News Archive - 4 October 2011

>Amir Kokabi, 28, a University of Texas graduate student, was arrested at departures at Tehran airport in February. He is also charged with receiving "illicit payments," lawyer Saeed Khalili told Reuters, calling the accusations "illogical and baseless."Judiciary officials were not immediately available for comment.Iran is locked in a...

ABDULLAH AL-SHIHRI Associated Press RIYADH, Saudi Arabia Saudi police clashed with protesters in the country's Shiite-dominated eastern region in a new ripple of unrest in the oil-rich kingdom, residents and security officials said Tuesday. Police moved in on Monday to break up a second day of small protests against the...

>Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday that clashes on Monday night that injured 14 people including 11 policemen in its oil-rich Eastern province, home to a large Shi’ite population, were the work of an unnamed foreign power, usually code for its rival Iran.Saudi Arabia applies the Wahhabi austere version of...

Baha'i World News Service http://news.bahai.org For more information, contact news@bahai.org Baha'i International Community calls for release of Christian pastor facing death sentence GENEVA, 4 October 2011 (BWNS) – The Baha'i International Community has joined the call for the release of Youcef Nadarkhani, a Christian pastor from Rasht,...

>TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's cinema owners have threatened to close their movie houses to protest against costs that have soared since energy subsidies were slashed last year, sending a highly visible message of opposition to the government's key economic policy. Despite restrictions on foreign films, often banned for reasons of...

> "A foreign country is trying to undermine national security by inciting strife in (the city of) al-Qatif," Saudi state television quoted the Interior Ministry as saying. The reference to a foreign country meddling in a Shi'ite area is usually a coded reference to Iran, the Shi'ite power and Saudi...

>UNHCR sources told Reuters that the new role would be as Special Representative on the Afghan refugee situation.But Jolie, who has served for 10 years as goodwill ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), declined to be specific, telling reporters in Geneva: "We are looking at...

>"Governments and taxpayers spent about half a trillion dollars last year supporting the production and consumption of fossil fuels," the energy watchdog to 28 industrialized countries said."In a period of persistently high energy prices, subsidies represent a significant economic liability," it said in an extract of its annual World...

>QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - At least 13 people were shot dead by gunmen in a suspected sectarian attack on a passenger bus in Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province on Tuesday, the second such attack in just over two weeks. The attackers, who were said by police to have arrived in a...

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel has dismissed its deputy ambassador in Washington over a leak to the media about secret discussions involving the United States, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday.

Rep. Ron Paul gave a sneak peak into how his administration would handle illegal immigrants, telling a Spanish language news program, I’m not going to kowtow to Latino voters. Paul, appearing on Univision’s Sunday morning politics show “Al Punto,” said that illegal immigrants shouldn’t...

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has threatened to attack Israel in the event of any Western military intervention in his country's domestic affairs, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported.

First-year University of Texas graduate student Omid Kokabee is scheduled to faces charges of espionage in court on Tuesday. According to his lawyer, Kokabee is pleading not guilty in response to accusations against him having “relations with a hostile country” and receiving “illegitimate funds” in exchange for leaking Iranian nuclear...

(MENAFN) Sony Gulf's managing director, Osamu Miura, said that the launch of the company's new cameras would increase Sony's camera market share in Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region from ...

Foreign policy becomes economic for Republicans

The attraction used to be, "Join the Navy and see the world."

The decline in OPEC’s oil below $100 a barrel for the first time since February is raising the likelihood the group will cut production, as Libya revives output and the global economic recovery falters.

Jananne Al-Ani is an Iraqi-British artist whose earlier work has been bought by the Imperial War Museum. Her latest work, The Visit, is currently showing at the Norwich Gallery.

The U.S. efforts to isolate Iran with economic sanctions may backfire in post-war Afghanistan, as Tehran could well emerge as a key counterbalance to an increasingly reckless and hostile Islamabad. Already resisting U.S. pressure as far as Iran is concerned, India is apparently angling to leverage its continued...

