News Archive - 10 November 2009

> ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Maryland (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu concluded an unusually low-key U.S. visit on Tuesday voicing confidence that his White House talks had helped secure Israel and promote peace efforts. Netanyahu, whose ties with Washington have been strained by Israeli settlement expansion on...

> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Barack Obama this week makes his first trip to Asia as president, leaving behind a host of domestic problems with a visit that recognizes the region's economic and diplomatic importance to the United States. The trip, which starts on Thursday, will take Obama to an Asia-Pacific...

By Rustam Qobil BBC Uzbek Service This girl is one of many who have been bussed in to pick cotton The BBC Uzbek Service has found that schoolchildren are still being sent out to work in Uzbekistan's vast cotton fields , despite government promises to stop using child labour...

csmonitor.com: Istanbul, Turkey - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sought to bolster the Islamic Republic's regional standing at an economic summit for Muslim leaders in Turkey on Monday, by declaring that a "new era is starting" after the "definite defeat" of capitalism. Read the whole story: csmonitor.com...

Voters from Lebanon's different communities give their reactions to their new unity government, which was announced after months of tough negotiations.The cabinet is formed of 15 ministers from Prime Minister Saad Hariri's US and Saudi-backed coalition, 10 from the opposition, backed by Syria and Iran, and five nominated...

Voters in Lebanon give their reaction to the new unity government. Hezbollah takes its orders from Iran and is planning to build its own state in Lebanon Age: 31 Occupation: Software engineer Location: Beirut Background: Christian Main page Hezbollah still has the power and the weapons to do what...

Voters in Lebanon give their reaction to the new unity government. While the politicians argued, factories closed, services suffered and families lost income Age: 25 Occupation: student Location: Beirut Background: Druze Like many Lebanese, I feel apathetic about this cabinet. It takes only a little knowledge to realise that...

Hezbollah hit back with rockets into Israel during the 2006 war The Lebanese Shia Islamist movement, Hezbollah, now has rockets capable of reaching Israel's largest cities, the head of the Israeli military has said.Major General Gabi Ashkenazi told lawmakers Hezbollah's military wing had tens of thousands of rockets,...

Saudi Arabia says its troops are ready to defend the border areas Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has warned against foreign intervention in the conflict between the Yemeni government and rebels.Unidentified parties were adding fuel to the crisis, and attempts to help or to take military action would...

> ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Building atom bombs is stupid. America must ditch Israel to gain friends in the Middle East. We need love and spirituality, not failed capitalist consumerism. The world according to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is not without surprises. He expounds his views with rhetorical flourishes, jabs at...

Who are the US hikers? Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has said three young Americans suspected of spying entered its territory illegally.Mr Mottaki told reporters in Tehran that other accusations against the trio were still being investigated. The US has called for the swift release of Shane Bauer,...

By Adam Brookes BBC News, Washington Washington sniper John Muhammad is due to be executed on Tuesday It was on 3 October 2002 that Washington DC and the surrounding suburbs in Virginia and Maryland realised that something terrible was under way.That morning, in the space of just over...

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> UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States accused Iran in the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday of illicit arms deliveries to Lebanese guerrillas, endorsing charges by Israel after it seized a ship in the Mediterranean last week. Britain also raised concerns over what Israeli officials said was the...

Washington, 10 November (WashingtonTV)—Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Tuesday called on regional states not to interfere in Yemen, and denied that Tehran was supporting Shiite rebels there.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The new US administration will send its first mission to North Korea to jumpstart denuclearization talks, officials confirmed Tuesday, although an exact date has not yet been set."After careful consideration and extensive consultation among our allies and partners, we have told North Korea that we...

> "The Danish student was released following the end of investigations," IRNA said, quoting a judiciary official. Security forces clashed with supporters of Iran's opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi when they used the anti-U.S. rallies to revive protests against the clerical establishment after a June 12 presidential vote. President Mahmoud...

> He said he expected world leaders to decide by the close of 2009 which course of action to take to try to stop the Iranian program, the Israeli official said, briefing reporters. "We are readying all the options and decision-makers will have to consider which paths to take" to...

The families of three Americans accused of espionage in Iran are attempting the delicate feat of keeping a spotlight trained on the plight of their loved ones while trying to avoid the tangled politics of the tense U.S.-Iran relationship. Even as the Americans' captivity passed the 100-day point...

