News Archive - 21 August 2014

>* Erdogan says battle with Gulen a priority* Kurdish peace process, new constitution also a focus (Adds quotes, analyst comment, details)By Gulsen SolakerANKARA, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Turkish president-elect Tayyip Erdogan named Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as his future prime minister on Thursday and said a power struggle with a...

>MAKHMUR Iraq (Reuters) - Washington has acquired an unlikely ally in its battle against Islamic State militants in Iraq - a group of fighters it formally classifies as terrorists. The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), condemned for its three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state, says it played a decisive role...

>By Stanley CarvalhoABU DHABI Aug 21 (Reuters) - Banking group Standard Chartered is liable to legal action in the United Arab Emirates after it agreed to close some customers' UAE accounts in an anti-money laundering settlement with U.S. regulators, the UAE central bank said on Thursday.Under the settlement,...

Dr Rifaat Hussain speaks at a seminar titled ‘The regional scenario in South Asia after the withdrawal of Nato forces from Afghanistan’ organised by the Area Study Centre for Europe, University of Karachi, on Thursday.

(MENAFN - Muscat Daily) The national handball team which will take part in the 17th Asian Games in Incheon South Korea from September 17-October 4 began its preparatory camp at the...

Maples.— AFP file photo WE came across a maple on a morning walk, at its base a gaping black hole, a hollow for a heart. Some tramp made fire here. And still, the gnarled old tree grew.

VANCOUVER - Veteran midfieler Nigel Reo-Coker's departure from the Vancouver Whitecaps appears imminent. Coach Carl Robinson indicated Thursday the club is attempting to move Reo-Coker, a 30-year-old former English Premier League star who is in his second season with the Whitecaps. "There might ...

With the ongoing unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, countries including China have sensed a chance to strike back at what they see as the US's preachiness and hypocrisy on human rights. This week comments by US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf seemed to offer a new, irresistible opportunity for China's state-run...

South Korea forward Lee Dong-gook is set to earn a recall to the national team for first time in over a year for upcoming friendlies against Venezuela and Uruguay, a Korea Football Association (KFA) official said on Friday. Lee, dubbed the 'Lion King' in South Korea, has been stuck on...

DESPITE another huge offensive performance by Ranbill Tongco, the Batang Gilas squad bowed to South Korea, 87-69, and suffered their first loss in the 23rd Fiba Asia Under-18 Championships yesterday at Al-Gharafa in Doha, Quatar.

Scott Morrison's decision to release those under 10 years old is a welcome first step but still inadequate.

Do for Barbados, Antigua, Jamaica and their neighbours what is being planned for Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Mozambique and their African  neighbours. Any such plan of action should include trade and other initiatives designed to spur economic growth at a time when Barbados, the Bahamas, Dominica, Grenada and the rest...

Iran’s crude oil exports to its largest client China grew 40.6 percent in July year-on-year, Chinese customs data show.

Internet users in Cuba — the few who have access to the web, that is — can now download Google's popular browser Chrome Google announced that it made Chrome available in Cuba on Wednesday, blaming the delay on U.S. export controls and sanctions against the communist country See also:...

Every year at this time for the past decade, I put my movie ducks in a row and make a wish list of what I’d like to see – for work and pleasure – at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). It’s the biggest fest in North America that’s open...

>* U.S. rescue operation couldn't find hostages* Obama: killing of journalist "shocked the conscience"* Says U.S. will do what it must to protect citizens* Islamic State threatens the life of a second U.S. reporter* Killing said to be revenge for U.S. airstrikes in IraqBy Alexander Dziadosz...

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>INTERNATIONAL/REGIONAL* GLOBAL MARKETS-Asia shares slip as China disappoints, Japan bucks trend* Brent edges down to $102, near 14-month low, on China concerns* Gold extends losing streak; near 2-week low on strong dollar* MIDEAST STOCKS-Banks lift Saudi to 6-year high; Suez project cheers Egypt* Obama unlikely to deepen Iraq military involvement,...

>* Syria escalates fight as Islamic State seizes more territory, weapons* Western officials dismiss possibility of rapprochement* Assad not expecting rapid Western U-turn, thinks long-term* Obama administration official says Assad is part of the problemBy Tom PerryBEIRUT, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Syria is wagering that Islamic State's push to reshape...

>* China Jan-July imports from Iran at 617,670 bpd, up 47 pct (Adds detail on imports and background)By Adam RoseBEIJING, Aug 21 (Reuters) - China's crude imports from Iran expanded 40.6 percent in July from a year ago, customs data showed on Thursday, as Tehran's largest oil client stayed...