News Archive - 13 September 2011

TEHRAN, Iran — An Iranian court set bail of $500,000 each Tuesday for two American men arrested more than two years ago and convicted on spy-related charges, clearing the way for their release a year after a similar bail-for-freedom arrangement for the third member of the group, their defense attorney...

>KABUL, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Despite increasing insecurity in Afghanistan and gun battles with Taliban rebels in the capital Kabul , Indian firms are bidding billions of dollars for a contract to mine iron ore in a central district of the country. A consortium led by state-run Steel Authority of...

> The 27-member bloc agreed on Monday to kick off negotiations to secure a pipeline deal with Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan - two of the five states bordering the Caspian Sea -- to allow gas from the region, which has the world's fourth-largest reserves, to flow directly to Europe. An agreement...

> "We have followed this very closely and we are encouraged by what the Iranian government has said today," Clinton told reporters. "We obviously hope that we will see a positive outcome from what appears to be a decision by the government." Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told NBC's "Today"...

>It was not clear what prompted the ban -- Iran TV, which has a monopoly in the country, dedicates large parts of its schedule to religious shows and announcements from the government.But viewers were gripped a few years ago by a locally-produced soap opera called Forbidden Fruit which told...

>KABUL (Reuters) - Taliban fighters fired rockets at the U.S. Embassy and NATO headquarters in Kabul on Tuesday and attacked police in three other areas in the biggest assault the insurgent group has mounted on the Afghan capital. At least 9 people were killed and 23 wounded in the...

>WASHINGTON, Sept 13 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday removed an Israeli holding company from a sanctions blacklist for trade with Iran, clarifying a step taken in May that cast a shadow over Israel's richest family. Ofer Brothers Group had denied wrongdoing after it was included on a U.

> U.S. officials are working with Switzerland, which represents American interests in Iran, to find out about the men's status. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told NBC's "Today" show that Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal would be released in "a couple of days" as a humanitarian gesture. [ID:nL5E7KD1RG] (Reporting by...

> The letter from Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili to Ashton, dated Sept. 6 and obtained by Reuters on Tuesday, seemed unlikely to be welcomed by Western powers as signalling a substantive step forward. In the letter, Jalili spoke of the "necessity of achieving a comprehensive, long-term and negotiated...

TEHRAN, Iran—Iran's state television has banned programs featuring provocative love stories or shirtless men in an apparent bow to hard-line Muslim clerics complaining about such scenes in foreign movies, Iranian newspapers reported Tuesday.

> Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were arrested in July 2009 near Iran's border with Iraq, where they say they were hiking in the mountains. A third American, Sarah Shourd, was freed in September 2010 and returned home. The U.S. network NBC, which interviewed Ahmadinejad in Iran, said in...

> "I think these two persons will be freed in a couple of days," Ahmadinejad said through an interpreter in an interview broadcast on NBC's "Today" show. "These two persons will be released. It's going to be over," he added. The men, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, were sentenced in...

Students at San Jose State University are on high alert after reports of two attempted sexual assaults on campus in one week. NBC Bay Area's George Kiriyama reports from San Jose.

(MENAFN - Aswat Al-Iraq) A Kurdish analyst has expressed belief that the Kurdish leaders' meeting in Arbil today is a step toward building new strategies that might change the political map, ...

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague on Tuesday cited Morocco among Arab countries that have initiated significant reforms.

(MENAFN - Aswat Al-Iraq) The Head of al-Iraqiya Bloc and ex-premier Ayad Allawi stated that the best solution for Iraqi political crisis is an early elections, pointing out that there is no Iraqi ...

Islamabad, Sep 14 : Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani visited the land of his ancestors in the city of Rasht, the capital of Iran's Gilan province, it was reported here.

Zob Ahan coach Mansour Ebrahimzadeh believes the experience his team gained in last year's AFC Champions League will stand them in good stead ahead of their quarter-final first-leg meeting with SuwonSamsung Bluewings on Wednesday.

Two hikers held by Iran since 2009 are set to be released on bail in the coming days. NBC Bay Area's Jean Elle reports.

Washington (AFP) Sept 13, 2011 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insisted on Tuesday that his country has "no need" for nuclear weapons, amid new concerns from an international atomic watchdog group about Tehran's atomic ambitions. "We do not need nuclear weapons and we do not accept that," Ahmadinejad told the NBC...

