News Archive - 29 September 2011

> *Stuxnet computer virus analyzed By Tabassum Zakaria IDAHO FALLS, Idaho, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Behind the doors of a nondescript red brick and gray building of the Idaho National Laboratory is the malware laboratory where government cyber experts analyzed the Stuxnet computer virus. The malicious software targets widely used...

>Bowman, an internationally recognized African-American pathologist and expert on inherited blood diseases such as sickle cell anemia, died on Wednesday from cancer, the school said."Jim Bowman was one of the early pioneers in the clinical applications of molecular genetics. He did important work on a common enzyme deficiency and...

> * NTC forces recapture Sirte airport * Former Libyan PM goes on hunger strike in Tunis jail * Civilians caught in crossfire in sirte By Joseph Logan SIRTE, Libya, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Libyan interim government forces recaptured the airport in Sirte, Muammar Gaddafi's birthplace, on Thursday, amid mounting...

>Speaking at a news conference on a visit to Tripoli, he added that U.S. investors were eager to do business in the oil-exporting country but this would be difficult as long as fighting continued.He said: "We believe very strongly that the people of Libya today are inspiring the...

>MANAMA (Reuters) - Bahrain jailed 20 doctors on Thursday for between five and 15 years on charges including stealing medicine, stockpiling weapons and occupying a hospital during unrest in the Gulf kingdom this year, state news agency BNA said. It also sentenced a man to death for killing a policeman...

>MANAMA (Reuters) - Bahrain's government is prepared to hold more talks with the Shi'ite opposition on political reforms to try to end protests that threaten to hold up the economy, a government official said on Thursday. Sheikh Abdul-Aziz bin Mubarak al-Khalifa, a senior adviser at the Information Affairs Authority, also...

>"Two embassy cars were damaged. The U.S. delegation is still there and the crowd is surrounding the building," said the witness."They are chanting 'Abu Hafez (father of Hafez)'," the witness said, a nickname for Assad.The witness said the diplomats were visiting Hassan Abdelazim, a centrist politician who...

>But more seriously, India itself has kept a low profile, resisting the temptation to twist the knife deeper into its neighbour when it faces the risk of isolation. Much of what Pakistan stands accused of, including the main charge of  using violent extremism as an instrument of foreign policy, is an echo of...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two weeks after Egypt's uprising swept aside Hosni Mubarak, the presidents of Iran and Syria stood side by side in Damascus in a blunt message to the Arab Spring: The Syrian regime can count on its allies in Tehran.

What the Soviets would have called “great Han chauvinism” is very much on display.

U.S. Sen. John McCain called Libya's revolutionaries an inspiration to the world, singling out activists in Syria, Iran, China and Russia on Thursday as he led a Republican delegation to Tripoli.

In Iran, they like to watch. Or so we gather from the constant presence of surveillance cameras in "Circumstance," writer-director Maryam Keshavarz's sumptuous debut about Shireen and Atafeh, best friends coming of age and burgeoning desire in Iran's capital city, Tehran.

In reply to Iranian Human Rights Activist Jailed : Great piece Mani. Throughout the article I was struck by the many similarities here in Australia who also now live under a threat similar to the Iranian state’s powers of arrest without due process and the plight of citizens reduced to...

NAWABSHAH: Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) is utilising all resources to explore more oil and gas reserves. This was stated by Deputy Managing Director Sui Southern Gas Company Ltd, Zuhair Ahmed Siddiqui while talking to media at Nawabshah Press Club.

Tara Nazemi and her mother Azita Sahebjam both make their acting debuts in Naghmeh Shirkhan’s The Neighbor. The film, shot in North Vancouver, screens Oct. 3, 4 and 11 at this year’s Vancouver International Film Festival.

A senior Iranian commander says military operations against the Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) terrorist group have forced the militants to accept Iran's terms and withdraw from the country's soil.

September 21 began as an ordinary day in Iran’s Evin Prison for Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer. Their daily exercise time concluded, and they expected the guards to blindfold them and take them back to their cells, as usual.

After 26 months detained in Iran, Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer departed the Gulf state of Oman Saturday with their families, and will arrive in the U.S. Sunday, according to a spokeswoman representing the Fattals and Bauers.

A senior Iranian lawmaker says UAE's repeated ownership claims over Iran's three Persian Gulf islands are provoked by foreign powers who seek to destabilize the region.

Pyongyang, September 29 (KCNA) -- Indonesia and Poland on Sept. 26 signed a MOU on cooperation in energy and coal mining. On Sept. 25 Iran and Mauritania agreed to jointly fight against terrorism.

