News Archive - 17 February 2012

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and European Union Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton told reporters that Iran's recent letter to Ashton mark a step forward. "We think this is an important step and we welcome the letter," Clinton said in a joint meeting with Ashton. She stressed that the...

IRI Foreign Ministry spokesman on Friday rejecting remarks by French president on military nature of Iran’s transparent, peaceful nuclear activities, evaluated them as politically motivated, baseless, and repetitious. Ramin Mehmanparast said, “Such remarks are made ignoring the continuous and close cooperation of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the International...

German President Christian Wulff has announced his resignation following a series of financial scandals and allegations of graft. In a televised statement on Friday, Wulff, 52, explained that the country deserves "a president that enjoys the trust of not only a majority, but a broad majority of citizens". “I am ...

Western threats against Islamic Republic, including sanctions, will boost Iranian nation's resistance against enemy, Tehran's provisional Friday prayer leader, Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani said Friday. “People care about enemy plots to break their national unity and to decrease their participation in the upcoming parliamentarian election (2012, March 2),” he said.

Iran's Greco-Roman team won the title of the Asian Wrestling Championship in South Korea for the eighth time on Friday. The Iranian team, which had snatched three gold medals, a silver as well as a bronze, earned the first title of the competition. In the 96kg class, Davoud Gil Nirang...

Saudi Arabian security forces are said to have detained more anti-regime demonstrators in the kingdom’s Eastern Province amid the government’s ongoing crackdown on the country’s popular uprising. The forces reportedly patrolled the streets in the province’s city of Safwa on Thursday and abducted young men at random, activists said. Meanwhile,...

IRI's Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, said on Friday that the US is to paralyse world economic system. He made the remarks in a meeting with Bushehri university students and scholars. Mehmanparast said the US came to the conclusion that the continuation of current situation within next 10 to 15...

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah says the United States, the Zionist regime, and some Arab states, as well as al-Qaeda, seek to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to Press TV. “There is an Arab, Western, American, and Israeli insistence that there is no solution in Syria except toppling...

>AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces, disregarding U.N. condemnation, renewed their bombardment of the opposition stronghold of Homs as a Chinese minister arrived for talks with embattled President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday. Demonstrations against Assad were reported by activists in cities across Syria, including the capital Damascus and the...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Gasoline prices jumped in January, leading overall consumer prices higher and offering a reminder of the risks energy costs pose to the economic recovery. Despite the warning signal, overall consumer prices rose just 0.2 percent, the Labor Department said on Friday, which is unlikely to ring...

>ANKARA (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the Western alliance had no intention of intervening in Syria even in the event of a U.N. mandate to protect civilians, and urged Middle East countries to find a way to end the spiraling violence. Rasmussen told Reuters Friday he...

>By John KempLONDON Feb 17 (Reuters) - Businesses and consumers across the EU are starting to pay a financial penalty for the bloc's decision to ban crude oil imports from Iran.Near record prices for crude oil in sterling and euro are compounding the misery many firms and households were...

>BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Belgium-based SWIFT, which provides banks with a system for moving funds around the world, bowed to international pressure on Friday and said it was ready to block Iranian banks from using its network to transfer money. Expelling Iranian banks from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication...

>ISLAMABAD Feb 17 (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, accused by the West of pursuing a nuclear weapons programme, said in Pakistan on Friday foreign nations were determined to dominate the region and this should not be allowed."There are countries that are determined to dominate our region. And they...

>Concerns about potential supply disruptions and optimism over Greece has made oil a star performer this week, with U.S. crude eyeing its biggest weekly gain since late December and Brent headed for its fourth consecutive weekly rise.North Sea Brent slipped 6 cents to $120.05 by 1007 GMT.

Peter Schick loved working for the city of Detroit because it involved serving the public. "He was primarily interested in helping people," said his son, Tim. "He really believed in making local government work for the benefit of people who paid the taxes."

Gasoline prices in Hawaii have been going up, with the highest spike in Honolulu. According to the AAA's Fuel Gauge Report...

NGO’s urge U.S. government not to cave to industry pressure By Summit Voice SUMMIT COUNTY — The political war over the European Union’s carbon cap-and-trade plan for airlines is set to continue next week in Moscow at an international trade conference. U.S. airlines unhappy with the plan have...

>CARACAS/GENEVA (Reuters) - The government of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez is emerging as a rare supplier of diesel to Syria, potentially undermining Western sanctions and helping the Syrian government fuel its military in the middle of a bloody crackdown on civilian protests. A cargo of diesel, which can be used to...

