News Archive - 21 October 2013

>PARIS Oct 21 (Reuters) - Qatar has agreed to provide $150 million in debt relief to the Palestinian Authority, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday as he announced that Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are intensifying.Speaking after he briefed Arab states about the direct peace negotiations, which...

>* But he talks of running for re-election next year* Says "current factors" no help in holding Geneva 2BEIRUT, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Monday no date had been set for an international conference on ending his country's civil war and cast doubt on whether...

>Speaking in Paris after talks with Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiyah, Kerry said Iran had already not supported the implementation of a first round of talks in Geneva."So it's very hard to see how Iran can be constructive in the absence of their willingness to come for the purpose...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator John McCain expressed sympathy on Monday for Saudi Arabia's decision to reject a seat on the U.N. Security Council and said it was largely the result of Saudi frustration over the Obama administration's Syria policy. Saudi Arabia turned down a coveted two-year term...

>PARIS/KUWAIT (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry sought on Monday to calm rising tensions with Saudi Arabia, which has spurned a U.N. Security Council seat in fury at inaction over the crisis in Syria. Saudi Arabia rejected a coveted two-year term on the council on Friday...

>* Iran insists on enrichment but says extent negotiableDUBAI Oct 21 (Reuters) - Iran believes it can wrap up negotiations with world powers over its disputed nuclear programme in one year or less, Iranian media quoted its chief nuclear negotiator as saying.At talks last week, the first since moderate...

>* Residents say "the humanitarian situation is tragic"By Oliver HolmesBEIRUT, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Residents of a Syrian town besieged by President Bashar al-Assad's forces appealed to the world to "save us from death" in an open letter describing desperate conditions and suffering.Hundreds of men, women and children in...

>INTERNATIONAL/REGIONAL* GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian shares softer before U.S. jobs data, dlr steady* U.S. crude sinks below $100, Brent gap widens* MIDEAST STOCKS-Regional shares mixed amid marginal profit-taking; Saudi up* MIDEAST MONEY-Dubai's World Expo bid may fuel boom, pose challenge* Gold clings to range ahead of US jobs data; SPDR...

Both sides stressed their continued commitment to promote and strengthen in every possible way their special and privileged strategic partnership.

Moscow, Oct 22:As Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in the Russian capital where the temperatures are near freezing, both stressed on the closeness of their ties in all spheres, including cooperation in economic, energy, defence,

Letters from Daily News readers.

A 2010 U.S. Congressional act authorized state governments to divest from Iran.

Moscow: Five years ago, the Left and a range of activists in India pilloried Prime Minister Manmohan Singh personally and his government as a whole for “selling out” to the United States of America and insisted that the Indo-US nuclear deal would spell the death knell for India’s “independent” foreign...

Avi Jorisch, an expert in the financing of terrorism, will speak at the University of Pittsburgh today on the subject.

Today is Tuesday, Oct. 22, the 295th day of 2013. There are 70 days left in the year.

JAMES ZUMWALT, UPI Outside View Commentator HERNDON, Va., Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Following yet another senseless round of fruitless talks with Iran on its nuclear program, Tehran remains just as committed to building a nuclear arsenal as it does to killing "Alireza M."

Azin Valy, co–founder of New York City architecture and design firm I–Beam Design , knows cities. Through the years, I–Beam has worked on projects ranging from refugee shelters in Kosovo to parks in New York. Valy's love of urban landscapes expanded last year into another industry: fashion. The Cityzen by...

U.S. oil futures fell to their lowest since early July below $99 a barrel on Tuesday, pressured by rising U.S. crude inventories.

Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad has been warned that any attempt to be re-elected would extend the civil war.

Student, faculty children utilize services The Becky Gates Children Center celebrated 15 years of serving the children of Texas A and 'M faculty, staff and students Saturday. ...

Two months after a horrifying sarin gas attack propelled Syria to the center of Washington’s attention, the episode appears to have been forgotten.

WHILE last month’s powerful earthquake in Balochistan resulted in an economic and human disaster in the province, it also created a new island off the coast of Gwadar in the Arabian Sea.

THE decision by Saudi Arabia to not take up its seat amongst the UN Security Council’s 10 non-permanent members after being elected to the forum has surprised many in the international community. It is probably for the first time a UN member has made such a move.

A Florida orphan whose church plea for a family to "love me until I die" garnered national attention has received about 10,000 requests from people asking to adopt him will "without a doubt" be getting a family, his caseworker said in an appearance with him on ABC's "The View" today.

Search our Archives! Hamas claimed responsibility for a terror tunnel dug between Gaza and Israel.

