News Archive - 4 July 2012

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Unit, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said on Wednesday that the IRGC's missiles can hit enemies’ positions like thunders. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an IRGC missile maneuver codenamed "The Great Prophet 7", he said in the war game the...

Demonstrators from all over the United States gathered in Philadelphia for the Occupy National Gathering which culminates on Wednesday, according to Press TV. Thousands of 99-percenters and war veterans on Tuesday organized coordinated protests ahead of July 4th, the 236th anniversary of US declaration of independence from Britain. The veterans...

The 8th International Tourism Exhibition was opened in Shiraz Wednesday in the presence of ambassadors to Iran from 30 countries, tourism officials, mangers, and activists in this industry. According to IRNA Cultural Desk, the lectures at the opening ceremony of the 8th Shiraz International Tourism Exhibition were given simultaneous with...

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says Turkey supports terrorists who commit atrocities against the people in Syria. “Turkey has supplied all logistic support to the terrorists who have killed our people,” Assad said in an interview with the Turkish Cumhuriyet daily published on Wednesday. “Turkey’s desire to interfere in Syria’s internal...

The Zionist regime's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a crisis as the Kadima party threatened to quit the coalition with the premier's Likud party over the issue of military exemption for the ultra-Orthodox Jews. Shaul Mofaz, the head of Kadima, threatened on July 2 to leave the coalition unless...

IRI Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi announced Wednesday that Iran is expecting Egypt's newly-elected President Mohammad Mursi at the upcoming NAM summit slated for late August in Tehran. Talking to reporters after a cabinet meeting, he said all international gatherings, including the NAM, has a troika which consists of its previous,...

A Turkish fighter jet shot down by Syria last month asked for trouble when it entered Syrian airspace, the Interfax news agency quoted an unnamed Russian source as saying on Tuesday. "The actions of the Turkish plane were no doubt a provocation. Otherwise how would you explain the fact that...

A majority of Iranian lawmakers have denounced the US-engineered European Union (EU) embargoes on the country’s crude exports, which came into force from the beginning of July. A total of 220 lawmakers of the 290-member Majlis (parliament), in a statement released on Tuesday, described EU's decision to embargo Iranian oil...

Secretary of IRI's Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili said on Tuesday that Damascus is currently paying the price of resistance to the Zionist occupation. Jalili, speaking to Syria’s Speaker of People's Assembly Mohammad Jihad al-Laham, said Syria has made basic contribution to resistance against occupation of Palestinian territories and...

A car bomb ripped through a marketplace in the central Iraqi town of Zubaidiyah on Wednesday morning, killing at least eight people and wounding 22 others, security and medical officials said. The attack occurred at around 9:15 am (0615 GMT) in Zubaidiyah, around 100 kilometres (60 miles) southeast of Baghdad...

>FUNDAMENTALS* U.S. crude lost 85 cents at $86.81 a barrel as of 0101 GMT, recovering slightly after dropping more than $1 to $86.50 earlier in the session.* Brent crude lost 1 cent at $99.76 a barrel after settling down 91 cents at $99.77.*...

>YAYLADAGI, Turkey (Reuters) - Syrian artillery pounded a northwestern town on Wednesday and areas near the ghost city of Douma, where residents recovered mutilated corpses after a rampage by militiamen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, activists said. They said at least 11 people, including a six-year-old girl and an elderly...

>* WIPO denies transfers breach UN sanctions* Lawyer says could be politically embarrassing (Adds comment from lawyer in paras 12-14)By Emma FargeGENEVA, July 4 (Reuters) - The United States said on Wednesday it was reviewing a U.N. agency's dealings with sanctioned countries such as Iran after documents showed the...

>* U.S. exception on sanctions expires in December* Ankara looking to diversify crude suppliersBy Evrim ErginISTANBUL, July 4 (Reuters) - Turkey is prepared to cut its Iranian oil imports by no more than an additional 10 percent from next year to persuade the United States to extend sanction exemptions...