(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – The United States rolled on to a 4-0 start with two stoppage victories on Wednesday at the 2011 AIBA Men’s World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Prosecutors in Iran issued a public warning to a prominent banker that he will become the prime suspect in a huge embezzlement scandal if he does not return to the country, the Mehr News Agency reported Thursday. The banker, Mahomud-Reza Khavari, abruptly resigned as the managing director of Bank Melli,...

FROM zip-lines through a jungle to dining by a volcano - turn your mates green with envy in Central America's eco haven.

"Jihad!" screams the suicide bomber, hitting his detonator. "Gesundheit," the Fixer replies, kicking him off the roof of the skyscraper. The terrorist explodes in midair. "Leave one of them alive to talk," the Fixer says to his sidekick, "... We'll have to torture him."

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani says all obstacles to promotion of cooperation between Iran and Pakistan should be removed.

How did a 17-year-old animated children's film take over the box office?

Islamabad, Sep 30 : Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Thursday called for expediting energy projects with Iran to help meet the country's increasing energy demand.

The Kurdish people have an ancient saying: Their only friend is the mountains. It is into the mountains of Kurdistan, in northern Iraq, where Kurds have fled when faced with persecution from a succession of regimes, most recently that of Saddam Hussein. Dr. Robert Doe said he has heard another...

Syria said on Friday that seven of its soldiers and police were killed in an operation against terrorists in the central town of Rastan, where armed resistance has emerged after months of mostly peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad.

The internal security of Pakistan and its nuclear arsenal was causing global concern even prior to the September 11th attacks. Since then, the situation has only worsened.

Russia watchers in the West cannot be surprised that Vladimir Putin is on his way back to the Russian presidency. Dmitri Medvedev was always his protege, and there was no doubt that major decisions could not be made without his approval. This includes signing the New START arms control treaty,...

ISLAMABAD: With plans of importing 100 megawatts of electricity for Gwadar in advanced stages, Pakistani banks are reluctant to open letters of credit to Iranian banks owing to sanctions imposed by the West.

SKorean politician visits NKorea to improve ties

A new gum isolated from the roots of an Iranian plant could be used in food systems to improve foaming properties, according to new research.

NEW DELHI: On 23rd September 2011, at about three in the morning, within hours of his arrival at the Delhi airport, the US radio-journalist David Barsamian was deported.

For all his innovative repression at home, Russian “czar” Vladimir Putin’s most remarkable achievement may be getting an influential group of emerging powers to adopt Moscow’s amoral worldview. These countries, known as BRICS, are historically and culturally diverse: B is for Brazil’s Latin passion; I is for...

TEHRAN, Iran — The U.S. called for the release of a pastor sentenced to death for apostasy while his lawyer said Thursday he is hopeful an appeals court will acquit his client.

The head of Iran's Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO) says the Islamic Republic has climbed to the fourth rank in the area of nanotechnology in the world.

Libya may not have a new interim government for weeks or months, said Mahmoud Jibril, prime minister of the nation’s National Transitional Council.

KABADDI has taken on a wider perspective and is no more considered a traditional sport associated with only one community.

September 30, 2011 Iran at a Crossroads By Kamran Bokhari (09-27-11) Geopolitically, a trip to Iran could not come at a better time. Iran is an emerging power seeking to exploit the vacuum created by the departure of U.S. troops from Iraq, which is scheduled to conclude in a...

INTERNATIONAL attention is now on Somalia, which faces a drought-induced famine that has placed millions of its people at risk of starvation, malnutrition, disease and death.

IT SAYS something about this year’sImagine Irelandfestival in the US that when Irish architects addressed an audience at the Cooper Union in New York City on Monday night, they were competing with a sell-out reading by Séamus Heaney on the Upper West Side and Liam Neeson launchingCinemagicon Wall Street.

Supporters of President Bashar Assad ambushed Ambassador Robert Ford as he entered an office for a meeting with a leading opposition figure.

Aamir Faraz pays tribute to Punjabi poet Munnoo Bhai ... read more A man made disaster?

A regular roundup of recent Hollywood headlines

The Islamic Republic of Iran has delivered a domestically-produced medium-range missile system christened Mersad (Ambush) to the country's air defense units.

Escape is the "vacation guide" of American Express, and as you might expect it's a travel porn magazine without the least redeeming social value. You might ask how I'm so sure it's travel porn, given the useful...

