News Archive - 30 August 2012

>* Mitt Romney accepted the Republican nomination for president and took aim at Barack Obama as a failed steward of the nation's economy.* JP Morgan is reviewing its dealings with dozens of brokerages that use the bank to settle trades in an effort to reduce its risks.* Barclays...

>* Possibility of strike in Norway oil sector supports prices* No reports of major damage to offshore platforms from Hurricane Isaac (Adds details, updates prices)By Jessica JaganathanSINGAPORE, August 31 (Reuters) - Brent crude futures climbed above $112 per barrel on Friday, on track for a second monthly gain as investors...

>* Turkey says U.N. has nothing new for Syrian people* UN says experience shows safe havens not always effective* Paris, London boost humanitarian assistance for SyriaBy John Irish and Michelle NicholsUNITED NATIONS, Aug 30 (Reuters) - A U.N. Security Council meeting on Syria's aid crisis achieved nothing new...

TEHRAN, Aug. 30 (MNA) – The summit of the leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement started in Tehran on Thursday. The summit was attended by prominent international figures like United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and new Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.

>Supply from the 12-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries averaged 31.53 million barrels per day (bpd), up from 31.30 million bpd in July, the survey of sources at oil companies, OPEC officials and analysts found.The most notable trend in August is the lack of a further...

>NEW DELHI Aug 30 (Reuters) - India's Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd is seeking to buy 600,000 barrels of high-sulphur crude oil in the spot market for October and November lifting, tender documents showed, as supplies from Iran are hit by European sanctions. MRPL in the past rarely tendered for...

>* Demolition at military site would hamper nuclear probe* IAEA report issued as Israel threatens air strikesBy Fredrik DahlVIENNA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Iran has doubled the number of uranium enrichment centrifuges it has in an underground bunker, a U.N. report said on Thursday, showing Tehran continued to develop...

>DUBAI/AMMAN (Reuters) - Egypt called on Thursday for intervention to halt bloodshed in Syria, telling a meeting of 120 nations it was their duty to stand against the "oppressive regime" of Bashar al-Assad, prompting a Syrian walkout. President Mohamed Mursi, elected two months ago after a popular uprising toppled Egypt's...

>* Mursi urges NAM support for foes of Iran's ally Assad* Iran sees summit as proof isolation, sanctions have failedBy Marcus George and Yeganeh TorbatiDUBAI, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The U.N. chief and Egypt's president delivered stinging speeches at a summit of developing nations in Iran on Thursday, damaging...

>The Arabic satellite channel did not give further details in its brief headline and it was not immediately clear if the delegation returned after Mursi's speech finished.(Reporting by Shaimaa Fayed and Omar Fahmy; Writing by Edmund Blair, editing by Diana Abdallah) World Egypt...

>Iran, hosting a summit of the 120-nation Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), is hoping the high-profile event will prove that Western efforts to isolate it and punish it economically for its disputed nuclear programme have failed."Our motto is nuclear energy for all and nuclear weapons for none," Khamenei told the assembled...

Amidst Western efforts to isolate Iran over its nuclear programme, the 16th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement opened in Tehran today with issues like Syrian crisis and Palestine statehood set to domi...

Mitt Romney has vowed to restore the promise of America as he formally accepted the Republican presidential nomination.

Kelly Arnold, vice chair of the Kansas Republican Party, described actor and film director Clint Eastwood's appearance Thursday night at the Republican National Convention as "unique." Eastwood took the stage in the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla.

MANILA, Philippines - Vice-President Jejomar Binay will not be holding a press conference at the Coconut Palace today, his chief of staff said.

Indonesian rescue teams evacuate a sick asylum-seeker at Merak seaport on Friday after being rescued with other asylum seekers and transfered from an Australian navy and a commercial ship after their boat sunk.

Grandmasters P Harikrihsna and Abhijeet Gupta played in copy book style to give Indian men their third victory in a row in the 40th Chess Olympiad in Istanbul.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has appealed to members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to support Cambodia's bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. In an address to a two-day .....

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Less than three months after his inauguration, President Barack Obama stood before a cheering throng in Prague's historic Hradcany Square and outlined an ambitious vision of a world without nuclear arms. In remarks recalled later by the Nobel Peace Prize panel, Obama promised to negotiate a new...

