News Archive - 7 February 2014

>(Reuters) - Over the last two weeks, Obama administration officials have signaled - sometimes intentionally, sometimes not - that a worst-case scenario is emerging in Syria. Peace talks are at a virtual standstill. An emboldened President Bashar al-Assad has missed two deadlines to turn over his deadliest chemical weapons. And...

>* Tighter North Sea supplies support Brent* Coming up: CFTC COT report at 3:30 p.m. EST (Rewrites throughout, updates prices)By Jeanine PreziosoNEW YORK, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Oil rose by more than $1 to one-month highs on Friday, fueled by a sharp rally in gasoline and heating oil as...

>The ceremony, which included French President Francois Hollande and other foreign dignitaries, was meant to mark Tunisia's newly adopted constitution, widely praised as a model for the region.Three years after its uprising inspired the "Arab Spring" revolts across the region, Tunisia is progressing to full democracy with a new...

>KIEV (Reuters) - A U.S. diplomat whose telephone conversation about the political crisis in Ukraine was leaked on the Internet said on Friday that the recording was "pretty impressive tradecraft" but suggested the leak would not harm U.S. ties with the Ukrainian opposition. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria...

>ANKARA (Reuters) - Iran is ready to answer the U.N. atomic agency's questions about its nuclear program, a senior official was quoted as saying ahead of talks on Saturday expected to broach sensitive military-related issues. The International Atomic Energy Agency hopes to persuade Iran to finally start addressing long-held...

>* Builds stocks on Turkish drought fear (Adds further detail, comment)By Michael Hogan and Jonathan SaulHAMBURG/LONDON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Iran has bought at least 400,000 tonnes of wheat in the first big state-sponsored purchase since December, traders said on Friday, as relaxed Western sanctions make deals easier.Iran was...

>* Refinery maintenance season to limit crude demand* Tighter North Sea supplies support Brent* Coming up: U.S. non farm payrolls data; 1330 GMT (Updates prices)By Jacob Gronholt-PedersenSINGAPORE, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Brent crude steadied above $107 a barrel on Friday, heading for a second weekly gain in three on...

US leader will visit the kingdom next month in a bid to smooth relations between the two countries        

Major failure of any sort — terrorism, cancellations, or an athlete's death — would hit him where it hurts, in his posture as the world's magnanimous host

Mitch McConnell’s Tea party opponent in the Kentucky race for the U.S. Senate is largely unknown, but his best shot may be to change his name and run as Not Mitch McConnell.

A U.S. delegation walked out of the ceremony to celebrate Tunisia's new constitution on Friday in protest statements made by the representative of Iran accusing the United States of undermining the Arab Spring uprisings.

Some of it looked fantastic. Some it was worn by Shawn White. Won’t you join us for the best and worst dressed teams of the 2014 Winter Olympics?

A senior official from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has arrived in Tehran for talks with Iranian officials on more bilateral cooperation between the two sides.

I’m standing in front of the frozen vegetables in my local Vons, staring at the peas and corn and wondering what it is I need. My right foot is looped into the bottom rack of the shopping cart and I’m cold. This supermarket is kept at a temperature cool enough...

Israel will collaborate with India, one of its key arms customers, to develop an integrated missile-defense system intended primarily to counter Chinese nuclear and conventional missiles, and Israeli defense industry executive said.

Director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi says the West must avoid seeking adventures in the ongoing talks with Tehran over its nuclear energy program.

Earlier this week, Mike McFaul, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, announced on his blog that he would be stepping down after the Sochi Olympics, barely two years after taking the post.

The carnage in Syria inflicted by the regime on its own people has now reached epic proportions.

WASHINGTON: The US Defense Department plans to ask Congress for $4.5 billion in extra missile defense funding over the next five years as part of the fiscal 2015 budget request, say congressional sources and an expert.

During an appearance on Fox News with Neil Cavuto Friday afternoon, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) weighed in on what he, and other critics, viewed as a too-friendly report on Russian president Vladimir Putin that NBC's Bob Costas delivered during last night's Olympics coverage.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The American Iranian Council (AIC) has named Michael Shadman, Senior Director of the U.S. Immigration Investment Center (USIIC), to its board of directors. Mr. Shadman is also the principal of Shad Engineers, Inc. His expertise in and passion for renewable energy and green building technology...

What is behind the poor trading in this important commodity ETF?

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. / AP WASHINGTON — Members of Nevada’s six-member congressional delegation voted the party line almost all the time in 2013, rarely challenging their respective leaders, according to a new analysis of party unity by the nonpartisan CQ weekly magazine.

