Opec oil price reaches nine-month high  

VIENNA: The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) said Wednesday that its oil price climbed to a nine-month record of 114.68 dollars the previous day. full story...

Korea says S.Arabia can help steady global economy  

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia, the world's leading oil exporter, can play a major role in stabilizing global economy through oil prices, South Korean President Lee Myung-ba said on Wednesday. full story...

Failed UN vote on Syria 'has fueled killing': rights chief  

GENEVA: UN rights chief Navi Pillay called Wednesday for urgent international action to protect civilians in Syria, as troops continued to shell the city of Homs, a centre of protest in the country. full story...

Iraq wants to limit private security contractors  

BAGHDAD: Iraq deeply mistrusts private security companies and wants to limit their operations here, officials say, while the contractors themselves have faced bureaucratic delays and detentions. full story...

Qatar's QEWC buys stake in Jordanian power plant  

DUBAI: Qatar Electricity & Water Co (QEWC) has agreed to buy a 23.3 percent stake in Jordan's Amman East power plant from a Bahraini infrastructure fund, in a move by the state-owned Qatari firm to expand its international footprint. full dtory... 

Nokia cuts 4,000 jobs in struggle to win smartphone market

HELSINKI: World-leading mobile phone maker Nokia will cut 4,000 jobs at its smartphone manufacturing facilities in Finland, Hungary and Mexico by the end of 2012, it said on Wednesday.  full story...

UN warns on Sudan war zone food shortages 

KHARTOUM, SUDAN:The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation expressed deep concern on Wednesday about food shortages in two war-torn Sudanese states and called for an urgent assessment of what is needed. full story..

Santorum's triple win rattles Republican race   

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota:Christian conservative Rick Santorum's unexpected trio of state wins has reignited his White House bid and raised new question marks over Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney. full story...

Iran feels sanctions pinch as Asia traders cut ties  

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has halted palm oil exports to Iran because of payments problems and Asian oil buyers have cut crude purchases as Western sanctions tighten a financial noose around Iran. full story...

Pakistani PM leaves Doha  

DOHA: Pakistani Prime Minister HE Yousuf Raza Gilani and the accompanying delegation left Doha this afternoon, concluding a several-days visit to the State of Qatar. full story...

Higher speeds, hired guns drive Somali piracy cost

LONDON: Somali piracy in the Indian Ocean costs the global economy some $7 billion a year, a study said on Wednesday, with ships forced to travel faster over longer routes and increasingly hire armed security guards. full story.. 

Turkey PM to discuss Syria with Russia's Medvedev-minister

ANKARA: Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan will discuss the situation in Syria in a phone call with Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev later on Wednesday, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told broadcaster NTV in an interview. full story... 

Greece faces hour of decision on austerity and rescue

ATHENS: Greece reached the hour of decision on Wednesday over more budget cuts demanded by the EU and IMF and a debt deal to obtain a second rescue and close a key chapter in the eurozone crisis. full story... 

Bahrain refuses AFP visa request

DUBAI: Bahraini authorities have rejected a visa request by AFP to cover the first anniversary of the pro-democracy Shiite-led protest that was brutally crushed. full story...

Malaysian exporters halt palm oil supply to Iran -sources

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian palm oil exporters have stopped supplying Iran with most of the 30,000 tonnes of the food staple the Middle Eastern country buys each month, or about half its demand, as Western financial curbs on Tehran stymie payments, two trading sources said. full story...

UAE to pump more crude to Asia to cut reliance on Iran

SEOUL/TOKYO: The United Arab Emirates' main exporter of crude oil will fulfill all supply contracts to Asia for March, for the first time in almost a year, to help the region's top buyers cut their dependence on oil from sanctions-hit Iran. full story...

Iraq executes 14 in one day, 65 this year

BAGHDAD: Iraq executed 14 people on a single day this week, most of them Al-Qaeda members, a senior justice ministry official said on Wednesday, bringing to at least 65 the number of executions so far this year. full story...

Strike talk keeps Israel's Iran options open

JERUSALEM: Israel is pursuing a studied ambiguity on whether it will attack Iran, keeping its options open on how to rein in Tehran's alleged nuclear weapons ambitions, Israeli experts say. full story...

Recalling envoys does not help Arab League plan: Lavrov

MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who returned from talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said Wednesday that recalling envoys from Damascus did not help promote the Arab League's plan.full story...

Dozens dead as Syria regime pounds Homs: activists

DAMASCUS: Syrian forces pressed a relentless assault on the protest city of Homs Wednesday, with dozens of civilians reported killed, hours after President Bashar al-Assad told Russia he was committed to ending the bloodshed. full story...

Yemen's Saleh vows to return to vote

SANAA: Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in New York for medical treatment after agreeing to step down following months of protests, has vowed to return to vote in presidential polls, state media said. full story...

Saudi 'pledges secure energy supply' to S. Korea

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has pledged to ensure a stable supply of oil to South Korea, which is under pressure from the United States to reduce purchases from Iran, a report said on Wednesday. full story...

HH the Heir Apparent meet Romanian Ambassador

DOHA: HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met here on Wednesday morning at his Emiri Diwan office with HE Ambassador of the Republic of Romania to Qatar Adrian Macelaru on the occasion of ending his tenure in the country. full story..

Kuwait cancels festival concerts in solidarity with Syria

KUWAIT CITY: Organisers of Kuwait's annual shopping festival, "February Nights," have cancelled all musical concerts in solidarity with the Syrian people, an organiser said on Wednesday. full story...

Qatar military aid arrives in Tripoli

DOHA: Qatari Armed Forces C-130 plane has arrived in the Mitiga Airport in Tripoli carrying communication equipment and devices donated by the State of Qatar to the leadership of border security and facilities protection of the Libyan Defense Ministry. full story...

Scant hope for Philippine quake missing

GUIHULNGAN, Philippines: Thousands of soldiers in the quake-hit Philippines Tuesday scoured villages buried under landslides, but authorities said hopes of finding dozens of missing people alive were dim. full story...

Maldives' new president: a moderate reformer

MALE: The Maldives' newly appointed president Mohamed Waheed built a long career in the UN before entering national politics in the Indian Ocean archipelago. full story...

Pakistan PM appeals against court summons for indictment

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's prime minister Wednesday appealed against a Supreme Court summons to appear on February 13 to face indictment for contempt over refusing to pursue corruption cases against the president. full story...

Gandhi election test in most populous Indian state

BARABANKI, India: India's most populous state went to the polls Wednesday in a contest pitting the scion of the Gandhi political dynasty against the ruling party of local low-caste leader Mayawati. full story...

Israel general strike shuts airports, economy

JERUSALEM: Israel's main labour union declared a strike on Wednesday that shut airports, ports, banks and the stock market after talks with the government failed to produce an agreement on the status of workers employed through labour contractors. full story... 

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