Russia and China have handed president Bashar al-Assad a diplomatic victory by vetoing a European-drafted UN Security Council resolution against Syria, after six months of a violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

BAHRAIN'S Bader Abdulla Malabes was one of 10 players given an honourable mention for their performance in the recently concluded 26th Fiba Asia Championship, held in Wuhan, China.

Pyongyang, October 4 (KCNA) -- Ali Akbar Salehi, minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, addressing the UN General Assembly session on Sept. 30, called for enhancing the role of the UNGA in order to ensure the world peace and security.

"Courageous" is the title of a movie that has just been released to theaters in our area. I haven't seen it, and I don't even know what the plot entails, but I'm going to check it out. Maybe it's a co

BAHRAIN'S senior men's national football team head into the final days of preparation for their upcoming Fifa World Cup qualifier against Iran next week.

Tehran, October 3 (KCNA) -- Seyed Ali Khamenei, leader of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, in a speech at an international meeting on October 1 condemned the United States for defending Israel.

GENEVA: Angelina Jolie will be taking on a new role in the world's most acute refugee crises, the American actress and United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said yesterday.

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.

BAHRAIN'S women's national football team scored a massive 12-0 victory over Iraq to register a dream start to the fourth West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Women's Championship, being held in Abu Dhabi.

A British woman has died after a helicopter carrying a group of four tourists plunged into New York's East River shortly after take-off. Related Stories Iran slams Turkey over Nato radar US boy 'forced to sleep in coffin' Knox 'overwhelmed' to be back in US Saudi Arabia police open fire...

The ripped-and-tattooed Henry Rollins, now 50, rose to fame singing with Black Flag. He's since fronted Rollins Band, released numerous spoken-word albums, done comedy, been a VH1 talking head and acted some. (He played a neo-Nazi on the FX series Sons of Anarchy.) He also travels -- no... By...

An Egyptian court on Tuesday postponed the trial proceedings of a blogger who has been on a hunger strike for 43 days until next week, the Al-Ahram daily newspaper reported. Relatives and supporters of detained Egyptian blogger Maikel Nabil on Tuesday staged a demonstration outside Cairo`s notorious C28 military court...

Moody's Investors Service has downgraded Italy's government bond ratings to A2 with a negative outlook from Aa2 - the result of high debt, a weak global economy and political uncertainties that delay corrective action. Related Stories Iran slams Turkey over Nato radar US boy 'forced to sleep in coffin' Knox...

Hugh Eakin The battle for Libya is only one of several Arab uprisings this year in which Qatar has played a provocative part. In Tunisia and Egypt, no Internet and broadcast medium did more to spread the cause of popular protest than Al Jazeera, Qatar’s government-backed satellite television news network.

KUNDUZ, Afghanistan (AP) - The United States led the war in Afghanistan, but the stakes - and the losses - are high for all. At least 1,782 American soldiers have died over the past decade. NATO has lost 954 soldiers, with Germany supplying the biggest contingent after the U.S.

As the United States and NATO mark 10 years of war in Afghanistan on Friday, the difference between the often-optimistic assessment of U.S. generals and the reality on the ground for Afghans is stark.

A north-eastern Pennsylvania couple accused of making a seven-year-old boy sleep in a coffin have been arraigned on endangerment and unlawful restraint charges. Related Stories Amanda Knox: Returning exile faces the media Meredith Kercher's family 'left in limbo' after Amanda Knox acquittal Eating live baby rat 'wasn't cruelty' Iran slams...

Angelina Jolie is in talks about a new and expanded role with the UN refugee agency.

A sobbing Amanda Knox said she was "overwhelmed" to be back home in the United States after spending four years in an Italian jail for the brutal murder of British student Meredith Kercher. Related Stories Amanda Knox: Returning exile faces the media Meredith Kercher's family 'left in limbo' after Amanda...

