News Archive - 16 April 2012

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Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned Saudi ambassador to Tehran Monday to protest to bad conditions of Iranian citizens imprisoned in Saudi city of Dammam. Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary and Iranian Citizens Abroad Affairs Hassan Ghashghavi in his meeting with the Saudi ambassador called for the immediate explanation of Saudi...

European Union’s Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton said that Iran and the Group 5+1 (five permanent members of UN Security Council plus Germany) held nuclear talks in a positive atmosphere in the Turkish resort city of Istanbul. “Our main aim was to see whether we could move towards a sustainable...

The volume of Iran's foreign trade increased 45 percent in the last month of the previous Iranian calendar year (February 20-March 19, 2012) compared to a month before. According to the latest report issued by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration, the total volume of Iran's foreign trade during...

Afghanistan said its forces regained control of Kabul Monday after killing Taliban militants -- some disguised as women in burqas -- who launched one of the biggest attacks on the capital in a decade of war. A total of 47 people were killed and some 65 wounded in Kabul and...

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has described the latest round of talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) in the Turkish city of Istanbul as constructive. "Yesterday’s meeting between Iran and the P5+1 was held in a constructive and respectful atmosphere… the sides...

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Sunday that working in line with people's demands satisfies Almighty God. In a meeting with senior officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Police, the Leader said that if officials managed to bring peace to the hearts of people...

IRI Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi says the Islamic Republic of Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, the P5+1 group, have reached a common understanding. Salehi made the remarks during a televised interview late on Sunday night, noting that the West has come to...

The Islamic Republic of Iran has seriously condemned the multiple terrorist attacks launched by the Taliban militants in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul and three other cities. “The Islamic Republic of Iran denounces the recent terrorist attacks in Afghanistan’s capital and other cities, particularly the assaults on the political missions and diplomatic...

Iran has expressed deep concerns about the rapid deterioration in relations between Sudan and South Sudan and the escalation of violence unfolding around the two African neighbors’ border areas. IRI Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said on Sunday that Iran fully monitors the developments in the region, and calls on...

>Iran's foreign minister was quoted earlier as saying his country was ready to resolve all nuclear issues in the next round of talks with world powers if the West starts lifting sanctions.It was unclear whether Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi was suggesting that sanctions be lifted before Iran...

* Seaway pipeline reversal to begin May 17 * Spanish 10-year bond yields top 6 pct * Speculators cut net long positions - CFTC data * Iran talks trim geopolitical risk premium (Recasts, updates market ...

>"If the West wants to take confidence-building measures it should start in the field of sanctions because this action can speed up the process of negotiations reaching results," Salehi said."If there is goodwill, one can pass through this process very easily and we are ready to resolve all issues...

>SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Brent crude fell below $120 on Monday as growing worries about the global economy from Europe to China, the world's No. 2 oil consumer, reinforced concerns about slowing demand for petroleum. But the slide in crude prices was stemmed by lingering concerns that western sanctions could further...

MIDDLETOWN — If Connecticut’s presidential primary were held last Friday night, Middletown Republicans would overwhelmingly support Mitt Romney, according to the results of a straw poll held Friday at the Elks Lodge.

CHICAGO (AP) — The U.S. men's and women's soccer teams are going to red and white horizontal stripes for their home jerseys. The U.S. Soccer Federation announced the change Monday, saying the jerseys will have blue collars and are inspired by the American flag.

(MENAFN - Khaleej Times) The timing of the recent visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the UAE island of Abu Musa, occupied by Iran since 1971, has to be seen in its wider context, as ...

(MENAFN - Arab News) For more than seven years we have warned of the danger of Iranian infiltration in the region, and Tehran penetrating our states, repeating that Iran is not a "friendly" state, ...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (UPI) Apr 16, 2012 Britain's defense titan BAE Systems could get a $792.16 million boost from the revision of a contract for 72 Eurofighter jets amid forecasts the Middle East and North Africa will increase defense spending in 2012. BAE said the change centers on upgrading...

