News Archive - 19 February 2012

>TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran ordered a halt to its oil sales to Britain and France on Sunday in a move seen as retaliation against tightening EU sanctions, as a team of U.N. inspectors flew to Tehran to press the Islamic Republic over its disputed nuclear program. The European Union...

>"Exporting crude to British and French companies has been stopped ... we will sell our oil to new customers," spokesman Alireza Nikzad was quoted as saying by the ministry of petroleum website.The move appeared to be in retaliation for a decision by the European Union in January to stop importing...

Israeli forces have closed the al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied al-Quds ('Jerusalem') after Zionist settlers initiated clashes with Palestinian worshippers at the site. The clashes erupted on Sunday morning after dozens of settlers entered the holy site and scuffled with the worshippers. Israeli forces intervened and clashed with the Palestinians...

>The bank also raised its 2013 forecast for Brent to $125 a barrel, up from $121."Ongoing decline in mature areas, supply risks in key producing countries together with the underperformance of some new frontier areas leave us to feel that it will be a greater risk in 2013/2014 than...

Democratically-elected Palestinian Premier Ismail Haniyeh is preparing to depart for his third regional tour in the coming days, a spokesman for the government said inGaza Saturday. Haniyeh's latest tour succeeded in breaking through a political siege imposed on the Gaza government since Hamas won elections in 2006, Taher al-Nunu said.

IRI Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi reiterated Tehran’s determination to keep its legitimate nuclear program, adding the nation even was prepared for worst-case scenarios. “Since we believe that we are right, we do not have the slightest doubt in the pursuit of our nuclear program. We plan to move ahead...

Iran's National Wrestling Team on Sunday crowned the champion of 2012 Asian Fre Style Wrestling Championships in Gumi, South Korea. The team could bag five gold, one silver and one bronze medals and scored 67 points in the two-day Asian championships. On the last day of the tournament Sunday, Mahdi...

Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Samuel Santos Lopez on Sunday underlined the need for immediate destruction of all nuclear weapons throughout the world. He made the remarks in a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi. Answering a question about Israel's nuclear weapons, Santos said Nicaragua's stance in this...

The Syrian government has the legal right to target the US military and intelligence drones operating over Syria, a political analyst told Press TV. “Syria has the right to use military capability to disturb this mission and even to attack those aircraft,” said Hisham Jaber, the director of Center for...

IRGC ground forces launched major wargames “Valfajr” (the dawn) in Yazd province central Iran on Sunday. The military drill aims to demonstrate the combat readiness of Iranian forces in a probable confrontation with enemies and to bolster their defense capabilities.

IRI athletes Reza Qasemi and Hassan Heydarpour on Sunday won gold and bronze medals, respectively, at the 2012 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in China. The two gained their medals at the men’s final 60m during which the gold medalist set the record of 6.68 seconds and Heydarpour clocked the...

A high-ranking delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has arrived in the Iranian capital Tehran for talks on further cooperation. The delegation, headed by IAEA Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts, arrived in Tehran in the early hours of Monday. "We hope to have a couple of good and...

>* Euro climbs on hopes Greece will get bailout funds* LME copper ends six-day losing streak, gold reboundsBy Manolo Serapio JrSINGAPORE, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Oil jumped to multi-month highs and copper rebounded on Monday, as investors flocked to riskier assets after China's first bank reserve requirement cut for this...

The China stock market has finished higher in two of three trading days since the end of the two-day slide in which it had fallen just 8 points or 0.3 percent. The Shanghai Composite Index finished just above the 2,355-point plateau, and now analysts are forecasting additional support at...

>SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Brent crude futures rose on Monday to above $121 a barrel, the highest in eight months, as Iran cut supply to Britain and France, while a policy easing by China and hopes for a Greek bailout also supported prices. OPEC's second largest producer Iran ordered a halt...

>* Yen falls to 6-1/2-month low vs dollar, Aussie jumpsBy Chikako MogiTOKYO, Feb 20(Reuters) - Markets jumped on Monday as policy easing by China and prospects for Greece to clinch a second bailout fund buoyed investor appetite for riskier assets, sending U.S. crude up nearly $2 a barrel and...

>TEHRAN (Reuters) - A team of U.N. inspectors arrived in Tehran early on Monday for talks on Iran's disputed nuclear program, a day after the Islamic Republic ordered a halt to its oil sales to Britain and France in apparent retaliation for tightening EU sanctions. The European Union enraged...

>TEHRAN (Reuters) - Marjan Hamidi turned away from the butcher's shop in a crowded area of Tehran's sprawling bazaar. Her quest to buy reasonably priced groceries was not going well. "Everything's become so expensive in the past few weeks, she said with disappointment. "But my husband's income stays the same.

>VIENNA (Reuters) - U.N. nuclear inspectors headed to Iran on Sunday for talks aimed at getting Tehran to start addressing their mounting concerns that it may be seeking to develop atomic bombs. "We hope to have a couple of good and constructive days in Tehran," Herman Nackaerts, deputy director...