Dr. Kwok, a Bethesda resident, taught mathematics at universities around the world.

The 2013 season was an awful one for Florida. But after securing an impressive 2014 class on National Signing Day, the Gators can look ahead with some optimism. 

The newly acquired Whitecaps right back is confident he'll get a call from Iranian manager Carlos Queiroz if he can find regular playing time in Vancouver.

[CPJ]On August 31, 2013, Der Spiegel reported that the United States' National Security Agency (NSA) had hacked into the private communications of Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera. The German news magazine, citing documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, reported that the NSA deemed its operation to access the communications of...

US diplomats on Friday walked out of the ceremony to celebrate Tunisia's new constitution after Iran's representative, Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani, accused the United States and Israel of undermining the “pro-democracy uprisings” of the Arab Spring in 2011. The US and Israel, he said had "tried to render these (Arab)...

Exclusive: Secretary of State John Kerry’s negotiations to resolve the generations-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict may look like a quixotic pilgrimage into endless frustrations to many. But it is causing worries among nationalists on Israel’s Right, Robert Parry reports.

Special to WorldTribune.com Geostrategy-Direct.com WASHINGTON — The U.S. Jewish community has been shifting uneasily amid increased pressure by President Barack Obama on Israel. Over the last few months, supporters of the Obama administration have been questioning the loyalty of American Jews amid U.S. pressure on Israel...

Russia warns the West against meddling in Syria's civil war, but it needn't worry.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 (Bernama) -- A total of 21 teams including eight women teamS will be vying for honours in the 2013 International Sepak Takraw Federation (Istaf) Super Series Finals to be held at the Titiwangsa Indoor Stadium here from March 5 to 9.

WASHINGTON – Barack Obama called for the release of an American pastor imprisoned in Iran and a U.S. missionary serving hard labor in North Korea during the annual National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday. Obama centered on religious freedom during his speech, seeking tolerance for all religions around the world.

A close aide to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has dismissed as “interventionist and worthless” remarks by a US negotiator about Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Journalist Robert Parry has become embroiled in a local controversy in Arlington, Virginia, over his suggestion that the name of Confederate President Jefferson Davis be removed from roads in the county in recognition of the evils of slavery and segregation, an idea that has riled up some longtime Virginians.

Reviewers: C.R., Carrie Rickey; S.R., Steven Rea; D.D., Dan DeLuca; T.D., Tirdad Derakhshani; D.H., David Hiltbrand; E.W., Elizabeth Wellington; E.H., Elizabeth Horkley; W.S., Inquirer wire services.

Vienna, Feb 7 (IANS/WAM) The basket of 12 crude oils of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) stood at $103.34 a barrel Thursday, compared to $102.63 Wednesday, according to the OPEC Secretariat.

British spies have developed “dirty tricks” for use against nations, hackers, terror groups, suspected criminals and arms dealers that include releasing computer viruses, spying on journalists and diplomats, jamming phones and computers, and using sex to lure targets into “honey traps.”

In an apparent U-turn, the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has given up on pushing for a vote on an anti-Iran bill after one of the authors of the bill changed course on Thursday.

Iran’s Ministry of Energy says the country’s electricity exports to its neighboring states have risen by three percent since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2013) compared to the same period last year.

Tehran, Feb 7 (IANS) Representatives of Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will hold talks Feb 8 with the aim of determining the next step of nuclear cooperation between the two sides.

So, here we go again: yet another Hollywood remake. This time around it’s a take on the Paul Verhoeven-directed RoboCop , a 1987 look at a dystopian future where Alex Murphy, a cop on death’s door, is reborn inside the suit of a cyborg and quickly begins to clear Detroit’s...

India's oilmeals export fell by 47 per cent during last month to 4.25 lakh tonnes due to lower crushing of soyabean, according to industry data. Oilmeals export stood at 7.98 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period. "Export of oilmeals is down in ...

LOHATA, India (AP) — This cluster of poor villages, long known for its colorful silk saris, now is known for something else: tuberculosis. Nearly half of Lohata's population has it — some 100,000 people — and the community's weaving tradition is part of the reason it is on the front...

>The following are some of the factors that may move German stocks:DEUTSCHE TELEKOMIndicated 0.3 percent higherShares in Sprint Corp and T-Mobile US, which is majority-owned by Deutsche Telekom, fell sharply on Thursday as investor hopes for a merger of the No. 3 and No. 4 U.S. mobile service...