News Archive - 5 February 2011

>A spokesman for the Brotherhood, the most influential and organized opposition group, said the talks will take place at the cabinet at 11:00 a.m. (0900 GMT) on Sunday to discuss the process of Mubarak leaving office, the right to protest in public places and guarantees for their safety.The...

>HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba fears the United States is encouraging dissent through social media such as Facebook and Twitter with the goal of toppling the government, according to the video of what appears a meeting of Cuban officials posted on websites this week. The 50-minute video apparently is a presentation...

>TEHRAN (Reuters) - Two Americans held in an Iranian jail for the last 18 months will finally stand trial on Sunday for espionage, a charge their lawyer is confident will be shown to have no substance. Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were arrested on July 31, 2009 near Iran's border...

> * Brotherhhod careful not to take the lead * Offer of talks unprcedented By Andrew Hammond CAIRO, Feb 5 (Reuters) - President Hosni Mubarak was playing a familiar card when he claimed this week that the Muslim Brotherhood has orchestrated the mass protests that have brought his rule to...

>MUNICH (Reuters) - The United States and Russia formally inaugurated their new START nuclear arms treaty on Saturday, capping two years of work to "reset" the sometimes strained ties between the former Cold War enemies. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov exchanged the...

Introduction

WASHINGTON — Who doesn't love a democratic revolution? Who is not moved by the renunciation of fear and the reclamation...

From sport and science to art and politics, the world will look very different in 2061, when 'The Sunday Telegraph' will celebrate its 100th anniversary. Here, leading commentators share their personal visions of the future.

The three UC Berkeley graduates accused of spying in Iran will stand trial Sunday.

There are few things as exhilarating as a revolution, and few things as frightening, writes John Simpson in Cairo.

Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu says Iran plays a “positive” role in promoting cooperation between OIC member countries.

TEHRAN, Feb 6, 2011 (AFP) -The much-delayed trial of three young Americans accused of spying against Iran kicks off Sunday, more than 18 months after they were arrested on the unmarked border with Iraq while on a hiking trip.

Russia has rejected imposing new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, saying the move violates previous agreements reached between major powers.

As hundreds of thousands in Egypt protested the iron rule of that country's president, Iraq quietly began restoring a bronze fist of its former dictator, Saddam Hussein. The restoration represents a small but potentially significant act of reconciliation with a past that remains deeply divisive nearly eight years after Saddam's...

Dubai: The political unrest in Egypt may have only a short-term impact on hotels, cruises, hospitality development and travel cancellations as the Egyptian tourism industry has seen its share of calamities over the past years and will likely bounce back once the dust settles, industry insiders say.

It was the same in 1979 when the Shah was turfed out. The Egyptian people suddenly have ceased to be afraid.Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, like the Shah in Iran, had a ferocious security apparatus which people have for many years feared....

QI had joint legal custody of my son who, five years ago, was illegally taken from Massachusetts to Iran by his...

Nepal Telecom (NT), the state-owned telecom service provider, has decided to trim down the tariff of its services beginning from February 13.

Arak, Markazi Prov - Iran's Oil Minister Massoud Mir-Kazemi said Iran was self-sufficient in production of gasoline.

Sometimes it is too tempting to argue with a faithful reader. An e-mailer named "Henry" must visit this space just to aggravate himself. Everything he finds here is wrong.

The Iraqi prime minister's decision to not run in 2014 coincides with provincial protests of poor services.

"Vietnamerica: A Family's Journey"

Community columnist Daniel Price asked readers to join the conversation concerning the "Can Muslims ...

As the world looks back on the 40th president — Sunday would have been his 100th birthday — Ronald Reagan's former employees recall a generous and gentle man who assumed the presidency at a time of great turmoil.

As the world ponders the fate of Egypt after Hosni Mubarak, Americans should ponder this: It's quite ...

