ZarCom Media Webletter No.80 -28 June 2012
6 min readNULL
Largest War Games in US-Israeli History
Four U.S. Navy minesweepers arrive in the [Persian] Gulf
DUBAI (Reuters) – Four U.S. minesweepers have arrived in the [Persian] Gulf to bolster the U.S. Fifth Fleet and ensure the safety of shipping routes, the U.S. Navy said, as an Iranian military chief suggested on Monday that Iran might try to block the Strait of Hormuz to defend its interests….
Iran threatens to close strait if new sanctions begin
With the failure of negotiations between Iran and six world powers last week, the Islamic regime now says it has the right, under international law, to close the Strait of Hormuz to oil tanker traffic should an embargo on Iran’s oil go into effect July 1.
IRGC busted four teams of terrorists: commander
TEHRAN, June 26 (MNA) – The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps has busted four teams of terrorists who had plotted to carry out suicide operations in Iran, the commander of the IRGC Ground Forces announced on Tuesday….
Gunmen storm pro-Assad Syrian TV channel
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Gunmen stormed a pro-government Syrian TV channel headquarters on Wednesday, bombing buildings and shooting dead three employees, state media said, in one of the boldest attacks yet on a symbol of the authoritarian state.
Assad says Syria at war as battle reaches capital
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad declared on Tuesday that his country was at war and ordered his new government to spare no effort to achieve victory, as the worst fighting of the 16-month conflict reached the outskirts of the capital….
Assailants attack Microsoft HQ in Athens
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Assailants attacked the offices of Microsoft in Athens early Wednesday, driving a van through the front doors and setting off an incendiary device that burned the building entrance, police said.
Merkel isolated but firm ahead of crunch EU summit
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is increasingly isolated ahead of Thursday’s last-gasp EU summit to save the euro, analysts say, but she seems unlikely to bend and has already won concessions on key issues….
Greece’s Deputy Merchant Marine Minister Resigns
ATHENS–Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has accepted the resignation of Deputy Merchant Marine Minister Giorgos Vernikos, the prime minister’s office said Tuesda…
California Senate Bill Defines Marriage as a Civil Contract Only
Senate Bill 1140, introduced by Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), seeks to strike a compromise between California’s religious groups and gay marriage supporters, the Sacramento Bee reports.
OPCW remembers victims of Iraq chemical attack on Iran in 1987
TEHRAN, June 26 (MNA) – In a statement released on Tuesday, Ahmet Uzumcu, the director general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), remembered the victims of the chemical weapons attack on Sardasht by Iraq in 1987.
Jimmy Carter Accuses U.S. of ‘Widespread Abuse of Human Rights’
A former U.S. president is accusing the current president of sanctioning the “widespread abuse of human rights” by authorizing drone strikes to kill suspected terrorists….
Iran’s So-Called Intransigence
My Atlantic colleague Jeffrey Goldberg, in a post titled “On Iranian Intransigence,” quotes a recent piece in which Ray Takeyh of the Council on Foreign Relations wrote:
Ron Paul: Warmongers Leave Syria Alone! – OpEd
Plans, rumors, and war propaganda for attacking Syria and deposing Assad have been around for many months….
German court rules religious circumcision on boys an assault
Circumcising young boys on religious grounds amounts to grievous bodily harm, a German court ruled Tuesday in a landmark decision that the Jewish community said trampled on parents’ religious rights.
Asian shares up, but euro pressured on EU summit cynicism
TOKYO (Reuters) – Asian shares rose on Wednesday but the euro was capped as investors concluded a European summit this week will fail to take concrete action to resolve the euro zone debt crisis, with Germany staunchly opposed to sharing the region’s debt burden.
Iran tanker firm delays expansion as sanctions hurt
LONDON/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Iran’s top commercial tanker operator NITC has delayed the expansion of its oil fleet, company and industry sources said, as Western sanctions on the OPEC member’s crude exports and a weak freight market hurt its ability to turn a profit….
EU Confirms Full Iran Oil Embargo to Start Sunday
LUXEMBOURG—A full embargo of Iranian crude oil exports will enter into force Sunday as initially planned, the European Union confirmed Monday, as nuclear talks with Tehran remained stymied….
3rd Annual Asia Islamic Banking Conference
Supported by the Malaysia International Islamic Financial Centre (MIFC), the 3rd Annual Asia Islamic Banking Conference is a platform that shall bring together 80 Islamic Banking experts.
Secretive Air Force Space Plane’s Purpose Questioned
When the wheels of the second Air Force X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle came to a stop on the tarmac at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California a few weeks ago, the true military utility of this enigmatic, robotic spacecraft remained as hush-hush as the classified payload it carried.
Tropical Storm Debby Delays Spy Satellite Launch
Concerns about Tropical Storm Debby have delayed the launch of an American spy satellite by 24 hours, pushing the planned liftoff to Friday (June 29)….
Too much math is tough for scientists: study
Artistic types are not the only ones whose eyes glaze over when confronted with too many numbers, according to research out Monday that suggests scientists, too, find lots of equations hard to read….
China submersible breaks 7,000-metre mark
A manned Chinese submersible broke through the 7,000-metre mark for a new national record on Sunday, state media said, as the rising Asian nation showed off its technological might….
U.S. charges 24 people in massive hacking sting
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. law enforcement officials on Tuesday said 24 suspected hackers had been arrested in a sting operation spanning four continents that targeted online financial fraud of stolen credit card and bank information.
Apple vendors in Iran scoff at US sanctions
Vendors of Apple products in Iran on Saturday scoffed at US media reports that the consumer technology giant was banning US sales to customers of Iranian background, pointing out that iPads and iPhones are widely available in Tehran….
[BBC] Presenter admits benefit fraud
BBC Rogue Traders presenter Dan Penteado has pleaded guilty to council tax and housing benefit fraud to the tune of more than £24,000.
Wildfires worsen in Colorado, 32,000 flee homes
COLORADO SPRINGS (Reuters) – A wildfire raging near some of Colorado’s most popular tourist sites grew suddenly more ferocious on Tuesday, forcing 32,000 people from their homes, prompting evacuations from the U.S. Air Force Academy and swallowing numerous houses at the edge of Colorado Springs.
James Cameron shooting THREE Avatar sequels?
We already knew that James Cameron was planning on filming two follow-up films to his record-breaking blockbuster ‘Avatar’, but now Sigourney Weaver has suggested that there is also a fourth installment on the way.
CDC trying out free AIDS tests at drugstores
ATLANTA (AP) — Getting an AIDS test at the drugstore could become as common as a flu shot or blood pressure check, if a new pilot program takes off.
Brain EEG Test Might Help Spot Autism: Study
TUESDAY, June 26 (HealthDay News) — Electroencephalogram (EEG), a test that shows the electrical activity of the brain, might be used to spot autism in children, a new study suggests….
Pentagon’s first-ever Gay Pride event
For the first time ever, the Defense Department held a ceremony honoring homosexual and transgender service members in honor of Gay Pride Month at the Pentagon.
Teenage pregnancy deaths a ‘global scandal’: charity
British charity Save the Children on Wednesday said it was a “global scandal” that 50,000 teenagers die each year due to pregnancy and childbirth complications….
*VIDEO & Documentary
A crude Awakening: The Oil Crash
*EDITORIAL
The prelude war against Syria is just another line on the expansionist list to be ticked.
*CARTOON
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Opinions and Blogs expressed do not necessarily reflect ZarCom Media.
ZarCom Media Webletter (c) June 2012