>SANAA (Reuters) - After a year of protests, diplomatic wrangling and an assassination attempt, Yemenis will draw a line under Ali Abdullah Saleh's three-decade rule on Tuesday by voting in an uncontested election to install his deputy as president. In the capital Sanaa, new posters of the sole candidate, Vice...

>* Jan thermal coal imports rise 7.9 pct from yr ago* Govt asks utilities to mull ways to save peak-hour demand (Recasts, adds details on power demand)TOKYO, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Japan's imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) soared to a record high in January mainly to fuel electricity...

>Iraq, which has the fourth-biggest oil reserves in the world, is currently producing around 2.9 million barrels per day (bpd). Iraq's oil minister said last year he expected production to reach between 8-8.5 million bpd by 2017.With prices elevated due to fears of supply disruptions in Iran,...

>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Cold-blooded sniper killings, indiscriminate shelling, surgery by flashlight, death, fear and hunger in a darkened city under the ruthless hammer of a superior force. In its random cruelty, the conflict in Syria starts to resemble the war in Bosnia 20 years ago, when Serb, Muslim and Croat...

The United States is not interested in providing weapons to opposition forces in Syria until it has a better picture of what those forces are, the top U.S. military officer said in an interview aired Sunday.

The United States is not interested in providing weapons to opposition forces in Syria until it has a better picture of what those forces are, the top U.S. military officer said.

Expect the price of gasoline to climb by more than a peso, and diesel by at most forty centavos this week amid tensions between Iran and Europe.

BEIRUT – Iran said Sunday that it was cutting off oil exports to France and Britain in a pre-emptive strike against European economic sanctions, while top U.S. and British officials warned against a military attack on Iran’s disputed nuclear program. Iran’s retaliatory oil ban was the latest instance of...

>KABUL Feb 20 (Reuters) - The sounds produced by the three Afghan athletes going to the London summer Olympics are fierce: elongated wails ricochet off the chipped and dilapidated walls of the taekwondo centre, while leather smacks and slaps at the boxing gym. In a country wrenched by decades of...

>Tehran is offering to sell an extra 500,000 barrels per day of oil, which is nearly 23 percent of what it exported last year, to Chinese and Indian refiners, the report said citing two industry executives familiar with the talks.The crude is for delivery from the start of April,...

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution has met with the family of an Iranian martyr, who was recently killed in a terrorist attack along with Iranian nuclear scientist, Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan. Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei met with the family of Reza Qashqaei in Tehran on Sunday afternoon. Qashqaei was accompanying Ahmadi-Roshan...

The United States faces a cold reality: Even stepped-up U.S. and Western sanctions in recent weeks h

Sean Stone, son of controversial director Oliver Stone, converted to Islam in Iran last week and says he’s already experiencing a Hollywood backlash. The...

Commander of the immigration office discloses that the fourth Iranian bomb suspect has been handed over to officers at the Metropolitan Police Headquarters, while the fifth bomb suspect is being closely monitored, and will be immediately arrested should she enter Thailand.

BANGKOK — Asian stock markets climbed Monday after China moved to boost its economy by freeing up bank lending and hopes grew that Greece will clinch the aid its needs to avoid bankruptcy.

VIENNA—A senior U.N. nuclear official said Sunday he hoped for progress in upcoming talks with Iran about suspected secret work on atomic arms, but his careful choice of words suggested little expectation that the meeting will be successful.

Not if we have an ounce of sense. And so far we do. U.S. policy is to keep Israel from launching aga

Egypt announces it is recalling its ambassador

The relationship between North Korea and Iran appears to be becoming closer and more cooperative as international criticism over their controversial nuclear programmes increases and economic sanctions .....

Every year around this time, the European Union stages a session of talks with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Will the exercise now suddenly produce results? The ritual started in 1982, when then-Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher of West Germany coined the phrase “critical dialogue.” Initially, the talks aimed at...

The tragic story of Whitney Houston doesn’t end with the strains of her recorded voice singing “I Will Always Love You,” at the close of her funeral in Newark on Saturday. The celeb glossies will see to that. People offers up an issue chock full of retrospectives of Houston...

Matt Groening had a 'vague idea of invading pop culture.' His invasion, 'The Simpsons,' became an occupation. After 500 shows, there are still stories to tell. The Simpsons of Springfield, U.S.A., will mark their 500th episode as a TV family Sunday. "The Simpsons," in its 23rd...

Asian shares climb sharply, after oil prices surge, the yen weakens, China lowers bank reserve requirements, and Europe looks set to approve aid for Greece.

JERUSALEM - Chinese Middle East envoy Wu Sike said Sunday that China is willing to play a constructive role in bringing Israel and the Palestinians back to peace negotiations.

The morning after French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced he will run for a second term, several parodic Twitter accounts have mysteriously been suspended. @_nicolassarkozy , an account created in septembre 2010 and clearly labeled as a parodic Sarkozy impersonation, was suspended on feburary 16th. Sponsor The End of @ Political...

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>FUNDAMENTALS* Spot gold gained 0.6 percent to $1,733.29 an ounce by 0018 GMT, reversing losses from the previous session.* U.S. gold rose half a percent to $1,735.20.* Gold, along with riskier assets, was encouraged by easing from China's central bank, which cut the required...

