News Archive - 30 March 2011

>As undersecretary of state for political affairs, the number three U.S. diplomat, Burns has had global responsibilities and has been Washington's lead negotiator in the unsuccessful effort to persuade Iran to curb its nuclear program.Among the most experienced members of the U.S. foreign service, Burns has served...

>CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's army-backed interim government sacked several state newspaper editors and officials on Wednesday, a move long awaited by protesters who ousted President Hosni Mubarak and demanded a purge of state media. Government-owned media played down the scale of the protests that inspired a series of uprisings across...

>Angry that their demands were not met, hundreds of protesters chanting "Freedom" marched in the port city of Latakia, where residents said security forces had fired in the air.Speaking in public for the first time since the start of the unprecedented demonstrations, inspired by uprisings across the Arab world,...

share: digg facebook twitter The designation could expose Mexican traffickers and U.S. gun runners to charges of supporting terrorism.

DAMASCUS, Syria - Syria's president dashed expectations that he would announce sweeping reforms and instead took a tough line, blaming two weeks of popular fury on a foreign conspiracy.

Teheran, March 28 (KCNA) -- A number of Iranian lawmakers on Mar. 26 criticized the United Nations Human Rights Council for adopting an anti-Iran resolution.

Nabil El-Arabi, Egypt's new Foreign Minister is reaching out to Iran. El-Arabi held press conference in which he stated, "Iran is a neighboring country and we have a long historical relationship with her. We opened a new page with all countries including Iran," he said.

Asian stocks advanced, helping the region’s benchmark index erase its losses since Japan’s record earthquake, and oil was set for a third quarterly gain amid signs that the global economy is recovering. The yen rose for the first time in six days against the dollar.

Pyongyang, March 30 (KCNA) -- The 4th International Martial Arts Games took place in Estonia in February.

Tehran's popular soccer squad Esteqlal has claimed a decisive 1-0 victory over archrival Persepolis in the capital's 70th soccer derby in the 28th week of Iran Premier League (IPL).

(RTTNews) - The Argentine government has reaffirmed its commitment to investigate the two terrorist bombings against Israeli targets in Buenos Aires in the 1990s, Israeli media reports quoted officials as saying on Wednesday.

While facing UAE is by no means an easy task for India on the road to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, coach Bob Houghton preferred to look on the brighter side of things and hinted that facing the 11 th ranked nation was a better prospect than coming up...

If the supreme court says innocence is no reason to commute, is it any wonder the US is one of the world's leading executioners? On 28 March, the US supreme court refused to hear the death penalty case of Troy Anthony Davis. It was his last appeal. Davis has been...

MANAMA, Bahrain - Bahrain's Shiite opposition head Ali Salman on Wednesday warned Iran and Saudi Arabia against using his country as a "battlefield" in a proxy war.

Kuwait City, Mar 30 (AFP) Kuwait has recalled its ambassador from Tehran a day after a court condemned to death three people it convicted of spying for Iran, Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Sabah was quoted as saying today.

Washington (UPI) Mar 29, 2011 Overlooked in the welter of fast moving events throughout the Arab world was a Saudi Arabian call for transforming the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council into "an entity identical to the (27-nation) European Union" - plus nuclear weapons. Saudi Arabia has grown impatient "Waiting for Godot.

Sanaa, Yemen (UPI) Mar 29, 2011 Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh seems to be hanging on to power by his fingernails amid ever-growing pressure to step down after ruling for 32 years. His army has splintered and his longtime tribal allies are deserting him, leaving him dangerously exposed as violence...

Bulgaria has organized a cultural ceremony as an effort to introduce the Persian New Year (Nowruz) festivities in the capital city of Sofia.

By M. Bakri Musa [In the first three parts I asserted that for Malaysia to achieve her Vision 2020 goals, both her leaders and citizens must have free minds. Those cooped under their coconut shells are unlikely to achieve greatness. To topple that shell we must first be dissatisfied with...

Bashar Assad's much- awaited TV address to his nation yesterday must put to bed notions that the Syrian despot is a "reformer" in waiting. But now that he has officially entered Khadafy Land, will Washington finally drop its decades-long love affair with Syria's first family? For days, Assad...

