News Archive - 23 August 2012

>* Says U.S. policies have failed to isolate it* More than 30 heads of state to attend* Syria could expose divisions between membersBy Marcus GeorgeDUBAI, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Iran hopes to earn diplomatic kudos over the coming week as it hosts a summit of 120 developing nations, but...

>Mousavi and fellow reformist Mehdi Karoubi ran for election against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2009 and became figureheads for the large protests that followed by Iranians who accused authorities of rigging the vote to bring back the hardline incumbent.The government denied any vote wrong-doing and said Iran's foreign...

>If confirmed, the development in Iran's Fordow facility - which is buried deep inside a mountain to protect it against foes - is likely to be seen as a signal of Iran's continued defiance of international demands to curb its nuclear programme.Iran denies Western allegations that is seeking nuclear...

>* Court voids conviction of Nabeel Rajab over critical tweet* Will examine Rajab's jailing for spearheading protests* Bahrain in crisis for 18 months over Shi'ite reform demandsDUBAI, Aug 23 (Reuters) - A Bahrain appeals court acquitted leading rights activist Nabeel Rajab on Thursday of insulting some Bahrainis in a tweet...

>SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Iran has started moving nearly two million barrels of fuel oil to Singapore in the first such shipment since June, according to an Iran-based port source and Reuters shipping data on Thursday. Asia's top marine fuel trading hub secured exemption from U.S. financial sanctions on Iran...

>DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkish troops have killed 16 Kurdish guerrillas in an operation in south-east Turkey targeting militants who launched a bomb attack on a military convoy that killed five soldiers, the local governor's office said on Thursday. The clashes are part of a growing cycle of violence in...

A couple of years before Binyamin Netanyahu was elected prime minister of Israel in 2009, I participated in a small meeting with him as a staffer for Israel Policy Forum, an organization that lobbied for the "two-state" solution. Netanyahu was ebullient. He seemed certain that he would soon be...

Syrian forces are using heavy artillery and air attacks on rebels as fighting continues in Damascus and the second city of Aleppo, activists say.

Nepal's Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, according to some media reports, is all set to go to Iran to attend the meeting of the heads of states and governments of self-professed non-aligned countries .....

A brief look at what is in the Russian papers today

Tehran (AFP) Aug 23, 2012 Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told the government Thursday to adopt an "economy of resistance" to confront crippling sanctions slapped by the West on Tehran over its nuclear drive. "The arrogant powers are pulling their weight to force Iran to back down (on its...

Wellington City Council’s new Regent Park housing developmentin Newtown - designed by local architects Designgroup StapletonElliott - won the top residential award in the 2012 Resene TotalColour Awards in Auckland last night. Mayor Celia Wade-Brown has welcomed the award. "Council housingprovides a good home for Wellingtonians. This award recognises thelively...

Jerusalem (AFP) Aug 23, 2012 Israeli army chief, Lieutenant General Benny Gantz, warned on Wednesday that those who believe they can "eradicate" Israel will face the brunt of Israeli power, in a veiled threat to Iran. "These days, the state of Israel and its residents are being threatened. These threats...

(MENAFN) Asia's crude imports from Iran are set to recover in September to levels reached before a July 1 insurance ban by the European Union plunged trade with the Islamic Republic into uncertainty ...

The "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star says, "you’re allowed to vote, so you might as well do it," in the clip encouraging young people to go to the polls. read more

>* Comments from Fed officials send mixed signals on easing* Tropical storms around Gulf of Mexico also in focusBy Ramya VenugopalSINGAPORE, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Brent futures fell below $115 per barrel in Asia on Friday on signs of economic weakness across the globe, while doubts about more easing by...

Mitt Romney has very big problems as he contemplates rolling into Florida's hurricane country for an even windier than usual GOP confab. Frankly, he's fortunate that he's not already set to lose by a landslide. For all Romney's complaints about the tone of the campaign, he really has done...

SEPARATE nation should play its part in getting Russia and US to negotiate away more of their nuclear weapons.

