News Archive - 1 February 2015

>India has asked its refiners to slash oil purchases from Iran in the February-March period to keep imports at the previous fiscal year's levels and avoid the risk of contravening sanctions targeting Tehran's disputed nuclear programme, sources said last month.MRPL, a major Indian client of Iran, bought 1 million...

“Hell no, you can’t!,” shouted Speaker of the House John Boehner concerning Obama. You remember Boehner, he’s the guy who handed out tobacco lobby checks on the floor of the House of Representatives. To me, that is disqualifying as an elected official, yet these people call it business as...

Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world.

Arab anger! Imam sparks outrage by rejoicing at Saudi king's death The controversial imam rejoiced over the death of the late Saudi king. (Photo: AFP)

Get Over 40 Email Bulletins on MENA Countries & Sectors. Track the Latest News, Research or Analysis with My Zawya. Access Time-Saving Tools & Productivity Enhancing Services.

Amid the ritual expressions of regret and the pledges of “never again” on last Tuesday’s 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, a bitter irony was noted: Anti-Semitism has returned to Europe. With a vengeance. It has become routine.

Filling up at the gas station has been a much more pleasant experience for Americans since last fall. Regular gas is now less than $2 a gallon in many states, down from around $3.30 just a year ago.

Amid intensifying clashes between Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Israeli military, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday criticized the United Nations for failing to prevent the escalation of violence in the region, according to media reports . Netanyahu reportedly made the comments during a conversation with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon...

Lyly Mendez, a former Rams cheerleader, died of cancer at 40

"Keep the circus going inside you, keep it going, don’t take anything too seriously, it’ll all work out in the end." Such was a quote once made by well-known English actor and novelist David …

In a session more symbolic than significant, about half of the United Nations’ General Assembly members gathered last month to denounce “an alarming outbreak of ...

Could a cash-starved Argentina have negotiated with Iran? CNN's Shasta Darlington takes a closer look at the economic scenario.

Sen. Bob Menendez lost the chairmanship of the Foreign Relations Committee when Republicans took control of the Senate last year. However, his maneuvering on Iran sanctions last week shows he remains a force on international issues.

Akbar Ganji Dissident Iranian journalist; Intl. Press Association World Press Freedom Hero World Post 01/27/2015 Introduction Extremist Islamic groups such as ISIS, Boko Haram, al-Qaeda and the al-Nusra Front in Syria, have transformed the holy Quran into a manifesto for war, terrorism and bloodshed. These groups use the most modern...

Shailesh Dash, founder and CEO of Al-Masah Capital Ltd. Saudi Arabia has around $700 billion in reserves, enough to continue spending at its current rate and oil prices for years to come, says Shailesh Dash, founder and CEO of Al-Masah Capital Ltd. (AMCL).

Aa the self-ascribed Islamic State (IS) continues to murder as many people as possible and idiots with automatic weapons try to wipe out journalists who “hurt their feelings,” a trend is emerging to lay the blame for all the world’s wills on Saudi Arabia.

This image, taken by Expedition 41 aboard the International Space Station, looks like the fine artwork of some extra-terrestrial, but it's actually decades old scarred earth and entrenchments of warfare along the Iraq/Iran border. Read more...

Ever since John Boehner announced Benjamin Netanyahu would be addressing Congress, Obama officials have been screaming how the GOP House leader and the Israeli prime minister have spit in their...

For the first time in decades, this suggestion does not seem as ludicrous as it previously might have; for example, Riaz Hussain Pirzada’s recent comments in which he criticised Saudi Arabia for “promoting its ideology” at the expense of stability in the Muslim world hinted at a growing capacity to...

ian court on Saturday banned al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas as "a terrorist organization."

I can still vividly remember your first words on been elected as the Pope namely "I'am a Pope of the poor for the poor".

What do Iran, the U.S. and Cuba have in common? These nations, and others, are censoring music. The power of music was the focus of the annual Freemuse conference in Istanbul last month.

The state of U.S.-Israel relations and the field of Republican candidates for the 2016 presidential race were topics of debate on the Sunday morning talk shows. Here are five noteworthy quotes.

Will the case of Argentina?s worst terrorist attack ? and the death of its top investigator ? ever be solved?

