Stop Fundamentalism, August 4 – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blasted United States policy in the Middle East and warned of an impending Muslim “jihadâ€, or holy war, against the West.
“With its support of the Zionists crimes and criminals and its blatant aggression against the rights of Muslim nations, the U.S. regime must be prepared for a hard slap and a destructive punch by Muslimsâ€, Khamenei said.
NEW YORK (AFX), August 4 – Oil prices slipped below $75 a barrel Friday as supply concerns eased, after a storm in the Caribbean weakened and appeared to no longer threaten Gulf coast oil facilities.
NEW YORK (AFX), August 4 – The dollar fell against most major currencies Friday after disappointing jobs data deepened doubts over prospects of further interest rate rises.
The Japan Times Online, August 4 – The Japan Bank for International Cooperation is planning to set up a representative office in the Jordanian capital of Amman by the end of the year as part of preparations for offering aid to Iraq.
Easy Bourse, August 4 – The International Monetary Fund said Thursday it approved two reviews of Iraq’s economic reform program, keeping open a precautionary credit line to the government.
The Providence Journal, August 4 – A federal auditor says that the case of Rhode Island-based Custer-Battles illustrates some of the pitfalls of insufficient planning for postwar reconstruction.
ROBERT H. REID, AP, August 4 – BAGHDAD, Iraq — American generals have laid bare the facts: Baghdad is on the brink of chaos, and the specter of all-out civil war looms.
Instead of standing down, as had been hoped this year, the U.S. military is preparing for a major operation to try to take back Baghdad’s streets from Shiite and Sunni extremists. The goal is to stem sectarian violence that Iraqi security forces could not control.
KUNA, August 3 – The United States Thursday donated USD 2.7 million in aid to its war ally, Pakistan, for deployment of 50 additional Frontier Constabulary (FC) troops at the porous Pak-Afghan border to curb drug smuggling and terrorism.
RAMALLAH, Aug 3 (KUNA) – Two Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting with Hezbollah in southern lebanon, while six others were killed in Hezbollah rocket attacks against northern Israel, accroding to the Israeli army and medical sources Thursday.
Kuna, August 8 – As a form of protest to the kidnapping of its chairman in Baghdad by unknown gunmen, the Iraqi-American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IACCI) postponed on Wednesday a forum scheduled to take place in Jordan.
