News Archive - 20 July 2012

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>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said on Friday it would consider military action if needed to ensure Syrian missiles or chemical weapons did not reach President Bashar al-Assad's allies in Lebanon, the Shi'ite Islamist movement Hezbollah. "I have instructed the military to increase its intelligence preparations and prepare what is needed...

>* Largely symbolic, draft is response to EU oil sanctions* Big US military presence in Gulf may deter actionDUBAI, July 20 (Reuters) - Just over half of Iran's parliament has backed a draft law to block the Strait of Hormuz, a lawmaker said on Friday, threatening to close the Gulf...

>LONDON (Reuters) - New York police believe Iranian Revolutionary Guards or their proxies have been involved so far this year in nine plots against Israeli or Jewish targets around the world, according to restricted police documents obtained by Reuters. Reports prepared this week by intelligence analysts for the New York...

>LONDON, July 20 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's "peasant prince" with the twinkling eye, hawkish views and fondness for the Dallas Cowboys football team is back, now heading the kingdom's intelligence agency. On Thursday night Prince Bandar bin Sultan was appointed Saudi Arabia's new spy chief at a moment when the...

>* Battle rages on in Damascus, rebels claim Syria borders* Brent to retrace to $106.29 -technicals (Updates prices, adds quote)By Jessica DonatiLONDON, July 20 (Reuters) - Oil fell towards $106 per barrel on Friday as a firmer dollar spurred a dip from an eight-week high hit the previous session...

>* Attempts to disguise Iranian crude as of Iraqi origin* Iran allows private firms to market oilBy Jessica DonatiLONDON, July 20 (Reuters) - Obscure private firms are offering Iranian crude oil at steep discounts to European oil traders as Tehran seeks ways to restore oil export flows hit by Western...

>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israelis remain mostly opposed to any unilateral attack by their country on Iran even if international diplomatic pressure fails to curb its nuclear programme, an opinion poll suggested on Friday. The survey commissioned by Maariv newspaper found only 19 percent of Israelis would support the go-it-alone strikes...

>BURGAS, Bulgaria (Reuters) - The man who blew up a bus carrying Israeli tourists at a Bulgarian airport, killing himself and six others, was a foreign national and Sofia is trying to pin down details with the help of foreign spy services, the interior minister said on Friday. Israel has...

>* Battle rages on in Damascus, rebels claim Syria borders* No rush to war in Israel over Bulgaria bombing* Euro falls as Spain's bank woes, weak U.S. data haunt* Brent to retrace to $106.29 -technicalsBy Manash GoswamiSINGAPORE, July 20 (Reuters) - Brent crude held above $107 on Friday,...

Even before the dust had settled and the victims were laid to rest, the Israelis and their global media assets were blaming Iran for the attack in Burgas, Bulgaria.

United States does not confirm involvement in the explosion in Burgas, ex-prisoner of Guantanamo Mehdi Gezali . The official representative of the United States military George Little , rSN informs.

Yakutsk. Illustration: sakhapress.ru Journalists of the German newspaper Rheinische Post have compiled a list of the most extreme of the cities of the world.

Associated Press This Sept. 1, 2011, file photo shows Iran’s Maryam Toosi as she looks up at the timing board after competing in a Women’s 200-meter qualification heat at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea. With the London Games fast approaching and the Islamic holy...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will soon do something Barack Obama has yet to do as president - visit U.S. ally Israel, where he will try to present himself to voters back home as a credible replacement to Obama on the world stage.

There were 100 million reasons for Saints fans to smile last week. Drew Brees signed the richest per-season contract in NFL history.

Pedro Alvarez hit his 20th homer of the season, Andrew McCutchen had two hits to boost his batting average to a major-league best .372 and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Miami Marlins 4-3 on …

When the Brewers can't beat Homer Bailey, they've got big problems.

Attack in Burgas one of nine by Iranian Revolutionary Guards or proxies against Israeli targets this year, police say

Activists from Republicans Abroad-Israel are gearing up for their candidates upcoming 'historic' visit to the Holy Land.

