News Archive - 29 June 2014

>NEW YORK, June 30 (Reuters) - After decades of isolation, the United States is set to become a major player in the global trade of ultra light oil as recent government export approvals attract interest across the world. Following rulings disclosed this week, U.S. companies can now export the...

>* Iraq army launched assault on Tikrit on Saturday* Shi'ite political bloc gives no hint on PM choice* Senior cleric has called for swift government formationBy Ahmed Rasheed and Alexander DziadoszBAGHDAD, June 29 (Reuters) - Iraq's army sent tanks and armoured vehicles to try to dislodge insurgents from the northern...

>Iranian leaders to date have said they would help defend Shi'ite Muslim shrines in neighboring Iraq if necessary, but have also said Iraqis are capable of doing that job themselves. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei on June 22 also said he rejected intervention in Iraq by Washington or any...

>BRASILIA (Reuters) - Nigeria midfielder John Obi Mikel is hopeful that victory over France and a first World Cup quarter-final appearance can help unite the African nation currently gripped by violence and bloodshed. Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 15 people on Sunday in an attack on two Nigerian villages...

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has reaffirmed the importance of strengthening cooperation among regional countries to combat terrorists, stressing that the era of violence and terrorism has passed.

NEW BRITAIN — When Armenians were cast out of their homeland by the Ottoman Empire in 1915, they scattered to Iran, Syria, Lebanon and the Middle East. Some of those families gathered again in 1925 and founded St. Stephen’s Armenian Apostolic Church at 167 Tremont St. in New Britain.

goatcategory-- NOW PLAYING Closed Curtain The audacious five-minute-long opening shot of this clandestinely made film by the Iranian directors Jafar Panahi (who is officially banned from filmmaking) and Kambozia Partovi sets the paranoid tone—a furtive trip to a remote beachfront house, observed from . . .

The Film File

Once again, our military leaders face a tradeoff. Can the United States meet the serious new security challenges we face while staying within strict budget limits?

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Jerusalem, June 30 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the P5+1 countries not to surrender to Iran ahead of a deadline for a permanent nuclear deal, media reported Monday.

>INTERNATIONAL/REGIONAL* Brent slips towards $113 as supply risks from Iraq ease* GLOBAL MARKETS-Asia stocks make cautious gains, yen edges higher* MIDEAST STOCKS-Gulf markets slip as volumes drop with Ramadan* Gold steady near 2-month high; poised for second quarterly gain* After Iraq gains, Qaeda offshoot claims Islamic "caliphate"* Iraqi army presses...

June 30 (Bloomberg) -- BNP Paribas SA won a reprieve during final talks to settle a criminal probe into U.S. sanctions violations, giving the bank six months to prepare for a ban on handling certain dollar transactions, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

In the Q&A story “Stay engaged in Iraq”, Mark Dubowitz finds it “just amazing” that the U.S. “would actually consider partnering” with Iran to beat ...

Author and commentator advocated for the invasion for Iraq in 2003, sought to put Arab history in perspective

A look at Monday’s games: France vs. Nigeria Kickoff: Noon, ESPN Location: Brasilia Favorite: France Nigeria is deadly on the counter with Emmanuel Emenike and Ahmed Musa (two goals vs....

Israel's Prime Minister has called on world powers to base a deal with Iran over its nuclear programme on the agreement that saw Syria's chemical weapons removed. Benjamin Netanyahu told Sky News preventing Iran acquiring a nuclear bomb has taken on greater importance due to the turmoil in Iraq. His...

Six months ago, Sunni Arab militants faced a daunting firepower imbalance in their uprising against the U.S.-equipped Iraqi army west of Baghdad.

American relations with the Middle East in general and with Syria in particular are in the process of taking some peculiar turns, reflecting the delicate policy nature of the region.

Thinking about Iran policy these days can make you dizzy, so let's try a simple analogy: The neighborhood troublemaker has driven his car off the road and is stuck in a ditch. He is gunning his engine, but just spinning his wheels. What should we do in response?

Entrepreneurs from as far afield as Brazil, China, India and Iran are coming to Scotland in an effort to grow their businesses.

Tel Aviv (Israel), June 29: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhayu on Sunday called for paving the way for an independent Kurdistan as part of the strategy to form a broader alliance with moderate forces across the region. Netanyahu said this citing

As Syria and Iran enter the fray, the U.S. is uncomfortable being associated with countries it views as hostile

Nigeria face France in a second round Brazil 2014 World Cup match in Brasilia on Monday. Both sides have met once in an international friendly in 2009 and the Super Eagles won 1-0. Joseph Akpala was on target for Nigeria. Nigeria will aim to equal Africa’s all-time best at the...

June 13, 2014: The Assads are increasingly being acknowledged as the winner of the civil war that still rages across the country. This happened for a number of reasons but mainly because the Assads used more effective, if more brutal, tactics.

The Super Eagles players and some of their managers have been battling to settle the rift over cash allegedly donated to the team by the Delta State Government after they won the Africa Nations Cup in 2013, our correspondent has learned. A member of the National Football Federation, who spoke...

