News Archive - 1 July 2012

Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards are planning war games this week, including drills with surface-to-surface missiles aimed at models of foreign bases, the official IRNA news agency reported Sunday.

Iran's oil has its own markets and the country is fully ready to confront the West's sanctions on the oil industry, IRI Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi said on Saturday evening. Mr. Qasemi said the Iranian government has studied all possible options in confronting the anti-oil sanctions. "The Islamic Republic of...

IRI Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, said that the US and the European Union have threatened the energy security and balance of the world energy markets by imposing the new sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s economy. Mehmanparast made the remarks on Sunday in reaction to the new round...

People who put on weight are more likely to develop knee pain than those who stay the same or lose weight, says a new study. People who shed pounds saw only a modest improvement in knee pain, however, researchers from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, found. "Preventing weight gain, almost...

Members of the IRI parliament congratulated Mohamed Morsi upon his election as the new Egyptian president in a statement Sunday. Signed by 200 lawmakers, the statement hoped that the new Egyptian president could attain the goals pursued by revolutionary and freedom-seeking forces by relying on the Muslim nation's potential. The...

IRI Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Sayyed Shamseddin Hosseini denounced the announcement of a date for imposing a new round of sanctions on Tehran as a psychological warfare. Hosseini said on Saturday that sanctions against Iran have actually started a long time ago and the West is conducting a...

The Israeli spy agency, Mossad, is moving heaven and earth to find a way to penetrate into the office of Egypt's new President Mohammed Mursi to plant spying devices there. According to a report by Egyptian daily Youm 7 (al-Youm al-Sabe), Mossad is trying to establish secure contact channels with...

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said the IRI seeks to further develop its air defense as a priority. "Air defense is among the main priorities of vital importance to the Islamic Republic," Jafari said on Sunday. "Given the enemies' threats at this...

Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) will start a 3-day missile firing drill on Monday. Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Division Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said the wargames codenamed Noblest Messenger 7 will be staged in Sistan-Baluchestan province. All types of missiles including long-, medium- and short range will be...

Secretary of IRI Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Saeed Jalili warned the G5+1 group against adopting any unconstructive moves during talks with the Islamic Republic. In a letter addressed to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Thursday, Mr. Jalili said the Islamic Republic of Iran is always ready to...

Islamic Republic has extracted more data from a super-modern, fully-encrypted US stealth drone that was downed with minimum damage by the Iranian army last year. Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said Sunday the IRI experts were steadily deciphering the existing data on the RQ170 drone that was downed after...

Thousands demonstrated across 'Israel' on Saturday, continuing their resurrection of the social protest movement that rocked 'Israel' last summer. Protesters in Tel Aviv, 'Jerusalem' (occupied al-Quds) and the northern city of Haifa chanted slogans including "The only solution to privatisation is revolution" and "Power from money is the underworld". There...

Two Iranian tourism sites, "Qaboos Dome" and "Isfahan Jama' Mosque" have been registered in UNESCO World Heritage List, according to Deputy head of IRI Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (CHHTO). Masoud Alavian Sadr told IRNA on Saturday that following consideration of two dossiers of Isfahan Jama’ Mosque and Qaboos...

>* Offshore workers' strike in Norway supports prices* European Union sanctions on Iran's crude begins (Adds details, updates prices)By Jessica JaganathanSINGAPORE, July 2 (Reuters) - Brent crude fell towards $96 a barrel on Monday, dragged down by weak factory data from top energy consumer China and as doubts remained over...

>NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Every day some 3,000 Indian children die from illnesses related to malnutrition, and yet countless heaps of rodent-infested wheat and rice are rotting in fields across the north of their own country. It is an extraordinary paradox created by a rigid regime of subsidies for grain...

>DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran announced missile tests on Sunday and threatened to wipe Israel "off the face of the earth" if the Jewish state attacked it, brandishing some of its starkest threats on the day Europe began enforcing an oil embargo and harsh new sanctions. The European sanctions - including...

>"The United States welcomes the European Union's prohibition of all Iranian crude oil imports and other sanctions on Iran's oil industry, which go into full effect today," White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement."This collective decision of the 27 countries of the European Union represents a substantial...

>* Central Bank says has $150 billion foreign reserves* Hague says sanctions toughest measures against Iran (Additional central bank governor quote)By Marcus GeorgeDUBAI, July 1 (Reuters) - Iran pledged to counter the impact of a European Union oil embargo which took full effect on Sunday, saying it had built up...

