Saudi Oil Boost Little More Than PR

Columbus, Indiana, and Casper, Wyoming top employment list

(NEWSER) - Recession—that's a big-city thing, right? Several mid-size cities around the US are making an argument for their economic superiority, boasting job growth higher than the 1.5% national average in 2011. You may not know these cities well, but the Christian Science Monitor recommends them:

1. Columbus, Indiana: No, not Ohio's Columbus: Indiana's version had 10% growth from 2009 to 2010, making it the best economic rebounder during the Great Recession. Jobs are up 6.4%.

But most remain upbeat about their future: Pew survey

(NEWSER) - The economy is doing a number on those aged 18 to 34, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center :

• Half say they have taken a job they didn't want.
• More than a third have gone back to school because of the job market.
• Nearly a quarter have taken unpaid work to gain experience.
• About a quarter have moved back in with the folks.
• More than 1 in 5 have postponed having a baby, and about the same number have put off getting married.

Hamza Kashgari, 23, tweeted that he wants to talk to Mohammed as a 'friend'

(NEWSER) - Islamists are calling for the execution of a young Saudi Arabian who tweeted last week about the Prophet Mohammed. "I have loved the rebel in you, you’ve always been a source of inspiration to me," Hamza Kashgari, 23, wrote in a tweet addressed to Mohammed. But "I do not like the halos of divinity around you. I shall not pray for you,” he added. "I shall not kiss your hand. Rather, I shall shake it as equals do, and smile at you as you smile at me. I shall speak to you as a friend, no more." His tweets triggered more than 30,000 responses in a single day, many of them from enraged Saudis calling for his death. Kashgari has since deleted his Twitter account, and apologized, but his home address was posted on YouTube and vigilantes have been hunting him at his mosque, reports the Daily Beast . More»

Director of National Intelligence thinks Iran is 'plotting against US interests'

(NEWSER) - Iran no longer appears to have any reservations about launching attacks on US soil, National Intelligence Director James Clapper said in Senate testimony today. The new assessment is based in part on Iran's alleged attempt to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the US. The incident "shows that some Iranian officials—probably including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei —have changed their calculus and are now more willing to conduct an attack in the United States," Clapper said, according to the Washington Post . More»

Tehran says EU's embargo will spike global prices

(NEWSER) - Iran is getting ready to vote today on banning oil sales to the EU —you know, before the EU can enact an embargo on aforementioned oil —and Tehran is engaging in some typical sabre-rattling, with the head of Iran's state oil company predicting global crude prices will head into the stratosphere. "It seems we will witness prices from $120 to $150 in the future," said Ahmad Qalehbani. Iran is insisting that it can find new buyers for the 18% of its output that Europe gobbles up, and that an embargo won't hurt it. More»