WASHINGTON, July 20, 2012 (AFP) -- US President Barack Obama pledged solidarity with Bulgaria on Friday, two days after a suicide bomber's attack on a bus carrying Israeli holidaymakers left six people dead.

Iran will officially take on Tunisia in a friendly in Budapest on August 15. Goal.com reported the two nations were in talks on a potential friendly earlier in the week and the Tunisian Football Federation (FTF) have confirmed now the match on its website.

For 40 years, 60-year-old Abbas Haji has had a good business in Sharjah’s date souq that has been the “date basket” of the UAE for several decades.

Miami coach Al Golden's second season at the school is beginning much like his first one, with new accusations of rule breaking, the looming threat of serious NCAA sanctions and no apparent end in sight for the long...

According to one analysis, the Bulgaria attack was the ninth plot this year in which Iranian-sponsored terrorists had targeted Israeli or Jewish targets worldwide

Pyongyang, July 20 (KCNA) -- The dear respected Kim Jong Un received congratulatory messages and letters from various countries on the occasion of the 48th anniversary of leader Kim Jong Il's start of work at the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.

WASHINGTON, July 20 -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday called Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov over the bombing attack that left five Israeli tourists and one Bulgarian dead.

Should Sunni Islamists take power in Damascus, Hezbollah will be the next target

SALT LAKE CITY — Cole Ogden has his older brother caddying for him this week at the Utah State Amateur, and will return the favor next week in a pro tournament known as the Colorado Open. The…

A fourth member of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s inner circle died yesterday from wounds sustained in a bomb attack this week and his forces fought to recapture border posts and parts of Damascus from rebels targeting the heart of his power.

Banking’s reputation was already on the floor when along came rate-fixing and money laundering for drug cartels and rogue states to completely destroy the public’s trust, writes Kyran Fitzgerald

The federal government is asking a court to compel New York's Westchester County to provide information about any zoning practices that might be racially discriminatory.

A Republican Party activist denies allegations of sexual assault from four women and maintains they are trying to victimize him, his lawyer said Friday.

An Air Force instructor was convicted Friday of rape and sexual assault in a massive sex scandal that has rocked a Texas base, one of the nation's busiest military training centers.

Rising fares are helping Southwest Airlines Co. more than offset the high cost of jet fuel. The airline said Thursday that second-quarter profit soared 42 percent on record revenue.

The tweet disappeared, but not before others captured and retweeted it with comments such as 'disgusting,' 'vile' and 'foul'

Zombie computers, mysterious break-ins, and a suspected cyberweapon

NewsRight, a company created by The Associated Press and newspaper publishers to track the unlicensed use of news stories on the Internet, said Friday that CEO David Westin is stepping down.

Iran's female karate athlete Nasrin Dousti has won the gold medal in the women’s -50kg weight class of the 11th Asian Karatedo Federation (AKF) Senior Championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Our Internet is under threat of United Nations control, apparently - Despite the UN denying any such interests - leading to a new call for US Secretary Clinton to form a new coalition of the willing to save the day.

The heat isn't the only thing that has been rising in the Triad.

The Toronto stock market closed lower Friday and commodities lost ground amid growing worries about the European debt crisis. The S&P/TSX composite index declined 42.79 points to 11,622.91 as Spain again dealt with higher borrowing costs while the TSX Venture Exchange was up 5.32 points to 1,196.

A Clark County grand jury indicted two men Thursday in the execution-style shootings of two teenagers Feb. 15.

Mitt Romney’s trip to Europe and Israel next week gives the Republican presidential candidate the opportunity to establish foreign policy credentials and get a temporary respite from nagging questions about his finances.

President Michel Sleiman has no intention of canceling next week’s session of National Dialogue, as contacts continue with the March 14 coalition despite its decision to stay away from the meeting.

After the political and moral bankruptcy of Russia vis-a-vis the Syrian regime's bloody crackdown is exposed Moscow turned to Tehran to hatch a conspiracy for stirring sectarian tension in Syria. Russia seeks an Iranian role for destabilizing the region.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is concerned that economic sanctions against Iran are being applied too broadly and are infringing Charter rights.

RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received the newly appointed Ambassador of 20 July, the Iranian Republic Mohammad Reisi , reported BakuToday in the press-service of the Government of Armenia.

Commentary magazine today published a racist attack against Iranian Americans, cynically exploiting the disgusting terrorist attack in Bulgaria that took the lives of seven Israelis as an opportunity to settle petty domestic political scores and disenfranchise our community. In a column today, Commentary's Alana Goodman suggested that Iranian Americans...

Signs that President Bashar Assad is rapidly losing his grip on Syria alarm his regional allies, Iran and Hezbollah, and worry other neighbors fearful of chaos on their doorsteps.

7/19/2012 - Report: Hybrid Truck Viability Hurt by Low Fuel Prices A report from Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs finds challenges to the economic viability of medium-sized diesel-electric hybrid trucks.

Oil prices fell on Friday, snapping a string of seven straight higher settlements, as the euro zone debt crisis brought economic concerns back in focus and strengthened the dollar.

In the wake of the mass shooting and killing at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater early Friday, a Las Vegas Metro Police official said this was an act of a lone gunman and not an act of terrorism.

The simple information-stealing Mahdi malware does not rely on attacking software vulnerabilities but by fooling humans. Still, it's infected some 800 systems, about half of which are in Iran.

Previous violations referred to sanctions committee, following dubious advice.

It's beginning to look familiar again, like it did when the mere mention of Tiger Woods made the putting stroke of anyone on the leaderboard of a major get just a little quicker. It sure sound…

>CAIRO (Reuters) - An early diplomatic offensive by Mohamed Mursi, 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. At home though, it may do little to curb the influence of the generals and help...

Beirut -- The quick succession of crucial developments on the Syrian scene has brought international players back to the strategy-drawing board, some of them confused, some of them angry, and others eager to reap the rewards or to adapt to the new situation. Russia stands at the forefront of...

As more details surface about the suicide bomber who killed six people in an attack on Israeli tourists Wednesday, the Obama administration's refusal to blame Iran remains a mystery.   

The price of oil is dropping on fresh concerns about Europe's economy. Benchmark oil fell $1.22 on Friday to end at US$91.44 per barrel in New York. Brent crude, which is used to price international varieties of crude, was down 97 cents to finish at $106.83 in...

Nearly two thirds of the government officials, lobbyists and other victims of the cyber espionage campaign dubbed Madi were based in "Israel", security experts have discovered.

NEW YORK: World oil prices slid on Friday as traders booked profit from recent rallies amid worries about the struggling eurozone, where Spain's borrowing costs soared dangerously high.

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah will host five major winter action sports events, including the official announcement of the first U.S. freeskiing Olympic team, leading up to the 2014 Olympic Games in S…

Authorities in at least six states are investigating whether a traveling hospital technician accused of infecting 30 people with hepatitis C in New Hampshire exposed earlier patients to the liver-destroying disease.

By Malcolm Morrison, The Canadian Press TORONTO - The Canadian dollar's latest run towards parity with the U.S. dollar stalled Friday as traders avoided risky assets such as the loonie and commodities ...

Jamaica police have charged the deputy mayor of Montego Bay with illegal possession of a gun and ammunition as part of an investigation into a lottery scam targeting elderly Americans.

IRAN DENIES RESPONSIBILITY Mourners on Friday buried the five Israeli victims of a bombing in Bulgaria -- an attack that Israel has blamed on Iran and its proxy group, Hizballah. Two days after the deadly blast in Bulgaria, investigators were still struggling to confirm the identity of the attacker, who...

Officials at a small western Pennsylvania airport have purchased a shotgun so staff can kill wild turkeys that are endangering planes by gathering on runways, saying the bold birds have ignored other means of shooing...

Keegan Bradley thought the closest water hazard at Royal Lytham & St. Annes was the Irish Sea about a mile away.

If No. 1-ranked Luke Donald is finally going to break through and win his first major this weekend, chances are good he'll have to do it with a backup caddie by his side.