The U.N. nuclear agency is forming a special Iran team, drawing together sleuths in weapons technology, intelligence analysis, radiation and other fields of expertise as it seeks to add muscle to a probe of suspicions that Tehran worked secretly on atomic arms, diplomats tell The Associated Press.

Pyongyang, August 23 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, will take part in the 16th Non-aligned Summit due in Tehran briefly and pay an official goodwill visit to Iran at the invitation of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Washington - The United States is charting its expansion of missile defence capability across Asia, with one installation to be possibly located on an unnamed southern Japanese island, according to The Wall Street Journal on Thursday.

A retired journalist points out that the Pride parade in Tel Aviv attracts huge crowds, but the same can't be said for other large cities in the Middle East.

Pyongyang, August 23 (KCNA) -- A gist of the dear respected Kim Jong Un's work "Let Us Effect Kim Jong Il's Patriotism and Step Up the Building of a Prosperous Country" was carried by the Iranian paper Iran News on Aug. 15.

Almost a year and a half into Syria’s civil war, one United Nations special envoy – the veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi – has replaced another one, Kofi Annan, a former UN secretary general who threw in the towel on an “impossible mission”. So it might be time to end...

OSLO (Reuters) - A Norwegian court delivers its verdict in the ten-week trial of gunman Anders Behring Breivik on Friday, deciding whether to send the anti-Muslim militant to jail or a mental hospital for the massacre of 77 people last summer. Related Stories G20 awaits September grain report before plans...

Lebanese fighters ride in an armored vehicle Wednesday in Tripoli. The civil war in Syria is affecting its fragile, tiny neighbor Lebanon in countless ways and has already spilled over into sectarian street clashes, kidnappings and general government paralysis.

FireEye Malware Intelligence Lab researchers say they made a mistake in saying Gauss-infected machines were being directed to servers used by Flame. Originally posted at News - Security & Privacy

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - At least three people were killed and eight were wounded in a tribal clash near the Libyan town of Zlitan on Thursday, an official source said, testing transitional efforts to improve security after an uprising ended Muammar Gaddafi's rule. Related Stories Iran opposition leader Mousavi hospitalised, aide...

HSBC Holdings Plc (HSBA) , which is under investigation by U.S. regulators for laundering funds of sanctioned nations including Iran and Sudan, is in talks to settle the matter, two people with knowledge of the case said.

Either Israel is engaged in the most elaborate ruse since the Trojan Horse or it is on the cusp of a pre-emptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Two conservative groups called on the Obama campaign to sever ties with a “radical” on its newly-released list of more than 600 rabbis who support the president’s reelection. Click here for the rest of the article...

Syrians displaced by fighting between the Syrian army and the rebels take refuge at the Bab Al-Salameh border crossing on Thursday. (AP)

LONDON (Reuters) - The Sun tabloid on Friday published photographs of Prince Harry naked in Las Vegas, becoming the first British publication to defy a request from the royal family's lawyers. Related Stories G20 awaits September grain report before plans on food Iran expands nuclear capacity underground - sources Ecuador's...

Charbel voiced optimism over the progress of talks aimed at securing the release of the 11 Lebanese kidnapped in Syria, saying the state has been working relentlessly toward an end to the crisis.

Ahmadinejad's main rival appeals for annulment of poll results in statement on his website.

KUALA LUMPUR: Lapan lelaki warga Iran dan seorang wanita Uzbekistan dihadapkan ke Mahkamah Majistret di sini semalam atas [...]

DAVAO CITY — Davao City is set to host the 9th Asian Magic Association Convention this September 14-17 at the Royal Mandaya Hotel.

Government militia accuses losing candidate of "disturbing the nation's security". Iran's Basij militia has asked prosecutors to investigate the role of Mir Hossein Mousavi, the defeated opposition candidate, in protests that broke out after the presidential election he maintains was rigged.

A look at Iran's reformist leader and his mixed political roots.

