News Archive - 15 August 2012

1st Half   2nd Half

1st Half – Highlights   2nd Half – Highlights

>BEIRUT/ALEPPO (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has told citizens to leave Lebanon after a mass kidnapping in retaliation for events in Syria raised fears that violence may be spilling across a region riven by sectarian rancor and great power rivalries. On a day when Lebanese captives held by Syrian rebels were...

>By Grant McCoolNEW YORK Aug 15 (Reuters) - The estates of the victims of the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut sued Standard Chartered seeking compensation over the bank's concealment of Iran-linked transactions.The civil lawsuit, filed in U.S. district court in Manhattan, said the...

>* Ambassador says legal, practical obstacles to buffer zoneISTANBUL Aug 15 (Reuters) - There are serious legal and practical obstacles to setting up a buffer zone or a no-fly zone in Syria, Turkish newspapers on Wednesday quoted the U.S. ambassador to Ankara as saying, after the two countries discussed...

>* Dallas Fed's Fisher says more policy easing won't help on jobs* Asian shares steady, investors wait for more clues on stimulus* Coming up: U.S. housing starts, jobless claims; 1230 GMT (Adds comments, updates prices)By Manash Goswami and Elizabeth LawSINGAPORE, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Brent crude held steady on...

>* U.S. envoy says no commitment to no-fly zone or buffer zone* Lebanese clan seizes 20 Syrians in counter-kidnappingBy Hadeel Al ShalchiALEPPO, Syria Aug 15 (Reuters) - A bomb exploded in central Damascus on Wednesday near several military buildings and a hotel housing U.N. observers, wounding three people...

>Prosecutors said some 90 customs officers arrested the men - one German and three with dual German and Iranian citizenship, at their homes in the northern cities of Hamburg and Oldenburg and the eastern town of Weimar, and searched flats and offices."In 2010 and 2011 the suspects are believed...

Aug. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Neil Barofsky, former special inspector for the U.S. Treasury's Troubled Asset Relief Program and a Bloomberg Television contributing editor, talks about Standard Chartered Plc's decision to settle a New York money laundering probe for $340 million the day before it was to defend its right...

Mitt Romney fooled us all. Back in March, those of us covering the presidential campaign thought we had spied Romney’s strategy in his chief spokesman’s candid remark that, with the Republican nomination battle winding down, Romney would execute an “Etch a Sketch”.

Video has emerged from Syria of what rebels claim is proof they have shot down a government fighter jet.

Syria's defected prime minister says Bashar Assad's regime is near collapse.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has slammed the federal parliament's agreement on asylum seekers.

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta says a no-fly zone in Syria is 'not on front burner'.

An Iraqi refugee became a people smuggler, operating like a travel agent from his Melb base, a court heard.

Oil prices rose in Asian trade Thursday, extending a rally driven by strong energy demand in the United States. New York's main contract, West Texas Intermediate for September, was up 10 cents to $94.43 ...

Rescue teams in Iran are trying to dig survivors out of the rubble of twin earthquakes which has killed 250.

Pope Benedict XVI has expressed his solidarity with the victims of natural disasters.

Officials in Iran have called off rescue operations after 250 people were killed in twin earthquakes.

Russians win overall Olympic wrestling medal count in London.

Israel's prime minister says the threat from Iran dwarfs all others the Jewish state faces.

The Issue: The White House’s record on Middle East issues, especially in Egypt and Israel. *** Ambassador John Bolton should perhaps state why the US should care about the upheaval in the Mideast, apart from the threat to our ally Israel (“Losing Ground in the Middle East,” Post-Opinion, Aug. 14...

>Envoy Bouthaina Shaaban's interview with the state-run China Daily was the first public comment from her trip to Beijing, where she arrived on Tuesday, and she sought to cast China as a steadfast friend of President Bashar al-Assad's government, beset by a civil war with opposition forces."We're happy to...

It was the blessed night, a night when the Muslim world’s leaders assembled in the vicinity of the Holy Kaaba. They discussed the challenges facing the Ummah.

MECCA, Saudi Arabia - The 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation has suspended Syria, with OIC chief Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu saying early Thursday, August 16, the move sent "a strong message" to Damascus. A statement issued at the end of an OIC summit meeting in the Saudi holy city of Mecca said...

