News Archive - 2 February 2011

You are a progressive, and you have been arrested and are being expelled from your country. You are brought to the airport, and given just one minute to decide upon your destination, your country of exile. There is a catch, however. You must choose from one of the following...

>LONDON (Reuters) - Iranian Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi said on Wednesday the rise of communication technology in organizing political protest meant dictators would no longer be able to sleep soundly at night. Referring to demonstrations against President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and an uprising last month in Tunisia, Ebadi said...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Massive unrest spreading across the Middle East could put the brakes on billions of dollars of arms sales the U.S. government is negotiating with countries in that region, at least in the short term. That could spell bad news for Lockheed Martin Corp, Boeing and other...

Democracy is coming to Egypt. People outside of Egypt who consider that inconvenient to their current policies may kvetch, but ultimately they can adapt and they will, because as it becomes increasingly obvious that democratic change is a fait accompli, adaptation will appear superior to any conceivable alternative. Under...

I wonder if sometime around 50 years ago a great mental tide began to sweep across the world. Before the tide, people saw themselves in certain fixed places in the social order. They accepted opinions from trusted authorities.

India is opposed to sanctions against Iran as it affected the common people the most, but supports the US policy that Tehran should not have nuclear weapons, according to a US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks.

Even with counterrevolutionary forces challenging change in Egypt, democracy can still work. Here's how

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei will lead this week's Friday prayers at the University of Tehran.

A former FBI officer who disappeared in mysterious circumstances in Iran four years ago has been held by the country's Revolutionary Guard, the cables suggest.

Tel Aviv It's all over for the Egyptian president. Unless some major unexpected circumstance interferes, he has lost what two veteran analysts at the Israeli daily newspaper Ha'aretz called a "war of attrition".

The 2011 Sundance Film Festival is officially over and done with, and while we still have a bunch more interviews to share with you (and maybe a couple more reviews), we want to give a brief recap of this year's most promising films and performances we're confident we'll all be...

The UK must "recognise Palestine as a sovereign state", urges Baroness Tonge.

Why strict realism and neoconservative idealism have failed us overseas

We have heard clichés about music but, these are just few of the proofs that like food, water, and shelter, music is an indispensable part of our life. It’s a human experience that practically relates to our emotion either exaltation or fear or anything in between.

Sri Lanka has been invited to ‘Aero India 2011’, which is the South Asia's biggest air show where over 60 countries would take part in theshow to be held in Bangalore, next week.

Dubai The United Nations Refugee Agency yesterday appealed for $280 million (Dh1.02 billion) to support Iraqi refugees.

Media scholar Robert McChesney tackles the state of journalism on Super Bowl Sunday

In response to the escalating Mubarek protests , the latest release of WikiLeaks have been Egypt or MENA related. One cable from November 2008 is particularly interesting, revealing that the State Department spoke to YouTube in 2007 regarding the takedown of videos posted by Egyptian bloggers. The cable is an...

Of the 22 Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan in just under a decade, 12 have died as a result of the explosion of IEDs set by Taliban insurgents.

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, that master of the tart zinger, concedes he went too far with some.

BEIRUT: Lebanon would violate international law and could face U.N. sanctions if Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati’s government withdraws from agreements with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, a number of legal experts said Wednesday.

A new exhibit at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library opens to the public on Monday.

Visakhapatnam, Feb 2 : The State Government Colleges like the V S Krishna College, are playing a vital role in promoting awareness over the wetland benefits, said G Gnana Mani, Dean (Academic Affairs), Department of Zoology of Andhra University (AU), here.

One thing has been intriguing me since the beginning of the popular revolts in Tunisia and Egypt. Why is it that virtually everyone, in describing the novelty of the moment, invariably fails to mention Lebanon’s Independence Intifada of 2005?

WASHINGTON, February 3 (Itar-Tass) -- The creation of an American missile defence system is not a reason for Russia’s hypothetical secession from the New START treaty, U.S. President Barack Obama said.

“Pro-democracy protests in Egypt should prompt Washington to take a new look at a perennial foreign-policy quandary of how to deal with dictators,” says Asia Society Bernard Schwartz Fellow Philip Shishkin, who focuses on Central Asia. “Some prominent Egyptian voices have already faulted Washington for allying itself too closely to...

