunit, the verdict is in: The Jews are innocent. They aren't responsible for the violence, extremism, backwardness, discontent or predatory government of their Arab neighbors. The last few months should have finally shattered the persistent illusion that the Israeli-Palestinian question determines all in...

Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid ibn Ahmad Al Khalifa has accused Iran of interfering in Bahrain's internal affairs through its statements in favor of anti-government protesters.

Before Saudi Arabian troops swarmed into Bahrain on March 14-15, the Pearl Roundabout in the capital city of Manama offered a sight familiar to most Indians—thousands of people, sitting under flags, placards and banners, demanding political reforms.

Bouquets fill City Hall as members of the Iranian American community join council members in calling for rebirth, rejuvenation and renewal at the annual Nowruz celebration. The council also celebrates Latina History Day and St. Patrick's Day. Spring came a bit early for the Los Angeles City Council. Bouquets of...

The House majority leader visited an Albemarle County company on Friday.

Moammar Kadafi has ruled this country for four decades using tools also at the disposal of other Arab leaders. He shrouded his dirty deeds in nationalist ideology. He tactically doled out the country's oil money. He kept tabs on his enemies here and abroad. But in the end, it was...

What figure on the world scene would you expect a biographer to describe as "pious, brave, generous, intelligent, charismatic, patient, visionary, stubborn, egalitarian, and, most...

Is the new boss the same as the old boss? As protest rolls through the public squares of the Middle East one of more unusual...

KANGAR: Men from developing countries are marrying Malaysian women in southern Thailand every year. It is believed that some of the marriages are just for getting Malaysian permanent residence (PR).

Listen to the Audio RAY SUAREZ: Finally tonight: a rare look inside Syria, an Arab country where the street protests are just beginning. We have a report from special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro, one of the few American journalists admitted into Syria recently. FRED DE SAM LAZARO: The people...

More volatility is expected for US markets after a roller-coaster week driven by a series of global crisies.

DESPITE the Middle East, Japan and the ongoing risk of a shutdown of the US federal government all competing for his attention, US president Barack Obama will today push ahead with a scheduled visit to Latin America.

Protests spread to Syria - Yesterday, 19:27 - PA Protests have erupted in three part of Syria in the gravest unrest in years in one of the Mideast's most repressive states, reports say. The...

Australia's reviled immigration-detention system appeared on the brink of breakdown yesterday, with police braced for a fifth night of riots at one centre, unrest spreading to others and an asylum-seeker found hanged in his room – the fourth such suicide in a year.

SAUDI KING Abdullah yesterday vowed to strike anyone harming the kingdom’s stability and decreed a multibillion dollar package of investments with the aim of stemming dissent inspired by uprisings that have toppled the rulers of Tunisia and Egypt.

THE team of Class ’73 kept the driver’s seat, as Class ’82 is on the No.2 spot of the ongoing Negros Occidental High School (NOHS) Inter-Class Alumni Bowling Tournament at the Super Lanes of the Goldenfield Commercial Complex in Bacolod City. With two more games left in the tournament,...

No longer wanting to be out front on the geopolitical stage, the White House is courting unaccustomed risks

Iran crude exports to Italy hike in 2010

An INFLUENTIAL MEP on Middle East affairs has compared Iran to the Nazis and claimed Pakistan's only Christian minister was assassinated because the country's "bia

Bahrain's army yesteday demolished the 300ft monument that had become a symbol of the Shiite uprising against the Saudi-backed Sunni monarchy.

On Thursday, the U.N. Security Council authorized its members to take "all necessary measures"--including a no-fly zone and possibly a no-drive zone-- to prevent Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi from attacking civilians by air, land, and sea. On Friday, President Obama announced that the U.S. would not deploy ground...

A French weekly, Le Nouvel Observateur, carried out an investigation into the construction by the Russian KGB of a major Russian Spy Center in Western Europe, which is officially called "Orthodox Cultural Center of Moscow Patriarchate", in Paris.

Government demolishes statute in the centre of Manama where anti-government movement has gathered.

Malaysian police yesterday said they found equipment they suspect could be used to make nuclear weapons smuggled on board a ship heading for Iran.

JILL LAWLESS Associated Press CAMBRIDGE, England Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan were political soul mates, right-wing Cold Warriors who helped define the 1980s. But politics makes strange bedfellows. Newly released papers from the former British prime minister's personal archive reveal a surprising rapport between the "Iron Lady" and Reagan's political...

