News Archive - 7 February 2011

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Rights activists say Iran's security forces have buried in secret a Dutch-Iranian woman who was hanged last month on drug charges. The group Human Rights Activists says the body of 45-year-old Zahra Bahrami was buried in the north-central city of Semnan on Sunday. The...

>Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, held since July 2009, pleaded not guilty in court on Sunday on the first day of their closed-door trial in the Iranian capital, according to state-run English language Press TV. No date has been set for the trial to resume, it added."We are pleased...

>ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Reuters) - A Muslim man who says he was stabbed because of his religion was back at work on Monday while his alleged attacker was free on bail. Samad Ebadi, 57, was stabbed in the neck Friday night at a bar next to the convenience store he...

>The Oil Ministry declined to comment on the spill, which reports said was caused by an explosion in a corroded pipeline last week at the port city of Daylam in Bushehr province.ISNA news wire said the leak was fixed the following day by diverting the oil flow into an...

> A ministry spokesman said the ambassador would make a formal protest to the Iranian Foreign Ministry before he returned to The Hague on Thursday. Iran's ambassador to the Netherlands would be summoned shortly to the Dutch Foreign Ministry, he said. The Netherlands froze diplomatic contacts with Iran after Zahra...

Tehran, Feb 7 : Iran's president said Monday the country would launch several new locally built satellites within the next 13 months, state-media reported.

TEHRAN -- With democracy tremors rocking the Arab world, Iran's opposition has challenged its hard-line leaders to allow a peaceful demonstration -- ostensibly in support of the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

(Adds Kuwait press items)

Hassnaa Hussein is a modern Egyptian woman: She studied English at the religiously conservative Al-Azhar University, wears slacks with her headscarf and happens to loathe the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.

The pharaoh-like president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, seems reluctant to pack his bags for his journey through the netherworld to his final resting place, even under escalating pressure for his resignation—even as he has entered into not so surprisingly, American-approved “negotiations” to end the uprising.

This letter is in response to the articles covering the civil unrest occurring in Egypt. As a citizen and believer in democracy, I applaud the efforts of the Egyptian people. Their efforts are similar to what happened following the election in Iran and the most recent revolution in Tunisia.

Amid violent anti-government demonstrations in many countries in the Middle East and North Africa, foreign ministers of Iran and Turkey exchanged views on the latest ongoing developments.

Till today this Day of Karbala is ‘celebrated’ by the Shiites. They have never forgiven their enemies and vow to one day seek revenge for what they did to Ali. This is why the Sunnis like the Malaysian Muslims fear the Shiites. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin The...

The United States has suspended high-level contacts with Pakistan as ties between the two countries continue to deteriorate over the Raymond Davis affair.

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Like other Muslims they read the Koran and face Mecca to pray, but the Shiite community in Malaysia is considered a "deviant sect" and faces harassment in this multicultural country.

IranSportsPress.com - The Asian Cup in Qatar is a recurrent story for Iranian football since 2000, when we first thought about actually winning the competition again. The question is whether we will finally break the loop or not, but it looks like another February 2nd.

Zob Ahan star Mohamed Reza Khalatbari is confident Iran are on target to win the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011™ tournament this month. Khalatbari, whose club side lost to Korea’s Seongnam in the AFC Champions League final in November, said Iran have the talent to lift the trophy on January...

IranSportsPress.com: Afshin Ahmadi is among Iran's few FIFA-licensed players' agents. In an exclusive interview with Nima Baki, Afshin Ahmadi discusses challenges for IPL players' transfer to Europe and Transfer corruption in Iranian league.

TEHRAN, IRAN : Iran on Monday unveiled its home-made IRGC supersonic anti-ship ballistic missile and four models of satellites, the Fars news agency reported.

HANNOVER – (IranSportsPress.com): Alexander Nouri is born to an Iranian father and a German mother. At the age of 29 he is playing in Bundesliga 3 for the table toppers, Holstein Kiel. ISP’s Paiam G has conducted an interview with Nouri which you can read here.

IranSportsPress.com - If Afshin Ghotbi has been wondering in the past if he is running on borrowed time, at least he has a confirmation now.

