News Archive - 25 October 2012

>* Cushion still modest by historical standards* Saudi Arabia, U.S., Iraq and Libya pump more; consumption wanes* Iran exports may have seen small bounce since July plungeBy Timothy Gardner and Roberta RamptonWASHINGTON, Oct 25 (Reuters) - The world's spare oil production capacity outside of Iran rose in last...

>* Defence official says Khartoum aids Gaza arms smuggling* Some commentators see factory blast as warning to IranBy Dan WilliamsJERUSALEM, Oct 25 (Reuters) - If Israel bombed a Sudanese munitions factory, as Khartoum alleges, the raid was part of its widening proxy war against Islamist militants in neighbouring Egypt which...

>It would be the first contact between Ashton and Iran's Saeed Jalili since EU governments imposed new sanctions on Tehran in mid-October, and could pave the way for a resumption in negotiations about Iran's atomic programme."(There will be) a phone contact between the High Representative and chief Iranian nuclear...

>* Iran says it has been hit with cyber attacks* 2010 Stuxnet worm targeted Iran nuclear centrifugesBy Louis CharbonneauUNITED NATIONS, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Iran rejected criticism from a U.N. human rights investigator over its tighter cyber security rules, saying they are necessary to protect it against cyber attacks...

REUTERS DIARY OF MIDDLE EAST/AFRICAN HOLIDAYS Double-click in brackets for Americas holidays , Asian holidays and European holidays Alternatively click on to retrieve dates by country. Please note the diaries mentioned above can be accessed only from Thomson Reuters products. ** Details below represent the latest information available and will...

>VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran appears to have nearly finished installing centrifuges at its underground nuclear plant, Western diplomats say, potentially boosting its capacity to make weapons-grade uranium if it chose to do so. Iran only disclosed the existence of the Fordow plant, built inside a mountain to shield it from...

The pilgrimage to Mecca has began. It will culminate Friday, October 26th with Eid al-Adha. The pilgrimage, one of the five duties of any Muslim, has become the largest gathering in the world.

Iran's Supreme Leader is blaming the U.S. and Israel for the bloody, 19-month civil war in Syria.

>* Syria says it still discussing plan* Doubt over any unified rebel response* No sign of violence abating on the groundBy Khaled Yacoub OweisAMMAN, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Syrian troops bombarded a town near Damascus on Thursday and fighting raged in and around the northern city of Aleppo, a day...

>"By exploiting inattention ... corrupt American, NATO and Zionist agents are trying to divert the deluge-like movement of Muslim youth and bring them into confrontation with one another in the name of Islam," he said in an annual message to Iranians who have gone to Saudi Arabia for the haj pilgrimage.

>Receive this schedule by email: www.reuters.com/skedsThe Reuters business schedule runs at the following times:0230,0630 GMT - Mathew Veedon +65 6870-38270830,1230 GMT - Malcolm Davidson +44 20 7542 69581530,1930 GMT - Franklin Paul, Chris Kaufman +1 646 223 6200TOP STORIESOlympics helps Britain leap out of recessionLONDON - Olympics spending...

>* Q3 loss per share 0.57 yuan* Shares in Hong Kong down 2.5 pct ahead of resultsBy Lee Chyen YeeHONG KONG, Oct 25 (Reuters) - ZTE Corp , the world's fourth-biggest maker of mobile phones and fifth-ranked telecommunications equipment manufacturer, reported a $310 million net loss for July-September,...

>LONDON (Reuters) - An Iranian partner of Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, a Chinese company that has denied breaking U.S. sanctions, last year tried to sell embargoed American antenna equipment to an Iranian firm, according to documents and interviews. The buyer - an Iranian mobile-phone operator - says it canceled...

>* Asian shares steady, earnings still in focus* U.S. crude stocks rise sharply, oil products mixed -EIA* Coming Up: U.S. Weekly jobless claims; 1230 GMT (Updates prices)By Manash GoswamiSINGAPORE, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Brent futures rose above $108 on Thursday as positive economic data out of the world's...

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad clashed Monday with the country's judiciary over his right to visit the prison where a jailed aide is held, in a new sign of the leader's waning influence in his last year in office.

