News Archive - 17 September 2012

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>NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell on Monday in light trading after a rally that drove the S&P 500 last week to its highest level in nearly five years and as falling oil prices hit energy shares. The decline broke a four-day streak of gains for the S&P 500. On...

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Crude rose to just over $97 a barrel on Tuesday, regaining some ground after falling as much as $4 in the previous session in a late, high-volume sell-off that has prompted an investigation by U.S. regulators. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission said it was "looking into"...

Rioting demonstrators battled with police outside a U.S. military base in Afghanistan and the U.S. Embassy in Indonesia Monday as violent protests over an anti-Islam film spread to Asia after a week of unrest in Muslim countries worldwide. In an appeal that could stoke more fury, the leader...

>It was believed to be the first time Iran has mentioned the incident, which atomic energy organization chief Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani said took place on August 17.He also told the annual member state gathering of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that "the same act" had been carried out on...

>BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in a rare appearance before tens of thousands of faithful, said on Monday the United States would face grave repercussions across the Muslim world unless it suppressed a film that demeans the Prophet Mohammad. Arguing that the world had not yet grasped...

>Iran's chief negotiator Saeed Jalili met Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Ankara to brief him on last week's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meeting in Vienna, a Turkish Foreign Ministry official said.A diplomatic source said Jalili may travel to Istanbul to meet Ashton on Tuesday. Ashton's office had...

>The head of the U.N. atomic watchdog, Yukiya Amano, also said on Monday his agency would hold more talks with the Islamic state aimed at allaying Western concerns that Iran is attempting to develop nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.Ashton will meet Iran negotiator Saeed Jalili in Istanbul...

>KABUL (Reuters) - Protesters enraged by a film mocking the Prophet Mohammad battled with police in several Asian cities on Monday and vented their fury against the United States, blaming it for what they see as an attack on the Muslim religion. Police fired in the air to break up...

>In comments published by Iranian media on Sunday, Mohammad Ali Jafari said members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) were providing non-military assistance in Syria and Lebanon, adding that Tehran might get involved militarily in Syria if its closest ally came under attack."Reports by some Arabic and Western...

>* Iraqi town faces refugees, gun-runners, Syrian jets* Syrians rely on Iraqi kin for help across border* Baghdad government worries about insurgents returningBy Patrick MarkeyAL QAIM, Iraq, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Syrian refugees squeeze against a closed gate at an Iraqi border post, reaching through its metal bars to clamour...

“We are urging calm and restraint by all sides and encourage them to maintain open channels of communication,” Panetta said.

The issue:

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Former World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi faces his biggest test since taking control of Guangzhou Evergrande when the Chinese club travels to Al Ittihad for Wednesday's first leg of their 2012 Asian Champions League quarterfinal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pressuring President Obama to draw a line in the sand on Iran's nuclear program. He said Tuesday that unless the United States is willing to set a hard deadline for Iran to end its nuclear program it has no "moral right" tell Israel not...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threw down the gauntlet this past weekend on American television, demanding that the United States put a "red line" in front of Iran's nuclear program. How will President Obama respond to this latest diktat?

Rice coach Ben Braun had problems with turnover before, but he might’ve just received this season’s finishing blow. Owl’s senior-to-be Arsalan Kazemi has requested and received a release from his scholarship and is looking to transfer to a high-major school for his final season of eligibility, the school announced in...

Sometimes it seems as if Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney has two running mates. There's Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan to help him out on budgets, deficits and other domestic matters. And then there's Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (neh-ten-YAH'-hoo) on foreign policy.

>KABUL, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Afghan militants claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a suicide bomb attack on a minivan carrying foreign workers that killed 12 people saying it was retaliation for a film mocking the Prophet Mohammad. A short film made with private funds in the United States and posted...

"How could this happen?" asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in response to the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya that killed Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three others.

BEIRUT — Missiles fired by Syrian warplanes hit Lebanese territory Monday in one of the most serious cross-border violations since Syria’s crisis began 18 months ago, security officials in Beirut and Lebanese state media said.