>VINCIThe French construction group said on Monday it had been awarded a 400 million euros LNG storage tank deal in Australia.STMICROELECTRONICS Europe's biggest chip maker, STMicroelectronics, said on Monday it has appointed Mario Arlati as chief financial officer to replace Carlo Ferro, who will focus on the turnaround of...

Iran's nuclear program is making headlines again. This time the Islamic Republic says its made more advances in uranium enrichment and the claims have many asking if Iran is planning to create a nuclear weapon.

Israel, under threat of war from its neighbors since being founded in 1948, produced better risk- adjusted returns than all other developed stock markets in the past decade as the technology-driven economy attracted global investors.

THE Federal Territories karate squad is on the right track for honours in the Malaysia Games in Kuantan, Pahang from July 7 to 15.

Despite improving economic data and the soap opera that the GOP primary has become, the White House has a new worry — rising oil prices.

After a year of protests, diplomatic wrangling and an assassination attempt, Yemenis will draw a line under Ali Abdullah Saleh’s three-decade rule Tuesday.

The Israeli military will on Monday deploy a battery of rocket interceptors from its "Iron Dome" system in the Tel Aviv region, a military spokesman said on Sunday.

The Little Salmon Carmacks First nation in Yukon has voted to keep embattled chief Eddie Skookum.

Iran is to host a high-level team from the UN nuclear watchdog on Monday as part of efforts to defuse dire international tensions over its atomic activities through dialogue.

A top US security official met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday amid rising concerns over Iran and ahead of a trip by the Israeli premier to Washington.

>* Dempsey thinks Iranian government "rational actor"* Won't say that Israelis have been persuaded against attackWASHINGTON, Feb 19 (Reuters) - The top U.S. military officer said on Sunday that a military strike against Iran would be premature, because it is unclear that Tehran will actually use its nuclear capabilities...

Jerusalem — The U.S. and Britain on Sunday urged Israel not to attack Iran's nuclear program as the White House's national security adviser arrived in the region, reflecting growing international jitters that the Israelis are poised to strike.

Madrid (dpa) - Hundreds of thousands of Spaniards on Sunday demonstrated against a labour market reform lowering severance pay, taking to the streets in 57 cities.The rallies had been called by the country‘s two main trade union confederations, CCOO and UGT. Demonstrators included members of the main opposition Socialist...

''MY DIGNITY is more precious than food,'' said a Palestinian prisoner, Khader Adnan, as he started the 53rd day of his hunger strike. That was 11 days ago; he is now perilously close to death.

TEHRAN, Feb. 19 (MNA) -- The Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST) has decided to establish a faculty of nuclear physics, IUST Chancellor Jebel Ameli announced on Sunday.

Country will ultimately decide on its own whether to strike Iranian nuclear facilities.

Can the market sustain its rally, or will prospects of a Greek default shatter investors' risk appetite? The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at its highest level since 2008 Friday. For the year, the Dow is up almost 6%, and the S&P 500 is up more than 8%. The Nasdaq...

President Barack Obama's national security adviser huddled with Israeli leaders on Sunday to discuss Iran's nuclear program following growing speculation that Israel is planning military action against Tehran.

BEIRUT: Hundreds of anti-government protesters braved gunfire from Syrian soldiers and a snowstorm to march through a middle-class neighbourhood in Damascus, in the biggest such demonstration seen close to the heart of the capital since the uprising started 11 months ago.

Iran's leadership cannot be looking forward to the northern spring.

Contact: Professor Raymond Tanter of the Iran Policy Committee, +1-202-333-7346, rtanter@iranpolicy.org

Diplomats say Iran has put finishing touches on the installation of thousands of centrifuges.

LONDON - British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Sunday that Israel would not be “wise” to attack Iran over its disputed nuclear programme, saying it should give the diplomatic route a chance to succeed.

Nearly a year later, the revolution's character has changed. The opposition's main strategy for overthrowing Bashar al-Assad's regime has become one of outmuscling it.

African Union Chairman Thomas Boni Yayi will visit some of the continent's conflict areas -- including Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, and Libya -- for direct talks, an aide said on Saturday.

Israel will ultimately decree on an Iranian strike on its own, its military chief of staff said in an interview broadcast Saturday, as a senior US official arrived for talks on the Islamic Republic.

Swift, the global bank-transfer messaging service, said it is prepared to impose sanctions against Iranian financial institutions once the European Union presents implementing rules on its restrictions.

NEW HAVEN — Matt Brown, who co-founded the anti-nuclear weapons group Global Zero, told students at the Global Zero Summit Saturday they need to remember the story of the emperor who had no clothes as they spread their message.

Iran state media says two vessels have crossed Suez Canal and arrived in Syria, provoking angry response from Israel.

FOREIGN Secretary William Hague warned yesterday Iran’s drive to get nuclear weapons will plunge the world into “a new Cold War”.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Qatar has hired Brazil's Paulo Autuori to coach its national football team in a bid to qualify for its first-ever World Cup in 2014.