>Japanese buyers stopped lifting Iranian crude in early June so vessels sailing the final part of their journey to Japan would not be uninsured in early July.The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's (METI) data differed from customs-cleared figures issued on Thursday showing Japan imported 126,726 barrels per day...

Guinness World Records certified the record, which was set during an event held as part of the Thailand Medical Hub Expo 2012 at Nonthaburi province's Impact Muang Thong ...

"If there is any fallout, I told officials to listen to me only. Although our water-management officials are well prepared, there could be an accident," he said. According to Sukhumbhand, ...

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Republican National Convention has wrapped up Thursday evening. Earlier in the day, Wis. Congressman Sean Duffy spoke about his experiences at the convention.

TAMPA, Fla. - Republican Mitt Romney, in the most important speech in his presidential campaign, told a television audience of millions that Barack Obama had failed to deliver on his soaring promises of hope and change and that it is time for new leadership during tough times in America.

For the first time, a constitutional authority has managed to collect information from the secret chambers of India's nuclear estate and table it before both houses of parliament.

Government departments, banks, and companies that operate critical infrastructure have fallen victim to badly crafted malware known as Mahdi. Over the past two years, governments in the Middle East have been targeted by sophisticated spying software, apparently created by world-class researchers whom unknown nation-states are paying to target sensitive data...

8/30/2012 10:45 PM ET (RTTNews) - The Thai stock market has finished lower now in five straight sessions, retreating almost 25 points or 2.1 percent in that span. The Stock Exchange of Thailand ...

President Obama’s approach to Iran has made Americans “less secure,” Mitt Romney said in his speech accepting the Republican presidential nomination.

Mitt Romney launched his fall campaign for the White House on Thursday night with a rousing, remarkably personal speech.

Barack Obama has failed to deliver on his promise of hope and change and it is time for new leadership in the White House, Mitt Romney told America, in the most critical speech in his presidential campaign. Related Stories Catholic priest: Clerics are often seduced by sex abuse victims Catholic...

WHAT in God’s name is wrong with Pakistan? Just when you think things cannot get any worse, something more outrageous happens to stretch the limits of your sensibilities.

ELECTION year, Obama’s personality, the Iraqi nightmare, the attitude of the Russians and the phobia of jihadists are all reasons that might explain the protracted slackness of the Americans to support the popular uprising in Syria.

The silver lining on Iran’s nukes: a centrifuge design that dates to the 1970s.

Thailand is walking a tricky path at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Tehran. Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul will today illustrate Thailand's position with regard to the Syria cris .....

Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi said bloodshed in Syria would only end if there was "effective interference" from outside the country.

Sydney 2000 A man who murdered a Sydney teenager he befriended on Facebook has been jailed for at least 21 years.Christopher Dannevig, 22, pleaded guilty to murdering 18-year-old TAFE student Nona ...

Foreign Ministers of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will hold an important meeting on Sunday to discuss greater unification of the Gulf States and to review all aspects of a plan to transform the GCC into a strong unified “Gulf Union.”

Iran has no interest in nuclear weapons, but will keep pursuing peaceful nuclear energy, its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told heads of state from developing countries in Tehran.

>* Fears that it could sweep eastwards in AsiaBy Alister DoyleOSLO, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Wheat experts are stepping up monitoring of a crop disease first found in Africa in 1999 to minimise the spread of a deadly fungus that is also a threat in Asia, experts said on Friday.

This Republican national convention has made one thing very clear. These days, the only practicing moderate Republican politicians are on Mad Men. I wrote here in June that the Enlightenment, that sustained starburst in political thinking which ushered in the transition from the medieval to the modern and drove...

TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Republican Mitt Romney will urge Americans in a major speech on Thursday to leave behind their disappointment in President Barack Obama and join him to rebuild the U.S. economy and generate millions of jobs. Related Stories France, Britain say Syria military intervention on table Iran...

Canada's Big Ben breaks world record at Paralympic GamesSummer Mortimer adds silver medalLONDON, UK, Aug. 30, 2012 /CNW/ - Benoît Huot of Montreal broke his world record and won the gold medal on Thursday ...

Egypt President Morsi criticizes Syrian regime, calling it `oppressive' in visit to Iran.

