News Archive - 16 July 2014

>In brief remarks in the White House press briefing room, Obama appeared to push back against critics who feel he has failed to act decisively on a number of fronts.Obama announced new sanctions against Russia over its aggression towards Ukraine, said progress had been made but more time might...

>Iran had met commitments over the past six months, but there were still significant gaps to be addressed, Obama told reporters at the White House. (Reporting by Jeff Mason and Steve Holland; Editing by Peter Cooney) FILED UNDER: World Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Print Reprints...

>* Iran, powers may resume talks in September - diplomats* Washington praises Iran's "surprisingly" favourable behaviour* Despite some progress, differences persist over enrichment (Adds Obama remarks)By John Irish and Parisa HafeziVIENNA, July 16 (Reuters) - Iran and six world powers are working to finalise the terms of a likely extension...

>DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Bashar al-Assad was sworn in for a new term as Syria's president on Wednesday, after an election which his opponents dismiss as a sham but which he said proved he had achieved victory after a "dirty war" to unseat him. Once written off in the West as...

>* Investors still see frontier characteristics in the two* Both markets rose strongly before upgrade, then fell sharply* Middle East still carries high political risk, access barriersBy Carolyn CohnLONDON, July 16 (Reuters) - Despite their recent upgrade to the more mainstream emerging market league, United Arab Emirates and Qatar are...

>ARAR Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - The group now calling itself the Islamic State rampaged across the border between Syria and Iraq a month ago and has since declared a caliphate across a swathe of the Middle East from Aleppo to the outskirts of Baghdad. But if its leader Abu Bakr...

>VIENNA (Reuters) - Failure to solve Iran's nuclear dispute by a Sunday deadline may dismay weary negotiators in Vienna and stir fresh Middle East tension, but an extension of talks could reap political gains at home for the Islamic Republic's supreme leader. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would like to end the...

>* Assad sworn in for new seven-year term* Vows to restore security to all of Syria* Says states backing rebels will pay* Assad seen confident after battlefield gainsBy Marwan MakdisiDAMASCUS, July 16 (Reuters) - Bashar al-Assad was sworn in on Wednesday as Syria's president for a new term, after an...

The government says new powers for intelligence agencies won't increase surveillance of innocent Australians

The Palmer United Party will launch a corruption inquiry into Campbell Newman's government in Queensland.

The sanctions target Russia’s oil and gas industry for the first time, limiting access to U.S. capital for new projects.

A massive crater has been discovered on the northwestern portion of the Russian continent, in an area called 'the end of the the earth.'

Index for Today's Briefing • AFGHANISTAN o Audit of Ballot Boxes / IEC / UN Supervision • DEPARTMENT o U.S. Special Representative for the Arctic • MIDDLE EAST PEACE o Secretary's Contacts o Risks to Civilian Population o Calls for Ceasefire / Egypt's ...

Andre Ordonez came to the United States from Peru speaking no English. Two years later, the 23-year-old has learned enough to get by at his job, doing banquet and party setup at Embassy Suites and occasional busing in the hotel's restaurant.

BRUSSELS: EU leaders failed to reach agreement at a summit Wednesday over who should get the top jobs to steer the 28-nation bloc over the next five years.

An Afghan military official says gunmen have attacked the Kabul Airport in the capital. Gunmen used rockets to attack the Kabul International Airport in the Afghanistan capital Thursday, a senior military official said.

A vote on the carbon tax repeal is set to begin, with the government to call an end to debate in the Senate.

Denmark's Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, center, talks with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, right, and Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel during an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Wednesday, July 16, 2014. European Union leaders disagreed Wednesday over who will get the prestigious job as the...

On May 11, officers from Russia's Federal Security Bureau arrived at the Crimea home of movie director Oleg Sentsov, where he lives with his wife and two children.

SEOUL, July 17 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures extended gains in early Asian trade on Thursday after rallying more than $1 in the previous session, supported by government data showing a sharper fall in U.S. crude stocks than forecast. FUNDAMENTALS * U.S. crude for August delivery gained...

Author of The Guardians of the Revolution: Iran's Approach to the World. Served as senior adviser to the special adviser for the Gulf and Southwest Asia at the U.S. Department of State.

>AMMAN (Reuters) - Sunni insurgents and tribal leaders said on Wednesday after a closed meeting they would keep fighting until they take over the Iraqi capital and bring down a U.S. imposed political order that brought Shi'ites to rule the country and marginalised them. Several hundred tribal figures, representatives...