While Americans of all po litical stripes look at Egypt's future with a mix ture of hope and trepidation, Israelis almost uniformly agree: No good can come of this. Yesterday' bloody confrontations only add to the worries that the once Gandhi-like revolt will spin out of control -- increasing...

UNITED NATIONS : With at least 66 people having been executed in Iran in January alone, including several political activists, the United Nations (UN) human rights chief on Wednesday voiced alarm and once again called on the Government to halt the use of the death penalty.

The chaos on the streets of Cairo has raised the stakes even higher for President Barack Obama — underlining Washington's powerlessness to shape events, and raising the spectre of the US having to deal with a close ally whose regime it has disowned, but uses violence to survive, temporarily at...

Away from the bloody pitched battles of Tahrir Square yesterday, noisy but mainly less thuggish Mubarak supporters gathered on the other side of the Nile for a demonstration that provided more palatable images for state television. Related Stories Egypt crisis: Chaos in Cairo raises the stakes for ‘powerless’ US BP...

Mumbai, Feb 2 : A report of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), released on the World Wetlands Day, says that there are over 100 Ramsar sites in India.

GNC last weekend welcomed members of the T&T Soca Warriors to its first official outlet at the Gulf City Shopping Mall and intends to harness a relationship with the national footballers as they aspire towards success on the international stage.

MILLIONS of US dollars of dividends, due to Iran as shareholder in Rio Tinto Rössing Uranium, are lying in a local bank account, blocked by the Bank of Namibia (BoN), the American ambassador in Windhoek said in a confidential cable she sent home last year.

Egypt remains one of America's most important allies in the Middle East, especially for its cooperation with Israel and its anti-Iranian stance. If America wants to keep her as a longer-term ally, then we should encourage democratic reform there for longer stability. There is deep and tenacious hostility towards ...

The Regional Planning Commission supported road plans presented by the City of Grand Island and Hall County Wednesday night, but one commissioner felt the county plan didn't go far enough.

Why "21st Century Statecraft"—the idea that America can use the Internet to influence global events—is more dream than reality

On the occasion of Chinese New Year today, we bring you a look at what the Year of the Rabbit has in store for you!

"Effective data protection is vital for our democracies and underpins other fundamental rights and freedoms." - Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship.

By Wednesday Al Jazeera TV was back on the air reporting live from the streets of Cairo, Egypt. In Taunton, Jamil Bourji was watching with interest.

CREDITSTARTStaff reportsOMAHA -- Nebraska Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy's adult son was in stable condition after accidently shooting himself in the face.

In reply to Wisdom Of The Ancients : Honestly now, Ben, I wanted to laugh, I really did. But, alas, I only got to a half-smile and that was very fleeting. Then I am a serious man and you are not. You are paid to be funny and sometimes you...

CREDITSTARTStaff reportsOMAHA -- Nebraska Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy's adult son was in stable condition after accidently shooting himself in the face.

Another one of the men arrested in a Grand Island gang sweep has entered a guilty plea in federal court.

Central Catholic students found out Wednesday that bulletin boards and student worksheets don't magically put themselves together.

Parent-teacher conferences in Grand Island Public Schools will be Monday, Feb. 7, through Wednesday, Feb. 9.

Geologists have identified the region as due soon for a major earthquake, putting millions of people in danger and the nation's fragile economy at further risk.

This week's bitterly cold temperatures have not caused a huge upswing in requests for help from Verna Haberman, coordinator for the Grand Island Public Schools Outreach Center, which works with homeless students.

American Legion Post 53, Grand Island, is seeking applications for Cornhusker Boys' State.

The official land battle is on. Hall County's attempt to acquire land for a road to its own property is going to cost more than the $15,000 the county had budgeted in this year's road plan.

As the world watched Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's government collapse, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday called for "bolstering Israel's might" in response to the chaos.

By Corrisa Jackson / Staff Writer – News sources and social networking sites have been ablaze with the latest news about the riots and unrest in Egypt. Egyptian citizens have been protesting President Hosni Mubarak and his government since last Tuesday, taking to the streets and calling for democracy. Cause...

The Rev. Marcos Girgis says American Coptic communities are praying and fasting

While nearly the rest of the cable TV universe is afraid to run Al Jazeera English -- even as it is providing the most comprehensive on-the-ground coverage of the Egyptian tumult-- San Francisco-based Link TV has been...

