News Archive - 18 January 2012

Official figures have revealed that the number of unemployed British people has risen by 118,000 to 2.68 million in the three months to November, the highest rate since 1996. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that the rate of unemployment increase to 8.4pc, from 8.3pc with...

The eurozone is close to recession, Jean-Claude Juncker, the Luxembourg premier who heads the eurogroup, said overnight after the World Bank slashed its global growth forecasts. "In the eurozone, we are on the brink of a technical recession," he said, referring to the term used for two consecutive quarters registering...

Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey started major economic talks under a 23rd Joint Economic Commission meeting on Wednesday. IRI Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and Turkish Minister of Environment and Urbanization Erdogan Bayraktar led the talks. In the meeting, the two sides reviewed expansion of bilateral economic cooperation. The...

Iran’s Islamic Revolution of 1979 has been inspirational for the Lebanese Hezbollah in its struggle against the Zionist regime, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Wednesday. He made the remarks in a meeting with visiting IRI Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Sayyed Mohammad Hosseini, according to IRNA.

Islamic Republic of Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi here Wednesday met and conferred with Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul on issues of bilateral concern. Salehi and his accompanying delegation arrived in Turkey’s southern city of Gunyah, where he paid respect at the mausoleum of the late Iranian Gnostic poet Mowlana Jalaleddin...

Two British soldiers fighting in Afghanistan have been accused of raping two children aged ten in the war-ravaged country, a report has revealed. UK officials said on Wednesday that they are investigating allegations of “inappropriate behavior” by the soldiers, The Sun reported. According to the paper, the solders filmed raping...

Assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists will further strengthen Iranian youths' commitment to progress forward in their scientific Jihad, Fatemeh Bolouri Kashani wife of Martyred Iranian Nuclear Scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan told IRNA on Wednesday. “Enemies suppose that they can impede Tehran’s nuclear progresses by assassinations but they should know that...

Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has made a secret visit to the Occupied Palestine despite the fact that Doha and Tel Aviv have no political relations, a video has revealed. The Zionist regime's Kadima leader Tzipi Livni welcomed the Emir and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin...

IRI President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad condoled the family of the martyred nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan. In a ceremony held in the mosque of the Presidential Office on Wednesday, he expressed heartfelt condolences to parents and wife of the martyred scientist and paid tribute to his memory. The ceremony was held...

IRI Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani said Wednesday the approach of the anti-Iranian enemies in assassination of scientists is inhumane and incorrect which is against the claims and mottos of the West toward human rights. "The West will fall into a quagmire which is created by them," he added.

Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi arrived in Konya province, south of Ankara, on Wednesday. Upon arrival in Konya airport, Salehi was warmly welcomed by Turkish local officials. The Iranian foreign minister then visited mausoleum of the Iranian renowned poet Molana Jalaleddin Rumi (Molana) in Konya. Salehi is in Turkey to...

Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Moscow opposed any US and European one-sided sanctions against Iran. Addressing a press conference, Lavrov said that such sanctions will hinder resumption of talks between Iran and 5+1. Noting that there are no logical reasons for imposing new sanctions on Iran,...

A senior Iranian gas official says the country has exported some 7.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas since the beginning of the current calendar year (starting March 21, 2011), marking a 10.5-percent growth compared to the same period last year. Managing Director of National Iranian Gas Company...

Iran's Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asghar Soltanieh urges global bodies to slam the assassination of Iranian scientists and adopt effective measures to bring such terrorist acts to an end. In a Tuesday letter to the chair of the 35-member IAEA Board of Governors, Soltanieh called...

Pakistan has rejected a request by US special envoy Marc Grossman to visit the country, saying it is "not possible at the moment". "Ambassador Grossman asked to visit Pakistan but we conveyed to him that it was not possible at the moment," a senior Pakistani government official said on condition...

Syria has firmly rejected a Qatari proposal to dispatch Arab troops to the country to quell the unrest, saying the move would open the door for foreign meddling. The Syrian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Tuesday, saying that such a move would "worsen the crisis... and pave the way...

Iran's Ambassador to International Atomic Energy Agency, by referring to finalization of a visit program by the agency high ranking delegation to Tehran, underlined that inspectors trip to Iran proves peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear activities. Asghar Soltanieh told IRNA on Tuesday evening that upon a planned schedule, a high...

The US Navy announced it led a rescue operation to assist the crew of an Iranian fishing vessel in distress in the Gulf of Oman, the third in 10 days in an area marked by tension between Washington and Tehran.