From a legal perspective, the Palestinian Authority’s demand to be admitted to the UN raises awkward questions

CAIRO: The Arab League yesterday reiterated its firm commitment to Bahrain's stability. Its foreign ministers issued a statement voicing support for the steps undertaken by His Majesty King Hamad to restore security and stability.

The U.S. State Department is closely following reports that the Iranian government may soon release two University of California at Berkeley graduates who have been detained in Iran on espionage charges for more than two years.

All indications are that the Turkish government will end the policy of "free entry" for Israelis.

It’s September, which means the UN General Assembly is coming back to town -- which means in turn that it’s time for Columbia University to cuddle up with its favorite bloody-handed dictator: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This time it’s the Columbia International Relations Council and Association shouting, “Hey everybody...

11:19 AM Axe-man on rampage in China kills four : In China, a pre-school child was among four persons killed when an axe-wielding man, believed to be mentally unsound, went on a rampage in a central China city, in what is being regarded as a social revenge attack.

By Arun Kumar , Washington, Sep 14 : The US has designated eight nations as Countries of Particular Concern for "particularly severe violations of religious freedom", but spared ally Pakistan even as it expressed concern about increasing extremism and intolerance there.

The Governor General Lieutenant-General Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae will host his first credentials ceremony on Thursday 15 September at Government House, Wellington. The formal ceremony will include a Maori ceremonial challenge and a military guard of honour.

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast says the United States has adopted forward escape policies instead of clarifying 'ambiguities' surrounding the 9/11 attacks.

Iran's president predicted Tuesday that two Americans arrested while hiking along the Iraq-Iran border and sentenced to eight years in jail on espionage-related charges could be freed "in a couple of days" after a court set bail of $US500,000 ($NZ611,223) each.

New Zealand is climbing the global charts when it comes to injecting methamphetamine and one former drug squad cop says it's high time the Government tackled problems of drug addiction and demand gripping the country.Methcon drug...

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 14 — A UN agency has found Southeast Asia illegal drugs’ demand rising, especially methamphetamines which are being manufactured in non-traditional hubs like Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. In a major new report released this week, The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) states there’s “significant...

A Republican touted as a potential vice-presidential candidate laid out an expansive vision of American foreign policy on Tuesday, advocating U.S. engagement, lauding "freedom fighters" and criticizing President Barack Obama .

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's president predicted Tuesday that two Americans arrested while hiking along the Iraq-Iran border and sentenced to eight years in jail on espionage-related charges could be freed "in a couple of days" after a court set bail of ...

BAGHDAD -- Just a few hours after the bodies of 22 executed Shiite pilgrims were found in western Anbar Province, Sunni leaders there erupted in anger on Tuesday at Iraq's Shiite-led government, exposing yet another fault line in the country's sectarian tensions.

A heated debate has erupted in Lebanon over controversial remarks by the head of the nation's Maronite Christians, who has warned an end to Syria's regime threatens Christians across the Middle East.

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that he intends to release two Americans who have been jailed on charges of espionage for two years and grant them a "unilateral pardon." "I am helping to arrange for their release in a couple of days, so they will...

Mr. Ofer and his brother and business partner, Sammy, had a fortune estimated at $4 billion to $10 billion.

Seymour Hersh is one of journalism's living legends. As a young reporter in Vietnam, he broke the story of the My Lai massacre, in which U.S. troops killed hundreds of Vietnamese villagers. More recently, he revealed the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the now-infamous Abu Ghraib prison. He... By...

(RTTNews) - The Thai stock market has finished lower now in three straight sessions, retreating more than 40 points or 3.8 percent in that span. The Stock Exchange of Thailand finished just above ...

The military was ordered by a court yesterday to stop labelling transgender people as being mentally ill. Thailand's army conscripts males over the age of 18, but has historically disqualified ...

An Australian fugitive wanted on charges of placing a fake bomb around a woman's neck in an attempt to extort money from her millionaire father plans to waive extradition and return to his home country to face charges.

Tournament held in Hua Han, Thailand, 100 miles south of Bangkok. King's Cup Elephant Polo takes place between September 5 and 11. Twelve teams from around the world competed in this ...

Britain will push the United Nations for a strong resolution condemning human rights violations in Iran, Foreign Secretary William Hague says.

The State Department has removed an Israeli company from a sanctions blacklist for trade with Iran, reversing a decision that had marred the reputation of one of the richest families in Israel.

