News Archive - 20 August 2011

>Chengdu CHINA Aug 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Sunday rejected claims that American power is on the wane and told a Chinese audience that his government would never default, near the end of a trip that has stressed interdependence between the world's two biggest economies.

> "We have repeatedly called for the release of Shane Bauer and Joshua Fattal, who have now been held in Iran's Evin prison for two years. Shane and Josh have been imprisoned too long, and it is time to reunite them with their families," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said...

According to Reuters , CNN and other news sources, Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, the two U.S. hikers detained in Iran on spying charges in 2009, along with their friend Sarah Shourd, have been sentenced to eight years in prison. The news was apparently reported on Iran’s state-run TV...

>"In connection with illegal entry into Iranian territory each was given three years in jail and in connection with the charge of cooperating with American intelligence service, each was given five years in jail," the IRINN website said, quoting an informed judiciary source.Bauer and Fattal were arrested on July...

A member of Islamist Sunni group Jamaat al-Islamiya has his face painted with the colours of the Syrian national flag as women standing behind him carry placards and shout slogans against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad during an anti-government protest, at the port-city of Sidon in south Lebanon August 12, 2011.

> The United States imposed an oil embargo on Syria on Thursday in protest against Assad's crackdown on civil unrest that the United Nations says has killed around 2,000 people. But the European Union has taken a more incremental approach on sanctions. It agreed on Friday to expand the number...

Saudi Arabia is widely perceived as leading the counter-revolution against the Arab Spring uprisings. In reality, the kingdom's response is centered, as its foreign and domestic policy has long been, on "stability." The Saudis don't want anti-Saudi forces, including such enemies as Iran and al-Qaida, to increase their influence...

Eleven Yemeni tribesmen have been killed in two suicide attacks in the southern province of Abyan, a stronghold of al-Qaeda

The free-living amoebae (FLA) belongs to Acanthamoeba and Sappinia genera as well as Balamuthia mandrillaris and Naegleria fowleri species, occurring worldwide and can potentially cause infections in humans and other animals.

US Vice President Joe Biden assured China, during his visit, that the US would never default on its debts.

Turkey has announced that gas imports from Iran increased by 7 percent in the first half of 2011.

Tel Aviv, Israel (UPI) Aug 10, 2011 - Israel's air force has deployed aerial drones to keep watch on the country's disputed offshore gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean after Hezbollah threatened to target Israel's energy facilities if it tried to "steal Lebanon's resources from Lebanese waters." The Israeli...

Tehran - After the initiation of desalination unit of Mansouri oil field, 38 thousand b/d will be added to the current oil production till March 19, Director-General of Iran's Engineering and Development Company said here on Saturday.

Tehran - Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said here on Saturday that any agreement between Tehran and Moscow in the field of nuclear installations will focus on setting up new power plants in Iran and further promoting peaceful nuclear cooperation.

Iran's Armed Forces have vowed to defend the country with all its military might, stressing that enemies have lost motivation to launch an aggression against the Islamic Republic.

NEW YORK - Scientists have long sought easier ways to make the costly material known as enriched uranium - the fuel of nuclear reactors and bombs, now produced only in giant industrial plants.

Foreign Minister John Baird said Friday Canada will return to UN disarmament talks following the end of North Korea's presidency of the Conference on Disarmament.

Two American hikers sentenced to eight years in an Iranian prison for espionage and illegally entering the country are pawns in an internal power struggle between Holocaust-denying President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to experts on Iran. Berkeley graduates Shane Bauer, 29, and Josh Fattal, 29, were...

2009 arrest amid revolution protests For years after Iran's 1979 revolution, Iranian journalists working for Western news organizations engaged in a balancing act when reporting from inside the Islamic republic. As Iranian citizens whose passports, language skills and social networks gave them greater access than other journalists had, they also...

In light of President Obama’s recent call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, The Foreign Policy Initiative Executive Director Jamie M. Fly and 32 other signatories have signed a letter urging President Obama to take additional, common-sense steps to further pressure the Assad regime and ...

