News Archive - 14 July 2012

>DUBAI, July 14 (Reuters) - Iran could prevent even "a single drop of oil" passing through the Strait of Hormuz if its security is threatened, a naval chief said on Saturday, as tensions simmer over Tehran's nuclear programme. Tehran will increase its military presence in international waters, said Ali Fadavi,...

>The agency also quoted an Interior Ministry spokesman as saying that four members of the security forces were wounded in a separate attack by masked gunmen on motor-bikes who fired at two patrols in the village of Sehat, also in Eastern Province, early on Saturday.Two men were killed on...

Esteghlal general manager Ali Fatollahzadeh says he has held positive negotiations with Osasuna's Iran international Javad Nekounam and insists he'll sign a contract with the club on Sunday.

(MENAFN - Khaleej Times) MOST PEOPLE don't know, or have forgotten the horrors of the 1992-1995 Bosnian War. Arthur Schneier, last week, was the sole invited speaker as 520 newly ...

(MENAFN) Ali Fadavi, naval commander in Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned of executing a complete blockade on oil shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz if Iran's ...

ZTE Corp, the world's fifth-biggest telecommunications equipment maker, could face steep fines and restrictions on its U.S. operations if it is found to have illegally sold U.S. computer products to Iran.

FORT WORTH — Officials are telling Fort Worth residents that although the North Texas city’s water currently doesn’t taste or smell very good, it is safe to drink. The city’s water department is attributing the problems to seasonal raw water factors and issues with a new chemical feed system at...

Mark Dadswell

Nancy Pelosi stayed late and swayed on the dance floor to “It’s Raining Men.” Dennis Kucinich chatted up U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer by the hors d’oeuvres. And playwright Terrence McNally joined in the hora and a group sing-along of “Low Rider,” with lyrics with a President Barack Obama...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, July 14 (UPI) -- A massive landslide has covered about 5 1/2 miles of Johns Hopkins Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska, park officials say.

I have long been opposed to the U.S. involvement in the United Nations.

وبسایت "دویچه وله" در گزارشی به بررسی حاشیه های سفر وزیر اقتصاد آلمان به ایران پرداخت.

Postrevolutionary Libya appears to have elected a relatively moderate pro-Western government. Good news, but tentative because Libya is less a country than an oil well with a long beach and myriad tribes. Popular allegiance to a central national authority is weak. Even if the government of Mahmoud Jibril is able...

Vietnam coach Phan Thanh Hung has revealed his relief at avoiding the "group of death" following the draw for the 2012 AFF Cup on Wednesday. The 2008 AFF Cup winners were pooled in Group A alongside hosts Thailand, previous semi-finalists Philippines and the winner of qualifying round.

The head of Britain's foreign intelligence agency, MI6, has said he believes Iran will have nuclear weapons within two years.

Iran could prevent even "a single drop of oil" passing through the Strait of Hormuz if its security is threatened, and it will increase its military presence in international waters, a naval chief said yesterday, as tensions simmer over Tehran's nuclear programme.

Abu Dhabi is exporting oil through the first Middle Eastern pipeline in three decades to circumvent the Strait of Hormuz as producers seek to nullify Iranian threats to block the shipping chokepoint.

Peter Muench (left) and Darien Niamir are somewhat confident their 2003 Suzuki Alto will make it from the U.K. to Mongolia in The Mongol Rally.

The region, known for its red tiles and retreats, isn't just for the elite anymore. From stops in Ojai and Simi Valley to strolling State Street and luxuriating on the beach, here are 11 micro-itineraries. The region, known for its red tiles and retreats, isn't just for the elite anymore.

Syrian troops and pro-regime militias stormed and torched a southern town, reports said, as UN observers visited the village of Tremseh where a mass killing has provoked harsh global condemnation.

London (AFP) July 13, 2012 Britain's foreign spy chief has reportedly warned that Iran is two years away from acquiring nuclear weapons, but analysts said he was assuming Tehran is actually developing the bomb. MI6 boss John Sawers gave a rare public speech to civil servants in London saying that...

Washington (AFP) July 12, 2012 The top US military officer met Thursday with his Russian counterpart, discussing missile defense and the Syria crisis, amid tensions between Washington and Moscow on the issue, the Pentagon said. General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hosted a full honor cordon...

Tel Aviv, Israel (UPI) Jul 13, 2012 The Israeli navy is looking for new long- and short-range missiles systems to support major ground offensives, senior officers say, a strong indication amphibious operations are being planned for Lebanon, Syria or the Gaza Strip if a new war erupts. Planners are currently...