PHUKET: One person was killed and four badly injured when a Phuket passenger van bound for Haad Yai lost its brakes and crashed into a car in Trang yesterday afternoon.Muang District Police in Trang ...

Today is Wednesday, Sept. 14, the 257th day of 2011. There are 108 days left in the year.

What intergovernmental organization was founded in Baghdad on Sept. 14, 1960?

The world is facing a growing avalanche of death from heart attack, stroke, cancer, emphysema and diabetes, with many of the victims working-age people in poor countries.

Suwon Bluewings coach Yoon Sung-Hyo believes his side's sensational Asian Champions League (ACL) home record should help them get past Zob Ahan in Wednesday's clash despite their recent heavy schedule.

Truckers and other commercial drivers should be banned from talking on the phone and texting when they are behind the wheel, a federal safety agency decided Tuesday.

With news that the two Americans being held in an Iranian prison, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, are due to be released within days, the Internet and the American media are aflare with chatter. The strangest of it all being...

From NBC's Ali Weinberg WINGATE, NORTH CAROLINA - Sounding more like a candidate for national office than a freshman legislator, Florida Sen.

Two American hikers who have been detained in Iran for two years on espionage charges can be freed on $500,000 bail each, multiple media sources reported Tuesday.

ANKARA, Sep 12 (Reuters) Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan saw ''grounds for war'' with Israel last year after a deadly raid on a Turkish ship headed for Gaza, according to a transcript of a recent interview.

Can anyone give me some good news on how the Obama administration’s doing (after 2 1/2 years) on preventing the Islamic Republic of Iran from developing nuclear weapons and the ballistic missiles that’ll carry them? Didn’t think so. The latest news suggests that, despite all the...

Rochester, N.Y. - We will have updates as they become available.

THE president has been in London and the prime minister in Iran. Zulfikar Mirza, after igniting repeated rounds of political debate, has gone off to Dubai while his home district, Badin, remains one of the worst hit. The speaker of the National Assembly has gone along with him.

MANILA, Philippines - After being relegated to the reserve list in the last two FIBA Asia Championships, Ranidel de Ocampo finally gets the chance to see action for the national team in the 26th FIBA Asia Championship firing off tomorrow in Wuhan, China.

Commentary on the Arab revolution has been marked by a mix of hopeful anticipation for the triumph of democracy over tyranny and reserved trepidation about the challenge of Islamism.

Heavy rains and flooding in Pakistan's southeastern Sindh province have killed some 226 people over the past month, the National Disaster Management Authority said Tuesday.

Will Israel attack Iran over Iran's growing nuclear program and the growing tension it has caused between the two countries? Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney believes that Israel will, and should. . . .

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Tehran will soon release two US hikers convicted of spying.

New Zealand is climbing the global charts when it comes to injecting methamphetamine and one former drug squad cop says it's high time the Government tackled problems of drug addiction and demand gripping the country. read more

The generals running Egypt's military services need to decide what kind of future they want for their country, and they must decide quickly.

Ottawa gossips are aflutter these days over some flirtatious e-mails a Conservative MP sent to a journalist with China’s state news agency.

An Italian who chastised his 12-year-old son in public while on holiday in Sweden has been found guilty of child abuse. Related Stories Racing bus driver causes rail crash Britain to push for Iran resolution Seven die as Indian trains collide Children killed in Taliban assault in Pakistan Taliban strike...

PRIME Minister Tayyip Erdogan has captivated many Arabs with his tough talk against Israel, but voices at home and abroad question his drive to carve out a leadership role for Turkey in an Arab world once under the Ottoman imperial thumb.

Just a few hours after the bodies of 22 executed Shiite pilgrims were found in western Anbar province, local leaders there erupted in anger Tuesday at Iraq's Shiite-led government.

When former stroke patient Djavad Mowafaghian returned to Lions Gate Hospital on Tuesday to thank staff for the care he received there, he brought along a $4-million cheque. The donation from the prominent philanthropist will help create a medical teaching centre at the hospital that could train as many as...

Check back here for updated primary election results for Wayne County.

, in 2012, Russia’s lease expires at the radar station, located in Gabala.

With no live Rugby World Cup matches scheduled on 1 October, Maori Television invites you to stay home and enjoy the free-to-air exclusive premiere of Boy at 9.00pm.

Lafarrow: “This was flashy but yet, not overly damaging from a "war" standpoint. real damage would have been to hit some refineries, shipping ports, transportation hubs, etc. Buildings are replaceable rather quickly.

