News Archive - 16 September 2012

PFDC – SINT TRUIDEN, Future Team Melli striker Reza Ghoochannejhad returned from the disappointing trip with Iran’s national team in style, scoring both goals in his club’s 2-2 draw with Dessel Sport on Saturday. Ghoochannejhad scored the opening goal and a late equalizer after his team had fallen behind.

1st Half – Highlights   2nd Half – Highlights

>By Marcus GeorgeDUBAI, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Members of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) are in Syria providing non-military assistance and Iran may get involved militarily if Syria comes under attack, its commander said on Sunday.The statement is the first official acknowledgement from a senior military commander...

>(Reuters) - A U.S. regulatory probe of JPMorgan Chase & Co's anti-money laundering systems is focusing on potential lapses in how the largest U.S. bank monitors suspect money transactions, according to people familiar with the situation. The probe appears to be focused on the systems and personnel that...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Sunday that the United States must establish a clear "red line" that Tehran cannot cross with its nuclear program, if it wants to avoid war. YouTube Video:  No YouTube read more

>ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Iran is using Iraqi airspace to fly supplies to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces and thousands of Iraqi militia fighters have crossed into Syria to support his troops, Iraq's fugitive vice president said on Sunday. Tareq al-Hashemi, who fled Iraq in December and was sentenced to death...

>* Israel sees shorter time frame than ally Washington* Remarks likely to stoke tensions with Obama* Iranian commander issues threat against any Israeli attackBy Matt Spetalnick and Dan WilliamsWASHINGTON/JERUSALEM, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Sunday that Iran would reach the brink of being able...

>The mine was detonated by suspected Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants as a police bus was passing, officials said.Suspected Kurdish separatists killed four Turkish soldiers and wounded five in an attack on a military convoy near the border with Iran and Iraq on Saturday.The governor's office in the...

>* Israelis monitor Tehran's defences, enrichment projectsBy Dan WilliamsJERUSALEM, Sept 16 (Reuters) - A senior Israeli official said on Sunday the United States should not wait for Iran to decide on building a nuclear weapon before it considers military action against the Islamic Republic"When is the point at which it...

A fair part of planet blogosphere is currently echoing with fury against an offensive, mischief-making film, the production of which seems to be even shadier than its content. And rightly so. While f .....

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have come face to face with a group of topless South Pacific women and did not bat an eyelid when introduced. Related Stories Netanyahu presses Obama on Iran Suu Kyi begins landmark US visit Teachers continue bitter strike Hezbollah urges prophet film unrest Three-man...

Khamenei and Ahmadinejad despise one another; senior officials and officers report directly to the supreme leader while decisions are made behind the president's back.

Yes, this is my look. Ive worn a bow tie for the last 30 years.

TORONTO -- "Silver Linings Playbook," a dramatic comedy about a man who returns to his family home after eight months in a mental institution, won the top prize at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday.

UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has ended his first visit to Syria on a peace mission.

US naval command has begun what it's calling the "most widely attended" military exercise in the Gulf region on mine-laying and clearance from its base in Bahrain. Taking part are 12 vessels and experts from 30 nations.

>SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Brent crude rose for the eighth consecutive session on Monday to just below $117 a barrel, though prices remained below a four-month peak hit on Friday on worries that high oil prices could hamper efforts to boost a struggling world economy. Oil has been boosted by the...

Pakistan Hezbollah Karachi U.S. Consulate embassies Prophet Muhammad Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah anti-Islam video

How do you fit 70,000 years into eight hours of TV?

General Mohammad Ali Jafari (pictured), head of the Revolutionary Guard, also warned that if attacked, Iran would close the strategic Strait of Hormuz and hit US bases in the Middle East.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - When China turned to Russia for supplies of advanced weapons through the 1990s, it kick-started Beijing's military build-up with an immediate boost in firepower. Related Stories London's mayor to become prime minister? Not yet Amplats to resume work as South Africa police get tough Netanyahu -...

