News Archive - 20 October 2013

JERUSALEM (AP) — Just days after the first round of global nuclear talks with Iran, a rift appears to be emerging between Israel and its closest ally, the United States.

JERUSALEM -- JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prime minister on Sunday urged the international community to step up the pressure on Iran, despite some optimism following the latest round of nuclear talks with the Islamic Republic.

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A week after Senate leaders brokered a bipartisan spending deal to reopen the government and stave off a potentially disastrous default on American debt, Reuters will host several key players in the budget dispute as part of its annual Washington Summit. The Summit, to be held Monday...

>CAIRO (Reuters) - Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby said on Sunday peace talks aimed at ending the civil war in Syria were scheduled for November 23, but the international envoy for Syria said no date had yet been set for the long-delayed conference. International efforts to end the 2-1/2 year...

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS JERUSALEM — Just days after the first round of global nuclear talks with Iran, a rift appears to be emerging between Israel and its closest ally, the United States. Israels prime minister...

Five European teams are through to soccer's World Cup finals after victories by Germany, Belgium and Switzerland, while England have scored a vital win.        

Talks in Geneva last week between Iran and the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany began well.Both Iran's nuclear program and the economic sanctions against it were on the table. More talks are scheduled for Nov. 7 and 8.

BEIRUT - Lebanese ex-hostage Ali Termos says his Syrian rebel captors moved him 13 times during his 17-month ordeal, constantly stringing him along with the lie that freedom was hours away. "My nerves were wrecked. I counted that we were moved 13 times, maybe more," he said in his living...

Get Over 40 Email Bulletins on MENA Countries & Sectors. Track the Latest News, Research or Analysis with My Zawya. Access Time-Saving Tools & Productivity Enhancing Services.

Abu Dhabi was the second most reputable regional city, coming in at 63.

Turkey's military always relied on NATO-supplied Patriot missiles, but its selection of Chinese defense company stunned the military establishment.

A SUICIDE bomber driving a truck packed with 1.5 tonnes of explosives has killed at least 31 people and wounded dozens in the Syrian city of Hama.

[WARNING: The following story contains major spoilers from Sunday'sHomeland. Read at your own risk.] If something has seemed off about this season ofHomeland, there's a good reason for it: That's exactly what the writers wanted!Homeland postmortem: Brody's Back ? but for how long? I was an amateur magician when...

Nine Lebanese Shi'ite pilgrims kidnapped by rebels in Syria last year have been released.

Graffiti by Banksy draws attention in New York City. He sold artwork for $60 at a secret booth last week.

The United States is less reliant each month on Middle East energy, thanks to increasing production of both oil and natural gas from technologies such as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which allows extraction of oil and gas from shale deposits.        

(AP Photo/Syrian State television via AP video). This image made from video made from Syrian state television shows the aftermath of a truck bomb attack in Hama, Syria, Oct. 20, 2013.

Yuval Steinitz says his country wants Tehran to give up its capacity to enrich uranium, so it could not make weapons fuel

By The Associated Press, The Associated Press JERUSALEM — Just days after the first round of global nuclear talks with Iran, a rift appears to be emerging between Israel and its closest ...

Is a diplomatic solution on horizon over Iran’s nuclear programme? Is it possible that the problem of Iran’s nuclear development programme is moving toward a diplomatic solution? We should keep a close eye on this issue.

THE news that two major films may begin production here in the near future has again focused an international gaze on Ireland’s film industry and the possibility of big-budget blockbusters returning to these shores once more.

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Monday:

Latest VideoOctober 21st, 2013     Larijani criticize Ayatollah Khomeini grand daughter for content of her Face Book During a speech in open session of Majlis on Sunday 20 October , Ali Larijani hint to Ayatollah Khomeini grand daughter Face Book in which , Naeimeh Eshraghi published a photo of her...

Baltimore (UPI) Oct 18, 2013 The P5+1 nuclear negotiations in Geneva this week have the world asking whether there isn't a better way to address the Iranian nuclear problem. Tehran's negotiating style, which relies on the cyclical use of threat and accommodation, has frustrated the West and served the regime's...