NEW YORK, Aug. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The recent revelations by Mr. Tahar Boumedra, a senior former UN Human Rights Official, about the actions of the United Nations Secretary General's Special Representative for Iraq, Ambassador Martin Kobler, raise questions as to whether the SGSR possesses the integrity, the competence and veracity to...

>(The views expressed are the author's own and not those of Reuters.) Recent news stories have detailed disagreements between Israeli and U.S. assessments of Iran's nuclear capabilities and intentions. While it would appear that for now the United States does not share the apparent Israeli desire for military...

Not long ago Britain was the world's hegemon. Nothing stood in the way of British might. Or as the famous saying had it, the sun never set on the British Empire. As it was then with Britain, so it is now with the United States. Somewhere in the world...

The Syrian government is negotiating deals with firms in London, Singapore and the Middle East to sell crude oil in return for the fuel it needs to survive in the face of an increasingly bloody insurgency.

QUITO (Reuters) - President Rafael Correa of Ecuador said a decision on whether to run for re-election in February 2013 depends on the ruling party and his family, but that his responsibility was to guarantee that his "Citizens' Revolution" continues. Related Stories Iran expands nuclear capacity underground - sources Clinton...

Aug 23 (Infostrada Sports) - Results from the Meeting Lausanne Men/Women on Thursday Men's 100m1. Yohan Blake (Jamaica) 9.69 2. Tyson Gay (U.S.) 9.83 3. Nesta Carter (Jamaica) 9.95 4. Ryan Bailey (U.S.) 10.00 5. Jimmy Vicaut (France) 10.02 6. Jaysuma...

Israel submitted a letter to the United Nations Security Council protesting recent statements by Iranian leaders against Israel.

Arab-Americans make up a small part of the voting public, but they are hoping to make an impact on this year's elections.

A federal judge has ruled that the Tennessee Valley Authority is liable for a huge spill of toxin-laden sludge in 2008 in East Tennessee.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. general leading NATO forces in Afghanistan acknowledged on Thursday that the Taliban could be traced to more "insider attacks" against Western troops than previously acknowledged, accounting for about a quarter of the cases.

Russia and China are accusing the US of looking for ways to intervene in Syria. Here's why they're probably wrong.

Hurricane Irene didn't prove to be the New York City flooding nightmare forecasters had feared.

A Tehran shoe factory is abandoned by its European leather suppliers. Iranian cooking oil manufacturers are operating at nearly half capacity because they can't get enough imported grains.

Retail gasoline prices across Texas have gone up 2 cents this week.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has called on Iranian officials to use all the resources at their disposal to counter the Western plots seeking to force the country into retreat.

The Syrian army recaptured three Christian neighbourhoods in Aleppo from rebels today while fierce clashes continued in other parts of the city.

A Vero Beach businessman who once faced up to life in federal prison and a $1 million fine for importing opium in rugs from Iran and the Mideast has begun a far lesser two-year prison term.

TAIPEI--Matapos ang apat na sunod na ratsada ay na­katikim ng kanilang unang kabiguan ang Nationals.

President George W. Bush and his neocon advisers made much of mocking international law, with Bush once responding to a question in fake horror: “I better call my lawyer.”

The Energen Pilipinas Under 18 squad recovered from a sluggish start to overpower winless Bahrain 99-72 in the FIBA Asia Under 18 Championships in Ula ...

Nine Filipinas entered the Yalin Women&\#039;s World 10-Ball Championship but only two remain. And those two will face each other today. The former World Ch ...

Turkey investigates whether other countries, including Iran, had role in deadly bombing

KABUL: Hamid Karzai's top advisers have said the rise in so-called insider attacks on NATO troops recently is the product of foreign spy agencies infiltrating the Afghan security forces, although they also pinned some blame on what they called ''inhumane acts'' by US troops and weaknesses in the Afghan vetting...

Iran's deputy ambassador to the United Nations has censured the Israeli regime’s war rhetoric against the Islamic Republic, saying such threats are in flagrant breach of the fundamental principles of the UN Charter and international law.