Washington, 10 November (WashingtonTV)—Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday that he had not seen signs of change in key US policies under the administration of US President Barack Obama.

> Great strides in agriculture have been made since through innovation, technology and genetics to help feed the world's growing population. Despite this, however, more than 1 billion people went hungry in 2009, 100 million more than last year. The increase is not a result of poor harvests, but due...

Qatar National Bank (QNB) announced the launch of QNB Banque Privée (Suisse), the full private banking subsidiary of the QNB Group in Switzerland. QNB Banque Privée (Suisse) is incorporated in Geneva, Switzerland, and received its license from the Swiss regulator recently.

VETERAN Australian yachtsmen John Bertrand says a likely decision to sail the America's Cup in Spain rather than Queensland is a "crapshoot''.

BAGHDAD, Aug. 25, 2012 - President Barack Obama flew into Baghdad today on his end-of-term tour to highlight successes in U.S. foreign policy.

Iran has denounced Oxford University after one of its colleges set up a scholarship in honour of Neda Agha-Soltan, who was shot dead during a protest after disputed elections, a report said Wednesday.

Pakistan's military has angrily insisted that its nuclear weapons arsenal is safely protected and denounced claims that it is secretly negotiating with the United States to allow teams of American specialists to provide added security in the event of a crisis. Related Stories South Korea's troops on high alert after...

WHEATON, Md. — When James D. Martin was shot dead on an early October evening seven years ago in the parking lot of a grocery store in Wheaton, a northern Washington suburb, it got little attention on the nightly news.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. missile defense system that is too robust could actually backfire and become destabilizing, prompting countries like China to expand their nuclear arsenals, a U.S. general said on Tuesday.

Strange, sad events cross paths History is filled with strange juxtapositions, none significantly greater than events crossing paths this Veterans Day.

KILLEEN -- President Barack Obama and other dignitaries addressed an estimated 5,000 people Tuesday as they gathered on the vast lawn in front of Fort Hood's III Corps building to remember the fallen soldiers and victims of the Thursday shooting.

With a historic endorsement from the Mormon church, the Salt Lake City Council unanimously passed a pair of ordinances making it illegal to discriminate against gays.

Why most suicide bombers are Muslim

Sana'a The five-year-old sporadic war between the Al Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government has entered a new stage with neighbouring Saudi Arabia's direct involvement in this conflict.

MARTINSBURG - The West Virginia Air National Guard's 167th Airlift Wing played a critical role Friday afternoon in an international readiness exercise that tested the mettle of a neighboring agency tasked with search and rescue missions overseas. The Martinsburg base was chosen as a point of departure for Virginia Task...

The case of the American hikers is only the latest example of the Iranian government misusing and undermining its judiciary for political ends.

Tel Aviv, Israel (UPI) Nov 10, 2009 - India's military chief of staff, Gen. Deepak Kapoor, has been visiting Israel to cement his country's defense ties with the Jewish state amid reports that New Delhi plans to proceed with a controversial $1.1 billion deal for the Barak-8 tactical air-defense...

A top al-Qaeda terrorist said Tuesday that the Shi'ites, especially those in Iran, are more dangerous to the world than the Jews or the Christians.

Nicolas Cage once spent $276,000 on a 67-million-year-old dinosaur skull.

(CNN) -- Iran's foreign minister Tuesday called on Yemen's neighbors to stay out of the conflict between Yemeni forces and Shiite Muslim rebels, while Yemen said it had seized an Iranian ship near its...

The Panthers had six players in double figures in scoring: Nick Barbour (17), Corey Law (11), David Campbell (14), Cruz Daniels (13), Jairus Simms (13) and Eugene Harris (11).

A carriage house at 49 Liberty Corner Road in Bernards Township, once the weekend retreat for former Secretary of State Cryrus R. Vance, would be razed under a proposal now before the Planning Board.

BEVERLY HILLS, California: It's a seemingly simple approach to one of the modern world's most complicated political problems: By marrying the dainty lutes of the East with thrumming violas of the West, composer Hafez Nazeri says he wants to create harmony between the US and his native Iran.

Obama has shown far more concern for strengthening ties with authoritarian regimes on the Arabian Peninsula than to maintaining the historically close alliance with the region's only true democracy.

MARK WEISS in Jerusalem ISRAEL’S TOP general has warned that the Lebanese Shia Hizbullah militia has amassed tens of thousands of rockets, including some with a range of more than 300km (186 mil...