THR's awards analyst reassesses the field after another huge weekend for "Gravity" and "Captain Phillips" and the unveiling of "Saving Mr. Banks" in London. read more

Of course, I am not preaching this sermon to America’s military, which knows the truth of what I am saying here far better than I do.

Tel Aviv, Israel (UPI) Oct 18, 2013 Israel's security services say they've arrested an Iranian spy, allegedly the first planted by the Revolutionary Guards' elite al-Quds Force rather than the Islamic Republic's intelligence service. But the score, it seems, is currently in Iran's favor. That's due in large part to...

Washington is showing wisdom in its policy on Syria, and its new relationship with Iran may be more vital still

Gingrich: Washington Needs More Tom Foleys

Nine Lebanese pilgrims and two Turkish pilots released from jail as part of exchange deal

Kuwait is expecting a budget surplus between KD12 billion ($42.4 billion) and KD14 billion in the 2013-2014 financial year. The expectation hinges largely on the oil price fluctuating between $104 and $106 barrels-per-day (bpd) during the year.

Henry Fabian's role as a doctor for the U.S. Ski Team has helped him to develop strong relationships with other doctors around the world.

If I was to ask which wine was the most accommodating, most would suggest a white, but having spent an evening getting up-close-and-personal with Shiraz as part of a Shiraz Tasting and Talk, I believe we have a new champion.

BAGHDAD (AP) - A suicide bomber slammed his explosive-laden car Sunday night into a busy cafe in Iraq's capital, part of a day of violence across the country that killed 45 people, authorities said.

Nine newly freed Lebanese hostages recounted Sunday how they miraculously escaped death during their 17-month ordeal, detailing how Syrian captors often insulted them and deprived them of medication and food.

An international conference aimed at ending Syria’s civil war is planned for Nov. 23, the head of the Arab League said Sunday, although U.N. envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi said the date had yet to be finalized and that peace talks would not be held without a credible opposition.

Latest VideoOctober 20th, 2013     Ali Larjani attack Hashemi Rafsanjani for quotating Ayatollah Khomeini about “Death to America ” During a speech in open session of Majlis on Sunday 20 October , speaker Ali Larijani attacked Hashemi Rafsanjani for quoting founder of Islamic Republic Ayatollah Khomeini about stop of slogan...

The UN-Arab League envoy for Syria says peace talks are in doubt unless a "credible opposition" takes part, overcoming rifts among its factions, as dozens are killed in a truck bombing in the Syrian city of Hama. Lakhdar Brahimi refused to give a firm date for a new round of...

Most of the time, when any of us use Flickr, we use it to browse our friends' photos, or, perhaps, to search for an image of a particular place or person. We click around, seeing a tiny, tiny slice of the more than six billion photos that reside on that...

Given the scale of China's consumption of fossil fuels and raw materials, it is only a matter of time before the renminbi replaces the dollar as the primary currency for trading commodities and resources        

A suicide bomber driving a truck packed with explosives killed at least 30 people and wounded dozens on a busy road on the outskirts of Hama.

Latest VideoOctober 20th, 2013     Khomeini charity foundation install electronic machines for payment of “Sadagheh “ Khomeini charity foundation – Committee Emdad Emam -   install  electronic machines for payment of “Sadagheh ” by Iranians who named already those machines as “Electronic beggers ” !  ...

Latest VideoOctober 20th, 2013     Report of Iranian TV about former parliamentary reporter Massih Alinejad The Iranian TV report about former parliamentary reporter  Massih Alinejad , who escaped the country and cooperates with VOA Persian service .  ...

A complicated negotiation over the fate of Lebanese Shiites involving four countries secured their release after almost a year in captivity.

The Walk Free Foundation cited the number in the foundation's global slavery index, which for the first time provides a map, country by country, of the depth and breadth of the scourge.

Poll: Which level do you think the EURO will be close to by the end of December?

Ajman, Oct 20: Over the last decade GMC Hospital, Ajman, an integrated healthcare delivery component of Gulf Medical University, Ajman has been in the forefront of offering high quality, affordable healthcare to all sections of the society.

A senior Iranian commander says Iran Army has staged a massive military maneuver with the purpose of countering possible enemy missile attacks.

