News Archive - 28 October 2011

>LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Iranian actress Marzieh Vafamehr was released from prison Monday after her sentence was overturned by an appeals court, Amnesty International reports. Vafamehr had been sentenced to a year in prison and 90 lashes for appearing in the 2009 Australian film "My Tehran for Sale," which...

>(Reuters) - Indian authorities seized computer equipment from a data center in Mumbai as part of an investigation into the Duqu malicious software that some security experts warned could be the next big cyber threat. Two workers at a web-hosting company called Web Werks told Reuters that officials from India's...

>There was no apparent connection between the three incidents but they are likely to raise concerns about safety in Iran's vital energy sector, which has been deprived of foreign investments due to sanctions.The fatal incident at the oil field at Bibi Hakimeh near the Gulf occurred during drilling, when...

>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...

>crackdown.Large protests are rare in the Sudanese capital, and security forces have quickly dispersed the small anti-government demonstrations that have broken out after the revolts which ousted leaders in neighboring Egypt and Libya this year.On Friday, police surrounded the roughly 300 demonstrators but allowed them to gather and...

>NEW DELHI Oct 28 (Reuters) - OPEC member Qatar is not cutting production as supplies from Libya come to market, the Gulf country's oil minister said here on Friday, adding he did not expect any major changes in output from the oil producers' group when it meets in December."Qatar...

>TEHRAN Oct 28 (Reuters) - An explosion and fire at an Iranian oil refinery on Friday was brought under control and caused no casualties, while a separate oil field blast killed one person, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported."At the moment, the (refinery) incident has been completely brought under...

>DUBAI (Reuters) - Cautious pragmatist or intransigent conservative? Two views are emerging of Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, the new heir to Saudi Arabia's octogenarian King Abdullah and possible future ruler of the world's top oil exporter. The character of the enigmatic royal will shape the kingdom's approach to...

(MENAFN) Oman's Air Transport Department at the Civil Aviation Affairs said that during the January-September period, passenger traffic through Muscat International Airport jumped by 14 percent from ...

share: digg facebook twitter Released brothers: UAlbany a beacon Times Union Copyright 2011 Times Union. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Published 12:10 a.m., Saturday, October 29, 2011 For years, they brought lifesaving treatment through AIDS clinics to shunned subcultures of Iranian...

The Iranian handball squad has defeated Qatar and advanced to the semifinal at the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament in South Korea.

Osasuna midfielder Javad Nekounam says new Iran coach Carlos Queiroz has given the team a new lease of life with his attacking approach to the game.

Beijing, Oct 28 : China will continue to maintain close communication with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and unswervingly adhere to resolving the Iranian nuclear issue through diplomatic negotiations, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Friday.

We asked our readers this month how much religion or faith should affect your vote in a political election. Here is what you had to say

Golbang, a Sweden-based band, couldn’t be a better choice for the WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) Abu Dhabi 2012 as their multi-cultural backgrounds resonate with the capital city and the festival itself.

It would take a heroic effort by the administration, combined with an act of international idiocy, such as an Iranian military incursion, to convince the American people and the U.S. Congress to send them back.

Osasuna midfielder Javad Nekounam says new Iran coach Carlos Queiroz has given the team a new lease of life with his attacking approach to the game.

The United States is mulling over selling three Cobra helicopters and several Predator surveillance aircraft to Turkey, to be delivered by the end of the year to assist in the campaign against the PKK.

The MTN Group, Africa’s leading mobile telecom network, has announced that it had 158.59 million customers across all its 22 operations the end of the third quarter of this year, September 2011.

Having spent the past 10 years writing and teaching on Asian religions, I now have something to confess: Asia does not have religion.

TUNIS, Tunisia — This small Mediterranean country with its educated populace and large middle class has become the test case for whether democracy and Islam can mix.

NOW that the western powers’ intervention in Libya is about to end, with the brutal killing of its former leader Col Muammar Qadhafi, two questions must be faced squarely if the world order is to have any semblance of security.

What a glorious week for the world. Free and fair elections in Tunisia, Muammar el-Qaddafi's demise.

What we've witnessed in Libya, in fact, could be a new model for collective security in which the United States no longer bears a disproportionate share of the risks and costs of intervention. Unfortunately, the new model probably isn't applicable to Syria.