>* Iran faces sanctions due to nuclear programme* Britian had urged Kenya to reconsider deal (Recasts with cancellation of deal)By Richard Lough and Duncan MiririNAIROBI, July 4 (Reuters) - Kenya is cancelling an agreement to import 4 million tonnes of Iranian crude oil per year because of international sanctions against...

>By Marcus GeorgeDUBAI, July 4 (Reuters) - Iran has threatened to destroy U.S. military bases across the Middle East and target Israel within minutes of being attacked, Iranian media reported on Wednesday, as Revolutionary Guards extended test-firing of ballistic missiles into a third day.Israel has hinted it may...

>NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks extended a rally for a third day on Tuesday as sharp gains in oil prices lifted energy shares and traders factored in increased expectations for central bank stimulus. A raft of weak economic data has raised hopes that the European Central Bank will...

>* Euro seen consolidating ahead of ECB meeting* Trade likely subdued as U.S. closed for Independence DayBy Richard HubbardLONDON, July 4 (Reuters) - European shares retreated from two-month highs on Wednesday after three days of gains made on hopes of more monetary stimulus from central banks and progress made...

Crude oil futures eased off the previous session's high on Wednesday after grim economic data from Europe overshadowed hopes of stimulus from central banks across the globe.

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Health officials in Cambodia are searching for the cause of a mystery disease that has killed more than 60 children over the past three months, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday. The "undiagnosed syndrome" has killed 61 of the 62 children admitted to hospitals since...

Iran has announced that it's prepared to launch missiles at US bases throughout the Gulf within minutes of any attack on the Islamic Republic.

In January, an Iran-based international drugs ring hired a cargo vessel to stop at a secluded area off Ujung Genteng Beach, Sukabumi in West Java, Indonesia. They then transferred the drugs to waitin .....

HARARE, Zimbabwe, July 5 (Bernama) -- The Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) on Wednesday said it is engaging two foreign partners willing to inject fresh capital to revive the defunct Shabanie MAS hava Mines (SMM).

Brent crude ’s rebound to more than $100 a barrel is “sustainable” given China’s record-high import demand and Saudi Arabia (SABIC) ’s reductions in export volumes, according to Mirae Asset Securities.

An insider tells how Syrian TV invents the news

Most folks had a choice this Fourth of July, in the middle of a relentless heat wave — inside or outside? Many, many chose outside.

ROME: An ugly selection controversy surrounding a British entrant into the Olympic Taekwondo competition has been dominating the news ahead of the London Games.

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown seemingly undercut two mainstays of conservative presidential campaign rhetoric yesterday...

BANGKOK: Tokyo rubber futures jumped 3.3 percent to the highest in about a month o n Wednesday on the back of firmer oil prices and surprisingly strong US June auto sales, but market players remained cautious ahead of the EU central bank's policy meeting on Thursday.

Iran has called the Western sanctions "unproductive" and threatened to take legal action against the European oil embargo. Chief of Iran's Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture Mohammad Nahavandian said on Wednesday that Iran may take legal action at the International

From the PA agreeing to exhume Yasser Arafat's body, to Kadima leader Shaul Mofaz threatening to leave Israel's governing coalition, Haaretz sums up the top headlines from Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish World.

Houshang Afshar Irani had initially planned to strike on January 22

(MENAFN - Arab News) The Turkish "Cumhuriyet" newspaper has been publishing an interview in three parts with the tyrant of Damascus, Bashar Assad. This is the second interview that Assad has given ...

DUBAI: Iran has threatened to destroy US military bases across the Middle East and target Israel within minutes of being attacked, Iranian media reported yesterday, as Revolutionary Guards extended test-firing of ballistic missiles into a third day.

Kofi Annan does the best he can. At least he’s back in harness, doing what he does best: Trying to make peace where there is no hope of peace. The rest of them do the best they can, too, give or take the odd Russian.

