News Archive - 23 August 2011

GEORGE JAHN Associated Press VIENNA Diplomats say Iran has allowed a top U.N. official access to a site where it is developing advanced centrifuges that can be used to make nuclear fuel or to arm warheads. They say Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts of the International Atomic Energy Agency...

>KABUL (Reuters) - The Afghan government is trying to curb a booming population by promoting birth control but such efforts have been met with caution from aid groups and opposition from Islamic scholars. The Ministry of Health warns Afghanistan's population of 30 million will double in as many years, stunting...

>VIENNA Aug 23 (Reuters) - Iran allowed a senior U.N. nuclear inspector to visit a facility for developing advanced uranium enrichment machines during a rare tour of all of the country's main atomic sites, an Iranian envoy said on Tuesday. Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic...

>BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian forces shot dead three people in Homs during a visit by a U.N. humanitarian team on Monday, activists said, and the United Nations said the death toll from President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown on protests had reached 2,200. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security...

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 23: The construction of the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port is one of the mega projects included in the economic development plan of Kuwait and it will benefit not just the country but also its neighbors, reports Al-Watan Arabic daily quoting Minister of Public Works and State Minister for...

MUSCAT -- The Sultanate's Eighth Five-Year Plan has allocated around 37.7 per cent its total budget for infrastructure development. This gives policymakers and other developmental agencies a major challenge to avail the opportunity and put the available resources in a right direction.

TEHRAN - Iran has congratulated the Libyan people on their victory over the regime of Muammar Gaddafi and has advised the Libyan people to stand their ground and safeguard the revolution.

(MENAFN - Khaleej Times) Employees at the departments of the Abu Dhabi Government will observe Eid Al Fitr holiday from Sunday, August 28 according to a circular issued on Tuesday by the Abu Dhabi ...

Iran is in talks with Armenia and Georgia for export of jet fuel, managing director of National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company (NIOPDC) said.

Crude exports to China witnessed a 46-percent growth in the first seven months of 2011. According to the latest report by the China Customs Organization, Iran's total crude exports to China rose 46.73 percent from January to July 2011 compared to the amount for the same period of the...

Incomplete projects will be handed over to the semi-governmental sector for implementation, said Economy and Finance Minister Shamseddin Husseini.

MONTEREY, Calif. | Citing the myriad threats facing the United States, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said Aug. 23 that one of the biggest challenges to U.S. national defense is the so-called ...

Iran and Somalia have agreed to follow up discussions in Tehran on continuation of the Islamic Republic's humanitarian aid to the famine-stricken people in the Horn of Africa nation.

(MENAFN - Qatar News Agency) Dr. Abdul latif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, the Secretary General of the Cooperation Council for the arab states of the Gulf (GCC) Member States, has welcomed the victory ...

(MENAFN - Qatar News Agency) The Libyan rebel fighters on Tuesday evening have managed to control Bab Al-Aziyziya compound and stormed the house of Col. Muammar Gaddafi. Al-Jazeera satellite ...

Pyongyang, August 23 (KCNA) -- The Foreign Ministry of Venezuela in a statement on August 19 refuted the U.S. accusations.

The whistleblower website WikiLeaks announced it was releasing 35,000 U.S. diplomatic cables late Tuesday night. The official Twitter account broke the news to its more than one million followers, asking for help scouring the cables for discoveries.

(MENAFN - Jordan Times) The trade deficit widened by 24.9 per cent at the end of the first half of 2011 as it reached JD3,530 million compared with JD2,826.3 million during the first six months of ...

(MENAFN - Jordan Times) The Council of Ministers yesterday approved a JD584 million draft budget supplement. According to Finance Minister Mohammad Abu Hammour, the supplement does not affect the ...

(MENAFN - Jordan Times) Jordan's fuel bill during the first half of this year surged by 73 per cent compared to that of the same period last year as a result of the rise in international fuel prices ...

(MENAFN - Saudi Press Agency) International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for 2011 by discussing the report prepared by the IMF staff on ...

Iran has taken responsibility for supplying as many as five refugee camps in famine-hit Somalia with humanitarian relief items, says an Iranian official.

When the United Nations votes on Palestinian statehood, it will intersect with other realities and other historical processes. First, it is one thing to declare a Palestinian state; it is quite another thing to create one. The Palestinians are deeply divided between two views of what the Palestinian nation ought...