Teheran, October 27 (KCNA) -- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of Iran, made a speech in a rally on October 25 in which he warned the West not to breed plots against the regional countries.

Tehran, October 27 (KCNA) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, addressing a meeting on Monday, denounced the United States and other Western countries for their hostility toward Iran.

New York, Oct 28 2011 2:10PM The number of Afghan refugees returning home has dropped substantially this year, with some 60,000 repatriating in the first 10 months compared to more than 100,000 over the same period in 2010, the United Nations refugee agency "http://www.unhcr.org/4eaa9d119.html">reported today.

DAMASCUS, SYRIA — President Bashar al-Assad’s government is confident that it has weathered the worst of the turmoil sweeping Syria and will soon be able to overcome any remaining challenges to its survival. Whether that confidence is justified — and how broadly it is shared — is in question. Even...

Iran's deputy minister of economic affairs and finance says Iranian and German businessmen are eager to expand trade in all areas.

Demand from freshly homeless people far outstrip supply of shelter, but damaged buildings still at risk of collapse

PASADENA - Forget politics. Sit back and enjoy the food. OWNER/OPERATOR: Heidar Baba Restaurant, specializing in traditional Persian food LOCATION: 1511 E.

As I noted in my column last week, the end of Moammar Gadhafi is the opening act of a new cycle of vendetta, power play and authoritarian rule in Libya, just like those Arab countries where other despots have been removed.

Global warming is playing a significant role in diverting much-needed wet winter weather away from the increasingly dry Mediterranean, a new study led by a NOAA scientist suggests.

There are two schools of thought that do not agree with the opinion that there is no escape from accepting the movements of "moderate Islam" because they have been victorious in the revolutions and base themselves on the change brought by the Arab Spring.

Isn't it pitiful that John Barrow needs to call and aggravate people at 8 at night? He is killing his votes. I hope that other people agree with this.

Veteran journalist Larry King said that he got back $700,000 after losing money in the Bernie Madoff investment scam.

Davenport, Iowa (CNN) - At a Friday campaign event in Iowa, Michele Bachmann detailed two of her biggest issues with the Obama administration. To make her point, the Minnesota congresswoman stated that a proposed rule change by the Justice Department would have kept the Watergate tapes from being disclosed. She...

Saudi Arabia’s powerful Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz, who Thursday was named crown prince after the death of his brother Sultan, led an iron fist crackdown on Al-Qaeda.

— Israel’s borders erupted in deadly clashes on Sunday as thousands of Palestinians — marching from Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank — confronted Israeli troops to mark the anniversary of Israel’s creation. More than a dozen people were reported killed and scores injured in the unprecedented wave of...

By Rocky Neptun San Diego Indy Media From Tehran to Scotland, from Hong Kong to the always fiery, militant youth of Rome, the Occupy Wall Street movement has spread across the globe. Tired and angry over decades of corporate owned capitalism, where wealthy stockholders and huge multi-national corporations set the...

Every Friday afternoon, HuffPost Food rounds up some of the best food articles of the week. Start your weekend off with some quality food writing, and hopefully quality food as well! Think we missed something great?

When 26-year-old American physics graduate Rezwan Ferdaus was arrested in Boston last month, charged with scheming to crash an aircraft laden with plastic explosives into the United States Capitol or the Pentagon, the alleged "jihad"...

Then-director Leon Panetta made a bet on New Year's Eve with California restaurateur Ted Balestreri: If his guys caught bin Laden, he'd get to sip from a prize $10,000 bottle of Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1870. The day bin Laden was killed, several months later, Panetta supposedly called his wife and...

If the government really wants to protect the nation's electrical grid and critical infrastructure from hackers, it's got to change the way it communicates with the people in charge of securing those systems, security professionals said at a conference this week.

The aim of the Frieze Art Fair is to create a unique destination with an atmosphere that is of cultural and commercial value. This year's Frieze programme -- curated by Sarah McCrory -- included seven specially commissioned projects as well as the Emdash Award . The programme integrates a number of...

The Nation -- Diyala Province—Situated between Baghdad and the Iranian border, Diyala is a microcosm of Iraq in all its volatility. A mix of Sunni and Shiite Arabs as well as Kurds, Diyala was claimed as the capital of Al Qaeda in Iraq’s proposed caliphate, and it remains a locus...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Even as the United States begins to withdraw from Afghanistan, insurgents abetted by Pakistan pose the major threat to U.S.-led forces, the Pentagon said on Friday.