Brotherhood agrees to meet Sunday morning but said it has the right to abandon the talks if they are going nowhere

Associated Press - February 5, 2011 10:45 PM ET HIGH POINT, N.C. (AP) - Shay Shine scored 18 points and High Point held off a Radford rally to take a 72-70 victory on Saturday night.

The High Point University men's basketball team led almost the entire game and held off a surging Radford Highlander squad, 72-70, before a crowd of 1,543 on Saturday night at the Millis Center.

Shahrzad in Edgewater offers one of the few opportunities to sample Persian cuisine in North Jersey.

One of the first times I began to question the automatic loathing for Ronald Reagan that had been beaten into me during my upbringing (in Massachusetts, the only state that voted for George McGovern) and my education (on a college campus where the CIA inspired more hate than the KGB...

Three Americans arrested while hiking near the Iraq-Iran border in 2009 are due to go on trial accused of spying and illegal entry.

Three young Americans accused of spying against Iran go on trial on Sunday, after their lawyer complained he had been denied access to the two who remain in custody.

After being detained for more than 554 days, two American hikers accused of espionage are scheduled to face trial Sunday in Iran.

The second International Halal Fair and Forum has opened in Tehran, with more than 75 domestic and foreign firms showcasing their halal products.

Total confusion would be a polite way of describing official Washington’s reaction to the revolts and protests now flaring across the Arab world. Neither the US government nor the mainstream media knows how to respond.

Two Americans held in an Iranian jail for the last 18 months will finally stand trial on Sunday for espionage, a charge their lawyer is confident will be shown to have no substance.

In 1799, the French artist Vivant Denon, accompanying a team of scientists traveling to Egypt with Napoleon (who excused his invasion with the logic that...

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah February 6, 2011 http://www.nytimes.com Crisis in Egypt: Hosni Mubarak refuses to bow down by David E.Sanger Twelve days into an uprising in Egypt that threatens to upend American strategy in the Middle East, the Obama administration is struggling to determine if a democratic revolution...

A senior Hamas commander returned to the Gaza Strip on Saturday after breaking out of a Cairo jail during the political upheaval in Egypt, sources in the Palestinian Islamist movement said.

In Egypt, millions of people are fighting for their basic rights, while their leader wages a rearguard battle over how history will remember him.

Three scenarios for the way the uprising might end and what it all means for the US, Israel, and Iran.

CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt's opposition Muslim Brotherhood said Sunday it will start landmark talks with authorities as senior members of President Hosni Mubarak's ruling party quit and Washington intensified efforts for a speedy power transition.

Egypt's opposition Muslim Brotherhood has launched talks with authorities as senior members of President Hosni Mubarak's ruling party quit.

CAIRO - EGYPT'S opposition Muslim Brotherhood said on Sunday it had launched landmark talks with authorities as senior members of President Hosni Mubarak's ruling party quit and Washington intensified efforts for a speedy power transition. An official from the brotherhood, which the government has accused of trying to profit from...

WASHINGTON — Big Country lawmakers fervently hope the throngs protesting in Egypt will bear witness to a peaceful transition to a new democracy eager to nurture human rights and personal freedoms.The U.S. role in any such transition appears to be little more than hopeful bystander and adviser.

Three young Americans accused of spying against Iran go on trial on Sunday, after their lawyer complained he had been denied access to the two who remain in custody.

'WHAT is clear and what I indicated tonight to President Mubarak is my belief that an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful and it must begin now." In case you were perplexed about how to resolve the crisis in Egypt, Barack Obama spelled out the solution...

How UK minesweepers are protecting a key oil supply route

For investors, the combustible mix of protests and unpopular governments does indeed present a new challenge. Will things simmer down or will turmoil spread? And how will these events affect financial markets?

Hassnaa Hussein is a modern Egyptian women: She studied English at the religiously conservative Al-Azhar University, wears jeans with her headscarf and loathes the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Hussein wants Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to step down in September and pave the way for free and fair presidential elections. But...

