News Archive - 4 August 2012

BEIRUT (AP) — In a brazen daylight kidnapping, gunmen snatched a bus filled with 48 Iranian pilgrims from a Damascus suburb Saturday as they headed to visit a shrine holy to Shiites, reported Iranian state television.

Dozens are seized by gunmen in the Damascus area, prompting Iran's foreign minister to ask Turkey to intervene. Meanwhile, fighting continues in the Syrian city of Aleppo. BEIRUT — Gunmen kidnapped dozens of Iranian pilgrims on a trip to strife-torn Syria on Saturday, the latest in a series of abductions...

Kianoush Rostami claimed the Olympic bronze medal in the men's weightlifting 85kg event on Friday. World champion Kianoush Rostami lifted 171kg in snatch and 209kg in clean and jerk. He finished at third place with a total of 380kg.

FILE - In this undated file photo, Syrian Commander Riad al-Asaad, who heads a group of Syrian army defectors appears on a video posted on the group's Facebook page.

LONDON (AP) -- Iran has never won a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling, despite historically being among the world's top wrestling nations.

LONDON -- "It looms as one of the most complex and intriguing races in recent Olympic sprint history. Yet in another way, the Olympic men's 100-meter final can be distilled down to the simplest of uncertainties: Which Usain Bolt will fold himself into the blocks? Will it be the video...

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel is upgrading its Arrow II ballistic missile shield in a U.S.-backed "race" against Iran, Syria and other regional enemies, a senior Israeli defense official said on Sunday.

To grow up in South Florida during the 1970s and 1980s, as I did, wasn't your typical American childhood experience. Back then the area was known as the most dangerous place in the country.

WASHINGTON - At the outset of his recent foreign trip, Mitt Romney committed a gaffe. In answer to ...

Beyond the spectacle of the presidential race, the Washington consensus pursues business as usual. ...

Group brings fight for disabled to Houston Houston Chronicle Copyright 2012 Houston Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 8:52 p.m., Saturday, August 4, 2012 Amin Alehashem runs the new office for the Texas Civil Rights Project.

IRAN claimed yesterday that it has successfully test-fired an upgraded version of a short-range ballistic missile with improved accuracy, increasing the Islamic Republic's capability to strike both land and naval targets.

PROFESSIONAL MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Texas at Kansas City, 1:10 p.m.

A rare combination of pipeline and refinery problems has exacerbated already rising gasoline prices in Michigan and the entire Great Lakes region, leading to surges of around 35 cents per gallon in just one week, officials said. In Ann...

Saudi Arabia exported nearly 1.59 billion barrels of crude oil in the last seven months worth SR 657.2 billion, an economic expert said. According to Fahad bin Jumaa, local consumption stood at 535.6 million barrels, or 25 percent of total production.

The parents of US Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte are facing repossession on their Florida home. Related Stories Jailed Briton moved to house arrest Quiet birthday weekend for Obama UK 'concerned' at Iran missile test 299 turtles die at breeding farm Pilgrims seized outside Damascus

ISTANBUL: The Turkish military retired all 40 generals and admirals currently jailed facing charges of conspiring against the government in a further sign of greater civilian control of the once all-powerful army.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. (SPA) Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday sent an invitation to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to attend the emergency Islamic summit in Makkah on Aug. 14-15.

National TV highlights for Mon, August 6.

Gunmen have snatched 47 Iranian pilgrims just outside Damascus in a brazen attack that revealed the growing instability at the centre of President Bashar Assad's power. Related Stories Jailed Briton moved to house arrest Quiet birthday weekend for Obama UK 'concerned' at Iran missile test 299 turtles die at breeding...

AT the outset of his recent foreign trip, Mitt Romney committed a gaffe. In answer to a question about the Olympics, he expressed skepticism about London's preparations. The response confounded and agitated Romney supporters because it was such an unforced error.

Australia's Farzad Tarash will contest the 60kg freestyle wrestling at the London Games on Monday, after years of trying to make the Olympics.

LONDON (AP) - The finale was a formality, more a coronation than a contest. Michael Phelps headed into the retirement the only way imaginable - with another gold medal.

# space The Mars Curiosity Rover landing is kind of a big deal. There are going to be seven terrifying minutes as the $2.6 billion vehicle executes its wildly complicated descent to the surface. Can you think of a better reason for a party? More »

2. Galen Rupp , Portland, Ore., 27:30.90. 5. Bedan Karoki Muchiri, Kenya, 27:32.94.

PALESTINIAN President Mahmoud Abbas will again call for UN recognition of Palestine as a non-member state.

Striking a balance between its Arab world compulsions and long-held position on regime-change, India abstained from a UN general assembly resolution that called for political transition in Syria.

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Until a political solution is found to the Syrian crisis, the world must help the victims

While moving at a modestly bearish tone for most of the week, financial markets strengthened on Friday as the US non-farm payrolls beat expectations. The number of jobs gained +163K in July,

After the Unification Day of Yemen in 1990, specifically, when the war of liberating Kuwait has come to an end in 1991, Yemen could bring back its relations in a normal diplomatic way following a long detachment with the north and a semi-alliance with the south, though in the 1994...

ASPEN — With the GOP's heavy hitters in the Roaring Fork Valley this week, to be punctuated by Mitt Romney's public appearance Thursday at Basalt High School, the area has been infiltrated by elected officials, Secret Service members and lots of really important people.

President Nixon and Paul McCartney encounter the King

Human rights once united Israel with America. Now it’s bound by threats and fear.

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The United States has determined that Iraq was helping Iran evade international energy sanctions. The U.S. intelligence community has identified an Iraqi bank as a financier of the Teheran regime.