Diplomats tell The Associated Press that the U.N. nuclear agency is forming a special Iran team, drawing together sleuths in weapons technology, intelligence analysis, radiation and other fields of expertise.

A tired and listless Smart Gilas National Team, feeling the effects of a series of tough come-from-behind wins, suffered its first loss in the Jones C ...

(Reuters)—South Korea imported crude from Iran in July, an unexpected move put down to shipment delays in June cargoes, after Seoul had previously said there would be no imports because of E.U. sanctions restricting insurance on tankers carrying Iranian oil.Asia's fourth-largest economy

> Stocks Markets...

>DUBAI (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy is cutting short home leave for the crew of one of its aircraft carriers and sending them back to the Middle East next week to counter any threat from Iran, according to the official Navy News Service. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta told sailors...

Leon Panetta used his first visit to the Puget Sound area as U.S. defense secretary to thank a Bremerton-based aircraft carrier crew that accelerated its deployment schedule because of Middle East unrest.

Russia Joins the WTO Amid Continuing Tensions With the U.S. Russia's accession to the WTO this Wednesday marks the successful end of a long and tortuous road of negotiations.

British Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama warned they would be forced to consider a new course of action if Syria threatens to use chemical weapons on rebel fighters.

Government says security operation in the southeast followed bomb attack that killed five soldiers in Hakkari district.

The Israeli public is gripped by government-stoked fear over Iran’s nuclear program. So why does such a small minority favor unilateral military action? Click here for the rest of the article...

“President Obama swished and dished in the city Wednesday to net some serious dough at a trifecta of basketball-themed fund-raisers — but a gimpy knee was expected to keep him from playing above the rim,” the New York Daily News writes. “Obama’s late …

If you'd like to vacation in Iran, you're never going to find a safer time to travel there then next week. That's when United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will attend a summit meeting with Iran despite objections from the U.S. and Israel who are trying to isolate the...

France's foreign minister says that a push for a universal ban on the death penalty will be a top priority for the country's diplomats around the world.

>Aug 23 - Fitch Ratings says in a newly-published report that the Turkish economy is making solid progress in returning to a sustainable growth rate, while narrowing the current account deficit (CAD) and reducing inflation. However, its large external financing requirement still leaves it vulnerable to adverse shocks to the...

WASHINGTON — One flew an A-10 Warthog over Iraq and Afghanistan. Another was part of the 29th Infantry Brigade’s medical operations near Baghdad. A third lost both legs and partial use of an arm in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in Iraq.

Chinese telco equipment and smartphone maker ZTE is struggling to sell its wares in a sluggish market, and in face of EU and US government investigations.

Rwandan Paralympic team set up by two disabled athletes who lost limbs fighting against each other on opposing sides of the Hutu against Tutsi war.

Jerusalem (AFP) Aug 23, 2012 Israel on Thursday warned UN chief Ban Ki-moon and other world leaders not to fall into an Iranian propaganda "trap" when they attend a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran next week. "This conference will doubtless be exploited by the Iranian regime for propaganda...

TEHRAN, Aug 23 (Bernama) -- Iran produced 8.436 million tonnes of crude steel during the first seven months of 2012, registering an 8 percent increase compared to the same period last year, according to the World Steel Association (WSA).

Brent crude futures are likely to ease toward $110 a barrel or lower by the end of the year, as the main factors that have pushed them up recently are temporary and will abate in the next couple of months, analysts and traders say.

A member of Iran's Majlis scoffs at Israel’s warmongering against the Islamic Republic, Tel Aviv poses such threats to save itself from regional pressures caused by recent developments in the Middle East.

Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have their say. Please click here if you are interested in contributing. Undoubtedly, Syria is at the epicenter of one of the bloodiest and most unfortunate conflicts in recent times.

Weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) are back. It's like we never left Dubya's glory days. No, they didn't find the non-existent Saddam stash on eBay. This is about the existent Bashar al-Assad's.

Israel is unlikely to provide much if any advance notice to the United States if it attacks Iran's nuclear facilities, Middle East experts say.