Pakistan: Killings Of Shiite Muslims Under The Very Nose Of The Military -- The 'Independent Judiciary' Turns A Blind Eye While The Government Continues Its Policy Of Appeasement

The Vow was a box office success and became a money-maker its first weekend in movie theaters, and the book soared to the No. 1 spot on the New York Times best seller list.

Above: Young Muslims leave their homes and families to take the journey of a lifetime, bound for Saudi Arabia on their first pilgrimage to Mecca.

IS the election of Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, as president of Egypt the beginning of the end of the Camp David peace treaty between Israel and Egypt? It doesn't have to be.

The US is spearheading a campaign to ensure that all the rights an individual has in the real world should hold too in the virtual world, writes KARLIN LILLINGTON

Despite the huge turnout of shoppers visiting the ongoing Doha Trade Fair since the past four days, majority of the traders have expressed disappointment at the low sales blaming it on the timing of the shopping extravaganza.

CAIRO (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called his Egyptian counterpart Mohamed Mursi on Wednesday to wish the Muslim Brotherhood politician success, the Egyptian state news agency reported. The call appeared to be the first contact between the two leaders since Mursi was sworn in as president of Egypt, a...

It was just coincidence that the operator of what was once one of poker's biggest websites was arrested the same week 48 players each plunked down $1 million in cash to sit down in a Las Vegas casino for what was billed as the biggest payout in tournament poker.

JERUSALEM, Jul 4 (Reuters) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's largest coalition partner issued a veiled threat today to quit the government over a dispute about a bid to amend Israel's compulsory draft policy opposed by the powerful ultra-Orthodox community.

BC-Tim Dahlberg-070412,959Column: Poker gets a million dollar nightBy TIM DAHLBERGAP Sports ColumnistIt was just coincidence that the operator of what was once one of poker's biggest websites was arrested the same week 48 players each plunked down $1 million in cash to sit down in a Las Vegas casino for...

(AP) Iran's state TV charged Wednesday that the BBC hacked its website to change the results of a poll about Iran's nuclear program. The BBC denied the allegation. The West suspects Iran may be …

A company hatched at Bristol University is raising £25m via an Aim float, with the intention of tackling one of the bugbears of London Mayor Boris Johnson - chewing gum on the streets.

Despite this drop in the national average, refinery issues have continued to cause West Coast prices to remain at levels well above $4 per gallon. Experts say, however, that the issues have been resolved and prices should drop.

TORONTO - The Canadian dollar closed slightly lower Wednesday following a string of strong gains based on hopes of central bank action to boost economic growth and some relief following the conclusion of last week's European Union summit. The commodity-sensitive currency declined 0.07 of a cent to 9

Reuters/Baku Azerbaijan has charged a prominent Azeri journalist and human rights activist with treason and “fomenting national strife”, adding the charges to drug possession in a case his lawyers say is politically motivated.

THE death of an “adventurous” well-known businessman and amateur pilot killed in a light aircraft crash in northern Turkey was a tragic accident, a coroner has ruled.

Wolfsburg, Germany (dpa) - Volkswagen is set to take complete control of Porsche, VW announced late Wednesday from its Wolfsburg, Germany headquarters.Sports car maker Porsche is due to come under VW‘s control control by August 1. Both boards approved the deal following drawn out legal and financial obstacles to...

CNN’s POLITICAL GUT CHECK | for July 4, 2012 | 5 p.m. — n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle BREAKING ... ROMNEY CALLS ‘OBAMACARE’ MANDATE A TAX, CONTRADICTING TOP AIDE: Romney to CNN’s Dana Bash and Shawna Shepherd in Wolfeboro, New...

GENEVA - The World Trade Organization has agreed new membership standards for the weakest economies, lowering the bar for countries such as Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Sudan to join the global trading club, according to a document seen by Reuters on Wednesday.

