News Archive - 28 March 2011

>LONDON (Reuters) - China and other emerging nations such as Brazil and India are becoming leaders in science to rival traditional "scientific superpowers" like the United States, Europe and Japan, a top British academy said on Monday. A report by the Royal Society science academy also found some rapidly emerging...

>More than 60 people have been killed so far in the crackdown in the town on the Jordanian border that poses the most serious challenge to President Bashar al-Assad. Residents said security forces' snipers were on rooftops.Assad has yet to speak publicly on the protests, which have taken in...

By South Asia Intelligence Review, On February 3, 2011, an Aman Jirga (peace conclave) between Sunni and Shia tribes in the Kurram Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) signed an accord to end bloodshed between the two sects.

New York, Mar 29 : The number of asylum-seekers seeking to live in the industrialized world continues to fall and is now almost half the level it was a decade ago, the United Nations refugee agency reported on Monday as it released its annual snapshot of asylum trends.

Please allow me to break this Libyan clusterfudge down into its simplest form, a lowest common denominator for the Carnes family and how I truly think the majority of Americans feel as well but most will never admit, at least publicly Copyright 2011 Vail Daily. All rights reserved. This material...

Master of Ceremonies Sean Balingit, who is the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce vice-president and Beaumont Planning Commission chairman, looks on as members of Tahquitz High School’s JROTC presents the colors at the opening ceremony of San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital’s 60th anniversary celebration.

Oil fell for a fourth day in New York after Libyan rebels advanced against Muammar Gaddafi's troops, bolstering speculation the conflict in Africa's third-largest crude producer may be resolved soon.

Dragon Oil PLC - Drilling Update

President Barack Obama has offered a moral justification for the coalition military campaign in Libya, saying it had averted a massacre of Col Gaddafi's opponents.

Sometimes, as we told the BBC last week, gold helps out dictators, and sometimes it helps private individuals hoping to defend their personal liberty. Gold enabled Great Britain, for instance, to buy arms and food during WWII.

The State News Agency of Turkmenistan (TDH) reported on March 17 that President Berdymukhamedov received Pierre Morel, EU Special Representative for Central Asia and Georgia, and that Morel had thanked Turkmenistan for its support of Afghanistan, advocated further strengthening of contacts, and urged further cooperation in the fuel and energy...

Iran has expressed readiness to enhance economic cooperation with Algeria and participate in the industrial and development projects of the North African state.

The text of President Barack Obama's speech on Libya, as delivered.

America should not alone bear the "burden of action" and other big countries should step up their efforts to prevent any humanitarian crisis in Libya, US President Barack Obama has said.

Mary Byun On Monday afternoon, an engaged handful of individuals traded their lunch hour Monday for an informational talk on one of Iran’s most influential girls’ schools of the 20th century. Jasmin Rostam-Kolayi, a Near East History scholar, discussed the Tarbiyat Girls’ School of Tehran which was shut down by...

SYDNEY : Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Kevin Rudd and Justice Minister Brendan O'Connor on Tuesday began consultation on measures to stop money laundering and terrorism financing through Iran.

KIRKUK, Iraq -- Many in this divided city want American troops to stay longer than the Obama administration has said they will, and a tense standoff on the southern and western edges of town last week showed why. Here, on a bridge, behind the mud brick walls of an abandoned...

Teheran, March 26 (KCNA) -- The U.S. move to extend the unilateral sanctions against Iran is a ploy to wage a psychological warfare against the Islamic Republic with the intention of protecting its power and authority, Foreign Minister of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi said in a recent radio interview.

DAMASCUS, Syria -- Syrian President Bashar Assad wavered between cracking down and compromising Monday in one of the Middle East's most authoritarian and anti-Western nations as thousands of protesters in a southern city defied security forces who fired tear gas to disperse them.

BEIJING: China is one of the world's major exporters of frozen strawberry.

The White House, Remarks by the President in Address to the Nation on Libya, National Defense University, Washington, D.C. 7:31 P.M. EDT

Herbert signs bills expanding film incentives, ending Iran investment By Robert Gehrke The Salt Lake Tribune Published Mar 28, 2011 08:57PM MDT Gov. Gary Herbert signed legislation Monday expanding Utah’s incentive to filmmakers who make movies in Utah, halting the investment of Utah retirement funds in Iran’s petroleum industry and...

The full text and video of President Barack Obama's speech on Libya, as delivered.

