Search the Community

Huawei CFO arrested in Canada for violating US sanctions on Iran WASHINGTON: Canada has arrested Huawei's global chief financial officer in Vancouver, where she is facing extradition to the United States on suspicion she violated US sanctions against Iran, the Globe and Mail newspaper reported on Wednesday (Dec 6). Meng Wanzhou, who is one of the vice chairs on the Chinese technology company's board and the daughter of company founder Ren Zhengfei, was arrested on Dec 1 and a court hearing has been set for Friday, a Canadian Justice Department spokesman said, according to the Globe and Mail. Representatives of Huawei, one of the world's largest makers of telecommunications network equipment, could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters. Officials for the Canadian and US Justice Departments did not immediately respond to a request for comment. US authorities have been probing Huawei since at least 2016 for allegedly shipping US-origin products to Iran and other countries in violation of US export and sanctions laws, sources told Reuters in April. China protests arrest of Huawei CFO in Canada, urges release: Embassy OTTAWA: Beijing on Wednesday (Dec 6) protested the arrest in Canada of Chinese national Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of global telecommunications giant Huawei, and urged her immediate release as she faces extradition to the United States. "At the request of the US side, the Canadian side arrested a Chinese citizen not violating any American or Canadian law," a statement from the Chinese embassy in Canada said. "The Chinese side firmly opposes and strongly protests over such kind of actions which seriously harmed the human rights of the victim. "The Chinese side has lodged stern representations with the US and Canadian side, and urged them to immediately correct the wrongdoing and restore the personal freedom of Ms Meng Wanzhou." The statement added the embassy was closely following developments in the case and would "take all measures to resolutely protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens." Meng was arrested in Vancouver on Dec 1, according to Canadian authorities. Her detention comes after US authorities opened an investigation into suspected violations of Iran sanctions by Huawei, one of the world's largest telecommunications equipment and services providers.

Magnitude 5.9 earthquake hits southern Iran, no casualties reported https://www.straitstimes.com/world/magnitude-59-earthquake-hits-southern-iran-no-casualties-reported "A magnitude 5.9 earthquake on Sunday (April 18) struck Iran's southern province of Bushehr, where a nuclear power plant is located, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, state television reported." "The quake was centred 100 km (60 miles) away from the plant and was relatively shallow – only 10 km deep according to Iranian media – which would have amplified the shaking. Iranian media reported nine aftershocks and posted pictures that showed collapsed mud brick walls in some villages."

https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/ukrainian-airplane-with-180-aboard-crashes-in-iran-fars?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=STFB&utm_source=Facebook First major aircrash of 2020. Reports says its a technical issue. Let's all hope this has nothing to do with the recent Iran-US spat. Just read an article about SIA diverting all its flights over Iran, then this news. RIP to all the victims.

Pump prices mostly up 3 cents in Singapore after killing of Iran top general source: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/pump-prices-up-3-cents-after-killing-of-iran-top-general?xtor=CS3-18&utm_source=STiPhone&utm_medium=share&utm_term=2020-01-08 8%3A01%3A29 SINGAPORE - Most petrol pump prices here have risen by three cents a litre to yet another record high in the latest fallout from the assassination of Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani by United States forces last week. A litre of petrol at major fuel retailers here now costs $2.34 for 92-octane grade, $2.38 for 95-octane and $2.77 for 98. Diesel is $1.99 a litre. Caltex's 98 with Techron is $2.80, while Shell's V-Power is $2.94. All prices are before discounts. Caltex raised its prices on Tuesday (Jan 7), while Shell raised its prices on Monday. SPC was the only major player to resist the latest hike, with its prices remaining unchanged as of Tuesday afternoon. Observers said that while the killing of Major-General Soleimani had made the market more volatile, crude prices had already been climbing before his death. Fuelled by a thaw in the US-China trade war and ongoing supply cuts from major oil producers, Brent crude ended 2019 at a four-month high of US$66 a barrel. Brent has since risen further, ending at US$68.91 on Monday. The current volatility is also attributable to uncertainty over how Iran will respond to the killing. Many Iranian leaders have warned of reprisals. But oil industry consultant Ong Eng Tong reckons oil prices will rise, as Iran is likely to retaliate, and that would in turn ignite US sanctions, which will drive oil prices higher. The last time pump prices went up was just before Christmas, when rates moved up by three cents a litre. Compared with 18 months ago, pump prices have climbed seven cents.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-04-20/navy-confirms-us-warship-intercepts-iranian-weapons-shipments-yemeni-waters