While the post-Gaddafi state of Libya is only now beginning to take shape, the consequences of the fall of one of the world's most brutal dictators are being felt around the world.

A 14 year-old nonfiction book by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a sudden and surprise hit in Iran.

Egypt's 82-year-old President Hosni Mubarak is likely to seek re-election next year and serve for the rest of his life, British daily The Guardian reported, citing WikiLeaks.

A senior Iranian commander says US officials have covered their eyes and ears to the growing protests taking place right before them in American cities.

A top Iranian judiciary official says Iran is the focal point of regional awakenings and has been the target of US plots over the past 30 years.

Israel sent a letter to the United Nations Thursday slamming Palestinian President Mahmous Abbas for failing to condemn Wednesday’s rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.

Iran's Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi says Tehran is ready for defense cooperation with the new governments in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia after these countries become more stable.

An earthquake of 7.2 magnitude has killed 138 people and injured 350 in eastern Turkey, the Turkish prime minister says.

Big business has long employed social media monitoring companies to track and analyze the "chatter" about their products and brands. This infrastructure is a natural tool for confronting the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Herman Cain appears to be digesting his foreign policy briefings. In an interview with the Israeli publication Israel Hayom–and by the way, where does Cain find the time?–the improbable GOP star sounds far more coherent on world affairs than he has at moments like, say, this. Check out Cain...

This week on indieWIRE, David Lynch talked about his foray into music with his debut album "Crazy Clown Time," Anton Yelchin dished on making "Like Crazy," the International Documentary Association unveiled their nominations for 2011, "We Need to Talk About Kevin" won big in London and much more. News International...

TEHRAN, Oct. 28 (MNA) – An explosion occurred at the Bibi Hakimeh oil field in the southwestern province of Khuzestan on Friday, killing one person and injuring three others.

The 33rd season of the Oswego Opera Theater opens with Mozart’s Così fan tutte, which has been translated as “All Women Do the Same” and was originally subtitled as “The School for Lovers.”

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.

LA’s Noor Iranian Film Festival has a touring “highlights” bundle of films that will be shown at Daytona State College the weekend of Nov.5 and 6.A feature film, “The Lost Journey,” and a couple of docs as well as a selection of Iranian short films will be shown...

Head of Iran's Guardian Council urges the Iranian nation to refrain from voting for those parliamentary candidates affiliated to centers of power and finance in the upcoming elections.

TEHRAN, Oct. 28 (MNA) -- The director of the International Department of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) announced on Friday that India has cleared all of its oil debt to Iran through Gazprombank of Russia.

An Iranian energy official says Iran will begin work at Azar oilfield, which is jointly owned with Iraq, as soon as the drilling rig is installed.

125 years young, the Statue of Liberty gets ready for a refit

TEL AVIV, Israel, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Israel is reported to have run into difficulties with Germany over the planned sale of a sixth Dolphin-class submarine supposedly capable of launching nuclear-tipped missiles, potentially a vital factor in any clash with Iran.

Westminster's mayor has officially welcomed 25 new citizens to the borough. Councillor Susie Burbridge presided over the citizenship ceremony, at which people from across the globe took the final step on their journey to becoming British citizens by pledging their allegiance to the Queen.

TEHRAN, Oct. 28 (MNA) – Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani sent a message to the Libyan National Transitional Council Chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil on Wednesday congratulating the Libyan people on the victory of their revolution.

Optimism at the prospect of 100 million young people rising up in the Middle East to seize their democratic freedoms has been tempered by fear in Western capitals that radical Islamists might also rise up, and try to hijack the so-called Arab Spring -- a fear that many analysts say...

TEHRAN, Oct. 28 (MNA) -- Over the past few months, the health of former Saudi crown prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud was always a topic in the news, and rumors about his death circulated from time to time.

By J.J. Colao As Americans, we live in what we assume to be a fixed-price culture. We see a price listed on a label or bill and we pay it, no questions asked. The protracted economic downturn is putting pressure on that assumption. Speak with enough experts on negotiation?...

Iran's former envoy to Mexico Mohammad-Hassan Qadiri-Abyaneh says the next US president could be a member of the Occupy Wall Street movement instead of a Republican or Democrat.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Top military and intelligence experts say Iran is a strategic enemy of the United States and should be treated as such.

