News Archive - 24 February 2013

>By Steve GormanLOS ANGELES Feb 24 (Reuters) - Rookie Oscar host Seth MacFarlane casually slung a string of zingers at some of Hollywood's biggest names, including a musical tribute to female frontal nudity in the movies, as he launched the Academy Awards show on Sunday on a decisively provocative note.

>The thriller, which is based on a true story, recounts a CIA mission to rescue six American diplomats from Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, under the cover of making a fake Hollywood film."Argo" was voted Best Film on Sunday after winning a slew of other Hollywood awards despite...

>LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Austrian actor Christoph Waltz and animated movie "Brave" took home early Oscars on Sunday as Seth MacFarlane mocked both himself and Hollywood's A-listers in his debut as host of the movie industry's biggest night. In one of the closest contests going into the ceremony, the Best...

>TOP STORIES >Weak yen adds to woes confronting S.Korea's Park >U.S., Japan agree on approach to Partnership talk >S.Korea's Jan Iran crude imports down 16.1 pct y/yMARKETS >Won pares losses on foreign buying,exporters >KOSPI edges up as yen moves drive volatile sessionMARKET SNAPSHOTS* U.S.

>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel on Sunday demanded the Palestinian Authority stem a surge of anti-Israeli protests ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to the region next month. A senior aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas gave no indication the Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the occupied West...

>Minister Hisham Zaazou will visit the Iranian capital from Monday under a drive "to restore tourism activity into Egypt and discover new and diverse markets", the Tourism Ministry said in a statement.Last month President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became the first Iranian leader to visit Egypt since Tehran's 1979 Islamic revolution,...

>LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood's biggest stars strutted and posed on the Oscars red carpet on Sunday, as Iran hostage drama "Argo" and presidential drama "Lincoln" went into the movie industry's biggest night in a tight race for Best Picture. Nominees Jessica Chastain, sparkling in a gold strapless Armani Prive...

>A State Department statement said the attack on a district of Aleppo and other assaults such as strikes on city blocks and a field hospital were "the latest demonstrations of the Syrian regime's ruthlessness and its lack of compassion for the Syrian people it claims to represent."The statement, released...

>Kerry leaves on Sunday for London, the first stop on a nine-nation, 11-day trip that will also take him to Berlin, Paris, Rome, Ankara, Cairo, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Doha before he returns home on March 6.It is an introductory trip for a man who needs little introduction abroad...

Hollywood gave its top honor to Ben Affleck’s “Argo,” a film that was once a long-shot contender.

DANIEL Day-Lewis made Oscar history today – becoming the first man to be named best actor three times.

It was the perfect Hollywood ending. A Hollywood movie about a fake Hollywood movie, made by a popular actor who had been bafflingly overlooked for best director, has triumphed at the 85th Academy Awards.

The fliers began turning up at Sunni households in the Iraqi capital's Jihad neighborhood last week bearing a chilling message: Get out now or face "great agony" soon.

>Appearing live on screen from the White House in Washington, almost 3,000 miles (4,800 km) from the Oscars ceremony in Hollywood, Obama praised the work of the movie industry before announcing the Iran hostage drama "Argo" the Best Picture winner.Wearing a silver evening dress, Obama said this year's nominated...

>* Brent to hover above $113.59 for one more session -technicals* Market eyes Italy election for indications on Europe situation* Coming Up: Dallas Fed manufacturing index; 1530 GMT (Adds China data's impact on broader market, Iran talks, updates prices)By Manash GoswamiSINGAPORE, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Brent oil fell below...

After 50 years of policies that have turned the Middle East against us — supporting dictators, aiding terrorist groups, bombing innocent civilians and giving unfaltering support to the nation of Israel — we somehow still don’t get it. read more

ON a year when there were more misses than hits in local sports, the Gilas Pilipinas basketball squad provided one of the saving graces by capturing the Williams Jones Cup in Taiwan for the first time in 14 years.

Anne Hathaway won best supporting actress for her performance as the doomed Fantine in "Les Miserables." "It came true," she said, gazing at the trophy. After several heartfelt thank-yous, she looked at her husband of six months, Adam Shulman, sitting in the audience. "By far the greatest moment of...

Which Oscar nominees will walk away with statuettes? Find out Sunday, when the 85th Academy Awards kick off at 5:30 p.m. Pacific.

