News Archive - 24 April 2014

>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel played down on Thursday suggestions that anti-Semitism in Ukraine is linked to Kiev's standoff with Russia, offering a more measured assessment than the Kremlin or the United States as it avoids taking sides in the East-West confrontation. Moscow has aimed allegations of anti-Semitism against the pro-Western...

The Israeli prime minister has made it his life's mission to protect the Jewish state from Iranian threats, but now looks sidelined First it was bad. Then it became very bad; soon, exceedingly bad . Finally, it was condemned as a "historic mistake" which made the world a "much more dangerous...

America is stuck in perpetual campaign mode. Money is king thanks to the supreme court's Citizens United ruling It ain't always fun being president. The media is snarky; the polls are going south; the Congress refuses to play nice. No wonder the leader of the Free World likes to avoid...

Eight months after taking office, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (pic) has suffered his first major political defeat, with the public overwhelmingly brushing aside appeals to forgo direct government aid. The 455,000-rial (RM45) monthly handout scheme, initiated in December 2010 by Rouhani's predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is part of broader...

Russia's foreign minister said an attack on Russian citizens "is an attack on the Russian Federation." Ukraine said its troops retook a city hall and repelled an assault by militiamen last night. 

Serious fighting reported between Sunni Islamist militants and government troops Iraqi police and tribal fighters claim on Saturday to have retaken the western city of Falluja from al-Qaida affiliates after heavy clashes that left scores of dead there and in the neighbouring city of Ramadi in recent days. Amid reports...

GOP arguments over foreign policy get nasty.

What do the national debt and a designer Hepatitis C drug have in common? This question actually spans two areas near and dear to my heart: economics and medicine.

Any thought of long-term planning has given way to hopes of staying up as Steve Parish plumps for the former Stoke boss Ian Holloway appeared ashen-faced while Steve Parish looked drained, the Crystal Palace co-chairman clearly taking no pleasure in announcing that the man sat to his right in a...

Nearly 35 years after Iran's Islamic government made it compulsory for women in the country to wear the hijab, many have taken to wearing headscarves made from western-style, fashionable fabrics which are not approved by the government.

Photographs under scrutiny led to a follow-up article on Russian military activity in Ukraine.

Families split up, children abused and adults forced to work without pay, says Human Rights Watch The Iranian government is splitting up Afghan refugee families, abusing children and subjecting adults to forced labour and beatings as it attempts to reduce the number of people fleeing across the long and porous...

Despite their human rights records, the United Nations has elected the Islamic Republic of Iran, Cuba, Sudan and several other repressive regimes to influential committees charged with promoting human rights. Human rights activists see this as a major setback in their campaign to end abuse and to create open and...

But why did Vlad have to go and spill the beans?

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iran on Thursday rejected U.S. criticism of its election to the United Nations' committee on non-governmental organizations (NGOs), saying Washington's rebuke came from "baseless accusations" and violated the spirit of cooperation needed at the world body.

The FBI was Thursday hastily seeking to identify victims of a serial paedophile who drugged and molested dozens of children over four decades teaching at international schools around the world. William James Vahey, 64, committed suicide in March in a Minnesota hotel room while the subject of an international sex...

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iranian state television is reporting that the country will cut gasoline subsidies, part of a second round of subsidy cuts delayed since 2012.The report Thursday night said the subsidy cut would begin Friday....

FIVE relatives – all grandchildren of Tunku Besar Burhanuddin Yamtuan Antah – have passed away in the last two years.

Shuib Taib gets to cross off squid jigging on his bucket list

Suleiman Abu Ghaith charged with conspiring to kill Americans as part of his role as al-Qaida spokesman after 9/11

VIENNA - Austrian architect and designer Hans Hollein, a winner of the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize whose work ranged from big museums through tiny shops to furniture and sunglasses, has died. He was 80. A spokeswoman for Hollein's family, Dorothea Apovnik, said he died in Vienna ...

The strongest argument against the nay-sayers – the hawks in Congress, Israel, some Gulf states and also in Iran – is to question what alternative they offer, apart from propelling the Middle East into another war What took place in the early hours of Sunday morning was arguably the biggest...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fresh voices in the U.S. Senate are speaking loudly on foreign policy, a new generation of Republicans and Democrats who reflect a war-weary nation cautious about America's next moves.

A hacker who became an informant for the FBI directed hundreds of cyber attacks against the websites of foreign governments, including Brazil, Iran, Pakistan, Syria and Turkey, the New York Times reported Thursday. It was unclear whether the FBI explicitly ordered the digital attacks, but court documents and interviews suggest...

>By Laurence FrostPARIS, April 24 (Reuters) - Renault said an emerging-market currency slide against the euro wiped out sales gains in the first quarter, when the French carmaker's revenue fell 0.1 percent.Revenue decreased to 8.257 billion euros ($11.41 billion) in January-March from 8.265 billion a...

(MENAFN) Iran has recently announced its interest in strengthening its trade cooperation ties with South Korea, according to Iran Daily. The announcement was revealed in a meeti...

US intelligence had suspected ship was to be blown up for propaganda but Iran says it is for a film of US shooting-down of civil airliner

The FBI has asked for the public's help to identify at least 90 potential victims of a suspected child predator who worked at 10 American and other international schools abroad, including one in the UK.

J Street has the backing of the major Jewish domestic policy umbrella organization in its bid to join the major foreign policy umbrella organization. Click here for the rest of the article...

OLIVE BRANCH — Ronald Reagan can still draw a crowd, nearly a decade after his death and more than 100 years after his birth.

The bright yellow ribbons are tied tightly to the metal bars of the main gate at Danwon High School. Nearby, they are attached to trees and posts. Altogether, there are thousands of them. The ribbons symbolize solidarity with the missing teenagers' families and hopes that some of the students --...

Today is Thursday, April 24, the 114th day of 2014. There are 251 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On April 24, 1916, some 1,600 Irish nationalists launched the Easter Rising by seizing several key sites in Dublin. (The rising was put down by British forces almost...

Local Republican lawmakers are calling for more stringent sanctions against Russia as it continues to march through Ukraine taking over various official buildings and taking civilian hostages.

GO WEST: Independence Square gives birth to democratic hopes

>* $550 mln payments are due on May 14, June 17 and July 20* Indian refiners owe $3.6 bln to Iran for oil payments -sourcesBy Nidhi VermaNEW DELHI, April 23 (Reuters) - India is set to pay Iran $1.65 billion over the next three months under an interim...

>BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina must create the right team climate to give the world's best player Lionel Messi the right support to enable him to shine at the World Cup in Brazil, coach Alejandro Sabella said on Wednesday. Sabella also said Argentina's status among the favorites would be countered...

>INTERNATIONAL/REGIONAL* GLOBAL MARKETS-Apple shares jump 8 pct, Asian stocks lag* Brent climbs, stays above $109 on Ukraine tensions* Gold holds near 2-1/2 month low as equities rally* MIDEAST STOCKS-Earnings lift UAE mkts but weigh on Qatar, Saudi* U.S. says 'disappointed' by Palestinian unity deal* U.S. sharply criticizes Iran's...