Gunmen have attacked an oil barge off the coast of Nigeria, killing two and kidnapping four.

While UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon parades the Olympic flag, his representative oversees a hideous tragedy in Iraq, says Christopher Booker

BEIRUT (AP) — Gunmen snatched 47 Iranian pilgrims just outside Damascus on Saturday in a brazen attack that revealed the growing instability at the center of President Bashar Assad’s power.

NICOSIA [MENL] -- A leading Iranian university has sponsored major defense programs. Copyrights 2008, Middle East Newsline. All rights reserved.

DUBAI (Reuters) - A bus load of Iranians were abducted by gunmen while on a pilgrimage in Syria on Saturday, Iranian media reported, the latest in a string of kidnappings of visitors from the Islamic Republic, a country allied to President Bashar al-Assad. The 48 Iranians, planning to visit a...

Explosions and heavy fighting rocked Syria’s two largest cities on Saturday, witnesses and activists said, as the Syrian government and rebel fighters struggled to gain an advantage in the country’s bloody, 17-month-old conflict.

The move is the latest by the government to tame the once indomitable army.

ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad's forces used artillery, planes and a helicopter gunship to pound rebel positions in Syria's biggest city, witnesses said, in a battle that could determine the outcome of the 17-month uprising. After U.N. Security Council paralysis on Syria forced peace envoy Kofi Annan...

Syrian artillery, planes and a helicopter gunship pounded rebel positions in Aleppo on Saturday, witnesses said, as President Bashar al-Assad’s forces tried to break through the insurgents’ frontline in Syria’s largest city.

China has hit back at criticism of its stance over the crisis in Syria following a vote at the United Nations which overwhelmingly condemned the Syrian government.

Nearly 300 juvenile green sea turtles have died at a government-funded breeding farm in the Cayman Islands, officials said. Related Stories Renewed fighting erupts in Damascus Diplomats to attend murder trial Jailed Briton moved to house arrest Quiet birthday weekend for Obama UK 'concerned' at Iran missile test

The Day of New London (Conn.), Aug. 2, 2012 Despite some election-year posturing, the two major parties and their presidential candidates remain largely aligned when it comes to United States policies aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. This is important because when it comes to a situation...

Britain has voiced renewed concern over Iran's military ambitions, after Tehran claimed it had successfully test-fired an upgraded version of its short-range ballistic missile. Related Stories Renewed fighting erupts in Damascus Diplomats to attend murder trial Jailed Briton moved to house arrest Quiet birthday weekend for Obama 299 turtles die...

TEHRAN, Aug. 4 (MNA) - The Iranian Foreign Ministry confirmed reports that 47 Iranian nationals were abducted while on a pilgrimage visit to Damascus, Syria, on Saturday.

The biggest news for the bulls this past week was the Bureau Labor of Statistics’ payrolls report, which was much better than expectations. This bullish report was also confirmed by ADP’s report, as well as further improvement in the past month in the 4-week average of initial jobless claims.

Rebel-held quarters of Syria's Aleppo came under heavy bombardment by regime forces on Saturday, as a senior security official said the real battle for control of the strategic northern city was yet to come.

Bridges have always held a place in our collective history. Whether symbolizing escapes to new frontiers or the intrinsic connection between old and new, these architectural marvels are captivating. Some seem to defy nature by spanning treacherous waterways or deep canyons; others defy the human condition by connecting cities...

NAIROBI (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Kenya on Saturday to hold free and fair elections and be a role model for Africa, underlining the need to avoid the bloodshed suffered during the last vote five years ago. Related Stories Iran test fires short-range missile with...

Foreign Ministers from 13 states set to attend conference in Ramallah on Sunday.

BEIJING - China said Saturday that the West should be blamed for obstructing a diplomatic and political solution...

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Manoj Tiwary in action against Sri Lanka. Alaknanda River washes away a steel Bridge near Srinagar.

RIYADH (Reuters) - A Saudi soldier was shot dead patrolling an area populated by minority Shi'ite Muslims late on Friday, the Interior Ministry said, and one of the gunmen was killed in the ensuing shoot-out. The deaths bring to 11 the number of people killed in the Qatif area since...

Carnage from the Syrian civil war mounted across the country Saturday, including in the nation's capital in the south and the key metropolis in the northwest, opposition activists said.

Iran has "successfully" test fired its newest version of the Fateh-110 missile, state media reported Saturday, touting the accomplishment despite international concerns about Tehran's growing military capabilities.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China hit back on Saturday at criticism of its stance over the crisis in Syria following a vote at the United Nations which overwhelmingly condemned the Syrian government, repeating Beijing's position that outside interference will not help. The special session of the 193-nation U.N. General Assembly...

Iran has test-fired a new, more accurate short-range missile capable of striking land and sea targets, it said on Saturday, a show of strength that underscored its ability to hit shipping in the Strait of Hormuz if attacked. Israel has said it is considering military strikes on Iran's nuclear...

> Basic Materials Energy...

>* Turkcell cites ties between MTN and ruling ANC* ANC rejects allegations of influence on courtsBy David Dolan and Pascal FletcherJOHANNESBURG, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Turkish mobile operator Turkcell said its $4.2 billion lawsuit against rival MTN Group may not get a fair hearing in a South African court,...

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>* No political negotiations scheduledBy Justyna PawlakBRUSSELS, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Chief negotiators for the EU and Iran agreed on Thursday to hold more talks about Tehran's nuclear work, but the European Union gave no sign progress was imminent in the decade-long dispute.Six world powers, represented by EU foreign...