Thailand's football squad is confident to win the match against host Singapore in the ASIAN Cup qualifying round this Saturday.

In an ever-changing world where challenges and problems spread more quickly and affect more populations, there is still optimism for the future, said former British Prime Minister Tony Blair at the second Drew Forum lecture of the season in Madison.

Awards

TEHRAN : Iran charged three Americans it captured in July near the border with Iraq with espionage on Monday, prompting Washington to demand the release of what it says are innocent hikers.

Beatrice "BeBe" Waring, nee Shopp, a former Miss America, has been fitted for glamorous gowns and clothing of all kinds. But earlier this year, the 79-year-old was fitted for 50 pounds of body armor and mdash; for a visit to U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

The Philippines on Tuesday (New York time) won a seat in the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (Uncitral) in elections that took place some 35 years after it first served in that UN body, the Philippine Mission to the United Nations said today.

President Shimon Peres said Tuesday that the world needed to speak out against Iran's threats against Israel "with a clear voice."

Now that the U.S. military presence in Iraq looks to be winding down, the office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), set up to oversee the $50 billion reconstruction effort, is also due to be phasing out. But that doesn't necessarily mean the SIGIR himself, Stuart...

Nov. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Fighting in northern Yemen between government troops and Shiite Muslim rebels has forced thousands of civilians to flee in recent days, the United Nations said as it called for secure corridors to deliver aid.

Amman/Cairo - The translation of Hebrew-language books into Arabic is a controversial issue in the Arab world, with intellectuals divided whether it plays a role in getting to know the enemy or serves to normalize relations with Israel. A host of...

SAO PAULO (Reuters - A major electricity outage left tens of millions of people in Brazil's two largest cities of Sao Paulo and Rio De Janeiro without power on Tuesday night.

LONDON (Reuters) - The European Union's first full-time president will be chosen on November 19, the Financial Times reported in its Wednesday edition, citing Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.

TEHRAN - Iran yesterday accused three detained American hikers of spying, signalling that Tehran intends to put them on trial.

Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel stands behinds the W.H. call for Israel to freeze settlement activity.

Team Melli defeated Iceland by a single goal in Tehran’s Azadi stadium to win their friendly in advance of the Asian Cup qualifier versus Jordan. The friendly match which was not scheduled on an official FIFA day was attended very poorly.

Obama stressed during an interview with Reuters on Monday that he sees China as a vital partner, as well as a competitor. Obama said the world's two most powerful nations need to work together on the big issues, and any competition between them has to be fair and friendly.

With his nation plagued by power failures and water shortages, President Hugo Chávez has turned to lecturing his countrymen about overconsumption.

Washington - US President Barack Obama makes his first trip to Asia with a heaping helping of intractable issues on his plate: a sluggish economy, global warming and the nuclear ambitions of Iran...

The Saudi offensive has raised concerns of another proxy war in the Middle East between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- After five months of intense political wrangling, with Syria and Saudi Arabia pulling the strings, Lebanon seems set to get a new government that includes Hezbollah.

With Israel having rebuffed American calls to freeze settlement-building, and with the prospects for substantive peace talks fading, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are increasingly viewed in the region as dim...

N-Judah track at 19th Avenue (Photo by Michael Rhodes) Shuttle bus alert: work starts Friday on N-Judah rail replacement. [ Streetsblog ] Disgraced Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina's campaign is equally disgraceful as seen in this inane, politically correct missive. [ Valleywag ] Photo of false investigator! [ Sex Pigeon...

Nicolas Cage once spent $276,000 on a 67-million-year-old dinosaur skull.

It's a seemingly simple approach to one of the modern world's most complicated political problems: By marrying the dainty lutes of the East with the thrumming violas of the West, composer Hafez Nazeri says he wants to create harmony between the United States...

Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt played on American economic and security worries Tuesday as she pitched the energy advantages of Alberta's controversial oilsands.

An Iranian prosecutor announced Monday morning that three hikers who are currently being detained after crossing the border illegally will be charged with espionage.

NEW YORK, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Judicial authorities in Iran should investigate allegations of sexual violence and abusive behavior in the national prison system, Human Rights Watch said.

Speaking at Monday’s Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly in Washington, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sounded very much like a man who didn’t want to antagonize the president he was about to meet under visibly strained circumstances.

Pakistan's military has angrily insisted that its nuclear weapons arsenal is safely protected and denounced claims that it is secretly negotiating with the United States to allow teams of American specialists to provide added security in the event of a crisis.

