News Archive - 19 July 2012

[Video] Sanat Naft Abadan – Perspolis Tehran Sanat Naft Abadan 0 – 1 Perspolis Tehran (W1) Match Highlights First Half Second Half...

>UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia and China vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution on Thursday that threatened Syrian authorities with sanctions if they did not halt violence against an uprising, again thwarting Western hopes for tough action as the crisis in Syria escalates. It was the third time that...

>* Some funds sell into strength, Korea, Taiwan see outflows* Nikkei down 1 percent, weak U.S. econ data weighs* Euro near record low vs A$, Spain 10-year bond yields above 7 pct* Oil prices ease after hitting 8-week high overnightBy Vikram SubhedarHONG KONG, July 20 (Reuters) - Asian shares...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta ordered senior Pentagon officials on Thursday to begin monitoring major U.S. news media for disclosures of classified information in an effort to stop the release of government secrets after a series of high-profile leaks. The announcement came hours after Panetta and other...

>* Nikkei down 0.3 percent, firm yen weighs* Oil prices ease after hitting 8-week high overnightHONG KONG, July 20 (Reuters) - Asian shares were a tad weaker on Friday but were poised for their biggest weekly gain since January as strong U.S. corporate earnings lifted the S&P 500...

>SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Brent crude held above $107 on Friday, edging lower after a surge of 20 percent in four weeks prompted some selling as Israel signaled it would not rush into any open conflict over a deadly attack on its citizens, easing geopolitical worries. Oil rose to an eight-week...

>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel signaled on Thursday it would not hasten into any open conflict with Iran or its Lebanese guerrilla ally Hezbollah despite blaming them for a deadly attack on its citizens in Bulgaria. A suicide bomber killed eight people on a bus carrying Israeli tourists in Burgas airport,...

>* Middle East tension brings back geopolitical premium* European shares hit 11-week high on strong earnings* U.S. crude inventories fall less than expected (Adds analyst quote, technical analysis, updates prices)By Alex LawlerLONDON, July 19 (Reuters) - Oil rose above $106 a barrel on Thursday to hit a seven-week high...

>Bulgarian officials said six people were killed when the bomb went off outside Bulgaria's Burgas airport. Israeli media reported that eight people had been killed and that six of them were Israelis.[ID: nL2E8IJ0EP]"The immediate executers are Hezbollah people, who of course have constant Iranian sponsorship," Barak told Israel Radio.

>"The unfounded statements by different statesmen of the Zionist regime in connection with the accusations against Iran about its possible participation in the incident with the blown-up bus with Israeli tourists in Burgas is a familiar method of the Zionist regime, with a political aim, and is a sign of...

The suicide bomber responsible for the deadly attack on Israeli vacationers in Bulgaria was a member of a Hezbollah cell that was operating in Bulgaria, American officials told the New York Times. American intelligence assessment was that the bomber, who struck Wednesday, killing five Israelis, had been "acting under broad...

Carpet diem! Area rugs are seizing the day when it comes to dialing up personality in a room. And that goes for indoors and outdoors.

Yesterday's attack in Bulgaria was perpetrated by Hezbollah, Iran's leading terrorist proxy. This attack was part of a global campaign of terror carried out by Iran and Hezbollah. This terror campaign has reached a dozen countries on five continents.

Oil edged down to near $92 a barrel Friday in Asia, after a big jump the day before, as a weak demand picture was weighed against rising Middle East tensions.

Crude oil futures settled at their highest level since mid-May on Thursday evening, rounding off seven consecutive days of gains, pushed higher by events in the Middle East.

NEW YORK (AP) — Rising tensions in the Middle East have pushed oil prices up 19 percent over the past three weeks and are leading to a rise in prices at the gasoline pump.

RETRANSMISSION FOR ALTERNATIVE CROP This image taken from CCTV provided by the Bulgarian Interior Ministry Thursday July 19, 2012 who claim it shows the unidentified bomber, center, with long hair and wearing a baseball cap, at Burgas Airport in Burgas, Bulgaria on Wednesday, July 18, 2012. The brazen daytime bombing...

