News Archive - 7 June 2013

>BEIRUT/CAIRO (Reuters) - Sunni Muslim preachers condemned Iran and its "Satanic" Shi'ite allies in Friday sermons, after a battle in Syria that has inflamed sectarian rhetoric which risks spreading violence around the Middle East. In Tehran, the non-Arab power behind the Shi'ite strand of Islam followed by a minority of...

>BAKU (Reuters) - An Oscar-winning screenwriter said on Friday that he would challenge President Ilham Aliyev's decade-long rule over Azerbaijan in October elections, if the opposition names him as their candidate. Rustam Ibragimbekov's popularity would add a dash of uncertainty to polls, which are widely expected to be won by...

>* Moderate Rohani says hardline approach led to sanctions* Nuclear negotiator Jalili dismisses "false" criticism* Last of 3 televised debates to drum up interest in vote (Adds context, paragraph 10)By Zahra Hosseinian and Marcus GeorgeDUBAI, June 7 (Reuters) - Iran's hardline nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, a strong contender in next...

The international community can receive congratulations, like those received by Hezbollah from the Islamic Republic of Iran, on the occasion of the fall of the Syrian city of Qusayr, a city of strategic importance for Iran’s goals, and for the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Brush fires from stray mortar bombs were still ablaze on the occupied Golan Heights on Friday as Israeli farmers returned to their fields, a day after battles in Syria's civil war reached a U.N.-manned border crossing. Once the smoke clears, Israel could find itself facing...

>Tasked with preventing the spread of nuclear bombs in the world, the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency inspects reactors and related sites globally to ensure that sensitive fissile material is not diverted for military purposes.In 2012, several states "did not provide sufficient cooperation to clarify or resolve...

>Al Qaeda's local wing and other Sunni insurgents have been on the offensive since the start of the year in an attempt - spurred in part by the mainly Sunni rebellion in neighboring Syria - to provoke the kind of Shi'ite-Sunni bloodshed that killed thousands in Iraq in 2006-2007.Police...

Latest VideoJune 7th, 2013     At least 16 Iranian pilgrims killed in car explosion near their bus in Iraq At least 16 Iranian pilgrims were killed , while a car exploded near bus of pilgrims sent to Iraq by official organization .

>ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan flew back to a Turkey rocked by days of anti-government unrest on Friday and declared before a sea of flag-waving supporters at Istanbul airport: "These protests must end immediately." "No power but Allah can stop Turkey's rise," he told thousands who gathered...

>* Moderate Rohani says talks helped forestall US attacksBy Zahra HosseinianDUBAI, June 7 (Reuters) - Iran's presidential election candidates clashed over foreign policy in their last televised debate on Friday, with a hardline frontrunner saying a moderate contender had undermined the country through past subservience to Western powers.The June...

Would it make any difference? This is the question that Iranians face as their presidential election enters its final phase with a two-week campaign drawing to a close. “Supreme Guide” Ali Khamenei wants a record turnout to renew his regime’s legitimacy. To that end, an impressive machine has been...

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama offered a robust defense of newly revealed surveillance programs Friday as more classified secrets spilled into public, complicating a summit meeting with China's new president focused partly on human rights and cybersecurity.

President Barack Obama shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands as they meet for talks Friday. / Evan Vucci, AP

Four people were killed and several others injured Friday when a gunman clad in black went on a rampage through Santa Monica, Calif., before being shot to death in the library of a community college, authorities said. A police spokesman said that investigators had concluded the  …

Iran's ambassador to Beirut says the Syrian Army‘s recent headways against foreign-backed militants prove that all military bids against the Arab country are doomed to failure.

Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and visiting French President Francois Hollande agreed at a meeting on Friday to enhance their nuclear and security cooperation.

'It was a street war' in the town of Qusair, says a militant with the Lebanese Shiite group that has aligned itself with President Bashar Assad's troops against rebel factions made up mostly of Sunnis. BEIRUT — He sits on a couch in an inconspicuous building in a southern suburb...

The leader of Syria's main opposition group warned Friday that rebel fighters had been weakened and demoralized after a string of recent tactical setbacks and that the aid Iran, Russia and Hezbollah are providing President Bashar al-Assad's army is quickly overpowering opposition forces.

Government likely to open criminal probe into NSA leaks: officials WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's administration is likely to open a criminal investigation into the leaking of highly classified documents that revealed the secret surveillance of Americans' telephone and email traffic, U.S. officials said on Friday. The law...

Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and visiting French President Francois Hollande agreed at a meeting on Friday to enhance their nuclear and security cooperation. During the summit meeting hosted by .....        

President Michel Sleiman rejected Friday any foreign military intervention in Syria and as well as any Lebanese interference in the crisis as local and Arab opposition to Hezbollah’s heavy involvement in the 2-year-old civil war next door widened.