Iran's nuclear ambitions could plunge the world into "a new Cold War" with the Middle East, Foreign Secretary William Hague has warned. Related Stories Student jailed for Facebook hacking PM to hold meeting on NHS reforms £1m payout to child asylum seekers Final farewell to singer Whitney Dame Judi reveals...

The consumer price index rose 0.2 percent, below the expected 0.3 percent, according to the January consumer price index report from the Labor Department which could be suggesting a strengthening of the economic recovery.

The US President Mr Barack Obama’s National Security Advisor, Mr Tom Donilon, is travelling to Israel to discuss with Israeli officials the issues related to Iran and Syria in particular, the White House has said.

This article was reported and written before Mr. Shadid's death in Syria .

Lugging clothes, tables and whatever else they could carry, roughly 400 members of an Iranian exile group reluctantly moved Saturday from their camp in northwestern Iraq to a deserted military base outside the capital in what they called a show of good faith that they eventually will be allowed to...

>Iran says its uranium enrichment programme is purely for civilian purposes, but Western powers suspect Tehran is trying to develop the ability to produce nuclear weapons.Western powers have been pressing Tehran to hold substantive talks on its nuclear programme and want it to halt its uranium enrichment, but Iran...

DAMASCUS, February 18, 2012 (AFP) -- Embattled Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's forces unleashed their heaviest pounding yet of the central protest city of Homs, monitors said, as thousands rallied for his ouster.

Pakistan , Afghanistan and Iran agreed here on Friday “not to allow any threat emanating from their respective territories against each other and commence trilateral consultations on an agreement in this regard”.

Sensing that he's on the verge of a game-changing primary victory, Rick Santorum told a huge crowd in Shelby Township Friday that "Michigan can set this race on its ear."

Becoming a seafarer was not Lino Jintula's dream. He actually wanted to become a priest and serve God. But the need to bring his family out of poverty forced him to abandon that dream and instead pursue a career as a seaman.

Shelling is continuing in the Syrian city of Homs as the UN calls for Bashar al-Assad to step down.

New York, Feb 17 2012 1:10PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on all countries to press ahead toward realizing the vision of a nuclear-weapon-free world, and especially on those who have not yet endorsed the global treaty that bans nuclear tests to do ...

A financial clearing house used by virtually every country and major corporation in the world has agreed to shut out Iran from its respected network, in an unprecedented escalation of global economic pressure to halt its suspected nuclear weapons drive.

Read the full transcript below.

Former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt plans to sell up to 2.4 million shares of stock currently worth nearly 1.5 billion dollars (£949m). Related Stories Research chief faces fraud charge Football federation to sue Warner Terror suspect held near Capitol Hague fears 'new Cold War' on Iran 'Capitol...

WASHINGTON - A group of senators warned President Barack Obama Friday that they would strongly oppose any proposal in talks with Iran that would allow it to continue uranium enrichment activities.

A Moroccan man who believed he was working with al Qaida has been arrested near the US Capitol as he planned to detonate a "suicide vest", given to him by undercover officers. Related Stories Research chief faces fraud charge Football federation to sue Warner Terror suspect held near Capitol Hague...

> Markets Funds News ETFs News Basic Materials Energy Financials Industrials Related Quotes and News Company Price Related News...

The UK government has paid out STG2 million over the detention of 40 child asylum seekers, some of whom were survivors of torture in their home countries.

Sensing that he’s on the verge of a game-changing primary victory, Rick Santorum told a huge crowd in Shelby Township today that “Michigan can set this race on its ear.”

BEIRUT/CAIRO, Feb 17 (Reuters) A year into the revolt against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian National Council has emerged as the international voice of the uprising -- it just can't seem to lead it.

Turkey, which borders Iran, has radar system operating on its territory as part of NATO's missile defense system

CALLS for aggressive intervention in Syria are growing as the country slides further into civil war. The shrillest are from the Republican right, joined this week by Israel’s foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman. The same people are pushing for confrontation with Iran.

Earlier we brought you our animated editor's Q & A with star Norwegian handballer Mia Hundvin. Well when he was in Oslo for the World Snowboarding Championships, Ryan also spoke with Cherie Lily, musician, former competitive snowboarder, trainer and wife of the hard-rocking, hard-partying Andrew W.K. Since W.K.

