News Archive - 13 April 2012

Istanbul (AFP) April 13, 2012 Iran said Friday that its hopes of a breakthrough at long-awaited talks on its nuclear programme had taken a dive after warnings from the West that Tehran had to prove its credibility. Following a 15-month hiatus, senior diplomats from the United States, Russia, China, Britain,...

[Video] Esteghlal Tehran – Saba Battery Esteghlal Tehran 3 – 0 Saba Battery (w30) 16′ [1-0] Pejman Montazeri Get the Flash Player to see this content. Download 26′ [2-0] Goran Jerkovic Get the Flash Player to see this content. Download 43′ [3-0] Meysam Hosseini Get the Flash Player to...

Negotiation and cooperation can resolute Iran’s nuclear issue, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ramin Mehmanparast said on Friday. He made the remarks in an exclusive interview with a Serbian local weekly magazine called as 'Pechat'. 'Existence of atmosphere of pressure and threat in previous Iran and G5+1 nuclear talks caused their defeat...

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary and chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili met with European Union foreign policy Chief Catherine Ashton over dinner in Istanbul on Friday night. Formal talks between Iranian chief nuclear negotiator and European Union foreign policy Chief will get under way on Saturday around 0700 GMT.

A fragile ceasefire brokered by UN-Arab league envoy to Syria Kofi Annan still holds despite clashes between armed rebels and government forces near the Turkish border and in other parts of the country. Clashes broke out between Syria’s border guards and armed anti-government groups in the country’s northwest near the...

Anti-Syrian armed groups have reportedly clashed with Syrian soldiers in the northwest near the common border with Turkey one day after a ceasefire came into effect. The fighting broke out in the village of Khirbet al-Joz, located in Idlib Province, on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said according...

Tehran's Provisional Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Mohammad Emami-Kashani criticized western propaganda allegations that Iran was harboring military intentions in its nuclear activities, saying Iran's activities are for peaceful and scientific purposes. Ayatollah Emami-Kashani cited an edict (fatwa) issued by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei prohibiting production...

Egyptians are preparing to stage another million-man march to pressure the country's junta into passing a law that will prohibit members of the ousted dictator Hosni Mubarak's regime from running for president. Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafist groups called for the mass rally in Cairo's Tahrir (Liberation) Square on...

A visit by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Abu Musa Island was an internal affair and was carried out within the framework of his provincial tour to Hormuzgan, Deputy IRI Foreign Minister for Arab and Africa Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian said Thursday. Amir Abdollahian made the remarks after the UAE Foreign...

Fish oil supplements may not do much to ward off heart attacks and strokes in people who already have heart disease, a new report suggests. Research has been mixed on the possible heart-related benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in oily fish like tuna and salmon. The fatty...

The Islamic Republic of Iran is in good situation in terms of defense capabilities, IRI Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said. Talking to IRNA in Bandar Abbas southern Iran on Thursday, Brigadier General Vahidi said that the recent confrontation of IRI navy against pirates in international waters that led...

A shocking new video has surfaced showing school staff at a mental institution in the US state of Massachusetts using repeated electrical shocks on a disabled boy while laughing. The footage shows 18-year-old Andre McCollins tied face down to a table and screaming with pain as staff at the Judge...

Egyptian parliament approved a bill that prohibits senior figures of ousted dictator Hosni Mubarak's regime from running for public office. After passing the bill on Thursday, lawmakers said that it would bar “any president, vice president, prime minister or leader of the now-dissolved National Democratic Party from exercising political rights...

Saudi-backed Bahraini security forces attacked anti-regime protesters with tear gas and sound grenades outside Bahrain's capital Manama, according to Press TV. Bahraini police forces fired tear gas and sound grenades on the demonstrators who had staged a protest rally against the rule of Al Khalifa regime on Thursday. Earlier on...

>* Package stalled in Senate in late March* Majority Leader Reid wants to pass package without amendmentsBy Roberta RamptonWASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - The fate of a new package of sanctions on Iran proposed by U.S. lawmakers may hinge on whether Iran and six major world powers can make...

>LONDON (Reuters) - Iran is concealing the destinations of its oil sales by disabling tracking systems aboard its tanker fleet, making it difficult to assess how much crude Tehran is exporting as it seeks to counter Western sanctions aimed at cutting its oil revenues. Most of Iran's 39-strong fleet of...

ISTANBUL _ The stakes will be high when diplomats from six world powers meet with Iranian officials here over the weekend to discuss the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. War or peace, the global economic recovery and the U.S. presidential election may ride on the outcome. Expectations are much lower.

>ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Iran and the six world powers prepared on Friday for rare talks aimed at easing fears that a deepening dispute over the Islamic Republic's nuclear program could plunge the Middle East into a new war. Officials from Iran and the six major powers arrived in Istanbul ahead...

>* Hyundai Heavy top shareholder with 91.1 pct stake (Adds details)SEOUL, April 13 (Reuters) - South Korean refiner Hyundai Oilbank filed for an initial public offering on Friday, the Korea Exchange said, defying market concerns that it may delay the float, worth up to $2 billion, partly due to...

>* Insurers can provide up to 30 bln yen of hull cover* Only 3 or 4 ships with Iran oil to get cover a month (Adds background in paragraph 8)By Osamu TsukimoriTOKYO, April 13 (Reuters) - Japanese insurers are warning ship owners that they will only cover one tanker at...

>* Saudi Arabia determined to cool high oil prices* Brent to edge up to $122.62 -technicals* Coming Up: Fed's Ben Bernanke speaks; 1700 GMT (Updates prices)By Manash GoswamiSINGAPORE, April 13 (Reuters) - Brent crude futures slipped towards $121 on Friday as demand growth worries resurfaced after China's economic expansion...

>* Part of a total $1.2 bln order from two Chinese shipyards* First delivery in May from Shanghai shipyard* Another 7 to be delivered by end-2012* Loan provided by China's EXIM, payments so far fine-sourceBy Chen AizhuBEIJING, April 13 (Reuters) - Chinese shipyards are expected to deliver the first...

>In an opinion piece in The Washington Post, Salehi said that to "solve the nuclear issue," the scope of talks this weekend in Istanbul between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany must address the concerns of all sides."Complex matters that have...

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." Charles Dickens' famous opening line in "A Tale of Two Cities" could have easily described the U.S. in 1987.

Ahead of a new round of talks between Iran and the six world powers, P5+1, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton claims there are “no preconditions” for the negotiations.

Kelsey Kruzich/Staff Photos - Fifth through eighth grade students at Prince of Peace Catholic School raised $2000 to bring home a retired military service dog through Military Working Dog Adoptions.

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The two poles of her sensibility -- the poetic realism side and the social justice side -- are united in a multiracial production of 'A Streetcar Named Desire' and 'The Convert,' set in Africa. NEW YORK — New Yorker drama critic John Lahr set off a social media firestorm in...

El Pasoans are paying on average a penny less for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline than they paid last week, according to AAA's Weekend Gas Watch.

China’s representative to the new round of multifaceted talks between Iran and six world powers (P5+1) has stressed the importance of softening the “hostile approach” toward the Islamic Republic.

A Valley Springs man arrested after a police pursuit Tuesday morning pleaded not guilty Thursday to various drug related charges. Eric Sosa, 33, is charged with possession of nearly a half-ounce of methamphetamine packaged for sale, evading arrest with disregard for public safety, illegal possession of the prescription painkillers oxycodone...

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has expressed optimism about the upcoming multilateral talks in Istanbul about Iran's nuclear energy program, predicting they will result in “good news”.

A Transportation Security Administration bag inspector at DFW Airport is accused of stealing iPads from luggage. Photo Credit: Getty Images

The Crisis in the Sudans: The Urgency of U.S.-China Cooperation

KUMZAR, Oman, April 14, 2012 (AFP) -- Home to 4,000 people and overlooking the strategic Straits of Hormuz that Iran has threatened to close, Kumzar village has a thousand year-old language of its own that no one else on earth understands.

April 15, 2002: More than 140 military policemen, of Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment of the 503rd Military Police Battalion and the 118th MP Company, return to Fort Bragg after a seven-month deployment to Washington to guard the Pentagon as part of the war on terrorism.

MARIETTA — The editor of a Boston-based Internet news outlet that reports on Iran shared her experiences living in and reporting on the country with a group of students and faculty at Southern Poly...

Motorists caught a bit of a break in the last month as gas prices in the North State have dipped by an average of 10 cents, AAA Insurance reported. The average price of a gallon of unleaded gasoline in Northern California is $4.23, according to the...

Era of the Big Lie may finally be over now that North Korea’s refusal halt its nuclear ambitions have resulted in fiery failure in the Yellow Sea

The former UN weapons inspector discusses Iran's nuclear programme and how to prevent another war in the region. We examine US coverage of Iran and ask if a culture of journalism has emerged that ignores the dangers of conjecture.

One day in 1967, I found myself being driven around Malta in a convertible and singing “Hava nagila, hava nagila Hava, nagila venis'mecha”. Born in this bulwark of Christianity, suckled on tales of Roger the Norman, of our braves in 1429 and 1565, not to mention WWII, it was perhaps...