There is significant flooding onboard a large container ship which has run aground on a reef off the coast of Tauranga. 

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has criticized the presence of US-led foreign troops in the Middle East, saying they escalate instability in the region.

Iran has criticised Turkey for agreeing to allow Nato to station an early warning radar in the south-east of the country that will serve as part of the alliance's missile defence system. Related Stories 'British woman' killed in NY crash Briton dies in New York helicopter crash Amanda Knox: Returning...

Local lawmakers on Tuesday addressed the report cards for legislators Gov. Nikki Halely released on Monday with a synchronicity that would make a drill sergeant proud.

HIGH Performance coach Billy Walsh set a target of three qualifiers for next year’s Olympic Games going into the World Boxing Championships in Baku and that was achieved yesterday with last 16 victories for Darren O’Neill, John Joe Nevin and Belfast teenager Michael Conlon.

In a casual encounter on the stump in Iowa, the Minnesota Republican agrees with a man who says he wants to impeach Obama

GENEVA — Goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie said yesterday she will be taking on a new role in refugee crises. Sources in the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) told Reuters the new role would be as special representative on the Afghan refugee situation.

How the Taliban fought back after 9/11

As the US and NATO mark 10 years of war in Afghanistan on Friday (Saturday NZT), a grim picture emerges from scores of interviews over six months across the country with ordinary Afghans, government officials, soldiers, and former and current Taliban, along with recent data.

From Robert Parry: For a limited time, we are offering as a three-book set – Lost History , Secrecy & Privilege and Neck Deep – at the deep discount price of only $29 for all three, postage included.

CANDIDATES run on hope. Incumbents run on their record. But Barack Obama, lining up for a second term at the White House next year, has little to offer on either score. The heady optimism of 2008 has dissipated.

TUESDAY morning saw yet another horrific attack on Balochistan’s hapless Hazara Shias. According to a representative of the community, gunmen removed non-Hazara passengers from a bus on the outskirts of Quetta before opening fire on the Hazara passengers and killing 13 people.

An ordeal that began with a hiking trip on July 31, 2009 in Northern Iraq came to a close Sept. 21 when Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were released from Tehran's Evin Prison.

Shane Bauer has only recently been able to call his sister, Shannon Bauer, of Boulder. He and his friend Josh Fattal were imprisoned in Iran for 781 days before being released on Sept. 21.

AMMAN, Oct 5 — Russia and China have handed President Bashar al-Assad a diplomatic victory by vetoing a European-drafted UN Security Council resolution against Syria, after six months of a violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests. Pressure, however, loomed from Syria’s powerful neighbour Turkey, which has given refuge to a Syrian...

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UPI) Oct 4, 2011 Middle Eastern states, particularly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are focusing on building up their power and air-defense capabilities, a military air market expected to generate $62.9 billion over the current decade. This concentration on procuring military aviation assets...

Tehran, Oct 5 (IANS) Iran has condemned foreign countries' intervention in Syria's domestic affairs, Xinhua reported.

Washington (AFP) Oct 3, 2011 The United States faces diminishing clout in Afghanistan as its troops pull out, but Afghan leaders will still turn to Washington as the most influential player over the next decade, analysts said. Their contention is based on the premise that US-backed Afghan security forces will...

With Rep. Ron Paul remaining throughout the year a steady presence in 2012 Republican polls, Bill O'Reilly took some time to explore his impact on the field tonight. But O'Reilly wasn't concerned with the Republican Party-- he asked John Stossel whether he was concerned that Rep. Paul was doing damage...

“U.S. and international officials appear to agree that the sanctions have not, to date, hurt Iran’s economy to the point at which the core Western goals on Iran’s nuclear program can be accomplished.”

Middle Eastern consumers who have long enjoyed subsidized gas must come to terms with paying much more for the increasingly popular fuel used in power generation...

When Iran’s president accused the US at the United Nations General Assembly last year of orchestrating the September 11 attacks, American diplomats were not caught flat-footed by the tirade.

