News Archive - 20 March 2012

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama accused Iran on Tuesday of imposing an "electronic curtain" on its citizens and promised new U.S. steps aimed at helping to ease the Iranian people's access to the Internet and social media. Speaking directly to ordinary Iranians in a video message marking Nowruz,...

At least 39 people have been killed and over a hundred others injured in simultaneous bomb explosions in several Iraqi cities and towns ahead of the next week's Arab League summit in the capital city of Baghdad. More than 180 people were wounded during separate explosions across the Iraqi cities,...

A human rights group said the number of Palestinians slain by the Zionist regime's military rose dramatically in the past year. B'Tselem has released a 63-page report showing that a total of 105 Palestinians were killed in Zionists' attacks on the Gaza Strip while 11 others were killed by the...

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei said the Iranian nation will respond in kind to any possible attack on its soil by the US or the Zionist regime. “We do not possess a nuclear weapon and we will not build one, but we will defend ourselves against...

Eid-e- Nowruz celebrations are being started in Pakistan on Tuesday with traditional enthusiasm. Nowruz, which coincides with the first day of spring on the solar calendar, is mostly celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. The International Day of Nowruz was registered on the UNESCO...

Iranians will set their clocks forward by one hour midnight Tuesday local time (2030 GMT March 20, 2012). The official time in Iran will change once at the beginning of the Iranian calendar year and once again at the start of the second half of the year. The longer hours...

IRI President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulated all Iranians around the world Tuesday on the occasion of beginning of the new Iranian calendar year (1391). In a message published on the occasion, President Ahmadinejad said that the agenda for his government in the new Iranian year is to support national production, exports,...

Thousands of Bahrainis have attended the funeral procession of an anti-government protester killed by Saudi-backed regime forces near the capital, Manama. Bahraini demonstrators also chanted slogans against the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty and Saudi Arabia on Monday as they mourned for 27-year old Sabri Mahfud, who died one day earlier...

>* NIOC says will consider on a case-by-case basis* Iran's NITC using more of its fleet to transport crudeBy Nidhi Verma and Luke PachymuthuNEW DELHI/SINGAPORE, March 21 (Reuters) - Indian oil buyers are asking Iran to bear the insurance risk for transporting its crude as tighter Western sanctions make it...

>FUNDAMENTALS* Spot gold was little changed at $1,650.90 an ounce by 8.28 p.m. EDT.* U.S. gold edged up 0.2 percent to $1,651.* Fear of a potential slowdown in China helped boost the greenback the session before, sending gold lower, while falling oil prices...

>By Arshad Mohammed and Andrew QuinnWASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) - The United States exempted Japan and 10 EU nations from financial sanctions because they have significantly cut purchases of Iranian crude oil, but left Iran's top customers China and India exposed to the possibility of such steps.The decision announced...

>NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil dropped nearly 2 percent on Tuesday as Saudi Arabia sought to knock back crude's price rise that has threatened the global economy, with the oil minister offering the most detailed argument to date that the OPEC nation was prepared to meet any supply shortfall. Saudi...

>WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) - The Obama administration is looking for more ways to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and is encouraged by the help it is getting from Tehran's largest trading partners, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Tuesday."We are going to keep looking at ways we...

>"We do not have nuclear weapons and we will not build them but in the face of aggression from the enemies, whether from America or the Zionist regime, to defend ourselves we will attack on the same level as the enemies attack us," Khamenei said live on television."Americans are...

>WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury said it will send its top national security official to Iraq, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates this week to meet with government officials and banking representatives about international sanctions against Iran and Syria.The Treasury said on Tuesday that David...

>FUNDAMENTALS* On the New York Mercantile Exchange, May crude gained 35 cents a barrel to trade at $106.42 as of 8.11 p.m. EDT after settling down 2.3 percent at $106.07 a barrel.* Brent May crude contract gained 13 cents a barrel to $124.25.

>BEIRUT (Reuters) - Armed opposition groups in Syria have kidnapped, tortured and executed members of the security forces and supporters of President Bashar al-Assad, the New York-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday. The rights group condemned the tactics by opposition fighters, who have long accused government troops...

>* Berlin warns Israel would be detrimental to attack Iran* German budget dedicates 135 mln euros to Israeli defence (Adds background, details)BERLIN, March 20 (Reuters) - Germany said on Tuesday it will sell Israel a sixth military submarine and shoulder part of the cost, although it warned its ally that...

