News Archive - 9 August 2013

>U.S.-Russia ties, deeply strained over Moscow's decision to grant asylum to former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden, were "marked by both shared interests and, at times, colliding and conflicting interests," he said in Washington."We will discuss these differences today, for certain, but this meeting remains...

>* Group linked to Lebanese captives claim abductions - media* Turkey issues travel warning for LebanonBy Dominic EvansBEIRUT, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Gunmen abducted two Turkish Airlines pilots in Beirut on Friday, forcing them from an airport bus in the early hours of the morning and prompting Turkey to urge...

Violence erupts in Syria's second largest city as helicopter gunships bombard Damascus Free Syrian Army fighters battled government troops near the main intelligence base in the northern city of Aleppo on Sunday as helicopter gunships bombarded Damascus in an effort to drive out insurgents, witnesses said. Fighting raged in other...

8220On the Noodle Road From Beijing to Rome With Love and Pasta8221Jen Lin-LiuRiverhead 400 pp., 27.95

New Delhi and Beijing are slated to hold their first bilateral dialogue on Central Asia

1 December session Gary McKinnon Alan Johnson, the home secretary, rejected criticism of his decision not to block the extradition of computer hacker Gary McKinnon. Johnson said he had carefully considered fresh representations about the health of McKinnon, who has Asperger's syndrome. But he said information provided by his lawyers...

The trade deal with Greece is the latest in a series of increasingly aggressive moves by China to extend its influence China's forceful intervention in the Greek debt crisis this week has given harassed European leaders meeting at today's EU summit a sharp reminder of the challenges posed by Beijing's...

• Life of Pi takes four awards, including best director • Les Miserables and Argo win three apiece • Jennifer Lawrence surprise winner of best actress award for Silver Linings Playbook • Daniel Day-Lewis and Anne Hathaway win best actor and best supporting actress It was always going to be...

Forget, alas, all the usual stuff about fairness, balance and freedom of independent thought. Merely follow Editor and Publisher magazine 's own accounting for the first eight media days of Gaza warfare. Coverage: "Largely one-sided, with little editorialising or commentary arguing against broader Israeli actions." And: "Most notably, the...

The stars and their trophies parade for your pleasure at the world's biggest gathering of unionised luvvies - the Screen Actors Guild awards Henry Barnes Karin Andreasson

I was pleased to read that North Korea is willing to resume talks on a nuclear weapons moratorium ( Report , 25 August). Welcome news when the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists is speculating that Pakistan may assist Saudi Arabia develop nuclear weapons should Iran succeed in building them, creating a...

State appears willing to release prisoner held on a spying charge, but fate of two fellow American companions unclear Iran said today that it would free one of the three American hikers it has held as spies for more than a year on bail of $500,000 (£325,722). But the fate...

Watch Video | Listen to the Audio JUDY WOODRUFF: And to the analysis of Brooks and Marcus. That is New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus. Mark Shields is off today. So I want to ask you both about the president's news conference. But, first,...

MANILA, Philippines -- Two years ago, at the 26th FIBA Asia Men's Basketball Championship in Wuhan, China, Jordan stunned Iran 88-84 in the quarter-finals to oust the then-defending champions out of contention.

MANILA, Philippines –Behind tremendous support from basketball-mad Filipino fans, Gilas Pilipinas is just one win away from booking a spot in the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain, but to get there they have to overcome an old and familiar opponent.

Originally published in the Guardian on 8 October 1977 The first case to be taken to an industrial tribunal by the Commission for Racial Equality under the 1976 Race Relations Act was heard – and lost – yesterday. Miss Pauline Robinson, aged 18, English born of Jamaican parents, claimed she...

A deal has been struck between Iran and the Zimbabwe government which would see the African country sell raw materials for nuclear weapons to the Middle Eastern state, according to reports.        

President Barack Obama called Friday for a “pause” in the relationship between the United States and Russia, admitting he had only mixed success working with Russian President Vladimir Putin whose return to the Kremlin last year has coincided with a rise in anti-American rhetoric from Moscow.        

