News Archive - 27 August 2011

>AMMAN/CAIRO (Reuters) - Arab states told Syria on Sunday to "resort to reason" and end months of bloodshed after some of the most intense protests in Damascus since the start of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. Arab League foreign ministers also agreed to send Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby to Syria...

>AMMAN (Reuters) - Syria's Interior Ministry warned Damascus residents Saturday against demonstrating after some of the most intense protests in the capital since the start of the five-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. The warning came as Syria's closest ally Iran said Damascus must listen to the "legitimate demands" of...

>VINEYARD HAVEN, Massachusetts (Reuters) - President Barack Obama hopes the downfall of Muammar Gaddafi shows his brand of foreign policy worked in Libya and can succeed elsewhere -- but the model may be hard to reproduce. Obama's preference to tackle foreign threats via painstakingly built international partnerships has been dubbed...

>BEIRUT (Reuters) - The overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi by Libyan rebels supported by NATO forces focuses international attention on the five months of unrest in Syria, which has shaken one of the most tightly controlled Arab states. Opposition figures and activists fear the successful use of force to topple Gaddafi...

Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has warned against the dire consequences of change in Syria's government which could create a serious crisis in the region.

(MENAFN - Arab News) "The government should answer to the demands of its people, be it Syria, Yemen or other countries," the ISNA news agency quoted him as saying. "The people of these nations have ...

The lawyer for two American men sentenced to 8-year prison sentences on charges of espionage and illegal entry says he has filed an appeal.

TEHRAN - Iran exported some 30.94 million tons of non-oil goods, worth around 14.8 billion dollars, in the first six months of 2011.

Deputy economy minister on Saturday announced the allocation of $4 billion from the current resources of National Development Fund for attracting foreign investors.

A senior member of the Iranian Majlis (parliament) says the United States is holding democratic gestures in the Middle East region which are deceits and sheer lies.

Two Americans received eight-year prison sentences from Iranian authorities, who accused them of espionage when they illegally entered Iran in 2009 while hiking, according to reports on Saturday citing Iran’s state TV.

Tehran - There has been 32 percent growth in the export of technical and engineering services during a five-month period (March 21 to Aug 22), official said on Saturday.

Beijing - Iran's oil exports to China has witnessed a 46 percent increase during the first seven months of 2011 compared to the corresponding period last year, it was announced here on Saturday.

Characters hail from Africa, Middle East Errant boys have been running through our nation's best novels for a long time. Hemingway famously declared that "all modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn," and whether you agree with that or not, boys - and men...

Iran's Petroleum Engineering and Development Company (PEDEC) has announced that the Islamic Republic and China will invest about USD 12 billion on developing Iran's Azadegan oilfield.

WASHINGTON -- Al Qaeda's second-in-command, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, has been killed in Pakistan, delivering another blow to a terrorist group that the United States believes to be on the verge of defeat, US officials said yesterday. Al-Rahman was killed Aug. 22 in the lawless Pakistani tribal region of Waziristan...

Former SAS soldier John McAleese, who led the raid that ended the 1980 siege at Iran's London embassy, has died, the Foreign Office says.

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.

Hundreds of soldiers and federal agents are raiding casinos in this northern city, authorities said Saturday, two days after an arson attack on a gambling house killed 52 people.

"Dreams of Significant Girls"

Iranian judoka Mohammad Reza Roudaki has stood fifth at the 28th edition of the World Judo Championships in France, after losing to a South Korean rival.

  After 20 years at RR Donnelley, Shahin Sayeg put down his computer mouse and headed back to school — for what he hoped would be the rest of his life.Sitting down to help his oldest daughter, Sara, then in elementary school, with her homework, Sayeg yearned to help...

Stetson Kennedy infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan six decades ago and exposed its secrets to authorities and the public, but he was also criticized for possibly exaggerating his exploits. Kennedy died Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla. He was 94. In the 1940s, Kennedy used the “Superman” radio show to expose and...

The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta (St. Martin’s) The world, as written by Tom Perrotta (“Little Children”), irrevocably changes one October 14. That’s when millions of people just disappear, an event that becomes known as the “Sudden Departure.” While many in the story believe it’s the Rapture, other...

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has agreed to grant clemency to 100 prisoners.

Billy Hurley III has been in some tight spots on the golf course, but nothing compares to what he did in his previous life.