The Pacific Islands Forum held in Auckland (7-9 September) again disappointed West Papuans with no mention of the human rights situation in West Papua in the official communiqué (unlike in the past ) and West Papua again not gaining observer status ...

QUETTA: Fourteen people, among them 12 members of the Shia Hazara community, were gunned down on the outskirts of Quetta on Tuesday.

Right now, Shay Given has plenty to shout about. Related Stories Trapattoni desperate for win to keep Republic's Euro dream alive Sammy McIlroy: Jonny Evans can handle it on centre stage Sammy McIlroy: Where are the recruits to replace Northern Ireland’s old guard? Lafferty can fire us towards Brazil

Pro-democracy protests which swept the Arab world earlier in the year have erupted in eastern Saudi Arabia over the past three days, with police opening fire with live rounds and many people injured, opposition activists say. Related Stories Iran slams Turkey over Nato radar US boy 'forced to sleep in...

When Iran’s president accused the U.S. at the United Nations General Assembly last year of orchestrating the Sept. 11 attacks, American diplomats were not caught flat-footed by the tirade.

Thank you for that kind introduction. I’m delighted to be here in Chicago, Moscow’s sister city, and one of the world’s leading commercial centers. And I’m delighted to be speaking again to the USRBC, a group of people with whom I’ve greatly enjoyed ...

Remarks to Bipartisan Policy Center's (BPC) Nuclear Initiative Conference at the Columbus Club at Union Station

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly was outraged across party lines on Tuesday by the killing of at least 13 people in a sectarian attack near Quetta, with some government allies demanding that the interior minister and the Balochistan chief minister resign and the federal government impose governor’s rule in the troubled...

Amanda Knox, the hikers in Iran, the journalists in North Korea – all cases where young Americans were caught up in a foreign legal system. Some points on how to handle such a crisis.

A worried Obama administration has stepped up efforts to persuade US legislators to lift a freeze on almost $200 million (£130m) in aid for the West Bank and Gaza, which Palestinian leaders said yesterday was already hitting American-funded economic and social projects.

WASHINGTON -- In a conference call organized by the committee tasked with electing Democrats to the U.S. Senate, campaign and party staffers were encouraged by non-governmental foreign policy organizations to show as little distance as possible between their candidates and President Barack Obama, according to a source listening in...

Koch Industries went to great lengths to bypass U.S. laws banning dealings with Iran until 2007, according to a report. Koch’s practice, revealed this week in a Bloomberg News report, was to use overseas subsidiaries. Other U.S. companies, notably General Electric, used the same loophole.

You expect employee theft to plague places like Best Buy , where consumer electronics can easily go on the black market for close to their retail value. But it seems far less likely at a place like the National Archives, whose store of dusty documents contains treasures at once priceless...

Tehran (AFP) Oct 4, 2011 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday reiterated Tehran's readiness to "immediately" stop production of low enriched uranium of 20 percent, provided world powers give it the nuclear material. "If they give us the 20 percent (enriched) fuel, we will immediately halt 20 percent (enrichment)," Ahamdinejad...

FRESNO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American Pistachio Growers (APG) today announced USDA’s plans to purchase more than six million pounds of pistachio nuts for federal food nutrition assistance programs. The purchase coincides with the beginning of the 2011 pistachio harvest and follows the widely publicized 2010 bumper crop. The request to purchase...

Working for six months, 14 reporters around the world found eight ugly incidents in the last six decades -- all of which already resulted in fines or settlements, if applicable. Is that it?

WASHINGTON (BP) -- Iran has an obligation under its international commitments to free a pastor facing execution and to drop all charges against him, Southern Baptist ethicist Richard Land says in a letter written to Iran's United Nations ambassador.

How to satisfy an electorate under these stormy economic conditions? One form of redistribution is through subsidies, and this least pleases economists. There isn?t a country of any size that isn?t grappling with this. Democracy can make it harder to do the right thing economically, whereas raw power...