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Senior Saudi officials have indicated that Riyadh could use oil as a weapon against archrival Iran.

TEHRAN, Oct. 28 (MNA) – Azam Sadat Farahi, the wife of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has expressed disapproval of the lax observation of the Islamic women’s dress code (hijab) in the country.

This extremely rare signed group photograph, which will go on sale in London next month, shows UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill and US President Franklin D.Roosevelt at the Casablanca Conference in January 1943 with their military leaders.

The Silk Routes, collectively known as the "Silk Road", refer to a 7000 mile network of interlinking trade routes that were used for three millennia. They connected China, India, Tibet, the Persian Empire, the Mediterranean countries and parts of North and East Africa.

If you ever had any doubt about the critical role Andersen Air Force Base plays in the defense of our nation, all you need to do is spend about a week touring the three bases that make up the core of the Air Force Global Strike Command.

TEHRAN, Oct. 28 (MNA) – The Lebanese government has made every effort to determine Imam Musa al-Sadr’s fate, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati told a number of family members of al-Sadr during a recent meeting in Beirut.

TEHRAN, Oct. 28 (MNA) – The leader of Friday prayers in Isfahan has said that the number of prisoners charged with security-related offences is the lowest in Iran compared to other countries.

If the walls of the former Iranian Embassy could talk, they would tell of elegant events attended by famous diplomats, actors, dancers and other celebrities. The parties are a memory now. The embassy closed in April 1980, when diplomatic relations were severed between the United States and Iran

"This was an act of war," said Rep. Peter King (R-NY), Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee at a hearing on how the U.S. should respond to the alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington. Panelists recommended a dramatic escalation of U.S. actions against Iran.

Iranian Health Minister Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi has declared that every Iranian province must establish at least one single-gender hospital.

Iranian lawmakers have announced that if the report on Iran's huge bank fraud is to be read in parliament, it must be read in full, without omitting the names of five MPs involved in the case. The Etemad daily reported today that an emergency meeting of MPs this morning led...

CHICAGO - Joan Baez is calling from Paris the morning after a sold-out concert, and she's seen the news reports...

The Obama administration is preparing to transfer military aircraft from existing Marine inventory to Turkey for their use in their efforts against the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, a State Department official tells CNN.

This week the world will reach 7 billion people. Understandably that raises concern about a soaring world population. But there is a good news story from the demographic data that is not often told. We -- or rather the poor women of the world -- are defusing the population bomb.

Iran has confirmed International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) is demanding that Iran hand over Gholam Shakouri, one of the prime suspects in the alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the US. Al-Arabiah quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi saying there are 150 people in Iran named Gholam...

TEHRAN, Oct. 28 (MNA) – God’s promise will soon be realized and the Wall Street protest movement will emerge victorious, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces said on Friday.

In this cartoon set, Elham Ataei Azar is displaying 31 digitally created artworks about the different characters of women's wagons in Tehran Metro. Ataei Azar held an exhibition in early September in Tehran displaying this group of works as Men Do Not Enter.

An explosion and fire occurred at the Shazand refinery in central Iran on Friday morning. Also, an explosion at a state-run oil field in Southern Iran killed a worker and injured three others on Friday.

An official of the National Iranian Drilling Company (NIDC) says one person has been killed in an explosion in the southern Bibi Hakimeh oil field in Khuzestan Province.

US President Barack Obama on Friday congratulated Saudi King Abdullah on the selection of Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz as his heir, noting the new crown prince's counter terrorism record.

Iranian actress Marzieh Vafamehr, who was sentenced to a year in jail and 90 lashes for starring in the Australian production "My Tehran for Sale," has been released from prison without suffering the lashes and further imprisonment. According to Amnesty International, Cyan Films, the South Australian Film Corporation and the...

Pakistan's minister of oil and natural resources says Iran-Pakistan natural gas pipeline will be finished before the end of 2013 one year ahead of the original schedule, Press TV reports.

ISFAHAN, Oct. 28 (MNA) -- Zlatko Kranjcar has reached an agreement with Sepahan football team on Thursday to become their coach.

Today is Friday, Oct. 28, the 301st day of 2011. There are 64 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Oct. 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France, was dedicated in New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland. On this date:...