News Archive - 1 February 2011

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to Iraq urged Congress on Tuesday not to "gut" the post-war diplomatic presence in Iraq after a Senate committee report urged Washington to consider reducing its massive civilian presence there for security reasons. Ambassador James Jeffrey defended plans to keep some 17,000 U.

>Following are analysts' views on the president's announcement.EDWARD WALKER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO EGYPT AND ISRAEL"I think we are going to see continuing demands for his immediate ouster. I don't think that the crowd has any great sympathy for his desire to have a graceful exit."This anger...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Treasury on Tuesday blacklisted six individuals and five business entities in Iran and Turkey for providing materials and support to Iran's ballistic missile development efforts. The sanctions target a procurement network that has facilitated more than $7 million in transactions for Aerospace Industries Organization, which oversees...

> A statement issued by Netanyahu's bureau said he "encourages the advancement of free and democratic values in the Middle East" but that if a radical regime were to replace President Hosni Mubarak "as occurred in Iran and elsewhere, the result can be a blow to peace and democracy."...

> Parliamentarians, who voted overwhelmingly to remove Hamid Behbahani, accused him of failing to improve Iran's dismal air, rail and road safety record and lambasted him for mismanagement. "147 of the 234 parliamentarians present voted to unseat the minister," said parliament speaker Ali Larijani, state radio broadcast live. (Additional reporting...

Jordan's king appoints new PM Days after activists take to the streets in Jordan decrying the price of food and poor living conditions, the government replaces its prime minister.

The UAE's non-oil trade will swell by around 11.2 per cent to Dh735 billion in 2011 while re-exports will surge by nearly 20.1 per cent, according to the ministry of foreign trade.

The more people expect freedom, the more they're likely to fight for it

Gordon Brown was apparently convinced that Osama bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan, leaked diplomatic dispatches disclose.

By Alkesh Sharma, Chandigarh, Feb 2 : Wide and clean roads, a plush green cover with sprawling gardens and a calendar full of events. Little wonder Chandigarh has become a much sought after destination for foreign tourists, with over 39,000 of them visiting the city last year.

The Egyptian crisis along with those percolating in Yemen and Syria should give the U.S. cause to consider why citizens revolt and what America needs to do to stifle internal strife. Throughout history, revolutions have occurred in r Copyright 2011 Vail Daily. All rights reserved. This material may not...

Moscow, Feb 1 : Regional security group, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), will hold a summit dedicated to mark its 10th anniversary in Astana, the Kazakh capital, on June 15.

BEIRUT: Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati sounded optimistic Tuesday about forming a government capable of uniting the Lebanese and putting an end to the rival factions’ political divisions.

Jeremy Bernstein AP Photo/Khalil Hamra Mohamed ElBaradei addresses the crowd in Tahrir Square, Cairo, January 30, 2011 Egypt’s gonna get one too, Just to use on you know who. —Tom Lehrer, “Who’s Next?” The current turmoil in Egypt and the prospect of the collapse of Hosni Mubarak’s regime apart...

> The lira IYIX= was trading at 1.5770 against the dollar on the interbank market in early trade after closing at 1.59 on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the main Istanbul share index .XU100 rose 2.44 percent to 64,822.62, while the yield on the benchmark Nov. 7, 2012...

It’s the fourth snowstorm since the start of the year, so everyone should be and apparently was well tuned in winter driving.

Nominations are being accepted for the Grand Island Senior High School Hall of Honor, said Grand Island Education Foundation Executive Director Traci Skalberg.

Suspected militants killed five policemen in a shootout in the volatile southwestern Baluchistan province in Pakistan early today, police said.

CAIRO -- The retired general in the blue suit walked alone, with a cane, as hundreds of Egyptian protesters surged past him, chanting and holding signs. He stopped to catch his breath, grabbing the railing of a bridge so he could look out at the Nile.

“Nebraska Agriculture: Powering the Economy in Challenging Times” is the theme for the 23nd annual Governor’s Ag Conference, which is set for March 1 and 2 at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Kearney.

Protesters held a massive rally in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and Luxor, as leaders of the demonstration called on President Mubarak to step down by Friday. In a statement Monday night the Army said protests are legitimate.

A political wrangle over an Iranian arms shipment seized in Nigeria has set back the Persian Gulf nation’s efforts to cultivate links in Africa as it seeks to forestall diplomatic isolation over its nuclear program.

While many rural schools in Central Nebraska called off school on Tuesday, Superintendent Harrison Cass decided that classes would be in session for the Grand Island Public Schools.