Pfizer Inc. (PFE) won a ruling that blocks generic versions of its drug Lyrica until 2018. U.S. District Judge Gregory M. Sleet ruled yesterday that Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA) and other generic-drug makers infringed some claims of patents covering Lyrica.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the opposition not to substitute democracy with anarchy and avoid using populist ideas to achieve political gains.

A question on the minds of many people today (increasingly those who manage or invest money professionally) is this: How do I preserve wealth during a period of intense official intervention in and manipulation of money supply, price, and asset markets?

  The recent tightening of the sanctions regime against the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) as a way to deter the country’s nuclear program continues to be among news headlines. Yet, the US sanction regime against Iran is nothing new and is more than three decades old. In addition to...

As part of the 2012 Summer Olympics hosted in London, the Royal Shakespeare Company challenged theatre groups around the world to create contemporary re-imaginings of 16th century playwright William Shakespeare’s classics.

Ethnic cleansing is rife in Myanmar and is turning into a human tragedy of colossal proportions.

Pakistan and Iran have failed to reach an agreement on price for one million tonnes of Pakistani wheat under a barter deal as Tehran, according to officials, is offering too little for the commodity.

Wednesday's attack in Syria is a turning point in the struggle between the regime and the Syrian people. The death of three top officials — widely seen as the ones behind the massacres — is a severe blow to Assad.

Watching as an American Flag is dedicated in your honor is an unforgettable moment.One U.S citizen of 39 years has this memory to cherish for the rest of his life.Applebee's manager, Sid Gousheh traveled

Crude prices fell in Asia Friday as traders took profits after a week of gains sparked by tensions in the Middle East and US stimulus hopes, analysts said.

>Departing from his normal stump-speech themes of tax fairness, education and healthcare, the Democratic president described the Bulgaria airport bus bombing that killed five Israeli tourists as "barbaric" and a "ruthless terrorist attack.""I want everybody here to know under my administration, we haven't just preserved the unbreakable bond with...

The Pentagon is pouring new military funding into Yemento bolster the embattled country's counterterrorism forces amid growing concerns about Iranian spying and meddling.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Eurozone finance ministers are expected to approve an agreement on Friday to lend up to 100 billion euros to Spain so it can recapitalise its banks, but the exact size of the loan will probably only be determined in September. Related Stories U.S. says Iran ships...

By EconMatters   Since the Global Community all the sudden seems to be preoccupied with Market manipulation even though the authorities knew it was a problem for over 5 years with  Libor Rate Fixing . It is high time authorities look at the Crude Oil market which has been  manipulated  for...

If the Government offloads its stakes in Bank of Ireland and AIB, it will only do so for a price much higher than the value of €8bn by the National Pension Reserve Fund, said Finance Minister Michael Noonan.

(The Associated Press) WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is pouring new funding into Yemen for weapons and aircraft to help bolster the embattled country’s counterterrorism forces, amid growing concerns about Iranian spying and meddling there.

NEW YORK: Global shares climbed to two-week highs on Thursday as strong corporate earnings offset weak U.S. economic data but concerns about Spain's financial troubles drove the euro broadly lower.

A U.S. official says the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah is believed to have been behind the suicide bombing that killed at least seven people on a bus full of Israeli tourists in Bulgaria.

MOHAMED Meera Sahib (M) Sdn Bhd expects a 30% increase in its sales for 2012.

>Sierra Leone is the latest country to revoke its flag for a vessel controlled by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), which is on the U.S. blacklist for its involvement in Iran's weapons program.The United States and the European Union have implemented tough sanctions against Iran...

>The letter, signed by Republican senators Mark Kirk and Jon Kyl, and Senator Joseph Lieberman, an independent, is the latest push by members of the U.S. Congress to try to urge the administration to take a harder line on Tehran."Artists, students, activists, human rights defenders and those seeking...

Events of note in the week ahead

The Pentagon announced on Thursday that it is taking new steps to try to clamp down on leaks of classified information, saying unauthorized disclosures undermine national security and in some cases rise to the level of criminal acts.

The Chinese hardware maker is poised to be No. 3 in smartphones

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...