>GENEVA (Reuters) - World powers struck an agreement that a transitional government should be set up in Syria to end the conflict there but they remained at odds over what part President Bashar al-Assad might play in the process. Peace envoy Kofi Annan said after the talks in Geneva on...

WASHINGTON | Collaboration, as much as military might, should play a key role in national security, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said here on Thursday evening. ...

Worries about world food prices are increasing, stoked by a 10 per cent rise in US corn and wheat prices in just a week. The jump was driven by the current spell of hot, dry weather in the US Midwest, ...

Iran's state TV is reporting that a 5.4 magnitude earthquake has hit an area in the country's east.

Report: Moderate earthquake hits town in eastern Iran

As new European Union sanctions targeting Iran's vital oil industry took effect Sunday, Tehran acknowledged that the measures aimed at reining in its disputed nuclear program were taking a toll. The vice president said authorities had stockpiled imported goods and hard currency to help cushion the blow to the economy.

UNITED NATIONS, July 2 (Bernama) -- India's 1600-km long Western Ghats mountain chain, which has forests older than the Himalaya mountains, has been added to list of world heritage sites by the United Nations, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.

>* Gas output fell to 1.54 bcm in June from 1.67 bcm in May (Adds detail)MOSCOW, July 2 (Reuters) - Russian oil output, the world's largest, edged down 0.2 percent to 10.32 million barrels per day (bpd) in June from 10.34 million bpd in May,...

But Iranian officials are backing away from their earlier threat to block the vital Strait of Hormuz.

Priyanka, a student of Mustabada Chess Educational Academy, hauled seven points out of nine to emerge winner.

TEHRAN, July 2 (Bernama -- Motorcycles are responsible for around 22 percent of Tehran's air pollution, said the director of Tehran's cars technical centre, an environmental regulator.

The criminal justice system isn't doing enough to support those who struggle to communicate fluently or follow the court process The basic tenet of a fair trial is that the defendant must understand what he or she is charged with, what the process entails and how they can best defend...

Supervising News Editor Saeed Ahmed -- 404-827-1401 UPCOMING US-Space-Environment (12:30 a.m.) Imagine waking up to a world where your cell phone doesn't work, you can't fill your car's tank using a credit card, and you cannot monitor the day's news or watch your favorite program on television. Sound...

Tehran giants Persepolis are close to reaching an agreement with former Benfica and Sporting Lisbon coach Manuel Jose according to Iranian reports.

International human rights groups are rallying in hopes of heading off punishment of a woman facing prison for her role in a women's rights protest in Iran. Delaram Ali, 24, was ordered to be flogged Saturday and start a 2 1/2-year prison term after joining a 2006 protest calling for...

Former Bolton Wanderers defender Jlloyd Samuel has re-signed with Iran Pro League giants Esteghlal until the end of the new season.

JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) - A federal judge on Sunday temporarily blocked enforcement of a Mississippi law that could shut down the only abortion clinic in the state. Related Stories United States hails EU embargo on Iran oil Richard Branson sets Channel kite-surfing record United States condemns 'heinous' Kenya church attacks...

Oil prices will likely reverse last Friday's fourth-largest daily gain on record traders say the surge is unlikely to signal a major shift in the negative trend, according to CNBC's weekly survey of oil ...

SINGAPORE, July 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading energy and commodity price reporting agency Argus today announced the launch of a new price assessment for Asia-bound cargoes of Iraqi Basrah Light crude, the fastest-growing crude stream in the Mideast Gulf this year. The new...

Nation stung by the pinch of new EU sanctions

SYDNEY, Australia - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono arrives in Australia Monday, July 2, amid a political storm over people-smuggling, with the "evil trade" looming large in talks with Prime Minister Julia Gillard. The Indonesian head of state will touch down in the northern city of Darwin for an annual...

Forget executive privilege, contempt of Congress, "fast and furious," how many documents the government has produced and who said what to whom on which date.

MANILA -- Thirty-two new countries have passed the mandatory certification process of the amended Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipino Act or Republic Act (RA) 10022. "The POEA Governing Board resolves to include in the list of compliant countries, including partially-compliant, without prejudice to negotiations for the protection of the rights...

The Geneva summit failed, what’s next for Syria?