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/308ffc/4q10_middle_east_m) has announced the addition of IE Market Research Corp.'s new report "4Q10 Middle East Mobile Operator Forecast, 2010 - 2014" to their offering. Mobile Operator Forecast on Middle East provides over 50 operational and financial metrics for the Middle East ...

share: digg facebook twitter In June 2005, along with then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, I met nine Egyptian opposition figures, including presidential candidate Ayman Nour, in a shabby Cairo conference room. In the name of weakening Islamism, he undermined all legitimate opposition, often forcing dissent into the radical mosque. [...

New Delhi, Feb 1 : India's air show in Bangalore next week will be the largest ever with 29 countries bringing their aerospace products, including fighter jets and transport aircraft, for showcasing at the five-day event.

Once admired as a foe of Islamic extremism, Mubarak fell prey to ruling with an authoritarian hand.

President Hosni Mubarak came to power amid crisis three decades ago, a reassuring symbol of stability for many Egyptians as well as for Western leaders seeking a solid ally in the Middle East.

For days, Obama administration officials stared fiercely yet fearfully at Egypt 's people-power revolution, struggling to see the road ahead and where it was taking us all.

BRUSSELS : The European Parliament on Tuesday called for new sanctions to combat Iran's human rights abuses following the execution of a woman.

New Delhi, Feb 1 : Against the backdrop of some recent terror attacks that took place in neigbouring countries, Home Minister P Chidambaram today said, ''We live in a troubled neighbourhood'' and some of ''our neighbours'' appear to be vulnerable not only to acts of terror but also to destabilising...

Battle for the future of the Arab world is under way

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 1, 2011): Malaysian narcotics police are facing a new battle in the war against drugs and this time it is from Iranians.

Whether Berryville doctor Sherif Z. Kaiser ever returns to his homeland hinges on how the future of one of the world's oldest civilizations unfolds.

WASHINGTON - In June 2005, along with then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, I met nine Egyptian ...

Even Islamists have to eat. It is unclear whether President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt will survive, or whether his nationalist regime will be replaced by an Islamist, democratic, or authoritarian state.

KUALA LUMPUR: It was the happiest moment for Androni Giocattoli’s Jonnatha Monsalve when he was announced overall winner for the 16th edition of the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL).

The government has blacked out China and Iran from the Aero India show that begins in Bangalore next week.

Bhopal, Feb 1 : The rich culture and artistic diversity of Indian states and at least seven countries are drawing huge crowds at a festival being held in Madhya Pradesh's capital Bhopal since Republic Day Jan 26.

Rachel Maddow took the opportunity tonight to really go after Glenn Beck , and did so without really criticizing him directly as much as merely using Beck's own words against him. Given Beck's serious concern about the implications of the Egyptian uprising, Maddow proves this isn't the first time Beck...

Dubai A severe sandstorm hit the UAE yesterday afternoon throwing normal life off course and leaving behind damaged vehicles, fallen trees and debris in the middle of roads and highways.

Flickr user Mirco Wilhelm says he lost 4,000 photos -- 5 years worth of pics -- due to a mistake on the part of a staffer at the popular picture hosting site. Mirco-2010-BW-600SQ Wilhelm, an IT architect and photographer, wrote about the ordeal in a Tumblr blog post with a...

Egypt's complex rebellion is rushing toward revolution. For the near-term, how the Egyptian military promotes, thwarts, and/or negotiates the inevitable redistribution of power among individuals and factions within the country is the most critical issue.

NEW ORLEANS -- Egyptians in the New Orleans metropolitan area are keeping a close eye on what's happening in their native country. According to Middle East experts, President Hosni Mubarak’s decision not to run for re-election September is historic, but many Egyptians say it's not enough. “It's really frustrating what's...

Local residents weigh in on the turmoil in Egypt.

CAIRO — Faced with an unprecedented popular revolt that drew record crowds of protesters to downtown Cairo Tuesday, U.S.-backed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he would step down before elect...

Iran continues with its efforts to build a nuclear bomb. Pakistan, already in possession of a nuclear bomb, remains an unstable U.S. ally.

No image frightens the average American more than the Arab street portrayed on TV -- an angry mob ready to hate us without provocation. But behind those outraged young men lie real grievances that run very deep.

Fifteen minutes after the start of an on-campus lecture about the future of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak...