Tehran (AFP) April 16, 2012 Iran on Monday called on the West to look to lifting its sanctions if it wants to quickly resolve the showdown over Tehran's disputed nuclear activities, and hinted it could make concessions on uranium enrichment in return. Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi outlined that message...

As they jockey for position ahead of national elections , each of Israel's potential leaders flaunts his economic credentials. All are fundamentally flawed.

Dushanbe (AFP) April 16, 2012 Uzbekistan on Monday said it had resumed supplies of gas to energy-starved Tajikistan after a two-week cut in deliveries heightened simmering tensions between the two ex-Soviet neighbours. Analysts had warned that Tajikistan - which has few energy resources of its own and imports almost all...

Needing 60 votes to stop a filibuster, the Obama administration could only muster 51 and thus failed on the Buffett rule to put a higher tax on millionaires — 30 percent minimum on those making that amount in taxable income, which means a good deal more income for most after...

Cautious Opening Likely Before RBI Meet

On May 23 the U.S., China, Russia, France, Britain, and Germany will have another sit down with an Iranian delegation in Baghdad to further discuss Tehran's nuclear future.

In reply to A Decade of Failed War : “ When the black flags fly over Khorasan” All we have managed to do with this stupid excercise in Iraq and Afghanistan is that we have tarnished our reputation, gained infinitely more enemies and destroyed the lives of many thousands of...

Obama envoy to Middle East George Mitchell to speak at the U. of Utah By Brian Maffly The Salt Lake Tribune Published Apr 16, 2012 05:10PM MDT Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell visits Utah this week to discuss the unfolding revolutions associated with the Arab Spring and...

From MORRISON SECURITIES PTY. LTD: U.S. STOCK MARKETS: The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose amid better-than-expected retail sales

The principles of openness and universal access that underpinned the Internet's creation are facing their greatest-ever threat, the co-founder of Google Sergey Brin said in an interview published by Britain's Guardian newspaper on Monday.

Back when J. Edgar Hoover, that infallible defender of our constitutional rights, was playing dictator and spying on Americans as head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Daily’s editorial page handed out the Edgar Awards annually to individuals and institutions best embodying his many admirable characteristics. Of necessity, we...

KABUL, Afghanistan - For Taliban militants and U.S. strategists alike, all roads in this impoverished country of mountain passes, arid deserts and nearly impassable goat tracks lead to this ancient capital of 3 million people nestled in a high and narrow valley.

Security will again be tight this year for New Zealanders paying the annual pilgrimage to Gallipoli.

By EconMatters   Brent crude ended trading above $120 a barrel on Friday, April 13, while WTI crude on NYMEX for May delivery settled at $102.83 a barrel.  Oil has traded above $100 for all but a couple of days in the past year (see chart below).  This persistent high...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Republicans derailed a Democratic "Buffett rule" bill Monday forcing the nation's top earners to pay at least 30% of their income in taxes, using the day before Americans' taxes are due to defy President Barack Obama on 1 of his signature election-year issues.

Eleven Secret Service agents and officers had their top secret clearances revoked while the investigation in a prostitution scandal continues; Then, Thieves are stealing Social Security numbers and other personal information to cash in on the lucrative growing crime wave of tax refund identity scams; Also, CBS News marks the...

Clinton: US Backs UN Reform, Brazil On Security Council In Future

Senate Republicans derailed a Democratic "Buffett rule" bill Monday forcing the nation's top earners to pay at least 30 percent of their income in taxes, using the day before Americans' taxes are due to defy President Barack Obama on one of his signature election-year issues

MORNING REPORT (7am AEST) US retail sales rose by a larger than expected 0.8pct in March after rising by 1.0pct in February. Forecasts centred on 0.3pct growth.

15 April 2012 We did not have to show our 1500 visitors Israeli racism, arrogance, and human rights violations; the Israeli government showed them and also showed the whole world. Calling itself a democracy, this outlaw state denied the right of people ...

