News Archive - 30 August 2013

>WASHINGTON/PARIS (Reuters) - The United States made clear on Friday that it would punish Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the "brutal and flagrant" chemical weapons attack that it says killed more than 1,400 people in Damascus last week. "We cannot accept a world where women and children and innocent civilians...

>President Barack Obama said on Friday the United States was still in the planning process for a response to the chemical weapons use in Syria."All their interests and facilities in Iraq and the region will be targeted by our militants if the United States insists on attacking Syria," a...

>ISTANBUL — It's rare that I enjoy being stuck in traffic, but the slow ride from Istanbul's main international airport to its central business district is a feast for the eyes. New shopping malls, apartment blocks, and office parks seem to stretch out in every direction, up and down the...

>Below is a transcript of Kerry's statement, as transmitted by Roll Call, Inc:"President Obama has spent many days now consulting with Congress and talking with leaders around the world about the situation in Syria."And last night the president asked all of us on his national security team to consult...

>Aug 31 (Reuters) - From an ignominious Olympic exit to a Games return in less than eight months, wrestling can complete a remarkable turnaround when the International Olympic Committee next month votes in one new sport for the 2020 Games. Wrestling was surprisingly taken off the 2020 Olympics by the...

>PARIS (Reuters) - France said on Friday it still backed action to punish Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government for an apparent poison gas attack on civilians, despite a British parliamentary vote against a military strike. An aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, a close Assad ally, seized on Thursday's British...

>* Unrest in Libya cripples crude output, exports* Saudi Arabia to pump record crude volume in Q3 - PIRA* Coming up: U.S. CFTC commitment of traders weekly data; 1930 GMT (Updates throughout, previous SINGAPORE)By Christopher JohnsonLONDON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Brent crude oil slipped below $115 a barrel on...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Friday it would release an intelligence assessment of the apparent chemical weapons attack in Syria, as President Barack Obama faced growing pressure to win support for military action from a war-weary public, skeptical lawmakers and international allies. The unclassified assessment, expected to...

In an unusual step, federal officials also warned agencies and companies of possible cyberattacks if the military takes action against Syria.

As the Obama administration and the U.S. military plot military action against Syria, they should be spending just as much time — and arguably more — considering what happens next. Once Washington crosses the threshold of action, there’s no retreating from blame for anything that follows. And in the...

BOISE, Idaho—The wife of an American pastor serving eight years in an Iranian prison says the Tehran Court of Appeals has rejected his appeal for a reduced sentence.

Steve Chapman in Reason: How many innocent Syrians should we be willing to kill to send a message? Since President Barack Obama feels the need to make a point about chemical weapons and sees verbal options as inadequate, that's the question we confront.

UN weapons inspectors have decided to leave Syria earlier than planned, in a sign that a US strike against the Assad regime could be imminent.        

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama said the United States was weighing "limited, narrow" action against Syria, as UN inspectors left the country Saturday and opened a window into a possible strike.

Lotfi Mansouri, who led the San Francisco Opera as its general director from 1988 to 2001, died Friday at his San Francisco home after a bout with pancreatic cancer. He is remembered for introducing supertitles to the world of opera, generally, and bringing new works to San Francisco, including composer...

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In this image provided by The White House, President Barack Obama meets with his national...

IT WAS déjà vu for the Brits when Prime Minister David Cameron pleaded for military action against Syria. His predecessor Tony Blair had taken a similar course when he bulldozed a resolution against Iraq, saying that it possesses Weapons of Mass Destruction. But Cameron stopped short of saying that he...

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Having leaked to the world, and thus to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a detailed briefing of the coming U.S.

Pres. Obama says he is still considering how to respond to Syria?s alleged chemical weapons attack. The question isn't can America strike Syria, but how hard?

Fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden observes the terms of his asylum and has handed no secret information to Western media since his arrival to Russia, his Russian lawyer said.        