Climbers argue that the payoffs far outweigh the risks, writes Scott Johnson.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UPI) Jul 13, 2012 The U.S. Treasury Department has identified several front companies it says are helping Tehran evade U.S. and European sanctions aimed at throttling Iran's oil exports. The Iranian deception campaign includes reflagging and renaming - even repainting - its fleet of...

London (UPI) Jul 13, 2012 The fate of 3,400 Iranian dissidents in Iraq must not be a bargaining chip to appease the Iranian regime and their Iraqi agents. Recently some media and U.S. State Department alike have adopted an incomprehensible path to simultaneously blame Iranian dissidents in Camp Ashraf...

WASHINGTON One of the Navy's oldest transport ships, now converted into one of its newest platforms for warfare, arrived off Bahrain earlier this month, a major addition to the enlarged presence of U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf designed as a counter to Iran.

ITS connection to any deviant sects has been cleared, but the Putrajaya amok is a reminder of the danger of cults, especially religious cults.

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cypriot police are questioning a 24-year-old man arrested last week who may have been plotting an attack on Israeli tourists visiting the Mediterranean island, media reported on Saturday.

07/11/12-Levy Izak Rosenbaum, right of NYC, enters the Clarkson S. Fisher Federal Courthouse in Trenton for sentencing on brokering the sale of 3 human kidneys. He was to appear before Judge Anne Thompson at 10am.

The minutes released from last US Federal Open Market Committee meeting signaled no stimulus and punctured investors’ confidence. [...]

Pakistani cities are in the grip of a new wave of terrorist violence. Lahore, which had remained peaceful for a while, suddenly was the scene of a deadly terrorist strike on Thursday.

Proposal would extend mandate of UN mission but falls short of US and European demands for sanctions against Assad regime Russia has circulated a draft UN security council resolution that would extend the UN mission in Syria for three months but stops short of threatening the Assad regime with sanctions.

LONDON, Jul 13 (Reuters) Oil prices rose above $102 on Friday after Chinese GDP data came in slightly better than expected, improving sentiment across the board in commodities, and the United States ramped up pressure on Iran's ability to export oil.

SHANGHAI, Jul 13 (Reuters) ZTE Corp, China's second-largest telecoms equipment maker, warned its first-half profit could drop as much as 80 percent due to lower gross margins, foreign currency exchange losses and domestic operator networks postponing their tenders.

Iran could prevent even “a single drop of oil” passing through the Strait of Hormuz if its security is threatened, a naval chief said yesterday, as tensions simmer over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - United Nations observers found blood, burned homes and signs of artillery fire in the Syrian village of Tremseh on Saturday but were unable to confirm activists' reports that about 220 people were massacred in an attack that prompted international outrage. The United States has branded Syria's leaders...

Reuters/Caracas President Hugo Chavez denied on Friday that Venezuela was a threat to anyone, after US presidential hopeful Mitt Romney criticised Barack Obama for playing down the risk posed by the socialist leader.

BAGHDAD, 25 August 2003 — A bomb ripped through the home of one of Iraq’s most important Shiite clerics in the city of Najaf yesterday, killing three guards and injuring family members, a relative of the cleric and member of the Iraqi governing council said.

SI.com's writers will preview each event from the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Here, Alex Wolff looks ahead to Olympic wrestling.

DAVE did not spend all of last week brawling with back-benchers in Westminster corridors; he also found time to look in at the Family Planning Summit in London, co-hosted by his government and billionairess Melinda Gates, and say some encouraging words.

ATHENS (Reuters) - Most Greeks want the government to renegotiate the terms of its EU/IMF bailout regardless of the impact this stance would have on the country's future in the eurozone, a poll showed on Saturday. Related Stories Spain reforms to raise 56.4 billion euros Clinton backs Egypt army...

LOS ANGELES -- When Iranians rose up and marched against their rulers, people around the world felt they were there. Facebook bristled with video from the streets of Tehran. Revolutionary-green avatars sprouted across the Web. Commentators heralded a coming "Twitter Revolution."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday lashed out at "Iranian terrorism" after Cyprus police reportedly arrested a man for allegedly planning attacks against Israel's interests there.

Exclusive: Mitt Romney cites “independent fact-checkers” to spare him from having to explain exactly what he did with Bain Capital after February 1999. But those “fact-checkers” are acting less like impartial journalists and more like argumentative lawyers covering Romney’s political flanks, writes Robert Parry.