Anthony Shadid, foreign correspondent for the New York Times, died reportedly from a asthma attack Thursday while on assignment in Syria. The Pulitzer-prize winning journalist was interviewed on camera with his wife and fellow Times reporter Nada Bakri by Charlie Rose in December 2009.

Why protest the nuclear summit? Seoul will host the second Nuclear Security Summit March 26-67, with the heads of 50 states and four major international organizations to attend.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's top security aide will visit Israel for two days of talks on regional issues including Syria and Iran, the White House said on Friday. National security adviser Tom Donilon's trip from Saturday through Monday comes amid tensions over Iran's nuclear program, which the West...

William Hague's aides speak in reverential tones of his remarkable stamina. "He's like the Duracell bunny, he never stops," says one.

This will likely be my last post from MB Wealth as I have chose to close my brokerage. I am in the final stages of a new employment contract with a large Commodity firm in Chicago. This is goodbye temporarily but I will be back in the coming weeks. Please...

Republican GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum says if Israel goes into Iran to take out their nuclear facilities, the United States would have to lend some help. Fox 2's Tim Skubick sat down with Santorum while he was in Detroit.

DANBURY -- While the economic recovery may be improving, a noted area economist said Friday that there are several factors that could impede continued growth.

Warnings of war or imminent apocalypse over Iran's nuclear program have never been so strident, but experts say a nuclear-powered Iran wouldn't be as dire as many fear.

Oil prices struck a nine-month high in New York Friday, driven by simmering geopolitical tensions over key crude producer Iran and optimism the Greek debt crisis can be resolved, traders said.

BRUSSELS — An international banking clearinghouse crucial to Iran’s oil sales says it is prepared to discontinue services to Iranian financial institutions targeted by EU and U.S. sanctions.

Prices for wheat, corn and soybeans rose Friday on worries that bad weather may have damaged crops in Europe and South America. Investors speculated that demand for all three crops will improve. Wheat prices rose 2.4 percent, while corn and soybeans were up nearly 1 percent.

Oil prices are climbing to the highest level in a month on expectations that supplies will tighten this Spring.

When President Obama rejected building the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to refineries as far as the Gulf Coast, he acted contrary to his claims that he wants job growth and energy independence.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - As their nations warn of war, the Israeli and Iranian directors facing off at next week's Academy Awards share a reluctance to see politics read into their movies, both of which...

Business leaders are cautioning that international trade and investment could be hurt after Thailand was named as a "high risk" country by the Financial Action Task Force.

For more than 200 years, for instance, music has soothed both the savage breast and the savage beast

Iran is the third-largest exporter of crude oil in the world, behind Saudi Arabia and Russia . Its economy relies heavily on oil exports. Recent Western sanctions have targeted Iran’s oil industry in hopes of pressuring Tehran to address international concerns about its nuclear program.  However, the effect of the...

Crude oil recently entered into a period of seasonal strength. What are prospects this year?

PARIS (Reuters) - France and Britain agreed on Friday to jointly work to develop next-generation unmanned drones as part of their military cooperation as their leaders reconciled after an acrimonious clash over Europe last year. President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister David Cameron appeared to lay to rest their dispute...

BANGKOK (AP) - Unwinding at a beach town with bar girls came first. Building bombs was allegedly for later. The three Iranians detained in Bangkok and accused of plotting to attack Israeli diplomats set priorities during their trip to Thailand.

WASHINGTON — The government is worried that Iran will consider a terror attack on American soil, but it has no specific or credible threat about such a plot. Police from Los Angeles to New York City said they were anxious about the risks, even as a senior U.S. intelligence...

Police investigators believe two other suspects may have been involved in the bomb blasts that shook Sukhumvit Soi 71 on Tuesday.

>* Upbeat mood on Greece ahead of Monday meeting* Overbought signals pressure Brent (Updates prices, volumes, Brent premium and adds byline)By Gene RamosNEW YORK, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Brent crude oil edged lower as investors booked profits on Friday after gaining for four straight days and hitting overbought conditions as...

ISLAMABAD _ Afghan leaders have not clearly defined what role they wanted Pakistan to play in nascent peace talks with the Afghan Taliban and any expectations that Islamabad could deliver the insurgents' leader to the negotiating table were "preposterous," Pakistan's foreign minister declared Friday. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar's remarks...

On Feb. 17, 1972, President Richard Nixon departed on his historic trip to China, where he met with Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai in an attempt to normalize relations between the two countries.

