News Archive - 21 September 2014

Two Chinese warships have docked at Iran's principal naval port for the first time in history, Iranian admirals told state television on Sunday, adding that both countries would conduct four days of joint naval exercises.

>Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also discussed the threat posed by Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, a senior State Department official said, without elaborating. "They spent time reviewing the status of the EU-led P5+1 negotiations on Iran's nuclear program," the official said."They discussed both...

>UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iran is ready to work with the United States and its allies to stop Islamic State militants, but would like more flexibility on Iran's uranium enrichment program in exchange, senior Iranian officials told Reuters. The comments from the officials, who asked not to be named, highlight...

A senior Iranian presidential advisor says the US-led so-called international coalition against the Takfiri ISIL group will fail because of the Islamic Republic's refusal to join it due to the US dishonesty.

>UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday that Iran had a role to play in a global coalition to tackle Islamic State militants who have seized swaths of Iraq and Syria and proclaimed a caliphate in the heart of the Middle East. "The...

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani is due to set off for New York City to attend the 69th annual session of the United Nations General Assembly.

>In the severest warning yet to Rouhani's one-year-old administration, chief prosecutor Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei accused Communications Minister Mahmoud Vaezi of failing to unplug social networking sites and apps "with immoral and criminal content.""Despite a three month grace period to allow you and your colleagues enough time, no effective action has...

John Key's 'steak' versus 'a lamb chop' [comparison between National and Labour] before the Election became a slaughterhouse for Labour. Issues like mass surveillance will now be cut away from the agenda like unwanted offal.

The Power and the Peril of Oil is Firooz Zadeh's passionately written account about how oil has given strength and empowered some countries while it has imperiled others. It documents the history, politics, and players in the quest for dominance of the Middle East and its highly prized resource.

The former prime minister took the US government to task for repeatedly attempting to topple democratically elected governments through "undemocratic overthrows."

When Donald Johnson checked out of Hahnemann University Hospital on June 27, he and his family thought he was coming home to die. Johnson, 63, a Warminster resident and director of a municipal authority, had end-stage fatty liver disease and his kidneys had failed. He needed two organ transplants and...

They are sworn enemies who insist they will never work together, but in practice, Hezbollah and the United States are already working - separately - on a common goal: to stop the extremist Islamic State from moving into Lebanon.

This picture shows Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif briefing the media. — File photo/AP

Incheon, Sep 22 (IANS): India's Ayonika Paul Monday finished a disappointing seventh in the women's 10-metre air rifle event while China were confirmed winners of the team gold after judges overturned an earlier decision to disqualify them from the 17th Asian Games.

The key domestic benchmarks may open on a negative note today tracking a bearish trend in Asian markets. SGX Nifty is trading 56 points lower

Regarding the news story “Odds on nuke deal with Iran? 50-50, Carnegie think tank expert says”: If our chances of stopping Iran from going nuclear ...

By Peter Rutherford INCHEON South Korea (Reuters) - China were confirmed winners of the women's 10 metre air rifle team event at the Asian Games on Monday after judges overturned an earlier decision to disqualify them. The Chinese had claimed gold with a total score of 1,253.8 points at...

Israel continues its hostility against Tehran as Iran and the P5+1 group continue nuclear talks.

Politico Magazine “Arab civilization has collapsed. It won’t recover in my lifetime.” With his decision to use force against the violent extremists of the Islamic State, President Obama is doing more than to knowingly enter a quagmire. He is doing more than play with the fates of two half-broken...

Background Briefing on the Secretary's Bilateral Meetings With French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and With Cypriot President Anastasiades and Foreign Minister Kasoulides Special Briefing Senior State Department Official Waldorf-Astoria New York City September 21, 2014 MODERATOR: Okay, so good evening. Thanks, everybody, for coming. My name is [Moderator]. And so...

David Gergen says the White House's war against ISIS is getting off to a rough start and needs to be set right

US Secretary of State John Kerry has raised the threat of Islamic militants with his Iranian counterpart.