>* Saudi Arabia committed to making oil prices fair* Libyan exports over pre-war levels at 1.4 mln bpd in April* Chinese fuel price hike raises worries about demand growth* Coming Up: U.S. API weekly crude stocks; 2030 GMT (Recasts lead, changes prices and para 1-4)By Drazen JorgicLONDON, March...

>LONDON (Reuters) - Brent crude fell towards $124 a barrel on Tuesday as signs of increased supply from Saudi Arabia and a return to pre-war exports from Libya eased pressure on the market, while a slowdown in Chinese demand and a stronger dollar also weighed. Saudi Arabia has said it...

SINGAPORE - Oil prices rose to near US$107 a barrel Wednesday in Asia after a report showed U.S. crude supplies fell unexpectedly, a sign demand may be improving.

But why isn't there more anti-war activity from progressives? There should be. by Jay Youngdahl No matter how much we compartmentalize it or rationalize it, war is hell. Many of our citizens are fighting throughout the world, and have been involved in war for more than a decade.… [...

Elite French counter-terrorism police were closing in Wednesday to arrest a possible suspect in the murder this week of three children and a teacher at a Jewish school in the southwestern city of Toulouse, France. The suspect in the attacks was described as 24 years old, of French descent with...

GENEVA -- The global aviation industry could run up losses of more than $5 billion this year if oil prices spike more than anticipated in light of the tensions building up over Iran's nuclear program, the industry's trade group said Tuesday.

Singapore - Oil rebounded from an overnight dive in Asian trade Wednesday as data showing stronger US energy demand outweighed assurances of a supply boost by Saudi Arabia, analysts said.

The Iman, a Russian tanker ship that visited the Syrian port of Tartus, has caused quite a stir in the Western and Arab press, which is portraying it as a warship with a unit of Marines on board. So, let us try to work out what is actually going on...

This story appears in the April 9th, 2012 issue of Forbes Magazine.

Syrians are feeling the effects of civil strife and sanctions, but they say the sanctions are unlikely to be felt in any real way by Syrian President Bashar Assad and his regime any time soon.

Arab Spring? A “psychological rupture” is a more fitting term for the chaos in the Middle East, according to political analyst and London School of Economics and Political Science professor Fawaz Gerges.

The US will not impose sanctions on Japan and 10 EU nations

Yes, Shariah law is testing America. As a nation we need to pass the test. To do that, we must understand the question that Shariah poses for this nation.

Classified war games conducted by the Pentagon have sketched a scenario in which an attack by Israel on Iran's suspected nuclear facilities would lead to Tehran launching a counter-strike against a US ship in the Gulf. That in turn would drag a reluctant US into a fresh war in the...

The global aviation industry could run up losses of more than $5 billion this year if oil prices spike by more than anticipated in light of the tensions building up over Iran's nuclear program, the industry's trade group said Tuesday.

Fun and gaiety marked “Nu-rooz”, Iran's new year on Tuesday. Scores of Iranians celebrated the occasion at the Consul General Islamic Republic of Iran at Banjara Hills. As the hands on the clock r...

>* Saudi assurance to meet supply shortfall to cap gains* ANZ forecasts Brent to rise to average of $119/bbl in 2012* Coming up: U.S. EIA weekly petroleum status report; 1430 GMTBy Francis KanSINGAPORE, March 21 (Reuters) - Brent crude edged towards $125 a barrel on Wednesday, rebounding from sharp...

BakuToday: the Foreign Minister of Armenia said that the question of the return of part of the territory of Karabakh to Azerbaijan included in the overall package of the OSCE Minsk Group negotiations. This is not news, because Madrid principles have long been published.

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell is so self-serving that he accepted apparently illegal payments for speeches supporting an Iranian-dissident organization that the State Department has listed as a terrorist group since 1997.

The Thai Airways President said fuel-hedging contracts will help reduce its operation costs in spite of volatile global oil prices.

New guidebook gives fresh perspective on God’s word and eternityKansas City, KA (PRWEB) March 21, 2012 In an age of global preoccupation with the 2012 Mayan calendar, fear of Armageddon, natural catastrophe and economic meltdown, a new book brings a fresh alternative to the typical content on the apocalypse and...

Chalk up another looming casualty of the Internet age business cards.

With long-term Treasuries weakening as leading and coincident economic indicators wax buoyant, there's a ton of money that could come flooding into stocks from the sidelines.

The 6th Asian Film Awards, dubbed as the Asian “Oscars,” was held at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Center on March 19. Check out the complete list of winners! Here’s the full list of winners for the 2012 Asian Film Awards: Best Film: “A Separation” (Iran) Best Director: Asghar...