After a week of leaks of NSA citizen surveillance and Internet company denials, Violet Blue reports which mobile apps are best for privacy.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan flew back to a Turkey rocked by days of anti-government unrest yesterday and declared before a sea of flag-waving supporters at Istanbul airport: "These protests must end immediately."

The 17-day assault on Qusair marked the first time that Hezbollah has launched a major offensive operation in an urban environment, putting into practice new training techniques taught to the group’s fighters since 2006.

Recent gains by Assad’s forces have the opposition asking for help

First things first – where do you get those outfits?        

As Barack Obama’s choice as next US ambassador to the UN, Irish-born Samantha Power faces many challenges        

KUALA LUMPUR: The National ICT Association Of Malaysia (Pikom) has teamed up with Resolvo (Cambodia) Co Ltd to bring Malaysian information and communications technology (ICT) companies to Cambodia.

Three car bombs, including two blasts by suicide attackers, have killed 15 people in Iraq.

National Security Agency wants to know about PalTalk, a video chat website popular during the Arab Spring.

See how the cost of living has soared under sanctions

More Americans see China as either an ally or at least friendly toward the United States, according to a Gallup survey released on the eve of a historic presidential summit in California.

Global netizens see worrying trend in US spying Associated Press Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 11:20 am, Friday, June 7, 2013 MEXICO CITY (AP) — Revelations that the U.S. government has been snooping on Internet users worldwide...

Also: Judge orders investigation of Paris Jackson’s attempted suicide; the Kardashians know grammar and spelling; Tiger Woods’ ex not happy he’s dating Lindsay Vonn.

Jon Stewart hosted his last "Daily Show" episode until September on Thursday night, and his temporary replacement, the comedy show's John Oliver, helped send him off. Before that, Stewart explained what prompted his decision to make a movie based on the book, "Then They Came For Me," by journalist Maziar...

WASHINGTON - The State Department has appointed a special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism ...

Do revelations about the US government snooping on citizens' telephone and Internet records make it harder for the government to advocate for Internet freedom around the world?

Help is needed as Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey may host up to 3.5 million refugees by year's end, say UN officials.

NEW YORK (AP) - The surge in oil production in the US and Canada and shrinking oil consumption in the developed world is transforming the global oil market.

There is now some second guessing among basketball experts regarding the decision of Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes regarding which group the Philippines should have chosen during Thursday's FIBA Asia championship drawing of lots.

President Barack Obama ordered U.S. intelligence agencies to draw up a list of possible overseas targets for offensive cyberattacks, according to a top secret presidential directive obtained by the Guardian .

Latest VideoJune 7th, 2013     Tehran misuse You Tube and earn money from ads on its videos A video based on interview of the authority of High Council for Cyberspace about necessity to display local productions to mass audience  , and   publication of quantity of  news videos on You Tube...

On the site of a former military golf course where President Dwight Eisenhower once played, the future of US warfare is rising in the shape of the new $358 million headquarters for the military’s Cyber Command.

The head of the UN atomic agency says Iran may have removed evidence of alleged nuclear weapons research.

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian troops backed by Hezbollah fighters pressed forward with their offensive in the country's opposition-held heartland on Friday, taking two small villages and entering a third near a strategic town that was captured by the government earlier this week, while the U.N. asked donor countries for...

The president appears to see cyber weapons a lot like drones: a tool for quiet preemption.

CAIRO (AP) - The Egyptian cleric was in a fervor. With Hezbollah's Shiite fighters helping Bashar Assad crush Syrian rebels, he wanted to sound the alarm to Sunnis across the Middle East: "Now is the time for jihad."

Iran's eight presidential candidates quarreled about talks with world powers over the country's disputed nuclear program Friday as they held their final televised debate ahead of next week's election.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is heading to Europe next week where he will advocate for the Canada-EU trade deal to be concluded, but his office said Friday he is not expected to sign on the dotted line while he's there.

BAGHDAD (AP) — Suicide attackers rammed car bombs on Friday into a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims and a police checkpoint west of Baghdad, killing 16 people in all, in the latest bout of violence to rattle Iraq.

Latest VideoJune 7th, 2013     Saeid Jalili dispute with Velayati who reveal his secret meeting with Sarkozy over nuclear issue During presidential candidate debate on Iranian TV on Friday June 7 th , the senior negotiator Saeid Jalili criticize former minister of foreign affairs and adviser to leadership for his...

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan flew back to a Turkey rocked by days of anti-government unrest on Friday and declared before a sea of flag-waving supporters at Istanbul airport: "These protests must end immediately."

Predictions have been flowing with abundance about what will follow the control by the Syrian regular army and Hezbollah over the Syrian city of Qusair, and on the post- post-Qusair phase.

June 08, 2013 12:17 AM TEHERAN (AFP) - Iran's tactics in talks on its nuclear programme with the major powers have been "flawed" under the current negotiating team led by Saeed Jalili, presidential election candidate Ali Akbar Velayati said on Friday.        

