News Archive - 7 August 2011

> * Iraq to receive bids late January * Firms have deals with KRG excluded (Adds details, background, byline) By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Iraq has qualified 41 companies to participate in its 4th energy bidding round, which is scheduled to take place in late January, Abdul-Mahdy...

> * Rev Guards chief says is right that military body fights on "economic fronts" * Guards and affiliates under sanctions; some criticise Corps' growing clout TEHRAN, Aug 7 (Reuters) - An engineering conglomerate belonging to the Revolutionary Guards, Iran's elite military force, should further expand its role in the...

>BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's fiercely anti-U.S. cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has warned that U.S. military trainers will be targets if they stay in the country beyond a year-end deadline for American troops to leave. The statement from Sadr, whose Mehdi Army militia fought U.S. troops until 2008, follows...

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The rupee fell to its lowest in nearly six weeks on Monday after an equities selloff following a U.S. rating downgrade ignited concerns about foreign fund outflows.

The Israeli military is plotting to wage a major cyber war against Iran by setting up a military cyber command, fearing that military action against Iranian nuclear sites will end in failure.

Special US commandos are deployed in about 75 countries around the world - and that number is expected to grow.

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has demanded an end to the bloodshed in Syria and recalled his country's ambassador from Damascus.

Prominent Iranian woman filmmaker Pouran Derakhshandeh's selected movies are slated to be reviewed at the 2011 Busan International kid's Film Festival (BIKi) in South Korea.

At least two people have been killed in a violent militant attack in Pakistan's troubled southwestern Balochistan Province.

AUG 8 — A Bernama statement on how the Internet has become the Malaysian political battlefield has set cyberspace ablaze with much indignation and fury. Among the concerns highlighted include: * difficulties in censoring the  flow of information * poor handling of problems associated with the Internet * how the...

(MENAFN - Arab News) The execution last week "of the GCC's first ever Islamic equivalent of the conventional repo (repurchase contract) product" is potentially an important development in the ...

Authorities in southern Iran have arrested 17 boys and girls who took part in a water pistol fight at a seaside park. They could face charges of publicly committing “haram” – a forbidden act – after they splashed water on each other in the city of Bandar Abbas.

After a July 31 hearing, Iranian authorities will announce their verdict for the two American hikers they have charged with espionage by Aug. 7.

The Philippine Dragon Boat team (the Dragon Warriors) dominated the 10th International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) World Dragon Boat Championships in Tampa Bay, Florida, United States. The Philippine Dragon Boat team members The Noypi paddlers earned a medal in every event they joined in the competition, bagging a total of...

Supported by an authoritative panel, the 6th Middle East CemenTrade takes stock of the current and future cement landscape. Over 1.5 days, leading cement industry experts will present the latest trends in pricing, capacity and supply/demand outlook. They will share insights on how to capitalize on growth markets and...

Baghdad (AFP) Aug 7, 2011 Iraqis on Sunday expressed anger at the release of the ringleader of US guards who abused detainees at Abu Ghraib prison, and said US troops should not be granted further immunity from Iraqi prosecution. Charles Graner, 42, was on Saturday freed on parole from the...

An aerial view taken from a helicopter from Japan's Self-Defence Force shows steam rising from the No. 3 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex in this handout taken March 16, 2011 and released March 17, 2011.

Iran's Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi says Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters, which belongs to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), should replace major foreign firms.

OJSC “KAMAZ” presented its motor-vehicles with gas engines and gas equipment in the Ural International Exhibition “Innoprom-2011,” which opened today in Yekaterinburg. Told a BakuToday According to the press service of the automobile.

Minn. Congresswoman charms SL crowd with a 'common sense' platform that she says will fix economy.

Being dropped into a former Soviet country with minimal knowledge of the language, culture and what might lie in wait would be a scary prospect for many.

Tehran, August 6 (KCNA) -- Recently the West is busy opening Persian satellite channels. In this regard the Iranian minister of Culture on August 2 said this is aimed at fostering the Western lifestyle in Iran, degrading young people and implanting its ideology into people's minds.

Pyongyang, August 7 (KCNA) -- Syria's oil output and gas production during the first half of 2011 have been estimated at 70.092 million barrels and 5.158 billion cubic meters.