March 21 (Bloomberg) -- Robert Kaplan, chief geopolitical analyst at Stratfor Global Intelligence and previously an adviser to former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, talks about tension between Western nations and Iran over the Middle Eastern nation's nuclear ambitions.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura (pictured in 2011) said on Wednesday Japan would continue to cut its Iranian oil imports "considerably" after hailing a US decision to exempt it ...

An Auckland-based offshore company that is trading as a bank is not actually a bank, the Reserve Bank warns.

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea and the United States will hold another round of official talks "shortly" to discuss reductions in South Korea's hefty imports of Iranian oil, a source at Korean economy ministry said on Wednesday.

Heads of state and foreign ministers from 50-plus countries will gather next week in Seoul, South Korea, to discuss the threat of nuclear terrorism, a follow-up to the first “nuclear-security summit” convened two years ago in Washington by President Obama. Ironically, as the Seoul summit opens, North Korea will be...

Explosions and shootings strike cities and towns across Iraq, highlighting security weaknesses a week before the Arab League summit in Baghdad. A series of explosions and shootings struck Iraq on Tuesday, leaving scores dead and injured a week before a major Arab summit in Baghdad aimed at showcasing the nation's...

Human Rights Watch has accused some armed elements of the Syrian opposition of serious human rights abuses. The New York-based rights group said on Tuesday that the abuses include kidnapping, detention and torture of Syrian security force members.

Wired correspondent Steven Leckart and 160,000 others around the globe sign on when two professors let the public take their AI course online for free.

Smith said in a personal statement to the House that he had acted incorrectly and made an error of judgement when he wrote a letter of reference about a friend in relation to their ACC case while he was the responsible minister.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much. We are delighted to have with us today [Senior State Department Official], hereafter known as Senior State Department Official, to give you some background on some decisions that the Secretary is making with regard to ...

>TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares slipped on Wednesday as fresh concerns about China's economic slowdown dampened investors' risk appetite, which have been generally rising on a brightening outlook for the U.S. economy. Following weak closings in U.S. and European equities markets, the MSCI Asia Pacific ex-Japan index .MIAPJ0000PUS...

An energy company in the United Arab Emirates said Tuesday it is developing a terminal to receive liquefied natural gas supplies on the country's eastern coast, bypassing the strategically sensitive Strait of Hormuz.

Canada's natural resources minister told delegates at the International Energy Forum in Kuwait that his country was on the cusp of becoming an "energy superpower." Canada ranks No. 6 in terms of global oil production, but much of its crude exists in the form of oil sands.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, seeking to increase pressure on North Korea to abandon its atomic weapons, will visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on South Korea's tense border on Sunday before a nuclear security summit in Seoul. Obama's visit to the border will be a strong show of support...

TEHRAN, Iran — Tehran will retaliate against any attack by Israeli or American forces "on the same level," Iran's top leader said Tuesday in a defiant address just moments after U.S. President Barack Obama appealed directly to the Iranian people with a message of solidarity. The contrasting approaches highlighted...

Release Time:  For Immediate Release Location:  Via Conference Call 3:39 P.M. EDT         MR. VIETOR:  Thank you, guys, for getting on.  We’re doing a background call today to preview the President’s visit to Korea for the Nuclear Security Summit.  We have with us a couple of officials...

Oil Prices hit a three week high only to be rebuffed overnight by the thought of slowing in China, the possibility that Greece may need another bailout and perhaps, rising supply. Other than that we still have Iran and Syria worries in the back ground.

A US government advisory panel called Tuesday for Turkey to be put on a blacklist over religious freedom, faulting the close ally's treatment of religious groups and especially minorities.

According to the Planning Commission findings the cost of a minimum food basket escalated by 79 percent during the four years of the current government thereby fuelling malnutrition and poverty.

"Clearly it would be a shock to economies if there was a major shortage of exports of oil out of Iran, it would certainly drive up prices for a period of time," she told reporters.

U.S. firms from major drug makers to mom-and-pop outfits find new sanctions make it hard to get paid for medicines and other humanitarian goods legally exported to Iran.

An Iranian national who pleaded guilty in 2009 to plotting to ship sensitive U.S. military technology to Iran has been deported back to his home country.

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Like everyone, Iranians need diapers. Fred Harrington has built a business by selling Iran the raw materials to make them. The Redmond, Washington, businessman, who exports to Iran under a humanitarian license from the U.S. Treasury Department, says he is owed close to $3.8 million...