Two Iranian naval ships have sailed through Egypt's Suez Canal into the Mediterranean, in a move likely to be keenly watched by Israel.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping visited the United States this week, stopping in Iowa, one of the United States' top corn, soybean and hog producing states. Xi is expected to become the next leader of China, making his visit even more meaningful as it sets the stage for years to come.

MILAN : European milling wheat futures rose on Friday as hopes Greece will clinch a long-awaited bailout deal heartened investors and as a report Ukraine will limit wheat exports for the rest of the season added some fundamental support.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) is applauding Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-PA) and others who introduced a resolution into the U.S. House of Representatives today condemning Iran for violating the human and religious...

European Union (EU) Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton has welcomed the letter from Iran indicating Tehran’s readiness to resume talks with the major world powers over its nuclear program.

A small group of countries wants to effectively secure a veto over any global Arms Trade Treaty, while others are attempting to water down human rights safeguards. February 17, 2012 International Leaders currently seeking a veto over an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) must stop playing chess with millions of innocent...

TEHRAN, Feb. 15 (MNA) – The Iranian ambassador to Italy has said that the number of customers for Iran’s oil has increased.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and European Union expressed cautious optimism on Friday over prospects that Iran may be willing to engage major powers in new talks, but underscored any new negotiations must be sustained and focus on the nuclear issue. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and European Union...

TORONTO (Reuters) - Toronto's main stock index was lower at midday on Friday as earnings-related drops in gold-mining and financial shares offset optimism that Greece will seal a long-awaited bailout deal next week and avoid a messy debt default. Soft earnings from Canada's top gold miners this week dragged on...

Reports say Karzai's demand that Taliban chief be delivered to the negotiating table was dismissed as "preposterous". After two days of high-level talks with Iran and Pakistan, Afghanistan has failed to gain Pakistani support for its bid to advance its peace process with Taliban fighters.

(WASHINGTON ) - EU Foreign Policy chief Cathy Ashton said Friday she is "cautious and optimistic" about the prospect for Iran to return to nuclear talks with world powers, following a letter she received from Tehran.

The United States and European Union on Friday expressed cautious optimism that Iran is serious about returning to talks with world powers over its nuclear program.

Kaid Al-Dhahab, seems to be grooming himself as the new leader of Al-Qaeda after his brother Tariq was killed in clashes with a senior brother over ruling their areas, said a local tribal leader on Thursday.

Islamabad, Feb 17 : Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari Friday denied that his country's military had played a double game in the 10-year war in Afghanistan, but admitted that private citizens may be involved.

MALE (AFP) - Ousted Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed welcomed on Friday an Indian-brokered deal to enable early elections on the troubled islands as hundreds of supporters massed ahead of a rally in the capital. Related Stories Blow for Merkel as scandal-hit German president resigns Nuclear bomb cannot bring superiority: Iran...

Syrian troops intensively shelled rebel-held neighborhoods in the restive central city of Homs Friday and killed at least five people, activists said. Britain and France urged the opposition to unite and said it needs more international support to resist the deadly government crackdown.

Washington Post writer David Ignatius said Friday that his recent much-publicized column in which he revealed that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta believes Israel is likely to attack Iranian nuclear facilities this spring still reflects the Israeli timeline.

(02-17) 07:16 PST BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- An international banking clearinghouse crucial to Iran's oil sales says it is prepared to discontinue services to Iranian financial institutions targeted by EU and U.S....

PARIS (AFP) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron put recent disputes behind them on Friday to unveil a nuclear power deal and renew their own sometimes shaky political alliance. Related Stories Blow for Merkel as scandal-hit German president resigns Nuclear bomb cannot bring superiority: Iran...

It's a mantra of Vladimir Putin's presidential campaign: The United States is working to weaken Russia and push it back into the chaos that followed the Soviet collapse.

WASHINGTON - A Israeli bombing attack might set back Iran's nuclear development program by one to two years, America's...

Newt Gingrich wrapped up a four-day campaign swing in California on Thursday with stops in Koreatown and a Jewish-American fundraiser. Gingrich was raising money, but he was also preparing for a possible showdown in the Golden State's June primary.

LONDON (AFP) - Media mogul Rupert Murdoch threw his weight on Friday behind his beleaguered tabloid The Sun by announcing he would launch a Sunday edition of the paper. Related Stories Blow for Merkel as scandal-hit German president resigns Nuclear bomb cannot bring superiority: Iran US immigration agent killed in...

Pakistan's president vowed to continue with a proposed pipeline project with Iran despite American warnings of sanctions, saying Islamabad's relations with Tehran would not "be undermined by international pressure of...