The American President once thought he could forge a close partnership with Brazil -- but the South American giant has very independent ideas of what it wants

Former US Ambassador to India David Mulford on Friday said that the US did not arm-twist India over Iran in 2005, on the eve of the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's meeting with then US president George W Bush and US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice in New York.

Revolutionaries often struggle to reconcile their accomplishments against those of competing 'others'.

Bahrain is committed to talks with the opposition but security is a priority and more Gulf troops will arrive in the kingdom to help restore order after weeks of unrest, the foreign minister said yesterday.

*Ciara will be the first guest to appear on “The Cut,” a new multi-platform show debuting Monday, March 21 on Music Choice On Demand as well as SWRV, its 24/7 interactive video network. Hosted by former Z100 air personality NIKO, each episode will focus on a specific theme and include...

LONDON, March 18 (UPI) -- Iran appears to have developed a system for identifying computer users on a network designed to block surveillance, a member of the Tor Project says.

SANAA/RIYADH — Arab rulers yesterday used bombardment, bullets and bribes to try to stave off popular protests sweeping the Middle East and North Africa.

While the world waits with bated breath to see if Japan can avert a nuclear disaster, we can all at least breathe a sigh of relief knowing that another impending crisis was recently averted. I'm referring, of course, to Iran's decision not to boycott the 2012 Olympic Games in...

Korea Railroad Corporation (KoRail) will help set up the first private sector freight train service in Pakistan, according to an agreement signed between the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and KoRail yesterday.

At what point should the U.S. and its allies step in when a government is cracking down? Two experienced foreign policy hands have slightly different views.

If it's Friday, it's time for Weekend Reading , a regular feature for Business Insider readers who find themselves looking for a wider view of what is happening in the news.

(AP:NEW YORK) Oil prices settled slightly lower Friday after a volatile day marked by a U.N. resolution to use force to stop Moammar Gadhafi's violent attacks on rebels followed by a Libyan announcement of a cease-fire in hostilities.

EL PASO, Texas -- The 77th annual Hyundai Sun Bowl between the University of Miami and the University of Notre Dame generated $24.6 million in total economic activity during the last week of 2010, according to a survey conducted by Texas Perspectives, Inc., that was released March 18.

*Solange Knowles is planning to take her son on a summer vacation to Kenya to see how funds raised from her new charity single are used to provide locals with access to clean water. The singer has teamed up with rocker Chris Taylor and musician Twin Shadow for the Donate...

Bahrain on Friday tore down the 300-foot (90-meter) monument at the heart of a square purged of Shiite protesters this week, erasing a symbol of an uprising that's inflaming sectarian tensions across the region.

Bahraini and Saudi security and armed forces have beaten, shot and detained demonstrators for holding peaceful rallies and demanding change.

After Libya, we go to China, Bahrain, Congo, Iran, Yemen, Ivory Coast and all the other places where the UN can see human rights abuses...

As Americans turn to their news media to make sense of the upheavals in the Middle East, it’s worth remembering that the bias of the mainstream U.S. press corps is most powerful when covering a Washington-designated villain, especially if he happens to be Muslim.

Bahrain is committed to talks with the opposition but security is a priority and more Gulf troops will arrive in the Sunni-ruled kingdom to help restore order after weeks of unrest, the foreign minister said on Friday.

(RTTNews) - Dozens have been injured in Syria on Friday after security forces broke up several anti-government demonstrations being held in several Syrian towns and cities forcefully, according to news reports citing witnesses and officials.

On the heels of a surprising UN vote authorizing a no-fly zone in Libya (as well as “all necessary measures” to protect civilians), President Obama delivered remarks in the White House's East Room Friday afternoon. The President denounced Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi 's brutal repression of his own citizens, and...

New Delhi: Ambassador David C. Mulford — the man who sent many of the secret U.S. embassy cables accessed by The Hindu through WikiLeaks — put to rest any doubts on the veracity of their contents on Friday, stating that “certainly the reports from the U.S. embassy [in...

CEBU CITY, PhilippinesArmy soldiers raided a suspected communist rebel camp in a mountain village in the municipality of Albuera, Leyte, Friday morning, a...