Libyan rebels get a glimpse of Gadhafi's life

share: digg facebook twitter OTTUMWA, Iowa — Riding high in the polls, Gov. Rick Perry rode into Iowa on Saturday with tough talk on President Barack Obama and a declaration that Social Security is not only a Ponzi scheme but a “monstrous lie” for younger people. “If you're for the...

We're used to thinking about Muslim women in various unflattering ways. But if we could see beyond the media, we would find that women of the Islamic hue are far from passive or silent.

The Libyan rebels' astonishing televised success may alter what unfolds in rebellions so far characterized by peaceful disobedience in Syria and Yemen, which have endured bloody crackdowns. Artillery shells and airstrikes, not placards and peaceful protests, sent Moammar Kadafi fleeing from his fortress: The Libyan uprising has made it clear...

Assorted Iranian backgrounds help writer-director Maryam Keshavarz and a young team of actors arrive at a bold narrative of youth culture in post-revolution Iran. From the film's description on paper, a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of cultural oppression in Iran, "Circumstance" could seem like an earnestly dour slice...

THE slim figure in a dark suit could pass for a banker in this Swiss city. But Brahumdagh Bugti is in fact a resistance leader in exile, considered a terrorist by Pakistan for

Gov. Perry says he'll give American people more freedom from regulation and personal injury litigation.

SITRA, Bahrain -- When anti-government protests broke out in Bahrain, Alaa and Mohammed Hubail hunkered down in their family compound and refused to take part. They feared their reputations as top soccer players would make them easy targets for police. But Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa soon came...

A special meeting of diplomats from the Arab League has resulted in a statement telling Syria to end the bloodshed 'before it's too late,' while Iran is wavering between supporting the regime and decrying the violence.

US claims terrorist organisation's number two Atiyah abd al-Rahman has been killed in Pakistan.

The death of al Qaeda's No. 2, Atiyah Abdul Rahman in Pakistan, is a hammer blow to the terrorist organization.

WASHINGTON — No matter how you slice it, religious freedom around the world is in trouble.

The mansions, farms and seaside villas of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi and his family are revealing the details of lives lived far removed from the people.

With strong backbone, UM president Donna Shalala faces adversity head-on

Rumors and repeated rumors ricochet like shell casings off concrete walls this morning and depending on what one is inclined to believe, Libya’s former leader Colonel Gaddafi is safely in Algeria, his hometown of Sirte, Libya’s vast southern desert, ...

Tehran (AFP) Aug 27, 2011 Iran on Saturday inaugurated a plant for producing carbon fiber, which it is banned from importing by international sanctions targeting dual-use materials, the official IRNA news agency reported. "Today we are witnessing the fulfillment of a strategic project of the Ministry of Defence," Defence Minister...

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces killed two more protesters yesterday, as close ally Iran said his government should recognise “legitimate” popular demands and warned of an unpredictable regional vacuum if the regime falls.

IT IS 2011: A Film Odyssey. After an arduous adventure that took six years, spanned four continents and involved watching over a thousand films, Scottish documentary maker Mar

Radio's relationship with television is pretty much a one-way street.

Al-Qaeda Deputy Reportedly Killed: No. 2, With a Bullet

A former chief lieutenant of Osama bin Laden has been killed in Pakistan in a blow to al-Qa'ida that the United States claims will severely weaken the terrorist network's leadership and future operations.

The stalking of migrants in southern Arizona is the subject of new US diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks on Friday.

Rebel fighters push increasingly leaderless regime gunmen to the outskirts of Tripoli, as severe shortages of fuel, water and electricity paralyze the battle-scarred capital and the stench of growing piles garbage filled the air.

The Iranian president said on Friday there will be no room for Israel in the region after the formation of a Palestinian state and, that once the state is established, the liberation of all Palestinian lands should follow.

US and Pakistani officials say al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, has been killed.

Why is it not a surprise to learn that Dick Cheney's ancestor, Samuel Fletcher Cheney, was a Civil W ...

US and Pakistani officials claim that Al Qaeda's second-in-command, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, has been killed in Pakistan, delivering another big blow to a terrorist group that the US believes to be on the verge of defeat.

Al-Qaida's second-in-command, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, has been killed in Pakistan, delivering another big blow to a terrorist group that the US believes to be on the verge of defeat, US officials said. Since Navy SEALs stormed Osama...

WASHINGTON • Al-Qaida’s second-in-command, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, has been killed in Pakistan, delivering another big blow to a terrorist group that the U.S. believes to be on the verge of defeat, a senior Obama administration official said Saturday.

