News Archive - 10 February 2011

Some prominent congressional leaders and media pundits, in a cynical effort to mislead the American public into supporting the Egyptian dictatorship and opposing the popular nonviolent struggle for democracy, have raised the specter of Egypt's government falling into the hands of radical Islamists who would attack Israel and support...

>Below is reaction from analysts, economists and officials.KAMEL EL-HELBAWY, VETERAN UK-BASED MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD CLERICThe leaders of the army are with Mubarak, but I am not sure now that most of the officers are with him. These speeches will drive millions of people into the street tomorrow after Friday prayers....

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With signs of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's imminent exit, U.S. President Barack Obama faces the test of keeping the power shift in Cairo from unnerving Middle East allies like Saudi Arabia and Israel or emboldening foes like Iran and al Qaeda. If Mubarak goes, Washington's biggest...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Intelligence chiefs will face questions from Congress on Thursday about the soaring costs of spycraft and shifting threats to the United States nearly a decade after the September 11 attacks in 2001. The new Republican chairman of the House intelligence committee -- mirroring his party's very public...

> * Privately owned bank has more than $5 billion in assets * Scheme involved used cars bought in United States (Adds details from briefing) WASHINGTON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday accused a Beirut-based bank of involvement in an international money-laundering and drug-trafficking operation...

>BERLIN (Reuters) - Iranian director Jafar Panahi was in the spotlight at the opening of the Berlin film festival on Thursday, with an empty chair at the jury press conference a reminder of the risks sometimes involved in making movies. Panahi had been invited to sit on the seven-member jury...

>LONDON (Reuters) - Rising OPEC production and comfortable oil stocks in developed nations should limit a further spike in oil prices despite demand hitting an all-time high later this year, the West's energy watchdog said on Thursday. The International Energy Agency, which advises 28 industrialized countries on energy policy, said...

KUALA LUMPUR, 11 Feb (Bernama) -- Iran is striving to strengthen ties with Malaysia, especially in economics, despite being under pressure from western countries because of its nuclear programme.

(AP) — Today is Friday, Feb. 11, the 42nd day of 2011. There are 323 days left in the year.

720 GMT: Protesters in Tahrir Square are heard chanting against the government Friday morning for an 18th day of demonstrations demanding Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation.

Egypt, a complex country with a deep national pride, will need time to sort out the next chapter in its recorded history, according to two local professors who expressed hope for a peaceful transition.

Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi is under strict house arrest with even close family members unable to see him, his son says. Hossein Karroubi told The Guardian his father was confined after he issued a call for a demonstration Monday to support Egyptian anti-government protesters.

NORRISTOWN – Currently a magisterial district court judge in Lower Merion, Henry J. Schireson believes his 30-year legal career has prepared him well for a move to the Montgomery County bench.

Hanan Refaat, left, Marylou Perriera, center left, Ahmed Refaat, center, and Hoda Refaat watch Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s speech on Thursday afternoon at their Greeley home. Ahmed Refaat moved to the United States from Egypt about 45 years ago and has returned many times.

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians, waving flags and banners, marched towards a key Tehran square on Friday to mark the 32nd anniversary of the Islamic revolution which toppled the US-backed shah.

Among 100 historians and academics signing a letter to President Barack Obama is Tamara Sonn, a professor at the College of William & Mary.

Tehran - Rallies started Friday throughout Iran to mark the 32nd anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Millions of people were expected to attend the state-organized demonstrations, according to state television.

Calls situation ‘most exciting time in the Middle East in decades’ A close-to-capacity crowd filled MUB Theater II on Wednesday for a discussion titled, 'Forum on Protests in Egypt and the Arab World.' ...

Washington, DC - US president Barack Obama said on Thursday Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's statement that he would hand over power to his vice president was not enough to meet the demands of protesters clamoring for democratic change.

PARIS (AFP)--French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday he hoped Egypt will move towards democracy and not end up with Iran-style religious "dictatorship."

Today is Friday, Feb. 11, the 42nd day of 2011. There are 323 days left in the year.

0431 GMT: While thousands of protesters hold firm in Tahrir Square, other pro-democracy protesters have gathered near the presidential palace, in central Cairo, and demonstrators have blocked access to the parliament building near the Liberation Square, Al Jazeera reports.