An off-road motorcycle named after the Ténéré desert in Sahara is a rare sight inside the Office of the Commissioner of Police in Vepery.And so is the man who rode it all the way from Freibu...

WHENEVER Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approaches a general election, it’s a safe bet that his administration will fan conflict with the Palestinians and with neighbouring states to frighten Israelis into believing that they face an existential threat.

Five former US intelligence officials confirm that CIA was involved in killing of Lebanese militant leader.

Hector Timerman talked to NPR about the possible role of Iran in a bombing attack on a Jewish center in 1994, the conspiracy theories gripping his country and why he negotiated secretly with Iran.

Fifty years ago was the dawn of the pure jet age for domestic travellers in Australia, with the arrival of the 131-seat Boeing 727.

A plea to sports TV and internet bosses: please find a way of getting Lydia Ko in front of a large New Zealand audience, even if it is only in small but well-targeted doses.Ko is a truly amazing, history-making story, but a disappointing...

Cancellations in Chicago and elsewhere have affected dozens of flights at Lambert.

SERI ISKANDAR: Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) was the overall champion of the 3rd Chem-E Car Competition 2014, held in Surabaya, Indonesia.

Mr. Cohen is leaving his post to assume the No. 2 spot at the Central Intelligence Agency, where he’ll continue to spearhead U.S. efforts to contain Iran, Russia, North Korea and other American adversaries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused United Nations peacekeepers on Sunday of failing to enforce a resolution barring Hezbollah guerrillas from smuggling weapons into Lebanon. In a phone call with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Netanyahu blamed Iran, Hezbollah's main sponsor, for Wednesday's flare-up that killed two Israeli soldiers and...

Hezbollah installations are dug in across the border from Israel directly in front of UNIFIL installations; proudly flying the yellow Hezbollah flag and daring Israel to shoot at them and risk hitting the UN troops.

The Post?s editor said the treatment of Jason Rezaian ?deserves the world?s condemnation.?

Today is Sunday, Feb. 1, the 32nd day of 2015. There are 333 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Feb. 1, 1865, during th…

Muslim residents of Japan on Sunday expressed their condolences for the murder of journalist Kenji Goto and said they were angry about the Islamic State group’s actions.

World Wetlands Day is celebrated throughout the world today, marking the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (known as the Ramsar Convention) in Ramsar, Iran, on February 2, 1971.

Six years after taking office amid a deep economic recession, President Barack Obama is looking back on his successes with a smile. Promote to Mobile 0 read more

"The others were easier because they could not run very fast." The fighter from the People's Protection Units (YPG) says he shot the IS combattants in the final hours of last Monday's battle that drove the jihadists out of Kobane after more than four months of fighting. Speaking in...

Senator Menendez was caught on camera at the State of the Union looking less than enthusiastic when the president vowed to veto the Senator's proposed Iran sanctions should they reach his desk. So bummed was the senator that he...

The last time Ali Rezaian spoke to his brother Jason in Iran, they discussed logistics about an upcoming return trip to the U.S.

Sydney, Feb 1: Following 32 matches, 85 goals, inspired individual performances and impressive team showings, Australia's first taste of hosting the Asian Cup football has proved a massive success.Across five cities on Australia's east coast, bumper crowds were treated to a

In a football world increasingly characterised by greed within and cynicism without, Australia's Asian Cup victory was an important triumph for optimism and ideals, on and off the pitch.

Today is Sunday, Feb. 1, the 32nd day of 2015. There are 333 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: read more

Iran's hardline former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday launched his official website, in a possible return to the political scene a year before legislative elections. The site Ahmadinejad.ir, showing Ahmadinejad with a big smile, was launched at the same time as a Google+ page for the two-time former president...

Sorry, but your browser needs Javascript to use this site. Muslim residents of Japan on Sunday expressed their condolences for the murder of journalist Kenji Goto and said they were angry about the Islamic State group’s actions.

February 1, 2015: Saudi Arabia is suddenly very alarmed at the vulnerability of their long borders with Iraq and Yemen. For generations the main border problem was smugglers. Since the 1990s the smugglers have been joined by huge numbers of people trying to enter Saudi Arabia illegally.