News Archive - 21 October 2011

>BAGHDAD (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's decision to bring troops back from Iraq by the end of this year risks removing a buffer in a country still struggling with violence, sectarianism and pressure from neighbors in an unstable region. More than eight years after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein,...

>* Halliburton, rivals all well versed in FCPA mattersBy Braden ReddallOct 21 (Reuters) - U.S. oilfield services company Halliburton Co conducted an internal investigation of its Angolan operations after an anonymous email alleged its employees breached corruption laws.The disclosure on Friday comes only months after Halliburton closed the...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama delivered on another foreign policy promise on Friday with plans to pull the last U.S. troops from Iraq. But in a re-election campaign all about the weak U.S. economy, he may not get much credit. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, radical...

>LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - New films from international auteurs Bela Tarr, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Hong Sang-Soo, Chantal Akerman, Jean-Marc Vallee and "Dogtooth" director Yorgos Lanthimos will come to Los Angeles for the upcoming AFI Fest 2011, festival organizers announced on Friday. The AFI Fest, which is presented by Audi,...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Friday he would pull U.S. troops from Iraq this year, almost nine years after the U.S. invasion, after he failed to convince Iraq that several thousand troops should remain in part as a balance against neighboring Iran. After months of...

>NEW YORK (Reuters)- For the small club of companies who trade the food, fuels and metals that keep the world running, the last decade has been sensational. Driven by the rise of Brazil, China, India and other fast-growing economies, the global commodities boom has turbocharged profits at the world's biggest...

>CUKURCA, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkey and Iran pledged Friday to cooperate in the fight against Kurdish militants, as thousands of Turkish troops pressed ahead with an air and ground offensive for a third day following an attack that killed 24 Turkish soldiers. The counter-insurgency operation against separatist fighters from the...

TEHRAN, Oct 22, 2011 (AFP) - Iranian officials were hoping Saturday to find six survivors inside a life pod recovered from an oil services ship that sank in the Gulf, leaving seven others missing and feared dead, state television reported.

President Barack Obama's announcement Friday that all U.S. troops will leave Iraq by the end of the year was met with a mixture of hope and reflection by local veterans and their families.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday slammed NATO's role in Libya and said the United States -- and all other countries -- should stay out of the conflict in Syria. "We think it is the will of the people that should work and prevail ever...

Local leaders had mixed reactions to President Barack Obama's announcement Friday that the war with Iraq will be over by the end of the year.

US President Barack Obama has declared that the last American troops will leave Iraq by the end of the year.

BUSHEHR: An Iranian vessel named Kousha1, sank on Thursday in the Persian Gulf near the port city of Assalouyeh.

Persepolis has stopped to a scoreless draw against city rival Naft Tehran in the 11th week of the Iranian Premier League (IPL).

Amir Shapourzadeh was one of many big names, alongside Ali Karimi and Ferydoon Zandi to join ambitious Steel Azin in 2009. Owner Hossein Hayadati went on a spending spree to build the club up and they finished fifth in the 2009-10 before a disastrous 2010-11 campaign saw them relegated.

Parties in Syria should be allowed to reach an understanding without outside “interference,” including pressure from Europe, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an interview with CNN.

October 22nd

“We should respect independence and sovereignty of all nations,” Ahmadinejad said in the live broadcast, when asked whether he would join international condemnation of the crackdown on anti-government demonstrators.

New Delhi, Oct 21 : National award winning film 'I am Kalam' as well as acclaimed films like 'Stanley Ka Dabba' and 'Chillar Party' are among the films to be screened at the 17th International Children's film festival, to be held from November 14 at Hyderabad.

Bangalore: Through globalization English has acquired augmented importance as a common "lingua franca" for the global community. Speaking of literature, Indian writing in English is nearly hot off the fire.

Troops will be 'home for the holidays' WASHINGTON - America's long and deeply unpopular war in Iraq will be over by year's end and all U.S. troops "will definitely be home for the holidays," President Barack Obama declared Friday.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama on Friday declared an end to the Iraq war, one of the longest and most divisive conflicts in U.S. history, announcing that all American troops would be withdrawn from that country by year s end.

The prices of petroleum products in Nigeria have been a source of contention and controversy. This is because for an economy that is almost singularly hinged on crude oil export and therefore, highly sensitive to internal market shocks. A fractional rise in the cost of fuel will have unmitigated ripple...