While SMART Gilas beat Jones Cup champ Iran and the Philippine Dragon Boat Team won 3 world gold medals, a young boxer from Zamboanga bagged the country’s first gold medal at the World Junior Boxing Championships. Another great story for Philippine Sports last weekend is Eumir Felix Marcial‘s triumph at...

Australia's High Court is to rule on a controversial migrant swap deal with Malaysia aimed at reducing the flow of asylum seekers.

Check out our favourite photos from around the world taken last week.

As a major assault is launched on Dair Alzour, Saudi Arabia joins other Arab countries in condemning the violence overall and announces it is withdrawing its ambassador to Damascus. Syrian forces targeting areas that are in open revolt against the government launched a major assault on an agricultural hub near...

WASHINGTON (AP) — They have a deal. President Barack Obama and congressional leaders have reached a deal to avoid the nation's first-ever financial default. World markets reacted with a sign of relief upon hearing the news, and instantly rose.

The whole raiding of Methodist Church is NOT about religion, its not about Islam, its not about Christians or Churches. Its not even about real politics. Its fundamentally about people that don't care about real issues of Malaysian in general. These are people more concern about being right about what...

DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar have ended Milovan Rajevac's five-month spell in charge and replaced him with former Brazil boss Sebastiao Lazaroni, despite the Serbian helping the team advance to the next round of World Cup qualifiers.

by R. Nadeswaran The Sun Posted 7 August 2011 – 07:43pm READERS will remember that in the past, this columnist had refused to touch on race, religion and politics. Today, an intrepid step is being taken to address an issue which has tarnished the name of the country. The actions...

THE distilled experience of a society is produced by a society’s artists. Through their work can we initiate a debate about the identity of a society, its roots and history and future.

source: Joey Villar | philstar.com UPDATE: Smart Gilas PHL vs. Jordan NT (CLICK HERE) CHINESE TAIPEI – Smart Gilas Pilipinas overpowered Chinese Taipei, 90-78, amid spotty officiating to remain unscathed in the William Jones Cup at the Hsinchuang Stadium in New Taipei City here. Cheered on by a small...

Turkey’s generals resign en masse—and make the country’s strongman even stronger.

Persepolis has suffered its first defeat in the 11th edition of Iran's Premier League (IPL) against Shahin in the second week of the league.

Speaker of the Qatari Advisory Council says Iran can play an important role to improve the relations of the regional countries.

Iran's youth volleyball team has defeated Spain in the second round in the 2011 FIVB Men's Junior World Championship in Brazil.

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/7b81b7/defense_and_securi) has announced the addition of the "Defense and Security in Japan" report to their offering. This report on Defense and Security in Japan is a complete profile of this growing competitive industry in Japan that is incorporating many changes in the recent ...

Friday saw a 23 year old man become the latest Thai citizen to be arrested on lese majeste charges, defaming the country’s monarchy, following entries to his blog while he was a student at Kasetsart University in Bangkok. The identity of the man has been withheld, all that is known...

Earlier on Sunday, the Arab League, in a rare response to the escalating bloodshed in Syria, called on authorities there to stop acts of violence against civilians.

AUG 8 — If Britain’s new High Commissioner to Singapore is not the United Kingdom’s youngest head of mission, he could certainly make a valid claim to be the most experienced politically. Antony Phillipson is unfeasibly young at just 40. And behind the public face of this mild-mannered diplomat, there...

Iranian freestyle wrestlers have won nine medals to claim the title of the 2011 Asian Junior Wrestling Championship in Thailand.

OGDEN -- The United States took gold in all three team events and American archers grabbed gold in four-of-five events during Saturday's Archery World Cup finale at Lindquist Field. Team USA netted 10 medals -- including seven golds -- throughout the final World Cup leading up to the 2012 Olympic...

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian tanks pounded the city of Deir al-Zor in the country's Sunni tribal heartland for a second day on Monday and the escalating violence in the country prompted a strong condemnation of President Bashar al-Assad by the Saudi king.

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah demanded an end to the bloodshed in Syria on Monday and recalled his country's ambassador from Damascus, in a rare case of one of the Arab world's most powerful leaders intervening against another.