(MENAFN - Saudi Press Agency) The price index of Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) was red at the end of Tuesday's session with a drop of 13.4 points, settling at 5, 767.5 points upon closing. Meanwhile, ...

Academy award-winning actor Sean Penn made a cameo appearance at a political campaign event on Tuesday in Petaluma, calling North Coast congressional candidate Norman Solomon a “principled man.”

Iran's Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asghar Soltanieh says the deputy head of the agency's Safeguards Department has toured the country's nuclear facilities.

South Korean crude oil imports from the Islamic Republic of Iran climbed 60 percent in July compared to the same period last year.

Tremors from a powerful earthquake in Virginia reverberated up the East Coast yesterday, shaking buildings and homes in the Boston area for several seconds and rattling nerves for considerably longer.

Gun battles in Tripoli's suburbs signal the death throes of Muammar Gadhafi's dictatorship. Regime change is succeeding, albeit slowly and with needlessly protracted agony.

The Lede is providing updates on the aftermath of an earthquake that struck the eastern United States on Tuesday afternoon.

Iran 's ruling theocrats complain that their regime doesn't get the respect they believe it deserves. That's true, and over the weekend the corrupt and arbitrary government gave the world another reason why that's so.

For some Wacoans, memory lane is now a real place.

GENEVA -- A slim figure in a dark suit, Brahumdagh Bugti, 30, could pass for a banker in the streets of this sedate Swiss city. But in truth he is a resistance leader in exile, a player in an increasingly ugly independence war within Pakistan.

Chile: New Partnership Between Global Voices and Mi Voz Trinidad and Tobago: Debating a State of Emergency Pakistan: Islamic Televangelist Caught Out by Behind-the-Scenes Video Peru: Customers Show Support for Ripley Department Store Employees Iran: "Tonight, ...

By: Jessi Schultz (Compiled) Middle East TRIPOLI and ndash; An ongoing battle by Libyan rebels to take over Tripoli has left the world watching. Explosions and gunfire rattled parts of Libya's capital Tuesday as rebels prepared to launch an offensive against the huge central compou...

The earthquake that rocked Virginia Tuesday was felt here in East Tennessee. There is one place in Blount County that recorded data on the earthquake.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Bible teacher Anne Graham Lotz and New York Times best-selling author Joel Rosenberg are teaming up to present a simulcast titled "A Wake-Up Call for God's People" on the 10th anniversary of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

I’m not convinced that the recent market malaise portends an immediate geopolitical conflict, writes Todd Harrison.

The end of the Khadafy regime in Libya has focused new attention on the rebels in Syria -- as has last week’s belated call by President Obama for the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. But it will take a more radical Obama course correction to make a real difference. After...

MANILA, Philippines - Smart Gilas Pilipinas will only have a little over two weeks to train for the FIBA Asia Championship with a complete lineup after Talk n Text players Jimmy Alapag, Kelly Williams and Ranidel de Ocampo said they would only join the Nationals starting Aug. 29.

The transit agency has dealt with two protests in the past week without resorting to killing cellular service. by Robert Gammon Ever since BART shut down cellphone service earlier this month in an attempt to disrupt a planned protest, the agency has steadfastly refused to acknowledge that it overreacted. The...

Commentator, analyst to consult on legal issuesLAKE JACKSON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Ron Paul 20...

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has made it clear he commiserates with his friend – Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi – as the latter's days in power appear to be numbered. In a televised address late Tuesday, Chavez declared that he would continue to recognize only Muammar Gaddafi's regime as the legitimate...

THERE are multiple and order-threatening crises in most parts of the world right now. I have a personal understanding of one that can now be put into historical perspective, which I often use as a paradigm for understanding how things can go just so unnecessarily wrong.

To all intents and purposes, gold is at an all-time high in its nominal price – now in excess of $1,900 an ounce in trading – and in real terms. Strictly, depending on which measure of inflation you use to adjust the headline value, gold scaled its zenith in January...

Thousands of people have taken to the streets in dozens of cities worldwide, to protest against the Belo Monte mega-dam being built in the Brazilian Amazon. Groups across Brazil called on Brazil’s President Rousseff to halt the construction of the destructive ...

(MENAFN - Saudi Press Agency) Japanese shares opened lower in Monday morning trading after losses on Wall Street and European markets. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average had lost 7.88 points, ...

National Iranian Petrochemical Organization (NIPO) says the country's petrochemical production will reach 46 million tons in the current Iranian calendar year.