THE NAMING of David Hodgkinson, the AIB chairman, and Mike Geoghegan, one of the Government advisers on the National Asset Management Agency, in a highly critical US Senate report on HSBC bank’s involvement in money laundering, does not affect their current roles, according to the Minister for Finance.

Fears are rising in the West after reports that Bashar Assad might be ready to use Syria’s chemical weapon arsenal to save his embattled regime, although experts caution against speculation.

More than 30 Israelis who were wounded in a suicide bombing at a Bulgarian airport on the Black Sea, arrived back in Tel Aviv yesterday after being flown home by the Israeli air force, officials said.

A US Navy helicopter crashed yesterday in Oman during a transport mission, and the fate of its five-member crew is unknown, the US military said, ruling out an attack.

NEW YORK (AP) - Gasoline prices are climbing back upward, and rising tensions in the Middle East aren't helping matters. Since the start of July, the average price at the pump has risen 11 cents, with a gallon of regular gas now averaging $3.44.

CAIRO (Reuters) - An early diplomatic offensive by Egypt's new Islamist president makes it harder for an army-led establishment to portray him on the international stage as a threat to foreign powers.

Crude oil surged 3.1% higher Thursday on renewed fears about Middle East tensions following the latest flare-up between Israel and Iran.

Dubai’s police chief has rejected US claims that a navy ship warned Indian fishermen to move away from it before firing and killing one of them after they failed to heed the order, media reported yesterday.

Gasoline prices have risen 10 cents a gallon in the last two weeks.

At the end of June, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi delivered a bizarre, rambling, accusatory and anti-Semitic speech that blamed the Talmud, a traditional Jewish holy text, for the world's drug problems. These comments were made at a conference put on with the help of the United Nations...

The Russian and Chinese veto of the UN Security Council draft resolution that would have declared the situation in Syria a threat to international peace and security, extended the UN diplomatic mission headed by Kofi Annan, and set the stage for new sanctions and possibly UN-authorized military action was hardly...

U.S. oil prices rallied 3% Thursday as ongoing tensions in the Middle East threatened supply lines.  

Police seek identity of bomber who carried fake US driver's license as Israel blames Iran

NEW YORK — Rising tensions in the Middle East have pushed oil prices up 19 percent over the past three weeks and are leading to a rise in prices at the gasoline pump.

ISRAEL has threatened to ''settle the account'' with those responsible for an attack that left at least seven people dead and dozens wounded, most of them Israeli tourists, when a bomb exploded on a bus in Bulgaria yesterday.

In light of escalating violence in Damascus and the recent defeat of the UN Security Council resolution on Syria, CFR's Paul Stares outlines three things to keep in mind when considering military intervention.

With negotiations between Iran and the West over its nuclear program fragile, Prime Minister Netanyahu is treading carefully to avoid knocking them off track.

Few observers of the Syrian calamity would have predicted that a final battle of Damascus would have begun so soon with such a lethal display of Syrian opposition strength. For almost 8 months it has been a veritable article of faith among Syrian watchers that the Assad regime --...

As America imports less energy from the region and China imports more, it risks becoming the "new U.S." in the Middle East.

2008 video is being mocked as an over-the-top portrayal of police work.

In light of yesterday’s bomb attack in Damascus that killed three key officials in the regime of Bashar al-Assad, it’s not too early to consider the way forward in a post-Assad Syria.

Washington - A "concerned" United States has joined calls from international rights groups asking Iran to release all political prisoners including two journalist-activists who are said to be in poor health.

By Malcolm Morrison, The Canadian Press TORONTO - Resource stocks helped give the Toronto stock market a solid lift Thursday as commodity prices picked up on hopes that central bankers are ready to help ...

WASHINGTON -- The House Armed Services Committee chairman, speaking after a secret briefing from top defense officials on Thursday, said he did not believe the Pentagon was responsible for recent national security leaks.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Crude-oil futures rallied Thursday as investors worried about supplies amid a flare-up in concerns about the Middle East. Oil for August delivery rose $2.79, or 3.1%, to end at $92.66 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. That was oil's seventh straight...

contact. These issues came up for discussion for the biannual cross-LOC CBMs working group that met in Islamabad.