PLUCKED from the tormented seas of Christmas Island, Rana Al Ali is one of 42 survivors from Wednesday's shipwreck. But Mrs Al Ali, who was travelling with her husband, Oday, and her son Abbas, 7, has lost too much.

He shies away from making sweeping statements about America’s role in the world.

Beersheva, Israel (AFP) March 27, 2011 Israel on Sunday stationed the first batteries of its "Iron Dome" short-range missile defence system in the south of the country, but stressed the initial deployment was experimental. The unique multi-million dollar system was stationed outside the southern city of Beersheva, days after it...

Eagan MN (SPX) Mar 29, 2011 Lockheed Martin recently delivered the 8,000th AN/UYQ-70 combat console suite to the U.S. Navy, marking a key milestone for a system that is currently installed on 90 percent of the Navy's commissioned ships. The milestone Q-70 system will be installed on the USS...

Asian qualifying for the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament London 2012 continued with Iran, Jordan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Thailand all winning through to the second stage.

Houston TX (SPX) Mar 29, 2011 As Iran's nuclear plant attack and Chinese-based hackers attacking Morgan Stanley demonstrate how the Internet can wreak havoc on business and governments, a new paper by a fellow at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy hypothesizes what an all-out cyberwar between the U.

WORLD No. 1 Datuk Nicol David will be defending her Asian Squash Championships individual title on home ground at the squash centre named after her from April 26 to April 30.

The president explained, as best he could, why we're there, but couldn't quite explain how we'll know when to go

MANY people attend outside embassies in London demonstrating against governments of their countries of origin for a whole range of reasons. People demonstrate under the banner of democracy, human rights and others seek a complete change of government in their countries.

Syrian president consider options

Listen to the Audio GWEN IFILL: Finally tonight, remembering Geraldine Ferraro. The former Democratic vice presidential nominee died Saturday, after a long struggle with multiple myeloma . She was a congresswoman from New York when Walter Mondale tapped her as his running mate in 1984. It made her the first female...

The President’s Address to the Nation on Libya – As Prepared for Delivery National Defense University Washington, DC March 28, 2011   As Prepared for Delivery— read more

The president's speech on the U.S. involvement in Libya, as delivered.

How could the US-led Western military coalition brush away Muammar Gaddafi and drop democracy and human rights onto the soil of the embattled Libya from a height of 40,000 feet at the cost of civilians and without getting caught in a prolonged military conflict?

National Journal Congressional reaction to President Obama's speech was swift—and, in many cases, critical. Here are excerpts of what members of Congress said within minutes: Michael Steel, spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio: "It was helpful that the American …

Britain, France and America now have a commitment in Libya for which no one can foretell the ending. The wider Arab world is in a ferment which causes every monarch and tyrant in the region to tremble.

I'm a news junkie. I like to know what's happening in the world, to understand why those things are happening, and to read a variety of informed opinions about the best ways to handle problems and replicate successes. I've always been a voracious reader, intensely curious about a wide variety...

Activists among Saudi Arabia’s women, who can’t drive or vote and need male approval to work and travel, are turning to the type of online organizing that helped topple Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak to force change in a system they say treats them like children.

President Obama says military action in Libya saved lives and said the United States has not acted alone in the attacks on Libya.

The Associated Press The text of President Barack Obama's speech on Libya, as delivered: ___ Tonight, I'd like to update the American people on the international effort that we have led in Libya -- what we've done, what we plan to do, and why this matters to us. I want...

Good evening. Tonight, I’d like to update the American people on the international effort that we have led in Libya – what we have done, what we plan to do, and why this matters to us.   I want to begin by paying tribute to our men and women in ...

The gist: We were on the verge of a humanitarian massacre in Libya if we hadn't been intervened. He explains that unlike, Iraq, this will be limited to just a war from the air, and thus won't be such a costly slog. This also means, of course, we won't be...

Times wires Monday, March 28, 2011 Following is a text of President Barack Obama's prepared remarks to the public on the United States' involvement in the war in Libya, as released by the White House on Monday night: Good evening. Tonight, I'd like to update the American people on the...

DAMASCUS, Syria -- Syrian President Bashar Assad wavered between cracking down and compromising Monday in one of the Middle East's most authoritarian and anti-Western nations as thousands of protesters in a southern city defied security forces who fired tear gas to disperse them.