Former National Security Agency employee Edward Snowden exposed thousands of classified government documents to major media outlets in June of last year.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, on Wednesday. (AP)

The United States and Europe significantly strengthened sanctions on Moscow over Ukraine Wednesday, with Washington for the first time directly targeting Russia's banking, military and energy sectors. The new blows against Russia deepened the most serious standoff between Moscow and the West since the end of the Cold War, as...

President Barack Obama on Wednesday evening...

>White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Secretary of State John Kerry and President Barack Obama would discuss the various possible paths forward for the Iran talks during a meeting on Wednesday. (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Susan Heavey) FILED UNDER: World Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this...

Following Hamas' rejection of a ceasefire proposal by Egypt, the group may have announced its own terms for a 10-year truce, replete with conditions that Israel will never be willing to meet.

By Gulsen Solaker and Jonny Hogg ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's opposition accused the government on Wednesday of stalling tactics to avoid potentially damaging revelations from an inquiry into alleged corruption emerging in the run-up to an August presidential election. Tayyip Erdogan, currently prime minister, is widely expected to win the...

Operation Eagle Claw was supposed to free 52 diplomats held during the Iran Hostage Crisis. Its failure not only shamed President Carter's administration and paved the way for Reagan's successful 1980 presidential run, it also instigated the formation of the Army's Special Operations Command, and the development of this petite...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - The United Arab Emirates, already home to the world's tallest tower, is now reaching for the stars. The energy-rich country on the eastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula announced plans Wednesday to establish a space program to send the first Arab spaceship to ...

Iran and six world powers have tentatively decided to adjourn their nuclear talks early but plan to extend them past the July 20 target date for a deal, diplomats said Wednesday.

>By John KempLONDON, July 16 (Reuters) - As U.S. and EU policymakers have imposed targeted sanctions on Russian individuals and firms in response to the crisis in Ukraine, Western companies have sought to insulate their own projects from the political imbroglio and continue developing the country's vast oil and...

>Israel already operates German-built submarines, manufactured by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems. The vessels are considered by Israel to be a vanguard against foes like Iran. (Reporting by Sabine Siebold; writing by Alexandra Hudson) FILED UNDER: Deals Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Print Reprints...

The exchange of rocket fire from Palestinian militants and Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip took a new turn this week when the military wing of Hamas said it had launched drones into Israel -- one of them downed by an Israeli Patriot missile.

Palestine-born extremist preacher calls Islamic Caliphate declaration 'void and meaningless.'

(MENAFN - Qatar News Agency) Shington July 16 (QNA) - US President Barack Obama telephoned Tuesday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel personally discussing the latest allegations...

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is taking a hard look at assessments by special forces teams in Iraq, focusing on the state of the Iraqi security forces and the threat posed by Sunni militants. Defense officials say despite a complex and fluid situation on the ground, there will be...

Sen. Robert Menendez is wary about giving Kerry more time to reach a nuke deal with Iran.

(MENAFN - Qatar News Agency) Enna July 16 (QNA) - After three days of intensive talks with his Iranian counterpart Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that "tangible progres...

President Bashar al-Assad, who was sworn in for a new term on Wednesday, said Western and Arab states that have supported "terrorism" will pay a "high price" and that he would fight insurgents until security was restored to the whole country. "Soon we will see that the Arab, regional and...

The U.S. is trying to broker a trio of high-stakes foreign-policy deals over the next few days, but just one of them – a nuclear agreement with Iran – is of particular importance to President Barack Obama.

>INTERNATIONAL/REGIONAL* GLOBAL MARKETS-Asia stocks brace for China test, oil on the slide* Oil rout deepens as Libya, economic data feed oversupply worries* Gold below $1,300 on stronger dollar, interest rate fears* MIDEAST STOCKS-Dubai's Arabtec surges; earnings lift Qatar* MIDEAST MONEY-Regulators take aim at murky UAE markets after Arabtec debacle* Fitch:...

>* Chinese economy grows better than expected at 7.5%* U.S. economic, oil data to buoy WTI benchmark -analystBy Keith WallisSINGAPORE, July 16 (Reuters) - Brent crude climbed above $106 a barrel on Wednesday as data from China showed its economy grew faster than expected in the second quarter...