Eclectic guests at London gala to honour Gorbachev

The only person who has spoken with clarity about the endgame in Libya is the mother of Eman al-Obeidi. Obeidi is the brave Libyan law student who burst into a Tripoli hotel to tell Western journalists she'd been gang-raped by government goons; she was promptly dragged screaming out of the...

A host of stars from the world of politics, music and film gathered to celebrate former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's 80th birthday at a charity gala event in London on Wednesday.

I can understand why we want to get rid of the crazy man in Libya. Nobody can agree on how to spell his name. Not The New York Times. Not The Washington Post. Not The Boston Globe. It would be so much easier if they had a John Adams in...

TEHRAN, March 30 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi announced Wednesday the Islamic Republic is planning to promote relations with regional and Islamic countries as well as the European Union (EU) members states in the new Iranian calendar year started on March 21.

KUWAIT CITY, Mar 30, 2011 (AFP) - A Shiite MP filed a petition Wednesday to question Kuwait's foreign minister for failing to take steps to prevent Bahraini state television from broadcasting "insults" against his country.

The Foreign Ministry is considering cancelling an upcoming visit by the Argentinean foreign minister over a report that Argentina offered Iran to 'forget' the 1992 and 1994 bombings of an Israeli embassy and a Jewish community center in exchange for improved trade ties.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said Wednesday that the Islamic Republic welcomes resumption of diplomatic ties with Egypt, the official IRNA news agency reported.

KUALA LUMPUR: The AFC headquarters were filled with groans after Malaysia were handed a possible showdown against arch-rivals Singapore in the second round of 2014 World Cup Asian qualifying when the draw was made yesterday.

Israel's Foreign Ministry on Sunday accused Iran and Hezbollah of assisting Syrian forces in the violent crackdown on anti-government protesters, Army Radio reported.

Member nations agreed to share responsibility for the regional problem

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast strongly dismissed charges of an Iranian spy cell operation in Kuwait, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Wednesday.

An ancient vegetable is finding legions of new fans as cooks rediscover the joy of peas. Most of us grew up with frozen, canned, or dried split peas. Shelling peas by hand, it seemed, was just too much work.

A week after Comodo revealed that one of its registration authorities was compromised and digital certificates were stolen, it discloses that another reseller was compromised.

Female factory workers in England dare to strike for equal pay in 1968 in the light drama "Made in Dagenham," one of a bunch of DVDs new in stores.

The Olyroos have drawn Yemen in the second round of the Asian qualifiers for the London Olympics.

The Associated Press The Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina An Israeli official said Wednesday that Argentina's foreign minister offered assurance his government is committed to investigating two terrorist bombings against Jews in this South American nation in the 1990s. Earlier this week, the Israeli government asked Argentina to address the...

The lesson of Libya is that America should not be afraid to lead, President Barack Obama said during a speech at the National Defense University Monday.

Oil rose, heading for a third quarterly gain in New York, as concern the Libyan conflict will prolong production cuts countered signs of rising supplies in the U.S., the world’s largest crude consumer.

Libya has the potential to radically improve America's image in the Muslim world. It could also be Obama's undoing

Best Music 1. National Symphony Orchestra: Maestro Ivan Fischer returns to conduct the overture from Rossini's "La gazza ladra" ("The Thieving Magpie"), Schumann's Symphony No. 3 ("Rhenish") and Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1 performed by Hungarian Jozsef Lendvay Jr., winner of multiple awards. Where: Kennedy Center Concert Hall When:...

Iron-fisted rule stands in stark contrast to the promise of democracy he voiced when ascending to power

There's a new billboard in Hampton Roads that blasts Maersk for doing business in Iran despite U.S. sanctions against the terrorist-backed country.

Monday night, in a speech to the nation, President Obama explained why he authorized the U.S military to support a United Nations-sanctioned no-fly zone over Libya.

The Toronto stock market registered a solid advance Wednesday as investors brushed aside unrest in the Middle East and a nuclear crisis in Japan and looked to positive jobs data and major news on the merger and acquisition front.

Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, repeatedly blamed international plots and conspiracies for public discontent, in his speech to the country’s puppet parliament on Wednesday. If there is any plot influencing Syrian politics, it is the highly probable pressure against reform coming from the rulers of Iran, who subsidize the...

LONDON—A host of stars from the world of politics, music and film gathered to celebrate former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's 80th birthday at a charity gala event in London on Wednesday.