After pulling apart the code, Kaspersky Lab's researcher Dmitry Tarakanov draws a mixed picture of the programming skills of Shamoon's creators.

> Energy...

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it had arrested a man suspected of killing a policeman and injuring another in a shooting last month in a restive area populated by members of the kingdom's Shi'ite Muslim minority.

Oil traded near the highest close in four months in New York before reports that may show signs of a strengthening U.S. economy, the world’s biggest crude user.

ISTANBUL -- Thousands of demonstrators rallying against Turkey's support for Syrian rebels clashed with riot police Sunday in the southern city of Antakya.

Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Ali Jafari said that advisers from the elite military unit are giving nonmilitary assistance to the Syrian regime.

Chinese technology giant Huawei warns Australia could be in breach of its international trade obligations.

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) - Hundreds of Pakistanis protesting an anti-Islam film broke through a barricade near the U.S. Consulate in the southern city of Karachi on Sunday, sparking clashes with police in which one demonstrator was killed and more than a dozen injured.

Brad Keselowski raced to an impressive victory in the opening race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, outdueling five-time champion Jimmie Johnson at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday.

W E are what we eat. Ninety-five per cent of lifestyle diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hypertension, can be attributed to the food we eat.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israelis ushered in the Jewish New Year on Sunday with a sense of uncertainty, fearful that war with Iran could break out this year.

A major US-led naval minesweeping exercise got underway in the Gulf Sunday as tension remain high over Iran and its controversial nuclear program. The exercise kicked off on the same day the head of Iran's ...

Officials in Mexico State say that a Revolutionary Institutional Party legislator has been killed in the district of Nezahualcoyotl, the second politician from that party slain in the past two days.

The protest in Libya that killed U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans last week appears to have begun spontaneously and was “hijacked” by extremists, United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice said.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Warships from around the world were assembling in the Gulf on Sunday for what the U.S. military described as the most widely attended international naval exercise ever held in the Middle East. The exercise, which Washington says involves maneuvers to improve mine detection and clearance, comes...

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer Breaking down the AP college football poll after Week 2 of the regular season.

Regulators investigate possibility of money-laundering in major US banks. 16 Sep 2012 6:53 AM

At the height of the latest Islamic rage, one of the Muslim world's first media-celebrity imams told worshippers they were indeed witnessing a clash of civilizations. But just not the kind you think.

Aggressive action by policymakers worldwide has helped lift equities to multi-year highs, and these gains may be extended in coming days. Moderate comments Moderate comments read more

At least three deadly attacks on coalition forces over the weekend.

(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue). An Ultra-Orthodox Jew adjusts a Tefillin, also known as phylacteries, during a prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, before the start the holiday of Rosh Hashana, early Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012.

>DUBAI, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Crude oil should be at least $150 per barrel, Iran's oil minister was quoted as saying on Sunday, and the sanctions-hit country's OPEC governor said current oil prices were not high enough to threaten the world economy.Benchmark Brent crude prices rose to nearly $118...

Iran is nuclear capable. If Iran's leaders decided they wanted a nuclear bomb, they could build one. They have the material, the technical ability, and likely have a design. They have had these capabilities for at least five years, when they accumulated enough raw material that could be converted...

WASHINGTON -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renewed his campaign on Sunday to get President Obama to take a harder line toward Iran over its nuclear program.

A smaller but no less poignant group of firefighters, police officers and members of the public gathered at the Bryn Mawr Fire Company to remember September 11 and to pay tribute to the 2819 people who lost their lives in the attacks.

CAIRO (AP) - Here's a look at protests and reaction across the Middle East and elsewhere Sunday over an anti-Muslim film produced in the U.S. ridiculing the Prophet Muhammad.

PM Benjamin Netanyahu says Iran amassing enough material unless US acts now.

President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney are embarking on a week heavy with travel through battleground states and appeals key constituencies, with both campaigns wrangling over unrest in the Middle East and who is...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a direct appeal to American voters on Sunday to elect a president willing to draw a "red line" with Iran, comparing Tehran's nuclear program to O…

The commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Sunday that their elite force troops are providing “non-military” assistance in Syria.