The former IMF chief, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was confronted yesterday by the French writer who accuses him of attempting to rape her in 2003. Mr Strauss-Kahn did not apologise to Tristane Banon, his lawyers said, as he insists the allegation is “imaginary”.

JOHOR BARU: A mother-of-one has no qualms about juggling between her postgraduate studies, work and family’s welfare in order to achieve her dreams.

Thursday: Alabama's enacts a new immigration law, allowing police to question and detain suspected illegal immigrants, and hold them without bond; Also, most years in Vermont, fall foliage tourism is a $330 million industry. But in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, tourists are staying away; And, Scott Pelley speaks with...

The European Union announced on its website europa.eu on September 12 that it had adopted a mandate to negotiate a legally-binding tripartite treaty among the EU, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to build the Trans Caspian Pipeline System -- the first EU treaty of its kind to support an infrastructure project.

Erdogan's triumphal tour through Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, presenting Turkey as role model and a reliable ally, followed by the interview with Obama in New York, where the latter has requested your help to coordinate an orderly transition in Syria has projected an image of Turkey as an autonomous power...

YAHOO: Canada has the best reputation in the world, says a study measuring public perceptions of 50 countries around the world, released on Tuesday. The Reputation Institute study measures the... Proud To Be Kapuso! Visit Us! http://gmaseven.blogspot.com | Spread and Vote - The Kapuso Online Awards, A Viewer's...

Mobile voice search app Dragon Go! recently pushed out a major upgrade to its iOS app, which lets you verbally request more multimedia content, retrieve information from more sources and interact with Google Plus. The app now integrates with Netflix, Spotify, Wolfram Alpha and Ask.com, in addition to a...

KABUL — Iran quietly hosted a delegation of Taliban members in Tehran this month in a powerful and unusual signal of its ambition to shape the trajectory of the Afghan conflict as U.S. troops begin to withdraw. Iranian officials had apparently hoped to facilitate a meeting between the delegation...

OPEC oil output is expected to rise in September to its highest level in almost three years due to a jump in exports from Iraq and the restart of supplies from Libya, a Reuters survey found Thursday.

Local residents, celebrities and renowned artists will play tour guides and lead participants through culturally dynamic 'hoods. Hosted by LA Commons , Found L.A. grants "tourists" peeks at local bakeries, artist studios, hidden alley gardens and more. This inside look at the sprawl begins in various L.A. neighborhoods...

BAGHDAD — Iraq's decision to purchase 18 F-16 fighter jets will provide a "very robust capability" where today there is none and will allow the country's military to protect its airspace, the chief U.S. military spokesman in Iraq said Thursday.

Wiggling a come-hither finger at a couple of male dancers, the actress captures Monroe’s heat and allure perfectly.

Release Time:  For Immediate Release Location:  James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 1:16 P.M. EDT         MR. CARNEY:  Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.  It’s a sad day.  (Laughter.)           Q             Not for Tigers fans.         MR. CARNEY:  I stayed up a little late last night...

Speaker Nabih Berri will travel to Tehran at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Ali Larijani to attend an international conference to support the Palestinian uprising.

Al-Qaeda has sharply criticized Iran's president over his suggestions that the United States government was behind the Sept. 11 attacks and not Al-Qaeda, dismissing the comments as "ridiculous."

share: digg facebook twitter IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) — U.S. utilities and other crucial industries face an increasing number of cyber break-ins by attackers using more sophisticated methods, a senior Homeland Security Department official told reporters during the first tour of the government's secretive defense labs intended to protect...

Al-QAEDA has sharply criticised Iran's president over his suggestions that the United States government was behind the 9/11 attacks, dismissing the comments as "ridicu

U.S. Sen. John McCain called Libya's revolutionaries an inspiration to the world, singling out activists in Syria, Iran, China and Russia, Thursday as he led a Republican delegation to Tripoli. It was the most prominent American delegation to travel to the Libyan capital since the fall of Moammar Gadhafi's...

SuggestionI have a suggestion for state Sen. Suzi Schmidt: Stay in Springfield.A good kid Edgar Gonzalez was gunned down and killed in Waukegan. I believe that all gang members need to turn themselves in because they’re nothing but domestic terrorists. I believe the police department needs to put up...

Brazil's convincing friendly victory over Argentina has taken some of the pressure off coach Mano Menezes.

PICKET: Iranian Christian pastor's possible execution captures international attention

A listing of movies showing in theaters.