Senior member of the European Parliament (EP) Hannes Swoboda says the Syria conflict cannot be settled without Iran’s engagement, stressing that the ongoing crisis in the Arab nation must be resolved through political means and not a military intervention.

The Republicans didn’t deliver a world without Obamacare, but they left us with some choice words.

The total value of goods smuggled into Pakistan has been estimated at over $5 billion per annum - according to estimates of the commission constituted on ''smuggling of arms and ammunition''.

Latest VideoOctober 21st, 2013     Ali Daei and Mayeli Kohan react to sentence of disciplinary committee in 90 Adel Ferdowsipoor try to reveal dispute between Ali Daei and referee Akrami from the recorded video  , while  Persepolis  and Sabaye Ghom coaches  Mohamad Mayeli Kohan were sentenced by disciplinary committee of...

Three suspects detained for alleged involvement in the kidnapping of two Turkish pilots were released on bail Monday, a judicial source said.

Bashar al Assad signals he has no intention of leaving office and says 'many questions' remain about the Syria peace conference        

Iran and Saudi Arabia may not have healed their strained relationship just yet, but political sources in Lebanon are still hoping their shared interest in Lebanon’s stability may lead to an arrangement prioritizing the country’s security over political considerations.

Empat lelaki termasuk dua warganegara Iran ditahan polis KUALA LUMPUR: Cecair dadah dipercayai syabu bernilai RM17.9 juta dirampas [...]

Tonight is the chance for many to hear the life journey of one nationally-acclaimed speaker at Minot Youth for Christ's 31st-annual "Report to the People" banquet. Tonight's banquet will benefit Minot

Syria’s wary opposition meets in London Tuesday to weigh taking part in a proposed peace conference in Geneva a day after its European backers urged it to rally behind the talks.

Remarks With Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid al-Atiyah Before Their Meeting Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State U.S. Chief of Mission Residence Paris, France October 21, 2013 SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much. I want to thank Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius for his gracious hospitality here in Paris, and I...

The editor of The Gartman Letter cited geopolitical forces and a U.S. energy boom for downward price pressure.

>* Kerry: events on ground irrelevant to planned peace talks* Assad says considering running in 2014 electionBy Arshad MohammedPARIS, Oct 21 (Reuters) - The rise of Islamist groups fighting Syria's Western-backed rebels has emboldened the Syrian government and will make it harder to extract concessions from Damascus at any peace...

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture, given every three years, announced the latest winning projects at a press conference in Lisbon. The prizes, which were first awarded in 1980, are intended to recognize design excellence and positive impact on communities that have a significant Muslim population.

Search our Archives! One day in early March 1954, Uri Herscher, just 12 at the time, ran away from his parents. His father, Joseph, a cabinetmaker, and mother, Lucy, a laundress, were having trouble making ends meet living in Israel.

Iran's Culture Minister Ali Janati said Monday his department will review a ban imposed on certain books which censors have barred from publication, the official IRNA news agency reported.

NEW YORK -- Oil dropped below $100 a barrel Monday for the first time since early July as U.S. supplies keep rising and the risks of disruption to Middle East shipments subside. Benchmark crude fell $1.59, or 1.6 percent, to close at $99.22 on the New...

As an artist Shirin Neshat won prizes for showing the contrasts of life for women in the Muslim world. Now, via her films, she tells women's stories in the midst of a political and social revolution.

The U.S. refusal to strike militarily against Syrian government forces has exacerbated already strained relations between the United States and Turkey, says CFR's Steven Cook. He cites Prime Minister Erdoğan's reluctance to patch up ties with Israel and his crackdown on protestors earlier this year in Istanbul and Ankara...

American Blackout will premiere on NatGeo on October 27. The power grid down original movie depicts what life would be life in the United States after a cyber attack on the nation’s electrical system. America goes black for less than two weeks, but a horrific number of deaths, massive civil...

Latest VideoOctober 21st, 2013     US Treasury Secretary to NBC : Talking about lifting sanction is premature During an interview with NBC network on 19 October 2003 , the US Secretary of treasury Jacob Lew said that lifting U.S. sanctions on  Iran is premature, despite last week’s discussions in...

In a bid to overcome legal hitches that have held up a deal on two new plants at the Kudankulam nuclear power complex over liability provisions, India and Russia today pledged to "resolve all outstanding issues" related to the project even as they decided to elevate their strategic ties to...

The revolution, any revolution, assumes that by toppling the existing regime, it can topple the entire status quo. To be sure, the regime is often the source, architect, and executor of the status quo.

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- The next big battle shaping up in Syria's civil war will be for control of the Qalamoun Mountains in the west of the country.

Senior member of the European Parliament Hannes Swoboda has asserted Iran’s right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, saying the EP wants sanctions against Tehran lifted.