Goldberg: Stability is collapsing, giving rise to hope amid the chaos in Cairo

Chinese arms proliferation Numerous diplomatic cables from Beijing show that Chinese companies are continuing to sell to Iran and other states goods for the production of weapons of mass destruction because the Beijing government has failed to stem the activities. The latest cable, made public this week, is an April ...

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood didn’t immediately join the spontaneous street demonstrations against President Hosni Mubarak. Now the Islamist group, the country’s largest opposition faction, is positioning itself to help shape the country’s political future.

Tarek Fatah doesn’t mince words when asked about the people involved in organizing the annual Isreali Apartheid Week (IAW) at university campuses across Canada, including McMaster.

Mubarak Came to Power Amid Crisis as a Symbol of Stability; 30 Years Later He's Widely Seen as the Root of the Current Crisis

Los Angeles' Iranian-based audience asked for vintage pictures. The festival will also include political dramas and documentaries. It isn't easy being a serious art-house filmmaker in Iran. Witness the sentencing last year of renowned directors Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof to six years in prison and banishment from making movies...

Justin Lowe Amor Hakkar’s admirably humanist melodrama strains for impact almost as much as it does to gain momentum against a tide of narrative inertia. read more

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Scientists say a two-month study of winter atmospheric inversions that often choke Salt Lake City in smog will yield valuable data on worldwide air pollution.

With the violence continuing into the night, the authorities insisted only one protester had been killed during yesterday's clashes.

The Middle East badly needs a stable Egypt, anchored to the West through its peaceful relationship with Israel. The U.S. should make preserving the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty a high priority.

As violence escalates between pro- and anti-Mubarak protesters on the streets of Cairo, analysts and diplomats question the effect of Obama's public statements on the embattled Egyptian president. YOU DECIDE: Do You Agree With Obama's Handling of the Crisis? | OPINION: Obama Is Failing on Egypt Bloody Battles Break Out...

ISRAELI PRIME minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a democratic Egypt will not threaten the peace with Israel.

The GOP hasn't been able to get a foothold for their battle against Obama's policies. And now Egypt has forced them to drop their invective and strive for unity again. For weeks Republicans have tried to find some political traction against President Obama, but events keep getting in their way.

By: Tom Raum The protests rocking Egypt could change the political landscape of the entire Arab world and beyond. Possible outcomes range all the way from pro-democracy forces taking charge in Cairo to and - in a worst case and - an all-out war bringing in Israel and Ira...

Greater security threat, costs of beefed-up military and increasing isolation without Mubarak cast shadow over support for Egyptian reforms

The soldiers on Tahrir Square melted away leaving it open to Mubarak’s loyalists armed with staves and stones

MINISTERS SERVING former UK prime minister Tony Blair would have had to have been “deaf, dumb and blind” not to understand that an invasion of Iraq was a significant possibility in the year before it was launched, former foreign secretary Jack Straw told the Iraq Inquiry yesterday.

The democratic uprising in Egypt has brought into relief a gradual and little-noticed transformation in American politics.

February 2, 2011 To anyone old enough to remember the fall of the Shah of Iran more than 30 years ago---the scene this week in Cairo Egypt is, as Yogi Berra famously said, "Déjà vu all over again".

GENEVA – Iran has witnessed a dramatic increase in executions so far in 2011, United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay said yesterday and her office said the rate was three times that of last year.

During a long hard winter, nothing warms the cold blood of the Western armchair revolutionary more than the sight of a bunch of attractive dark-skinned people out on the streets having a right old revolution. In a country where public schoolboys swinging on the Cenotaph passes as righteous insurrection, the...

      Packers. Steelers. Who will prevail? Biff knows. Watch him abuse the privilege - and McFly - Thursday in Back to the Future II , playing alongside the timeless original at the New Beverly. It's part of a touchdown weekend that packs in two thrillers from the French...

In announcing the passage of a U.N. Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on Iran, President Obama stressed not once but twice Iran's increasing “isolation” from the world.

With international eyes locked on Egypt, Iran has dramatically stepped up the number of executions of dissidents and others — hanging 67 so far this year.