The search continues for an elderly man who disappeared last week after leaving a family member’s Port Coquitlam home for what was supposed to be a 15-minute walk.

Während in den letzten beiden Wochen nur hie und da geringe Partien an Granatäpfeln am Markt zu finden waren, explodierte in der 39. KW förmlich die Angebotsmenge.

> Markets Funds News ETFs News...

Competing narratives through channels such as Telesur and Al Jazeera has US diplomats worried, WikiLeaks cables show.

More than a dozen people were injured in clashes in eastern Saudi Arabia between government security forces and what appear to be demonstrators on Monday night, according to media reports.

The original decision sent prices soaring and provoked outrage among a business elite that has until now backed the leadership of President Bashar al-Assad.

Agencies/Dubai Saudi Arabia said yesterday that clashes on Monday night that injured 14 people including 11 policemen in its Eastern province, home to a large Shia population, were the work of an unnamed foreign power, usually code for Iran.

ALI AKBAR DAREINI Associated Press TEHRAN, Iran Iran criticized Turkey on Tuesday for agreeing to allow NATO to station an early warning radar in the southeast of the country that will serve as part of the alliance's missile defense system. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed the defense system was meant to...

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Scientists and academics are pushing for the release of a 29-year-old University of Texas student held in his native Iran on espionage charges since winter.

Few nations are more worried about the potential chaos in Yemen than its wealthy neighbor to the north, Saudi Arabia. The conservative kingdom has resisted much of the change roiling the Arab world, but may make an exception if it means a more stable Yemen.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Chinese national oil companies are now the biggest beneficiary of Iraq's oil resources, beating the oil majors, according to analysts. "Chinese companies backed up by the Chinese government enjoy serious advantages over the international oil companies (IOC) and also have better bargaining power," according to Gal...

Gunmen attacked a bus carrying Shias in Pakistan’s insurgency-torn southwest yesterday, killing 13 people in the second major sectarian attack to hit the area in two weeks, police said.

While everyone else is worrying about Afghanistan’s future, a dedicated band of men and women is gathering up its past, hoping that a growing museum collection will show the world Afghan culture is more sophisticated than the tide of news reports suggest.

Reuters/Tokyo Qatar sees no need yet for Opec to meet before its next scheduled gathering in December, but is monitoring closely the impact on oil demand of slowing economic growth and the debt crisis in Europe, the country’s energy minister said yesterday.

Last winter, Asghar Farhadi swept the prizes at the Berlin Film Festival with his buzzy drama "A Separation." Last winter, Asghar Farhadi swept the prizes at the Berlin Film Festival with his buzzy drama "A Separation."

The 1st edition of Children for Children International Film Festival will be held on November 22nd to 24th 2011 in Ghazvin in Iran. The festival is organizing by KANOON, the institute that works for children and young adults over 50 years and has more than 800 libraries all over the...

Iran's movement of an oil rig toward Azerbaijan's territorial waters in the Caspian Sea in 2009 caused Baku to fret about its lack of military capacity to handle such a threat, and to seek advice from U.S. officials on what to do, recently released Wikileaks cables show. The cables...

There is no excuse for the horrific, evil acts of the 9/11 terrorists, but it can’t be denied that many of the world’s people — in the Middle East and the southern countries of the American continent, in particular — have justified anger toward the U.S.

Friends and family of Josh Fattal describe hearing the news of his release and the joy of bringing him home after more than two years

AzerbaijanHollywood celebrity Angelina Jolie will travel to Iran by the end of the Iranian calendar year (ends on March 20, 2012) to make a movie, ILNA quoted Iranian cinema producer Ali Sartipi as saying on Tuesday.

DUBAI — Gulf oil producers are expected to pump more than $58 billion into projects over the next five years to expand their power generation capacity to meet growing domestic demand, according to an official Arab report.