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration, still grappling with how to punish a nuclear-ambitious Iran, is focusing on making countries cut purchases of Iranian oil, rather than allowing them to avoid U.S. sanctions simply by winning price cuts. The White House intends to play it tough on implementing new...

>Wen spoke on Wednesday at the end of a six-day visit to the Middle East against a backdrop of tensions over possible U.S. sanctions on nations that do energy trade with Iran, which Western powers say is focused on developing nuclear weapons.Iran has insisted that its nuclear goals...

Contrary to this recent pessimism, there is strong reason to believe that the Arab spring will spread in the short term and succeed over the longer term.

Amid intense diplomatic activity to broker a new round of international talks with Iran over its nuclear program, the White House disputed Iranian reports Wednesday that President Obama sent a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader offering direct bilateral talks. According to Iran's Fars News, Iran has received a letter from...

>* EU foreign chief, representing powers, also denies it* Britain: Iran still loath to address atomic bomb concerns* Iranian lawmakers say Obama letter also points to talksBy Robin Pomeroy and Ramin MostafaviTEHRAN, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Iran said it was in touch with big powers to reopen talks soon on...

>LONDON (Reuters) - A backseat passenger on a motorcycle weaving through the crush of Tehran's morning traffic reaches out and places a small magnetic device on the door of a silver-grey Peugeot 405. When the directional bomb explodes seconds later, blasting through the sedan's door and instantly killing nuclear scientist...

>"Negotiations are going on about venue and date. We would like to have these negotiations," Salehi told reporters during a visit to Turkey, where he is expected to meet Turkish leaders.Salehi also said Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was in touch with the European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine...

>When asked at an annual news conference whether the United States and its allies would be a military strike on Iran, Lavrov said: "On the chances of whether this catastrophe will happen or not you should ask those who repeatedly talk about this.""I have no doubt that it would...

>* Incumbent leader Berdymukhamedov assured of victory* OSCE says sending observers would be pointless* China leads race for abundant gas resourcesBy Marat GurtASHGABAT, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov will face seven token candidates in a presidential election next month seen as a formality for the all-powerful leader...

>SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Brent crude rose above $111 on Thursday on a surprise draw in U.S. oil stocks and hopes of a recovery in demand as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) sought to boost its resources to help countries grapple with the euro zone crisis. Asian shares rose to...

>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Wednesday any decision about an Israeli attack on Iran was "very far off." Barak was speaking on Israel's Army Radio before a planned visit Thursday by U.S. armed forces chief General Martin Dempsey that has triggered speculation Washington will press...

Islamic Republic of Iran unveiled several models of a new generation of cars that operate on Euro-4 standards. The unveiling ceremony was led by IRI President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad The ceremony was staged in a weak dedicated to clean air in Iran.

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations said closing the Strait of Hormuz, the passageway for about a fifth of the world’s oil trade, is an option if his country’s security is endangered.

Turkey has recently launched the early warning radar station - a part of NATO's missile system, which the USA has been building near Russia's borders. The radar station will be controlled from Germany...

JERUSALEM (AP) - An Israeli newspaper is quoting a former Israeli military intelligence chief as saying Iran has all the components to build a nuclear bomb.

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Author is facing strong opposition for his visit to India due to his controversial book 'The Satanic Verses'.

An Iranian actress has been banned from returning to her homeland after appearing naked in a photoshoot.

An Israeli newspaper is quoting a former Israeli military intelligence chief as saying Iran has all the components to build a nuclear bomb.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Iran had to be ready for serious negotiations. “It is significant that when we are discussing additional sanctions in the European Union an offer of negotiations emerges from Iran,” he said.

As a media blackout rolled through the nation Wednesday, some of the local community responded with opposition to the proposed Congressional bills Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, and Protect Intellectual Property Act, or PIPA.

The Arab Spring protests that shocked entrenched regimes in the Middle East and North Africa last year were the biggest challenge to authoritarian governments since the downfall of Soviet Communism, the pro-democracy watchdog group Freedom House said in a report released Thursday.

France is looking to the United States and American cities such as Pittsburgh as it seeks a path out of the eurozone crisis, that country's ambassador said.

Pyongyang, January 18 (KCNA) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad clarified the Iranian government's stand not to yield to the pressure of the U.S. in a press conference during his recent visit to Ecuador.

Pyongyang, January 18 (KCNA) -- Singapore's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday in response to U.S. government sanctions on a Singapore-based firm for its alleged dealings with Iran that the sanctions are a "domestic" and "unilateral" act, and that Singapore should not be expected to enforce the...

