News Archive - 13 August 2011

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has warned Israel and the US against launching a war on Iran, saying the Islamic Republic will give a regrettable response to any strike.

Sky Harbor weighs increase in cab, limo, shuttle fees

Alex Salmond really could learn a thing or two from Iran about chutzpah … • What was it Robbie Burns said about the gift to see ourselves as others see us? We already know that the Iranian authorities, with what might be called heroic chutzpah, have called for UN security...

One week after the new Iranian oil minister said no foreign contractors were needed, Iran told China on Saturday that it could take back control of a gas field being developed by its national oil company national oil company unless it speeds up investment.

"Bunny" (archival inkjet print, 2009) by N.C. artist Alice Sebrell. will be among the works on exhibit Aug. 21-Oct. 28 at the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University.

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed the hosts and schedules of six qualifying groups for the 2012 AFC U-19 Championship.

Post-Obama world strange, dangerous Dan Simmons's Flashback is an abundantly entertaining, often outrageous right-wing fantasy about a weak, broken United States 20-odd years from now. The country is ruled over by the Japanese, lives in fear of the Islamic Global Caliphate, and its citizens mostly spend their time stoned on...

Madrid - Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Euro-American Affairs Ali Ahani and Foreign Minister of Paraguay Jorge Lara Castro discussed major international, regional and bilateral issues.

With a string of impressive economic policies, Iran has ensured that it remains a major energy supplier, despite various restrictions imposed by the western international community.

The Southern Baptist Convention 2011 in session at Phoenix, Ariz. has declared that about 7 billion human beings, after having lived a life of sin and misery on earth, will spend eternity in hell because the Bible says that's what's in store for them. This unhappy conclusion is reached because...

Director of planning and development at National Petrochemical Company (NPC) has described the southeastern port of Chabahar as the new hub of Iran's petrochemical industry, saying the region is slated to produce 15 million tons of petrochemical products.

Computer hacking news has exploded to the point that practically every day there is a story about business or government systems being invaded. So what is driving this hacking revolution? Actually, TechMan sees it more as evolution driven by technology and new groups getting involved.

Funding figures that stretch back five decades show a drastic evolution in the University of Colorado's revenue stream, with state support shrinking and private donations growing -- narrowing the gap between the two categories.

Thanks to a couple of sisters from Pittsburgh and their grandmother, who had the good taste to buy the painting, "Antiques Roadshow" had its first big "eureka" moment here Saturday. An oil by American Rockwell Kent titled "The Land of Peace" was appraised by art expert Alan Fausel at $250,000.

Over 9.3 million tons of concentrated and granulated iron ore were mined in the country in the first four months of the current Iranian year (started March 21), showing an increase of 5.2 percent compared to the figure for the same period last year.

At Thursday's GOP presidential debate, Rick Santorum chided Iran for its lack of gay rights. Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania, gave unsolicited testimony in favor of gay rights while discussing conflicts in Iran.

Iranian university students plan to gather outside the British embassy in Tehran to protest against violent operations by the UK police and government on protesters in the recent unrest across England.

The second batch of humanitarian aid provided by Iran's Red Crescent Society has been distributed among famine-stricken Somali refugees.

State House GOP leaders targeted for ties to conservative group

Brian X. Chen's new book "Always On" looks at where the smartphone has taken us, and where we're likely to be lured in the future with 24/7 access to communication, images and information.

Faezeh Hashemi, the daughter of Expediency Council head Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, will be put on trial on Sunday August 14. - RadioZamaneh

The Rudaki Symphony Orchestra was shut down due to financial issues. No official comment has been made. - CHN

Although the Iranian government does not often admit the scope of the HIV/AIDS problem in Iran (it usually admits to about 21,000 cases), estimates are that the total number of Iranians infected with the deadly virus is between 60,000 and 100,000 individuals. - VOA

Seven Iranian computer game firms are participating in Gamescom 2011, a leading European game industry fair, which is currently underway in Cologne. - MehrNews

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has praised the reciters and memorizers of the Holy Qur'an, saying the Qur'an is the book of life.

The razor-thin margin is a clear victory for Congressman Paul.AMES, IOWA (PRWEB) August 13, 2011 News reports, as well as Ron Paul himself, indicated that the twelve-term Texas congressman was expected to do well in today’s straw poll in Ames. Today’s second-place finish – by a razor-thin margin against...

For once, Malaysia has reached the top 10 in a world ranking - as a country with some of the highest government-led restrictions on different religions.