Sue Fryer Ward, the first secretary of Maryland's Department of Aging and a lifelong advocate for elders' rights, died June 22 of complications from a stroke at Anne Arundel Medical Center. The Upper Marlboro resident was 78.

The Russian move was at least an implicit rebuke to the United States, which the Iraqis believe has been too slow to supply U.S. F-16s and attack helicopters – although sales of such warplanes are now in process

Islamist militant group Isis declares the establishment of a caliphate, or Islamic state, on the territories it controls in Iraq and Syria.

Over the longer-term, say five to ten years, it would be reasonable to expect borrowing costs to rise back to their pre-recesssion levels, of about 5%, but "it's probably quite a long way down the road" outgoing Bank of England Deputy Charlie Bean told Sky News in an interview.

U.S. officials have repeatedly said that "all options are on the table" to deal with a Sunni insurgency in Iraq that is spearheaded by extremist ISIS militants has sent 300 special operations "advisors" to Baghdad as intelligence collection increases. But with Sunday's establishment of the 'Islamic State' (IS) by those...

[allAfrica]Nigeria will go in search of history when they take on France in their World Cup second round match in Brasília on Monday.

The ringleader of the Shiite regime in Baghdad al-Maliki announced that his regime was urgently buying Russian aircraft because US has postponed the supplies of F16s.

The U.S. has rushed 75 Hellfire missiles to the Iraqi government, but that small arsenal will last the regime only about three days as they battle to take back the city of Tikrit.

Barring an inclusive political solution in Iraq, the country will most likely descend into a civil war and perhaps fall apart.

Germany and France are favourites to make it through their last-16 ties against Algeria and Nigeria, respectively, on Day 18 of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The two European sides have looked strong so far in the tournament while the two African sides have surprised many by making it...

>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged international negotiators on Sunday not to "surrender" to Tehran, as he launched a media blitz three weeks ahead of a deadline for an Iranian nuclear deal. In interviews to broadcasters from the six world powers involved in the talks, Netanyahu reiterated...

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi helicopter gunships struck suspected insurgent positions in Tikrit on Sunday as part of a government offensive to retake the predominantly Sunni hometown of former dictator Saddam Hussein from Sunni militants led by the al-Qaida breakaway Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, residents and officials said.

[CAF]For Joseph Yobo, the pre-match ritual is as much a part of the game as the half-time team talk. In his 16 years as a professional, the Nigeria defender has always readied himself for action the same way, slipping on his shirt and then singing and praying before stepping on...

After the United States delayed a sale of fighter jets to Iraq, Russia sold planes to the Iraqi government. Now they've sent military experts to Baghdad.  Gen. Anwar Hama Ameen, who heads the Iraqi air force, explained that the secondhand jets would quickly be deployed in the government's fight...

French bank BNP Paribas is expected to pay a record $9 billion fine and admit its guilt for years of dealing with US-blacklisted Sudan and Iran, in a case that has strained ties between Paris and Washington.

Switzerland will not employ any special measures to cope with Lionel Messi when they face Argentina on Tuesday, says coach Ottmar Hitzfeld.

Iraqi helicopter gunships struck suspected insurgent positions in Tikrit on Sunday as part of a government offensive to retake the predominantly Sunni hometown of former dictator Saddam Hussein from Sunni militants led by the al Qaeda breakaway Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, residents and officials said.

>SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Switzerland's 'Alpine Messi' Xherdan Shaqiri, hot from a hat-trick against Honduras in his last game, meets the real Messi on Tuesday as the Europeans seek a major World Cup upset when they face Argentina in the last 16. Shaqiri is the same height as Lionel Messi...

>BEIRUT (Reuters) - As jihadists storm through the Sunni heartlands of Iraq towards Baghdad, where a Shi’ite government they regard as heretic clings on, they have lifted the veil on deep sectarianism which has also stoked the fires of Syria’s civil war and is spilling over into vulnerable mosaic societies...

Comments by Iranian general suggest Tehran offering to take a larger role in battling Sunni militants

The five things you need to know on Sunday 29 June 2014... 1) CRUDDAS BLASTS TEAM ED'S 'DEAD HAND' On Thursday, Ed Miliband told me that Labour was "united" behind him and his leadership. Perhaps he should have had a word with his party's policy chief, Jon Cruddas, beforehand. From...

(MENAFN - Arab Times) O paulo june 28 (afp): asia is refusing to give up on world cup success despite its worst performance in 24 years when the four teams did not manage a win bet...

(MENAFN - Arab Times) O de janeiro june 26 (afp): france coach didier deschamps on wednesday admitted that his decision to make sweeping changes prevented les bleus from performing...

No more second chances, no more room for error. The knockout phase of the 2014 World Cup has begun, and no matter how well you played to get here, it can all disappear in an instant. France play Nigeria on Monday, they will start favourites to advance to the quarter-finals...

RAMALLAH, June 29, 2014 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Arabic dailies highlighted in their Sunday issue the continuing Israeli aggression on the West Bank and Gaza.

>NAJAF Iraq (Reuters) - Najaf is far from Baghdad's palaces and the battlefields of northern Iraq. Its mud-brick houses, dirt alleys and concrete office blocks project little in the way of strength or sway. But it is here, where Iraq's most influential clerics work from modest buildings in the shadow...