IranSportsPress.com - By becoming Persepolis coach, Ali Daei has a unique chance to finally become a Red legend and jumpstart his career. Ali Daei might be a legend of Iranian football but he falls short in being a legend at Persepolis.

IranSportsPress.com - 7 months after his appointment as national team coach and after his first succesful campaign, Afshin Ghotbi's popularity is at an all time low.

LONNDON - (IranSportsPress.com): Amir Shapourzadeh won his first international cap with Iran in June 2007, when he played for Iran B team in the West Asian games in Jordan but he has not been considered for Team Melli ever since .

Exclusive Interview with Afshin Ghotbi: Coaching in Crisis!

Iran said Monday it has built four new domestically produced satellites as part of a space program that's worrying other nations.

Second Interview with Bill O'Reilly   Obama's Pre-Super Bowl Int.

NEW YORK, Feb 8 — Oil prices fell sharply yesterday as concerns about Egypt’s political turmoil affecting oil flows in the region eased and investor focus returned to rising US inventories and a tepid employment picture.  A new cabinet met in Egypt and the government and opponents demanding change held...

Russian officials said on Monday Russia could review its participation in the newly ratified nuclear arms reduction treaty with Washington over U.S. plans for a missile defense system in Europe, AP reports.

“There’s a hot wind blowing from the east,” Scottish author John Buchan wrote in his Middle East novel, “Greenmantle,” “and the dry grasses wait the spark.”

So, I got some news from the internet on the highly anticipated Battlefield 3, that GameInformer has not announced. So, if your abit behind, then here's a link to the original page and reveal trailer, because I don't want to waste your time if you already have. http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/02/04/check-out-first-battlefield-3-details-teaser.

The people of Egypt cannot tolerate the incumbent President Hosni Mubarak to stay as their government head for another six months, a former Muslim Brotherhood official says.

There is a clear consensus in Israel about the necessity of democracy, spanning from supporters of former Balad chairman Azmi Bishara to friends of National Union MK Yaakov Katz. In other words, broad disagreement can be found within the wide range of opinions, but no one opposes the holding of...

Andrew Lloyd Webber's sequel to Phantom of the Opera has the most nominations at London's Laurence Olivier Awards.

TEHRAN, Feb. 7 -- Chief Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said Monday that Iran has put smart ballistic missiles in mass production, the official IRNA news agency reported.

As opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi makes a move, the Iranian regime is on alert.

The Netherlands accused Iran yesterday of not meeting normal standards of civilised behaviour for not allowing relatives to bury a Dutch-Iranian woman executed last month, and recalled its ambassador to Iran .

Who is not moved by the renunciation of fear and the reclamation of dignity in the streets of Cairo and Alexandria?

The Arab world has some of the youngest populations on the planet. That's not the entire explanation for the current upheaval, but it's a big part of it. read more

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said yesterday Brazil is bearing a disproportionate burden from capital inflows because other emerging economies are trying to sustain undervalued currencies.

U.S. President Barack Obama delivers a statement regarding missile defence at the White House in Washington, DC, on Sept. 17, 2009. Obama told U.S. The United States has pulled back from a plan to build a missile defence system in central Europe that had enraged Russia, after downgrading...

Two of the three U.S. hikers arrested on the Iranian border in July 2009 and charged with espionage and illegally entering Iran finally got their day in court.

Samad Ebadi was having drinks Friday night at a local watering hole when he saw Bradley Strott, a regular at his convenience store who had even brought him fresh-caught fish in the past.

DUBAI : Malaysian companies that participated in the recent Arab Health 2011 exhibition here, bagged confirmed orders worth up to US$1.47 million as well as US$212.17 million in potential sales.

TEHRAN, IRAN - Iran showed off new missile and satellite technology on Monday, and told its enemies it had"complete domination" of the entrance to the oil-rich Gulf.

US says it holds the door open for Sudan to be removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism if it meets its 'obligations,' including recognition of an independent South Sudan.

Just as power seems to be settling on Egyptian VP Omar Suleiman, Wikileaks has released a slew of cables related to the former spy chief. The cables show Suleiman as a valued partner of Israel and an enemy to Iran. It's obvious why Obama has supported his accession.

DURING ITS first session the newly installed Egyptian cabinet yesterday announced a 15 per cent pay rise for the country’s six million public servants in order to boost the government’s standing. Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians, meanwhile, continued to demand the removal of the President Hosni Mubarak.