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here today sentenced an Iranian carper trader to death after he was found guilty of trafficking in 7,515gm of methamphetamine last year.

Two weeks behind schedule but Malaysian cyclists determined to beat record Friday, February 11th, 2011 12:52:00

A panel consisting of Emory professors, a religious leader and a CNN media analyst reflected on the uncertain nature of Egypt’s future and commented on the difference between the older and younger generations of Egyptians.

TEHRAN, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi is under strict house arrest with even close family members unable to see him, his son says.

Film fests that advocate for human rights, mental health and many other worthy issues are flourishing

GULFPORT -- After struggling in business in India, Harjinder Singh Khinda got a work visa in 1998 and headed for the United States. He arrived with only $250 cash, but after 13 years, and many seven-day work weeks, he owns three convenience stores in the metro Jackson area.

0431 GMT: While thousands of protesters hold firm in Tahrir Square, other pro-democracy protesters have gathered near the presidential palace, in central Cairo, and demonstrators have blocked access to the parliament building near the Liberation Square, Al Jazeera reports.

Today is Friday, Feb. 11, the 42nd day of 2011. There are 323 days left in the year.

WASHINGTON -- The Neanderthal and Mama Grizzly have negotiated a truce. This week, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and fellow Republican superstar Sarah Palin got into an Internet-inflamed spat, but their feud appeared to end Thursday afternoon, as Mr. Santorum explained that they "had an exchange" through an intermediary.

Pyongyang, February 10 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, sent a message of greetings to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of Iran, Wednesday on the 32nd anniversary of the victorious Islamic Revolution in Iran.

Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) announced Thursday the Islamic Republic has manufactured a machine to produce nuclear fusion laser.

03:50 GMT: Thousands of demonstrators hold massive "sleep in" in Tahrir Square, CNN reports, with people lying on the streets and pavements. Egypt is bracing for massive protest on Friday after their hopes were dashed that Mubarak would go, according to Al Jazeera.

Posted: Feb 10, 2011 08:24 pm EST (By Tina Sjogren) A ski trip from land to the North Pole is one of the toughest expeditions anyone can take on. The golden rule for victory, passed down by those who made it, is simple: 'Make it through the first two weeks.

OPPOSITION predicts mass violence after Mubarak transfers all power, but doesn't step down as leader.  

BERLIN (AFP) – The Berlin film festival will honour dissident Iranian film-maker Jafar Panahi, who was sentenced to prison in December, on the anniversary of the Islamic revolution Friday. Following tributes in Cannes and Venice, Berlin invited Panahi to serve on its jury. But though he is free on bail...

Students in the Goizueta Business School seem to have an enormous leg up in investing.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff ’s first month in office has been a “positive surprise” as she seeks to dismantle the free-spending policies of the previous government, former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso said.

Belarus has launched the second-stage development of its oil production in the Jofeir deposit in Iran, the Iranian ambassador to Belarus said Thursday.

This is a president who bases his foreign policy on America’s interests, not its ideals

The Egyptian people have been told that there was a transition of authority, but it is not yet clear that this transition is immediate, meaningful or sufficient. Too many Egyptians remain unconvinced that the government is serious about a genuine transition to democracy, and it is the responsibility of the...

WASHINGTON, Friday 11 February 2011 (AFP) - US President Barack Obama led increasingly hoarse Western calls Thursday for "concrete" change in Egypt Thursday after President Hosni Mubarak wrong-footed the world by clinging to power.

“A mental health specialist recommended that the Army private accused of leaking classified material to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks not be deployed to Iraq, but his immediate commanders sent him anyway.”

Some analysts say history is repeating itself - the start of an Islamic revolution in Egypt, just like Iran in 1979

0148 GMT: Long after Mubarak's speech, his words continue to ring from loudspeakers strapped to lampposts in Tahrir Square as protesters scream "dog" and "liar" in the direction of his voice.

Top U.S. officials on Wednesday stressed the U.S. "unshakable commitment" to Israel's security amid chaos in Egypt.

CNN) -- Iranian authorities have blocked reformist websites and detained several opposition supporters and activists, opposition website Saham News reported Thursday.

Friday, February 11th, 2011 09:20:00 KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia captain Suhardi Hassan has laid down the challenge for his teammates at the Jelajah Satu Malaysia this year. He wants Team Malaysia to emerge as overall champions. "It is not impossible. We just need to ensure good placings in each of the...

