News Archive - 30 June 2014

>NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned Iran ahead of this week's nuclear talks in Vienna that it has yet to prove that its nuclear ambitions are entirely peaceful in multiple rounds of talks with six world powers as a July 20 deadline nears. Kerry...

>NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - French bank BNP Paribas BNPP.PA on Monday pleaded guilty to two criminal charges and agreed to pay almost $9 billion to resolve allegations it violated U.S. sanctions laws and enabled the activities of terrorists and humans rights abusers in Sudan and elsewhere. In an...

>By Joseph Ax and Aruna ViswanathaNEW YORK/WASHINGTON, June 30 (Reuters) - French bank BNP Paribas on Monday pleaded guilty to two criminal charges and agreed to pay almost $9 billion to resolve allegations it violated U.S. sanctions laws and enabled the activities of terrorists and humans rights abusers in...

>SALVADOR Brazil (Reuters) - African champions Nigeria will draw satisfaction from advancing to the knockout phase of the World Cup but showed no signs of palpable progress at the tournament in Brazil. Their four matches in Brazil served only to again emphasize the extremes in their play, from the sublime...

>WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - In November 2010, the United States faced a painful dilemma in Iraq. The man Washington had picked from near-obscurity four years earlier to be Iraq's prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, had narrowly lost an election but was, with help from Iran, maneuvering to stay in power.     The...

>Here is the full text of the watchdog's statement:"The U.S. Authorities have published today the agreement reached about the outcome of the pending procedures concerning BNP Paribas for transactions which in the past violated US applicable Law involving sanctions against specific countries (Sudan, Iran, Cuba) and Specially Designated Nationals.

>BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi troops battled to dislodge an al Qaeda splinter group from the city of Tikrit on Monday after its leader was declared caliph of a new Islamic state in lands seized this month across a swath of Iraq and Syria. Underscoring rising tensions in the region, the...

Banking giant BNP Paribas has agreed to pay £5.2 billion for evading US sanctions on Iran, Cuba and Sudan.

Veterans should stop their whining and bellyaching over how long they have to wait for free health care paid for by my nickel. These are not combat casualties coming off some battlefield against the latest country we've invaded.

An Iraqi soldier monitors a street west of the shrine city of Karbala, in central Iraq, on June 29, 2014. Close An Iraqi soldier monitors a street west of the shrine city of Karbala, in central Iraq, on June 29, 2014.

JUST in case readers thought that we were going soft on Barclays bank, or even more unlikely, that Barclays itself had done nothing questionable recently, New York attorney-general Eric Schneiderman has come to our rescue.

.. a French corruption probe has detained Sarkozy’s lawyer –... LOS ANGELES – An Orange County man who admitted that...

“The question we face is not whether America will lead, but how we will lead, not just to secure our peace and prosperity, but also to extend peace and prosperity around the globe.” So said President Barack Obama during a much-anticipated recent speech on the future of US foreign...

WASHINGTON: Cyberattackers, probably state sponsored, have been targeting energy operations in the United States and Europe since 2011 and were capable of causing significant damage, security researchers said Monday.

From a language point of view, what’s happening in Iraq, Syria, and environs has revived words that have not been common for many years. One revival is “caliphate,” in the context that the Islamic insurgents now advancing in Iraq may be seeking to form one.

REUTERS/Bobby Yip A monitor broadcasts news on the … Continued Read more stories on Business Insider, Malaysian edition of the world’s fastest-growing business and technology news website.

Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama had become expert at repelling French players, keeping a remarkable 21 clean sheets for Lille in the league last season and going more than 1,000 minutes without conceding a goal. After making a string of crucial saves in Nigeria's tense second-round match against France on Monday,...

THAT America and Iran have some common interests in Iraq — but only up to a point — became evident when the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff pointed out the difficulties involved in the way.

>* Ankara-Iraqi Kurd ties have flourished in recent years* Turkey has poor relations with Maliki governmentBy Jonny Hogg and Orhan CoskunANKARA, June 30 (Reuters) - Turkey opposes independence for a Kurdish state in northern Iraq and wants a unity government in Baghdad to counter the threat by Islamist Sunni rebels...

>* Output edges higher in Saudi Arabia, Libya* OPEC output back below supply target of 30 million bpdBy Alex LawlerLONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - OPEC's oil output has fallen in June from May's three-month high, a Reuters survey found on Monday, as fighting in Iraq closed its largest oil refinery...

>ANKARA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran is wrestling with a complex array of historic alliances and enmities as it tries to develop a coherent response to the swift advance of hostile Sunni Muslim militants in neighboring Iraq. Despairing of its protege Nuri al-Maliki, Tehran's Shi'ite clerical establishment has sent mixed messages on...

Iraqi troops battled to wrest control of Tikrit on Monday (Reuters) , a day after the insurgency's leader declared the establishment of a transnational caliphate, Islamic State ( FT ) , with authority over all jihadi organizations worldwide.

The Islamic State - formerly known as Isis - would like to proclaim the first Muslim caliphate since 1924 but its credentials are hotly disputed

When Al Shabab, the violent Islamist group in Somalia, took control of the capital city Mogadishu, it actively destroyed buildings and overt displays of Western institutions and influences. When regional and international forces ousted Al Shabab from the city in 2011, the city’s soccer stadium was one of the first things to...

Canadian stocks began Monday slightly higher as investors digested the country's second-quarter growth data.The S&P/TSX composite index gained 27.56 points to begin an abbreviated week at 15,121.81The ...

Here's our daily quick round-up of the marriage equality and LGBT rights stories that don't warrant a full posting on the blog, or that we just didn't have time to add. We're able to get more news and analysis to you this way every day - enjoy!

For those who like things to just stay the way they are, it's been a tough couple of months on the late-night TV front. For viewers, the shake-ups can be disorienting. Stephen Colbert, for example, is changing his entire perosna. But for the hosts, sitting behind a new desk usually...

Angel di Maria has warned the remaining nations at the FIFA World Cup that Argentina are yet to peak.

David John previews Tuesday's World Cup games and thinks following Javier Mascherano could be profitable.

>By Edward McAllisterNEW 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...

>LASHKAR GAH Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghan forces battled the Taliban in southern Helmand province on Monday for a second week, officials and residents said on Monday, seeking to reassert control over a strategic district just weeks after the departure of U.S. troops. The battle for Helmand contributes to a...

>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...

In their two opening World Cup matches, France were sensational in front of goal, finding the net for fun.

Here's what you need to know about the markets before you start your business day.

Goalkeeper Asmir Begovic does not expect to leave Stoke City in the close-season, despite reported interest from Real Madrid.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who has has replaced Laden as the world's most dangerous terrorist, leads the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIS), the Sunni Jihadist group busily murdering its way across Iraq.

Iranian media have accused Qatar and Saudi Arabia of supporting jihadist Sunni fighters