"I am convinced that a failure to act in Libya would have carried a far greater price for America."

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Good evening. Tonight, I'd like to update the American people on the international effort that we have led in Libya - what we have done, what we plan to do, and why this matters to us. I want to begin by paying tribute to our men and...

The text of President Barack Obama's address on Libya released by the White House.

"A Responsibility to Act": Obama Makes the Case on Libya

> * Three current countries have approved revamped plan * Fewer flights test possible now WASHINGTON, March 28 (Reuters) - The international consortium developing the $3.4 billion MEADS air and missile defense program for the United States, Germany and Italy says it could sign on a fourth foreign partner...

Iran and Sudan have emphasized their willingness to bolster their bilateral ties, saying further cooperation between the two will help both countries progress.

China is fast becoming a scientific superpower and now ranks second only to the US in its share of published research a study has revealed.

Fewer people fleeing turmoil or repression sought asylum in the West in 2010 than they did during the previous two years.

The president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, is expected to announce reforms today including the end of the 50-year-old state of emergency, to try to defuse protests as thousands of people continue to confront troops.

Syrian security forces fired tear gas on thousands of protesters yesterday in a restive southern city as president Bashar Assad faced down the most serious threat to his famil

Despite a rise in 2010 in the number of countries that carried out executions, Amnesty International says momentum is still with those seeking to outlaw the practice. An increasing number of countries have stripped capital punishment from their books, and fewer executions are being reported across the globe, the groups...

While billions are spend for the navies, the general militarization and mercenaries, still no help is coming forward to pacify and develop the coastal areas of Somalia. Updates on known cases see below in the status section.

Colorado has been chosen as one of several Western states where large-scale alternative energy development will soon begin. The BLM has identified four locations on public land suitable for solar energy projects, and these sites are all located in or adjacent to the San Luis Valley.

Copyright 2011 LARZ F. NEILSON That’s my lifeboat!” said Capt. Woodrow Wilson. “I spent ten days in that thing!” He was pointing at a picture of sailors on the deck of the SS Coloradan, pulling on a line. In the background was a lifeboat.

AFP/Baghdad Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan received a red carpet welcome in Baghdad yesterday, on a visit Iraq hopes will boost trade and overcome differences over a decades-old Kurdish insurgency.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (BP)--Babak Bighash was an electrical engineer for a major government agency in Iran, commuting more than 800 miles every two weeks between his home and workplace. He was a fairly devout Muslim yet he had unanswered questions about Islam.

China has rocketed into second place in the number of articles published in international science magazines, according to a report released Monday by the Royal Society in London.

China is believed to have put to death thousands of people in 2010, the human rights group Amnesty International said Monday.

Qatar, playing their first match since their quarter-final exit at the Asian Cup, are likely to face a stringent test from Russia when the two World Cup hosts meet in a friendly at the Al Sadd Stadium in Doha today. The match starts at 6.30pm.

WASHINGTON : More than one billion urban residents will face serious water shortages by 2050 as climate change worsens effects of urbanization, with Indian cities among the worst hit, a study said Monday.

India is set to pay Iran billions of dollars for oil imports by channeling funds to Tehran via the German central bank, a German newspaper report said yesterday.

Building Human Rights Awareness in the Bay Area

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Oil prices slipped below US$104 a barrel Monday after Libyan rebels recaptured some key oil ports and promised to resume exports.

Cotton prices fell 3.4 percent Monday on concerns that mills may cut back purchases because of persistently high prices and tight supplies.

From 1996 to 2008, Iran had the biggest increase in scientific publication in the world – and its collaborations with the US are also ballooning

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates met with his Israeli counterpart, Ehud Barak, Thursday.

Earlier this year, Syrian President Bashar Assad boasted his country was immune to the revolution bug. But a wave of uprisings, which began last week, have rattled his confidence. Protesters say they will keep up the pressure -- despite an iron-fist response from pro-Assad militias.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator John Boozman delivered his maiden speech on the Senate floor. In his speech, Boozman called for the implementation of policies that force Washington to rein in spending.

BEIRUT, Lebanon, March 28 (UPI) -- Reports that Osama bin Laden, the world's most wanted fugitive with a $50 million U.S. bounty on his head, has broken cover to move around Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent weeks has raised concern he may be planning a new major attack on...

Support for Bahraini government's crackdown on protests is a paradox as West supports Libyan rebels, activist argues.