The film critic defends Netflix from the Luddites

Yusuf Naderkhani, the Iranian pastor sentenced to death for converting from Islam to Christianity, has a "95 percent chance" of acquittal, according to his attorney, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah. Convicted in 2010 of apostasy, Naderkhani became a Christian at the age of 19 and later became a pastor in Rasht, a...

BAGHDAD — Iran would like to see a strong and stable Iraq and isn't likely to be concerned about which country trains the Iraqi armed forces, the Iranian ambassador to Iraq told McClatchy.

The Meulensteen in Chelsea is showing Siah Armajani’s early drawings and paintings from his days as a student in Tehran.

Some of the world's most famous dissidents and former political prisoners urged the UN today to suspend China, Cuba, Russia and Saudi Arabia from the UN Human Rights Council, which is now in session, and to expel Iran from the UN Commission on the ...

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez appeared on live television today to rebut media reports that his health has deteriorated since he returned from a fourth round of chemotherapy in Cuba.

Liberal justice and human rights critic Irwin Cotler wants Canada to take up an action plan to combat the culture of impunity at the United Nations.

One workshop is dedicated to defining the fundamental values that inform Internet policy-makers and Internet governance arrangements. Here are some tips from Reporters Without Borders on what should be underscored, and why it matters.

Vodafone Qatar has extended their International Calling and International 25 Card offers to October 31. The International Calling promotion lets customers call more than 140 countries at a rate of 65 Dirhams a minute.

Hadi Mahabadi warns Canadians that we have to be on the cutting edge

Baptist Press Stories for Sep. 29 2011 --------------------------------------- NAMB launches Send North America: New York City http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36219 'Any size church' can partner to reach NYC http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36220 NYC church planters reach beyond city http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36221 White House urges Iran to...

WASHINGTON (BP) -- Iran is under increasing pressure from leaders around the world to halt the execution of Iranian pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, who on Wednesday refused for the fourth and final time to recant his faith and could be executed at any time.

Iran has hanged a man convicted of drug trafficking in the shrine city of Qom, south of Tehran, the government-run Iran newspaper reported yesterday. He was hanged on Wednesday in prison, the report said without giving any more details.

The Islamic Republic of Iran and Latin America have been fostering closer relationships for more than a decade, working towards building cohesive diplomatic relations and strengthening economic agreements. These ties began with Cuba’s championing of ...

John Hartwell, 64, enjoys his latest career in the media as a local talk show host. Photo: Michael C. Juliano/Staff Photo / CT Editor's note: This is one in an occasional series of chats with local seniors about their lives, youthful aspirations, sources of pride and regret, plus a bit...

In response to a report that his health was failing and that he had been rushed to the hospital, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Thursday that he had the best proof that his recovery from chemotherapy is advancing fine.

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwire - Sept. 29, 2011) -

Relations between the US and Pakistan have reached a breaking point, says Shashank Joshi.

The family of an elderly man who went missing on the weekend in Port Coquitlam is offering a cash reward to anyone with information that leads to his whereabouts.

WASHINGTON (BP)--An Iranian pastor facing a death sentence remained in jail Thursday as the White House publicly asked Iran to release him and friends of the pastor urged the international community to maintain its pressure.

The Obama administration blamed the Syrian government for an attack on the top U.S. envoy to Syria on Thursday, saying it was part of an continuing, orchestrated campaign to intimidate American diplomats there.

Israel's Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom said Sunday the formation of a Lebanese government led by Hezbollah would be a "very, very dangerous development." Lebanon is trying to resolve a political crisis which erupted when 11 ministers resigned earlier this month, bringing down Prime Minister Saad Hariri's government.

The junior senator from Illinois tags along on the highest profile delegation to visit the rebel controlled country yet.

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Last week, the media lavished attention on Josh Fattal, the 29-year-old American who spent 26 months in an Iranian prison before being reunited with his family in Oman and arriving back on U.S. soil on Sept. 25.

A wounded protestor in Bahrain is taken to the hospital in February. Photo by Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images. Twenty doctors and nurses jailed during the spring revolt against Bahrain's ruling monarchy received sentences of up to 15 years in prison Thursday. The government of the Persian Gulf kingdom leveled a range...

The Latest in Guarding the Empire Cross-posted from TomDispatch.com In the world of weaponry, they are the sexiest things around.  Others countries are desperate to...

Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez said her country was receptive to Iran’s request for dialogue about the bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish center but must hand over the suspects.

TEHRAN, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Iran has forced the Kurdish rebel group PJAK from its territory, state television quoted a Revolutionary Guards commander as saying on Thursday.