BP's Hayward quits as spill cost put at $32 bln

BP's Hayward quits as spill cost put at $32 bln

BP's Hayward quits as spill cost put at $32 bln

Posted: 27 Jul 2010 12:10 AM PDT

LONDON (Reuters) - BP Plc chief executive Tony Hayward will step down as head of the oil giant on Oct. 1 and be replaced by fellow executive Robert Dudley.


ANALYSIS - Chavez uses Colombia feud, oil threat before vote

Posted: 26 Jul 2010 11:40 PM PDT

CARACAS (Reuters) - A threat to cut oil shipments to the United States and warnings of an armed attack from Colombia shift attention from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's domestic woes, but are not guaranteed to win votes for his party in the fall elections.


Iran sanctions: Voices of doubt

Posted: 26 Jul 2010 11:00 PM PDT

Tehran has hit back at new sanctions being imposed by the EU and Canada, saying they will only complicate Iran's international relations.


Thai foundation: Stop giving to beggars

Posted: 26 Jul 2010 08:47 PM PDT

BANGKOK, July 27: At least a thousand child beggars in Thailand will be off the streets within a year if kind-hearted but misguided people stop giving them money, the Mirror Foundation says.

Sanctions have no impact: Iran

Posted: 26 Jul 2010 08:37 PM PDT

TEHRAN, July 27: Iran said on Monday that new rounds of sanctions imposed by the European Union on Iran have no impacts on the country but only make the situation more complicated. 

Indian state bans plastic bags

Posted: 26 Jul 2010 08:35 PM PDT

JAIPUR, July 27: In a major step for environment protection, the Rajasthan government on Monday announced a complete ban on the use of plastic carry-bags all over the State from August 1.

Canada imposes anti-Iran sanctions

Posted: 26 Jul 2010 08:31 PM PDT

VANCOUVER, July 27: Canada has imposed a fresh round of sanctions against Iran's energy sector hours after the European Union approved similar unilateral measures.

More Afghan military secrets set to go online

Posted: 26 Jul 2010 08:30 PM PDT

DUBAI, July 27: The next 15,000 military documents to be published on whistleblower website wikileaks.org are "predominantly intelligence reports", its founder Julian Assange told Gulf News by telephone from London on Monday.

Flooding causes China bridge to collapse, killing 37

Posted: 26 Jul 2010 10:08 PM PDT

BEIJING (Reuters) - A flood-swollen river caused a village bridge to collapse in central China, killing at least 37 people, and officials warned the region to prepare for more rains this week, media reported on Tuesday.


Cuba says no rush on reform, Fidel appears again

Posted: 26 Jul 2010 10:08 PM PDT

SANTA CLARA, Cuba (Reuters) - Cuba said it would not rush into reforms for its troubled economy, while former leader Fidel Castro made his latest public appearance in ceremonies on Monday marking the anniversary of the start of the Cuban revolution.


AU boosts troop role in Somalia

Posted: 26 Jul 2010 07:25 PM PDT

The African Union has pledged to send a further 2,000 soldiers to Somalia, and to introduce tougher rules of engagement, in the fight against Islamist militants.


Gordon Brown's book on economic crisis set for November

Posted: 26 Jul 2010 09:36 PM PDT

The book, Brown's first he was ousted from office in May, will "offer insight into the events that led to the fiscal downward spiral and the reactions of world leaders as they took steps to avoid further disaster," the company said.


Trial closes in New York airport bomb plot case

Posted: 26 Jul 2010 09:36 PM PDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two accused Islamist militants on trial for conspiracy to bomb a New York airport were egged on by a government informant, with one being all talk and the other a bystander, their lawyers said on Monday.


Chavez beefs up border troops in Colombia spat

Posted: 26 Jul 2010 09:36 PM PDT

SAN CRISTOBAL, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela said it beefed up its troop presence along the border with Colombia as its neighbor's incoming finance minister vowed on Monday to restore trade between the feuding Andean nations.


