News Archive - 11 July 2012

>* Fed holds off stimulus until economy worsens* Coming Up: U.S. weekly jobless claims; 1230 GMT (Updates prices)By Florence TanSINGAPORE, July 12 (Reuters) - Brent crude stayed above $100 per barrel on Thursday, after a more than 2 percent rally in the prior session, as uncertainty over whether the...

>Clayson Monyela told Talk Radio 702 that Yusuf Saloojee, currently ambassador to Oman, had been suspended until investigations into his links to the MTN deal are concluded.South Africa's Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said this week in a response to written parliamentary questions that her department had started an investigation...

>LONDON (Reuters) - World oil demand growth will slow in 2013 from the already weak 2012, OPEC said on Wednesday, citing Europe's debt worries, a faltering U.S. economic recovery and deceleration of growth in emerging markets. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which produces a third of...

>A European Union embargo on Iranian crude oil took full effect on July 1 - a joint effort with the United States to force Tehran to curb nuclear energy work the Western powers say is a camouflaged bid to develop bombs, which Tehran denies.Prices of goods have soared and...

>Romney was reacting to remarks Obama made to a Spanish language television station that Chavez's actions over recent years had "not had a serious national security impact" on America."This is a stunning and shocking comment by the president. It is disturbing to see him downplaying the threat posed to...

>DUBAI, July 11 (Reuters) - Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia showed no sign of cutting back supply in June following last month's OPEC agreement to rein in production, instead raising output by 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) from May to 10.1 million bpd, an industry source said.After reducing...

>BEIRUT (Reuters) - China threw its weight behind U.N. envoy Kofi Annan on Wednesday, backing his call to include Iran in internationally-brokered talks to resolve Syria's crisis, in the face of strong Western opposition. "China believes that the appropriate resolution of the Syria issue cannot be separated from the...

>He said he expected the Security Council to decide on the next steps for Syria in the next few days, but gave a tepid response when asked about President Bashar al-Assad's choice of a person to represent Syria in talks with the opposition."He did offer a name and I...

For many Americans, the past month has been miserably hot. Heat advisories and warnings have been issued from coast to coast, with high temperatures often reaching into the triple digits.

What to expect from some of the most talked-about titles in the LGBT film fest, now in its 18th year. With a wide selection of 107 films (including 52 shorts, 13 documentaries, and 42 narrative features), the Philadelphia QFest returns this year for its 18th run, promising “12 days of...

At the start of 2012, investors were assessing whether it was wiser to focus on the deep value that many stocks offered, or the incipient signs of a global economic slowdown that would cap any

When Manchester City won the Barclay's Premier League championship on May 14, the New York Times had a photo spread and the story in full view on page D1. The NBA playoffs were consigned to a column, and baseball was under the fold.

[The Star]THE two Iranian men being tried for possession of explosives allegedly came to Kenya as intermediaries.

For many Americans, the past month has been miserably hot. Heat advisories and warnings have been issued from coast to coast, with high temperatures often reaching into the triple digits. More than 4,500 record highs have been set across the country in the past 30 days, according to the National...

Moscow (AFP) July 11, 2012 Russia vowed on Wednesday not to follow a Western arms embargo on Syria and promised new air defence systems and other military components to President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The announcement came just a day after Russia dispatched a large naval flotilla to the region and...

United nations, July 11, 2012 (AFP) - Pressure mounted on Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday as Western powers sought a UN resolution that would give him 10 days to silence his heavy guns or face tough sanctions.

The CBC's John Robertson talked to Edmontonians about how to stay fit in the heat

Iluka Resources Ltd. (ILU.AU) on Thursday reported a rise in revenue from its mineral sands operations, despite a sharp fall in sales volumes, as the company curbed production to deal with weak global demand.

BRITAIN, France, Germany and the US have submitted a draft text to the UN that threatens tough measures if Syria fails to implement Kofi Annan's plan.

Calls for the Iranian embassy to be closed grew louder Wednesday following claims it is abusing its diplomatic immunity and using intimidation tactics to invigorate loyalty among Iranian-Canadians.

Temperature records have been broken across Canada this summer.

DAMASCUS, Syria, July 11 (UPI) -- Nawaf al-Fares, Syria's ambassador to Iraq, said Wednesday he could no longer tolerate his government's violence against the Syrian people and had defected.

Calls for the Iranian embassy to be closed grew louder Wednesday following claims it is abusing its diplomatic immunity and using intimidation tactics to invigorate loyalty among Iranian-Canadians.

In many parts of Canada, people struggling to stay cool are at least free of the usual outdoor plague — the dreaded mosquito. It's almost been a swat-free summer for some.

AS a fan, I want to highlight the declining standard of Malay-sian football. We are ranked 157th by the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa).