The Republican presidential debate in Ames, Iowa Thursday night was anything but boring. Unlike past debates this cycle, the candidates weren't afraid to take shots at each other and settle their differences out in the open. Videos at the links. Pawlenty vs. Bachmann The best back-and-forth of the night came...

Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali has expressed gratitude to the Islamic Republic of Iran for its humanitarian aid to the famine-stricken country.

Obama's approach to Libya a success

According to Iowa’s Saturday Aug. 13 straw poll contest results, second place Ron Paul was only 753 votes short of beating Michele Bachmann out of 9,494 votes cast between the two.

Like Qaddafi, Saddam Hussein was also a horrendous thug whose arbitrary and brutal rule resulted in the deaths of vast numbers of his own citizens -- but there is no doubt that taking Saddam out removed one of the effective constraints on Iran.

TEHRAN, Iran - Relatives of two American men arrested more than two years ago in Iran said Sunday that the...

CARACAS (AFP) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez declared Tuesday that he will continue to recognize only Moamer Kadhafi as the legitimate leader of Libya, despite signs the regime is likely in its last throes.

Can monetary policy fix the nation's many economic woes?

Paul Archer, Leigh Purnell, both 23, and Johno Ellison, 27, have so far clocked up 17,000 miles since they set off from the capital on February 17.

The rebels promise to restore full oil production to Libya within months, but international experts say it could take at least a year and perhaps several more.

Some were locals who've watched for years as the memorial to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. took shape on the National Mall. Some were tourists who happened to be in Washington the day it opened. All felt honored to be a part of history as they gazed at a...

He was the Arab world’s most quixotic leader. During the Reagan era, he was Public Enemy No. 1 in the United States. Later, after his apparent cooperation in dismantling nonconventional weapons, he became an ally to President George W. Bush’s administration in the war on terror.

Creator:  Hal Roberts Creator (other):  and others The energy dedicated to the battles for control of the Internet on both the government and dissident sides indicates, if nothing else, that both sides think that the Internet is a critical space for political action. Social Policy read more

When Hirsh Goodman speaks about the destiny of Israel, people listen. Goodman is a former executive of the Jerusalem Post, founder of the Jerusalem Report, and currently serves as a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University.

Set in Tehran, but filmed mainly in Beirut, Maryam Keshavarz's earnest, well-intentioned first feature on women's oppression in Iran has trouble resisting its own heavy hand. In-love high-schoolers Atafeh (Nikohl Boosheri), a daughter of privilege, and Shireen (Sarah Kazemy), living with her uncl...

Any regime that can make North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il look reasonable and compassionate has much deeper problems than a simple lack of respect.

The gay brother of Bob Katter attacks his sibling’s comments on same sex marriage.

Iran announces series of new weapons and military equipment, including a cruise missile that it says has a range of 200 kilometers

An Iranian man pleaded guilty yesterday to the murder of a scientist that prosecutors said was an assassination ordered by Israel to halt Tehran’s race for nuclear technology.

Locals unite in interfaith dinner held by Islamic Congregation of La Cañada Flintridge.

FRANKFURT - Europe and the United States are preparing to unfreeze billions in frozen Libyan assets that will be crucial to supporting the country once Moammar Gadhafi's regime collapses, but the North African nation's recovery will be neither easy nor rapid.

There always is cause for celebrating when a dictator falls. The only regret about the overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi and his Libyan tyranny is that it has taken so long. Most citizens remember no other regime than the one controlled by the eccentric strongman, who came to power 42 years...

The government is mulling a new arrangement for trade with Iran to ensure its exporters receive payments on time.

Libya's uncertain future has led to a rise in the smuggling of arms from the country into the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli military officials.

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa presided when Parliament met at 1 pm yesterday. After the presentation of papers and oral questions, the House took up the Order under the Ports and Airport Development Levy Act and Order Under the Excise (Special Provisions) Act for debate.

Barack Obama has no plans for a full withdrawal, as his hand-picked appointees make clear. You can almost hear him thinking: What are liberals going to do, vote Republican?

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) Renews Call for Manhattan Hotels to Refuse to Host Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad During the 2011 UN General Assembly

The citizenry in Iran and Syria must take up their own collective responsibility and shake off fear to depose their dictators, as the people did in Libya. Democracy promotion from outside simply isn't practical or effective.

Audit of process of issuing permits to developers for housing and other facilities at the regional and federal levels have called for a June 1, Governor of Voronezh Region Alexei Gordeev.