Is there a fatal connection between the initial letter "B" and places torn apart by struggles for power between different religious communities? I started as a journalist in Belfast in the early 1970s when the city was convulsed by sectarian warfare between Catholics and Protestants. In later years, I moved...

Sibonga, Cebu Marco Singwangcha did not waste time demonstrating who was the superior fighter as he backed up veteran Nelson Llanos in the open ...

The issue of the death penalty is the subject of around  40 epetitions on the UK Government’s new website,  and is being supported by at least one national newspaper.  If petitions gain more than 100,000 signatures the topic could be debated in the House of Commons. So far, however,...

SHASTA COUNTY A pedestrian was killed just off Knighton Road in Redding. No word yet on the identity of the victim or the whereabouts on the suspect. Our news crew is still on the scene gathering facts, so make sure to check in on this page later for more information.

Hezbollah has denied reports that its members were involved in the killing of Syrian soldiers who had deserted the regime, the party said in a statement Sunday.

National Day greetings HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani has sent a cable of congratulations to the president of Ivory Coast on his country’s National Day.

Al Jazeera has correspondents based in four broadcast centres and bureaux around the world.

IRANIAN police arrested 17 boys and girls over a water fight at a park in the Islamic republic's south.

Al Jazeera has correspondents based in four broadcast centres and bureaux around the world.

A boy waits to be seen by a doctor at a hospital in Santiago on June 18, 2009. Chile has confirmed a fourth death from the H1N1 or swine flu virus. Swine flu has now been reported in 100 countries and territories.

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- A Kurdish rebel group claimed to have killed more than 300 Iranian soldiers in July 2011. The Free Life Party of Kurdistan has reported heavy battles with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps over the last month in Iraq's autonomous area of Kurdistan.

Foreign investors are questioning the over 30% export growth figures that India has reported for the past eight months even when its biggest export markets were battling fears of recession.

As we hurriedly walk in the scorching San Antonio, Texas, heat to the Scottish Rite Auditorium, my thoughts go back to a much cooler day about 50 years ago when I became an American citizen.

2,000 athletes from 17 countries competed in the races. The 10th annual event was held in the United States for only the second time.

A conference focusing on inter-religious dialogue between Christians and Muslims with workshops on ways to foster mutual understanding and enrich knowledge of the Catholic and Muslim faith traditions is taking place in Pacet, Indonesia from August 7-17, 2011 with attendees from 32 countries. The theme is 'Put Out into the...

True tales from Morgan Spurlock, Jonathan Demme and Werner Herzog are on tap for Toronto Film Fest.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has hailed the wave of Islamic Awakening in the Middle East and North Africa.

MASTERWORDSMITH A Bernama statement on how the Internet has become the Malaysian political battlefield has set cyberspace ablaze with much indignation and fury. Among the concerns highlighted include: difficulties in censoring the flow of information poor handling of problems associated with the Internet how the tight government control over MSM...

The hope of a verdict in a week is apparently dashed.

BakuToday published number of comments Azerbaijani historian Jamil Hasanli on the history of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Commodities news from around the world.

The following is by Karen Starich , who uses astrology to forecast events in the markets. Her unique insights will provide an alternative view to the markets with a focus on the precious metals sector.

The Associated Press ___ SYRIA Syrian forces intensify their crackdown on an eastern city as they try to keep an anti-government uprising from escalating during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The assault and similar operations in at least two other towns kill at least 52 people. The worst violence...

Twenty Iranian universities have announced that in the coming academic year, 40 departments will begin accepting only one gender of student. Gender separation in university appears to be underway in Iranian universities despite criticism from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

MASTERWORDSMITH A Bernama statement on how the Internet has become the Malaysian political battlefield has set cyberspace ablaze with much indignation and fury. Among the concerns highlighted include: difficulties in censoring the flow of information poor handling of problems associated with the Internet how the tight government control over MSM...

Saturday Oct 08 -- Before Sam, the son of Neriman and hero of heroes in Iran, could rejoice in the birth of his son Zaal, he noticed that the little boy, who was as handsome as the sun, had white hair! No one dared say to Sam that his beautiful...

Arshin Adib-Moghaddam: There is no evidence that Iran is building a nuclear weapon. No IAEA report, not even national intelligence agencies hostile to the Iranian state such as the CIA and the Mossad in Israel have provided any evidence to that end. So the nuclear weapons allegation is a political...

Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi has urged his son to refrain from leaving the country, assuring him that the "harsh and difficult times" will come to an end. Hossein Karroubi, the son of the detained opposition leader, has published his father's letter on his Facebook page.

As Republicans and Democrats bickered over the US “debt deal”, investors dumped the dollar across the board over concerns that the impasse would continue and the US government would be forced to default on some of its debt service commitments. Mercifully, an agreement arrived at the eleventh hour to raise...

One of India’s principal challenges in east Asia is that New Delhi’s strategy can only be effective if it builds sustainable geoeconomic relationships with countries with whom it shares geopolitical interests.

Fund outflows owing to weak performance of equity markets may see the rupee depreciate in the near term, but other factors like high interest rates and easing crude oil prices will support it in the medium term.

Crude oil prices drop sharply amid rising worries about global economy. West Texas Intermediate crude oil falls to $84.93.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vermont Independent, has declared that President Barack Obama has drifted “so far to the right” he thinks a primary challenger should emerge just to keep the commander-in-chief accountable to the left.

Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi says the Islamic Republic plans to donate USD 25 million to the famine-stricken people of Somalia.

TEHRAN, Aug. 6 (MNA) -- Seven international investors have announced they are ready to participate in the Islamic pipeline project, which would transit Iranian natural gas to Iraq, Syria, and Europe, the Iranian deputy oil minister said here on Thursday.

Three policemen were gunned down in Pakistan's troubled southwestern province of Baluchistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, officials said Sunday.

A North Atlantic Treaty Organization CH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down in an eastern province of Afghanistan, killing 30 U.S. special operations forces, seven Afghan commandos and a civilian interpreter.

Managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) Ahmad Qalebani says Iran will soon issue bonds worth nearly five billion dollars to finance development of joint gas fields.

Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi says foreign forces cannot provide security for the Middle East and only complicate the regional crises.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has presented to Majlis (parliament) the Ashgabat five-party agreement on the construction of a regional transit corridor.

Iran's Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar says the Islamic Republic views expanding relations with African countries as a fundamental strategy.

Two former lawmakers from Bahrain's Shiite opposition were freed from jail Sunday along with several other detainees who were arrested in the wake of widespread anti-government protests.

BEIRUT, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad faces growing isolation as the bloodshed from his crackdown on demonstrators seeking his overthrow begins to alienate even sympathetic Arab neighbours.

TEHRAN, Aug. 7 (MNA) -- The recent massive demonstrations in occupied Palestine are regarded as a public protest against the economic situation and unemployment in Israel.

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Whether the Arab Spring will usher in credible democracies across the Arab world or not remains uncertain. But while the dust has not yet settled after months of turmoil in Tunis, Cairo and elsewhere, the Arab revolts have already had a massive impact on the strategic structure of the Middle...

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said again on Sunday he hopes the case of two Americans held in Iran on espionage charges for two years will soon be closed, the ISNA news agency reported.

Betto Arcos, host of the KPFK world music program, returns with a playlist of Los Angeles musicians who have caught his ear.

Evil hackers with state-of-the-art computers gain remote control of a power plant and blow it up, killing many people and threatening more mayhem if a huge ransom is not paid.

JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday promised change as he tried to ease growing anger over the cost of living after an unprecedented number of Israelis took part in nationwide protests.

The attorney representing three American hikers accused of being spies in Iran said Sunday that he was still awaiting word about his clients' fate. ...

The Associated Press The Associated Press TEHRAN, Iran Iran's new oil minister says the country's powerful Revolutionary Guard's economic conglomerate should replace foreign oil and gas companies. Rostam Qasemi told the official IRNA news agency that the economic conglomerate, Khatam-ol-Anbia, should be improved. He didn't elaborate. Qasemi was the chief...

TEHRAN, Aug. 7 (MNA) – Foreign conspiracy is the root cause of the recent turmoil that has engulfed Syria, Syrian Ambassador to Tehran Hamed Hassan told the Iran newspaper in interview published on Sunday.

TEHRAN, Aug. 7 (MNA) – The largest ever drug seizure in the history of the Islamic Revolution was made late on Saturday, a provincial police chief announced on Sunday.