 A disruption in Iran's crude oil exports because of a dispute over that country's nuclear program would further crimp the already tight global oil market and lead to higher petroleum prices, the head of the U.S. Energy Information Administration warned on Tuesday. "The market is so tightly balanced, clearly, we can't afford to lose a large supply of crude to the market," EIA chief Guy Caruso told Reuters in an interview.Even though the United States does not directly import Iranian crude, Caruso said a cutoff of Iran's oil would affect the U.S. market because other countries that buy Iranian crude would compete with America to find new supplies."It's a fungible world oil market, and any disruption in supply affects everyone, because the price would go up for everyone," he said.U.S. crude oil prices shot above $66 a barrel to a 3-1/2 month high on Tuesday, as the market fretted about the dispute with Iran and problems in Nigeria....
http://news.yahoo.com
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Editor - 22:43:00 01-17-06
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 Tokyo trade halted as shares dive |
Tokyo's stock exchange closed early for the first time ever on Wednesday, as market bosses moved to prevent a feared shutdown of the trading system. The decision was sparked by heavy selling in shares following allegations of fraud at internet firm Livedoor. The exchange suspended trading in all shares at 1420 local time (0520 GMT), 20 minutes ahead of the usual close. Toyko's Nikkei 225 index closed down 464.77 points, or 2.94%, at 15,341.18 after a frantic day of trading. "The recent spike in orders is extraordinary," said Taizo Nishimuro, the head of the stock exchange. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4623076.stm
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Editor - 22:36:00 01-17-06
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| Europeans, U.S. drafting U.N. referral for Iran |
Pressure on Iran intensified Tuesday, with key European countries and the United States moving ahead with plans to refer Tehran to the U.N. Security Council and Israel vowing not to let the Iranians develop nuclear weapons. But Russia and China — Iran's past backers — urged negotiations instead of confrontation, casting doubt on whether next month's International Atomic Energy Agency meeting will demonstrate a unified political will. A meeting Monday in London produced no agreement among the United States, France, Britain and Germany and Moscow and Beijing on whether to refer the dispute over Iranian nuclear enrichment to the Security Council, which could impose sanctions. Past opposition to such action by Russia and China led the Europeans and the United States to postpone referral. ...
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-01-17-russia-iran_x.htm?csp=34
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Editor - 19:30:00 01-17-06
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| 'Significant gaps' reported in disaster EMS |
Emergency medical teams that rush in to save lives after a natural disaster or terrorist attack don't have necessary supplies, training or staff and should be overhauled, according to members of Congress, former Bush administration officials and team leaders. The National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), which includes 55 teams of doctors, nurses, emergency medical technicians and pharmacists who are sent in when hospitals are deluged, ran into major problems after Hurricane Katrina. Ten teams that handled thousands of evacuees needing immediate medical help at New Orleans International Airport experienced communications trouble and a shortage of basic life-saving equipment and medicine. Amid the continuing danger of terrorism and the specter of a flu pandemic, team members and health experts said it's essential that the government maintain a robust emergency medical response system. The teams often provide the only medical care during the first hours after a catastrophe. ...
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-01-17-ems-gaps_x.htm?csp=34
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Editor - 19:20:00 01-17-06
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| Official US agency paints dire picture of 'out-of-control' Iraq |
An official assessment drawn up by the US foreign aid agency depicts the security situation in Iraq as dire, amounting to a "social breakdown" in which criminals have "almost free rein". The "conflict assessment" is an attachment to an invitation to contractors to bid on a project rehabilitating Iraqi cities published earlier this month by the US Agency for International Development (USAid).The picture it paints is not only darker than the optimistic accounts from the White House and the Pentagon, it also gives a more complex profile of the insurgency than the straightforward "rejectionists, Saddamists and terrorists" described by George Bush. The USAid analysis talks of an "internecine conflict" involving religious, ethnic, criminal and tribal groups. "It is increasingly common for tribesmen to 'turn in' to the authorities enemies as insurgents - this as a form of tribal revenge," the paper says, casting doubt on the efficacy of counter-insurgent sweeps by coalition and Iraqi forces...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1688730,00.html
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Editor - 19:01:00 01-17-06
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| Army Orders Soldiers to Shed Dragon Skin or Lose SGLI Death Benefits |
Two deploying soldiers and a concerned mother reported Friday afternoon that the U.S. Army appears to be singling out soldiers who have purchased Pinnacle's Dragon Skin Body Armor for special treatment. The soldiers, who are currently staging for combat operations from a secret location, reported that their commander told them if they were wearing Pinnacle Dragon Skin and were killed their beneficiaries might not receive the death benefits from their $400,000 SGLI life insurance policies. The soldiers were ordered to leave their privately purchased body armor at home or face the possibility of both losing their life insurance benefit and facing disciplinary action. The soldiers asked for anonymity because they are concerned they will face retaliation for going public with the Army's apparently new directive. At the sources' requests DefenseWatch has also agreed not to reveal the unit at which the incident occured for operational security reasons. ...
http://www.sftt.org/main.cfm?actionId=globalShowStaticContent&screenKey=cmpDefense&htmlCategoryID=30&htmlId=4514
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Editor - 14:42:00 01-17-06
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