>* Hurricane Sandy threatens U.S. after slamming Cuba* World's spare oil capacity grows as Iran sanctions bite* Coming Up: U.S. GDP for third-quarter; 1230 GMTBy Manash GoswamiSINGAPORE, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Brent futures held steady above $108 on Friday as investors awaited key data on the health of...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two years after the Stuxnet computer worm attacked its nuclear program, Iran is increasingly turning to cyber warfare itself in a growing, stealthy confrontation with its enemies. While the immediate threat of an Israeli military strike on its nuclear facilities has eased for now, Tehran's rulers are...

>SANTANDER RAISES ALERT OVER FURTHER CASES OF MIS-SELLINGSantander has raised the prospect of a fresh wave of mis-selling claims against banks by taking a 232 million pounds ($374.47 million) provision to cover future payments.The TelegraphRECESSION IS OVER, BUT DON'T GET CARRIED AWAYBritain should not "get carried away" by...

Italy's premier says stepped up European sanctions against Iran are proving effective.

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DUBAI, Oct 22 — Iran’s judiciary has blocked a request by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to visit Tehran’s Evin prison where a top presidential aide is being held, a further sign of his waning influence in a last year in office. Ali Akbar Javanfekr, Ahmadinejad’s press advisor and head of the...

In embattled Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has forged a close relationship to the country's popular national soccer team as it attempts to qualify for the 2014 World Cup.

The head of Iran's judiciary says embattled President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad does not understand his constitutional powers.

International disaster relief organization, ShelterBox, is delivering emergency shelter and supplies to Syrian families who are living in the Domiz refugee camp in northern Iraq as a result of Syria’s growing violence, political conflict and economic hardship.Sarasota (PRWEB) October 24, 2012 International disaster relief organization, ShelterBox, is delivering emergency...

Clearwire Corp. reported a loss of $38.3 million for the quarter ending Sept. 30, an improvement over the same quarter a year ago, when it lost $46.4 million. Despite that improvement, the wireless ...

SINGAPORE: The spike in Japanese demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) triggered by a halt in nuclear power output in the wake of the Fukushima disaster may have peaked, as two reactors are back online and the summer demand season has passed, a senior government official said.

Amir Hossein Jahashahi, a businessman opposed to the Iranian regime, said he started the channel to promote "free and independent" information — and to "decapitate the current regime.”

As the third and last US presidential debate progressed Monday night Pakistan figured prominently but more for its 'nuisance value' than as a strategic partner in the war on terror - reflective of American leadership's low regard for the heavy price it pays for this partnership.

Political pundits long have debated who is the real Benjamin Netanyahu. Is he a pragmatist handcuffed by his right-wing support base and, until his father’s recent death, fealty to his father’s nationalist vision?

Dan Senor, Mitt Romney's senior foreign policy adviser, is still hawking war against Iran. He blames the Obama administration for not supporting the 2008 Green Revolution in Tehran. He suggests that US support might have enabled the protestors to oust Ahmadinejad and the Ayatollah. Fat chance. I remember the...

After feeding Norman for more than 30 years, the Dimas family is turning over the keys to Greek House to new owners and returning to their home in Greece.

The Syrian military announced Thursday that it would abide by a United Nations-sponsored cease-fire during the four-day Eid al Adha holiday, the first such agreement since April. Click to Continue »

BEIRUT/GENEVA (Reuters) - Damascus residents reported artillery barrages by Syrian troops on Thursday hours before the scheduled start of a ceasefire to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

A woman exits a bar in South Anchorage, a bar you might recognize. A man in a dark trenchcoat watches her from around the corner as she walks to her car in the back parking lot. He moves the other dir

SEC Sought Information From IBM In August About ZTE, Closed Review In September -Bloomberg

Reuters/Singapore/Colombo Ceylon Petroleum Corp (Ceypetco) will shut Sri Lanka’s sole 50,000 barrels-per-day oil (Bpd) refinery for two weeks after exhausting its supply of mainly Iranian crude oil, a company official said.

Sectarian fault lines have intensified the political uncertainty and will decide the country's fate. Jeremy Bowen reports.

AFP/Washington The Washington Post editorial board has endorsed President Barack Obama for another four years, but stressed the “disappointments” of his first term.

While watching Mitt Romney make up fantasy positions on the foreign policy, I had a fantasy of my own.