Unfettered access to new media, which has been restricted by some states including China and Iran, should be a human right, Amnesty International secretary general Salil Shetty said Wednesday.

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has found another former president of the United Nations General Assembly to represent him at the world body.

ESTABLISHED TIES: External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna greets Bahrain Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The world?s eyes have been focused on Egypt?s dramatic revolution. Yet incredibly, the media, government intelligence agencies, and experts haven?t answered a simple question: Who made the revolution and what were their motives and aims?

Syria is one of Israel's strongest enemies, but it has been predictable and relatively stable. As popular unrest threatens to topple another Arab neighbor, Israel finds itself again quietly rooting for the survival of an autocratic yet predictable regime, rather than face an untested new government in its place.

The Associated Press The Associated Press HANOI, Vietnam A human rights group is urging Washington to put Vietnam back on a list of the world's worst abusers of religious freedoms for allegedly clamping down on minority Christian groups and forcing them to renounce their faith. In a report released Thursday,...

STANFORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Finance services industry leader and public servant Herb Allison will be the alumni speaker at the 2011 graduation ceremony of the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

KUALA LUMPUR : Malaysia will face Lebanon in the second round of the 2012 London Olympics qualifying, while the national senior football team play Taiwan in the first round of the 2014 World Cup qualifier.

Though Liberal Bryon Wilfert has held the riding through five elections, the Conservatives have targeted Richmond Hill for its “ethnic” voters.

We had a forest fire a few months ago in the Carmel and I knew I could rely on JNF to shoulder its part of the burden, and I'm glad that you raised I think about ten million dollars, is that right? Congratulations, Mazal Tov, for the great project ...

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says it will inspect direct flights from Tokyo to Tehran to prevent any possible transfer of radioactive substances.

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration sharply criticized Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for failing Wednesday to address any of the reforms demanded by anti-government protesters, saying his widely anticipated address to the Syrian parliament lacked substance and would not satisfy calls for change or ease unrest.

Syria's president dashed expectations that he would announce sweeping reforms Wednesday and instead took a tough line, blaming two weeks of popular fury on a…

Back in early February, we wondered about the role that oil played in Mubarak's downfall. Of course, the citizens themselves who took to the streets deserve all the credit they've been given. But what of the underlying economic conditions that set the stage for revolution? The fingerprints of peak oil...

The president ruled out regime change in Libya in his address to the nation this week. But if we are now going to arm the opposition, what other objective could we have other than toppling Gaddafi?

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission visited the United Arab Emirates from February 27 to March 7, to hold discussions for the United Arab Emirates’ 2011 Article IV consultation.

Following in the footsteps of his predecessors, President Obama tries once again to raise alarm over the nation’s glaring vulnerability to foreign oil.

We maintain a Neutral rating on Core Laboratories on a host of factors.

President Bashar al-Assad defied calls yesterday to lift a decades-old emergency law and said Syria was the target of a foreign conspiracy to stir up protests in which more than 60 people have been killed.

Kuwait has recalled its ambassador from Tehran a day after a court condemned to death three people it convicted of spying for Iran, Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed al-Sabah was quoted as saying yesterday.

MLB, Budweiser looking to go deep for troops

AFP/Manama Bahrain’s Shia opposition head Ali Salman yesterday warned Iran and Saudi Arabia against using his country as a “battlefield” in a proxy war.

If the Western military intervention in Libya is really being driven by oil, maybe it's time to think again. History says regime change is never bullish for oil production in the Middle East and even less so for oil exports. Iran and Iraq, two of the larger producers in...

Iran has rejected a Kuwaiti official's claim that the Persian Gulf emirate has dismantled what he called an Iranian spy cell.

The hacker who claimed credit for breaking into systems belonging to digital certificate vendor Comodo said he has compromised another certificate authority, along with two more Comodo partners, a move that could further undermine trust in the system used to secure websites on the Internet.

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A couple of pretty solid indicators suggest crude will climb to $120 by the third quarter, writes Daniel Dicker

A week after Comodo revealed that one of its registration authorities was compromised and digital certificates stolen, it discloses that two more resellers were compromised.

No dogs (or music) allowed

TORONTO - The Canadian dollar closed higher against the greenback Wednesday despite a dip in oil prices.