The Afghan government never had much to spend on new roads and schools. But for much of the war’s nearly 11-year run, the U.S.-led coalition has stood by, checkbook in hand, ready to fund almost anything that might bring security and stability to the battle-scarred nation.

Crude Oil finished higher on more sanctions on Iran and China's GDP numbers Crude Oil rose from low levels after the US tightened the belt on Iran with tougher sanctions Thursday rebounded

AUSTIN (AP) — Officials have rejected a request by University of Texas President Bill Powers to allow him to issue an official statement on the plight of an Iranian graduate student who is now serving a 10-year prison sentence in his native country. The former UT Austin student, Omid Kokabee,...

The commander of Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has warned Iran's enemies that any threat against the country will be met with a crushing response from the armed forces.

An Iranian lawmaker says Moscow should fulfill its contract with Tehran by delivering the S-300 air defense system as it is not covered by the UN sanctions against Iran.

GENEVA (Reuters) - The Red Cross now views fighting in Syria as an internal armed conflict - a civil war in layman's terms - crossing a threshold experts say can help lay the ground for future prosecutions for war crimes. Related Stories G4S security boss sorry for Games guards fiasco...

TOKYO, July 14 (UPI) -- The Japanese government approved a long-term goal to reduce radiation exposure in the disaster-stricken Fukushima prefecture, officials said.

The nation and its uncle are still reeling from the startling revelation made by Time magazine. It turns out that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is an “underachiever”. Well, I’ll be doubledouched!

Middle Eastern, South Asian and African immigrants have streamed across the 126-mile border between Turkey and Greece into the European Union, making its member countries resentful.

Nawaf Fares, who this week defected as Syria's ambassador to Iraq, on Saturday accused President Bashar al-Assad of allowing Al-Qaeda to use Syria as a springboard for attacks in his former host country.

John Ivison: Only in native politics could securing the Prime Minister’s undivided attention for a day, and hooking hundreds of millions of dollars in new funding at a time of austerity, be considered a sellout

With Europe's city dwellers consuming 70% of the EU's energy and congestion costing about 1% of Europe's GDP every year, the Commission has unveiled an initiative on 'smart urban technologies'.

TEHRAN, July 14 (MNA) -- The Italian ambassador to Tehran has said that the European Union imposed the decision to adopt an oil embargo against Iran on the member states.

HUNDREDS of troops stormed a town in southern Syria today, as UN chief urges Security Council to act urgently.

July 14, 2012, 6:43 p.m. | World — by Reuters This image made from amateur video from Hama Revolution 2011 and accessed by AP video Friday, July 13, 2012 purports to show families gathered around bodies of victims killed by violence that, according to anti-regime activists, was carried out...

There are a lot of dangers facing the world right now from a collapse of the euro zone to a shooting war with Iran. Where should you put your money if any of these come to pass?

The World Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation (WEKAF) will bestow a distinct honor to 15 eskrima greats - the Order of Datu Lapu-Lapu - for their invaluable contribution in the study, practice and promotion of the indigenous Filipino martial art.

STALLONE ‘DEVASTATED’ BY SON’S DEATH LOS ANGELES: Hollywood A-lister Sylvester Stallone was described as “devastated” on Friday (Saturday in Manila) after his 36-year-old son Sage was found dead, reportedly following a drug overdose. Sage, who appeared in the 1990 film “Rocky V” as Rocky Balboa Jr, the son of his...

Freedom doesn’t have a colour. Nor does it exhibit a taste, smell or sound. Yet, when people meet it for the first time, they know exactly what it is and eagerly rush to embrace it.

Syria's former ambassador in Baghdad, Nawaf Fares, criticises Iraqi premier in an interview broadcast Saturday, saying Nuri al-Maliki's stance toward Damascus was "contradictory" to the truth.

Iran's leading automaker Iran Khodro unveils a new local saloon branded "Dena" in Tehran last year. Iran's auto production fell by more than 36% over the past three months, the industry ministry ...

Hamid Ansari may not have made it to Rashtrapati Bhavan but he may become the second Indian to get a consecutive term as vice president.

WASHINGTON - Post-revolutionary Libya appears to have elected a relatively moderate pro-Western government. Good news, but tentative because Libya is less a country than an oil well with a long beach and myriad tribes. Popular allegiance to a central national authority is weak.

Iran repeatedly threatened to close Strait of Hormuz shipping channel, through which 40% of world's sea-borne oil exports passes.