A prelude to a war with Iran? Never mind, the Iranian love this new toy paid by angry American tax payer. CIA "0", Iranian "1". Source: Iranian news report

Just cannot stop chuckling over the headline [laugh] On a serious note the Persians are following closely behind the PRCers in the race to space apparently. Manned flights may be just a matter of time... From CNA: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp...1250785/1/.html Iran sends monkey into space Posted: 28 January 2013 2331 hrs An Al-Alam TV image from Monday shows a man at an unknown location with a monkey said to have been into space. (Al-Alam TV/AFP) TEHRAN: Iran on Monday successfully sent a monkey into orbit, paving the way for a manned space flight, Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi told state television. Arabic-language channel Al-Alam and other Iranian news agencies said the monkey returned alive after travelling in a capsule to an altitude of 120 kilometres (75 miles) for a sub-orbital flight. "This success is the first step towards man conquering the space and it paves the way for other moves," General Vahidi said, but added that the process of putting a human into space would be a lengthy one. "Today's successful launch follows previous successes we had in launching (space) probes with other living creatures (on board)," he added. "The monkey which was sent in this launch landed safely and alive and this is a big step for our experts and scientists." Iranian state television showed still pictures of the capsule and of a monkey being fitted with a vest and then placed in a device similar to a child's car-seat. A previous attempt in 2011 by the Islamic republic to put a monkey into space failed. No official explanation was ever given. A defence ministry statement quoted by Iranian media said earlier Iran had "successfully launched a capsule, codenamed Pishgam (Pioneer), containing a monkey and recovered the shipment on the ground intact". Iran announced in mid-January its intention to launch a monkey into orbit as part of "preparations for sending a man into space," which is scheduled for 2020. Iran's space programme deeply unsettles Western nations, which fear it could be used to develop ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads they suspect are being developed in secret. The same technology used in space launch rockets can also be used in ballistic missiles. The Security Council has imposed on Iran an almost total embargo on nuclear and space technologies since 2007. Tehran has repeatedly denied that its nuclear and scientific programmes mask military ambitions. Iran's previous satellite launches were met by condemnation from the West who accused Tehran of "provocation." The Islamic republic has previously sent a rat, turtles and worms into space. It has also successfully launched three satellites -- Omid in February 2009, Rassad in June 2011 and Navid in February 2012. In mid-May last year, Tehran announced plans to launch an experimental observation satellite Fajr (Dawn) within a week but it did not happen and Iran gave no explanation for the delay. The Fajr satellite was presented by Iranian officials as "an observation and measurement" satellite weighing 50 kilos (110 pounds), built by Sa-Iran, a company affiliated to the defence ministry. - AFP/ir

This time looks like a smaller portable ScanEagle drone. The drone looks in good condition from the video. According to Iranian military on Dec 5, the drone was "hijacked" by Iranian forces over their airspace near Kharg Island,. Interestingly, the US Navy is the first to claim no losing any drone, even though Iranian has yet to publicly name the country who operated the drone. This comes almost a year after a RQ-170 stealth drone was captured by Iran and a US Air Force Predator was shot at a month ago. PS: Singapore Navy vessels also uses Scan Eagle.