Israel's community of Iranian Jews on drumbeat of war

The Ayatullah goes after a key Ahmadinejad ally -- and alleged human rights abuser and Tehran's political tea leaf readers try to parse the consequences

An American who suffered a heart attack last week during a commercial flight from Dubai to Seattle, Washington, is expected to return to the U.S. Tuesday after being treated in Iran, State Department officials told CNN Monday.

>BRASILIA, April 16 (Reuters) - The United States will maintain sanctions and other pressure on Iran as Tehran considers what it will bring to the table in the next round of talks over its nuclear program, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday.Iran's foreign minister was...

The United Arab Emirates warned on Monday that a Gulf islands dispute with Iran threatens "international security."

German Nobel laureate Guenter Grass admitted to hospital, has been criticized over Israel poem

About halfway through their companionable onstage conversation at the Castro Theater in San Francisco Thursday night, Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket, mixed a cocktail for Rachel Maddow.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has warned Iran that the entire world will "cast judgment" if "terrible" things are done to a Canadian who has been sentenced to death.

AGerman-owned ship tried to deliver weapons from Iran to the Syrian regime. Once reports emerged, though, the Atlantic Cruiser disappeared for hours on end. The case is dubious and has alarmed politicians in many countries. The German government is demanding an explanation from the shipping company.

Crude Oil Outlook This Week

The Governor of Pakistan's lawless Balochistan province says the Army may be summoned in the provincial capital city, Quetta, after a dramatic escalation in ethnic and sectarian violence.

>WASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers on Monday pushed for more sanctions against Iran after talks between Tehran and global powers failed to stop Iran from developing its nuclear program. Although the talks between Iran, the United States and five other world powers were described as "constructive" by...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks mostly rose on Monday, spurred on by retail sales in March that surprised on the upside and suggested economic growth was not as weak as many had feared, but worries about Spain's fiscal problems fuelled a bid for safe-haven government debt. The dollar...

Diplomats from six major world powers met with Iran for talks about the country's nuclear program. Neither the United States nor Israel has ruled out the possibility of military action should the negotiations prove ineffective, leaving many to wonder what, if any, resolution is likely.

Comex gold futures prices ended the U.S. day session moderately lower Monday. Most raw commodity markets saw selling pressure Monday amid a mild "risk off" trading day in the market place. Losses in the precious metals were limited, however, by a weaker U.S. dollar index and firmer crude...

The concept of the open Web is under greater threat than ever before, Google cofounder Sergey Brin said during a recent interview. The threat is a combination of increased attempts by governments to control the Web, the entertainment industry's efforts to crack down on piracy, and the rise of walled...

A senior Iranian commander says the country’s border guards have identified and dismantled two drug gangs over the past 48 hours, seizing around four tons of different narcotics.

The Central Bank advised the customers to change the passwords of their bank cards to prevent possible credit card fraud.

Lack of qualified experts could hinder defensive readiness

The U.N. insists a fragile truce it brokered in Syria is holding, even though regime forces have been hammering the rebellious city of Homs with artillery for days.

BEIRUT -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Monday the Syrian government is responsible for guaranteeing U.

> Energy Related Quotes and News Company Price Related News...

>April 16 (Reuters) - A year ago, in Action Comics, Superman declared plans to renounce his U.S. citizenship. "'Truth, justice, and the American way' - it's not enough anymore," the comic book superhero said, after both the Iranian and American governments criticized him for joining a peaceful anti-government protest...

TEHRAN, April 17 (Bernama) -- Iran has procured a new oil tanker with a capacity of 2.2 million barrels, one of the world's largest, to join the Iranian fleet with the next few days, Mehr News Agency reported.

Oil prices are falling as tensions eased over Iran's nuclear program.

TEHRAN, April 16 (MNA) – The deputy commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said on Monday that the six major powers were compelled to recognize Iran’s right to nuclear technology meant for peaceful purposes in the Istanbul talks as a result of the Iranian nation’s will and resistance.