A Rasmussen poll reports of 1,000 likely American voters finds 16 percent have a favorable opinion of Gary Johnson, while 20 percent view him unfavorably.

Thought of the Day: "What you alone can contribute, no one else can contribute."

Gardai are continuing to question a 34-year-old man in connection with the murder of Jacqueline McDonagh at her home in Dundalk, Co. Louth.

Syrian activists said rebels shot down a government warplane over the northern province of Idlib on Thursday, the second time in a week that opposition fighters claimed to have brought down an aircraft in the escalating civil war.

McCarran International Airport is 2,491 miles north of the equator. Here are eight other places in alphabetical order that are roughly the same distance north of the equator.

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, indicated the common concerns of humanity on the issue of nuclear disarmament, emphasizing that Tehran insists on the need for a "Middle East without nuclear weapons" and the United Nations Organization must strive to respect this matter.

Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi chose for his first big foreign policy move to visit Iran and propose a regional quartet to end the conflict in Syria that would include Iran but not the U.S.

A guide to movies playing in and outside the New York area as well as noteworthy film series.

Nowadays the energy picture is confusing at best as the more information we are shown the more blurred our vision seems to become. Mixed messages, poor reporting and a media hungry to sensationalize anything it thinks can grab a headline have led to many wondering what the true energy situation...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described Iran as "the greatest threat to world peace" following a UN report which says Tehran has doubled its capacity to enrich uranium.

Troops face a new form of deadly violence - the insider attack.

A UN report says the country's Fordo plant has around 2,000 centrifuges installed, up from around 1,000 in May.

Amidst the glorious speeches at the Republican National Convention this election year, there is one subject that has glaringly been missing this time around: the wars that America is currently waging in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. Of all of the high profile speeches, only one --...

Foreign affairs has gotten the least attention by Republicans at a substance-free convention.

Sikh priest Punjab Singh has remained in a coma since the shooting rampage at a Wisconsin temple earlier this month that wounded him and three others and left six victims dead, Singh's family says.

Tehran, Aug 30 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh impressed upon Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari today that the expeditious conclusion of the trial of the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attack would prove to be a major step in the normalisation of relations between the two countries while the other...

It is a great pleasure for me to have this opportunity of addressing a very distinguished group of professors and particularly young people. I thought that most of the audience would be young people. I now realise that this is a mixture of distinct scholars.

JERUSALEM, Aug 30 (Reuters) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today he would speak out about the dangers of Iran's nuclear programme in an address next month to the UN General Assembly in New York.

In the name of God the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate Your Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Your Excellencies, Honorable Audience, I greet you all and would like at the outset to thank His Excellency President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Islamic Republic of Iran for...

ASPEN — Aspen Film announced that “Argo,” a thriller directed by and starring Ben Affleck, will be screened as the closing-night film at Aspen Filmfest 2012. The 34th annual Aspen Filmfest is set for Oct. 2 through 7, with events at the Wheeler Opera House and Isis Theatre in Aspen...

By The Associated Press Mitt Romney got a standing ovation in the convention hall - six hours before he was set to take the stage for his speech.

Iran's woeful deception and hypocrisy on women's human rights is particularly prominent this week while Tehran hosts the 16th Non-Aligned Movement summit to "eliminate international problems" and assumes the NAM's presidency for the next three years. The summit follows the recent announcement of a ban on female students in...

Paul Ryan has accepted the Republican nomination as Mitt Romney's running mate, saying the moment for Barack Obama's Democrats "came and went".

The United States welcomed Thursday a decision by UN chief Ban Ki-moon and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi to criticise Iran and Syria during a Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran.

Nearly 50 U.S. Companies to Visit Egypt in Show of Economic Support

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Thursday that it was closely studying a U.N. report that showed Iran has possibly expanded uranium enrichment machines and increased stockpiles of nuclear material. "We are closely studying the details of the report, but broadly speaking it is not surprising that...

Iran has doubled its capacity at a tough-to-bomb nuclear facility, a UN atomic agency report showed Thursday, in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions, sanctions and talk of Israeli military action.

Testimony resumed Thursday with the defendant a no-show in the first trial over the alleged repeated sexual assault of a young girl by men and boys from her small Texas community.