SOCIAL media, crowd-sourcing and big data can change businesses everywhere, said the CEO of a media organization that relies heavily on social traffic. With social media being a big part of today’s society, no other industry has felt the need to adapt more than mainstream media, said Maria Ressa, chief...

By Crispian Balmer and Erika Solomon BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United Nations warned on Friday half of all Syrians would need humanitarian aid by the end of 2013 and launched what it said was the biggest emergency appeal in history to cope with the civil war crisis. "Syria as a...

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Latest VideoJune 7th, 2013     Hasan Rohani dispute with Bagher Ghalibaf : I am jusist , not colonel ! Part of candidate debate on Iranian TV on Friday 7 June  between former chief of police and mayor of Tehran Mohamad Ghalibaf and reformist Hasan Rohani about attack of police to Tehran...

ATLANTA (AP) - Julio Teheran held Pittsburgh without a hit for 7 2-3 innings before settling for a combined one-hit shutout, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Pirates 5-0 on Wednesday. Tehran (4-2) gave up one hit with two walks and set a career high with 11 strikeouts in eight...

Privacy vs. transparency… How much political staying power does this story have?... May jobs report: 175,000 jobs added last month; unemployment rate ticks up to 7.6%... The White House’s health-care PR problem… Ranking the 2016 GOPers… Christie’s …

A suicide car bomb attack has killed eight Iranian pilgrims and wounded 25 others north of Baghdad, police say. The bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into a bus carrying Iranian Shiite pilgrims who were on their way to visit holy shrines in the city of Najaf.

Fans of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart were met with a decidedly different show Thursday night. It was Stewart’s final show before he leaves for the Summer to helm his first film, Rosewater. He’ll return to his award-winning, Comedy Central news show in September but, before leaving, Stewart laid...

The grand mufti of Saudi Arabia called to punish Hezbollah

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The leader of Syria's main opposition group on Friday warned that the involvement of Hezbollah is transforming the war in Syria into a sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Shiites, and says peace negotiations aren't possible as long as Hezbollah and Iran are fighting alongside President Bashar...

Syria’s uprising offered the possibility of a strategic defeat of Iran. In this scenario, Iran would be weakened by the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, its single Arab ally and a vital link to Lebanon’s...

Latest VideoJune 7th, 2013     Iranian and Turkish TV report about arrival of PM Erdogan while demonstration is going on in Turkey Iranian and Turkish TV report about arrival of Erdogan while demonstration is going on in Turkey .

Reformist presidential contender Mohammad Reza Aref has urged the Iranians to produce a massive turnout in the upcoming election and vote for the Reformist camp.

It was October 2011. I knew this would be my last evening with the distinguished Turkish journalist, Mehmet Birand, as we looked over the Bosphorus from my hotel in Istanbul. He had been fighting cancer bravely for quite some time but the extent to which his large frame had shrunk...

Any hope of a negotiated end to the Syrian crisis may have died with the victory of government forces in al-Qusair, the Institute for the Study of War said in a report.

Behind the growing tension in the Muslim world is the enmity between members of the Sunni and Shia sects, writes Geneive Abdo

UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino on Friday added his weight to calls for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to be staged later in the year due to concerns over weather conditions.

On the site of a former military golf course where President Dwight Eisenhower once played, the future of U.S. warfare is rising in the shape of the new $358 million headquarters for the military's Cyber Command.

NEW DELHI, 7 Jun (Bernama) -- Ekspedisi Motosikal (Vespa) 1Malaysia, yangbertujuan mempromosi semangat perpaduan 1Malaysia, hari ini meneruskanperjalanannya ke Pakistan melalui Punjab.Ekspedisi selama dua bulan ini, yang disertai lima skuter Vespa dan sebuahkenderaan pacuan empat roda, bermula di Chennai, Tamil Nadu pada 16 Mei dan tibadi New Delhi pada...

Bloggers and those opposed to the Singapore government’s new licensing scheme, which requires news websites that draw traffic of 50,000 users or more to obtain individual licenses and remove content deemed unacceptable by the authorities, will gather in Hong Lim Park tomorrow to protest the new regulations. In Singapore on...

Iran’s ambassador to Damascus hails the Syrian Army's recent recapturing of the strategic town of al-Qusayr, saying the triumph has brought stability to the crisis-hit country.

On Wednesday, Qusair fell to the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria. Qusair is a strategic town that connects Damascus with Assad’s Alawite heartland on the Mediterranean, with its ports and Russian naval base. It’s a major strategic shift. Assad’s forces can now advance on rebel-dominated areas in central and northern...

TOKYO - Japan and France agreed Friday to deepen their co-operation on nuclear technology and to discuss joint development of military equipment, vowing to raise the tenor of their partnership. Visiting French President Francois Hollande and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued a joint...