Truth told, it’s a bit intense these days in Tehran as in most other countries in this region, and this observer fairly soon may be on what just might be the last Tehran-Damascus flight for some time in light of what could occur in the coming days.

Latest VideoAugust 31st, 2013     Fars News, Resalat and other Reformist and Conservative newspaper editors debate on TV The managing directors of Fars News agency affiliated to Revolutionary Guard along with editor of Resalat affiliated to Motalefeh along with Mardomsalari editor debate on TV about situation of media in Iran .

The Regional Paul Bunyanland Historical/Cultural Society: Fall 2013 gathering is planned 2:30-5 p.m. Sept. 14 at Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge in the Ruby Room.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Edging toward a punitive strike against Syria, President Barack Obama said Friday he is weighing "limited and narrow" action as the administration bluntly accused Bashar Assad's government of launching a chemical weapons attack that killed at least 1,429 people — far more than previous estimates — including...

WASHINGTON, August 30, 2013 (AFP) - President Barack Obama insisted Friday that war weariness cannot excuse world powers from their duty to punish Syria after the gassing to death of hundreds of women and children.

If you aren’t exactly sure why Syria is fighting a civil war, or even where Syria is located, then this is the article for you.

By Pat Buchanan The next 72 hours will be decisive in the career of the speaker of the House. The alternatives he faces are these: John Boehner can, ...

WASHINGTON --  Edging toward a punitive strike against Syria, President Barack Obama said Friday he is weighing "limited and narrow" action as the administration bluntly accused Bashar Assad's government of launching a chemical weapons attack that killed at least 1,429 people - far more than previous estimates - including more...

Watch Video | Listen to the Audio JEFFREY BROWN: The Obama administration today laid out its case in detail that the Syrian government used chemical weapons on its own people last week. Secretary of State John Kerry minced no words in a blunt accounting of the attack. And President Obama...

Planned attack on Syria gives Obama a problem of timing

In a detailed and impassioned speech, Secretary of State John Kerry outlined the evidence against the regime in Syria, arguing that war fatigue ‘does not absolve us of our responsibility’ to respond.

A U.S. intelligence report laying out evidence that Syria’s regime used chemical weapons to kill more than 1,400 people doesn’t show that President Bashar al- Assad himself ordered the attack.

Democrats and Republicans who represent Texas in Congress are weighing in about a potential U.S. military strike against Syria.

As President Obama attempts to make good on his threats to punish Syrian officials for crossing a "red line" by allegedly using of deadly chemical weapons, he's being buffeted by political crosscurrents. Some arise from the structure of U.S. democracy itself, and the balance of powers between the...

NEW DELHI: A second-string Malaysian men's regu proved too strong for Iran at the Istaf Super Series here yesterday to give coach Nordin Sabaruddin a selection dilemma for today's quarter-finals.

As U.S. officials took to the U.S. airwaves, insisting that the Assad government was responsible for last week's chemical attack in Syria, a U.S. military response seemed increasingly likely. The White House and the State Department have insisted that any U.S. response will be aimed only...

WASHINGTON — Edging toward a punitive strike against Syria, President Barack Obama said Friday he is weighing "limited and narrow" action as the administration bluntly accused Bashar Assad's government of launching a chemical weapons attack that killed at least 1,429 people — far more than previous estimates — including more...

Amanda Lindhout’s A House in the Sky recounts freelance reporter’s survival as a hostage

The White House’s closest political ally in South Carolina isn’t convinced it’s time for U.S. intervention in Syria.

The United States has outlined the evidence it believes proves the Syrian regime was behind a chemical weapons attack that killed over 1,400 people.

In the emotion of the moment the strategic and economic reasons for British involvement in Syria have hardly have been discussed.

Read the letter here.

The former defense secretary says the U.S. needs to step up and take action against Assad.

The watchdog sent a letter this week requesting fresh information about the market’s alleged links with two companies which have traded with Iran in the past.