Standard Chartered http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.h...od=inlineTickerPLC agreed to pay $340 million to a New York regulator to settle allegations that the bank broke U.S. money-laundering laws in handling transactions for Iranian customers, after a weeklong, trans-Atlantic regulatory drama. Standard Chartered Chief Executive Peter A. Sands flew into New York to help negotiate the settlement, said people familiar with the bank. The sum is the largest fine ever collected by a single U.S. regulator in a money-laundering case. The agreement came just eight days after the regulator, Superintendent Benjamin M. Lawsky of the state Department of Financial Services, stunned the banking world, and fellow U.S. regulators, by accusing the fifth-biggest U.K. bank by assets of illegally scheming over a decade to hide more than 60,000 financial transactions totaling $250 billion for Iranian clients. The allegations and the settlement, which were first reported by The Wall Street Journal, sparked criticism of Mr. Lawsky from senior U.K. officials, including central banker Mervyn King. The settlement led the New York regulator to call off a hearing scheduled for Wednesday morning at its offices in Lower Manhattan. The bank's chief executive had flown to New York this weekend to oversee settlement talks, according to people familiar with the bank. The bank, which earlier had contested much of the allegations, acknowledged the fine covers all the transactions that the New York regulator alleged were illegal. The bank hasn't admitted wrongdoing. The settlement took the form of a term sheet signed by Mr. Sands that spelled out the key points in the agreement, including the monetary penalty, said people familiar with the matter. Because the deal was struck so quickly, the final settlement agreement is yet to be drafted in its full legal format, they said. The penalty is the latest in a series of enforcement actions by U.S. authorities against foreign banks over allegations they failed to uphold U.S. money-laundering laws. ING Bank NV of the Netherlands this year agreed to pay $619 million to settle charges in a case brought by U.S. Justice Department and the Manhattan district attorney's office, with the resulting funds split by those two entities. Other banks that have settled similar allegations that they broke U.S. sanctions laws in recent years include ABN Amro Bank, now part of Royal Bank of Scotland Group http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.h...od=inlineTicker PLC, Credit Suisse Group AG http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.h...od=inlineTicker and Barclays PLC.http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.h...od=inlineTicker ING, Royal Bank of Scotland, Credit Suisse and Barclays acknowledged violating laws including the Trading With the Enemy Act. http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.h...od=inlineTickerHSBC Holdings PLC is being probed by U.S. authorities and has told investors that it has reserved $700 million to pay fines. Standard Chartered's actions regarding Iran are still under criminal investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department, according to federal officials. The bank, following its internal review, had already uncovered $14 million of improper money transfers for Iranian clients, a bank spokesperson said. A Standard Chartered spokesman said a formal agreement "is expected to be concluded shortly." He added that the bank "continues to engage constructively with the other relevant U.S. authorities." Standard Chartered's actions regarding Iran are still under criminal investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department, according to federal officials.The bank, following its internal review, had already uncovered $14 million of improper money transfers for Iranian clients, a bank spokesperson said.A Standard Chartered spokesman said a formal agreement "is expected to be concluded shortly." He added that the bank "continues to engage constructively with the other relevant U.S. authorities." The settlement discussions between Standard Chartered and Mr. Lawsky's office began last Tuesday. Mr. Lawsky had leveled his allegations after the London stock market closed that Monday afternoon, U.K. time. The stock has dropped 7% on the London Stock Exchange since the allegations came to light Aug. 6, wiping out $2.4 billion in market value. While the bank's attorneys and executives worked to address the allegations, they also sounded out other U.S. regulators, in the hopes that all would come together to negotiate with the bank as a group. Both Mr. Lawsky's office and the bank's attorneys worked on two tracks. They prepared documents and presentations to hash out the facts of Mr. Lawsky's case at a hearing he set for Wednesday, while bracing to wrangle over the price tag and terms of a settlement agreement. The talks stretched late into Monday and were finalized Tuesday, said people familiar with the matter, with Mr. Sands signing the document just hours before Mr. Lawsky's office put out a statement at about 2 p.m. Four other U.S. regulators that have been probing the bank's actions weren't part of the settlement. The U.S. Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Manhattan district attorney's office have been negotiating with Standard Chartered since 2011 to reach a settlement over its Iran-related transactions. Standard Chartered wanted to settle with U.S. authorities as a group to assuage investors' concerns about exposure to future penalties, but the other regulators didn't move quickly enough, said a person close to the bank. A Treasury Department representative said: "Our investigation continues. Treasury will continue working with our regulatory and law enforcement partners to hold Standard Chartered accountable for any sanctionable activity that occurred." A Justice Department spokesman said the agency "continues to work closely with our regulatory and other partners to determine what actions might be appropriate in this matter.'' "The Federal Reserve continues to work with the other agencies on a comprehensive resolution," said a Fed spokeswoman. "Banks that violate international sanctions aren't just breaking the law, they are enabling the financing of terrorist regimes and undermining our collective safety and security," said Erin Duggan, a spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. As part of the settlement, Standard Chartered agreed to install a monitor chosen by Mr. Lawsky's office to oversee its international transactions. The bank also agreed to appoint its own auditors in its New York office to oversee compliance with U.S. money-laundering laws. Analysts say the settlement is a good outcome for Standard Chartered. They say the penalty is manageable for a bank that generated nearly $4 billion of profit in the first half of 2012. And the resolution of Mr. Lawsky's probe, as well as his threat to revoke the bank's New York license, is likely to relieve investors, said Alastair Ryan, a London-based banking analyst with UBS. "Putting this issue behind them will be welcomed by shareholders," Mr. Ryan said. "Regulators, however aggressive, hold the whip hand now and removing tail risk for this [$340 million] figure