Tehran, July 2 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Iran will respond with its new indigenously built anti-radar ballistic missiles if Israel attacks the Islamic republic, the official media reported.

The White House praised the European Union for prohibiting Iranian crude oil imports into the 27-nation-bloc yesterday and said Tehran had an opportunity in talks this week to make progress on international concerns about its nuclear program.

STEVENSVILLE - Tyler Honda broke ground Thursday on its new, 20,000-square-foot Honda dealership in Stevensville.

Call it the "friend-enemy" distinction. Mitt Romney has assembled a foreign-policy platform rooted in the belief that adversaries such as Russia must be confronted for backsliding on democracy and like Israel must be supported in the face of common threats such as a nuclear-armed Iran. Advisers to the former Massachusetts ...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (REUTERS) - Residents began returning to charred areas of Colorado Springs on Sunday after the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history forced tens of thousands of people from their homes and left the landscape a blackened wasteland. Related Stories Syrians brand international plan on crisis a failure...

Today I have made the determination that two additional countries, China and Singapore, have significantly reduced their volume of crude oil purchases from Iran. As a result, I will report to the Congress that sanctions pursuant to Section 1245(d)(1) of the ...

The director-general of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Yves Daccord, has completed a two-day visit to Tehran, during which he signed a memorandum of understanding with the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran and ...

Iran has acknowledged that Western sanctions over its controversial nuclear program have reached their toughest level, as the European Union begins a total ban on Iranian oil imports. In remarks published Sunday by Iranian state media, Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi said Western powers unfairly have imposed what he called...

Presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney has yet to stake out a distinct foreign policy position – but will voters care?

LONDON (AFP) - British tycoon Richard Branson on Sunday became the oldest person to kite-surf the Channel, a day after abandoning an attempt due to his kite being too small. Related Stories Drug violence cast shadow over Mexico elections Syrians brand international plan on crisis a failure United States hails...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The White House welcomed Sunday's implementation of an Euroean Union embargo on Iranian oil, calling it 'an essential part' of an international response to Tehran's nuclear programme. Related Stories Drug violence cast shadow over Mexico elections Syrians brand international plan on crisis a failure Richard Branson sets...

LIMA (AFP) - Archeologists in Peru have discovered a sundial, an underground tunnel and a reception room in a complex dating back to the Wari civilization, El Comercio newspaper reported Sunday. Related Stories Drug violence cast shadow over Mexico elections Syrians brand international plan on crisis a failure United States...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States strongly condemned Sunday 'heinous' attacks on churches in Kenya that left 17 people dead and dozens wounded in a town near the Somali border. Related Stories Drug violence cast shadow over Mexico elections Syrians brand international plan on crisis a failure United States hails...

>FUNDAMENTALS* U.S. crude lost 66 cents a barrel at $84.30 as of 0034 GMT. Brent crude oil also declined 90 cents a barrel at $96.90.* On Friday, Brent crude rose more than $6 a barrel while U.S. crude jumped by more than $7 - the...

Interview With Jill Dougherty of CNN Interview Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State Geneva, Switzerland July 1, 2012 QUESTION: Secretary Clinton, thank you very much. I know it’s been a very long and intense day. Let’s begin with that critical point that you’ve talked about so many times, that Assad...

Already, Venezuela has indicated it wishes to leave the highest human rights court in the Western Hemisphere -- the Inter-American Court for Human Rights. Why? Because it loses, time and time and time again.

The elite Revolutionary Guards will begin three days of war games today, including drills with surface-to-surface missiles.

THE SYRIAN regime and opposition groups have rejected a plan for the formation of a transitional government agreed by world leaders in Geneva and accused them of failing to come up with a solution for the bloody stand-off.

The United States and Finland share such a strong partnership on so many important areas from security to energy to human rights and, in particular, women’s rights. I remarked to the Minister that I keep a little running tally as I sit across the ...

Russian Realpolitik: Inside the Arms Trade with Syria

Three independent United Nations human rights experts have condemned the recent execution of four members of the Ahwazi Arab minority in Iran after a reportedly unfair trial, and called on the Government to halt the use of the death penalty.

IRAN ANNOUNCED missile tests yesterday and threatened to wipe Israel “off the face of the Earth” if the Jewish state attacked it, brandishing some of its starkest threats on the day Europe began enforcing an oil embargo and harsh new sanctions.

