News Archive - 1 April 2014

WASHINGTON (AP) — Iran has chosen a former hostage-taker involved in the 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran to serve as its ambassador at the United Nations, Sen. Ted Cruz said Tuesday in vowing to bar him from entering the United States. Cruz said it was outrageous...

Former Vice-President Dick Cheney gave the private keynote address over the weekend at billionaire and attempted kingmaker Sheldon Adelson's Republican Jewish Coalition meeting, hitting all of the notes you'd expect and then some.

>(Reuters) - A quarter-century after the fall of the Soviet Union, authoritarian rulers such as Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad are showing they can and will defy international norms, suppress dissent and use military force. American policymakers are struggling with how to respond. "It's a big philosophical question about how...

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‘Why would you bet on these guys? These guys, who can’t hold the line in Syria, can’t hold the line in Iran, can’t do anything about Crimea,’ Daniel Gordis says

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will pay an official visit to Iran in May or June to hold talks with top Iranian authorities, says Pakistan’s foreign minister.

Think of a place. Any place. Chances are good that former Williston Park resident John Massaro has been there. He’s traveled to 87 countries and 49 out of 50 states. Massaro, 60, has even been to North Korea, a country very few Americans have seen, in August 2013. And he's...

Our latest picks in the worlds of art, books— including Coleman Andrews' celebration of iconic local restaurants and food movements—dance, music and radio with L.A. Theatre Works' airing of Culture Clash's "Chavez Ravine."

Many people are lamenting the consequences of Barack Obama’s foreign policy and some are questioning his competence. Multiple setbacks to American interests have been brought ...

Is the Republican Party’s Middle East policy up for bid? For four days ending Sunday, a quartet of presidential hopefuls trooped to Las Vegas to ...

Former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg has experience in political dealings with the Kremlin – something that NATO now needs in abundance.

Republican presidential wannabes and donors respond with laughter, applause as former VP blasts Obama's foreign policy.

GWADAR: The Commander of the Southern Command, Lt Gen Nasser Khan Janjua, has said that the process to resolve the Balochistan issue through talks is under way.

Watch Video | Listen to the Audio JUDY WOODRUFF: The fate of U.S.-led peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians hit new hurdles today, and the very future of the talks might be in jeopardy. RELATED LINKS Obama, Netanyahu to discuss Iran nuclear program in upcoming talks Journalist...

Robert L. Brosio , a federal prosecutor who headed the U.S. attorney’s criminal division in Los Angeles for 28 years, has died in a Pasadena hospital. He was 77.

I think it's time we flip the table on Iran, and we have a golden opportunity to, although I'm sure we won't.

US President Barack Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia last week highlighted the perennial topic of relations between the two countries, with observers discussing real and imagined disputes and the seemingly diverging paths of the old allies.

THE photographer involved in a scuffle with Sam Worthington and Lara Bingle has attended court wearing a wrist brace.        

THE Archbishop of Canterbury has welcomed actor Russell Crowe for a chat even though his latest film has prompted anger from some religious groups.        

KUALA LUMPUR: Kerajaan tidak akan berkompromi dalam isu keselamatan penumpang udara dan negara walaupun sistem saringan pemeriksaan penumpang […]

A new genetic analysis confirms where modern lions came from, scientists say.

SEA LEVEL READINGS INDICATE A TSUNAMI WAS GENERATED. IT MAY HAVE BEEN DESTRUCTIVE ALONG COASTS NEAR THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER AND COULD ALSO BE A THREAT TO MORE DISTANT COASTS. AUTHORITIES SHOULD TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION IN RESPONSE TO THIS POSSIBILITY. ...

China's Guizhou Renhe ended Korean side Ulsan Hyundai's 15-match unbeaten run in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday after coming from a goal down.

Two centuries ago a dour Englishman predicted that exponential population growth would condemn humanity to the edge of subsistence.

MetraWeather is delivering customised state-of-the-art weather, wave and hazard forecasts to customers in Papua New Guinea, including a PNG LNG (liquefied natural gas) project, to help increase safety and operational efficiency.

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hardline U.S. lawmakers said on Tuesday they were concerned about Iran's selection of a U.N. envoy linked to the 1979-1981 hostage crisis, and called on the Obama administration to do what it can to prevent him from taking up the post in New York. "That...

An annual prank day appears in civilizations around the globe. In Iran, Persian culture has celebrated Sizdah Bedar with jokes on April 1 or April 2 since the Sixth Century B.C. - another possible origin of western observances. The U.S., Canada and most European nations celebrate All...

The sanctions put in place on Russia to date have been limited and largely symbolic. Travel bans and asset freezes have been placed on a small number of businessmen and officials, as well as one Russian bank thought to be closely associated with the Kremlin.

For four days ending Sunday, a quartet of presidential hopefuls trooped to Las Vegas to attend the annual gathering of the Republican Jewish Coalition. Impresario: Sheldon Adelson, the Vegas-Macau casino mogul whose fortune is estimated at $39 billion – 8th richest man on the planet – and who dumped $92...

In this lesson, we explore ethical dilemmas that face normal people around the world, in all walks of life. Each example features individuals who followed the guidance of their own moral code, often risking personal injury or community censure to do so. We’ll ask students to examine the underlying characteristics...

A VIETNAMESE man who arrived in Australia as a refugee is lugging a boat from Melbourne to Canberra with three Iranian asylum seekers to put a human face to the debate.

Wigan Athletic held Championship leaders Leicester City to a 2-2 draw at the DW Stadium.