Politicians running for any office are hired by the people to represent us with professionalism and common sense and to follow existing laws/policies and exhibit a moral decorum of decency.

VIENNA - Iran's nuclear chief said Monday that "terrorists and saboteurs" might have infiltrated the International Atomic Energy Agency in an effort to derail his nation's atomic program.

BEIRUT - In a rare public appearance, the leader of the militant Hezbollah group exhorted hundreds of thousands of supporters Monday to keep up the campaign against an anti-Islam video that has unleashed deadly violence and anger at the United States across the Muslim world.

The violent backlash against a US-made amateur film mocking the Prophet Mohammed spread to new countries in the Islamic world, dashing hopes in the West that the furore might soon be contained.

Republican candidates for various seats in federal and state government, had the same message for Mason County Republicans at their annual fall picnic — the party needs to work hard to make change happen.

Iran's nuclear chief said Monday that "terrorists and saboteurs" might have infiltrated the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in an effort to derail his nation's atomic program.

>* Traders eyeing more stimulus action from Beijing* Coming Up: Germany ZEW economic sentiment; 0900 GMT (Adds analyst quote, updates prices)By Luke PachymuthuSINGAPORE, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Brent crude slipped under $114 a barrel on Tuesday, adding to steep losses in the previous session, as investors weighed the impact of...

Like many investors, we were flummoxed by Ben Bernanke's QE3 announcement last week, which essentially promised to do whatever it takes for eternity until US unemployment figures return to their pre-crisis levels.

Washington will not take sides over the Diaoyu Islands and urges a peaceful resolution amid escalating tension, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in Tokyo on Monday before arriving in Beijing.

Iran’s atomic energy chief on Monday claimed that power lines to the underground Fordow nuclear facility were cut via explosives last month before an International Atomic [...]

The 12 new citizens took the oath of citizenship at Tumacácori National Historical Park south of Tubac.

The outburst of anti-Americanism sweeping much of the Arab world was ignited by an off-the-wall film insulting Mohammed, but the underlying outrage is fed by decades of resentment against the U.S. and its ally, Israel. Nothing fueled that anger more than the massacre of what's estimated to be...

The developers of the now-notorious Flame malware used command and control servers running the 64-bit version of Debian and the OpenVz virtualization technology in their work. They wrote most of the server code in PHP, researchers at Kaspersky Lab and Symantec have found during continuing investigations into the malware.

Fighting raged in Syria's second city Aleppo on Monday, with the army claiming to have secured much of a strategic district, as the United Nations denounced gross human rights violations by both sides.

Conservative MP Candice Bergen (formerly Hoeppner) announced before question period she's reverting back to her birth name. But hold the Murphy Brown jokes: it appears she's heard them before.

Italy announced Monday it will protect Canadian interests in Iran following Ottawa's recent severing of diplomatic relations with Tehran, a decision confirmed by Canada's Foreign Minister John Baird.

SEREMBAN: A man who claimed to be an Islamic medicine practitioner was arrested by the Negeri Sembilan Islamic Religious Affairs Department (Jheains) today while trying to perform sex on his patient he was treating at her house in Kampung LBJ, here, today.

Crude oil mysteriously plummeted more than $3 in just one minute on heavy volume, leaving energy traders scratching their heads about the potential cause.

Halliburton has lost a seven-inch radioactive rod somewhere in the Texas desert. The National Guard has been called in to help to find the device, which employees of the controversial U.S. oilfield services company lost a week ago.

The anti-Islam film "Innocence of Muslims" has sparked protests across the Muslim world. Several people have already died in the wave of violence. The conflict raises questions about how far the West is prepared to go in defending freedom of expression.

To the best of my knowledge from information gleaned from internet data sources, there are three countries that have not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). They are India, Pakistan and Israel. One additional country -- North Korea -- withdrew in 2003 after being a signatory for 18 years.

An editorial in a Pakistani daily has said that 'disgraced' nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan should be kept under wraps so that no irreversible damage is done to the country, especially when the West is already hawkish about Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.