AMES, Iowa -- Michele Bachmann is Rick Perry's main rival now in the battle to give Republicans a viable alternative to Mitt Romney. Tim Pawlenty's campaign is on life support.

Creative diversity and freedom convey soulful beauty in Islamic calligraphy.

The question is, when will NATO stop murdering Libyan children, when will NATO realise it made a monumental mistake in attacking Libya and siding with the "rebels" (most of whom are not even Libyan), when will NATO stop wasting hundreds of millions of dollars of its taxpayers' money on bombing...

AMERICA, having been reduced to bankruptcy and social disintegration by a messiah, is now in urgent need of a saviour. That is why the presidential election of 2012 is so impo

ANKARA, Turkey, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Turkish officials say an international intervention in Syria has not been ruled out, should Syrian government violence against its own citizens continue.

Why are leading generals and politicians supporting an Iranian militant group that could damage America’s reputation?

An American aid expert was kidnapped at gunpoint from his house in the Pakistani city of Lahore yesterday after gunmen stormed through the back door and overpowered his guards, police said.

It’s past time for nobler, smarter, more substantive politics. But that’s not what Republican hopefuls in Iowa presented.

While the Sri Lankan government is accused of deploying Israeli Gazafication model in Sinhalicising the occupied country of Eezham Tamils, Iran and Turkey are adopting the so-called Sri Lankan model of warfare against Kurdish people. In an article titled, Reminding the Kurdish nation of the case of Tamil, The Kurdish...

Senate Bill 5 may be at the head of the list of items that will have a big effect on Ohio's 2012 election, but it's far from the only factor, Thomas Suddes writes.

Iran’s government is basking in rare IMF praise as the first major oil exporter to axe energy and food subsidies, but gains for the sanctions-hit economy could be jeopardised by costly cash handouts and the risk of runaway inflation.

This week has turned out to be Wall Street's wildest week since 2008. The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 519 points on Tuesday, Aug. 10, but then went up 423.37 points. But overall, Down has now lost more than 2,000, or 16% since July 21, less than three...

After a temporary absence, the folks at Red Eye returned to evaluate the programming that preempted them-- this week's Fox News Republican debate. Does Rick Santorum really care about the gays in Iran? Which candidates would eat Obama's dog food? And is Rep. Michele Bachmann automatically cuter by being several...

The Republican race for the White House is finally underway, reports Toby Harnden in Des Moines, Iowa

NICOSIA [MENL] -- Iran has tested new indigenous anti-ship missiles. Copyrights 2008, Middle East Newsline. All rights reserved.

YEREVAN (AFP) - Thousands of Armenians from all over the world gathered on Saturday for the opening of an Olympics-style tournament aimed at encouraging people of Armenian origin to return to their homeland.

President Obama spoke by phone Saturday with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah and British Prime Minister David Cameron about Syria, and the leaders again called on the Syrian regime to end the “brutal campaign of violence” against its own people.

    There is, in these early moments before the field is culled, an inevitable "Gilligan's Island" aspect to presidential debates: a motley crew of off-beat personalities stuck together for what can seem like an interminable period. Thursday's Republican debate in Iowa was "Gilligan's Island, Family Edition."

A senior Iranian lawmaker says the Islamic Republic will spare no effort to stop the UK government's crackdown on British protesters.

United Nations health officials have warned of serious cholera outbreaks in various regions of the already famine-stricken Somalia.

Statistics indicates that oil and pump prices will rise, increasing the risk of a global double-dip recession. (©Comstock/Thinkstock) When the global economy slows, one of the few bright spots for consumers is a little relief at the pump, with gas prices falling in response to slowing demand.

TEHRAN, Aug. 13 (MNA) - Economic activity is regarded by many as a major factor influencing energy prices. Demand for energy increases when there is a rise in economic activity. Thus, there is a direct relationship between economic activity and demand for oil in the global market.

Why is Pakistan courting Iran? Amid US concerns over new developments in ties between Pakistan and Iran, President Asif Ali Zardari made two visits to Tehran in a span of three weeks. Speculations on the reasons and significance of the move began right after his second visit in mid-July.

The intelligence and security forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have arrested the second top member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Turkish media sources say.

TEHRAN, Aug. 13 (MNA) – Top Iranian legislator Alaeddin Boroujerdi says there is no respect for democracy or human rights in Britain.