Away from the bloody pitched battles of Tahrir Square yesterday, noisy but mainly less thuggish Mubarak supporters gathered on the other side of the Nile for a demonstration that provided more palatable images for state television.

The chaos on the streets of Cairo has raised the stakes even higher for President Barack Obama – underlining Washington's powerlessness to shape events, and raising the spectre of the US having to deal with a close ally whose regime it has disowned, but which uses violence to survive, temporarily...

Here's a "blink" summary of the Anglo-American relationship from a Derbyshire miner. "Blair started out all right but then he met that Doobya. And he walked with his arms out like he was carrying two big barrels. After that, Blair walked with two big barrels under his arms. That's what...

Release Time:  For Immediate Release TO THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES: I have considered the United States Senate's December 22, 2010, Resolution of Advice and Consent to Ratification of the Treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation...

Rebecca Leffler The May 12 honor will kick off the Directors' Fortnight sidebar, although Panahi, who is currently serving time in Teheran, will not be present at the ceremony. read more

Violent clashes erupted in Egypt between the anti-Mubarak groups and others who were described as "pro-Mubarak". Some of the pro-Mubarak groups attacked the anti-Mubarak demonstrators while riding on horses and camels thundering through the central square of Cairo, "Liberation Square". The latter who were described in some official Egyptian media...

Dr. Mahmoud Fahmy of Dallas says the protests in his native country are the real deal and are very different than recent protests in Iran or Tunisia.

U.S. authorities announced Tuesday that they have charged an Iranian businessman who they say acted as a "lifeline" to his country's missile program by smuggling metals and other vital materials from the United States in...

(7.1.2011) Gegen den zunächst von der Regierung Bush geplanten Raketenschild in Europa leistete Norwegen innerhalb der NATO Widerstand, was bedeutete, Druck seitens der USA ausgesetzt zu sein.

All you people are here for the Super Bowl. I know what you're thinking. You call Dallas things like "the Buckle of the Bible Belt." Then you mock us for being hypocrites, because we have so many nekkid bars. It's true. We do have a long history of trying...

Newspaper offices stormed, live rounds fired as ElBaradei appeals to the army to support uprising

THE mass demonstrations that continue to rock the Middle East are not just a threat to the region’s entrenched despots — they represent an unravelling of the American imperium no less.

President Obama is “very concerned” that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak may not begin the process or an orderly transfer of power as quickly as he needs to, administration officials tell ABC News.

For 40 years, Arab and Muslim heads of state, their handpicked ambassadors and their state-run media outlets repeated time and again that tensions in the Middle East would abate if only one thing happened: Israel withdrew from the occupied territories, and reverted to the borders that circumscribed the Jewish state...

Spamhaus reports that spammers have hijacked IP addresses assigned to the wife of the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

America's handling of the Egyptian crisis has severe repercussions for U.S. foreign policy around the Middle East and may convince some western friendly Arab regimes that President Obama is a fair weather friend, according to Israel's former national security adviser.

Iran has executed at least 66 people this year, an alarming surge that has defied outside pressure, the U.N.'s top human rights official said Wednesday.

WITH unremitting euphoria gushing forth from Tunisia and Egypt I went looking for Henry Mencken’s exact words that might describe my reluctance to flow with the tide.

Israel's prime minister says the Iranian leadership wants to take advantage of the chaos in Egypt to create "another Gaza" there, run by Islamic fundamentalists.

As we approach the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan's birth on Feb. 6, 1911, there will be some re-thinking of his presidency and the role he played in history. But no examination of him is complete without a careful look at the woman who was by his side for more...

Mohamed ElBaradei, the leading Egyptian opposition figurehead, said for the first time on Wednesday that he was preparing a bid for the presidency.

WASHINGTON (AP): Confronted by scenes of bloody chaos in Cairo, the White House on Wednesday challenged Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to show the world "exactly who he is" by quickly leading a peaceful transition to democracy. That outcome seemed ever more elusive.

Kota Kinabalu, SABAH February 3, 2011 Some Lessons in History as Cairo Protests turn violent and bloody By John Simpson, BBC World Affairs Editor, Cairo In every revolution, popular or otherwise, there comes a critical moment – a tipping point – at which the future is decided. Suddenly there is...