Six years have passed since the full-scale Israeli offensive against Lebanon, a war that hugely influenced later developments. Six years is no long enough to fully assess the war and its aftermath, but for starters it is noteworthy that it was the first war in which Israel admitted defeat.

A farmer has been shot and killed during a protest against the presence of soldiers in the country's turbulent Cauca region.

Forty dairy cows are dead after the restless animals shifted the weight in a trailer and toppled a big-rig at an intersection in Southern California.

A 20-year-old Detroit man has been arraigned on charges of murder and assault with intent to commit murder in the shootings of three people and the wounding of a fourth in Flint.

It's a safe bet that most of the 200 or so countries competing in the London Olympics are already represented in the British capital, one of the world's most multicultural cities.

Dubai, July 20 : The attack by a suicide bomber which killed Defence Minister Dawoud Rajiha in Damascus on July 18, and injured several other top security officials, including the interior minister and the intelligence chief would appear as though the last wave of the Arab Spring has hit hard.

The mayor of Boston is vowing to block Chick-fil-A from opening a restaurant in the city after the company's president spoke out publicly against gay marriage.

The Swiss bank, one of more than a dozen being investigated for manipulating interest rates, has a trail of transgressions that makes it stand out from other banks.

“CHINA FRIGATE LEAVES SHOAL: Palace happy,” said a huge electronic billboard, which I saw on the way to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to catch a plane home last July 16, 2012.

Argentines are outraged over a police interrogation cellphone video circulating widely on the Internet.

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico's leftist presidential candidate says he will lead a national campaign to annul the results of the July 1 elections, but ruled out street blockades and protest camps like the ones his supporters...

A Scottish jury has convicted an Algerian man of funding terrorism in relation to a 2010 suicide bomb attack in Sweden, but cleared him of conspiracy to murder.

On a day filled with wayward shots, Brandt Snedeker was steady as can be at the British Open.

A senior Iranian lawmaker says recent execution of Iranian nationals by Saudi Arabian authorities is not a legal move, but a politically motivated one.

WASHINGTON: A senior United States official has confirmed Israel's assertions that the suicide bomber who killed five Israelis in an attack on Wednesday was a member of a Hezbollah cell operating in Bulgaria.

WASHINGTON: At the end of a dramatic week in what now is referred to as the Syrian civil war, we need Donald Rumsfeld's crisis lexicon.

Russian investigators are swift to respond to violence in Tatarstan. Tatar mufti Ildus Fayzov was wounded by a car bomb attack in Kazan on Thursday and his deputy gunned down in a separate incident.

As President Bashar al-Assad's regime teeters on the brink of collapse, military planners in the Middle East and the United States are projecting worrying scenarios of the regime's disintegration. On Friday, opposition forces battled for control of a Damascus neighborhood on a day described as the deadliest since the fighting...

DAMASCUS, Syria—Syrian troops and tanks on Friday drove rebels from a Damascus neighborhood where some of the heaviest of this week's fighting in the capital left cars gutted and fighters' bodies in the streets.

The US and Israel blame Iran for the suicide attack in Bulgaria, but offer no evidence for the accusation

Gasoline prices have risen 11 cents a gallon from the start of the month, following a rise in oil prices that was spurred by increasing tensions with Iran, an easing of the crisis in Europe and hopes for more stimulus from central banks.

BAGHDAD, July 20 (UPI) -- Iraq said it was calling on the Saudi government to reconsider a decision to block oil exports through a pipeline that would bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

Crude oil prices jumped to a 2-month high amid concerns over the situation in the Middle East. The ongoing political unrest in Syria, and Israel's accusation against Lebanon and Iran and the threat of retaliation have increased the likelihood of oil supply stoppage. Global economy remained lacklustre with US data...

Oil slipped below $92 a barrel Friday, after a big jump the day before, as weak demand was weighed against rising Middle East tensions. By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark crude was down $1.14 at $91.83 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Gas prices head higher: Up 11 cents in 3 weeks