Listen to the Audio JIM LEHRER: Now some further perspective on today's events from two former presidential national security advisers. Stephen Hadley held that position for President George W. Bush. He now has his own consulting firm. Zbigniew Brzezinski served President Carter in that same national security post. He's now...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Thursday Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's statement that he would hand over power to his vice president was not enough to meet the demands of protesters clamoring for democratic change.

Iranian companies have showcased their latest achievements in various fields including IT, energy, nanotechnology, and aerospace at Iranian Hi-Tech Expo at the Fairgrounds in Damascus.

ANALYSIS/OPINION: Breaking up is hard to do, as the Egyptians — both the good ones and the not-so-good ones — are learning to their considerable pain. Hosni Mubarak is history, a gift from the army, and if the price of order is taking orders from colonels (and occasional second lieutenants), ...

0148 GMT: Long after Mubarak's speech, his words continue to ring from loudspeakers strapped to lampposts in Tahrir Square as protesters scream "dog" and "liar" in the direction of his voice.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy says he hopes Egypt will move towards democracy.

Two San Diego-area college professors who study the Middle East expressed surprise Thursday that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced he would not step down immediately.

Scientists are hoping that heat therapy could eventually replace a complex drug regimen as the first-line treatment of a parasitic skin infection common in tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

WASHINGTON, Friday 11 February 2011 (AFP) - Western leaders struggled for a clear response Thursday to events in Egypt as the United States in particular appeared wrong-footed by President Hosni Mubarak clinging to power.

Thirty-two years ago, almost to the day, I was in the streets of one of the largest Middle Eastern capitals demanding the ouster of a three-decade-old dictatorship. With some friends in Tehran, I helped organize demonstrators from dawn to dusk as the sun set on the shah’s regime.

India and Pakistan announced that the two countries would resume peace talks that have been stalled since 2008, when Pakistani militants staged coordinated terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

SAN DIEGO -- Two San Diego-area college professors who study the Middle East expressed surprise Thursday that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced he would not step down immediately.

0101 GMT: Obama says the voices of the Egyptian people must be heard and that they have made it clear ?there is no going back to the way things were. Egypt has changed, and its future is in the hands of the people.? The American president added: ?In these difficult...

IRAN HAS put opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi under house arrest after he called for renewed street protests against the government, according to his son.

US President Barack Obama faces the test of keeping the power shift in Cairo from unnerving Middle East allies.

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama met his security advisers on Thursday after watching Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak say on television he would transfer powers to his vice president but not resign. U.S. officials made no immediate comments on Mubarak's address, which provoked rage on the streets of Egypt...

A rapidly evolving terrorist threat will continue to dominate U.S. security concerns over the course of the next year, top intelligence officials told members of Congress on Thursday.

Five asylum seekers were today injured and 10 others arrested by police after violence erupted for a second day at Darwin Airport Lodge, where hundreds of detainees are being held.

One has got used to reading Patrick Cockburn's beautifully crafted, analytical and informed pieces, often from the bloodiest of war zones, which have appeared in the Independent (and the Financial Times before that) for the past 25 years. As a foreign correspondent, he has won just about every award going...

What does President Hosni Mubarak hope to accomplish by refusing to resign? To Mubarak, clinging to power isn’t a tactic but rather a right.

0024 GMT: Western leaders struggle for a cohesive response to events in Egypt as the United States in particular appeared wrong-footed by Mubarak clinging to power. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard joins the chorus of leaders saying "change has to come" in Egypt.

Might such Islamists view the pyramids as the Taliban viewed the ancient stone Buddhas of Bamiyan ¿ a shameful relic of the pagan past?

Authorities in Iran put an opposition leader under house arrest yesterday, posting security officers at his door and detaining one of his aides, in response to his calls for a

WASHINGTON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama met his security advisers on Thursday after watching Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak say on television he would transfer powers to his vice president but not resign.

Reviews from the first week of the 34th Portland International Film Festival

PETALING JAYA: Mohd Adiq Husainie Othman entered the history books as the first Malaysian cyclist to win a medal in the senior men’s points race event of the Asian Cycling Championships when he bagged a bronze at the 80th King’s Anniversary Velodrome in Korat, Thailand, yesterday.