Listen to the Audio HARI SREENIVASAN: European stocks rallied today amid new signs that Germany and France will act to prevent Greece from defaulting on its debt. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her government is using all its tools. She told a German radio station, "It is our top priority...

Midvale o Tea Rose Diner owner Anny Sooksri is still serving amazing Thai food, now also in her new restaurant, Chabaar Beyond Thai, which opened in mid-July on 7200 South in ...

Many of us who travel frequently to Israel risk becoming jaded. Obsessed by realpolitik, the peace process, internecine and ultimately unproductive Jewish political polemics, philanthropic hype or just plain business concerns, we lose sight of Israel’s true significance.

TEHRAN – Iran will soon free two Americans jailed for spying, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday, in what he called a humanitarian gesture weeks before he travels to the United Nations in New York.

PLAYERS from Singapore, Indonesia, Iran and England will add a touch of international flavour to the Petaling Jaya Open on Sept 22-25.

The Taliban attacked the US Embassy, Nato headquarters and other buildings in the heart of Kabul today while suicide bombers struck police buildings. Related Stories Racing bus driver causes rail crash Britain to push for Iran resolution Seven die as Indian trains collide Children killed in Taliban assault in Pakistan...

David Cameron is warning the Liberal Democrat leadership he “doesn’t expect any nonsense” over plans to redraw Britain’s electoral map, despite growing “disquiet” from party MPs who could lose their jobs. If the changes go ahead, the Lib Dems could lose 15 of their 57 seats.

ONCE one sees world order as precarious, I guess it becomes a habit. US job growth zero; the euro even more a cliffhanger. Belgium is the only European country with robust growth, since it doesn't have a government.

COTTAGE GROVE — With cautious optimism, the family and friends of imprisoned hikers Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer welcome news that they could be released by authorities in Iran as soon as Thursday, two years after they were first captured hiking near the country’s ambiguous border with Bauer’s fiance, Sara...

The families of two UC Berkeley graduates who have been locked up for more than two years in Iran as accused spies rejoiced Tuesday after that country's president promised to let the men go as a "humanitarian gesture"...

IRAN has executed a man in public for killing a woman who turned down his offer of marriage, hanging him at the scene of the crime.

In advance of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 's visit to the United Nations last year, Iran released Sarah Shourd, 32, one of three young Americans arrested on July 31, 2009, on the Iraq border and charged with espionage and entering Iran illegally.

Taliban forces launch brazen attack on American compound in Kabul.

September 12, Deputy Minister of the Treasury of Poland Krzysztof Valenchak and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Warsaw Stock Exchange Ludwik Sobolewski held in Budapest, a joint press conference.

Josh Fattal's family in Elkins Park is hanging on hope again -- that Fattal and fellow U.S. hiker Shane Bauer could be released from an Iranian prison within two days if $500,000 bail is posted for each.

Under-pressure Sepahan coach Luka Bonacic believes the Iranian champions can put aside their poor start to the domestic season and get past Qatari club Al Sadd in their Asian Champions League quarter-final tie.

The United Nations' recent report investigating the deaths of nine Turks when Israel stopped a flotilla trying to break a Gaza blockade has brought an end to a suspenseful episode in Turkish-Israeli relations.

A decline in cannabis use in New Zealand among young people has been put down to a preference for new drugs such as amphetamine and ecstasy.

According to reports, 5.3 million people have been affected, and 1 million homes and 80 percent of the nation's crops have been damaged, CNN reports. read more

The Iranian regime signalled yesterday that it was granting bail to two American hikers at the centre of a diplomatic dispute since they were seized while trekking around a popular waterfall in northern Iraq more than two years ago and accused of spying for the United States.

State television has banned programmes featuring provocative love stories or shirtless men in an apparent bow to hard-line Muslim clerics complaining about such scenes in foreign films, Iranian newspapers reported yesterday.

The Arab League Tuesday demanded an end to bloodshed in Syria, as activists there staged anti-Russia protests ...

The United States is hopeful for the quick release of two remaining detained American hikers in Iran, after Iran's president pledged to release them

A wealth of generational miscommunication, with a soupcon of finely wrought grief and social dislocation are in store for Beirut film lovers next week as Arte Film Week returns to Metropolis Cinema-Sofil.

Turkey warned Tuesday that it was preparing a possible ground operation against Kurdish separatist militants in northern Iraq, depending on the result of talks with Iraq.