On a day of sunshine and blue skies, when turtles are just coming out of hibernation to lounge on logs, turtles of the rubber variety were set for a race. The first-time event, held at the creek behind the George Murrell Home, was a fundraiser for 4-H. Coordinators considered the...

A 20-year-old Tahlequah woman was jailed over the weekend after she allegedly claimed she was given drugs to sell so she could pay a bondsman. Sheriff’s Deputy Jarrick Snyder was involved in a stop with Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers on Saturday when he met a passenger in the vehicle that...

Reza Ghoochannejhad scored his first goal of the season to boost Charlton Athletic's survival hopes and pile more misery on Leeds United, who missed a penalty deep into injury time.

>NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. grand jury is probing whether Deutsche Boerse AG's Clearstream Banking SA unit took any steps to benefit Iran and its central bank, according to a court filing in a case that stems from the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in...

President Barack Obama traveled to Saudi Arabia to meet with King Abdullah, and both men “recognize that the geopolitical ground shaped by their common interest in stable oil prices has shifted, creating a new imbalance that could spill over into Mideast security policy,” suggests researcher Joergen Oerstroem Moeller.

Special to WorldTribune.com JERUSALEM — The United States has envisioned new power alignments in the Middle East that could include Israel cooperating more closely with the Gulf Arab states. Officials said such factors as the Arab Spring, the threat from Iran and the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood have...

Israel’s view of how soon Iran will gain a nuclear-weapon capability has become much closer to that of officials in Washington, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said today.

Should the United States free Jonathan Pollard, the former U.S. read more

It was a joyful occasion when 15 Bathurst people became Australian citizens on Monday night.

Jerusalem now satisfied that Washington has the military option in mind if Iran strays, USA Today quotes U.S. chief of staff.

HSBC Holdings Plc (HSBA) has “much work” to do as part of a $1.9 billion agreement with the Justice Department to avoid prosecution for money laundering, the U.S. said in a status report on the U.K.-based bank’s performance.

THIS week we are looking at more photographs from the Keep Military Museum in Dorchester; specifically, a few relating to one of the grimmest episodes in the history of the Dorset regiment.

>* Saudi Arabia pumps more, Iranian exports hold strong* OPEC output falls back below 30 million bpd targetBy Alex LawlerLONDON, April 1 (Reuters) - OPEC's oil output fell in March to its lowest since December, a Reuters survey found on Tuesday, as Iraq's oil revival suffered a setback and outages...

>BEIRUT (Reuters) - Conflict in Syria kills hundreds of thousands of people and spreads unrest across the Middle East. Iranian forces battle anti-Shi'ite fighters in Damascus, and the region braces for an ultimate showdown. If the scenario sounds familiar to an anxious world watching Syria's devastating civil war, it resonates...

>Quoted in a newspaper on Monday, Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi urged Iran to stop supporting separatists in the south and religious groups in the north of Yemen as the country tries to stabilise following political upheaval that began in 2011.Iran's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Marzieh Afkham, denied Tehran was...

Paul Williams, 34, from Rotherham, a producer for BBC history shows has been taking pictures of the deserts, mountains and cities of the Middle East and India for years.

Vienna, April 1 (IANS): The basket of 12 crude oils of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) stood at $104.08 a barrel Monday, compared to $104.27 last Friday, according to the OPEC Secretariat.

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.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A blizzard, jammed phone lines and unreliable websites failed to stop throngs of procrastinating Americans from trying to sign up … More »

PESHAWAR: Federal Minister for Commerce, Engr Khurram Dastagir said here Tuesday the Government has planned to introduce Land Ports Authority Bill to regulate and revamp existing lands port to bolster trade, commerce and business activities in the country.

BEFORE she moved from Ireland to Australia, the closest Annie Chisholm got to a cow was a carton of milk.

Miami, Florida, United States (DPA) — With conventional war ruled out, the United States is left with economic warfare as the only weapon it can use to punish Russia for its Ukraine policy. But it’s not as immediate as bullets and bombs, so its effects might not be apparent for...

Winter seems to be lingering on in some parts of north India long past the date by which the weather should have been much warmer, bringing misery but also a little hope.

Hou Hanru unveils new artistic direction, which will embrace Iran, China and high Italian fashion

WASHINGTON - Jammed phone lines and unreliable websites failed to stop a last-minute rush by hundreds of thousands of Americans trying to sign up for health coverage by the midnight Monday deadline for President Barack Obama's signature domestic policy initiative. Government officials told The...

When it comes to mocking a sitting president, the world’s most dangerous leaders have apparently taken up the traditional role played by late-night comics. It started last August when the...

Baghdad, Iraq (AFP) April 01, 2014 Campaigning for Iraq's April 30 general election opened Tuesday, with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki bidding for a third term as his government grapples with the country's worst bloodshed in years. Iraqis face a long list of daily struggles, ranging from lengthy power cuts and...

noetic noh-ET-ik adjective; of or pertaining to the mind; originating in or apprehended by the reason. — Dictionary.com

>TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan eased its weapons export restrictions on Tuesday in the first major overhaul of arms transfer policy in nearly half a century, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seeks to fortify ties with allies and bolster the domestic defense industry. In a move which alarmed China, where bitter...

>INTERNATIONAL/REGIONAL* GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian shares hit 4-month high on China data, Yellen* Crude futures slip in volatile end-quarter trading* Gold holds near 7-week low as fund outflows resume* MIDEAST STOCKS-Egypt extends profit-taking bout; Qatar, Bahrain rise* Kerry returns to Middle East to push flailing peace talks* East Libyan rebels close to...