News Archive - 20 July 2014

>* New European sanctions on Russia may heighten oil risk premium* Iran faces pressure as nuclear deal lapsesBy Jacob Gronholt-PedersenSINGAPORE, July 21 (Reuters) - Brent crude held steady above $107 a barrel on Monday with investors closely watching an intensifying geopolitical crisis between Moscow and the West over the downing...

>VIENNA, July 20 (Reuters) - Iran has moved to eliminate its most sensitive stockpile of enriched uranium gas under an interim nuclear deal with six world powers reached last year, according to a monthly U.N. nuclear watchdog update obtained by Reuters on Sunday.The report by the International Atomic...

>BRUSSELS (Reuters) - If "Europe's Got Talent" were a television show, it would have been taken off the screen years ago as a slow-motion contest rigged to reward mediocrity. Few things make the European Union look less attractive to its citizens and the wider world than the secretive process of...

>VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran faced Western pressure on Saturday to make concessions over its atomic activities after it and six world powers failed to meet a July 20 deadline for a deal to end the decade-old dispute but agreed to keep talking. The countries agreed to extend the high-stakes negotiations...

The UNC’s youth arm has accused PNM senator Faris Al Rawi of misusing his heritage for political gain when he made statements on his Muslim heritage last week. This followed an argument with Attorney General Anand Ramlogan in the Senate.

Twelve players won our hearts competing at the FIBA Asia Championships that happened throughout eleven days in August of 2013 at the Mall of Asia Arena. They won the silver medal, not the gold, but in doing so, they clinched for the Philippines a slot in the FIBA World Cup...

Osama bin Laden’s assault rifle. A singed al-Qaeda training manual. A desiccated rat corpse designed to pass secret messages. A letter from an American operative on a sheet of Adolf Hitler’s personal stationery. And a remote-controlled robotic dragonfly that may be the ancestor of today’s drones.

Iranian national computer team has achieved the sixth place in the 26th International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) held in Taiwan.

>INTERNATIONAL/REGIONAL* GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian stocks edge higher, upbeat on US earnings* U.S. crude eases; risk premium intact on Ukraine, Gaza* Gold holds above $1,300, geopolitical risks eyed* MIDEAST STOCKS-Dubai tumbles on Arabtec; Saudi Q2 earnings disappoint* Hamas says Israeli soldier captured; Gaza death toll jumps* UN, Qatar condemn Gaza killings,...

The level of North Korea's cyberaggression towards South Korea has no parallel, a US security expert said, underscoring the need for the South to dedicate sufficient resources to enhancing its cybersecurity. Martin Libicki, senior management scientist at the US think tank RAND Corporation, also rated Pyongyang's cyberwarfare capabilities as being...

COMMENT: The sooner we accept the country is dead, the sooner we can move on.

Hamilton Police Officers were called to the 700 block of East Ave, on a report of a shooting this afternoon.

Montgomery Police Investigating Life Threatening Shooting

Palestinian Beisan Dhahir, 7, sleeps at Shifa hospital in Gaza City, late Sunday, July 20, 2014. Beisan's home was shelled and collapsed by Israel’s military operation in Shijaiyah in the Gaza Strip. She survived the ordeal with her aunt and uncle.

With the 2014 World Cup now something of the past, national men’s team head coach Stephen Hart is focused on preparing his team for the Caribbean Cup qualification which will see T&T entering competition at the semi-final round which will be hosted here in October.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has every opportunity to bring the MH17 crash case to justice but it is vital to obtain evidence as to what type of missile was used to shoot the Malaysia Airlines plane and other facts too be uncovered first, said legal experts today.

President Obama has been criticized for "leading from behind" on foreign policy. Secretary of State John Kerry counters that the US is heavily engaged around the world and to great effect, an assertion critics scoff at.

UN nuclear agency says Iran has converted its 20-percent enriched stockpile as per agreement with major powers.

Former U.S. ambassador Christopher Hill highlights the nuclear negotiations with Iran.

Asian equity markets are expected to rise on Monday but the mood is likely to be cautious as traders monitor geopolitical tensions.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has every opportunity to bring the MH17 crash case to justice but it is vital to obtain evidence as to what type of missile was used to shoot the Malaysia Airlines plane and other facts too be uncovered first, said legal experts yesterday.

Random Thoughts and Opinions: Real World Ramifications.

New Delhi, July 20: Flight tracking data have called into question the claims of Air India and Jet Airways on when they began skirting flight paths over Ukraine.

Close on the heels of the recently concluded $400-billion mega gas pipeline deal between Russia and China, Moscow wants to work on a pipeline to India “through the Himalayas” that could become the...

Exclusive: The U.S. media’s Ukraine bias has been obvious, siding with the Kiev regime and bashing ethnic Russian rebels and Russia’s President Putin. But now – with the scramble to blame Putin for the Malaysia Airlines shoot-down – the shoddy journalism has grown truly dangerous, says Robert Parry.

Iran and five world powers agreed last week to extend by four months a deadline for reaching a final deal aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb. But a yawning gulf still has to be bridged. 

Iran will continue to allow intrusive inspections and receive minor relief from sanctions.                

The mayor of Tehran has defended his move to segregate male and female workers in city offices, saying: ";We have religious honour and will not permit women to socialize and have contact with men other than their husbands.";

A gathering was held to mark the fifth anniversary of the victims of the Kahrizak Detention Centre, with families and activists calling for a follow-up into the deaths of the detainees in custody.

With the rumored extension of the negotiations in Vienna on Iran's nuclear program hanging in the air, a group of legislators and right-wing thinkers gathered on Capitol Hill on Friday to talk about what they believe a comprehensive deal with Iran should entail. -Derek Davison

Geopolitical observers of the Middle East turbulence tend to blame the raging chaos in the area on the presumed failure of the ";incoherent,"; ";illogical"; or ";contradictory"; policies of the United States. Irrefutable evidence (some of which presented in this study) suggests, however, that in fact the chaos represents the success,...

Iran's national basketball team has defeated Chinese Taipei to win the final match of the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup held at Wuhan, China. Iranian basketball players hammered the Chinese Taipei 89-79 in the match held at the Wuhan Gymnasium on Saturday, claiming their second Asian Cup.

Iran's volleyball team has failed to reach the FIVB World League's final match after being defeated by the American team in three straight sets. On Saturday, Iran lost its first ever semifinal match at a world tournament to the US team 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-16).

Hamas would have been damned if it accepted the Egypt-sponsored ceasefire and damned if it did not.

KOTA BAHARU, July 20 (Bernama) -- The Kelantan Football Association (KAFA) will tighten its selection criteria for foreign players following a below par performance by those signed this season.

US President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping discussed in a telephone conversation Monday the possibilities of US-China cooperation in the ongoing nuclear talks between Iran and six world mediators, the White House said.

COMMENT: There are many worthy contenders for the accolade after a season in which the prizes were shared around, making this the closest race for the award yet

Obama has turned out to be a softie President. He is less audacious with his Hope. His soft diplomacy has failed him in Israel, Palestine, Syria, Iran and North Korea. He will finish last because his diplomatic approach. It will be a tough job for the next US President who...

*The monstrous downing of a Malaysian jet liner apparently by Russian backed separatists in the Ukraine did something that few thought could happen. It has gotten GOP leaders momentarily to agree with President Obama when he pointed the finger squarely at Russia for the horrific attack. But don’t expect the...

Thousands of residents were pouring out of the area in mass flight as the main hospital was in chaos.

— Howard Baker's question sliced to the core of Watergate: 'What did the president know and when did he know it?'