The festival will include 11 documentaries on touching on subjects as diverse as South Korean pop music, the golden and lost era of Cambodian cinema, and healthcare to the remote villages of northwest China.

ABU DHABI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates, angered by the Iranian president's visit to a Gulf island both countries claim, warned on Monday that the dispute could not "go on forever" and urged Tehran to agree to talks or international arbitration. Tensions rose last week following Iranian President Mahmoud...

>* Cal'13 down to 49.25 euros on decline in EUA prices* Poland to have 3.1 gigawatts offline on WednesdayWARSAW, April 16 (Reuters) - Prices of Czech power for Tuesday rose on expectations of lower wind output in the region, while the Cal'13 dropped to reflect a slide in...

(MENAFN) Iran's ambassador to Tajikistan, Ali Asghar Sheardoost, said that revenue from trade between Tehran and Dushanbe surpassed USD500 million in 2011, reported Tehran Times. Sheardoost added ...

The weekend meeting between Iran and the West ended pretty much as I predicted it would. The communiqué indicated that progress was made and another meeting was scheduled for May 23 in Baghdad. As long as talks continues the likelihood for a military intervention by Israel, the US or a...

• (http://twitter.com/share) Proposed pipeline from Qatar would be an alternative to Iranian gas

Tehran on Monday warned Arab states in the Gulf that things could become "very complicated" if they do not act cautiously over a simmering island dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird is calling on the Iranian government to save the life of an Iranian-Canadian who's on death row in Tehran.

Internet freedom is being threatened by the rise of Facebook and government attempts to control access, the co-founder of Google has warned.In an interview with The Guardian, Sergey Brin said the principles ...

Talks begin tomorrow between the P5 + 1 (the five permanent U.N. Security Council members plus Germany) and Iran. Today, the P5+1 group is having a prep meeting.

Moscow (dpa) - The US must change its position on a controversial missile defence system planned for Europe, and failure to do so will make pointless upcoming talks on the conflict between Russian and NATO nation officials, a senior Kremlin official said on Monday."There can be no breakthrough unless...

>THE GLOBE AND MAIL- Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird is calling on the Iranian government to save the life of an Iranian-Canadian who is on death row in Tehran.- The aggressive strategy that led to the City of Toronto's new labour peace was half a year in the...

Students in the Philippines have staged an anti-American rally to protest the ongoing joint military drills by US and Philippine troops in the South China Sea. The student protesters on Monday demonstrated against the presence of the US troops in their country and condemned what they described as US interventionism.

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News Crude is bearish after weekend talks over Iran's nuclear program

Home to 4,000 people and overlooking the strategic Straits of Hormuz that Iran has threatened to close, Kumzar village has a thousand year-old language of its own that no one else on earth understands.

Seoul, April 16 : South Korea's central bank Monday lowered its economic growth outlook for 2012 to 3.5 percent from an earlier estimate of 3.7 percent due to deteriorating terms of trading and slower export growth amid the lingering uncertainties in the euro area.

An advance team of six U.N. observers arrived in Damascus to monitor the country's cease-fire, which appeared to be rapidly unraveling Monday as regime forces pounded the opposition stronghold of Homs.

SINGAPORE - Oil fell to near US$102 a barrel Monday in Asia after negotiators said meetings over Iran's nuclear program last weekend began on a positive note, easing tensions that had sent crude higher.

Can you calculate how long would it take Iran to export $1 billion worth of oil, if given the amount of oil exported each day and its selling price?

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The general secretary of the United Arab Emirates Football Association says it has canceled a friendly match with Iran this week due to rising tensions over a disputed island.

Anyone driving through Wise County, VA should watch out for some possible delays around Alternate Route 58. Crews are going to be installing a turn lane from Alternate Route 58 onto Hawthorne Drive, the right hand lane will be closed.