‘Too much Bruce Willis”, says defence in US bomb trial

Posted: 26 Jul 2010 07:21 PM PDT

NEW YORK, July 27 — Two accused Islamist militants on trial for conspiracy to bomb a New York airport were egged on by a government informant, with one being all talk and the other a bystander, their lawyers said yesterday. "These guys have seen too many Bruce Willis movies," defence attorney Mildred Whalen told jurors about Russel Defreitas, 67, ...


Chavez ratchets up pressure on Colombia ahead of polls

Posted: 26 Jul 2010 11:27 AM PDT

CARACAS: Venezuela stepped up its words of war with neighbouring Colombia today, in moves seen as an effort by President Hugo Chavez to distract voters from domestic problems ahead of key September elections.

The escalating diplomatic row, sparked by Bogota's allegations last week that Venezuela was harbouring 1,500 Colombian rebels on its territory, had prompted Chavez to cancel a trip to Cuba citing the danger of "armed aggression" by Colombia, warning the United States to stay out of the crisis.

Electricity Minister Ali Rodriguez upon visiting Havana today claimed Bogota's accusations were a "foul, vulgar and offensive pretext to attack Venezuela".

Chavez, meanwhile, threatened to cut off oil supplies to the United States if it backed a Colombian attack, although the US State Department also made clear it was reiterating its stance that the United States "has no intention of engaging in military action against Venezuela".

Chavez broke off diplomatic relations with Bogota last Thursday in response to charges by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe that the FARC guerrillas had set up bases inside Venezuela and were launching attacks from its territory.

Venezuela's anti-American leftist president added on Sunday he had intelligence that "the possibility of an armed aggression against Venezuelan territory from Colombia" was higher than it has been "in 100 years".

Political experts pointed out, however, that the saber-rattling came just in time for the Venezuelan ruling party's electoral campaign for legislative polls two months away.

Chavez, analyst Jose Vicente Carrasquero said, was seeking to "excite the spirits of his supporters" while simultaneously trying to "divert attention from the internal situation in Venezuela to a possible international conflict".

The parliamentary vote is the latest chance by opposition parties to gain a foothold in the country after being marginalised in 2005 legislative polls that the opposition claims was less than transparent at best, and rigged at worst.

The South American country appears ready for change with public discontent over a crushing economic recession, high inflation and an ongoing energy crisis, as it also faces deep-seated political polarisation and rising levels of urban violence.

Explosive revelations

The Chavez administration has also been fending off public anger over the explosive revelations of thousands of tons of food rotting throughout its public distribution apparatus, in a country where the government regulates the prices for basic foodstuffs.

Statements made about a possible attack by Colombia "have no basis in reality", maintained analyst Ricardo Sucre, who has in the past been highly critical of Chavez.

Before the spat, said Sucre, Caracas had already been looking for a wedge issue that could "create a threatening climate in which to identify an enemy... to polarise the campaign".

Caracas's words of war, meanwhile, have also been put on a physical footing, with Venezuelan armed forces along the border with Colombia being placed by Chavez on "maximum alert" to prevent any possible military incursion.

The stabs at Washington came after the United States last Friday threw its support behind key ally Colombia, with US officials calling Chavez's severing of cross-border relations "a petulant response" to Bogota's accusations.

Taking the dispute directly to the international community yesterday, Venezuela's UN Ambassador Jorge Valero Briceno met with UN chief Ban Ki-moon to give him a letter explaining the alleged threat and argue why his country broke off diplomatic ties with Bogota.

The letter, said Valero, underscores the "aggressive plan against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Venezuela" allegedly hatched by the outgoing Uribe and Washington.

Valero also expressed Caracas' hope that president-elect Juan Manuel Santos, who is to take office Aug 7, "does not follow the war-mongering plans" of Washington and Uribe, and "gives clear and unambiguous signals that it has the political will to resume the path of dialogue".

- AFP

EU, Canada hit Iran with new sanctions, urge nuclear talks

Posted: 26 Jul 2010 11:16 AM PDT

By Laurent Thomet

BRUSSELS: The European Union and Canada slapped tough sanctions on Iran's key energy sector in a bid to block its contested nuclear programme, and the United States said the punitive steps would bite.