Compiled by an ardent bibliophile, this is a weekly report about nature, science and history books that have been newly published in North America and the UK. Books to the ceiling, Books to the sky, My pile of books is a mile high. How I love them! How I need...

The Gilas Pilipinas barged into the semifinal round behind an awesome performance on both ends of the floor en route to registering a lopsided 88-58 win over Kazakhstan in the quarterfinal round of the 27th FIBA Asia Men’s Championship last night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Mail site leapfrogs guardian.co.uk and Telegraph.co.uk with gain of nearly 5m users in June Mail Online added nearly 5 million unique users last month to become the most popular UK newspaper website in June, when big news stories included the death of Michael Jackson and civil...

International Atomic Energy Agency to put more pressure on Tehran as concerns are raised over country's nuclear aspirations A new International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on Iran's nuclear programme due out on Thursday is expected to say that Tehran has rapidly increased the quantity of equipment at an underground...

Seattle's Tom Lehrer revival review reminds us how much times may change, but good tunes and wild wit never die.

Fifty editors, 50 prophecies: Goal's experts have their say on how the list of the planet's top footballers will look in 2014. Tell us what you think

Nasir al-Wuhayshi is now the No. 2 in al-Qaeda, and it was a phone call between him and the leader that sparked the U.S. clampdown on embassies in the Middle East

A Manatee River mansion sold Friday for $2.9 million, the largest amount paid for an existing home

It ill behoves the US to accuse another country of aiding and abetting the massacre of women and children ( Houla massacre: US accuses Iran of 'bragging' about its military aid to Syria , 30 May). The US (and the UK) didn't just aid the killing of women and children...

Effectively translating highest-leverage Quadrant II goals into an action plan requires creating a framework for effective decision making through the week.

Days before crucial talks over Iran nuclear programme, Romney says the president has faltered on relationship with Israel Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has said he will do "the opposite" of Barack Obama when it comes to Israel, returning to a line of attack that seeks to portray the president...

You could call it the Hail Mary pass of diplomatic relations. In a desperate attempt to find some solution to the ongoing Syria crisis, now in its third year with no end in sight, Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan reportedly offered Russian President Vladimir Putin a multi-billion...

The Iranian news agency Fars has released footage of mass graves it says have been dug for US soldiers by the country's Revolutionary Guard in case of a war

Beirut: Gunmen have kidnapped two pilots working for Turkish Airlines on Beirut's airport road, Lebanon's Interior Minister Marwan Charbel says.        

UAE official denies newspaper's report that body of Iranian-born British national has been found

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold his first meeting with recently elected Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on September 13, as part of a Eurasian summit in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, a Russian presidential aide said Friday.        

Alan Duncan says arms trade 'has become the greatest threat to development, beyond disease and disaster' The international arms trade has become the greatest threat to development and has to be controlled by a tough treaty to regulate weapons and munitions sales, a government minister warns. In a speech to...

Rolling coverage of all the day's political developments as they happen 8.49am: It's a big week for the government, with the autumn statement tomorrow and a massive public sector strike taking place on Wednesday. I say the autumn statement is coming tomorrow, but it seems as if we have...

Latest VideoAugust 9th, 2013     Golshifteh Farahani guest of Kambiz Hoseini in third part of satirical show poletik 3 Kambiz Hosseini aired third part of his political satirical show about the promises of the  new president Hasan Rohani  from an Arabic country . In this episode also, the Iranian actress Golshifteh...

Latest VideoAugust 9th, 2013     Imitating popular singer Ebi , and Akbar Abdi in “Shahgoush” movie trailer Trailer of movie “Shahgoush” staring Akbar Abdi in which popular Ebi the singer is imitated by actor residing in Iran  .

Opposition activists are planning fresh protests today to coincide with the government-back Quds day ceremony. Can the opposition regain momentum since the violent suppression of the unrest over the disputed re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Follow live updates 8.10am: State-funded Press TV is showing live pictures of people gathering in...

Americans will remain in jail 'a bit longer', despite Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's claim they would be freed within days Two US nationals arrested while hiking in Iran and convicted of spying will not be released imminently as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had announced, a judiciary official has said. "The two Americans are going...

