News Archive - 26 February 2011

>VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran's surprise announcement it will have to remove fuel from its first nuclear reactor suggests a new setback for its atomic ambitions, but the reason for the unusual step and how long it may take remain unclear. "It is significant. Unloading unspent fuel is a rare occurrence...

>TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran confirmed on Saturday it was having to remove nuclear fuel from the reactor of its only nuclear power station, signaling more problems for the Russian-built Bushehr plant after decades of delay. Iran's nuclear envoy Ali Asghar Soltanieh told the ISNA news agency Russian engineers who built...

MUSCAT, Oman - Oman's ruler is hoping a cabinet shake-up will halt rare political protests in the strategic Gulf nation.

Along with the desire for freedom and democracy in the Middle East comes difficult decisions for the United States

The Navy recently named former Modesto resident Edward Gohring its executive director of the Center for Surface Combat Systems at the Naval Support Facility Dahlgren in Virginia.

This summer, as the weather warms and people begin thinking about jumping in the family car for a vacation, there is a chance gasoline prices will hit record highs.

Those who’ve already been inside know it’s unlike any other space in the mall. Others have yet to ask themselves, “What is this place?”

TEHRAN - Iran will remove the fuel from the reactor of Bushehr nuclear power plant, the country's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency has said.

With the implementation of a comprehensive plan Mashhad Airport will become a pilgrimage airport hub in the Muslim world, the managing director of Iran Airports Company said.

OUR MAN IN TEHRAN. By Robert Wright.

Two months after the protests in Tunisia and a month after the start of the protests in Egypt that chased Hosni Mubarak out of office and all the way to his hideout in Sharm el-Sheikh, it seems the "protest culture" is taking the place of political change and the implementation...

Discovery arrives at space station CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Space shuttle Discovery arrived at the

Every day that we wait to drill our own oil is a day closer to the collapse of this great country.

The vast Marcellus shale natural gas reserve, which some studies estimate to be the second largest reserve in the world after Pars field in Qatar and Iran , has the potential to be the "catalyst" for a rebounding Pennsylvania economy, Corbett told the Tribune-Review in an interview before he was...

The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force has launched a project to design and build the country's most advanced fighter jet.

The wave of anti-government protests that swept through Egypt and are now on the rise in Libya elicits one reaction from Sandra Simpson.

What, if any, are the investment implications to the political turmoil in Egypt ?

Mohsen Namjoo, the exiled 33-year-old Iranian singer-songwriter who now lives in California, made his Seattle-area debut Friday at the Sammamish Performing Arts Center in Bellevue. Nearly 300 people from the Eastside's substantial Iranian community came out to cheer him.

The uprising in Egypt has many lessons for geopolitics. For travelers, it's to go when you have the chance. Revolutions don't wait for your...

Wal-Mart is missing out on the consumer comeback. The world's largest retailer failed to reverse an almost two-year slide in a key revenue measure in its fourth quarter, it said Tuesday, after all but promising in November it would do just that. At Wal-Mart, fewer customers are coming in the...

Fuel rods are being withdrawn from the Bushehr facility because of safety concerns. Some experts have expressed fear of risk of a Chernobyl-like accident at the plant. Fuel that would power Iran's first nuclear energy facility is being removed from the reactor this weekend because of unspecified safety concerns, Iranian...

Zach Randolph has big night as Memphis Grizzlies top Sacramento Kings 120-92

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has criticized Western countries for their negative approach toward the country's nuclear program.

VIENNA, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Iran has told inspectors it is unloading fuel from its Bushehr nuclear reactor, a sign of major problems, a U.N. nuclear watchdog says.

NEW YORK -- Oil prices soared to the highest level in more than two years as violence spread in Libya and Moammar Gadhafi's grip weakened over the country.

KUALA LUMPUR: The corporate reporting season for calendar year 2010 was mostly upbeat as listed firms, especially the big boys, recorded solid earnings with shareholders duly rewarded, in some cases, with record dividends.

AFTER the exuberance seen in the West over the revolutions in the Arab world, some are now expressing fears that these nations will fall into the hands of Islamists.

VERO BEACH — If there is no global stability, then there are no solutions for the global problems that threaten the well-being and survival of people.