Damascus (AFP) - The head of an international mission to destroy Damascus's chemical arsenal arrived Monday in Syria, where the regime pressed on with deadly strikes despite a flurry of diplomatic efforts to organise peace talks.

Manmohan, Putin agree to “expeditiously finalise” General Framework Agreement

President Shimon Peres, considered the father of Israel's nuclear programme, on Monday sought to justify the policy of ambiguity his country has adopted concerning the issue.

Yuval Diskin also says Israeli-Palestinian peace unlikely: 'It's clear that, considering the current political map, there is no chance the Israeli public will accept a peace agreement.'

>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday will seek to dim the optimism after nuclear talks with Iran, cautioning that Tehran is strengthening its strategic regional position by calling the shots in Syria as President Bashar al-Assad's puppet master. In talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry...

Latest VideoOctober 21st, 2013     Gift of Revolutionary Guard commander to Russian Air Force commander : Model of US Drone ! During a meeting with Russian Air Force commander on Sunday 21 October , the  commander of the Revolutionary Guard Aerospace offered a model of a UAV Drone which  was copied...

A Bahraini court cuts a jail term handed to a policeman for killing a protester during a Shiite Muslim-led uprising in 2011 from seven to three years, a judicial source says.

India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has expressed support for Moscow's diplomatic efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue.

Oct. 21--BEIRUT -- Two Turkish Airlines pilots who were released Saturday after spending over two months in captivity in Beirut detailed the moment of their abduction and said their kidnappers did not abuse them.

Residents from a Syrian town beseiged by government forces have appealed to the world for help.

Mourners from various races and religions - Christians, Muslims and Hindus among them - grabbed handfuls of dirt and planted saplings at a memorial ceremony Monday for the nearly 70 people killed at Nairobi's Westgate Mall exactly one month ago.

ZURICH: Continental giants Portugal and Sweden were drawn together in the pick of the World Cup qualifying play-offs in Europe made by football’s governing body FIFA on Monday.

UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi called for all countries with a stake in war-wracked Syria to participate in planned peace talks in Geneva, during a visit to Iraq on Monday.

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/3fdrt8/emerging) has announced the addition of the "Emerging Opportunities in the Prepaid cards Market in Iran: Market Size, Industry Drivers and Consumer Trends" report to their offering. This research is the result of extensive research into the Financial Services industry covering the prepaid market...

Repairing relations with Iran may not be President Obama's biggest diplomatic challenge. He and Oprah Winfrey apparently have some fence-mending to do.

An Iranian lawmaker says the closure of the Fordow nuclear facility is not on the agenda of the Iranian negotiators during the talks with the six world powers.

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has skipped an annual meeting of Nobel Peace Prize laureates because he is receiving treatment at a German hospital.

BAGHDAD: UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi was in Baghdad Monday on the next leg of a regional tour to build support for talks aimed at ending Syria's civil war, the foreign ministry said.

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

1212: The FTSE 100 is up 8.81 points at 6,631.39 - it has not closed above this level since August 2nd when it finished the session at 6,647.87. QinetiQ, the defence technology and security firm, is leading gains on the FTSE 350 after weekend reports that it...

>* Start-up of Dragon Aromatics plant hampers progress towards unofficial target* Dragon petrochemical plant adds 66,000 bpd of condensate to Iranian imports* Sept Iranian crude imports 475,521 bpd, up 24 pct on year* Jan-Sept Iranian imports 428,160 bpd, up 1.4 pct on yearBy Chen Aizhu and Judy HuaBEIJING, Oct...

By Krishna N Das and Jatindra Dash NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR (Reuters) - Vedanta Aluminium will triple its capacity by 2015 to 2.3 million tonnes to cater for an expected surge in demand in India, its managing ...

Israel is sending a high-level delegation to Washington this week to be "briefed" on the Iran nuclear talks, although "lobbying" for more pressure may be the visit's real purpose in light of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's intense campaign in the US media against any deal.

TEHRAN- (Iran Sports Press): There was fresh doubt on Wednesday over the decision to lift the ban on Iranian women to attend the football matches across Iran.

"I think that in this situation as long as we do not see actions instead of words, the international pressure must continue to be applied and even increased."

None of the 100 female Syrians detained by Damascus has been freed as part of the weekend swap deal that saw the release of nine Lebanese pilgrims and two Turkish pilots, caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel says.

For three decades, hundreds of Muslims have been killed every day, leading the faithful to believe the West wants to wipe Islam off the map. It's a message so mainstream, the White House has begun to shift its policies.

A senior European Union (EU) parliamentarian says the establishment of constructive relations with the Islamic Republic is of great importance to the EU.