John Elkington explores the role of the military in a more sustainable future In the aftermath of the rioting and looting in London and other cities, a citizen's army brandished their brooms and began the great clean-up. Hopefully, this extraordinary reflex action presages similar movements that will need to be...

Houston Astros rookie second baseman Jose Altuve gave the home fans a treat on Saturday.

Oregon granted the release of running back Lache Seastrunk, who was linked to the probe into the Ducks' use of Texas-based prep scouting service.

Iran and Venezuela have begun construction of a petrochemical complex in Assaluyeh in the southern province of Bushehr, National Iranian Petrochemical Organization (NIPO) says.

Buffalo Bills rookie running back Johnny White was taken off the field on a stretcher during Saturday's preseason game against the Denver Broncos.

Voters are more concerned about jobs and the economy than an occasional gaffe by a candidate, Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann said Friday.

TEHRAN, Iran -- Two American men arrested more than two years ago while hiking along the Iraq-Iran border have been sentenced to eight years in prison on charges that include espionage, state TV reported Saturday, a sharp blow to hopes their release was imminent. The announcement seemed...

Guillaume Decamme, a reporter for Agence France-Presse, was one of four media witnesses at the Greensville Correctional Center when Jerry Terrell Jackson was put to death for the 2001 rape and murder of an elderly Williamsburg woman.

The head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says Russia has proposed cooperating with the Islamic Republic on building new nuclear power plants in the country.

CHENGDU, China — Vice President Joe Biden said Sunday that the United States and China need to recognize their mutual global concerns and responsibilities and ensure greater fairness in trade and investment conditions. Biden brought a strong message of mutual interdependence on his visit to the southwestern Chinese city of...

Karachi, August 21(ANI): The Taliban are experimenting with their arms and updating their weaponry, spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid has said.

Syrian officials have ordered military units to increase patrols near the restive Turkish border in what amounts to a warning to its increasingly irate northern neighbour not to establish a buffer zone inside Syria.

JERUSALEM: At the start of the year Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke of his commitment to a moratorium on new Jewish settlements in the West Bank that was to last until the end of September. The building pause was meant to foster trust with the Palestinians, and enable the...

Iranian wushu athletes have won two gold, one silver, and seven bronze medals on the second day of the 6th Asian Youth Wushu Championship in China.

Authorities in Anoka County are investigating after a man and a woman were found dead inside a home in Linwood Township Friday morning.

It was eight months ago that the Metrodome roof ripped open and heavy snow poured in during a December blizzard.

HAVANA, August 20, 2011 (AFP) - The Cuban government on Saturday rejected a US decision to keep Cuba on its blacklist of countries that allegedly support terrorism and accused Washington of sheltering the "real terrorists."

KUALA LUMPUR, August 21, 2011 (AFP) - Akhbar and his family fled a perilous existence in Afghanistan for an uncertain life in Malaysia and now dream of a better future in Australia under a controversial refugee swap deal.

Seimone Augustus scored 17 points and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Los Angeles Sparks 87-68 on Saturday night to earn their first playoff berth since 2004

The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has announced that Iran plans to dispatch seven more shipments of humanitarian assistance to Somalia in the next 40 days.

Libyan rebels said they launched their first attack on Tripoli in coordination with NATO late Saturday, and Associated Press reporters heard unusually heavy gunfire and explosions in the capital. The fighting erupted just hours after opposition fighters captured the key city of Zawiya nearby.

Laser advance in uranium enrichment may risk nuclear bomb spread

Russ Mitchell takes a look back at the life and career of former CBS News vice president Lane Venardos who died at age 67.

Michelle Miller reports on Camp Haze, a summer camp, which is free of charge and offered to children who lost a parent or close relative in the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Minnesota Twins shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka has been taken out of the team's lineup because of back spasms

Del Worsham raced to the No. 1 qualifying position in Top Fuel at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, powering his Al-Anabi dragster a 3.808-second run at 322.04 mph Saturday

A memorial to the passengers and crew Flight 93 is set to open in rural Shanksville, Pa., on the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Chip Reid reports on honoring those who fought back.

