TEHRAN, Iran Iran's navy chief warned Wednesday that his country can
easily close the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the
Persian Gulf, the passageway through which a sixth of the world's oil
flows.It was the second such warning in two days. On Tuesday, Vice
President Mohamed Reza Rahimi threatened to close the strait, cutting off oil
exports, if the West imposes sanctions on Iran's oil shipments.With concern growing
over a possible drop-off in Iranian oil supplies, a senior Saudi oil
official said Gulf Arab nations are ready to offset any loss of
Iranian crude.That reassurance led to a drop in world oil prices. In
New York, benchmark crude fell 77 cents to $100.57 a barrel in
morning trading. Brent crude fell 82 cents to $108.45 a barrel in
London."Closing the Strait of Hormuz is very easy for Iranian naval forces,"
Adm. Habibollah Sayyari told state-run Press TV. "Iran has comprehensive control over
the strategic waterway," the navy chief said.Th
TERNATE, Indonesia Officials say fast-moving mudflows streaming from the mouth of
a volcano in eastern Indonesia have killed four villagers. About 1,000 others
have fled their homes.Mount Gamalama, located in the Molucca Islands, sprang back
to life this month with a powerful, non-fatal eruption.Government spokesman Yusuf Sunnya
said Wednesday that days of heavy rains triggered flows of cold lava,
rocks and other debris that slammed into villages near the base Tuesday
night.He said four people were killed and more than a dozen others
were hospitalized with injuries ranging from broken bones to head wounds.Indonesia is
a vast archipelago with millions of people living on mountains or near
fertile flood plains. Seasonal downpours here often cause landslides.
western Massachusetts.Prince hanged herself in January 2010 after classmates taunted her
after she dated a popular boy. She had recently moved from Ireland
to South Hadley, a rural town about 100 miles west of Boston.Five
students later accepted plea deals in criminal cases connected with bullying that
preceded her death. None involved prison time.Prince's death drew international attention and
was among several high-profile teen suicides that prompted new laws aimed at
cracking down on bullying in schools. All school districts in Massachusetts are
now required to develop bullying prevention plans.After unsuccessful attempts to gain access
to details of the settlement, which was reached with the town and
its insurer in November 2010, Bazelon sought a court order to release
the information under the state's public records law.In an order dated Dec.
23, Superior Court Judge Mary Lou-Rup ruled in favor of Bazelon, saying
the town had not shown what harm would be c
ores of oil deals, mostly with mid-sized companies. Baghdad considers all of
these deals illegal and has blacklisted the companies involved.The Kurds and Exxon
Mobil appear to be betting the Baghdad government will be forced to
acquiesce.They "are now in a position where they could essentially force Baghdad
to accept the status quo and the two separate regulatory systems that
exist in the country," said Riani.
iplomats during the 1970's when the U.S. was supporting the Shah in
Tehran. The group was reportedly placed on the list at a time
when the State Department was attempting to engage Iran diplomatically.More recently, the
MEK and its affiliates have also helped the U.S. and Western intelligence
agencies. They provided information about the secret uranium enrichment facility in Natanz
- a key intelligence breakthrough for the West.Iran is so threatened by
them that when an agreement was reported in recent days, a militia
aligned with Iran's Quds force reportedly fired Katyusha rockets at Camp Ashraf,
which is located in northeastern Iraq.Further, a bipartisan group of more than
a dozen top former U.S. national security advisers have been lobbying the
State Department to protect the people of Camp Ashraf. They argue that
the U.S. has a moral obligation to protect the Camp Ashraf residents
because the U.S. military convinced the MEK to disarm after the U.S.
invasio
up in the past months remain in jail.The Arab observers kicked
off their one month mission in the violence-wracked country with a visit
on Tuesday to Homs -- the first time Syria has allowed outside
monitors to the city at the heart of the anti-government uprising.A local
official in Homs told The Associated Press that four observers were in
the city on Wednesday as well, touring various districts. He declined to
give his details and spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons.Syrian
TV said observers toured several trouble spots in Homs including the neighborhoods
of Bab Sbaa, Baba Amr, Inshaat and al-Muhajireen, adding they met with
residents there.Homs residents said anti-government protesters were preparing for a second day
of demonstrations, despite a massive security presence in the city."I can see
riot police with shields and batons on main streets and intersections, they
are everywhere," said one resident, speaking over the phone. He declined t