JERUSALEM _ Saying he wanted to reconnect with average Israelis, Defense Minister Ehud Barak has sold his posh, high-rise Tel Aviv apartment, which had been a source of public scorn in a country where voters traditionally like to see their leaders living as simply and modestly as they do. But...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Shortly after taking office, President Barack Obama set the goal of eventually ridding the world of nuclear weapons as a central theme of his presidency and pledged dramatic steps to lead the way. But after plenty of lofty rhetoric and a few steps forward, Obama is facing...

Tar Sands Debate: Politicization Dirtier Than Crude? Canada's natural resources minister told delegates at the International Energy Forum in Kuwait that his country was on the cusp of becoming an "energy superpower." Canada ranks No. 6 ...

Tehran (AFP) March 20, 2012 The leaders of Iran and the United States competed on Tuesday with sharply worded messages for the start of the Iranian new year that highlighted global tensions over Tehran's controversial nuclear programme. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned in a speech broadcast live on...

By Murray Brewster, The Canadian Press OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper will pay his respects to the victims of last year's devastating earthquake and tsunami during his trip to Asia this week, his ...

The New Directors/New Films festival offers intimations of future greatness from fledgling filmmakers, alongside occasional masterpieces.

A married pair of graphic designers from Tel Aviv, Ronny Edry and Michal Tamir, are using a Facebook Page called Israel Loves Iran to tell the Iranian people that they don’t want a war.

President Barack Obama on Sunday will make his first-ever visit to the most guarded border in the world — the Demilitarized Zone that separates North and South Korea — as he kicks off a brief trip to Seoul for a nuclear security summit, the White House announced Tuesday. Obama's stop...

TEHRAN, Iran – Tehran will retaliate against any attack by Israeli or American forces 'on the same level,' Iran's top leader said Tuesday in a defiant address just moments after U.S. President Obama appealed directly to the Iranian people with a message of solidarity.

TEL AVIV [MENL] -- India, uncertain of Western commitment, has defied international sanctions and continues to purchase crude oil from Iran. Copyrights 2008, Middle East Newsline.

A committee hearing Tuesday on the Department of Energy's use of stimulus funding kept returning to rising gas prices as Republicans hammered Secretary Steven Chu over the pain at the pump.

A potential Israeli military strike to halt Iran’s nuclear program could cause a regional war and draw the United States into the conflict, according to a simulation played out by the U.S. military.

When it comes to the American military, the leading Republican presidential candidates evidently only learned to add and multiply, never subtract or divide.

I am pleased to announce that an initial group of eleven countries has significantly reduced their volume of crude oil purchases from Iran -- Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Russia warned that Iran would have no option but to develop nuclear weapons if it came under attack from either the US or Israel over its contested atomic programme.

Your Daily Snapshot for Tuesday, March 20, 2012 What Do 20.4 Million Women Have in Common?

As the civilian death toll rises in Syria, there are increased calls to provide arms to the Syrian opposition. Turkey is well-placed to take the lead. But Ankara is thus far reluctant to send arms across the border or use its military to create humanitarian safe zones inside Syria.

The first day of spring is also the first day on the Iranian calendar, and on that day Iran celebrates the holiday of Nowruz. With families in Iran coming together today, the White House has released a video aimed at …

RAS AL KHAIMAH - Friends and authorities are on an intensive search for an Indian fisherman who went missing while returning after fishing in rough seas off Ras Al Khaimah on Sunday.

TEL AVIV, Israel, March 20 (UPI) -- Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is to sign a deal for a sixth Dolphin class submarine that will give Israel the most powerful sub fleet in the Middle East.

Striker Maranhao has scored in the last minute to give South Korean club Ulsan Hyundai a draw against FC Tokyo in the Asian Champions League.

While the stock market is taking a breather today from its marathon rally off the early-October lows, investors still remain pretty upbeat about the future. Here are six reasons for caution.

The Obama administration on Tuesday exempted 10 European Union countries and Japan from U.S. economic sanctions because they have significantly reduced their purchases of petroleum from Iran.Secretary ...

(WASHINGTON ) - The United States said Tuesday it was exempting 11 nations including European Union members and Japan from tough new sanctions on Iran, praising them for reducing dependency on Tehran's oil.

WASHINGTON, March 20 (UPI) -- U.S. President Obama and Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny met behind closed doors Tuesday to discuss Iran and Syria, but made no public statement.

By HawkinvestThe price of oil has been rising and it has been resilient even as concerns over the gl...

FREED UK TV crew say militia who captured them thought they were Israeli spies