MUAMMAR Qadhafi’s speeches grow ever more delusional: last Thursday he accused Al Qaeda of putting hallucinogenic pills into the coffee of unsuspecting Libyan 17-year-olds in order to get them to attack the regime.

Iranian Minister of Industries and Mines Ali Akbar Mehrabian says the annual steel production capacity of the country will increase to 20 million tons in the near future.

Gaddafi has to go very soon so Libya and the world can move on. But he must not have the last laugh in this high stakes’ fight.

ECOTERRA Intl. and ECOP-marine serve concerning the counter-piracy issues as advocacy groups in their capacity as human rights, marine and maritime monitors as well as in co-operation with numerous other organizations, groups and individuals as information clearing-house.

Most of the world is focused on the Middle East and Libya, and rightly so. We will look at that in a minute. (Sidebar: the White House spelled the country “Lybia” in a recent tweet. Can you imagine what the liberal media would have done to poor Dan Quail if...

The family of a prominent Vancouver woman will have to wait for the results of an autopsy to find out how she died while on holiday in Mexico last week.

Gaddafi has to go very soon so Libya and the world can move on. But he must not have the last laugh in this high stakes’ fight.

Damascus, Feb 27 : Syria and Iran have signed a naval training agreement, media reports said.

Yet another North African country began protests after a rare demonstration took place in the streets of Mauritania, where hundreds of protesters gathered calling for social and political change.

These dishes are part of a meal that I was lucky enough to enjoy last Sunday night. Cooked by Greg Malouf, executive chef at Melbourne's Momo restaurant, and his wife Lucy, it was a feast that I will find very hard to forget – simple, elegant and traditional food from...

The world is changed by idealists, according to Mikhail Gorbachev. The former leader of the Soviet Union, who is 80 this week and who is interviewed in The Independent on Sunday today, offers an insight into how far our thinking is still dominated by assumptions of the Cold War. "I...

Gaddafi has to go very soon so Libya and the world can move on. But he must not have the last laugh in this high stakes’ fight.

AS SAM Laidlaw prepared to announce record profits at Scottish Gas-owner Centrica, he knew there could be the usual kickback from hard-pressed customers.

Demonstrations have spread across parts of the Middle East and Africa. Here are the latest developments, including the roots of the unrest:

This is almost not a recipe but rather a list of popular herbs that feature regularly on the Persian table. I've included two of the more unusual ones – costmary and savory – for those who are keen gardeners, as it's simple enough to grow them for yourself.

MOSCOW - RUSSIA vowed on Saturday to fulfill its contract to supply Syria with cruise missiles despite the turmoil shaking the Arab world and Israel's furious condemnation of the deal. 'The contract is in the implementation stage,' news agencies quoted Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov as saying.

The Internet helps more in mobilising protesters, not starting uprisings.

Revolution is breaking out all over. As Gaddafi marshals his thugs and mercenaries for a last-ditch fight in Tripoli, several died as protests grew more serious in Iraq. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah tried to bribe his people into docility by splashing out $35bn on housing, social services and education. Across...

There are millions of protesters on the Arab street but Syrians are surprisingly missing from the crowd. This eerie absence is disturbing, to say the least.

Liam Fox, the defence secretary, sets out in The Sunday Telegraph why he believes the Coalition is right to radically reform UK defences.

Whether you produce the stuff, refine it, consume it or speculate in it, it's impossible to separate oil from political risk. Today the focus is on Egypt and Libya. Tomorrow, it could be Algeria, Saudi Arabia or Nigeria that triggers a price shock.

Iranian opposition leaders Mir Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karrubi and their wives were placed in a safe house for their own welfare, but they have not been arrested, Iranian government sources told CNN.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 — AirAsia X is to name former trade minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz as board chairman this week, a move seen to help boost the long-haul budget carrier's bid for more international routes.  The carrier, which counts British airline tycoon Sir Richard Branson among its...

The websites of Iranian opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehi Karoubi have posted calls for new protests on Tuesday to demand their release from reported house arrest.

Investing in ETFs tracking markets in oil-rich countries has traditionally been a bet on oil. Higher oil prices-- goes the logic-- will drive gains in non-energy sectors of oil-rich

Israeli warplanes bombed a half-dozen targets in the Gaza Strip, wounding a 7-month-old girl and a Palestinian man, medics in the coastal territory said.