In this citizen journalism image made on a mobile phone and provided by Shaam News Network, Anti-Syrian President Bashar Assad protesters, hold up a banner pleading for help from Nato, during a demonstration against the Syrian regime, at Maaret Harma village, in Edlib province, Syria, on Friday Aug. 26, 2011.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's supreme leader ordered the release of 100 political prisoners Saturday including some involved in the huge protests against the disputed June 2009 re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

HOBOKEN — Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer is asking all residents to voluntarily leave the city and requiring those with basement apartments to evacuate.

TRENTON — Gov. Chris Chris Christie says more than 5,000 people are already in New Jersey shelters as Hurricane Irene threatens, and the Red Cross is urging people not in danger to stay put.

Al-Qaeda’s No. 2 leader, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman , has been killed in Pakistan , U.S. officials said Saturday — a significant strike against the terrorist group nearly four months after the death of Osama bin Laden . Rahman was killed Aug. 22 in Waziristan, the tribal northwest region of Pakistan,...

TRENTON New Jersey's largest utility is telling customers to prepare for potentially long power outages as Hurricane Irene approaches. PSE&G president Ralph LaRossa says the utility will have about 6,000 employees to help get power back up.

The Associated Press The Associated Press TEHRAN, Iran Tehran's chief prosecutor says Iran's top leader has pardoned 100 prisoners. Many of them were jailed for protesting the 2009 presidential election. Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi says based on the pardon decree by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 70 of the prisoners were released late...

The secrecy surrounding the ongoing deliberations on the yet-to-be-inked US-Afghan Strategic Partnership deal is causing considerable disquiet both within and outside Afghanistan. At the same time, the deal meant to be a ‘security guarantee’ for the Afghans seems to be mired in the emerging differences on the conditionalities and nature...

Syrian security forces step up checkpoints and patrols in Damascus, a stronghold for President Bashar Assad. Iran, Syria's closest ally, presses Assad to heed 'legitimate' public demands. Security forces in the Syrian capital increased checkpoints, troop deployments and helicopter patrols Saturday in a bid to keep an overnight surge of...

Matthew VanDyke describes six months of solitary confinement TRIPOLI, Libya — An American writer and filmmaker who ended up in Libya's most notorious prison during the turmoil of the uprising against Moammar Gadhafi feared he would be one of the dictator's forgotten victims.

The group's second-in-command, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, has been killed in Pakistan.  

Al Qaeda's second-in-command, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, has been killed in Pakistan, delivering another big blow to a terrorist group that the US believes to be on the verge of defeat.

Arab leaders are expected to voice strong condemnation of the violence in Syria after President Bashar al-Assad's forces killed two more protesters.

Asghar Sharafi was appointed as coach of Mes of Sarcheshme on Saturday. Sharafi, who replaced Ahmad Sanjari in the Kerman-based team, will be introduced on Sunday.

U.S. and Pakistani officials said Saturday that al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, has been killed in Pakistan, delivering another big blow to a terrorist group that the U.S. believes to be on the verge of defeat.

Al Qaida's second in command, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, has been killed in Pakistan, delivering another big blow to a terrorist group that the US believes to be on the verge of defeat, a senior Obama administration official has said. Related Stories President visits site of UN bombing Mayor urges New...

A U.S. strike has killed Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, the second-in-command of Al Qaeda and its "operational leader," the Associated Press reported Saturday afternoon.  The report , which cites an anonymous U.S. official, says al-Rahman was killed in Waziristan, Pakistan, on Aug. 22, the same day that a...

These days, the disaster stricken country of Somalia is witness to one of the worst human crisis caused by famine and drought. Due to the inaction of international organizations, the lives of millions of Somalians is being threatened. -Seyyed Hadi Kasaeizadeh

Tourism in North Africa and the Middle East has fallen this year because of the ongoing political upheavals there. But industry watchers say the level of foreign tourist traffic to Iran has remained mostly stable. Iran's tourism sector is on the rise, though analysts say it is far from meeting...

Several hundred supporters of the Iranian opposition Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO, aka MEK and People's Mujahedin) gathered on August 26 in front of the State Department in Washington, D.C., to urge Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to remove the group from the United States' list of foreign terrorist...

The activists in Tabriz were protesting the Iranian government's failure to take measures to save Lake Urmia, a salt lake situated between Iran's East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan provinces that is drying up.