TURKEY'S bark seems worse than its bite. Ask the Syrians, who shot down a Turkish reconnaissance jet on June 22 and got away with it. Turkish leaders shrilled up their rhetoric.

The House Middle East subcommittee considered reports of Palestinian corruption and how the reports should affect U.S. assistance to the Palestinians.

WASHINGTON, July 11 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy is sending unmanned underwater craft to the Persian Gulf, for use in hunting and destroying mines, officials said.

A 26-year-old man is dead following an incident involving a boom lift in a rural area south of Stockholm, Sask., RCMP say.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's ambassador to Iraq defected on Wednesday in protest over President Bashar al-Assad's violent suppression of a 16-month uprising as the U.N. Security Council remained deadlocked over the next steps in the crisis. "I declare that I have joined, from this moment, the ranks of the...

Intelligence sources are warning of Syria's secret chemical stockpile that could fall into terrorist hands.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Kuwait's oil minister says he believes the global oil market is relatively stable...

The defection of Gen. Manaf Tlass, a confidante of President Bashar al-Assad, reportedly to France, drew attention last week, but the general has yet to make a public appearance, raising questions about his motives.

We're clean, the cleanest even, according to the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index .That may or may not make New Zealand an attractive money-launderin

ISTANBUL (AP) - The Syrian ambassador to Iraq has defected and is on his way to Turkey, the most senior diplomat to abandon President Bashar Assad during the 16-month-old uprising, a Syrian opposition figure said Wednesday.

Pakistan’s top judge yesterday accused the paramilitary Frontier Corps of involvement in the disappearance of a third of all the missing persons in the country’s restive southwest.

Syrian President Bashar Assad discussed the possibility of forming a transitional government for his country

Starting next month, updated Windows operating systems will reject encryption keys smaller than 1024 bits, which could cause problems for customer applications accessing Web sites and email platforms that use the keys.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Thousands of Shi'ite Muslims turned out for the funeral of a man killed during protests triggered by the arrest of a prominent Shi'ite Muslim cleric in Saudi Arabia's oil-producing Eastern province, witnesses said on Wednesday.

DPA/Washington Hillary Clinton is tired. After travelling more than 1.3mn km through 100 countries, the US Secretary of State says it’s time for her to step off the “fast track.”

Republicans from Mitt Romney to U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio to senate candidate U.S. Rep. Connie Mack IV are expressing outrage over President Barack Obama’s reported dismissal Monday of the national security threat posed by Venezuela dictator Hugo Chavez. On Monday in an interview with AmericaTeve, President Obama said...

U.S. Trade Gap Narrows; Inventory Buildup Slows

-Investors hoping for hints of Q3 in Fed minutes -US Treasury sells 10 year debt at record low yield of 1.459% -Byron Wein says S&P may surpass 1,400 points this year -Iraq´s oil production surpasses Iran´s ...

Iran’s mini-submarines and Special Forces “frogmen” spell trouble for the US Navy

Iraq beats out Iran in oil production for the first time since the two countries were at war.

>BEIJING/TOKYO (Reuters) - Iran is shipping oil to China, its top buyer, despite a row over freight terms, and Japan has taken steps to resume imports in August as Tehran finds ways to get around Western sanctions on ship insurance for its drastically reduced shipments. European Union sanctions against Tehran...

Noam Chomsky says there is still great opportunity to resolve the standoff over Iran's nuclear issue through "diplomacy". "There is ample room for diplomacy," Chomsky tells the Mehr News Agency in a short interview.

Iran's Sanaye Giti Pasand claimed the title of the 2012 Futsal Club Championship with a 2-1 victory over Uzbekistan's Ardus at the Yarmouk Indoor Stadium on Friday.

TEHRAN, July 11 (MNA) – Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani has said that the Tunisian people were pioneers of the wave of Islamic Awakening rolling across the Middle East and North Africa region.

Eskandar Firouz helped pioneer Iran's environmental movement in the 1960s and played an important role in the enactment of an international treaty to protect the world's wetlands. But today in Iran, many wetlands are imperiled, lakes are drying up and natural habitats are being destroyed.

When they take you to this point, with your eyes closed, you would not believe that in the nearest city to Tehran, the capital of Islamic Iran, there are people who are experiencing being alive under the most difficult conditions, instead of experiencing life. Simoon is a ruin of a...

The Ahwaz public prosecutor has announced that women will be sentenced to cash fines or imprisonment if they are seen in public disobeying the Islamic dress code.

Salimi won the gold medal in the +105kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships in Paris last year. He hoisted 214kg in snatch, bettering his countryman Hossein Rezazadeh's record by one kilogram.

The two-day World Conference on Women and Islamic Awakening opened in Tehran on Tuesday. About 1500 women from 80 countries have participated in the conference.