Shoppers think twice over Dubai’s discount festival as economic woes rein in spending

In a time of fiscal and economic uncertainty, France’s ambassador to the U.S. said in a...

Observers fear rise of ‘illiberal democracy'. Don't have a login yet? Discover your benefits and register for free now! It only takes a minute.

WASHINGTON: Iran has no desire to carry out its threat of closing the Strait of Hormuz to head off fresh Western economic sanctions because doing so would damage the regime's own interests, US-based experts say.

RUSSIA insisted that it would not back sanctions on Syria and accused the West of suffocating the Iranian economy as it warned against military intervention targeting either regime.

Education secretary Michael Gove's call for a new royal yacht to mark the queen's diamond jubilee is grotesque ( Give Queen a new royal yacht for the jubilee says minister , 16 January). It's impossible to believe that Gove could think people would support such a move, let alone see...

GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney has assembled a cast of conservative George W. Bush-era veterans as his key national security advisers. Some of them played important roles in the war on terror and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Missing are some of the notable neoconservatives, such as Paul Wolfowitz, ...

SINGAPORE: Oil prices were higher in Asian trade Thursday, supported by news that the International Monetary Fund was boosting its coffers to aid in crisis intervention, analysts said.

LONDON (REUTERS) - A long-term decline in the rates of abortion worldwide has stalled and the proportion of terminations that are unsafe and put women's lives at risk is rising, an international group of scientists said on Thursday. Related Stories US Army burns off largest chemical weapons pile Hungarian victim...

Listen to the Audio MARGARET WARNER: More sanctions, more rhetoric and the risks of war between the U.S. and Iran. From Iran's naval exercises, to its latest nuclear announcement, to new sanctions by the U.S., tensions are on the rise. Today, Tehran claimed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the...

The tide of Afghans leaving for Europe is fuelling a lucrative business in fake passports and Taliban death threats For citizens going into battle against Afghanistan's officialdom, the warren-like building across the road from the headquarters of Kabul's police chief is a one-stop shop for every document they could need.

Gingrich shamelessly parlays a controversial debate statement into a racial-charged dogwhistle to South Carolina conservatives Who It is Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker and official Mr Angry of the current race for the Republican nomination. Newt is angry about many things (Barack Obama, taxes, jobless poor people, the "war...

Brussels, Jan 19 (IANS) NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said that the strategic Strait of Hormuz, where most oil exports from the Gulf to the West pass, must remain open and called on Iran to behave responsibly, Xinhua reported.

BUDAPEST (AFP) - A Hungarian violinist employed on the stricken Italian cruise liner Costa Concordia died after going back for his instrument, a fellow band member was quoted as saying on Wednesday. Related Stories British police spent $54,000 checking the time US Army burns off largest chemical weapons pile Oscars...

Here is the list of nominees for the 2012 Asian Film Awards: Best Film Nader and Simin, a Separation – Iran Postcard – Japan The Flowers of War –... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

LONDON (AP) - For Britain's biggest police force, time really is money. Related Stories US Army burns off largest chemical weapons pile Hungarian victim of Italy disaster 'went back for violin' Oscars foreign film shortlist includes Iran winner That's no rat! Opossum takes ride on NYC subway Thousands march in...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s two greatest enemies are The New York Times and Haaretz, the editor of The Jerusalem Post said in a speech.

Iranian film A Separation is an Oscar nomination hopeful.

>U.S. oil rose 83 cents to $101.42 by 0019 GMT, after rising nearly a dollar to $101.57. Front-month Brent crude settled at $110.66 a barrel, after touching a session high of $112.20.FUNDAMENTALS* Crude stockpiles fell by 4.8 million barrels in the week to...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran still has a way out of the growing confrontation over its nuclear program, the White House said on Wednesday, but a spokesman would not confirm reports that President Barack Obama wrote to Iranian leaders expressing a readiness to talk. White House spokesman Jay Carney said Iran...

The Seattle Times has outdone itself this time in choosing to print Bruce Ramsey’s column, “Why pick a fight with Iran?” [Opinion, Jan. 18]. Of course, the incendiary title makes it seem obvious that we shouldn’t pick a fight with Iran. And I agree.

It is the moment every parent dreads: when their children finally ask questions that they cannot answer.

David Cameron accused the Iranian regime of supplying weapons for the Syrian onslaught on democracy protests yesterday (Wednesday) as Russia's foreign minister warned that the West was set on a path to war with Tehran.