Immigration attorney Reza Rahbaran writes about the OFAC license no longer being required for Iranian EB-5/E-2 investors, as reported by EB5Investors.com.(PRWEB) October 22, 2012 Today the Office of Foreign Assets Control has revised certain transaction policies that manage the sanctions on Iranian Financial Institutions. The Secretary of the...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he was merging his Likud party with that of his ultra nationalist coalition ally Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in a hard-right tack ahead of Israel’s Jan. 22 election. Click here for the rest of the article...

A tribunal set up by political crime victims, committed after Iran's Islamic Revolution, has begun hearings.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he was merging his Likud party with that of his ultra nationalist coalition ally Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in a hard-right tack ahead of Israel's January 22 election.

NEW YORK (AP) — In a story Oct. 23 about the boom in U.S. oil production, The Associated Press misidentified the year and amount of peak U.S. oil output. U.S. oil output peaked in 1970 at 11.7 million barrels per day, not in 1985 at 11.

When missiles rained down on northern Israel from Lebanon six years ago, surgeons at Rambam Hospital in Haifa worked, terrified, on the building’s eighth floor.

>LONDON, Oct 25 (IFR) - Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ pulled out of a bond mandate for Turkish refiner Tupras due to concerns over the issuer's supply relationship with Iran, two sources away from the deal told IFR on Thursday. The bank had been originally mandated alongside Citigroup and Deutsche Bank...

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican on Thursday moved Pope Benedict's former butler, who admitted leaking sensitive documents, from house arrest to a cell in the city-state's police station and indicated he would not be getting a papal pardon anytime soon. Related Stories Russia wants answers on NATO post-2014 Afghan...

The lawmaker says Powell has "harmed" his legacy by endorsing Obama.

The ironic thing about George McGovern, who died on Sunday, is that the Nixon campaign painted him as cowardly and unpatriotic in 1972 for opposing the Vietnam War, when in fact he was an authentic war hero.

With so much of the three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate consumed by the economy, jobs, national debt, health care, terrorism, and Iran, little time was left to discuss other important topics. Here are four that they missed.

NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Spire Law Group, LLP's national home owners' lawsuit, pending in the venue where the "Banksters" control their $43 trillion racketeering scheme (New York) – known as the largest money laundering and racketeering lawsuit in United States...

LONDON (Reuters) - International oil company BP, weakened and distracted by its troubles in the United States and Russia, is in danger of losing touch with the leaders in an industry where strength and focus yield the richest pickings. Related Stories Police to make arrests over BBC's "tsunami of filth"...

Weapons factory explodes in the middle of the night; Sudan, Iran blame Israel.

The Shiites and Bahais are often overlooked in discussions about Egypt’s religious minorities. But activists say they face daily persecution. The rise of Islamist movements offers little hope of change.

UK Independence Party leader denies he told Iranian news agency West had plans for supranational world-domination.

MAKKAH: Kumpulan 28,000 jemaah haji Malaysia menyertai dua juta jemaah dari seluruh dunia hari ini untuk berwukuf di Padang Arafah iaitu kemuncak penyempurnaan ibadah haji mereka. Read more...

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Luxury yachts line the glitzy seafront marina of Beirut's Zaytouneh Bay where owners would sip champagne at sunset before stepping out for dinner - spoilt for choice between going Italian at Signor Sassi or French at Cro Magnon. Across the street, the Whisky Mist night club at...

LOS ANGELES—Liam Neeson's "Taken 2" has defended its box-office title with a narrow win over Ben Affleck's "Argo.

>MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Syrian pilgrims raised rebel flags as the haj reached its climax near Mecca on Thursday, despite a call from Saudi Arabia's top cleric for the annual Islamic pilgrimage to be free from nationalist sentiment and Muslim infighting. This year's haj takes place against a...

An Iranian semiofficial news agency says the army is planning a "unique" military exercise along the country's border with Iraq.

Sasha Cekerevac, financial expert and contributor to Profit Confidential, reports that the significant level of volatility in oil prices is a result of the recent breakout of hostilities between Turkey and Syria, including the latest incident on October 10 when Turkey forced down a Syrian plane—seizing what they believe was...

The death of George McGovern on the eve of the presidential candidates’ foreign policy debate underscored a momentous political reversal spanning four decades. McGovern’s nomination for president in 1972, a consequence of the Democratic Party’s recoil against the Vietnam War and the riotous convention four years earlier, made the country...