He called on foreigner not to meddle in domestic issues of other countries to prevent misuses and also asked Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to pay heed to legitimate demands of his people. Salehi noted al-Assad should be supported and that, "Changing the regime in Syria is unconventional and is followed...

Deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says the pre-launch tests for Bushehr nuclear power plant are in their final stages.

Iran's Prosecutor General says trying the three US citizens guilty of espionage and illegal entry clearly shows the independence of the Islamic Republic.

A senior al Qaeda operations chief, Atiyah abd al-Rahman, has been killed this week in Pakistan, the Obama administration said Saturday that it has confirmed. According to a senior U.S. official, Atiya abd al-Rahman, who was born in Misrata, Libya, was killed on Aug. 22 in Waziristan, Pakistan. Reports...

share: digg facebook twitter WASHINGTON (AP) — Al-Qaida's second-in-command, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, has been killed in Pakistan, delivering another big blow to a terrorist group that the U.S. believes to be on the verge of defeat, a senior Obama administration official said Saturday. The Libyan national who was the...

TEHRAN, Aug. 27 (MNA) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has said that it is presumptuous for the United States to interfere in the internal affairs of Syria.

TEHRAN, Aug. 26 (MNA) -- The search for Muammar Gaddafi is continuing, but the capture of his compound in Tripoli by Libyan rebel fighters did not produce any clue about his whereabouts.

TEHRAN, Aug. 27 (MNA) - A Lebanese delegation arrived in Tehran late on Friday to hold talks with Iranian officials on Imam Musa al-Sadr, an Iranian-born Shia cleric who vanished without a trace in Libya in 1978.

Olympic champion Tong Wen won a sixth world title on her controversial return to top level competition at the Judo World Championships here on Saturday.

Drug use and the paucity of treatment options have taken a heavy toll in Afghanistan, where there were about 900,000 drug users in 2010, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

TEHRAN, Aug. 27 (MNA) – Hojjatoleslam Abdolvahed Mousavi Lari has said that reformists have not set conditions for participating in the March parliamentary elections.

Iran's Ambassador to Oman Hossein Noushabadi says the 21st century will witness the fall of dictators all over the world.

Jared Lee Loughner's lawyer says he's "less psychotic" than before and now she's worried about depression.

In this citizen journalism image made on a mobile phone and provided by Shaam News Network, Anti-Syrian President Bashar Assad protesters, hold up a banner pleading for help from Nato, during a demonstration against the Syrian regime, at Maaret Harma village, in Edlib province, Syria, on Friday Aug. 26, 2011.

Exclusive: The United Nations Security Council authorized NATO’s air campaign in Libya “to protect civilians.”

RAMALLAH, August 27, 2011 (WAFA) – Statements by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that a Palestinian state will lead to elimination of Israel serve only the right-wing forces in Israel , Saturday said Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh.

Guardsmen with the local 1137th Military Police Company of Kennett, Jackson and Doniphan in addition to other citizen-soldiers throughout the state will be honored during an upcoming deployment...

Iranian security officials have arrested four members of the People`s Resistance Movement of Iran (PRMI), better known as Jundallah, the the semi-official Mehr News Agency reported on Saturday. A local police said the suspects were planning to carry out a terrorist attack in Iran`s southeastern Sistan-Balouchestan Province on the International...

Iranian Filmmaker Negar Azarbaijani's Facing Mirrors has been warmly received at the 2011 edition of Montreal's World Film Festival in Canada.

Although the remarks by Iran’s foreign minister did not call for President Bahar al-Assad to step down, it was the first public sign of growing unease with the crisis in Syria.

Iran's Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said Washington's demand for the resignation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is "insolent" and against international conventions, the English language satellite Pess TV reported Saturday.

BEIRUT -- Syria's closest ally, Iran, warned Saturday that a power vacuum in Damascus could spark an unprecedented regional crisis while urging President Bashar Assad to listen to some of his people's "legitimate demands." Thousands of protesters, meanwhile, insisted they will defy tanks and bullets until Mr. Assad goes.

TEHRAN, Aug. 27 (MNA) – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his cabinet members visited on Saturday the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini to renew their commitment to the ideals of the founder of the Islamic Republic.

TEHRAN, Aug. 27 (MNA) — Iran's OPEC governor announced on Saturday that if oil prices continue their downward trend under the shadow of the global economic crisis, OPEC may react by cutting its production.