A few months ago, analysts said we could expect $5 a gallon for regular gasoline. But now, an ease on demand and increased production from Saudi Arabia has held gas prices fairly steady.

The United Nations Security Council plans a vote today on sending observers to Syria to monitor a cease-fire that is being tested by nationwide protests against President Bashar al-Assad.

ISTANBUL _ The United States missed an opportunity to ease concerns about Iran's nuclear program nearly two years ago when it rejected a carefully negotiated deal that would have allowed Western powers to provide Iran uranium for its nuclear reactors, interviews and new research suggest. The deal, known as the...

THERE have been many make-or-break models for Proton Holdings Bhd and presently, none appears as large as the success the car company needs its Prev to become.

(MCT) McClatchy-Tribune News Service

News items from around the world

Cherry Blossom Fest parade, Sakura Matsui street festival, FilmFest DC and Occupy GALA Theatre. Get going already! Photo Credit: GALA Hispanic Theatre

Duck! Santorum’s Donor Slings Jokes about Bullets for Obama  - http://abcn.ws/HGcVxr And More Gun Talk at Today’s NRA Meeting – http://abcn.ws/HRPzSU, http://abcn.ws/HGrDZ0 Santorum Says There is No Perfect Candidate, but ‘We’ve Got to Win’ against Obama – http://abcn.ws/HJl4Ra Ann Romney: Still Center-Stage – http://abcn.ws/IRHiC6, ABC’s...

Playwright Sirc Michaels thought his satire "Patrios" might be a relic by now. Written in 2002 in response to the Sept.

There were precious few non-Jewish rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust, and today they are aging and passing on.

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We can say that this shows progress, since at least the method of execution was more merciful. But the fact remains that we are still executing people.

Hopes of a reprieve from soaring oil prices mounted yesterday as Saudi Arabia claimed fellow members of the Opec oil cartel were working on bringing down the cost of crude.

Iran’s oil shipping operator NITC is expanding its oil tanker fleet with the first of 12 supertankers to be delivered from China in May, fortuitous timing for the Opec member as Western sanctions force Tehran to rely more on its ships to export oil.

On the eve of high-stakes talks with Iran, the White House on Friday signaled a willingness to consider giving Tehran economic incentives—but only after the regime takes "concrete steps" toward freezing its suspect nuclear program. "We would certainly explore reciprocal actions that are responsive to concrete steps by the Iranians,"...

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, April 13 (UPI) -- U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said Friday he expects talks between foreign leaders and Iran on Iran's nuclear program will be positive.

AFP/Istanbul Iran said yesterday that its hopes of a breakthrough at long-awaited talks on its nuclear programme have taken a dive after warnings from the West that Tehran had to prove its credibility.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Iran and world powers have a rare chance on Saturday to halt a downward diplomatic spiral over Tehran's nuclear program and ease fears of a new Middle East war when they resume stalled talks, but diplomats warn against expecting quick results.

Crude capped its fifth weekly decline since February as China’s economic growth slowed to the least in almost three years and Saudi Arabia’s oil minister said the kingdom is determined to see lower prices.

Five years after handing over the reins of the United Nations, Kofi Annan is back on the front line trying to end the Arab Spring's longest and bloodiest conflict with diplomatic skills honed over half a century.

Syrian forces have put into effect the agreed upon cease-fire, according to the plan of the Special Envoy of the UN, Kofi Annan. However, Turkey has threatened to use its participation in the NATO alliance to launch a war against Syria.

Copyright show:  No The last time that Turkey sought to mediate between Iran and the international community over Tehran’s nuclear energy program, it ended in a diplomatic fiasco. Now, two years later, Turkey is trying again. Will the results prove any different? read more

The way I saw it, Florida made a deal with its students. We would excel in school, and, in return, Florida would support us. I held my half of the bargain, Florida didn't.

Iran agreed to resume talks with six major world powers, raising hopes that it might be ready to strike a deal.

The day that I arrived in Istanbul, they buried the last Ottoman. Her Imperial Highness Fatma Neslisah Sultan had been born in a royal palace overlooking the Bosphorus when her grandfather still notionally reigned over the remnants of a vast, intercontinental realm.

Rachel Maddow argues that the decision to take America to war has become too easy.

Aboard Air Force One En Route Tampa, Florida 10:41 A.M. EDT MR. CARNEY:  Welcome aboard, Air Force One.  Thank you for joining us this morning as we make our way to Tampa Bay, Florida, where we’ll go to the port there.  The President will speak about the...