It's impossible to escape the spotlight now focused on Iran, the U.S., and Russia. On the heels of this American snafu, Tehran commenced naval exercises and threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz and cripple the global economy.

A FEW items came across the desk last week that underscore the challenge America faces in making policy towards the Islamist parties that are emerging as the early beneficiaries of the uprisings across the Arab world.

Release Time:  For Immediate Release Location:  James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 1:44 P.M. EST         MR. CARNEY:  Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.  Welcome to the White House for your daily briefing.  It is always a pleasure to see you.  I have a couple of things...

BEIRUT (AP) — Syria's powerful allies in Russia vowed Wednesday to block any Western attempts to intervene militarily in Syria as Damascus fights off an increasingly chaotic 10-month-old revolt against President Bashar Assad.

(DAMASCUS ) - The European Union prepared on Wednesday to tighten sanctions against Syria over its repression of anti-regime protests, as long-time Damascus ally Moscow warned against punitive measures.

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: I am very pleased to be back in Russia, where I have spent five years of my career including three years as ambassador. I have developed over those years a very deep respect for Russians and for the potential of partnership ...

OUR OPINION: Dangerous precedent for press freedom in Latin America

COMMENTARY | The White House is pressing evidence that points to the potential of Iran supplying Syria with weapons to battle the uprising, according to the AFP. As a political scientist, I can understand the signs, but am still leery about committing to the idea. President Barack Obama has to...

To watch the daily headlines, scroll down and click play. TODAY'S NEWS + City Manager Bartolotta resigns City Manager Bob Bartolotta resigned today at the afternoon City Commission meeting.

With surveillance video offering no clues to the murder of Gelareh Bagherzadeh outside her Memorial-area townhome complex overnight Sunday, her grieving relatives went to the media Wednesday to ask th

China's premier, touring the oil-rich Gulf, on Wednesday stressed the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open after threats by Iran to shut the strategic waterway.

Contact: David Egner, +1-202-552-8485, media@npra.org

Due to its spending on domestic programs, Saudi Arabia is seeking to maintain crude oil prices at around $100 a barrel. This move will provide price support for oil companies such as

Websites protest proposed internet legislation in the US. 19 Jan 2012 7:36 AM

The U.S. military is now "fully prepared" to deal with any Iranian effort to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital Gulf avenue for international oil shipments, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - The Quebec film "Monsieur Lazhar" has made Oscar's latest cut in the race for best foreign-language film. The tender tale about Montreal elementary students grappling with the death of their teacher is among nine features in the running for a nomination.

Country star Merle Haggard has been hospitalized for the second time in a week.

The Obama administration was poised on Wednesday to reject the Keystone crude oil pipeline, according to sources, a decision that would be welcomed by environmental groups but inflame the domestic energy ...

This is not just a lesson for our military. Not only does cutting our dependence on oil make us more secure, it invests hard earned American money back in to our economy.

The internet is a strange and mysterious place today.

Blythewood, S.C. — Mitt Romney has ex-POW John McCain vouching for him. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum highlights his time on the Senate Armed Services Committee. And former House Speaker Newt Gingrich frequently calls himself an "Army brat" who grew up on military bases.

The week in science: US authorities crack down on plagiarism; failed Mars probe splashes down in the Pacific; and chemical firm BASF shifts its transgenic-plant operations out of Europe.

BEIRUT - Iranian officials contacted Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood to try to mediate a political solution to a 10-month-old uprising against President Bashar al-Assad but their efforts were rebuffed, a senior Brotherhood member said on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia's former intelligence chief says Riyadh will use “all available options” to defend itself against Iranian “threats” that might trigger “unwanted military confrontation.”

Strasbourg, France (dpa) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Wednesday told European Union lawmakers that fixing the issues which led the bloc‘s executive to launch legal proceedings against his country "will not pose a problem."At the same time, he urged the EU to take into account that his...

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Brussels (dpa) - The missile defence shield that NATO is developing under strong encouragement from the United States is not aimed against Iran, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu insisted on Wednesday.The European Union and the US suspect that Iran‘s nuclear programme is designed to produce a nuclear weapon, and...

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao called for the speedy conclusion of talks on a free trade pact with Gulf states, as he paid a visit to the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.

During my last visit to Iran I came across a few grassroots organizations which inspired me to write this short note for Iranians outside of Iran to be informed of the importance of such organizations. -Roksana Bahramitash

Colombo, Jan 18: Sri Lanka Wednesday said it will not face oil shortage due to the US sanctions on Iran's fuel imports.