The clock is ticking on what could be the next explosion in the Middle East, if Palestinians press their demand for United Nations recognition as a state and the United States and Israel continue to spurn this acknowledgement of Palestinian rights.

With the forces of humanitarianism and international law, or at least the forces of his tribal and religious enemies, closing in on his Tripoli lair, Africa’s King of Kings and Loon of Loons is on the verge of overthrow.

Carlos Queiroz called up Farhad Majidi to Iran football team for match against Indonesia in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers. Majidi, who has played 43 times for Iran football team and scored 10 goals, has not been invited to the team since last year.

Iranian taekwondo fighter Farzad Zolqadr has pocketed another medal for the Iranian delegation at the 26th world Universiade in China. Zolqadr lost the final in the 74-kilogram category against South Korean rival Kim Seon-uk on Monday but still won the silver medal in Shenzhen, IRNA reported.

Spy tools sold and maintained by the German communications and engineering giants Siemens and Nokia Siemens Networks is being used by authorities in Bahrain to aid in their interrogation and torture of human rights activists, according to Bloomberg. The equipment is used by authorities there, and in other repressive regimes,...

Ben Affleck is about to shoot Argo, his third directorial effort, which tells the tale of a CIA crew attempting to extricate hostages from Tehran by posing as a film crew. But he's already setting up possible projects to follow Argo, and a new one is Line of Sight. This...

share: digg facebook twitter "Even if it takes time to recover all of these assets, a small amount will help the interim government in the near term," Said Hirsh, Mideast economist for the London-based Capital Economics, said in a research note. [...] while Libya's transition government will be in...

Jersey Journal file photoIn a letter to Mayor Brian Stack of Union City, Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise says he can't pressure the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders to move their meetings.How about one compromise?Dear Mayor Stack:As a former...

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma's senior U.S. senator said Monday the counterterrorism program created following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks has foiled dozens of terrorist plots in the U.S. but that more work needs to be done to detect and prevent future plots.

Iran's Kameh Rata Orchestra, led by Keyvan Mirhadi, is planning to perform modern Persian compositions during a concert at Tehran's Roudaki Hall.

Clouds of thick, black smoke poured out of Moammar Gadhafi's former command centre Tuesday after rebel forces broke down the door and stormed into the compound.

The world-renowned Iranian vocalist Mohammad-Reza Shajarian is slated to perform traditional Persian music in a number of European cities.

TEHRAN, Aug. 23 (MNA) — Iran saved around 8.6 trillion rials (some 8.12 billion dollars) in the first three months of implementing the subsidy reform plan, Economy and Finance Minister Shamseddin Hosseini announced in a press conference on Tuesday.

LONDON [MENL] -- Iran was said to have pressured Iraq to sign agreements to help the neighboring regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Iraqi government sources said Teheran pressed Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki to sign an energy agreement that would result in at least $10 billion in revenues for...

> * Talks with Russia, S.Korea to double refinery capacity COLOMBO Aug 23 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka is eyeing at least $2 billion in foreign investment to double the capacity of its sole decades-old oil refinery, after the island nation was unable to find a local partner to fund...

HAMILTON — Authorities say a robber shot a bank teller before making off with cash in central New Jersey Tuesday. It happened shortly after 10 a.m. at the JP Morgan Chase Bank in Hamilton Township.

In China: U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, second from left, shares a laugh with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, second from right, U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke, left, and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, right, at the Zhongnanhai leaders compound in Beijing, Friday.

TRENTON — A New Jersey appeals court says the state has discretion in how it funds the retirement accounts for firefighters and police officers.

LONDON — Amy Winehouse had no illegal drugs in her system when she died, and it is still unclear what killed the singer, her family said Tuesday. The family said in a statement that toxicology tests showed "alcohol was present," but it hasn't yet been determined i

by Palo Alto Online Sports National volleyball The United States women's national volleyball team is seeded third for the 8-team FIVB World Grand Prix Final Round, which begins Wednesday in Macau. The U.S., defending Grand Prix champions, will face Brazil, Italy (7-2) and Japan (6-3) in Pool B.

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty: U.S. troops may stay in Afghanistan until 2024. That's 10 years later than when the U.S. has said it would hand over security to Kabul. But the British newspaper "The Daily Telegraph" reports that the two governments are close to signing a deal that...

More than 450 soldiers with the Missouri National Guard under the command of the 175th Military Police Battalion and Lt. Col. Sharon Martin will be deployed.