PENANG'S Kampung Seronok, literally translated as "happy village", holds the unsavoury reputation of being the place where the nation's first deviant teachings were discovered.

The sentence has come down.

Retired journalist Jack Chivo wonders why Libby Davies and so-called human-rights activists are not making noise about atrocities in Syria.

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal face eight-year prison sentences.

Pakistan continued its cooperation at regional and international levels to curb terrorism coupled with steps to contain radicalisation domestically even as it continued to suffer from high levels of terror attacks, a new US report says.

THE Gaza crisis seems to be escalating, with Cairo withdrawing its ambassador in Tel Aviv following the death of five Egyptian policemen in Israeli attacks.

Syria illustrates the paradox of the Arab transition. The courage of the Syrian people in defying Assad's tanks is breathtaking. Yet this is a movement without clear leadership or an agenda beyond toppling Assad.

SHASTA COUNTY According to the Shasta County Sheriff's Office, a man was killed near the 12000 block of Lake Boulevard in Redding after being hit by a train this morning.

Re: “School vouchers on hold; A judge says there’s sufficient legal reason to halt the pilot program in Douglas County, leaving 304 students in limbo,” Aug. 13 news story. Judge Michael A. Martinez’s decision rejected nearly every argument put forth by the Douglas County School Board and its attorneys for...

The lawyer for the woman who accused former International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault has said he believes prosecutors plan to dismiss some or all of the charges. Related Stories US men 'sentenced to jail in Iran' Million pilgrims join Pope vigil 12 killed in Canada plane...

When the Arab Spring started in Tunisia last December and quickly spread to Egypt, it was predictable that the greatest political and military challenge for Europe would come from Libya. Colonel Gaddafi's long record of support for terrorism and brutality against his own people had, for six years, been masked...

Dozens of environmentalist protesters have been arrested outside the White House on the first day of a planned two-week protest over a proposed oil pipeline from Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast.

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari may have overreached by pushing for his Middle East peace plan that has already hit a roadblock.

Israel has apologised to Egypt for the deaths of three soldiers during a clash with Palestinian militants.

Two University of California at Berkeley graduates who have been detained in Iran on espionage charges for two years were sentenced to 8 years in prison, according to their supporters' website.

Mr. George was a renowned figure at the C.I.A., whose unshakable loyalty to that agency prompted him to lie to Congress about Iran-contra, for which he was convicted.

During her years abroad, reminders and truths kept an artist attached to home. Now she’s back and knitting together the familiar threads.

UNIVERSITI Malaya (UM) is the first Malaysian institution to be included in the top 500 of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s 2011 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

In a hilltop graveyard in Washington state lies a young soldier killed in the infancy of the Iraq war. Army Spc. Justin W. Hebert's story is sadly unremarkable, a tragedy bound up in the tale of a grinding war that took young lives with grievous regularity.

A federal indictment charges eight southern Minnesota residents with passing phony $100 bills that they created using $5 bills.

A Kansas City air show has abruptly ended after a fiery crash that killed a stunt pilot.

On the final stop of her tour of South Carolina, GOP presidential hopeful and Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann praised the Tea Party and promised a strong military.

The Interstate 35 freeway between the Twin Cities and Duluth isn't exactly flowing freely these days.

What leaders in fields other than politics would do if they ran the country.

Heavy gunfire and explosions have rattled the Libyan capital after rebels seized control of a major coastal city just west of Tripoli. Related Stories Family to bring murdered pair home US men 'sentenced to jail in Iran' Million pilgrims join Pope vigil 12 killed in Canada plane crash Storm forces...

A freak thunderstorm forced Pope Benedict XVI to cut short his speech to an estimated million young pilgrims gathered for the church's world youth festival, giving the outdoor prayer vigil at a Madrid airfield a dramatic climax. Related Stories Family to bring murdered pair home US men 'sentenced to jail...