Obama will still attend a G-20 summit in St. Petersburg in early September, but now will go to Sweden beforehand instead of stopping in Moscow.

Were the schoolchildren in Deraa tortured for scrawling graffiti really agents of a foreign regime? The appalling scenes as the Syrian army on Friday"cleansed" Baba Amr, the suburb of Homs which has become the symbol of the year-old uprising, plays to what Bashar al-Assad regards as his strengths. By painting...

Two Turkish Airlines pilots were kidnapped by a Lebanese group in a bid to coerce Turkey into pressuring Syrian rebels to release a group of Lebanese Shiites held captive. 

Former officials warn of parallels between IAEA approach to Iran and mistakes over Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the nuclear watchdog at the heart of the growing Iranian crisis, has been accused by several former senior officials of pro-western bias,...

By Herman Baca, President Committee on Chicano Rights (CCR) “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” Martin L. King. It was with amusement, elation and sadness that I read statements from individuals voicing concerns about “due process” for San Diego’s good Mayor, Bob Filner. Due process is a basic...

Mini-surge to improve security ahead of Afghan presidential election in August Gordon Brown will today offer to send up to 1,000 more troops to Afghanistan this summer in an attempt to improve security ahead of the country's presidential election in August. A British official travelling with the prime minister to...

PARIS: Iran has beefed up its oil tanker fleet with vessels from China and is selling more crude to Beijing as Tehran struggles under international sanctions, the IEA said in a report.

Latest VideoAugust 9th, 2013     Ayatollah Khamenei attack peace talks in Eid-Fetr prayer in presence of Ahmadinejad and Hasan Rohani During special prayer for end of month of Ramadan on Friday ,9 August , the leader of Islamic Republic Ayatollah Khamenei attacked Israeli Palestinian peace talks in Washington initiated by...

Perhaps realising he can't win the election campaigning solely on the economy, Mitt Romney ventured into an area where Obama is strongest – only to emerged badly bruised For months, Mitt Romney has doggedly avoided saying much about foreign policy. The Republican presidential candidate has kept his focus rigidly on...

Briton extradited to US on arms dealing charges is freed on bail after payment of $50,000 A retired British businessman who was extradited to the US in February to face arms dealing charges has been freed on bail, a family spokeswoman has said. Chris Tappin, 65, of Orpington, south-east London,...

Fearing radical rebel groups as well as Assad’s troops, Syria’s Kurds set up militias and try to take control of their own fate.

This is one of the questions posed by David E. Brown, a career American diplomat, in his report "The Challenge of Drug Trafficking To Democratic Governance and Human Security in West Africa," published in May of this year.

by Mikkel Bolante, InterAKTV | interaksyon.com Chinese Taipei’s naturalized center Quincy Davis had a big task ahead of him against China, whose lineup featured not one, not two, but three 7-footers. But instead of shying away, he played his finest game of the tournament, scoring 26 points on a...

The relationship between the two leaders is on ice, which means it's the perfect time for the U.S. to stop buying helicopters from the same Russian arms dealer that supplies Assad.        

The cabinet will stay in office in a caretaker capacity as political parties in the country hone plans to hold an early election in the autumn.

Supporters of deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi planned new rallies on Friday as the interim premier suggested a crackdown on their protest camps was imminent.

In 1986, the first PC virus - Brain - began to spread. What was once annoying has become a sophisticated tool for crime. Computer security expert Mikko Hyppönen describes discovering Brain and why the guys who wrote it never meant any harm.

America's foreign policy has gone into a tailspin. Almost every major initiative from the Obama administration has run into sharp, sometimes embarrassing, reverses. The U.S. looks weak and confused on the global stage.

Two-time champion Iran unleashed a glimpse of its ferocious form as it blasted Jordan, 94-50, to clinch the first semifinals berth of the 27th Fiba Asia Men’s Championship yesterday at the Mall of Asia Arena. The Iranians pounded the hapless Jordanians right from the opening tip, completing a sweet revenge...

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - A former Danish Islamist who seven years ago travelled the Muslim world fuelling the uproar over newspaper caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad is back in the headlines in Denmark after doing an about-face on the issue.