Thousands of Bahraini Shiites defied martial law to renew their pro-democracy protests on Friday, as they gathered after prayers to bury a victim of the security forces' bloody crackdown.

SANAA/RIYADH (Reuters) - Arab rulers used bombardment, bullets and bribes on Friday to try to stave off popular protests sweeping the Middle East and North Africa.

The appointment of Bill Daley, who led the Clinton administration's successful campaign to ratify NAFTA, puts an unabashed advocate of free trade with Latin America in the position of White House chief of staff. Unfortunately, it is not clear that the Obama administration also has one in the Oval...

The democratic uprising in Egypt has brought into relief a gradual and little-noticed transformation in American politics. Over the past decade, ideological divisions on the role of democracy and human rights in American foreign policy have been scrambled.

The Associated Press The Associated Press WASHINGTON Don't count out Col. Moammar Gadhafi. For over four decades, the wily Libyan strongman has locked horns with Western leaders, including eight U.S. presidents, and so far he's mostly managed to emerge unscathed. There's a reason why he's held onto power for...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will visit Egypt and Algeria on March, 20-22. Both Algeria and Egypt have a long history of cooperation with Russia that goes back to the times of the Algerian National Liberation Front, the nationalization of the Suez Canal and the strong support provided by the...

When President Ian Khama ascended to the highest office in the land at the beginning of April 2008, speculation was rife and is still today that Botswana, Africa's shining example of democracy and the rule of law, was heading for a military dictatorship, write Mmegi Correspondents GASEBALWE SERETSE and BOTSALO...

By The Associated Press Latest developments in the unrest sweeping the Arab world from North Africa to the Persian Gulf:

Bahrainis gathered for the funeral of an anti-government protester today, while security forces tightened their grip following the arrest of opposition leaders and demolished the monument that came to symbolize the uprising.

WASHINGTON - Don't count out Col. Moammar Gadhafi. For over four decades, the wily Libyan strongman has locked horns with Western leaders, including eight U.S. presidents, and so far he's mostly managed to emerge unscathed.

1600 GMT: Here an update on the overall situation from AFP's Tripoli bureau chief Imed Lamloum:

The United States says it will do more to respect human rights, as the U.N. adopted its first-ever report on how Washington can improve.

The battle for Bahrain is no longer just on its shores.

BATHURST cyclist Dean Windsor had barely hit the ground in Taipei this week when he was whizzed off to a media conference in an attempt to create some positive publicity about the Tour de Taiwan.

In addition to sending a letter to Iran's supreme leader seeking the release of two UC Berkeley graduates, Muhammad Ali's wife says the boxing champ is willing to go there to help make it happen.

As Japan desperately fought this week to bring its damaged reactors at Fukushima under control, a new meltdown faced the world's nuclear industry and the energy plans of many nations.Regardless of the outcome in Japan, the nuclear...

The American invasion of Iraq was supposed to take only a few months: a quick blitz to depose dictator Saddam Hussein, find and dismantle weapons of mass destruction and go home.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The battle for Bahrain is no longer just on its shores.

The administration’s current plan to deal with the growing threat from ballistic missiles is to develop missile defenses in four phases between now and 2020; each phase will have greater capability...

Two Mondays ago, at United Nations headquarters in Geneva, some guests had a quiet lunch together. Apparently encouraged by our ambassador there, Maria Nazareth Farani Azevedo, the luncheon sent a signal to the world. But as these signals go in diplomatic circles, it was a calculated risk to assuage...

1520 GMT: Loud but sporadic and distant explosions have just been heard Friday from the centre of Tripoli by journalists and other witnesses in the Libyan capital.

MANAMA, Bahrain - Shiite anger rose sharply around the Mideast on Friday as large crowds in Iran and Iraq cursed Bahrain's Sunni monarchy and its Saudi backers over a violent crackdown on protesters demanding more rights.

Japanese officials have acknowledged that the Fukushima nuclear crisis is more severe than initially believed, with Prime Minister Naoto Kan telling reporters Friday that the situation is "very grave" at the power plant where several reactors remain at risk of melting down.

NEW YORK - Oil prices plunged Friday after Libya's foreign minister declared a cease-fire and said the government would stop military operations against rebels.

The defense ministry of Libya promised to retaliate in case Western forces attack the country. On March 18, the UN Security Council approved the use of military force against Muammar Gaddafi.