The Syrian war, now in its 31st month, has...

They say “discriminatory” visa policies effectively prevent Indian citizens who are married to Chinese spouses from raising their families in India.

While watching the scrimmage, it seemed like most people had a lot of trouble recognizing who was who.

The Iranian and Russian Air Force commanders have met in the Iranian capital, Tehran, to exchange views on ways of further expanding Tehran-Moscow cooperation in military and defense sectors.

Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi Sunday backed Saudi Arabia's rejection of a seat on the UN Security Council, saying the diplomatic body had failed in its responsibility towards the Arab world.

The city jumped 20 spots since last year’s survey by the Reputation Institute, behind only Sydney.

An attempt by Iran's reformist President, Hassan Rouhani, to abolish the chant "Death to America" as part of his drive to improve relations with the West has angered hardliners.The slogan, "Marg bar Amrika" in Farsi, has been heard...

ABU DHABI [MENL] -- The Iranian-sponsored Hizbullah was said to have received intermediate-range ballistic missiles from Iran. Copyrights 2008, Middle East Newsline.

The six world powers negotiating with Iran over its disputed nuclear program asked Tehran in an opening proposal this past week to slow, rather than halt, low-level uranium enrichment at its two enrichment facilities, a hard-line website in Iran reported.

Iran's moderate President Hassan Rouhani named three new ministers on Sunday to replace nominees rejected by the conservative-dominated parliament in August, Iranian media reported.

Hammoud is one of the nine Lebanese who were released earlier this week in a three-way swap deal that also included the return of Turkish pilots to Ankara and the release of over 100 Syrian women detainees.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew says the just-resolved budget fight was "a little bit scary" because it "got close to the edge," and the lesson has to be that U.S. won't be put in that position again.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, appeared on NBC News’ “Meet the Press" on Sunday to discuss the nuclear threat of Iran. David Gregory, moderator of “Meet the Press” asked Netanyahu why talks between western powers, the United States and Iran could not necessarily be seen as progress.

The world's longest nonstop flight – linking Singapore to New Jersey – is going away.

Now in its 3rd season, 'Homeland' has taken a surprise turn for South America — and some of the backstory sounds very real.

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday world pressure on Iran must be maintained, as an Israeli delegation travelled to Washington to be briefed on talks on Iran’s nuclear programme.

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby gestures during a joint news conference with U.N.-Arab League envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi (not pictured) at the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo on Sunday.

Known for quiet diplomacy, Saudi Arabia is taking an unusual and very public step to protest the international community's failure to resolve the crisis in Syria and other issues that interest Riyadh. On Thursday, Saudi Arabia was elected to become a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, which...

President Michel Sleiman expresses his gratitude toward regional countries for their efforts in securing the release of nine Lebanese who were held hostage in Syria for over a year.

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel's prime minister is urging the international community to step up the pressure on Iran, despite some optimism following the latest round of nuclear talks with the Islamic Republic.

The three-day Free Spirit Film Festival will be held in this Himachal Pradesh hill station beginning Monday, organisers said Sunday.

On Friday, October 18, Saudi Arabia refused a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, citing political reasons. This, mind you, is the same kingdom that spared no effort 15 years ago to obtain the seat. There were even rumors four years ago that Saudi sought to “purchase” Lebanon’s Security...

A Qatar-brokered deal has resulted in the release of 9 Lebanese pilgrims kidnapped last year by insurgents in Syria.

GCC-Turkish ties, Iran, cyberspace challenges among other key issues to be discussed

The United States is loosening controls over military exports, in a shift that former U.S. officials and human rights advocates say could increase the flow of American-made military parts to the world’s conflicts and make it harder to enforce arms sanctions.

Greeted by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, two Turkish airline pilots have arrived in Istanbul, two months after being kidnapped in…        

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's media says President Hassan Rouhani has named three candidates for ministerial posts to replace nominees who were rejected by the conservative-dominated parliament.        

Western and Arab powers will meet with Syria's opposition on Tuesday in a bid to push for long-delayed peace talks in Geneva with President Bashar al-Assad's regime.