>Once the dust settled on the vote, David Cameron's closest ally, Chancellor George Osborne, said there will be a lot of "soul-searching" about Britain's role in the world. There is talk about the shadow of Iraq, pacifism and anti-Americanism as a result of an unholy alliance between conservative little-Englanders and...

Latest VideoAugust 30th, 2013     Shohreh Aghdashloo in sixth episode of Kambiz Hosseini “Poletik” show Shohreh Aghdashloo in sixth episode of Kambiz Hosseini “Poletik” show .

Latest VideoAugust 30th, 2013     At least 10 killed and dozens injured in a car between Tehran & Mashad In a car accident occurred between Tehran and  Mashad on Friday 30 August ,  a heavy truck crashed 4 cars killing at least 10 and injuring others which are hospitalized in...

FXstreet.com (Chicago) – Worldwide markets remain highly volatile on possible military intervention... For more information, read our latest forex news.

Though the David Cameron government received a sharp rejection of its Syria policy in the House of Commons on Thursday, the military intervention option in the mid- to long-term is still not close...

So, the U.S. takes military action against Syria. What could be next? 1. Failure The strike fails to deter dictator Bashar Assad from continuing his slaughter of civilians to put down a more than two-year rebellion.

The US has released intelligence to show why it is certain that Syrian forces used chemical weapons.

Sir Robert examines the use of boxing terms in our everyday language.  read more

DALLAS, Aug. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Metal oxide nanoparticles have novel electronic, optical, magnetic, chemical catalytic and mechanical properties from the high surface to volume ratio, and ...

WASHINGTON - The ghosts of Iraq are looming over both the White House and the American public this week as U.S. President Barack Obama decides whether to launch attacks on Syria after it purportedly gassed almost 1,500 of its own citizens last week.

When the first-born apex institution to protect human rights, the United Nations Human Rights Commission, is killed and buried unceremoniously by its founding fathers at the UN for failing to live up to its mandate it is legitimate to ask whether its successor, the United Nations Human Rights Council, can...

Edging toward a retaliatory strike, President Barack Obama said Friday he is weighing "limited and narrow" action against Syria as the administration bluntly accused Bashar Assad's government of launching a chemical weapons attack that killed at least 1,429 people — far more than previous estimates — including more than 400...

Although is considering a narrow response to Syria. Currently warships with cruise missiles are in the Mediterranean Sea, along with a few submarines, according to CNN.

>WASHINGTON Aug 30 (Reuters) - Iran's monthly revenues from oil sales have dropped 58 percent since just before the United States imposed harsher sanctions on the country in 2011 because of Tehran's disputed nuclear program, a senior U.S. official said. The OPEC member's monthly crude oil revenues averaged an...

The inspectors collected samples at the site of a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria, a U.N. spokesman says. Secretary of State Kerry is speaking about Syria now.

2013 definitely has been an interesting year and it's not over yet. Here's what's in store for the rest of the year.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has concluded that nearly half of Iran's monthly earnings from crude oil exports are accumulating in accounts overseas because of sanctions that restrict Tehran's access ...

The U.S. military has abandoned plans to set up facilities in Almaty, Baku and/or Bishkek to help get rid of excess equipment from its operations in Afghanistan, saying they were unfeasible. The Defense Logistics Agency, the military organization that handles shipments of cargo to and from Afghanistan, announced a...

An Iranian prisoner of conscience and blogger on hunger strike to protest his unfair detention must be released immediately and unconditionally to receive treatment as his health deteriorates. August 30, 2013 International An Iranian prisoner of conscience and blogger on hunger strike to protest his unfair detention must be released...

France said today it still backed military action to punish Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government for an apparent poison gas attack on civilians and Washington pushed ahead with plans for a response despite a British parliamentary vote against a military strike.        

If the sound of war drums over West Asia is receding, it is because the people have spoken up. British parliamentary democracy looked credible, after the Blair lapse, when 30 Tory MPs voted against their own party. Russia, China, Iran and others who matters applied the brakes.

Though the White House has pitched missile strikes as limited and punitive, U.S. misadventures elsewhere have led to widespread doubt about military force in any form.        

