News Archive - 20 April 2011

Forces deploy in Syria's Homs city, residents defiant

>AMMAN (Reuters) - Plain clothes security forces toting Ak-47s deployed in Homs overnight, a witness said on Thursday, as the central Syrian city defied a crackdown following the killing of 21 pro-democracy protesters this week. Residents, expecting more attacks from gunmen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad known as "al-shabbiha," have...

UPDATE 1-Attacks on media intense in Middle East unrest

> * Twitter, Facebook seen as helping to thwart censorship (Adds Committee to Protect Journalists, paragraphs 3-4) By Michelle Nichols NEW YORK, April 20 (Reuters) - Journalists have been suppressed in popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa in more than 500 attacks, some of them deadly, according...

Factbox: Gold milestones on the road to record high

>Following are key dates in gold's trading history since the early 1970s:* August 1971 - U.S. President Richard Nixon takes the dollar off the gold standard, which had been in place with minor modifications since the Bretton Woods Agreement of 1944 fixed the conversion rate for one Troy ounce...

Letter to the Editor: Guest opinion misguided

There are so many problems with Geoffrey Wildanger's guest opinion that I don't know where to begin. The most alarming is referring to a diplomat as a "propagandist" and a "professional shill" just because he happens to be Israeli.

Gov't to Deliver Half Million Low Cost Houses

An estimated 104 trillion rials ($10.4 billion) have so far been invested in preparing the land and constructing low-cost housing units for the underprivileged, INN.ir reported.

Iran: IsDB to Lend to 2 Firms

Behrouz Alishiri said Behshahr Industrial Development Company and Barez Tire and Rubber Manufacturing Company would each receive $35 million in loans, IRNA reported.

Beirut thanks Tehran for airlifting Lebanese out of Ivory Coast

TEHRAN -- Lebanese Foreign Minister Ali al-Shami has sent a letter to his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi, thanking Iran for airlifting Lebanese nationals out of the crisis-hit Ivory Coast.

Petrochem Industry Needs Massive Investments

Petrochemical production capacity is expected to increase by 64 million tons over 5 years through 2015 but requires investments worth $49 billion, the Managing Director of the National Petrochemical Company National Petrochemical Company (NPC) (NPC) Abdulhussein Bayat said.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rebuffs Ahmadinejad on official's dismissal

Tehran, Apr. 21 : Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reportedly rebuffed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s dismissal of Intelligence Minister, Hedar Moslehi.

OPEC Stabilizing Int'l Oil Market

Iran's representative to OPEC, Mohammad Ali Khatibi, says the organization plays a key role in the international oil market.

Majlis committee urges quick UNHRC action on Bahrain, Libya, Yemen

TEHRAN - MP Mohammad Karamirad of the Majlis Human Rights Committee has said that Iran expects the United Nations Human Rights Council to call an emergency session to examine the violation of protesters' rights in the crisis-hit Middle eastern and North African countries.

Dana Gas expects to win arbitration over Iran gas

Dana Gas Dana Gas is expected to win an arbitration ruling asking Iran to start pumping natural gas into its facilities in Sharjah after a delay of nearly 10 years because of a row on pricing, its chief was reported on Wednesday as saying.

Abducted Iranian engineers freed in Afghanistan

TEHRAN, IRAN : Iran's Foreign Minsitry on Wednesday announced that the eleven remaining engineers who were abducted in Afghanistan were freed, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Chris Weigant: Reviewing America's Wars (Part 1)

Since the mainstream media has, abdicated all responsibility for reporting the news, I thought today would be a good day to review the current status of America's wars.

Coalition Of The Cautious

For weeks leading up to the imposition of the no-fly zone in Libya, the Obama Administration dithered over when, how or if to act. Some urged forceful action to capitalize on the spreading protests in Arab nations against tyrannical dictators while others warned against the perils of involving U.S.

Thugs vs. thug

People across Tehran are asking: Where is "Allah's Spook"? Half jest, the question refers to Aya tollah Heidar Moslehi -- Iran's Minister of Intelligence and Security and thus head of VAVAK, the most vicious secret police in the Middle East. On Sunday, the official news agency Irna announced...

UN calls on countries to implement resolution aimed at nuclear, chemical, biological terrorism

The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday urged countries around the world to implement a U.N. resolution aimed at keeping nuclear, chemical and biological weapons out of the hands of terrorists.

We’re not a dirty team, says Gilas coach

source: Rey Joble | gmanews.tv It took several minutes before Pilipinas-Smart Gilas coach Rajko Toroman entered the PBA Press Room. Even with his team winning 100-88 over Barangay Ginebra in Game 3 of the best-of-five semifinals series to stay alive, Toroman came out of the dugout and assumed a...

UN steps up campaign against nuclear terrorism

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday urged countries around the world to implement a U.N. resolution aimed at keeping nuclear, chemical and biological weapons out of the hands of terrorists.

IPU calls for political reform in Mideast and North Africa

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has called on countries in the Middle East and North Africa to step up political reform, IPU Secretary General Anders B. Johnsson said Wednesday.

Dictators' Wives: A Look At The Women Behind Gaddafi, Mubarak, Assad And Others

United Nations sources claim Britain and France are hoping to slap Muammar Gaddafi's second wife with sanctions that would prevent her from using her multi-billion-dollar fortune to bolster her husband's regime. As the Evening Standard is reporting, officials fear Safiya Farkash will use her wealth to support her husband's...