One of the correspondents of Iran's English language television network Press TV has been attacked by insurgents in the flashpoint city of Aleppo.

JERUSALEM -- A former Israeli national security adviser said on Wednesday, Aug. 15, that the prime minister and the defense minister told him this week they had not yet decided to attack Iran's nuclear facilities and could be dissuaded from a strike if President Barack Obama approved stricter sanctions and...

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah meets Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah during the Islamic summit in Makkah. (SPA)

US defence secretary Leon Panetta says he does not believe Israel has made a decision to attack Iran at this point

Business news briefs STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES Published Aug 15, 2012 07:29PM MDT Petzl: A good place to work Petzl America in Clearfield has been named to Outside magazine’s fifth annual list of the Best Places to Work in 2012. The company is North American headquarters of Petzl International, a...

>* Talks focus on two Atago-class destroyers* Japan needs upgrade to use interceptor being co-developed with US* Japan is U.S. top partner on missile defenseBy Jim WolfWASHINGTON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - The United States and Japan are discussing system upgrades for a pair of Japanese destroyers to boost defenses...

Syrian fighter jets screamed through the sky Wednesday over the rebel-held town of Azaz, dropping bombs that levelled the better part of a poor neighbourhood and wounded scores of people, many of them women and children buried under piles of rubble.

Gasoline prices will keep going up, according to AAA Carolinas, at least for the time being, because of uncertainty in the Middle East, drought and even an economic recovery.

A BOMB exploded yesterday in central Damascus near the Dama Rose hotel, where UN monitors are based.

Humorous stunts like teddy bear bombing in Belarus fail to bring down dictators.

According to the Lithuanian media, back on June 29, 2011 the Lithuanian government approved the "National Programme for development of electronic information security (cybernetic security) for 2011-2019 years".

NEW YORK—Families of victims of a 1983 bombing of U.S. Marines in Lebanon are seeking in a newly filed lawsuit to hold Standard Chartered Bank

Iran has stood up firmly against the suspension of Damascus from the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), saying the Syrian crisis can be resolved through a comprehensive internal...

Seven banks, including HSBC and Royal Bank of Scotland, are to be questioned in the US for alleged manipulation of the Libor inter-bank lending rate.

An air strike by Syrian government forces killed 30 people in the rebel-held town of Azaz on Wednesday, a local doctor said, and a mass kidnapping linked to Syria in neighboring Lebanon raised the prospect of sectarian violence spreading.

Syrian government forces and militia have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity on civilians, a UN expert panel has concluded.

A prominent left-wing blogger has published what is claimed to be an outline of Israel’s attack plan against Iran. Click here for the rest of the article...

Some of the Cleveland schools had their first day of class Wednesday

Denver Broncos starting defensive end Jason Hunter has suffered a triceps tear that will sideline him at least two months, according to the Denver Post.

It's tough to see Rafa pull out of the U.S. Open because you know he's in pain and discomfort. But on the other hand, we've seen this pattern before; if you chart his career on a graph every year, he tends to fall off a cliff in the summer.

An air raid in the rebel-held town of Azaz killed 30 people.

The Iranian interior minister rejected a U.S. offer of aid to earthquake victims, despite statements to the contrary the day before from the Iranian vice president and speaker of parliament.

Standard Chartered, the British bank, has agreed to pay New York’s top banking regulator $340 million to settle claims that it laundered hundreds of billions of dollars in tainted money for Iran and lied to regulators.

As Syria's civil war continues to deepen, so does the potential for regional mischief.

About 130 convicts held on treason charges have been released in Iran on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, Fars News Agency reported on Wednesday. The leader of the Islamic revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has granted clemency to the prisoners who repented their crimes.

A man accused of being hired by British newlywed Shrien Dewani to kill his bride on their honeymoon in Cape Town has denied the charge and is going for the "long haul", a court heard. Related Stories Standard agrees £217m settlement Romney wants 'higher tone' campaign Weather change helps fight...

TEHRAN, Aug. 15 (MNA) – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that he was surprised to see that some Arab kings talked so fervently against Syria in as if the people in their own countries are happy with the kings themselves.