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- The 85th annual Oscars ceremony -- honoring the best in film for 2012 -- is under way in Los Angeles, with "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane serving as host.

HOLLYWOOD: Oscars host Seth MacFarlane opened the 85th Academy Awards on Sunday, with Hollywood gathered for one of the most unpredictable Oscars shows in years.

Will Sunday’s Oscars ceremony see front-runner “Argo” go all the way? Or will it be “Lincoln” by a landslide? Or will “Silver Linings Playbook” win best picture gold?

Hollywood has hit the red carpet for the Oscars, with Ben Affleck's drama Argo bid to edge out Lincoln.

Hollywood's finest have gathered for the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, with Ben Affleck's Iran hostage drama Argo hoping to edge out Steven Spielberg's Lincoln for best film of the year. Lincoln was the favorite with 12 nominations when the Hollywood awards season started two months ago. But Argo...

It’s not just your imagination. Gas is strangely expensive right now, despite the fact that we’re in February, when prices are traditionally low.

LONDON: New US Secretary of State John Kerry landed in London on Sunday to start his first official trip, a marathon get-acquainted tour of close allies in Europe and the Middle East.

February 25, 2013 6:16 AM HOLLYWOOD (AFP) - Hollywood's finest gathered on Sunday for the Oscars, with Ben Affleck's Iran hostage drama Argo bidding to edge out Steven Spielberg's Lincoln in one of the least predictable races in years.

The government is considering raising the storage capacity to 15mt to cover the requirement for 45 days in a phased manner.

UN experts in Yemen on Sunday investigated an Iran-linked arms shipment which authorities intercepted in January, the official Saba news agency reported.

What a difference a decade makes.

If the movie win the best picture award, Ken Taylor hopes Ben Affleck’s acceptance speech will help to rectify the film’s minimization of Canada’s role in the dramatic rescue

What a difference a decade makes. Ten years ago, Ben Affleck was a punch line. After winning an Oscar in 1998 for co-writing “Good Will Hunting” with his good friend Matt Damon, he’d plunged into critical and/or box-office failure — …

Philip Seymour Hoffmann of Fairport is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in "The Master."

Palestinian officials said on Sunday a Palestinian detainee who died in an Israeli prison was tortured before his death, but Israel said autopsy findings were preliminary and inconclusive. Click here for the rest of the article...

TEL AVIV — Israel has encountered an opportunity to improve its relations with war-torn Mali, a report said. The Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies said France’s military intervention in Mali could facilitate an Israeli entry into the African country.

LONDON — Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had conducted tests aimed at bringing down a "hypothetical" foreign surveillance drone during a military exercise, the official Fars news agency said on Saturday.

(Repeats Sunday item with no change to text) * Sectarian killings emerge as growing threat to Pakistan'sstability * Reuters examines new cycle of tit-for-tat murders inKarachi * Radical Islamist calls for boycott of Shi'ite minority * Small Shi'ite force hunts clerics in retaliatory attacks KARACHI, Feb 24 (Reuters) - When...

The Melissa McCarthy comedy is currently the biggest hit of 2013

Engel believes ‘it’s time’ for the US to move to arm the Syrian rebels ENGEL: I think it is the choice. And I will be introducing legislation to allow the president to arm the rebels. I think it’s time to do that. I think the...

(Reuters) - When Aurangzeb Farooqi survived an attempt on his life that left six of his bodyguards dead and a six-inch bullet wound in his thigh, the Pakistani cleric lost little time in turning the narrow escape to his advantage.

Michael Goldfarb has made a career as an "all-around anti-liberal provocateur," according to the New York Times

In some of his strongest public remarks about the reported Chinese-sponsored cyber attacks on American companies and government agencies, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said that the situation was “as bad as I’ve ever seen it and exponentially getting worse.”

(Reuters) - When Aurangzeb Farooqi survived an attempt on his life that left six of his bodyguards dead and a six-inch bullet wound in his thigh, the Pakistani cleric lost little time in turning the narrow escape to his advantage.

A senior member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard – with two names - dies mysteriously on the Damascus-Beirut highway earlier this month. Related Stories Clashes erupt near airport in Damascus Irish teenager Shamseddin Gaidan killed in Syria after joining rebels to fight Assad regime War on terror is the West's...