When I first saw the headline in the current issue (July/August 2012) of Foreign Affairs -- "Why Iran Should Get the Bomb" -- I thought there was a typo. Surely it was meant to read "Why Iran Should Get the Bomb -- Not!" But then I remembered that...

Drones are all over the news lately—U.S. drone being "shot down" over Iran, Peta "Mikrokopter" drone shot down over a pigeon (a.k.a. flying rats) shoot, and the disturbing FAA Reauthorization . . .

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Iran will face increasing pressure from economic sanctions aimed at its disputed nuclear program.

Qatar’s hopes of playing the under-22 Asian Cup next year suffered a major setback when they crashed to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Kuwait at Hang Jebat Stadium here yesterday.

Iran announced missile tests yesterday and threatened to wipe Israel “off the face of the earth” if the Jewish state attacked it, brandishing some of its starkest threats on the day Europe began enforcing an oil embargo and harsh new sanctions.

Theatre Pro Rata's production of "44 Plays for 44 Presidents" is staged in the basement of a Lutheran church, and, at first glance, the production has the feeling of a school pageant about it: Most of the props are cardboard boxes, the lighting scheme is rudimentary, the costumes mostly look...

BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Armed protesters calling for more autonomy for Libya's east stormed the national election commission in Benghazi on Sunday, burning materials and breaking computer equipment outside, less than a week before the North African country holds an election. Related Stories As Mexicans vote, comeback beckons for old...

The opposition and state media yesterday both branded an international plan for a transition in strife-torn Syria a failure, as the death toll for a weekend of violence topped 140.

A cyber attack that towers above all others was recently discovered by Russian security firm Kaspersky. The attacks are more sinister and troubling than any other since the development of the Internet. . . .

An EU oil embargo of Iran starts July 1 meaning no bloc countries can buy oil from the nation. Bloomberg's Alix Steele reports.

European Union sanctions against imports of Iranian oil went into effect Sunday. The sanctions are part of a growing arsenal of measures aimed at deterring Iran's nuclear program. But will they work?

As new European Union sanctions targeting Iran's vital oil industry took effect Sunday, Tehran acknowledged the measures aimed at reining in its disputed nuclear program were taking a toll. The vice president ...

European Union sanctions on Iran entered into full force yesterday after exemptions on some contracts and insurance ended, boosting crude prices and pressure on the Persian Gulf nation to halt its nuclear- enrichment program.

TEHRAN: A European Union embargo on Iranian oil went into effect on Sunday, provoking anger in Tehran which says the measure will hurt talks with world powers over its sensitive nuclear activities.

Both official media and the opposition branded as a failure a world powers deal on a transition plan for Syria as at least 21 people were reported killed Sunday in violence nationwide.

Mark Kalch has walked across Iran. He's traveled the length of the Amazon River on a 13-foot raft. Now he's using a kayak to paddle the entire Missouri River.

Revolutionary Guards chief announces start of three-day maneuver; Iran's Shihab-3 missile has a range of 1,200 miles and can reach Israel and southern Europe.

MANILA, Philippines – I came, I saw, and I was swept away by this ravishing spectacle of what man’s vision can create. Before setting out on this trip, most of the material I read about this place on print and everyone I know who has been there have one common...

Syria's inner turmoil is intensifying, the Annan plan meant to end the violence is failing, UN observers have suspended their presence there, and the West is showing reluctance to intervene directly.

Beijing, July 1 : China has reiterated its opposition to unilateral sanctions against Iran.

After languishing for weeks, the global commodity markets suddenly came to life on Friday, with positive news from EU summit driving a relief rally. Crude oil, base metals and precious metals all registered significant price gains.

Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf addresses his country's strife in an interview with David Bradley at Saturday's session of the Aspen Ideas Festival.

If there’s a black sheep in the small fraternity of Nashville mayors from the Metro era, it’s Bill Boner.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman left on Sunday for a three-day visit to Italy, where he will meet his Italian counterpart and Prime Minister Mario Monti, the foreign ministry said.

Gulf state will acquire military gear including 300 surface-to-air missiles

Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf decided he would pay a visit to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to have a frank conversation about Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, as well the looming threat of war over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. read more

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sent a letter to Egypt's newly sworn-in President Mohamed Morsi, urging him to maintain peace between the two countries, following an Iranian report last week that Morsi was planning to "reconsider" the peace deal with Israel, Israeli daily Haaretz reported.