Tehran (AFP) Feb 7, 2011 Iran plans to launch several home-built satellites by March 2012, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday after the unveiling of four new prototypes. "I think from the end of this (Iranian) year (to March 20) and through the next year, we will see many launches"...

When she was a child, a helicopter would buzz over Sujata Sundaran's village twice a year, spraying pesticide over the lush trees on cashew farms nearby.

National TV highlights for Wednesday, February 9.

An Iranian court held closed-door proceedings Sunday in the espionage trial of three Americans, including Minnesota-native Shane Bauer.

A wealthy lawmaker has fled with his family to the United States – saying he fears assassination – after accusing some of Russia's richest and most influential people of swindling him over a real-estate deal. In his absence, he has been charged with financial crimes.

Washington (AFP) Feb 4, 2011 China is developing "counterspace" weapons that could shoot down satellites or jam signals, a Pentagon official said Friday as the United States unveiled a 10-year strategy for security in space. "The investment China is putting into counterspace capabilities is a matter of concern to us,"...

An Iranian university has announced the imminent unveiling of a domestically built supercomputer with high-tech computational features, a report says.

The top military ranks have concerns other than just protecting their own institution. They're also worried about their own skins.

ATLANTA -- This September marks the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. All the hijackers were in the U.S. legally with visas issued by the State Department.

SAN DIEGO -- 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 three events and the first...

Why we shouldn't date the end of the Cold War to 1991 in Eastern Europe, but to 2011 in the Middle East

The talks with the Muslim Brotherhood already make Israel nervous, but a cutoff of gas supplies hits home for the Jewish State

Today we are all Egyptians. — Thursday, Feb. 3 My camera is stolen, my body is bruised and my eye is still black and blue, but I've never felt better in my life.

"THE PERSIAN QUARTER," Salt Lake Acting Company, through Feb. 27, 801-363-7522 or www.saltlakeactingcompany.org

Former Sec Def falsely claims that everyone thought there were WMDs, and that he didn't use 9/11 as a justification to attack Iraq ...

A compressor station in Olszanica, Poland, is part of a planned Central European pipeline network.

President extends olive branch to Chamber of Commerce, urging cooperation and shared responsibility

America cannot go on riding the tiger forever in the Middle East. We cannot expect to have "pro-American" forces in power in the Middle East when the publics don't like our policies. We cannot continue our endless interventions.

Two recent developments have shown how the Internet is creaking at the seams with old age, but new developments might destroy the Net as we know it.

Following almost 18 months of detainment, UC Berkeley alumni Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal entered not guilty pleas on Sunday to charges of espionage and illegally entering Iran.

Members of the Notre Dame men's and women's soccer teams enjoyed a super start to their Sunday, as the Monogram Club hosted a breakfast reception for the student-athletes which featured a lecture and discussion by the creators of the film "Pelada" - Luke Boughen '05 (soccer) and former Duke soccer...

With stiff competition from Pakistan, payment crisis from Iran and European countries imposing 'unreasonable' pesticides standards, India's basmati rice exports are expected to decline sharply during the current fiscal, a export promotion body said on Monday.

Tunisia's Defense Ministry calls up recently retired troops Monday as the country tries to contain unrest persisting after the ouster of the country's dictatorial regime.

The current upheaval in Egypt, which threatens the stability of the entire Middle East, holds great interest to Dr. Amir Ghali, a Lehighton dentist who still has family living in the beleaguered country.

The families of hikers Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, charged with spying in Iran, are hopeful after a hearing in a Tehran court where the two Americans proclaimed their innocence, according to an Associated Press report.

CAIRO (BP)--Louder than a storm siren is the alarm the Middle East is sounding to Christians in the West. "There's serious urgency here," said Nik Ripken,* who has served 25 years with the International Mission Board and is an expert on the persecuted church in Muslim contexts.

A British author questions many things we think we know about the history of roses.

Egypt's new vice-president, Omar Suleiman, has long sought to demonise the opposition Muslim Brotherhood in his contacts with skeptical US officials, leaked diplomatic cables show, raising questions whether he can act as an honest broker in the country's political crisis.