A 26-year-old man was being sought Sunday as the prime suspect in a pre-dawn shooting on the Las Vegas Strip last week which led to a fiery crash that left three people dead and several others injured. Las Vegas police Capt. Chris Jones said Sunday that investigators are working around...

Rival Lebanese groups are fighting in Syria – some in support of President Bashar Assad and others against the embattled leader – PSP chief Jumblatt says.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says dialogue based on peace and justice is the key to solving global problems, adding that world nations are increasingly after kindness, justice and respect.

HAVANA (Reuters) - Retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro made a rare public appearance on Sunday as he took his long-empty seat beside brother Raul Castro at the opening session of the National Assembly, the official National Information Agency reported.

Steven Spielberg's movie Lincoln leads with12 nominations but it's clear the 2013 Oscar race will be close.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has tested a new short-range cruise missile, which can successfully destroy small- and mid-sized targets.

Simon Cowell wants a girlfriend after split from Carmen Electra.

'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2' won in seven categories at the 33rd Golden Raspberry Awards in California last night.

Iran said Saturday that it downed and captured another "enemy drone," the semi-official Fars News Agency reported. The incident reportedly took place during Iranian military maneuvers in southern Iran.

Jennifer Lawrence's life can be "lonely".

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An Iranian semi-official news agency is reporting that a commander of the powerful Revolutionary Guards has been killed in the country's Kurdish northwest.

When the Hebrew manuscript of the Persian novel "My Uncle Napoleon" crossed Jonathan Nadav's desk at Xargol Books, the small but highly regarded Israeli publishing house, the editor was skeptical.

ON A year when there were more misses than hits in local sports, the Smart Gilas Pilipinas basketball squad provided one of the saving graces by capturing the Williams Jones Cup in Taiwan for the first time in 14 years.

The suspect has related different accounts of his plans, all of which could serve as a smokescreen to his true hideout plans.

The Oscars gala is the sleek, shiny finish line after a marathon movie-awards season, a glitzy televised celebration for fans of film, fashion and celebs alike. CBC News pinpoints moments to watch out for during Sunday's Academy Awards broadcast.

The sequester, which is receiving so much news, was the brainchild of Obama s administration in 2011. It amounts to only $44 billion a year. A drop in the bucket. The government spends that in 4 1/2 days.

WORCESTER - "Ban Assault Politics," "The Right to Bear Arms Is A Guaranteed Freedom" and "Congress: You Represent Not Rule Us" were some of the slogans front and center at the "Worcester Day of Resistance" rally that took place Saturday afternoon at Lincoln Square.

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard said Saturday that it had captured a foreign unmanned aircraft during a military exercise in southern Iran.

London, Feb. 24 (ANI): Iran has said it has found major new uranium deposits and is planning to expand its nuclear power programme.

OTTAWA, Ontario - The Iranians are not the only ones who feel slighted by the movie "Argo," which recounts the hostage crisis of 1979. Some Canadians are grousing about the film as well.

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- A 26-year-old man was being sought Sunday as the prime suspect in a pre-dawn shooting on the Las Vegas Strip last week which led to a fiery crash that left three people dead and several others injured. Las Vegas police Capt. Chris Jones said Sunday that...

Ed. Note: Soon after North Korea conducted its third and to date most powerful test of a nuclear device on Feb. 12, calls emerged in South Korea pushing for the country to develop its own nuclear deterrent. As the...

I would like to comment on Lee-Anne Goodman’s Feb. 21 column regarding the movie Argo.

Some of the biggest names in Hollywood are gathering ahead of the Oscars.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards hacked and brought down a foreign surveillance drone during a military exercise, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed in a statement Saturday that the foreign spy drone was hacked during the first day of the war games, known as...

>SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Dire warnings from Washington about a "cyber Pearl Harbor" envision a single surprise strike from a formidable enemy that could destroy power plants nationwide, disable the financial system or cripple the U.S. government. But those on the front lines say it isn't all about protecting...

>The budget is due to be presented to parliament on Wednesday for debate and likely amendments before it is subject to a parliamentary vote in the run up to Iran's election in June that will take place against the backdrop of deep economic gloom."Events have struck from beyond our...