WASHINGTON (BP)--Iran's official Fars news agency reports that the Iranian Foreign Ministry "strongly condemned the recent insult to the Muslims' holy book in the US state of Florida, and warned that Washington attempts to spread Islamophobia in the world."

Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Al-Arabi said Wednesday that his country plans to turn over a new leaf in its relations with all countries and political parties, including Iran and the Iranian-funded Lebanese terrorist group Hizbullah.

Tensions over Middle East policy are increasing, despite Barack Obama's recent visit to Latin America.

The White House today announced that the United States will be undergoing an eye examination within the next 30 days. Questions over the state of the country's eyesight arose immediately after President Obama, in his speech last week at the National Defense University, said that "Some nations may be...

Business leaders are warning that world oil prices could shoot up to as much as US$250 a barrel if the deadly violence in North Africa and the Middle East cannot be curtailed.

MNA- Esteghlal football team defeated Persepolis in the 70th Tehran derby on Wednesday. Esteghlal beat its archrival Persepolis 1-0 in the Iran’s Professional League (IPL) in front of about 65000 fans at the Azadi Stadium. Arash Borhani’s headed the ball into the back of the net in the 43rd minute.

Japan's Under-22s will play Kuwait in the second round of Asian qualifying for the men's soccer tournament of the 2012 London Olympics, according to the…

The disparity between planned power plants and plants under construction raises the question of how many of these proposed plants will actually be built.

Comments may be taken down at the discretion of the editors. The comments posted do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Baltimore Jewish Times and its staff.

JERUSALEM - Israel's prime minister, who has long had rocky relations with the news media, took his message straight to the public Wednesday on YouTube, fielding questions in a live interview from users in 90 countries, including Arab nations that have no relations with the Jewish state.

Syrian President Bashar Assad blamed "conspirators" Wednesday for an extraordinary wave of dissent against his authoritarian rule, but he failed to lift the country's despised emergency law or offer any concessions in his first speech since the protests began nearly two weeks ago.

Israeli advocates in the US dictate to the American government which freedom movements in the world to support and which ones to ignore, says a political analyst.

Duo of books on kosher and classic cooking of Iran lets Persian fare perfume any dinner table.

The Stanford Graduate School of Business has confirmed finance services industry leader and public servant Herb Allison as alumni speaker at its 2011 graduation ceremony on June 11. As the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability and Counselor to the Secretary of the Treasury, Allison supervised the $700 billion...

Follow Israel news on and . "The freeze [on Jewish building in Judea and Samaria] was a mistake," Minister Moshe Yaalon told Israel LIVE in a candid interview on Tuesday. "We will work to continue building Judea and Samaria and approve plans."

BAGHDAD [MENL] -- Iraq's intelligence community has increased monitoring of suspected agents of Iran. Copyrights 2008, Middle East Newsline. All rights reserved.

Although there were no executions in Thailand last year, at least seven death sentences were imposed, bringing the number of people on death row to 708, Amnesty International stated in its 2010 annual glob?al report on death sentences and executions.

>MOSCOW (Reuters) - By contradicting Vladimir Putin in public less than a year before Russia's presidential election Dmitry Medvedev may have taken the biggest gamble of his career. President Medvedev appeared to challenge Prime Minister Putin's dominance last week when he said his mentor's criticism of a U.N. move...

A US federal appeals court has sided with Iran in a long-running legal battle over whether Persian artifacts in Chicago museums can be seized as compensation for victims of a terror attack in Israel.

DUBAI — The conflict in Libya has swept small but wealthy Qatar into the diplomatic and military spotlight in the absence of traditional Arab heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Egypt, analysts said on Wednesday.

>LONDON (Reuters) - Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Wednesday a new era was sweeping the Middle East and it was up to its leaders to embrace change or risk being cast away. He dismissed allegations by many Arab autocrats that an unprecedented wave of uprisings that toppled leaders...

>"We believe that U.S. engagement in the Human Rights Council has directly resulted in real progress," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement announcing the decision to seek a new term.Despite opposition by some pro-Israel groups, the Obama administration took the United States into the council...

The fundamental stimulus of the attack on Libya is greed, not the protection of the Libyan people. In fact, the people of Libya have suffered more during this bombardment by Western powers and their allies than during the entire 41...