US lawmakers expressed concern on Thursday over the sale of US computer firm 3Leaf Systems to Chinese technology giant Huawei, saying the deal could pose a "serious risk" to US national security.

The Christian Heritage Party of Canada has released an immigration policy calling for tighter eligibility controls for immigrants – particularly those coming from Muslim countries and cultures that have embraced radical Islamic beliefs.

2251 GMT: "We won't leave until he leaves" declares 32-year-old accountant Ayman Shawky.

The fight over who owns the rights to the popular multibillion-dollar Bratz doll line just got even nastier, with toy giant Mattel asking the judge for a mistrial over remarks made on the stand by the chief executive of its rival company, MGA Entertainment.

For an organisation that claims a following of millions and is feared by most Arab leaders – and many in the West – it is a very discreet HQ. My path there takes me up the cramped and dusty staircase of an apartment block overlooking the Nile in the Giza...

The Associated Press The Associated Press SANTA ANA, Calif. The fight over who owns the rights to the popular multibillion-dollar Bratz doll line just got even nastier, with toy giant Mattel Inc. asking the judge for a mistrial over remarks made on the stand by the CEO of its rival...

The Otago peninsula has been proclaimed one of the most romantic places on the planet to propose marriage.

Here are letters to the editor from recent editions of the Daily News

The yield on the government’s 5.75 percent dollar bond due 2020 fell 11 basis points to 6.48 percent as Mubarak said in a speech on state television yesterday that he would hand over the responsibilities of office to his deputy ahead of September elections.

> Sarkozy, the first foreign leader to react to President Hosni Mubarak's announcement that he was handing power to his vice-president, said: "It was unavoidable." "I hope with all my heart for Egypt's nascent democracy that they take time to create the structures and principles that will help them...

The illusions of the Middle East prevailed until the throngs in the Arab streets shattered them. Like bowling pins, the myths keep falling. It remains to be seen whether they'll be replaced by new ones, or, at long last, by a dose of reality.

The Otago peninsula has been proclaimed one of the most romantic places on the planet to propose marriage.

ZIMBABWE will never be a colony of the US or Britain but it can be a colony of China. Talk about double standards. Observer. IT is difficult to say which way is not colonisation; the British way or the Chinese way this time around?

The hacking collective Anonymous is planning to launch distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against Iranian government websites tomorrow (Feb. 11).

2203 GMT: French President Nicolas Sarkozy says he hopes Egypt gets democracy, not Iran-style religious "dictatorship," as the EU's chief diplomat Catherine Ashton says the time for a change in government in Egypt "is now."

Donald Trump makes a surprise appearance at CPAC to say he hasn't ruled out seeking the Republican nomination. Trump won cheers from the conservative crowd until he said Rep. Ron Paul had no chance of getting elected. Then the catcalls started. Developer and reality-show star Donald Trump added a touch...

James R. Clapper Jr., director of national intelligence, said at a hearing of the House intelligence committee Thursday that the specific triggers to action were hard to predict.

COPENHAGEN — England manager Fabio Capello has admitted that he faces tough decisions over his first-choice strikers after Ashley Young and Darren Bent scored the goals to beat Denmark 2-1 in a friendly international.

By Al Krastev Iran keeps stirring Iran’s confirmed nuclear program and persistent efforts to avoid the subject have earned the country many negative labels. Many countries to the east and south of Iran are stealing the top headlines away with the current protests and political turmoil. However, we should keep...

In classical Farsi and Urdu poetry, the beloved is always veiled, enhancing the pain of longing and love, and intensifying the desire for union. Even when the meeting finally takes place, desire remains un-satiated, and this provokes an even greater desire for a more complete unveiling.

Scott Roxborough The imprisoned filmmaker's words earn standing ovation from audience including Jeff Bridges and Josh Brolin. read more

As previously mentioned in this blog, one of the cars competing to be the next-generation New York City taxi is a futuristic-looking one put forward by the Turkish Karsan automotive company. Since the, Karsan's design has been shortlisted, along with a design by Japan's Nissan and a model by Ford.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "World Telecom Statistics and Forecasts 2005-2014" report to their offering.

A huge street protest is planned for this coming Monday, the sixth anniversary of an event that shocked, enraged and divided the Lebanese people.

Oil edged higher amid reports that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak may resign later today and hand over power to the military.