TEHRAN, July 11 (MNA) – Iranian Justice Minister Morteza Bakhtiari has said that according to the agreements reached between Iranian and Iraqi officials, preliminary measures have been taken to obtain the release of 100 Iranian prisoners from Iraqi prisons.

Israeli-American voters can make a difference in the upcoming presidential election, Ari Fleischer told Anglo-Israelis at the start of the RJC voter drive in Israel.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's economic situation is not as dire as some fear, as private-sector job growth and exports painted a brighter picture, Bank of England policymaker Adam Posen was quoted as saying on Wednesday. Related Stories Saudi cranks up June oil output, Iran slumps - OPEC OPEC sees 2013...

The market continues to react to any indication that the US Fed will join other major economies and embark on another round of quantitative easing. In overnight trading the US dollar has been easing ahead of today's release of the minutes from the US FOMC meeting from June.

South Florida companies active in Cuba are worried about a measure in Congress that would ban them from U.S. Defense Department contracts if they keep up business with the island.

New Delhi, July 11 : From infamous Japanese movie "Emperor Tomato Ketchup" to "Karma" featuring Devika Rani-Himanshu Rai's lip-lock to crime thriller "Gangs Of Wasseypur" - the Osian's-Cinefan Film Festival, which returns after a two-year-hiatus, promises to be an eclectic platter for the capital's movie buffs.

Syrian National Council leader Abdel Basset Sayda (R) shakes hands with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as they meet in Moscow on on Wednesday.

>LONDON (Reuters) - Turkey is likely to overtake Britain as Europe's third-biggest electricity consumer within a decade and become an energy trading hub, capitalizing on its booming population and economy as well as its proximity to cheap natural gas resources. Its rise to prominence in energy markets will add to...

Spain announces more austerity, FOMC minutes out today, and guess who is engaged.

The head of the Syrian National Council is reportedly visiting Russia's foreign minister Wednesday -- a notable meeting between a major Syrian opposition group and a government that some opposition members have accused of backing the Syrian regime.

It is almost inconceivable to imagine any significant and sustained tightening any time soon. On the contrary, it is only a matter of time before an acceleration in the stimulus measures.

TEHRAN, July 10 -- The UN-Arab League joint special envoy Kofi Annan said here Tuesday that Iran should be part of the solution to the long-standing Syrian crisis.

Alstom SA (ALO) , the world’s third-largest power-equipment maker, is working on the second phase of a hydropower technology center in Tianjin to boost business, Alstom Hydro China Co. general manager Yves Rannou said.

DAMASCUS, July 10 -- The Syrian authorities released Tuesday a total of 275 detainees, who had been arrested over involvement with the anti-government movement, in a bid to show a good will to bring an end to the ongoing crisis at a time the opposition rejected Tuesday dialogue with the...

Defence Minister Peter MacKay says the much-delayed deal to buy a fleet of new helicopters for the air force represents the “worst procurement” in Canada’s history. Last month, Sikorsky International Operations missed another...

>* Boosts Japan's shipping capacity from Iran to 200,000 bpdBy Osamu TsukimoriTOKYO, July 11 (Reuters) - Japanese insurers are expanding their maritime coverage to allow more domestic tankers to transport Iranian crude, as Tokyo looks to keep oil flowing despite tough Western sanctions, industry sources said on Wednesday.Japan, Iran's...

Iran's Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani has highlighted the significance of greater attention to Iraq’s progress, saying the Islamic Republic is ready to cooperate with the Iraqi government in all fields.

International Kofi Annan will brief the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday after a flurry of diplomatic efforts to end 16 months of carnage in Syria.

Oil is a finite resource. It is tantamount to capital in the ground and is thus apart of a country's capital stock. In most countries, all valuable depletable resources - such as oil, natural gas, copper, platinum, gold, uranium, diamonds emeralds and more - belong to the state, in other...

Iran and Armenia have signed a security agreement to expand cooperation on measures against organized crimes and the fight against drug smuggling as well as security and border issues.

The narrative that has been constructed by the Western mainstream media on Syria may seem to be self-evident from the scenes presented on television, but it is a narrative duplicitously promoted and coordinated so as to conceal and facilitate the regime-change project that is part of the war on Iran.

RAMALLAH, July 11, 2012 (WAFA) – The Palestinian government decision to hold local elections on October 20 was the focus of Wednesday’s issue of the three Palestinian Arabic dailies.

TEHRAN, July 11 (Bernama) - Iranian energy and construction firm MAPNA has announced plans to develop a 1GW power project in Pakistan, local MEHR news agency reported.

TEHRAN, July 11 (Bernama) - Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi said US$5 billion of the National Development Fund (NDF) has been allocated to the South Pars gas field development projects, local media reported.

(MENAFN - Qatar News Agency) The current volume of the trade exchanges between Tehran and Baghdad stands at $5.2 billion, an Iranian official announced Tuesday, expressing the hope that the amount ...