A school report-style assessment of the health of the world's oceans has concluded that they "could do better". Related Stories Standard agrees £217m settlement Romney wants 'higher tone' campaign Weather change helps fight wildfire Iran nuclear bereaved sue Britain Man denies Dewani murder charge

Global shares held near theirhighest level since May o n W ednesday on hopes of more centralbank stimulus for struggling economies, but uncertainty aboutthe extent and timing of any moves hurt the euro ...

>* Slump in share price had pushed bank to strike deal* Bank says decision was "pragmatic"* Shares rise 4.9 percent in London on TuesdayBy Matt Scuffham and Sinead CruiseLONDON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Standard Chartered is pursuing a collective settlement with other U.S. authorities after backing down and...

>(The views and opinions expressed here are the author's own and not those of Reuters.) Ten years since the start of the Iranian nuclear crisis, we can see how successful Western powers have been in preventing the Islamic Republic from acquiring a bomb. Diplomacy has achieved little. Facing an...

Crude oil futures opened modestly weaker at the start of open outcry trading in New York, undermined by firmness in the U.S. dollar against major currencies and a soft tone in equity markets this

KUALA LUMPUR, 15 Ogos (Bernama) -- Untung pracukai Panasonic ManufacturingMalaysia Bhd susut kepada RM22.75 juta pada suku kedua berakhir 30 Jun 2012,berikutan beberapa sekatan yang dihadapi di pasaran Iran, berbanding RM24.26juta pada tempoh yang sama tahun lepas.Perolehan merosot kepada RM209.67 juta, daripada RM221.81 juta yangdicatatkan...

When is the last time you heard of Kaspersky or others turning to crypto and math experts with a call for help?

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Family members of a Lebanese man held by Syrian rebels say they have captured more than 20 Syrians and will hold them until their relative is freed.

Israeli media and leaders debate a preemptive strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.

TEHRAN, Aug. 15 (MNA) – An informed source at the Iranian embassy in Damascus confirmed reports on Wednesday that several shots had been fired at the building of the Iranian embassy in Damascus which is under construction.

Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi "gets good marks" so far for his handling of the reshuffling of the top ranks of the Egyptian military, says Steven A. Cook, CFR's top Egypt expert.

>"There is no room for hysteria. Israel's home front is prepared as never before," Matan Vilnai, a former general who is about to leave his cabinet post to become ambassador to China, told the Maariv daily.The interview coincided with Israeli media reports over the past week suggesting that Israel...

The awful things that could have happened had the United States intervened in Syria are now happenin ...

Young illegal immigrants are scrambling to get passports and other records in order as the Homeland Security Department starts accepting applications to allow them to avoid deportation and get work permits.

These aren't your typical loos. One uses microwave energy to transform human waste into electricity. Another captures urine and uses it for flushing. And still another turns excrement into charcoal.

Milk production plummets as Israeli cows overheat while war talk makes markets jittery.

Crude Mixed on Stocks

The illegal dealings with Iran and other rogue states alleged to have taken place at Standard Chartered is the latest controversy to hit the British banking sector.

New York's financial regulator says his agency has reached a $340 million settlement with a British bank over allegations it schemed with the Iranian government to launder $250 billion from 20…

MECCA (Reuters) - The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation suspended Syria's membership early on Thursday at a summit of Muslim leaders in Mecca, citing President Bashar al-Assad's violent suppression of the Syrian revolt. "The conference decides to suspend the Syrian Arab Republic membership in the OIC and all its subsidiary organs,...

>* HSI down 1.3 pct, CSI300 sheds 0.9 pct* Tencent trims 2012 outperformance ahead of earnings* Anhui Conch Cement up after smaller-than-expected profit decline* StanChart jumps 5.6 pct after NY regulator dealBy Clement TanHONG KONG, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Hong Kong shares fell on Wednesday, after closing...

>* US crude stocks rise unexpectedly, products mixed -API* Brent biased to fall to $112.50 -technicals* Coming up: EIA weekly oil stocks; 1430 GMT (Updates prices)By Manash Goswami and Elizabeth LawSINGAPORE, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Brent crude futures slipped below $114 on Wednesday after settling at a three-month high,...