Amid news of unrest and revolution in the Arab World this week, there was a report that seven Baha'i educators in Iran received four- or five-year prison sentences after being detained for almost five months. Debarred by the government from practicing...

Officials said about 10,000 Turkish infantry and special forces punched into northern Iraq on Oct. 19 in an effort to destroy bases of the Kurdish Workers Party. They said the operation was in response to a PKK strike in southeastern Turkey in which at least 26 soldiers were killed. In ...

American Christians have numerous reasons to support Israel, according to David Brog, executive director of Christians United for Israel. That's why, in just 5 1/2 years since its founding, CUFI has become the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States with 850,000 active members.

Today is Saturday, Oct. 22, the 295th day of 2011. There are 70 days left in the year. On Oct. 22, 1811, composer and piano virtuoso Franz Liszt was born in the Hungarian town of Raiding (RY'-ding) in present-day Austria.

Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colorado, supports the president's decision that all American troops will be pulled out of Iraq by year's end, but worries about the future of the country.

Kiwis far from home are getting ready to watch the Rugby World Cup final.

President Barack Obama on Friday declared an end to the Iraq war, one of the longest and most divisive conflicts in U.S. history, announcing that all American troops would be withdrawn from the country by year’s end.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday slammed NATO's role in Libya, saying he believed it exacerbated the conflict and undermined the sovereignty of the nation

President Barack Obama said the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq by year’s end fulfills a promise he made to voters, while Republican presidential challengers called it a sign of U.S. weakness and a strategic mistake.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says the US accusation that Iran was involved in an alleged plot to kill the Saudi envoy to Washington lacks evidence.

Example: "A N.Y. Times movie review of a film made in Iran said, 'Modern weaponry has seeped through the crevices of this steep, arid wasteland where the ground is always shifting and the flocks of predatory birds send out piercing, feral screeches.'"

U.S. must have role in shaping new Libya

President Obama’s decision to withdraw all US military forces from Iraq by the end of 2011 has given the administration cause to crow: “The last American soldiers will [exit] Iraq with their heads held high, proud of their success,” said the president at the White House yesterday. There’s...

Obama's announcement in the White House briefing room was freighted with political overtones. The president, who was an early opponent of the war and campaigned on a promise to end it, repeated his mantra that "The tide of war is receding."

WASHINGTON - By declaring that the last American troops will leave Iraq by the end of the year, President Barack Obama signaled the official close to one of the longest, most politically contentious wars in U.S. history - and the end to an American attempt to transform the Middle...

Pakistan, Morocco, Togo and Guatemala were elected to the 15-nation UN Security Council for 2012 and 2013, and Islamabad's envoy said he looked forward to working with fellow council member India.

Townterview with Moeed Pirzada of Pakistan TV Interview Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State Serena Hotel Islamabad, Pakistan October 21, 2011 MR. PIRZADA: As salaam alaikum. On your behalf, all of you the civil society members who are in this hall, and on behalf of the countless millions of Pakistanis...

Some people will have woken this morning feeling slightly queasy at the sight of Gaddafi's blood-spattered corpse in the newspapers as they ate their cornflakes or boiled eggs.

Jay Ottolini was glad to hear U.S. troops were pulling out of Iraq.

Letters from Daily News readers.

Syrian protesters' invoke the Libyan experience in a dramatic example of how Moammar Kadafi's death rippled across the region. An anti-Assad coalition reports that 24 protesters were killed Friday. Inspired by the demise of Libya's Moammar Kadafi, thousands of antigovernment protesters took to the streets of Syria on Friday despite...

We're certainly not lamenting the death of former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Before being kicked out of power this summer by NATO-backed rebels, he tyrannized and terrorized his people for 42 years. He also engaged in acts of international terrorism, such as the 1986 bombing of a Berlin...

Operation Iraqi Freedom began nearly nine years ago costing more than 4,000 US lives.

DENVER -- Congressman Mike Coffman, a Republican representing the state's Sixth Congressional District, spent three hours on the witness stand Friday morning in the trial over redistricting, a partisan fight to re-draw the state's seven congressional districts.

Listen to the Audio JUDY WOODRUFF: And to the analysis of Shields and Brooks. That's syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks. Gentlemen, welcome. MARK SHIELDS: Thank you, Judy. JUDY WOODRUFF: So, a lot of international news just in the last few days. Let's start, David,...

After Obama announced that all troops in Iraq will leave the country by the end of this year, many offered their reaction.