During an interview Saturday, Rice sounded a theme she'll develop during a series of U.S. talks: that the much-criticized United Nations is vital to American interests.

In reply to A Media Guide To The Egypt Uprising : Yet another reason I’m so glad I ditched Vodafone! BTW , anyone know if iinet, which use the Optus network, are involved in backing dictators? I do realise Optus is part owned by the Singapore government, but I NEED...

TEHRAN, IRAN - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hit back at Iran's parliament on Saturday for sacking one of his most loyal ministers, branding the impeachment unlawful and calling the competence of the legislature into question.

Iran has claimed to have the largest oil refinery in the Middle East.

Anastasio Somoza was a bulwark against Nazi influence in Central America. Ferdinand Marcos was a reformer and nation builder. Antonio de Oliveira Salazar emerged in Portugal as a symbol of integrity and stability. Jimmy Carter said that "Iran, because of the great leadership of the shah, is an island of...

Some Republicans are itching for the chance to attack President Barack Obama for fumbling the Egypt crisis in much the same way they say Jimmy Carter allowed Iran to slip into the control of Ayatollah Khomeini and his Muslim theocrats three decades ago. But, for now, much of the GOP...

There we were, sailing down the tranquil Nile at dusk. Lights were twinkling on in high-rise apartment buildings lining the Cairo river bank.

• Egypt braced for "day of departure" rally in Cairo • Flashpoints could occur after Friday prayers • US and Egypt reportedly in talks on replacing Mubarak • Mubarak warns: 'If I resign today there will be chaos' 7.41am: The Guardian's Harriet Sherwood reports: The demonstration in Alexandria, Egypt's...

TEHERAN - IRAN claimed to have the largest oil refinery in the Middle East after the inauguration on Saturday of an expansion to an existing facility by Oil Minister Masoud Mirkazemi, media reports said. The Imam Khomeini refinery in Shazand near the central city of Arak will have a refining...

About 40 Yumans in support of the protesters in Egypt seeking to overthrow the reign of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak gathered on the corner of 4th Avenue and 24th Street Saturday.

The last man alive to have worked with Adolf Hitler has an announcement to make.

Recent developments in Egypt and elsewhere in the region underscore the need for Israel and the Palestinians to immediately resume peace talks, the United Nations and its partners said on Saturday, adding that any further delay will be detrimental ...

LOOKING at Egypt now and the pious reaction of some leaders of the West brings to mind the picture of a smiling Donald Rumsfeld shaking hands with Saddam Hussain. Iraq was then a useful ally and Iran was posing a threat, but to whom? We were not sure as Iran...

It behoves on governments and their religious apparatus to watch current developments in the Arab world closely.

By CanadianValue. Spain Is Not Greece and Need Not Be Ireland Read more » »

'What you going there for?" That's the start of Greenland holiday fun, being asked that question over and over again, by neighbours, the man who arranges your travel insurance, the woman you buy the Big Issue from, all of whom look as puzzled as if you'd said you'd booked...

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday stressed the vital link between security and development, telling a global forum in Germany that recent events in the Middle East highlight the fact that one cannot exist without the other.

For the Obama national security team, Egypt has been a baptism of fire: its first full-blown crisis in the region where the US has more at stake than anywhere on earth – a revolution unfolding on the streets of a vital ally.

LONDON [MENL] -- Iran's military, hampered by sanctions, was said to have employed automobiles to tow ballistic missiles. Copyrights 2008, Middle East Newsline.

TEL AVIV [MENL] -- Iran's military was said to have become more powerful than reported by the West. A leading Israeli intelligence consultant asserted that Iran's strategic depth exceeded public assessments by the West. Yaakov Amidror, a former intelligence research chief, said Iran was armed with a military as well...

There is no reason Americans should accept the premise that President Hosni Mubarak is the only thing standing between chaos and/or Islamic theocracy in Egypt.