The use of chemical weapons in Ghouta has moved the Syrian issue to a qualitatively new threshold, at the military level on the battlefield, as well as at the level of international and regional relations.

When International Olympic Committee members gather next week in Buenos Aires, Argentina, they will be faced with three decisions that will shape the direction of the Olympic movement for the next decade. At stake: Choosing the host city of the 2020 Olympics, electing a new IOC president to succeed Jacques...

Rarely, if ever, has so much been on the line at a single Olympic meeting.        

Iranian women's league sparks debate about appropriate dress

Syrians inside the country have expressed anxieties about the fallout of military action.        

The initial opposition to foreign interference has withered away.        

In this commentary, Robert F. Turner from the University of Virginia School of Law says President Obama clearly has the constitutional power to launch missile strikes at Syria without congressional approval. But in historical terms, consensus and policy issues are important considerations.

>The United States has been calling for punitive action against Assad's government for a suspected poison gas attack on a Damascus suburb on August 21 that killed hundreds of people.Saudi Arabia's defense readiness has been raised to "two" from "five", a Saudi military source who declined to be named...

French President Francois Hollande gave a boost Friday to US plans to forge an international coalition for possible strikes against Syria after British lawmakers rejected any involvement in military action.

Fairfax County Police are investigating a fatal crash that took place on Sunrise Valley Drive near Commerce Park Drive.

The National Security Agency on Thursday disputed a published report that secret intelligence budget files provided by agency leaker Edward Snowden show that the surveillance agency warned in 2012 that ...

The enemy of my enemy is not always my friend.

Syrian activists risked their lives on 20 August and the two following days, after the regime’s chemical weapons strike on the western and eastern Ghouta region near Damascus. They were busy taking horrific and saddening pictures of children killed by poison gas.

By Alex Lawler LONDON (Reuters) - OPEC crude output declined in August as unrest and conflict in Libya disrupted supplies, a Reuters survey found on Friday, outweighing extra oil from Saudi Arabia and a recovery in Iraq. Supply from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries has averaged 30.32...

BAGHDAD (AP) — The Iraqi branch of al-Qaida claimed responsibility Friday for bombings earlier this week that killed at least 82 people, mostly in Shiite areas of the capital, calling them retaliation for the execution of Sunni prisoners by the Shiite-led government.

CANBERRA, Australia, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Australia's national police force arrested five suspected people smugglers during coordinated dawn raids in four states.

Going it alone against the Syrian government is not what President Barack Obama wants, U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said Friday.

Government defeated on Commons vote on Syria. Cameron says he will act accordingly. Latest updates.        

Top secret files leaked by Snowden show U.S. spy agencies devoted considerable attention not only America's foes, but also to one of its closest allies.

As arguments play out about the legitimacy of a military strike, we ask where Western public opinion stands.

The Syrian government has moved their political offices to schools and universities to seek safe haven in case of a military attack by the West, Al Arabiya reported the country’s opposition as saying on Friday.

DUBAI - A car bomb attack wounded four Bahraini policemen in a Shiite Muslim village near the capital Manama, the authorities in the Sunni-ruled kingdom said on Friday.

Wrestling's seven-month stay in Olympic purgatory is almost complete.

The anti-Iran terrorist Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) colludes with the US and Israel to carry out their destructive policies against Iran, a former member of the terror group says.

>* Asian buyers cut Jan-July Iran oil imports by 20 pct to 936,981 bpd* New waiver reviews on U.S. sanctions due Sept and Nov-DecBy Osamu TsukimoriTOKYO, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Iran's top four oil clients slightly reduced imports from the sanction-hit nation in July and purchases remain down about...

Latest VideoAugust 30th, 2013     Islamic teacher Hojatoleslam Mandegari teach damages of Satellite TV The Islamic clergyman  teacher Hojatoleslam Mandegari teach damages of foreign  Satellite TV to audience of Iranian TV .