PARIS (AP) -- The extent of the European car industry's troubles was laid bare Wednesday, when France's government tossed a financial lifeline to the continent's No. 2 automaker, Peugeot Citroen, and Ford said it would shut a plant in Belgium, cutting 9,500 jobs. Experts say France's €7 billion ($9.1...

Obama and Romney tied on the third presidential debate, it was said. Nonetheless, the result will unlikely affect the voters' pick, Billionaires Bunker commented.Washington, DC (PRWEB) October 23, 2012 The third presidential debate was held last night at Boca Raton, Florida. As reported by csmonitor.com, it was much...

A recent survey of 20 gold and silver experts has concluded 3 to 1 that the third Presidential Election, held at Lynn University on October 22, 2012 will be a tactical win for Governor Romney, reports gold coin superstore, Gold Coin.New York, NY (PRWEB) October 22, 2012 The third...

US policymakers hope that a potential German Chancellor Peer Steinbrück would ensure continuity on existing German policy - especially as it might affect US economic and other interests, writes Kevin Lees.

The award winning TV show does little to alleviate the myths and misconceptions about Arabs and Muslims, writes author.

Writing about himself in the third person freed him to tell his story

Brussels (dpa) - It is hardly unusual for the European Parliament to send delegations to Middle Eastern countries - but when the planned destination is Iran, things get complicated.Pressure has been steadily mounting in the Brussels-based legislature to postpone a week-long visit to Iran that is scheduled to get...

Two recent stories offer a revealing — and, to some, unsettling — view of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s emerging state ideology. The new Putinism, you might call it, seems to be a fusion of two older Russian ideas: nationalism, sometimes with an anti-Western tinge, and conservative interpretations of Orthodox Christianity.

>JOHANNESBURG Oct 25 (Reuters) - Africa's largest telecommunications company, MTN Group, on Thursday reported a near 4 percent increase in subscribers in the third quarter and lifted its guidance for new users this year.MTN said it expected to add 23.7 million new customers this year, up from its...

>"We will cut exports by 1 million (barrels per day) to 1.3-1.4 million barrels per day within the next few months," he said via an interpreter in Moscow.(Reporting by Olesya Astakhova; writing by Vladimir Soldatkin)...

Driven by high prices and new drilling methods, U.S. oil production is booming - rising by an estimated seven percent this year alone.

President Obama has declined to outline a second term agenda. He doesn't say what he would do about the fiscal cliff that looms in just a couple of months. He hasn't addressed the glaring challenge of an aging population and entitlement spending that is careening toward insolvency. (On the contrary,...

Sun.Star website empowers Philippine communities by providing news and information from the provinces to a national and global audience. It is your link to home in the Philippines.

The new Ben Affleck thriller Argo opens in Irish cinemas on Wednesday November 7 and you can now watch a featurette about the remarkable true story on which the movie is based.

The third presidential debate was supposed to showcase the candidates' foreign policies. Instead, we saw two candidates tap-dance around the serious issues to appeal to voters who want their government to turn inward after a decade of conflict abroad. This country is in a world of trouble. Yet, with an...

Bill Bloomfield is not focused on labels, a trait he believes would be an asset as a member of the House of Representatives to help reduce partisan politics and get Congress working again.

MSCI Inc. , a leading provider of investment decision support tools worldwide, announced today that FactSet Research Systems, , a world-recogniz

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran is weighing a more confrontational strategy at possible renewed nuclear talks with world powers, threatening to boost levels of uranium enrichment unless the West makes clear concessions to ease sanctions.

With the help of Darlene Casella and Dori Smith, The Desert Sun has conducted eight debates between local Republicans and Democrats on issues in the presidential campaign.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Senior Israeli officials accused Sudan on Thursday of playing a key role in an Iranian-backed network of arms shipments to hostile Arab militant groups across the Middle East, a day after a mysterious explosion rocked a weapons factory near the North African country's capital.

>MTN said it expected to add 23.7 million new customers this year, up from its previous expectation of 21.25 million.Subscribers rose to 182.7 million across its 21 operations in Africa and the Middle East. Earnings in Iran would be affected by the local foreign exchange depreciation,...