The Academy Awards are over for another year. The songs have been sung and the gongs have been given. So what worked and what didn't? WHAT WE LIKED … 1) Baffleck coming of age The key acceptance speech of the evening came from Ben Affleck, as part of the producing...

Maryland companies are exporting more goods to foreign countries. The value of shipped-out products rose to $6 billion in the first half of 2013, about 5 percent more than last year’s first six months, according to new U.S. Department of Commerce figures.

The war launched against Syria has reached its second year and the end of the conflict does not seem to be close.

Twenty-four hours of news photos from around the world

MANILA, Philippines—Inside the China dugout Friday night, players sat weeping while some stared blankly in stunned silence. In one corner, star Yi Jianlian sat crossed legs as wordless as the rest of the teammates. For several minutes, the team shut the doors of their locker room at Mall of Asia...

The Bush administration has stayed true to itself to the very end. The last-minute decision to abstain from the UN security resolution on Gaza last night is a classic example of Washington inter-agency conflict pitting ideology against diplomacy. Characteristically, ideology won and the state department, and Condoleezza Rice in particular,...

>* Strikes, unrest, infrastructure woes cut OPEC supplies-IEA* North Sea Forties oil cargoes to be delayed -trade source* Libyan oil output falls to lowest since 2011 (Updates throughout with OPEC report, North Sea delays, quote)By Lin NoueihedLONDON, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Brent crude oil rose by $1 to reach more...

Latest VideoAugust 9th, 2013     Clergyman Mandegari teach Islam : We have no authority , we are born to obey religious authority ! During an Islamic teaching  program , the clergyman teacher Mohamad Mehdi Mandegari said that we have no right to act according to our friends or ourselves opinion ,...

Iran's top leader says the US is not a good mediator in Mideast peace talks because it supports Israel. The comments come ahead of the second round o...

After Moscow gives NSA leaker Edward Snowden temporary asylum and Obama scraps planned summit with Russian President Putin, Obama holding news conference

MANILA, Philippines -- Iran nabbed the first semifinals berth in the 27th FIBA Asia men's championship after dismantling Jordan, 94-50, Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena. Iran continued to steamroll past its opponents and likewise showed no mercy against Jordan, the same nation which knocked them out of the...

Yves here. To put none too fine a point on it, the most important steps to reduce carbon emissions would be a Marshall plan level effort to reconfigure living and resourcing arrangements so as to reduce energy demands, and to go particularly aggressively after the worst polluters (for instance, the...

Adelaide United defender Iain Fyfe could quit the A-League for a lucrative playing deal in Iran.

Director of BBC global news says viewers flocked to Arabic and Persian services for coverage of unrest last year The BBC has said its global weekly TV, radio and online audience rose by 6% – to 239 million – in the past 12 months on the back of the Arab...

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warns that the political crisis in Egypt after the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi could spark a civil war.

Biggest arms deal in US history will shore up a Gulf ally against Iran threat, but angers Tehran and worries Israel Barack Obama is to go ahead with plans to sell Saudi Arabia advanced aircraft and other weapons worth up to $60bn (£39bn), the biggest arms deal in US history,...

Nuclear fears prompt government to tighten up list of items British firms can export Britain is to further restrict exports to Iran after the government admitted there was a risk that specialist equipment currently approved for sale to the Middle Eastern country could help it develop its nuclear programme. Until...

Gunmen kidnapped two pilots working for Turkish Airlines early on Friday on Beirut's airport road, Lebanon's Interior Minister Marwan Charbel told AFP.

India is reportedly seeking to devise a mechanism to provide a state guarantee to refineries importing oil from Iran, whose energy sector has been targeted by US-led sanctions.

Gunmen have killed four people and wounded 15 after opening fire outside a Sunni Muslim mosque in Pakistan.

The Shuaiba Industrial Company (SIC) recorded a total revenue of more than Dh40 million for the second quarter of 2013, and is upbeat on its expansion plans in the coming years, as the company continues to witness an impressive growth rate in its newly opened Dubai plant.

Iran's top leader has lashed out at the Unites States, saying America is not a good mediator in Mideast peace talks because it allegedly sides with Israel.