Listen to the Audio JUDY WOODRUFF: The Iraq war is almost over. That announcement came from the commander in chief almost nine years after the U.S. invasion. During the 2008 campaign, President Obama pledged to end the conflict. Up until this week, American and Iraqi officials were negotiating ways...

(CNN) -- The announced withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq put new attention Friday on the influence of Iran, accused of supporting Iraqi militias that have killed American soldiers, but analysts were reluctant to declare the pullout a clear victory for Iran.

Some in US military disagree with decision, are concerned about repositioning Persian Gulf forces to maintain stability, safeguard oil

NEW YORK, Oct 22 ― Pakistan, Morocco, Togo and Guatemala were elected yesterday to the 15-nation UN Security Council for 2012 and 2013, and Islamabad’s envoy said he looked forward to working with fellow council member India. The race for a fifth council seat, representing Eastern Europe, was adjourned until...

As the sun sets on U.S. military involvement in Iraq , the shadow cast by a neighbor and old enemy - Iran - will grow. The rogue state already exerts influence in Iraq , political and military. Its Qods Force terror outfit for years supplied insurgents with.

A Colby College-trained editor, Elijah P. Lovejoy died in 1837 defending his press and his right to oppose slavery with his printed words. Earlier this week at Colby a National Public Radio correspondent recounted how she has reported the struggles of men and women for political freedom in Iraq, Afghanistan, ...

The American series, which has been one of Showtime's highest-performing freshman drama series in nearly a decade, is based on a current Israeli program called "Hatufim." The American series, which has been one of Showtime's highest-performing freshman drama series in nearly a decade, is based on a current Israeli...

BAGHDAD -- The failure of the Obama administration and Iraqi officials to reach an agreement on a continued U.S. troop presence will increase pressure from all directions on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government, testing the resiliency of this country's fragile national institutions and a political class that had long...

As politicians in Western capitals were taking quiet pleasure in the capture and killing of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi yesterday, opinions elsewhere were divided.

Leaving Iraq is the right mission: No need to prolong this huge blunder

President Obama's announcement that all U.S. troops will leave Iraq by year's end will result in hundreds of troops coming home to Hampton Roads and Virginia.

News that Colonel Gaddafi was dead had only just hit the airwaves when that relentless old campaigner Sir Tam Dalyell was on the phone.

Could personal and mental problems be a main factor in what we usually call "a religious or politically inspired terrorist attack"? Froma Harrop wonders whether some Muslim terrorists are using radical Islam as a cover for mental imbalance and perceived failures

It’s finally tree planting season! Fall is the very best time of year to introduce trees to your landscape, and after the extreme conditions of this past year a lot of people are in need of new trees.

Pakistan wins a UN Security Council seat alongside regional rival India, as a total of six new temporary members are elected.

Watching as Dan Wheldon’s flaming, airborne racecar careened off the wall at the IndyCar Championship event last Sunday brought me to my knees. I don’t get a thrill out of death-defying sports events. The thought of bungee jumping, hang gliding — or any other activity involving heights, speed or rapid...

WASHINGTON - America's long and deeply unpopular war in Iraq will be over by year's end and all U.S. troops "''will definitely be home for the holidays," President Barack Obama declared Friday. Stretching more than eight years, the war cost the United States heavily: More than 4,400 members of...

Retired Army Captain Buttrey says Iraq is "a very different country than it was back in 2003-2004 when we were over there."

Donna Parker gave the greatest sacrifice a mother could give her country — her son. For that reason, the Camden woman said Friday she had mixed feelings when she heard about President Barack Obama’s decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of the year.

SANTA CLARITA As the Obama administration announced the pullout of the last American military forces in...

The U.S. suffered a major diplomatic and military rebuff on Friday when Iraq finally rejected its pleas to maintain bases in the country beyond this year.

A team of six Indian divers conducting underwater pipeline installation were believed trapped in a diving chamber nearly 200 feet underwater with dwindling oxygen supplies after their support ship sank in the Persian Gulf, Iranian officials said.

Iran advanced to the 2011 Grand Prix de Futsal semifinals after beating Guatemala on Thursday. Iran defeated Guatemala 4-2 at the Arena Amadeu Teixeira in Manus, Brazil.

Click here to download TV listings for the week of Oct. 23 - 29 in PDF format TV listings for the week of Oct. 23 - 29 in PDF format (from latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv) Weekly TV Listings and more can be found...