While Vladimir Putin remains a key Russian leader, there is no question that Dmitri Medvedev thinks he is a real president. Russia’s 2012 election will likely prove decisive in the Putin-Medvedev relationship, write PAUL J. SAUNDERS and DIMITRI K. SIMES

Nicolas Cage once outbid Leonardo DiCaprio for a dinosaur skull.

CURRENT Mr PNG Lucas Wemin returned from his first international outing at the World Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Federation Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Monday, with an impressive world No.10 ranking.

State Reps. Rick Taylor, D-151, and Josh Shapiro, D-153, have recently used town hall meetings in order to reach out to their constituents and discuss the new state budget and several other issues.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his recent talks at the White House will help to secure Israel and promote peace efforts.

Why has the Great War of 1914-18 remained so central to our lives? The Second World War produced its crops of names, easy to remember, like punctuation marks: Dunkirk, the fall of France, the Battle of Britain, el-Alamein, Stalingrad, Normandy, Dresden, Hiroshima. But somehow those earlier 1914-18 slaughters, their geographical...

Senior Chinese and United States officials are upbeat about next week's visit by US President Barack Obama, suggesting that the prospects for beefing up collaboration and constraining long-standing disputes between the countries are good.

The United States accused Iran Tuesday of violating a U.N. arms embargo by secretly sending weapons to Syria in a cargo ship seized by Israel, a U.S. official said.

Christopher King argues that the reason why British politicians and military leaders are struggling to explain why British troops are fighting in Afghanistan is because they cannot bring themselves to be honest with the public, i.e. that they are in Afghanistan to fight a US war of aggression that...

The agreement ended a long period of gridlock that illustrated once again the myriad dysfunctions of the country’s bitterly divided political class.

The American Muslim community have been the victims of widespread and carefully contrived anti-Muslim sentiment before and after the events of 9/11, whatever their origin. What Hasan did was murder, pure and simple.

NEW YORK — Even for a venue as grand as New York’s Carnegie Hall, there was a pretty dazzling concentration of star power at Glamour magazine’s Women of the Year awards.

تيم ملي فوتبال ايران برابر ايسلند به پيروزي رسيد.

UNITED NATIONS - The United States accused Iran Tuesday of violating a U.N. arms embargo by secretly sending weapons to Syria in a cargo ship seized by Israel, a U.S. official said.Britain took a soft...

Iran's sitting volleyball squad has won the third edition of the Junior World Sitting Volleyball Championships held in the holy Iranian city of Mashhad.

President of Iran National Paralympic Committee, Mahmoud Khosravi-Vafa said Iranian athletes will likely pull out of the IWAS (International Wheelchair and Amputee Sport Federation) competitions because of swine flu.

Rasoul Korbekandi was named as Saba Battery football coach on Monday.

Iran lost to Japan in the Asian qualifiers for the 2009 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup on Tuesday.

Guangzhou: A year from now and billions of eyes will focus on Asian Games host Guangzhou, and the booming southern Chinese metropolis is planning to put on a show that attracts global recognition.

Israel's president called Tuesday on Brazil, where Iran's president will be welcomed in less than two weeks, to raise its voice against the "terror" he accused Tehran of supporting.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US efforts to revive Middle East peace talks appeared to have borne little fruit Tuesday after a closed-door meeting between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Amid tensions over US opposition to continued Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the two men huddled...

Iran football coach Afshin Ghotbi said that the big European teams are not interested in coming to Tehran.

Thanksgiving is an American tradition. Yet chefs from other countries have recipes and stories that make us thankful they ply their trade in Naples for all of us to enjoy. Four of them share a favorite holiday recipe and their memories in preparing the dish. Executive Chef Julius Minarik Bamboo...

TEMPLE, Texas -- A spiritually enlightening read awaits readers as Xlibris announces the release of HIS witness ... and man's most important achievement ... authored by Brother G.K.

UNITED NATIONS - The United States accused Iran Tuesday of violating a U.N. arms embargo by secretly sending weapons to Syria in a cargo ship seized by Israel, a U.S. official said.

US efforts to revive Middle East peace talks appeared to have borne little fruit yesterday after a closed-door meeting between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Iran’s regime denounced the University of Oxford yesterday because one of its colleges has established a scholarship honouring Neda Soltan, the Iranian student killed during street protests in Tehran over the alleged rigging of the presidential election.