What are Iran's nuclear capabilities at present, and is a preemptive military strike necessary? A difference of opinion between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu show that major world powers are at odds over these pivotal issues.

LONDON: Brent crude oil held above US$116 a barrel yesterday, steadying after seven days of gains on expectations US economic stimulus measures would boost commodities and other risky assets. Brent hit a four-month high of US$117.95 a barrel on Friday after the US Federal Reserve announced a plan to...

Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has revealed sabotage operations at Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility in August just ahead of a scheduled visit by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors.

MOSCOW: Russia said Monday ministers from the world's six big powers plan to meet with Iranian negotiators to discuss the Islamic state's nuclear crisis on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting next week.

Brent crude futures dipped today, while U.S. crude edged higher, in choppy trading as expectations that U.S. Fed stimulus will boost commodities lent support even as concerns that high prices might curb demand helped keep prices in check.

Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah made a rare public appearance in Beirut on Monday, calling for sustained protests against an anti-Islam film made in California.

Zainab, seven, and Zeena Al-Hilli, four, are seen happily cycling past lawns on a tandem bicycle while on a family holiday in France, before the murder of their parents.

Iranian media quoted Hassan Sane'i as saying in a statement that he was "adding another $500,000 to the reward for killing Rushdie."

Economists expect a -2.00 reading.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber killed seven Iraqis and wounded 11 others, including a member of parliament, close to an entrance to Baghdad's fortified Green Zone on Monday, where several Western embassies are located, police sources said.

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland's government has struck a deal with senior doctors that would save some 200 million euros (161.4 million pounds) a year and help halt a spending overrun criticised by the country's lenders, the health minister said on Monday. Related Stories EU foreign policy chief to meet...

VIENNA: The head of the UN atomic agency said Monday he wants to hold more talks with Iran on suspicions of past nuclear weapons research activities, despite the failure of a string of meetings this year.

>Iran's atomic energy agency chief, Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, suggested that "terrorists and saboteurs" might have infiltrated the agency, which is investigating Tehran's disputed atomic activities.He also told the annual member state gathering of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the agency was influenced by "certain states", a clear reference...

>The International Atomic Energy Agency is "firmly committed" to intensifying dialogue with the Islamic state, Amano told the IAEA's annual member state gathering.He gave no date for a possible new round of talks that began in January between IAEA officials and Iran aimed at allaying concern Tehran may be...

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says Israel is pushing the US into ‘a corner’ by demanding that Washington draw red lines before Iran over its nuclear energy program.

The low budget movie that by ridiculing Islam triggered violent protests throughout the Middle East and the storming of US embassies raises the question of whether the explosive reactions to such insults are really caused by a few Mohammed cartoons, as in 2006, and cheap movies, which very few in...

KARACHI, Pakistan - 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.

WASHINGTON - Having been rebuffed privately by President Barack Obama last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel took to the airwaves in the United States on Sunday to warn that Iran was only six or seven months from having "90 percent" of what it needed to make an atomic...

BEIJING: Japanese firms including Panasonic suspended operations at plants in China, companies and reports said Monday, after mass anti-Tokyo protests at the weekend over disputed islands in the East China Sea.

Durham wrestler have an impact at international events.

Oil traded near the highest price in four months before reports forecast to show a strengthening economy in the U.S., the world’s biggest consumer of crude.

>* Traders looking for signs of further China stimulus (Updates prices)By Luke PachymuthuSINGAPORE, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Brent crude rose for the eighth consecutive session on Monday to just below $117 a barrel, though prices stayed under a four-month peak hit on Friday on worries that high oil prices could...

>* U.S. leads allies in major Gulf mine clearance exercise* Officials, Iranians play down timing, stress "defensive"* Manoeuvres begin after Netanyahu ramps up Iran alarm* Western nuclear negotiator to meet Iranian on TuesdayBy Sami Aboudi and Daniel FinerenDUBAI, Sept 16 (Reuters) - The United States and its allies have...