Exclusive: Ecuador says OPEC sees $80-$90 oil as "adequate"

>LAGO AGRIO, Ecuador (Reuters) - OPEC sees oil prices between $80 to $90 as "adequate" and has no plans for an emergency meeting because the market is well supplied despite unrest in Libya, Ecuador's oil minister said on Wednesday. Oil Minister Wilson Pastor told Reuters in an interview that OPEC...

TECHNOLOGY-CYBERWARRIORS/ (FEATURE)

> * Private sector, anti-establishment causes both rivals * Could China, Russia "patriotic hackers" turn on masters? By Peter Apps, Political Risk Correspondent LONDON, April 20 (Reuters) - Cyberspace is likely to be a key battleground for states in the 21st century but recruiting those with the technical skills to...

Exclusive: Gaddafi dodges fuel sanctions via Tunisia

>LONDON (Reuters) - Muammar Gaddafi's government is circumventing international sanctions to import gasoline to western Libya by using intermediaries who transfer the fuel between ships in Tunisia. U.N. diplomats in New York said they suspected Gaddafi's attempts to import gasoline might constitute a violation of U.N. Security Council...

Governments struggle to recruit, keep "cyber warriors"

>LONDON (Reuters) - Cyberspace is likely to be a key battleground for states in the 21st century but recruiting those with the technical skills to fight there and retaining their loyalty will be a tough task. From hacking attacks aimed at information theft and commercial espionage to the Stuxnet computer...

Unprecedented attacks on media amid popular unrest

>NEW YORK (Reuters) - Journalists have been suppressed in popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa in more than 500 attacks, some of them deadly, according to a media rights watchdog. Mohamed Abdel Dayem, program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists in the Middle East and North...

Jeonbuk Hyundai, Melbourne Victory win in ACL

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Melbourne Victory revived its Asian Champions League campaign with a much-needed 2-1 victory over Tianjin Teda while Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors was virtually assured of making the knockout stage after beating Cerezo Osaka 1-0.

'No deviation in Iran nuclear program'

Iran's Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani says the Islamic Republic has never deviated from the peaceful nuclear path toward military objectives.

UN chief warns that extremists and armed groups could take advantage of Lebanon power vacuum

Extremists and armed groups could take advantage of the current power and security vacuum in Lebanon and create instability in the increasingly polarized Mideast country, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned in a report Wednesday.

Thousands protest in Syria, brushing off reforms

Thousands of students held demonstrations Wednesday against Syria's authoritarian regime, brushing off President Bashar Assad's sweeping declarations of reform as the country's growing protest movement vowed to stage the biggest rallies to date on Friday.

Iran Reports Significant Virus Damage

NICOSIA [MENL] -- Iran has reported significant damage from a computer worm that targeted nuclear facilities. Copyrights 2008, Middle East Newsline. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Greenwich Ballet Academy student Celia Volkwein, a Greenwich resident, following instructions from American Ballet Theater principal dancer Irina Dvorovenko.

News Briefs

UAE tells Iran to butt out; Baharin's king says stability first; GCC talks Yemen; Qatar iffy on democracy; Iran cagey on Egypt ties; more... UAE tells Iran to butt out; Baharin's king says stability first; GCC talks Yemen; Qatar iffy on democracy; Iran cagey on Egypt ties; more...

Africa: Assistant Secretary Carson At Senate Hearing On Africa

Testimony by Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Subcommittee on African Affairs on FY2012 Budget Request for U.S. Policies on Africa:

Branstad signs bill limiting investment in Iran

Associated Press - April 20, 2011 4:04 PM ET DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Gov. Terry Branstad has signed a bill into law requiring that the state treasurer, public retirement systems and the board...

Swing dance salute to veterans

Whether you served in World War II or you’ve only read about it in history books, everyone that attended the WWII Swing Dance at Sunnybrook Ballroom last weekend was transported right back to 1942.

PHL Embassy holds honors 1st Pinoys in Iran

Philippine officials in Iran are honoring this month the earliest Filipino workers who arrived in Iran in the early 1970s.

Middle East Online

BAGHDAD - Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Wednesday blasted a ban on public rallies in the Iraqi capital, saying it was "undemocratic" and based on fear of rising protests.

Rooftop detention protest worsens

MORE asylum seekers have taken to the roof of Sydney's Villawood Detention Centre, refugee advocates say, with up to 15 now protesting.

'MKO defectors offered suicide option'

A Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) defector says any member of the terrorist group who wishes to leave has no choice but to commit suicide with a cyanide pill.

This Day in History - April 20

Today is the 110th day of 2011. There are 255 days left in the year. 2009: Stephen Fray is arrested after attempting to hijack CanJet flight 918 at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, the previous day.

News Briefs

Iran's parliament is telling President Mahmoud Ahmadineajd to obey an order from the country's supreme leader to reinstate Iran's intelligence minister.

Uprisings in N. Africa, Mideast, responses to oppression, corruption: Onuf

TEHRAN, April 20 (MNA) – Nicholas Onuf says the recent events in North Africa and the Middle East are “readily explained as another chapter in the struggle for popular sovereignty that goes back to the American and French revolutions.”

'Obama liable for Bahraini war crimes'

The US, Western powers and human rights groups are silent on the crimes underway in Bahrain because of their own interests in the region rather than of true democracy.