Canada has closed its embassies in Libya, Sudan and Egypt for the day on Sunday as a precaution over anti-Western protests in the region. The Canadian Embassy in Tunis is also closed, as it is usually on Sundays.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought Sunday to assume a more neutral posture toward the American presidential election, distancing himself from Mitt Romney's suggestion that President Barack Obama has thrown Israel "under the bus."

Police fired tear gas and water cannon at the protesters after they broke through a barricade, while private security guards fired shots in the air to disperse the crowd in the southern city of Pakistan.

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Air traffic controllers at Tripoli's international airport staged a strike on Sunday that halted most flights in and out of Libya, airport workers said. Related Stories Lonmin rejects higher pay demand, promises new approach Slow, costly road to unity in Syria's revolt Fugitive VP says Iraq letting...

>Benchmark Brent crude prices rose to nearly $118 a barrel on Friday, further stoking fears that surging energy costs could harm fragile economic growth just days after Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said he was worried by high prices and the kingdom would take steps to moderate them.Iranian oil...

Islamabad (AFP) Sept 15, 2012 The ruling Pakistan People's Party on Saturday rebutted a claim by the country's disgraced nuclear hero that he transferred nuclear technology to other countries on the orders of its slain prime minister. Abdul Qadeer Khan, whom many Pakistanis regard as a hero for building the...

Beirut, Lebanon (UPI) Sep 14, 2012 Amid the rising tensions in the Middle East, with the United States locked in a Persian Gulf confrontation with Iran, the U.S. defense industry tripled its global arms sales to a record $66 billion in 2011. Half of that went to Saudi Arabia...

The issue:

The head of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards on Sunday warned of retaliation against the Gulf's strategic Strait of Hormuz, US bases in the Middle East and Israel if his country was to be attacked...

TEHRAN — The top commander in Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard warned Sunday that his country’s missiles will ensure “nothing will remain” of Israel if it takes military action against Tehran over its controversial nuclear program.

TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian newspapers are reporting that a religious foundation has increased a reward for killing British author Salman Rushdie to $3.3 million from $2.8 million in response to alleged insults to the Prophet Muhammad. The Sunday reports in the hardline Jomhoori Eslami daily and...

So much for silence from telemarketers at the cherished dinner hour, or any other hour of the day.

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has arrived in Egypt for a state visit, even though he is wanted for arrest by the International Criminal Court.

The government's monthly jobs report has become Washington's most anticipated and studied economic indicator, pounced upon by politicians, economists and journalists for snap judgments as the presidential election...

The president fashions a use-of-force doctrine that supporters say is prudent but critics deem too timid. This is the first in a series of articles on the record of the Obama administration.

RED LINE FOLLY: The Obama administration has implied that it would be willing to use force. as a final resort. But to go further and define a red line in advance would commit the US to waging a war

Egypt's president has the ability to dominate domestic politics. Now he has to find a way to appease the US after the embassy attack.

OTTAWA - Canada is closing three of its Middle East embassies for the day today because of continued security concerns. A spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird says the missions in Egypt, Libya and Sudan will not be open to ensure the safety of diplomatic staff. The U-S State...

[The Star]The former Kerio South MP has been accused in the press of corruption and murder. Now Nicholas Biwott's lawyer rubbishes claims that he ran down the Kisumu molasses plant and killed foreign minister Robert Ouko

The Nicaragua Army is not commenting on a series of articles published recently by the Israeli press alleging that Iran and Hezbollah have set up a training camp inside Nicaraguan territory.

NEW information about the anti-Islamic video posted on YouTube appears to show that it is not linked to a Jewish film-maker born in Israel as earlier reported, but to a Coptic Christian of Egyptian origin.

(MENAFN) Iran's deputy industry minister, Reza Fatemi-Amin, stated that once the country's steel production projects become operational, the coming year, the Islamic Republic will stop importing ...