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has ramped up U.S. aid, including communications equipment and medical supplies, to Syria's opposition in hopes of accelerating the downfall of President Bashar Assad, officials said Friday.

An Iranian dissident working for Israel used a memory stick to implant the Stuxnet worm at Iran's Natanz nuclear processing facility, according to a published report.

After months of hysteria about rising oil and gas prices, this week brought some seemingly welcome news for Americans seeking relief at the pump. First, the International Energy Agency (IEA) declared the "cycle of repeatedly tightening fundamentals...has been broken," citing rising global supply of over 1 million barrels per...

‘I saw the work and fell in love with it,' says Amir Lajevardi, who bought a Ron Thom masterpiece with the intention of bulldozing it

KINGSTON, Luzerne County — Gene Stilp stood up a few minutes before the end of the debate Thursday night, turned to the file box behind his seat and rummaged around for a prop — a supplement to his answer about restoring civility to government.

Agawan sa pagsuot ng yellow jersey ang mangyayari sa hanay ng 80 sik­listang bubuo sa 16 koponan sa araw na ito sa paglarga ng 2012 Le Tour de Filipinas ngayong umaga.

Mitt Romney has a few favorite words he uses as a crutch when he can't think of anything actually bad to say about President Obama. Romney has lots of favorite words. "Energetic" is how he describes female political allies of dwindling popularity, like Nikki Haley and Sarah Palin . "Congratulations," the...

Foreign ministers of the six Gulf monarchies are to hold a special meeting in Riyadh after Iran's president visited an island in the Gulf claimed by the United Arab Emirates, a UAE official said on Friday.

TEHRAN, April 13 (MNA) – Iran says it has adopted a “constructive” attitude toward negotiations with the six major powers, which will start in Istanbul on Saturday.

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe is condemning North Korea's failed missile launch as an act of aggression and is urging the Obama administration to "react with strength."

North Korea has failed to do in 2012 what the USSR successfully did way back in 1957, when it launched the world’s first artificial satellite. The country’s much-hyped ballistic missile fell apart just minutes after launch, and its debris fell into the sea. So what conclusions can we draw about...

The smell of smoke hangs in the air and the scorched walls and blackened floor speak to the depth of the tragedy that occurred here.

The smell of smoke hangs in the air, and the scorched walls and blackened floor of the empty room speak to the depth of the tragedy that occurred here.

LONDON (Reuters) - Having crushed a popular uprising, he rules by force over an Arab land shattered by conflict and sanctions, his people too exhausted and cowed to resist. Related Stories Iran, powers set for high-stakes nuclear talks Islamists rally in Cairo against Mubarak old guard Pakistan to deport bin...

ADEN (Reuters) - At least six people were killed in the southern Yemeni city of Lawdar on Friday in clashes between government forces and al-Qaeda linked militants, a local official and tribal sources said. Related Stories Iran, powers set for high-stakes nuclear talks Islamists rally in Cairo against Mubarak old...

The Heydar Aliyev Anniversary Tour, for riders under 23 years, will take place from 9 to 13 May 2012. The five-day stage race is the first professional cycling event in Azerbaijan. The organisers of the race have invited 20 teams of six riders to participate in this tour.

TEHRAN, April 13 (MNA) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday that he is optimistic about the Istanbul talks between Iran and the six major powers.

Consumers got some relief last month, as rising prices at the pump began to slow.

By ARNAUD DE BORCHGRAVE UPI Editor at Large WASHINGTON, April 13 (UPI) -- Has the U.S. command inadvertently given the Taliban the plan for securing a safe exit from Afghanistan? If not the plan itself, many of its details are known.

LUBBOCK, Texas - A JetBlue Airways captain accused of disrupting a Las Vegas-bound flight when he left the cockpit screaming about religion and terrorists has been indicted, according to court documents posted Thursday.

TEHRAN, April 11 (MNA) – Iranian MP Mohammad Mehdi Shahriari has said that the certain Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, had been trying to undermine the relations between Iran and Turkey unaware of the fact that Tehran-Ankara interests are closely intertwined.

BRASILIA, Brazil, April 13 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is due here next week for another jab at reaching convergence on key foreign policy and global finance issues, including Cuba, the Middle East, monetary expansion and trade.

As high-level international conferences go, President Barack Obama's trip to the Summit of the Americas in Colombia is a nod to Woody Allen's maxim that 80 percent of success is just showing up. It's a ...

TEHRAN, April 13 (MNA) – Army Commander Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan said on Friday that Iranian armed forces are fully prepared to immediately counter any possible military threats against the country.