Armenia handed over to Iran 12 prisoners, the citizens of this country, to serve the remainder of their sentence in their home country. The decision was made by the Minister of Justice of Armenia Hrayr Tovmasyan , press service of the Justice Ministry.

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Kurdish militants detonated a roadside bomb by remote control on Saturday, wounding 12 Turkish police officers after they got out of a vehicle in eastern Turkey, security sources said. Related Stories Saudi security forces kill oil province attacker - SPA Russian forces say kill 8 militants...

Corn pushes higher as crops shrivel in heat wave Associated Press Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 01:41 p.m., Thursday, July 12, 2012 Other commodities were mixed as traders worried about the prospect for demand in the...

Tehran, July 14 (ANI): Iran's ambitions to develop nuclear weapons would raise the chances of terrorists using a "dirty bomb" in the future, security and intelligence agencies have warned.

As the already unthinkable pace of slaughter in Syria accelerates further, Western military sources warned Saturday, July 14, that not only Israel, but additional strategic targets in Middle East lands deemed enemies by Bashar Assad should prepare for him to launch surface-to-surface missile attacks.

TEHRAN, July 14 (MNA) - Iranian MP Mohammad Hassan Asafari has said that possible avenues to end the presence of U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf should be explored during the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran on August 26-31.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's Oil Minister says his office has drawn up plans to make newly tightened sanctions against the Islamic Republic ineffective.

BOSTON - Lt. Col. Timothy Alben, a 30-year Massachusetts State Police veteran, was sworn-in Friday by Gov. Deval Patrick as the new superintendent of the 2,300-member department.

BEIRUT - The U.N. singled out government forces Friday for blame in the latest massacre in Syria, a frenzy of killing that raises new questions about whether diplomacy has any chance to end the crisis more than 16 months into the bloodiest revolt of the Arab Spring.

Saleem Shabazz was at the Longview mosque Thursday morning when a fellow believer pulled up and introduced himself as a Muslim who had been waiting for a place to worship with his family.

Washington, July 14 (ANI): The Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched a probe in to claims that Chinese telecoms equipment-maker ZTE sold banned US computer gear to Iran.

TEHRAN: Iran is ready to play a role alongside other regional countries to try to establish a dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition, an official was quoted as saying on Saturday.

A handout picture released by Shaam News Network on Saturday shows a pre-Baath Syrian flag that was adopted by the revolution fluttering on what activists say is a destroyed Syrian army vehicle in Binnish in the Idlib province.

One night a million years ago a friend brought over a vinyl LP of Kris Kristofferson's album "The Silver-Tongue Devil." "Is he for real?" I said. "Just listen," he said.

WASHINGTON — Two men have been charged with trying to illegally export nuclear-related material to Iran that could be used in gas centrifuges to enrich uranium, the U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday.

Japan is going to load its first domestically-guaranteed shipment of Iranian crude oil after the US-engineered European Union (EU) oil embargo against Tehran went into effect.

The U.N. singled out government forces Friday for blame in the latest massacre in Syria, a frenzy of killing that raises new questions about whether diplomacy has any chance to end the crisis more than 16 months into the bloodiest revolt of the Arab Spring.

TEHRAN, July 11 (MNA) – Noam Chomsky says there is still great opportunity to resolve the standoff over Iran’s nuclear issue through “diplomacy”.

TEHRAN, July 14 (MNA) - The Iranian ambassador to the United Nations has said that it is possible to close the gap between Iran and the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) over the country’s nuclear program.

ISTANBUL, Turkey - U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan, the Obama administration, and the Syrian opposition on Friday denounced President Bashar al-Assad after a massive military assault against a village involving tanks, artillery and helicopters a day earlier caused the deaths of possibly scores of civilians.

TEHRAN, July 13 (MNA) – French President Francois Hollande has highlighted the importance of dialogue between Iran and the six major powers about the country’s nuclear issue.

ISLAMABAD: Poorly negotiated Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs), energy crisis, deteriorating law and order situation, economic crisis in Euro Zone, persisting irritants in relations with the United States are cited as key factors for 4.71 percent negative growth in exports in 2012-12 as compared to previous...

The Indonesian government is growing impatient with the 10,000 or more asylum seekers using its country as a waiting room, and wants Australia to accept more of them to reduce the numbers.

TEHRAN, July 13 (MNA) – Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, has said that Muslim nations have a strong inclination to establish a united front led by the Islamic Republic of Iran.