TEHRAN, Aug. 13 (MNA) - Economic activity is regarded by many as a major factor influencing energy prices. Demand for energy increases when there is a rise in economic activity. Thus, there is a direct relationship between economic activity and demand for oil in the global market.

TEHRAN, Aug. 13 (MNA) – MP Mohammad Taqi Rahbar has said that the elements associated with the current of deviation have started political activities for the March parliamentary election and are holding meetings with certain governors to plan their campaigns.

Why do hackers hack? Why create a worm that sends out an email to everyone in your contact list, or a Trojan that deletes your term papers? Is it mischief, malice, money, or something else entirely?

TEHRAN, Aug. 13 (MNA) – Iran has informed Russian officials of Tehran’s readiness to fall in with the step-by-step proposal, MP Hossein Naqavi said on Saturday.

Where else in the whole Philippines can you find a red carpet running down to the driveway? Obviously, only in the House of Imelda Marcos. (As one goes up those steps, one feels like celebrity, thinking of a mini version of the Palais des Festivals at Cannes.) This used...

Filmmaker Brad Patterson knows what a good idea looks like from the ground floor.

Channel 4 News has been granted unprecedented access to the cyber security firm Qinetiq and spoken to the teenagers who are helping protect the UK Government from cyber attacks.

Dirar Abu-Sisi, a deputy engineer of the Gaza Strip's sole power plant, who disappeared from a train in Ukraine in February 2011 and later turned out in an Israeli prison, has confessed to aiding terrorist organizations, the Ukrainian newspaper Segodnya reported on Saturday with a reference to Israeli media.

Israel's use of the highly sophisticated computer virus Stuxnet to cripple Iran's nuclear program signifies the beginning of Tel Aviv's cyber war on Tehran.

The world is witnessing major changes lately, and these changes have been more rapid and apparent with the recent revolutions in the Middle East. Iran, one of the most brutal states in the Middle East, is doing its share to make sure the change is backwards.

Iran's Ambassador to Oman Hossein Noushabadi says police and government brutality in the UK have unveiled the false claims of arrogant powers that they defend civil rights.

The Iranian squad has attended the inauguration ceremony of the 26th world student games, also known as the 2011 Summer Universiade, in China. Iranian athletes paraded into the Bay Sports Center of Shenzhen, a city in south China's Guangdong province, on Friday, IRNA reported.

Iran is set to compete in the 2011 FIVB Boys Youth Volleyball World Championship, which will be held in Argentina from 19 to 28 of August. Iran will participate in the 2011 world volleyball tournament in Almirante Brown and Bahia Blanca, Argentina, Mehr news agency reported on Thursday.

Editor’s note: This post is from analyst Ibrahim Saif, below left, with the Carnegie Middle East Center. Neither the Los Angeles Times nor Babylon & Beyond endorses the positions of the analysts, nor does Carnegie endorse the positions of The...

Persepolis has suffered its second defeat in the 11th round of Iran's Premier League (IPL) against Shahrdari in third week of the games. Shahrdari downed the Reds 2-1 before around 70,000 spectators at Tehran's Azadi Stadium late Thursday, IRNA reported.

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 13 (Bernama) -- The glorious art of Iranian calligraphy displayed at an art exhibition of the Holy Quran in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) here, is bound to leave visitors spellbound.

The length and superiority of Hamed Haddadi finally caught up with Smart Gilas Pilipinas. A plodding behemoth at 7-foot-2, Haddadi was an immovable roadblock in the paint as Fiba Asia champion Iran demolished the Philippines, 78-59, in the semifinals of the William Jones Cup Saturday night at the Hsinchuang Gymnasium.

TEHRAN, Aug. 13 (MNA) -- The first film festival of bread under the title “Festival of Blessings” will be held in Tehran in autumn.

TEHRAN, Aug. 13 (MNA) -- Portraits of people from diverse nations taken by the Austrian photographer Kurt Hörbst, on display at Tehran’s Shirin Gallery, seem to reveal mysteries of different peoples in the world.

KERMAN, Aug. 13 (MNA) -- Esteghlal football team defeated Mes of Kerman in the Iran Professional League (IPL) on Friday night.

TEHRAN, Aug. 13 (MNA) -- Iranian lawmakers have recently approved a bill to obligate academic centers and universities in the country to provide free education for Iranians who memorize the entire Holy Quran.

TEHRAN, Aug. 13 (MNA) -- Seven Iranian computer game firms are participating in Gamescom 2011, a leading European game industry fair, which is currently underway in Cologne.