[extract] Fiat joins Hyundai, PSA Peugeot Citro

Guess what? Managed to chance upon this site http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/femhanged.html. 49 women from Iran, 11 from Singapore & 9 from Jordan... Amazing....

The U.S. sanctioned three companies Thursday for doing business with Iran

With pressure mounting on Iran to halt its nuclear weapons program, Daimler is reportedly joining the growing list of businesses

KNNBCCB!!! F*CKING GREEDY A$$HOLES...

Just thought I will post some pics on Iran and their cars. Dunno how many times I been there already. Nice place despite what has been reported. People are nice. Place is safe (except for the threat from USA). A sign at the airport. Scene from outside the airport. I didn't take the cab because got driver. Taxi fare to Tehran town centre about USD30.

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp.../364552/1/.html Iran expects OPEC to control quotas Posted: 03 August 2008 0116 hrs TEHRAN: Iran, the number two oil producer in OPEC, expects the cartel to discuss ways of controlling the quotas of member countries at its next meeting in September, the official news agency IRNA said. "In case of the continuation of a downward trend in oil price, one of the serious discussions in the next OPEC meeting will be definitely the quotas," IRNA quoted Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari as saying. The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries is scheduled to hold its next regular meeting on September 9 in Vienna. "OPEC, as the responsible body to control the market, should be more meticulous for the control of quotas," the oil minister said. "The (member) countries that have increased their capacity should control it... The issue is that some countries have been supplying more than their quota," he added. Nozari said in July that Iran was against any hike in the cartel's output quota despite continued high crude prices. Iran is the world's fourth-largest crude oil producer and tension over its nuclear programme helped push crude prices to record highs above 147 dollars a barrel on July 11. But prices dropped by around 20 dollars since then. In London, Brent North Sea crude for September delivery soared as high as 127.94 on Friday before settling at 124.18 dollars. - AFP/de

On transit now at Dubai airport (Emirates Lounge) to Tehran and supposedly 2nd biggest city in Iran, Massad (one of the holiest cities in mideast) for a couple of days. Stress. Will post some pics later. But at least company let me fly business class.

Bas-tards... TEHRAN : Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that oil is priced too low at US$115 a barrel, adding that the commodity "should find its real value", the state-run broadcasting website reported Saturday. "Oil at US$115 a barrel in today's market is a deceiving figure, oil is a strategic commodity and should find its real value," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying. On Friday, New York's main oil, light sweet crude for delivery in May, surged US$1.83 higher to a record close of US$116.69 a barrel. It had earlier hit an intra-day all-time peak of US$117. Iranian Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari on Wednesday rejected calls from crude oil consuming countries for the OPEC cartel to act to lower oil prices that have reached record highs. - AFP/ir http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...342409/1/.html