Crisis brings opportunity, and right now the opportunity for true reform in the Middle East is slipping away from us.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hit back at Iran ’s parliament yesterday for sacking one of his most loyal ministers, branding the impeachment unlawful and calling the competence of the legislature into question.

An Iranian lawyer representing three US hikers held by Tehran on charges of spying said yesterday he has been denied access to the two who remain in custody, on the eve of the start of their trial.

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration joined other Western nations Saturday in endorsing embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's gradual exit from power and, in a shift, urged Egyptians to back the power transition Mubarak and his closest advisers have set in motion.

Since World War II, the White House, under the management of both parties, has smiled on at least a couple of dozen despots.

The political career of the 40th president of the United States. This month is the 100th anniversary of his birth. Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site.

League leaders Zob-Ahan were beaten 2-0 at home to Saipa this afternoon but nearest rivals Sepahan dropped points, drawing 0-0 at Shahin FC, while third-placed Teraktor Sazi were also held to a goalless draw.

Egypt has told Iran to mind its own business after Iran praised the Egyptian uprising.

Egyptians and Americans brave cold and rainy weather for a gathering outside the Egyptian embassy in Washington

Thirty-two essays and stories take the shine off the city's romantic sheen.

Was the White House caught off guard?

CALENDAR Thursday, Feb. 10 Learn about career opportunities in the U.S. State Department from Ed Wehrli, regional diplomat in residence, 2 to 3:30 p.m., Washburn Room B, Memorial Union, Washburn University. Free and open to the public. Information: (785) 670-1450. Wednesday, Feb. 16 read more

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An Iranian lawyer representing three Americans accused by Tehran of spying says he is ready for the start of their trial. Their families say the Americans, all graduates of the University of California, Berkeley, were just travelers out on a hike in northern Iraq's Kurdish region...

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Saturday that Egyptians have the right to democracy and pledged not to seek a third term in power himself.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- As political protests swelled across the Middle East, the embattled leader of Yemen placed a call for help to the emir's palace in tiny Qatar. There aren't many places higher in the Arab pecking order.

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal go on trial tomorrow in Iran for spying and trespassing , but aren't allowed to see their lawyer beforehand. More »

YouTube has asked Storyful, a real-time curation company based at the National College of Ireland in Dublin, Ireland, to help make it easier for users to find the most meaningful videos of the uprising in Egypt by assembling daily playlists,...

A new film tells the story of three Americans who were hiking in Iraq but ended up being detained by Iranian soldiers. Sarah Shourd spent 410 days in Tehran's Evin Prison; her companions, including her fiance, are still there. There were days when Sarah Shourd couldn't bring herself to get...

A bear attacked their tent in Romania, they still can't feel their toes after suffering frostbite and they're on a budget of $10 a day. But rugby fanatics and long-distance cyclists Tom Hudson and Jodie Burton wouldn't have it any...

Former diplomat Jonathan Limbert, a hostage during the 1979 Iran uprising, is the keynote speaker Thursday.

Islamic militants from Iran, Lebanon and Palestine contributed to Egypt's unrest after "infiltrating" the country, a former Egyptian military chief of staff has claimed.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called against possible introduction of new sanctions on Iran.

An Iranian lawyer representing three Americans accused by Tehran of spying says he is ready for the start of their trial.

When Sarah Palin spoke to the Young America's Foundation on Feb. 4, she was speaking at the Reagan Ranch in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Iran's Parliament (Majlis) Speaker says international powers seek to strengthen their hegemony and influence over other nations through creating false fears.

Two top Iranian directors urged the judiciary to reduce the sentence handed down to their fellow filmmaker Jafar Panahi when speaking at a local film festival, a report said on Saturday.

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.

CARACAS — Oil prices could more than double to $200 per barrel if the Suez Canal closes because of the crisis in Egypt, though there is no sign of that happening at the moment, Venezuela’s oil minister said.