European foreign ministers formally adopted the new measures yesterday on the oil and gas industries, going beyond a fourth set of UN sanctions imposed over Iran's refusal to freeze uranium enrichment. Canada then followed suit.

The moves, which follow similar sanctions imposed by the United States, are aimed at reviving moribund talks between Iran and six world powers -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.

"Today we sent out a powerful message to Iran, and that message is that their nuclear programme is a cause of serious and growing concern to us," EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton told reporters.

"But our objective remains, as I have always said, to persuade Iranian leaders that their interest is served by a return to the table. Sanctions are not an end in themselves," she said.

Iran's foreign ministry, however, said the sanctions were not "an effective tool" and would only serve to "complicate" its showdown with the West.

Oil Minister Masoud Mirkazemi said they would have no impact on oil production because European oil firms had "no presence" in Iran's energy sector.

The EU measures include a ban on the sale of equipment, technology and services to Iran's energy sector, hitting activities in refining, liquefied natural gas, exploration and production, diplomats said.

New investments in the energy sector are also banned.

Iran is the world's fourth largest producer of crude oil, but imports 40% of its fuel needs because it lacks enough refining capabilities to meet domestic demand.

Nuclear swap deal

The Iranian banking sector was also hit by restrictions, forcing any transactions over 40,000 euros (RM165,987) to be authorised by EU governments before they can go ahead.

The United States hailed the move, saying the steps "underscore the international community's deepening concerns about Iran's nuclear programme".

State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said: "We've already begun to see the impact of the sanctions as companies around the world refuse to do business with Iran, rather than to risk becoming involved in Iran's nuclear programme and other illicit activities."

The identities of those hit by the new measures will be published in the official EU journal today. Diplomats said 41 individuals and 22 government entities were concerned.

Canada's sanctions take aim at Iran's energy and banking sectors, as well as chemical, biological and nuclear activities, Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said.

Canada will also bar all new investment in Iran's energy industry, particularly crude oil refining and liquefied natural gas.

Ashton has exchanged letters with Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in recent weeks in a bid to revive talks, and Tehran has indicated that the talks could resume in September.

The last high-level meeting between Iran and the six world powers was held in Geneva in October 2009 when the two sides agreed a nuclear fuel swap that has since stalled.

Western powers have demanded that Iran suspend its uranium enrichment programme, fearing that Tehran would use the material to build a nuclear bomb. Tehran says its atomic programme is a peaceful drive to produce energy.

Iran's actions "are bringing it closer and closer to possessing nuclear weapons which represents a threat", said Cannon.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "Iran's ongoing refusal to engage constructively on this issue leaves us no option but to implement these sanctions."

Israel welcomed the sanctions and urged other countries to follow suit.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said at the weekend Tehran was ready to hold immediate talks on a nuclear swap deal brokered by Turkey and Brazil in May.

World powers have given the cold shoulder to that deal, a counter-proposal to the October agreement.

- AFP

UK’s Cameron to fight for Turkey to join EU

Posted: 26 Jul 2010 07:36 PM PDT

ANKARA, July 27 — British Prime Minister David Cameron will promise today to fight for Turkey to join the European Union and will dismiss opponents of Turkish membership as protectionist or prejudiced. Turkey has begun the slow process of accession talks with the 27-member EU, but the bloc is deeply divided over whether it should be given full ...


‘Too much Bruce Willis”, says defense in US bomb trial

Posted: 26 Jul 2010 07:21 PM PDT

NEW YORK, July 27 — Two accused Islamist militants on trial for conspiracy to bomb a New York airport were egged on by a government informant, with one being all talk and the other a bystander, their lawyers said yesterday. "These guys have seen too many Bruce Willis movies," defense attorney Mildred Whalen told jurors about Russel Defreitas, 67, ...


Corporate citizens urged to play more active role in poverty eradication

Posted: 26 Jul 2010 06:53 PM PDT

Corporate citizens can play a more active role in helping the government eradicate hardcore poverty in the country through corporate social responsibility initiatives, said the prime minister's wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

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