Bill Browder is a man on a mission. "I want to change Russia and change human rights advocacy in Russia in a profound way," the hedge fund millionaire says with almost messianic zeal, in his sparsely furnished offices in London's Golden Square.

A chartered Boeing 737 plane has crashed in Canada's Arctic region, killing 12 people, police said. Related Stories Family to bring murdered pair home US men 'sentenced to jail in Iran' Million pilgrims join Pope vigil Libya rebels inch closer to Tripoli Storm forces Pope to cut speech

Rebels encircled the beleaguered Libyan capital today, claiming to have taken major towns to its east, west and south, leaving only the Nato-patrolled sea to the north. ...

Southeast winds continue at the surface giving way to the afternoon sea breeze from the west.  Typical summertime set up. Mostly sunny to pt. sunny. 40% chance of storms.  High 93.

Roubini teaches at New York University's Stern School of Business. Kaufman earned a Ph.D. at the Stern School of Business. They are both very stern fellows.

TEHRAN, Iran -- Two American men arrested more than two years ago along the Iraq-Iran border have been sentenced to eight years in prison on charges that include espionage. That word from Iranian state TV comes weeks after Iran's foreign minister...

A local sports blogger is doing his part to help struggling attendance at Tropicana Field.  He's started a bus service that charges $10 to bring fans to watch the Tampa Bay Rays.

The instability in Syria has now proven Assad either wants to kill protesters or is not in control of security

The 15th Gulf Power Economic Symposium is going Hollywood this year. At least somewhat. The annual symposium is scheduled for Oct. 3 and 4 at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. Guest speakers include actor, author and economist Ben Stein and...

Israel has apologised for the deaths of three Egyptian soldiers during a cross-border clash with Palestinian militants.

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- The two U.S. hikers detained for two grueling years in Iran on spying charges have been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Two American men arrested more than two years ago while hiking along the Iraq-Iran border have been sentenced to eight years in prison for espionage and illegally entering Iran, state TV has reported. Related Stories Doctor's fight to save shark victim Massacre survivors return to island Al Qaida plans '100...

TEHRAN, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Two U.S. hikers were sentenced to eight years in Iranian prison for espionage, state television said Saturday.

21 August 2011 Two American hikers have been sentenced to eight years in prison in Iran.

Mohammadreza Naghdi, head of Iran's Basij militia says the Iranian reformists are more "adversarial" than the "terrorists of the eighties" in Iran.

At the first glance, the current collection illustrates the ghosts and the moving dead bodies with whose cinematic effects we have been familiar for years; however, with a deeper look more details are revealed which little by little fade the first image away.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's state TV is reporting that two American men already held for two years in Tehran have been sentenced to 8 years in jail each on charges of espionage and illegal entry.

Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, who’ve been held for two years in a Tehran prison, received five years for espionage and three years for illegal entry into Iran. Supporters hope they may be pardoned as diplomatic bargaining chips.

Hassan Asadi Zeidabadi, member of the central council of the Alumni Association of Iran who had been arrested on August 22, 2010, was released on bail for a 48-hours-furlough on Sunday August 14, after spending 360 days behind bars.

It has been seven months since nuclear negotiations with Iran stalled over the issue of Tehran's right to produce fuel. Now, after initial skepticism, Iran is showing signs it might return to the table under a new Russian step-by-step plan. But with no backing by the rest of the P5+1,...

Israel's rescue service says one Israeli was killed and about a dozen injured in barrage of Palestinian rockets from Gaza on southern Israel.

PINEVILLE -- Kay Brown believes a lack of money or social status shouldn't stop one from having a decent final resting place.

Two U.S. hikers in Iran were sentenced to eight years in prison for espionage, state television said Saturday.

One ticket matched all six numbers drawn Friday night to win the $32 million jackpot in the Mega Millions lottery. The ticket was sold in Massachusetts.

A hospital opening this fall in Ann Arbor will feature a $1.8 million museum-quality art collection ...