News Archive - 5 February 2014

>Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has been accused by the United States of allowing Iran to fly planes through Iraqi airspace and send support to bolster Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whom Washington blames for a nearly three-year-old civil war that has killed more than 130,000 people."The issue of overflights...

>* US, Europe continue defence cuts* China could top US spending by mid-2030sBy Peter AppsLONDON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia beat Britain to become the world's fourth largest defence spender in 2013, a report said on Wednesday, as Western cuts and Asian and Middle Eastern growth shift the global...

The Australian government has deployed another of its big orange lifeboats to return a group of asylum seekers to Indonesia — the sixth confirmed turn-back since the policy was enacted in December.

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An Iranian official said for the first time that Iran may modify a heavy-water reactor near Arak, signaling a willingness to compromise on one of the most contentious issues in efforts to curtail its nuclear program.

NON-VIOLENCE: A boycott is hurting their pockets while a Palestinian offer is making them morally insecure

Worcester native Bryan LaHair and the Cleveland Indians have agreed to a minor league contract. The 31-year-old first baseman and outfielder hit .230 with 16 homers and 57 RBIs last year for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Japan's Pacific League.

WASHINGTON - When Western intelligence agencies began in the early 1990s to intercept telexes from an Iranian university to foreign high-technology firms, intelligence analysts believed they saw the first signs of military involvement in Iran's nuclear program.

Oman's role appreciated in Iran deal US official

DEFENDING champion Retro solidified its lead with a 191-pinfall margin ahead of its closest rival after six rounds in the current 5th Negros Super Lanes (NSL) Non-Rated Trio Duckpin Bowlfest at the Goldenfield Commercial Complex in Bacolod City Tuesday night.

Politicians everywhere have failed me this week. I haven’t been able to find a single legislative muse for my weekly rant. But fear not, readers! I found solace in a most unusual place: The Magical World of Wizardry. According to a CNN article published Sunday, J.K. Rowling, author of...

How better to highlight educational inequality in England than by talking to the pupils themselves? In this extract from a new book, schoolchildren from disadvantaged areas share their aspirations and challenges. Their answers, and comments from teachers, are both candid and poignant Asking pupils what is preventing them from achieving...

>INTERNATIONAL/REGIONAL* GLOBAL MARKETS-Global equity markets inch up after recent slide, yen rises vs dlr, euro* Brent rises on spread trade, cold supports U.S. oil* Gold rises, off highs, as investors mull mixed U.S. data* MIDEAST STOCKS-Gulf stocks rebound along with global markets* Russia says now is not the...

>By Clyde RussellLAUNCESTON, Australia, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's decision to cut March oil prices for Asian customers by more than expected appears to be a three-pronged move to maintain market share, boost refining margins and stave off demand destruction.Saudi Aramco, the world's biggest oil exporter, cut the...

Washington (AFP) Feb 05, 2014 Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki came under fire from US lawmakers Wednesday for the slow pace of political reconciliation and links to Iran, which they said was fuelling a wave of suicide bombings. House lawmakers gathered to assess the threat of Al-Qaeda in Iraq and...

Washington (UPI) Feb 5, 2013 Sunday's Super Bowl was the culmination of the NFL's 16-game season and the playoffs that followed to determine who would win the sport's ultimate prize - the Vince Lombardi Trophy. One of the world's most widely watched annual television events, the Super Bowl was very...

Tehran (XNA) Feb 06, 2014 Iran unveiled two indigenously- developed multipurpose satellites, Iran Daily reported on Tuesday. The satellites, Tadbir (prudence) and Persian Gulf, were displayed at a ceremony to mark National Space Technology Day in Tehran on Monday. Tadbir, developed by students and academicians at Iran University of Science...

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Re. the Joseph Bergoich letter “Political ‘girliemen’” (Jan. 30): Respecting Russian President Vladimir Putin is one thing, but rooting for him to be our president ...

Official Washington saw how bad intelligence led to the disastrous Iraq War, but U.S. analysts and “experts” like David Albright charged down the same path on Iran’s alleged nuclear program. Again, key ”evidence” collapsed under scrutiny, Gareth Porter wrote for Inter Press Service.

Economic ties between Iran and other countries in the world are “alarming” to the US government, says an American political analyst.

>TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan this week became the first of Iran's oil buyers to make a payment for crude imports under an interim nuclear deal, sources told Reuters on Wednesday, as the West eased a year-long stranglehold on revenues that has crippled the Iranian economy. Tough international sanctions over the...

Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad:___Feb. 4Los Angeles Times on making homophobia legal in Africa:A disturbing new law in Nigeria establishes sweeping restrictions on homosexuality...

Curitiba is expected to remain in the World Cup despite stadium construction delays, according to Brazil Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo. He visited Curitiba on Wednesday and said he is confident local organizers will be able to show FIFA the stadium will be ready by June for its four matches. FIFA...

The failure of the Papua New Guinea authorities to bring the killers of a woman who was burned alive to justice, underlines their complete failure to address “sorcery” attacks, Amnesty International said on the first anniversary of her death.

Bombings in Baghdad, including three near the heavily fortified Green Zone and the foreign ministry, killed 33 people Wednesday, prompting US lawmakers to criticise the slow pace of reconciliation efforts. The attacks, which also wounded dozens, came as security forces battled militants in the western province of Anbar, including the...

Russian homophobia under fire worldwide as Olympic flame reaches Sochi As protests are being held today in cities around the world ahead of the Winter Olympic Games to denounce the ongoing and openly homophobic discrimination in Russia, Amnesty International ...

BAGHDAD - Multiple explosions rocked Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 34 people and sending plumes of smoke into the sky across the street from a major government building in a brazen reminder of the ability of insurgents to penetrate the heart of the capital. The attacks come as al-Qaida-led...

DUBLIN, February 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets  ( http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/xs32fn/global_automotive ) has announced the addition of the  "Global Automotive OE Lighting ...

Ahmad has no idea what he’s getting into. After four years back home in Tehran, he has flown to France to finalize his divorce decree from his ex-wife to be. Or so he thinks.

>King Hamad's measure highlights the sensitivity of Bahrain and other Gulf Arab states to criticism of senior officials and ruling family members as well as to political dissent. Courts in Kuwait and Qatar have imposed jail terms on several nationals for insulting their rulers in past years.The new law,...

>BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO criticized Russia on Wednesday for expanding its border deeper into Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia region, a move Moscow has portrayed as a temporary step to expand a security zone around the Sochi Winter Olympics. "We have noted the recent decision to temporarily extend the so-called border zone...

>Under an interim deal reached between Iran and six world powers last November, Tehran agreed to limit parts of its nuclear programme in exchange for the easing of some international sanctions.The relaxation in penalties has triggered a race among Western firms to explore lucrative business opportunities. On Monday Iran...

It’s the world’s largest non-feature documentary film festival and yet the predominant genre seems to be animation. Apart from 18 animation short films, 112 animation films from countries like France, Bulgaria, Estonia and Canada will be showcased at the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF 2014). Over 400 films from 35...

Hamid Ghassemi-Shall is free at last, but his weary eyes and muted voice hint at the horrors he experienced during 64 months spent on death row in a notorious Iranian prison, accused of crimes he didn’t commit.

Jerusalem (AFP) Feb 04, 2014 Israel's President Shimon Peres Tuesday praised John Kerry's peace efforts, after Israeli hawks attacked the top US diplomat for warning of the growing boycott threat to the Jewish state. "We thank (Kerry) for his efforts. We encourage him and hope to soon achieve positive results,"...

Tehran (AFP) Feb 04, 2014 Sweden's foreign minister, the latest high-level Western diplomat to visit Tehran, said Tuesday that a comprehensive international nuclear agreement with Iran is possible within six months, media reported. "If there is a good will on both sides a deal is possible within a very ambitious...

Herndon, Va. (UPI) Feb 4, 2013 As members of the U.S. Senate indicate they favor legislation imposing stricter sanctions on Iran should it violate a nuclear accord - the complete details of which U.S. President Barack Obama has yet to release - and, as he threatens to veto...

The United States and NATO member countries have formed an “unholy alliance,” along with certain heredity Arab monarchies in the Persian Gulf, against Iran, a peace activist says.

Washington (AFP) Feb 04, 2014 US officials declared Tuesday that Iran is "not open for business" and vowed to scrutinize companies heading to the Islamic republic since it entered a temporary nuclear agreement. Testifying before skeptical lawmakers, President Barack Obama's administration detailed initial sanctions relief to Iran, including the transfer...

>* Plans to make further returns to shareholders* Eyes new onshore partnerships with Rosneft in Russia* Q4 underlying profit $2.8 bln vs $2.7 bln forecast* Reiterates spending, cashflow targets* Shares close up 0.04 pctBy Sarah YoungLONDON, Feb 4 (Reuters) - BP, Europe's second-biggest oil company, vowed to...