Security researchers from Kaspersky Lab have uncovered information suggesting a possible link between the mysterious malware that attacked Iranian oil ministry computers in April and the Stuxnet and Duqu cyberespionage threats.

More than 2,000 undergraduates could be facing deportation after London Metropolitan University lost its right to sponsor international students and authorise visas.

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (AP) - The first American to win an Olympic gold medal in judo will get a big welcome back to her Ohio hometown of Middletown. Twenty-two-year-old Kayla Harrison will ride in a motorcade More >>

The Line King's weekly, acerbic take on select college football games and his predictions of who will win and by how much are certain to entertain, inform, amuse, outrage and confuse. But not all the same people and definitely not at the same time.

TAMPA, Fla.—Republicans delivered a scathing indictment of President Barack Obama's national security policy, although the Democrat's aggressive approach has often been compared to that of his GOP predecessor, George W.

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (AP) - The first American to win an Olympic gold medal in judo will get a big welcome back to her Ohio hometown of Middletown. Twenty-two-year-old Kayla Harrison will ride in a motorcade More >>

Federal court rejects tough Republican-backed voter identification requirement for Texas.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was to submit a plan to end Syria's conflict on Thursday based on a halt to violence and formation of a unity government that could include President Bashar al-Assad, his spokesman said.

California tests its carbon emissions cap-and-trade program. | Prosecutors trace Chinese banks' dealings with Iran. | The best shoes for travel? Ask a flight attendant.

Tehran, Aug 30 (PTI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari today began a key meeting here, amid clear indications that terrorism will be the prime focus of the Indian side.

Brussels, Aug 30 (AFP) Fresh talks with world powers on Iran's disputed nuclear drive will be held "in the coming days," the spokesman for EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said today.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will try to reassert American interests in the Asia-Pacific region in the face of China's growing influence as she kicks off a six-nation trip that will take her from the South Pacific to Russia's Far East.

In a key diplomatic snub, Egypt's new leader used his first visit to Iran to tell his hosts they had chosen the wrong side in the Syrian civil war.

GENEVA (Reuters) - Four months after a U.N. agency's decision to send computer equipment to Iran and North Korea first stirred controversy, a feud has erupted between the body's director general and a suspended senior manager over misconduct allegations. In a suit filed with a U.N. tribunal, the...

China, India, Japan and South Korea have worked their way around an EU insurance ban that took effect July 1

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An ultra-Orthodox Jewish party in Israel's coalition government is wary of plans for possible military strikes on Iran, political sources said on Thursday.

"The situation in Syria is a matter of particular concern. Our movement should take a stand on the issue in keeping with universally accepted principles," Singh said.

Syrian activists said rebels shot down a government warplane over the northern province of Idlib on Thursday, the second time in a week that opposition fighters claimed to have brought down an aircraft in the escalating civil war.

First he pulled out of the Discovery leadership summit, now Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has opted out of a BBC debate featuring Tony Blair.

PLANE CRASH: Lewis County law enforcement officials confirmed late Thursday night the crash of a small plane in a rural pasture claimed the lives of two people believed to be from outside the Northeast Missouri and West-Centrail Illinois region.

In a clear rebuke to Syria's key ally Iran, Egypt's new president said Thursday that Bashar Assad's "oppressive" regime has lost its legitimacy and told an international conference in Tehran that the world must...

Gold is mostly unchanged as investors gear up for the US Fed chairman, Ben Bernanke’s speech tomorrow. Market participants are focused again on the short term and the silly “will he, won't he?” debate re Bernanke at the Jackson Hole symposium.

The Egyptian president calls Syrian President Bashar Assad's government 'oppressive' during the Nonaligned Movement summit hosted by Iran, an ally of Assad. TEHRAN — Egypt's new president rankled his hosts but won plaudits elsewhere Thursday when he condemned the Iran-backed government of Syrian President Bashar Assad as an "oppressive regime,"...

Publishers have a tantalizing pile of books coming out this fall, the traditional season for some of the year's biggest titles. Here are summaries of some of the many upcoming releases, with information culled from publishers and Publishers Weekly magazine. Publication dates are subject to change.

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi says members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) have a critical role in resolving the problems facing the world.