TEHRAN, July 4 (UPI) -- Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps is prepared to hit 35 U.S. facilities in the Middle East early in a possible attack, a corps leader said Wednesday.

An inquest hears a Suffolk pilot and his passenger crashed into a mountain in Turkey in foggy conditions.

The head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has condemned anti-Semitic comments by an Iranian vice president that linked the Jewish Talmud to narcotics trafficking.

Iran's state English language Press TV is reporting that officials have interrogated two Azerbaijan nationals on espionage charges. The station cites accusations that the two were on a mission to recruit a number of dissidents in Iran to promote separatism.

Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi has announced that oil reserves of up to 6 billion barrels have been discovered in southwest Iran. The reserves are located around the Yadavaran oilfield in Khuzestan province, Qasemi said.

Iran may take legal action at the International Court of Justice (The Hague) against U.S.-led sanctions, the president of Iran's Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture said on Tuesday.

The Majlis Industries and Mines Committee has approved a plan which calls for Iranian oceangoing tankers and ships to be powered by nuclear fuel in order to eliminate their need to be refueled while on long voyages, MP Hossein Naqavi-Hosseini said on Tuesday.

A Fars provincial official has denied recent reports that claimed Afghan and other foreign nationals living in that province are to be refused food and medical services.

The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton paid a recent visit to South Caucasus at a time that this geo-strategic area is moving toward more instability. The reason for the instability is rekindling of war along the fault lines of Karabakh as well as the impact of Washington's multifaceted policies...

Filipino world title challenger Sylvester "Stallone" Lopez and manager Gabriel "Bebot" Elorde can breathe a sigh of relief as the WBC has named a pa ...

The Geneva-based WIPO, a 185-member body that includes Iran, sent IT equipment to Iranian authorities.

Navy veterans Dick Blair and Bryan A. Moss may not have the same kinds of memories that slightly older crewmen of the legendary battleship USS Iowa possess. It's hard to imagine many sailors having happier ones, though.

ABC's 20/20 "An Eye for an Eye" - May 4 2001

Risky emerging stock markets have had a storming rally in the past month on a more upbeat view of the world's prospects, though their fate remains inextricably linked to that of the euro zone.

AMMAN, July 4 — In a drab state-owned supermarket in the heart of the Damascus suburb of Midan, Nazeer Khatib’s shopping trolley is packed with everything from Thai rice to a Chinese-made electric fruit mixer, all on sale at prices far lower than in shops nearby. “I never used to...

BEIRUT (AP) — An al-Qaida-inspired group claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks across Syria, the latest evidence that extremists are exploiting the chaos to make inroads in another Middle Eastern country.

Ipinaramdam agad ng Smart Gilas II ang kanilang masidhing hangarin na mapanalunan ang 3rd SEABA Asia Cup (dating Stankovic Cup) nang durugin ang Singapore, 96-58, kahapon na ginawa sa Chiang Mai, Thailand.

>TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will not import any Iranian crude in July as buyers held back to avoid any risk of running foul of EU sanctions targeting insurance, which have severely disrupted the OPEC member's supplies, industry and government sources said on Wednesday. Japan will join South Korea among top...

This amid growing tension between Iran and the Western powers.

Ireland's unemployment rate rose to an 18-year high of 14.9 percent in June, underscoring the country's struggle to stimulate economic growth in the face of austerity measures, government statisticians reported...

American naval ships are immediately available for Iranian missiles, should the United States think about an offensive against the Islamic Republic, an analyst tells Press TV .

Syria's fractured opposition groups on Wednesday wound up talks in the Egyptian capital that descended into chaos and even fist fights as they tried to forge a common vision for a transition in their country.

The Qatari owners of Harrods department store are planning to launch a line of hotels branded with the name of the London landmark.

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is moving toward decisions that would further cut the number of U.S. nuclear weapons, possibly to between 1,000 and 1,100, reflecting new thinking on the role of nuclear weapons in an age of terror, current and former officials say.