GENEVA (Reuters) - A coalition of global campaign groups on Monday urged the U.N. Human Rights Council to call a special session on what they called a rights crisis in Yemen.

Online musings under the name of terror suspect Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari point to more Middle East uprisings, this time in Saudi Arabia , and this time with a date in advance: March 20.

The internationally acclaimed documentary Iranium will be featured at the Varsity Theater in Davis, California on Monday March 28th at 8:30 PM, and on Saturday and Sunday April 2nd and 3rd, at 12:00 noon.

NEW YORK (AP) - Oil prices slipped below $104 per barrel Monday after Libyan rebels recaptured some key oil ports and promised to resume exports. Prices, however, remain 22 percent above what they were in mid-February, when fighting in Libya squeezed off shipments that had supplied nearly 2 percent of...

LUCKNOW: The former Union Minister, Mani Shankar Aiyar, has denied that his replacement as Petroleum Minister in 2006 was made under pressure from the United States. Murli Deora was made his successor.

Middle East historian and blogger Juan Cole recently wrote a polemic against progressive U.S. critics of new U.S. war in Libya. In his polemic, he wrote, "I hope we can have a calm and civilized discussion of the rights and wrongs here." I strongly agree with...

While world attention was fixed on the crusading drama in relatively unimportant Libya, the biggest, and most ominous bang last week came from Syria, a potentially combustible nation of 22.5 million that lies at the very heart of what we call the Mideast. Demonstrations have erupted in the...

28 March 2011, 1:34 p.m. By Daniela Cambone, Of Kitco News www.kitco.com Editor's note: Gold during Catastrophes – Kitco News Asks: Is there is a Link? Does Gold automatically soar during natural catastrophes?

The hack that resulted in Comodo creating certificates for popular e-mail providers including Google Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and Microsoft Hotmail has been claimed as the work of an independent Iranian patriot. A post made to data sharing site pastebin.com by a person going by the handle “comodohacker” claimed responsibility...

Release Time:  For Immediate Release Location:  James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 11:36 A.M. EDT  MR. CARNEY: Good morning, everyone. Thanks for coming to this morning’s gaggle. I just want to clarify that this is pen and pad only. It is not for broadcast of any kind. And with...

Rebels advanced toward the birthplace of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on Monday, firing mortars and heavy machineguns in sporadic clashes with loyalist forces.

LONDON -- As Brazil prepares to host Fifa's World Cup in 2014, the Philippine Azkals aim to qualify for the first time. The Azkals have been very successful lately making football history in our country. They made history first in December last year when they made it to the semis...

To the surprise of many, not least Bashar al-Assad, protests mount in Syria. New York Times : The government of President Bashar al-Assad, unaccustomed to concessions, rapidly announced a series of reforms, including a salary increase for public workers, greater freedom for the news media and political parties, and a...

Officers were forced to shoot one of the dogs when it attacked.

PRINCETON - Amid family, friends and former students, native son Thomas R. Moore read poems from his recently published collection, "The Bolt-Cutters," at a reading Saturday sponsored by the Friends of the Princeton Public Library.

"The Middle East never will be the same again." True -- but in itself that tells us very little as to the consequences and implications for the U.S. from the political cataclysm shaking the region and reshaping its politics.

Syrian security forces used tear gas to disperse protests as strife in the Middle Eastern country continues escalating. 

The second International Nowruz Celebrations has wrapped up in Iran with a declaration of peace, justice and compassion for the people of the world.

UPI photoU.S. Border Patrol on southwest border For some Texans, the arrest of a radical Islamic cleric smuggled from Mexico into the United States in the trunk of a BMW is a vivid reminder that potential terrorists could also...

Pit bulls continue to make headlines as Mesa police officers shoot and kill one as it charged them over the weekend.

In January, Bashar al-Assad sat down for a long interview with the Wall Street Journal. That was noteworthy in itself; the Syrian leader doesn't spend much time with the Western media. He was in confident mood -- saying that Syria would not succumb to the unrest then spreading in Tunisia...

The annual New Directors/New Films Film Festival (NDNF), which holds its 40th session from March 23 through April 4 in New York City, again offers new works from emerging filmmakers.

The face of Bashar al-Assad stares down from giant posters on official buildings, from shop windows and restaurant walls, from the rear windows of cars, fridge magnets and beer coasters and even on embroidered cushion covers.Through...