Three years into his presidency, Barack Obama is turning out to be quite the tough guy. Osama bin Laden is a bad memory. Anwar al-Awlaki - an American citizen no less - is gone. And now, thanks to U.S.-led support, Moammar Gadhafi, an ally-turned-pariah, is dead as well.

Negotiation is the key to our relationship with Europe, not turning our backs on it, says William Hague.

A look back at the highs and Yeohs of the 34th MVFF... Maybe you haven't heard of Elizabeth Olsen yet, but we guarantee it won't be long before she's the reason you're going to the movies.

When my first book appeared, in 1994, I spent a day in London giving radio interviews. I was young and so my publisher sent a PR lady to hold my hand (metaphorically). She came from a famous English literary ...

A female protester wears a Tunisian flag in front of the prime minister's office during a demonstration in downtown Tunis. (Courtesy Reuters) Tunisians take their next step toward democracy on Sunday, casting ballots for an assembly that will draft a new constitution and pave the way for long-awaited presidential elections.

Exclusive: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told President Barack Obama that U.S. troops wouldn’t have immunity from Iraqi laws after December, forcing the last thousands of American soldiers to leave.

Barack Obama may say that America's troops are quitting Iraq from a position of strength, but it is Iran which will be cheering.

Mr. Obama has always been opposed to the war in Iraq and is fulfilling a campaign promise to bring the America involvement to an end. He says troop levels in Afghanistan will also be coming down. read more

Release Time:  For Immediate Release James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 1:01 P.M. EDT MR. CARNEY: Okay, ladies and gentlemen. Thanks for being here this afternoon. We’re going to continue with the briefing here. I have with me the President’s Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough on my left,...

After nine years President Barack Obama has called an end to the Iraq war.

President Barack Obama's announcement on Friday that all 40,000 U.S. troops still in Iraq will leave the country by New Year's Eve will, inevitably, draw howls of derision from GOP presidential hopefuls

As new information about Duqu continues to come out, some experts are starting to question whether the danger posed by the trojan has been exaggerated.

Next month, the Metropolitan Museum of Art will open its New Galleries for the Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia and Later South Asia.

Reeling from the worst assault on its armed forces in almost two decades by the Kurdish separatist group PKK, Turkey has sent hundreds of troops into northern Iraq to take on PKK strongholds. Twenty-four Turkish soldiers were killed in coordinated attacks on border posts in Turkey's southeast in the early...

VIENNA, Oct 22 − Russia and China have urged the UN nuclear watchdog chief to give Iran time to study and respond to allegations of possible military-linked atomic activities before he publishes a report on the issue next month, diplomats said yesterday. The move by Moscow and Beijing may be...

— Energized by the killing of Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi, thousands of protesters in Syria and Yemen poured into the streets Friday and said their longtime rulers will be next.

President Barack Obama says all US combat troops will come home from Iraq by the end of the year.

Rep. Ron Paul, another GOP presidential candidate, visits NBC's "Meet the Press." White House senior adviser David Plouffe is another guest on the program, which starts at 9 a.m. on WESH-Channel 2. The panel will be David Brooks of The New York Times; Harold Ford Jr., a...

President Barack Obama has announced that all American troops will leave Iraq by the end of the year, bringing a formal close to a long and bloody war that divided the country.

The death of Moammar Gadhafi was confirmed by Libya's National Transitional Council. Supposedly, the former leader's convoy was attacked by a NATO-led airstrike before ground forces pursued him and executed Gadhafi. His death was met with caution by the Obama Administration saying Libya now has a responsibility to create a...

The U.S. decision to honor Iraq's barely functional political process, even when it doesn't make the smartest choice, might be the best thing for both countries

Iran's Ambassador to Kuala Lumpur Mohammad-Mehdi Zahedi says Washington's habit of leveling false accusations against other countries endangers world peace and stability.

An Obama doctrine of 'strategic patience' helped to bring down Qaddafi. But Obama's impatience to exit Afghanistan only allows Pakistan and the Taliban to wait out the US.

US Republican senator, a former rival of Barack Obama in the fight for the presidency, John McCain, in an interview with BBC News said that after the victory of the Libyan opposition and the elimination of Muammar Gaddafi "dictators all over the world" should "feel nervous".

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Energized by the killing of Libya's Moammar Gadhafi, thousands of protesters in Syria and Yemen poured into the streets Friday and said their longtime rulers will be next.

Responses are starting to come in to President Obama's announcement that he'll withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of the year. Ari Fleischer, who as President George W. Bush's press secretary played a key role in making the public case for war, said he backed the...