CAIRO, Egypt — Although President Hosni Mubarak announced Tuesday that he wouldn't run for a sixth consecutive term, he will retain a considerable ability to influence the political upheaval unleashed by the biggest anti-government protests in his 30-year rule.

He places the United States squarely on the side of the protesters in the streets of Egyptian cities.

There are lessons suggested by insurrections past, when scenes of mass dissent comparable to those now erupting in Egypt played themselves out in Haiti, East Germany, China and the Philippines

Although last year Damascus largely avoided the headlines, it continues to play a pivotal role in events in Lebanon and wields important influence in both Iraq and the occupied Palestinian territories.

I came across this guide to avoid saying stupid things about Egyp t, while communicating via Facebook with a former reporter whose husband is Egyptian.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military is hopeful that whatever the outcome of the Egyptian crisis, the two militaries will continue working together on protecting the region from threats.

THE NEXT DECADE: WHERE WE'VE BEEN... AND WHERE WE'RE GOING By George Friedman Doubleday, $27.95, 243 pages The United States is and in the future will be an empire, albeit unintended, George Friedman writes. Whereas presidents past may have had to play only a single integrated global hand, presidents...

Pyongyang, February 1 (KCNA) -- The joint New Year editorial of the DPRK has been widely disseminated in more than 100 countries and regions.

In the one-day trial, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court found Veera, who leads the Thai Patriots Network (TPN), and his assistant Ratree, guilty of espionage, illegal entry and trespassing in a ...

News reports have stated that a recent attempt at diplomatically reaching out to Iran in hopes that it would curtail its nuclear weapons desires has failed.

Listen to the Audio RAY SUAREZ: Now to our interview with Senator Kerry. It has been a day of maneuvering in both Cairo and Washington. Part of that included a New York Times op-ed column this morning by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman urging Mubarak to step aside. I...

MANILA, Philippines -- A suspected member of the Islamist separatist group Abu Sayyaf, tagged in at least two high-profile...

Leaders, media, academics and arm-chair politicians (basically most Israelis) continue to monitor the upheaval rocking its big neighbor, just one door down. If there's a theme de jour, it seems to be "careful what you wish for." Monday, during a...

William Maclean reports from London on a people’s uprising that spells bad news for terror group

We admit it: Today's Feast Your Eyes is not particularly appetizing. But that's actually the point. This photo, captioned as the "chef's special," is part of a collection of images that serve as the call to action in a UK campaign for better-tasting, sustainably-sourced hospital food. The Soil Association ,...

BEIJING, 2 FEBRUARY, 2011 : In another era, China’s leaders might have been content to let discussion of the protests in Egypt float around among private citizens, then fizzle out, the New York Times reported and published on it's website.

If Hosni Mubarak were logging into Craiglist these days, it might look something like this. Click on image to make it larger.  ...

Iran has lifted all restrictions on fuel supplies to Afghanistan in response to the Afghan government's declaration that it will not provide the fuel to NATO troops stationed in the country.

Research carried out at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem shows that it was possible already in 2008 to predict that countries such as Egypt and Iran were headed for dangerous periods of instability because of citizens' demands for democratization. The researchers were able to make this observation on the basis...

PETALING JAYA: AirAsia CEO Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes said his team is working on getting Malaysian students out of Egypt.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in Israel to get an honorary degree, told students Tuesday the country is missing a chance for peace. Merkel had a session with students at Tel Aviv University, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Reading and listening to the immediate euphoric response to the protests in Egypt, I realized that America's proverbial optimism and its legendary escapism were beginning to look more and more like each other. Remember the earthquake that struck Haiti almost one year ago? At the time, the airwaves and print-byways...

Hope and fury When you step back from Sundance 2011 and its 110 films that hit the dozen screens over the 10 days ending January 30, what you come away with is the year of Angry Men. WOOF! Paddy Considine's Tyrannosaur begins with Peter Mullan kicking his dog to death.

Israeli Civil Defense authorities have concluded that they can only provide residents of Tel Aviv and Central Israel with 90 seconds warning, not the previous two minutes, of impending rocket attack.

Coming from every direction, men, women and children line up cheerfully to flash identity cards at army checkpoints

Brussels (AFP) Feb 1, 2011 NATO's military might will never win the war against Afghanistan's heroin trade alone, an Afghan judge said, urging the alliance to put more energy into weaning farmers off opium poppy crops. Afghanistan's primary court of counter narcotics in Kabul has handled more than 2,000 cases...