Had the U.S. adopted a more nuanced approach in distinguishing Taliban from al Qaeda, we might not be facing the insurgency that's continuing its march across Afghanistan.

Welcome to Goal.com for another week of football action from right across the globe. With readers in virtually every country on earth, we're proud to be the world's foremost football community.

After two years in office we can say with some certainty where Barack Obama's foreign-policy instincts really lie, writes Ross Douthat. From the war on terror to the current unrest in Egypt, his foreign policy has owed far more to conservative realpolitik than to any left-wing vision.

As one watched the unfolding saga in Egypt, where millions of anti-Mubarak protestors have launched a movement for the removal of their long-lasting President Hosni Mubarak, and end his 30-year old repressive rule, it was an amusing and educative experience to watch comments of the western media, particularly the CNN.

What's it like to be 74?  With  MIT's AgeLab ' s Age Gain Now Empathy Suit, you can feel the limitations of age 74. The AGNES Suit is helping MIT researchers understand the best products to make being 74 easier. Reporter Natasha Singer wore the suit and reported on her experience...

1. Which Shakespeare play mentions St. Valentine’s Day? 2. Which of these groups receives the most cards on Valentine’s Day?

Dow ends higher for sixth straight session, longest winning streak in three months

Families of two Americans detained in Iran on spying charges said Monday they hope a trial that began this weekend in Tehran will lead to "truth and justice."

When Egypt's leaders shut down virtually all Internet and cell-phone service, they exposed a basic truth about the modern world. New forms of communication not controlled by governments can -- potentially -- shake the foundations of autocratic rule.

There's a lot going on in the world, but we all know it stops turning for just a tiny moment when those all-important Oscar nominations come out! Here is a small sampling of reactions to the nominees from all over the globe: TUNISIA "We are tentatively attempting to rebuild...

TEL AVIV [MENL] -- Iran, Hamas and Turkey have been the beneficiaries of the unrest in Egypt, a report said. The Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies asserted that the opposition campaign to topple President Hosni Mubarak would spread from Egypt to countries throughout the Middle East. The report, titled "Regional...

Israel's prime minister is warning that peace treaties can be canceled, hinting at his concern over the turmoil in Egypt over anti-government protests.

Ottawa police have charged a Gatineau man in connection with a motorcycle collision that killed one of liberal leader Michael Ignatieff's top communications aides.

Announcing the Pacific Symphony’s 2011-12 season Monday, orchestra leaders say they will begin trying to fill the Orange County opera void left by the collapse of Opera Pacific late in 2008. The idea isn’t to become a full-on opera producer,...

New research from the University of Pennsylvania is challenging some longtime assumptions about why human beings seek and keep their friends, and it reveals a somewhat darker side to the very nature of friendship itself.

UNITED NATIONS — Egypt stands on the brink as pro and anti government demonstrations rock the center of Cairo threatening to topple the rule of long-time President Hosni Mubarek.

NEW DELHI: U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke on Monday said India had become a “crucial security partner” of his country and a force for global stability.

NEW YORK, Feb. 7, 2011 / Christian Newswire / -- The America-Israel Friendship League acknowledges the great historic challenges facing the Egyptian people today.

Since he shrank from public life following his diagnosis with Alzheimer's disease in 1994, Ronald Reagan has become a sort of mythic figure in American politics - especially during the run-up to the former president's 100th birthday on Feb. 9.

Focused programs and public health policies can help reduce the burden of alcohol in Canada, which contributes significantly to acute and chronic diseases, social problems and trauma, states an analysis in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Iran's new foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, is to pay a two-day visit to Algeria next week as part of efforts to boost bilateral ties, the APS news agency reporting Monday.

Journalism (n) – the collection, preparation and distribution of news and related commentary and feature materials through such media as pamphlets, newsletters, newspapers, magazines, radio, motion pictures, television and books.

Panda Security, the Cloud Security Company, today announced highlights from its Third Annual Security Blogger Summit, held last week in Madrid. This year's event focused on cyber-activism and cyber-war, as well as the new dangers posed to users and institutions on the Internet.

As mental health care costs and problem gambling rates continue to rise, University of Missouri researchers are developing a personalized feedback tool that could serve as an effective and inexpensive way for people with addictive behavior-related problems to get the help they need.