Iran has been drawn in Group B of the 16th FINA World Junior Water Polo Championships which will be held in Volos, Greece from August 27 to September 4.

A senior Iranian lawmaker says the recent violent crackdown by the British government on popular protests across the UK shows the "lack of democracy in Britain."

The hopes of the Arab Spring have, for some of the world’s most established democracies, given way to a Summer of Despair.

TEHRAN, Aug. 13 (MNA) -- The 8th edition of the Changzhou International Animation and Digital Arts Festival will be screening one episode of “Shekarestan”, the acclaimed Iranian animation on Persian proverbs.

TEHRAN, Aug. (MNA) – the Iranian Ambassador to Doha, Abdollah Sohrabi, has announced that Iran’s embassy in Qatar is ready to collect humanitarian aid for famine-stricken Somalis.

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, may not get the neoconservative vote, but one thing is clear after Thursday night’s fractious presidential debate: he’s on the fringe, but his unconventional views are turning many conservatives’ heads.

Amidst widespread calls from MPs, David Cameron has pledged to investigate the possibility of turning off social networks during times of crisis, lumping Britain in with some rather unsavory company.

Full text of the Ames Republican Debate on Fox News Channel.

Eight Republican presidential candidates defended their own records and tried to pick holes in each other’s arguments in Thursday night’s nationally televised pre-Straw Poll debate in Ames, co-hosted by Fox News and the Washington Examiner.

‘Crank it up a notch’

Deputy Head of Iran's Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation (IKRF) Saeed Sattari says the organization's first humanitarian aid shipment will be sent to Somalia by the end of the Muslim month of Ramadan.

A senior member of Iran's Majlis (parliament) says Iranian lawmakers are set to lodge complaints against the British government over its violations of human rights in the UK.

The building of more illegal residences on lands occupied by Israel has been announced while the Israeli regime fails to manage its domestic housing crisis.

Obama has decided to extend the law, which restricts trade relations with Russia.

A senior Iranian lawmaker has urged the United Nations Security Council to condemn British Premier David Cameron as a “criminal” over the violent repression of protesters in the UK.

Fighters in Baluchistan release American hostage held captive for two months.

Stuxnet seems to have been created specifically to slow down the Iranian nuclear program. Roughly, it works by searching for a specific sort of controller (used in a centrifuge), in a specific sort of situation (running at a certain RPM used for uranium processing), and then inserts a modified operating...

source: gmanews.tv Smart Gilas Plipinas will have United Arab Emirates (UAE) for its opening day opponent in the 26th FIBA-Asia Championship For Men next month in Wuhan, China. Gilas' encounter with their Middle Eastern foes at the Wuhan Sports Centre is one of eight matches in store on opening...

TIM SULLIVAN Associated Press The hopes of the Arab Spring have, for some of the world's most established democracies, given way to a Summer of Despair. Riots in Britain. Crippling European debt burdens from Greece to Spain. In India, a deluge of corruption scandals that have crippled the world's largest...

Head of Press Service of the MFA Elkhan Polukhov. Illustration: trend.az Azerbaijan will not allow any state to interfere in its internal affairs, told BakuToday Foreign Ministry spokesman Elkhan Polukhov commenting statements Chief of General Staff of Iran Hassan Firuzabadi.

TEHRAN, Aug. 13 (MNA) - Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for European and American Affairs Ali Ahani says that Iran is ready to cooperate with Uruguay in its efforts to campaign against drugs.

SOUTHINGTON — Harry Terdjanian’s mission in life is to keep alive the memory of the 1.5 million Armenians who died by Turkish hands early in the 20th century. He especially wants the U.S. government to officially recognize their deaths as a genocide.

Bernadine Stetzel poses with a portrait she painted of Black Jack, the riderless horse in President John Kennedy's funeral procession, at her home in Fremont on Tuesday.

The rupee dropped further by 60 paise to end the week at 45.34/35 against the American currency on persistent dollar demand from banks and importers, mainly oil refiners, amidst weak local equity markets.

TEHRAN, Aug. 13 (MNA) – Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel, a member of the principlists’ unity committee, has said that the recently established Islamic Revolution Resistance Front is bound to the mechanism worked out by the Combatant Clergy Association and the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom to achieve unity among principlists...

> * Qasemi said Revolutionary Guards company should replace foreign ones * China had been expected to increase Iran activities after western pullout TEHRAN, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Iran reiterated to China on Saturday it could take back control of a gas field being developed by its national oil company...