New Delhi, Feb. 26: The government is unlikely to rush into supporting any economic sanctions against Libya for fear of needling Muammar Gaddafi when thousands of Indians are still stranded in the civil war-torn African country.

While the U.S. seems to be supporting the series of revolutions surfacing in the Middle East and Northern Africa, the big winner in the end may be Iran. Host Guy Raz speaks with Flynt Leverett, a professor at Penn State University and a Fellow at the New American Foundation,...

In 2004, two years after he climbed Mt Everest for the seventh time, American mountaineering legend Peter Athans took part in a charitable cataract operation project in northern Nepal that changed the lives of nearly 300 beneficiaries.

After little more than a week of carefully choosing words and making deliberately uncontroversial statements on the situation in Libya, President Barack Obama has told German Chancellor Angela Merkel that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had "lost legitimacy" by attacking his people and should remedy his wrongs by "leaving now."

GIBRALTAR — More than 1,100 students participated in the World Wetlands Day celebration on Feb. 9 at Carlson High School, one year after nearby Humbug Marsh was designated as Michigan’s first wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

Anti-government protests across Iraq on Friday led to violent clashes between some demonstrators and security forces, leaving at least 11 people dead and many buildings in flames. Inspired by protests in countries such as Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, Iraqis marched outside official buildings and in town centers calling for less...

The Fed is sending a message: Stop eating. Stop driving. Start buying more electronics.

Saif al-Islam Qaddafi, son of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, said the North African nation “risks becoming like Somalia” if demonstrations against the government by “terrorists” don’t end.

Iran's former reformist president Mohammad Khatami has urged the authorities to release opposition leaders Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi from house arrest, his website said on Saturday.

Bahrain's king ousted four cabinet members Saturday as a prominent opposition leader returned from exile and urged the country's rulers to back up reform promises with action. Thousands of demonstrators pressed their demands for change by marching on government buildings in the capital.

Iranian athlete Behdad Salimi has been named the world's best weightlifter in an online poll conducted by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF).

In October 2001, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair described Africa as "a scar on the conscience of the world," warning, "if the world continues to ignore the sufferings of African nations ...[...]

"Dude, my dad is here at the welfare office," a 20-year-old woman named Noor al-Maleki texted a friend on Oct. 20, 2009. Noor was at the Department of Economic Security (DES) in Peoria, Ariz., helping Amal Khalaf fill out paperwork for food stamps.

Saif al-Islam Qaddafi , son of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi , said the North African nation “risks becoming like Somalia” if demonstrations against the government by “terrorists” don’t end.

MANAMA, Bahrain - Bahrain's king ousted four cabinet members Saturday as a prominent opposition leader returned from exile and urged the country's rulers to back up reform promises with action. Thousands of demonstrators marched on government buildings in the capital calling on the prime minister to step down.

There is a lot of controversy these days over the Reko Diq Copper and Gold project. A number of people have requested me to explain the rather complicated issue and hence this article.

The Iranian opposition has announced new plans for street protests, which are now set for March 1 at 5PM, from Emam Hossein to Azadi Square in Tehran.

The head of the Iranian parliament's National Security Commission denies that opposition leaders are under house arrest, saying they are just being "escorted" by government security forces.

Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi must be given a chance to speak for themselves on national television, conservative Iranian lawmaker Ali Motahari said today. The two opposition leaders have been under house arrest for the past two weeks. -Zamaneh

Items allegedly included anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles One was an Israeli-born shampoo distributor from Highland Park. The other was a man of Iranian descent whose Arizona pizza place was shut down by health inspectors.

The RAND Corporation has issued a report that looks at the possible scenarios should Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pass away and a succession battle ensue. Khamenei is 71 and, according to some rumors, ill. The report discusses five scenarios including: "status quo," in which Khamenei hand picks his...

Iran confirms it is having to remove nuclear fuel from the Bushehr reactor, in what is seen as a setback for its nuclear ambitions.

TEHRAN, Iran — In a major setback to Iran's nuclear program, technicians will have to unload fuel from the country's first atomic power plant because of an unspecified safety concern, a senior government official said. The vague explanation raised questions about whether the mysterious computer worm known as Stuxnet...