A response to The New York Times' case that drones "offer marked moral advantages over almost any tool of warfare."

“The Caucasian conflicts trying to throw the script on the Volga” BakuToday Maxim Shevchenko, journalist, commenting on the July 19 assassination of an educational Department of the spiritual administration of Muslims of Tatarstan Valiully Yakupova and attempted the Mufti of Ildus Faizova.

  Rising tensions in the Middle East have pushed oil prices sharply higher over the past three weeks, forcing drivers to pay more at the pump.   Crude rose $2.66, about 3 percent, to $92.53 per barrel Thursday, crossing above $92 for the first time since late May.

Excitement is in the air again as thousands of Guamanians -- at home and abroad -- get ready to celebrate the 68th anniversary of our island's liberation. Families will hit the parade route once again and 'sons and daughters of Guam' clubs all over the world are already planning fiesta...

Thank you very much.It is very good to be with you. There are other matters that are of great interest to you, I understand, but I am very glad to meet with you on this occasion.

Oil Futures Rise on Mideast Tensions

Tehran City Council Chairman Mehdi Chamran said on Tuesday that officials in charge of Tehran water and sewage system have reported the replacement of chlorine water by bleach water in Tehran.

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of Iran's Expediency Council, says the country's political, economic and cultural situation is "regrettable."

The registration of the Fin Garden and Kashan's traditional skills of carpet weaving on UNESCO lists was celebrated in a ceremony in the town of Kashan, Isfahan Province on Wednesday.

The human rights commission of the Iranian student organization Tahkim-e Vahdat had issued its second report to the UN's special rapporteur on human rights for Iran.

A couple of weeks ago, news broke that the Israelis applied to the IMF for a bridge loan on behalf of the Palestinian Authority ($100 million out of $1 billion the PA requested), and though the IMF turned them down, this is a big development.

Farhang Foundation's 2013 Nowruz Banner Contest has officially been announced, calling on graphic designers and artists to submit original design concepts for Farhang's 5th Annual Nowruz (Iranian New Year) Celebration, taking place on Sunday, March 17, 2013 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

SUICIDE BOMBER BLAMED FOR ATTACK ON ISRAELIS IN BULGARIA BURGAS: A suicide bomber was behind the blast against Israeli tourists in Bulgaria, officials said on Thursday, as they raised the toll to seven, the deadliest attack on Israelis abroad since 2004. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has blamed arch foe...

One of the 33 survivors of the terror attack in Bulgaria recounted the scene from a hospital bed in Tel Aviv.

Bulgarian investigators believe they have identified the suicide bomber who blew himself up on a bus yesterday, killing five Israeli tourists and the…

Oil hovered above $88 a barrel Tuesday amid hopes China and the U.S. will take new steps to bolster their economies.

The anesthesiolgists’ ball in December 2010 was already raging when Dr. Thomas Elardo and his wife arrived. It was 11 p.m., and the Opera House in downtown Los Gatos, California, was packed with nurses and doctors dancing to ’80s covers by The Microbes, an all-doctor band. Elardo climbed...

JERUSALEM: Israel has threatened to ''settle the account'' with those responsible for an attack that left at least seven people dead and dozens wounded, most of them Israeli tourists, when a bomb exploded on a bus in Bulgaria on Wednesday.

COPS believe this is the suicide bomber who killed six tourists and left three seriously injured at Bulgarian airport on Black Sea coast

As we gather for summer barbeques and take our grandchildren down to Crystal Lake for a swim, or play an 18-hole on the Leo J. Martin golf course, we are able to enjoy our summer activities and all of the beauty the Newton community has to offer.  However, as...

Britain's retail bank sector faced a further shake-up on Thursday as state-rescued Lloyds Banking Group agreed to sell 632 branches at a loss to The Co-operative Group after an EU competition ruling.

The Energy Report - Rising Demand and Rising Tensions

By PABLO GORONDI Associated Press Oil prices rose above $91 a barrel for the first time since May after the U.S. government said oil demand is on the rise and amid rising tensions in the Middle East.