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak said he won’t stand down before September elections, a position rejected by protesters

From Kota Kinabalu February 2, 2011 Choice for Obama: Mubarak or Egyptians by Mohamad Bazzi* AS protests spread against the regime of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the administration of United States President Barack Obama faces a choice: which side of history does it want to be on? Does the US...

DETROIT - A California man accused of threatening to blow up a popular Detroit-area mosque has had several violent, unpredictable run-ins with the law dating back to the 1970s, including one in which he kidnapped his son from a foster home and crashed a plane while trying to get away.

Egypt's neighbour fears what might follow Mubarak

share: digg facebook twitter SAN DIEGO (AP) — PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said golf doesn't depend solely on TV ratings, although good news never hurts. Golf has shown some promise the first month of the year, with significant increases in viewers on The Golf Channel, which broadcast the opening...

United Nations (AFP) Jan 31, 2011 North Korea has at least one secret nuclear military facility, a panel of experts has told the UN Security Council in a report calling for tougher implementation of sanctions, diplomats said Monday. The subterfuge work was probably started in the 1990s without raising suspicions,...

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Valley Authority's manager of the nation's only nuclear reactor construction project has abruptly left the job.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak says he will not seek re-election. Mubarak made the announcement Tuesday evening on state television after eight days of protest culminated with 250,000 people in the streets today demanding his resignation.

A moderate, non-ideological, pro-democratic Arab voice is emerging. Now is the time to defend this voice and in so doing help advance democracy in the Arab world.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, unable to calm a week of unrest and unprecedented protest against his government, announced Tuesday night that he would not seek re-election.

Ben Curtis A young girl standing on a relative's shoulders leads chants against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during the continuing demonstration in Tahrir square in downtown Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011. More than a quarter-million people flooded into the heart of Cairo Tuesday, filling the city's main square in...

VIGAN CITY, Ilocos Sur, PhilippinesRelatives of Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson are hoping that his illegal drug trafficking case in Hong Kong would end soon and that he would be allowed to return to the country to face his problems here. 'We just want him to be back home,' Vice...

Mohamed ElBaradei privately called on President Hosni Mubarak to ease up on political controls for nine years before joining Cairo protests that prompted Egypt’s leader to announce he won’t seek another term in office.

An Iranian citizen and resident has been indicted in federal court in Washington, D.C., on charges of illegally exporting and attempting to export specialized metals from the U.S. through companies in Turkey to Iran, including some firms involved in the production of ballistic missiles. The 11-count indictment,...

President Hosni Mubarak came to power amid crisis three decades ago, a reassuring symbol of stability for many Egyptians as well as for Western leaders seeking a solid ally in the Middle East. Today, crisis again envelops Egypt, and Mubarak is widely seen as the root of the problem.

An IRANIAN charged with orchestrating an illegal arms shipment into Nigeria pleaded not guilty yesterday during a surprise court hearing.

Lenin may have been a lousy Marxist, but he was a highly perceptive revolutionary when he cautioned that people were likely to be steamrollered by history -- which may be what is taking place in the Middle East right now. Last week's uprising in Tunisia has sparked far more...

Jordan's king appoints new PM Days after activists take to the streets in Jordan decrying the price of food and poor living conditions, the government replaces its prime minister.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, a likely candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, will visit Israel. The Republican Jewish Coalition announced Tuesday that it would host Barbour in Israel Feb. 5-9. The RJC has hosted Barber in 1994, when he chaired the Republican National Committee.

For Israel, the popular uprising against the Mubarak regime raises the specter of its worst strategic nightmare: collapse of the peace treaty with Egypt, the cornerstone of its regional policy for the past three decades.

One of the complications of a declining population in the West is a political one. The War on Terrorism, declared on September 13, 2001, promises to be expensive, simply because there are so many potential terrorists to fight.

Some 150 Mideast Muslim leaders, as well as Jewish clergy and Christian representatives, visited Auschwitz together.

Egypt's economy has been growing, but most Egyptians, who live on about $2 a day, aren't benefiting from the country's growth. And the college-educated face a 30 percent unemployment rate. Those factors, experts say, along with President Mubarak never fully embracing economic reform, created a combustible brew.

How many wars has North Korea won in the last, say, 50 years? Quote form the article: "North Korea's main battle tanks - T-62s - have 155 mm guns"... LMOA! T-62s actually have rather old 115mm guns that can't penetrate US M1A1/2 armor at point blank range.

New Delhi, Feb. 1: The day a million marched in Cairo, the government representing a billion gave qualified support to the demand for “reform” in Egypt and the Left stirred to back the “popular upsurge”.