Washington, Feb 26 : A newly completed nuclear reactor in Iran has run into serious problems and threatens to become a major embarrassment for the Iranian government that could delay its initial target of feeding electricity into the national grid this month, a media report said Saturday.

The UFC has been trying to expand to new audiences for quite some time now. Expanding to every audience would give them a stronghold on the area, as well as making it easier for them to acquire talent from the area. What with talk of all-foreign Ultimate Fighter shows and...

Saudi King Abdullah returned home after three months abroad and announced $35 billion in benefits for Saudi citizens in an attempt to insulate the world's biggest oil exporting country from the popular unrest that is sweeping the Arab world.

Tehran -- Iran says it is removing fuel from the reactor of its Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant, a move seen as a blow to its nuclear program.

WASHINGTON - In a distinct echo of the tactics they pursued to encourage U.S. intervention in the Balkans and Iraq, a familiar clutch of neo-conservatives appealed Friday for the United States and NATO to "immediately" prepare military action to help bring down the regime of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi...

MNA- Brazil futsal team defeated Iran in a friendly once again on Saturday. Brazil, who had defeated Iran 4-3 on Wednesday, barely overpowered the Persians 3-2 in Isfahan’s jam-packed Pirouzi hall on Saturday.

TEHRAN, Feb. 2 (MNA) – Navy Commander Habibollah Sayyari has said the Islamic Republic is ready to build port facilities in Syria.

TEHRAN, Feb. 26 (MNA) -- The International Atomic Energy Agency has once again confirmed the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear energy program.

DENNIS Orcollo kept the country’s hopes alive as he barged into the finals of the World 8-Ball Pool Championship Saturday at the Fujairah Exhibition Center in United Arab Emirates. The rising Filipino pool icon subdued David Alcaide of Spain, 9-3, in their semifinal encounter to advance in the championship match...

> Five vessels operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) were impounded at ports around the world late last year as sanctions on Iran caused European banks to call in loans they had made to IRISL early. Three ships held in Singapore were released in January. One...

Obama is scheming to bring tens of millions of Muslims from the Middle East into the United States in order to turn this country into an Islamic nation by the end of his second term...

mangu writes "Iran said on Saturday it is removing the fuel from the reactor of a Russian-built nuclear power plant, a move seen as a big blow to its controversial nuclear program. The plant was first launched by the shah using contractors from Siemens. It was shelved after the Islamic...

Middle East uprisings are having day-to-day ramifications on everyday Americans, a United States senator said in a town hall meeting in Abilene Thursday afternoon.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution has offered condolences for the passing of Mahmoud Boroujerdi, the son-in-law of the late founder of the Islamic Revolution.

In the midst of the civil unrest in Egypt and throughout the Middle East, U.S. Senate-proposed legislation that has become known as the "Internet kill switch bill" was recently reintroduced. The controversial bill, first introduced by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn, in June 2010, seeks...

ALI AKBAR DAREINI Associated Press TEHRAN, Iran In a major setback to Iran's nuclear program, technicians will have to unload fuel from the country's first atomic power plant because of an unspecified safety concern, a senior government official said. The vague explanation raised questions about whether the mysterious computer worm...

In a major setback to Iran's civil nuclear program, a senior government official says technicians will have to unload fuel from the country's first nuclear power plant because of an unspecified security problem.

A prominent Bahraini opposition leader returned home from exile Saturday and urged the Gulf kingdom's rulers to back up...

Those who make their living on the oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico hadn't expected help would come from thousands of courageous Libyans.

The revolutions sweeping the Arab world indicate a tectonic shift in the global balance of people power.

US stocks rose as oil prices stabilised following a recent jump.

The rising of peoples for democracy across the Middle East is revealing the best and the worst of the human spirit. Here is a Muslim arm in arm with a Christian; there is an angry mob attacking a journalist; here is a mostly peaceful overthrow of the Egyptian government; there...

MANILA, Philippines – Philippines’ Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo barged into the final round of the World 8-Ball Pool Championship 2011 after subduing David "El Matador" Alcaide of Spain, 9-3, on Saturday’s semifinals at the Fujairah Exhibition Center in United Arab Emirates.