Most Germans Reject Ceding Sovereignty to EU, Stern Poll Shows ( Bloomberg ) How Stockton went broke: A 15-year spending binge ( Reuters ) Manchester United Shoots for $100 Million IPO ( WSJ )... with 4x leverage and Jefferies as underwriter Iran says can destroy U.S. bases "minutes after...

Iran’s Islamic Revolution’s Guards Corps (IRGC) has concluded the final stage of its missile drill with the firing of the indigenous ‘Persian Gulf’ rocket at mock sea targets.

An EU ban on Iranian oil came into full effect July 1, and analysts expect the sanctions to cut the crude exports of Iran.

LONDON (Reuters) - Bank executives forced to resign over an interest rate-rigging scandal should not receive big pay offs, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Wednesday, a day after the chief executive of Barclays quit over the affair. Related Stories Scientists find new particle, probably the Higgs Barclays' Diamond faces...

HERZLIYA, Israel — She's Israel's top diva, the Jewish state's beloved national singer. So when Rita released an album entirely in the language of her country's archenemy, Iran, more than a few eyebrows were raised, naturally. "Even my friends, when I told them I was going to do a whole ...

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Missile Defense Agency's chief routinely bullied his senior staff, chilling discussion of thorny issues in the multibillion-dollar program he runs, the Defense Department's inspector general said in a report made public on Tuesday. Army Lieutenant General P …

OTTAWA — From the age of five, Shawn Atleo had leadership of his people thrust upon him. Read More

>SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Brent crude slipped on Wednesday, but stayed above $100 per barrel as weak global economic data boosted expectations for more monetary policy stimulus, while rising tension over Iran's nuclear program fed worries about disruptions to supply. Iran said it had successfully tested medium-range missiles capable of hitting...

>* Deep differences remain over nature of Iran's atom workBy Justyna PawlakBRUSSELS, July 4 (Reuters) - World powers and Iran agreed at a low-level meeting in Istanbul to continue technical talks over Tehran's nuclear programme, European Union officials said on Wednesday, in hopes of salvaging diplomacy meant to resolve the...

There have been numerous news reports of late claiming that Tajikistan is considering charging Russia for the use of its 201st military base. Even a specific price – $300 million a year – was mentioned, citing a Foreign Ministry official in Tajikistan.

SINGAPORE - Oil prices fell below US$87 a barrel Wednesday in Asia, giving back some of the big gain from the previous day amid growing tension between Iran and western powers. Benchmark oil for August delivery was down 99 cents at $86.67 a barrel at late afternoon Singapore time...

Clayton Osbon (right) was found insane and not guilty by a Texas judge on Tuesday. His bizarre behavior forced an emergency landing in March and he was charged with interference with a flight crew.

LONDON (SHARECAST) - The Nikkei closed at a two-week high on Wednesday as investors picked up commodity stocks following a sharp spike in crude oil futures.

Strasbourg, France (dpa) - The European Parliament on Wednesday rejected, with a wide majority, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), an international copyright deal which, critics say, threatens internet freedom.The conservative European People‘s Party, the largest group in the EU assembly, unsuccessfully tried to postpone the vote until the European...

The European Union says Iranian and international technical experts have exchanged details on proposals to end the standoff over Tehran's nuclear program.

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>ATHENS (Reuters) - On a hot summer morning I make the same train journey into central Athens that I used to make when I left the country 15 years ago. Much has changed in my homeland since I was a teenager, but many of the gains now seem fragile and...

> Financials Non-Cyclical Consumer Goods...

>BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army pressed its offensive against rebels, bombarding the city of Douma near Damascus, and Turkey said it had scrambled warplanes after Syrian helicopters flew near its border. Turkey's armed forces command said the fighters took off on Monday when Syrian transport helicopters were spotted flying...