Incheon, Sep 22 (IANS) The Chinese women's shooting team Monday was stripped of the world record and the gold medal in the 10-meter air rifle event after the disqualification of one of its shooters here in the 17th Asian Games.

A Tibetan student has died after setting himself on fire in Tsoe City. Lhamo Tashi set himself on fire last Wednesday while shouting slogans against the Chinese rule in Tibet in front of a police station. Tashi's self-immolation is the first in more than five months. Information on the death...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians are advised to avoid or postpone travel trips to Yemen following the recent protests and clashes between rebel groups and the Houthis against the Yemeni government. The Foreign Ministry yesterday said the security situation in Yemen remained uncertain. “We will monitor the situation, especially strategic areas controlled...

People take pictures of Changchun destroyer from the 17th Chinese escort naval fleet in southern port of Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Sept 20, 2014. The 17th Chinese escort naval fleet docked in South Iran's Bandar Abbas port on Saturday for a five-day visit.

Gael García Bernal plays journalist held for more than 100 days in Iranian jail.

The Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers met Sunday in New York, with their rival states brought together by their opposition to the Islamic State jihadist group, the Iranian government said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday (Sep 21) raised the threat of Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria directly with his Iranian counterpart in rare high-level talks in New York, a US official said.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - World leaders gather in New York this week to tackle a host of crises: the violence Islamic State militants are wreaking in Iraq and Syria, the exponential spread of the deadly Ebola virus in Africa and deadlocked negotiations on Iran's nuclear program.

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday warned the West against easing sanctions on Iran to win its support in the fight against jihadists in Syria and Iraq. As the Islamic republic and six world powers started a new round of talks in New York on the Iranian nuclear...

Comment We are not at war. Last week's police sweep is a classic case in point.

Greensboro, North Carolina More'Who Saw Hannah?': Missing Student's Parents Speak Out NBC NewsTrooper Slay Suspect Likely Planned for Months: Cops NBC NewsGlobal Goal: Thousands Rally for Action on Climate Change NBC NewsKim Kardashian's Alleged Nude Photos Leak Online, Many More Celebs Targeted In Hacking Ring (UPDATE) Huffington PostDog Has...

Two Chinese destroyers have arrived at Iran's Gulf port of Bandar Abbas, in an unprecedented visit attesting to a new rapprochement between the two countries, Iranian media reported on Sunday (Sep 21).

This week sees the two-year anniversary of the imprisonment of pastor Saeed Abedini in Iran.

More than 100 Jewish organizations participated in the People’s Climate March in New York as part of the Jewish Climate Campaign. Click here for the rest of the article...

President Barack Obama has ruled out a combat mission, but military officials say the reality of a protracted campaign may require US troops.

The BBCs chief international correspondent on the human cost of the Syria and Gaza conflicts, and the dangers facing reporters Continue reading...

Gilas Pilipinas plunged into its first practice here Sunday at Song Do High School gym, a day after the celebrated basketball team arrived in this industrialized coastal city for the 17th Asian Games.

NEW YORK (AP) — A brutal terrorist organization that calls itself a state but lacks recognition from any government will take center stage when more than 140 heads of state and government convene for the annual ministerial meeting of the U.N. General Assembly this week.

Incheon, Sep 21 (IANS) Two bronze medals -- and the assurance of at least two more medals from squash -- summed up India's showing on the second day of the 17th Asian Games in Incheon.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations discussed the Islamic State on the Sunday shows.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Sunday that the American-led effort to destroy the Islamic State has support from more than 40 countries but declined to name them or the extent of their support.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said Sunday that the Obama administration has a "legal basis" to proceed with airstrikes against terrorist groups in Syria without U.N. authorization. "Consistent with the U.N. charter, we — it will depend on the facts and circumstances of any particular...

Months after declaring an Islamic caliphate, Islamic State, which has seized large swaths of Syria and Iraq, is seeking to address a need of any viable nation: women. In Internet posts and social media messaging, the extremist Sunni militants are recruiting women to marry their fighters and have children, part...

In October 2002, the US capital Washington was brought to a state of emergency by a single gunman. He used a high-powered sniper's rifle to shoot 13 people. The killings took place over three weeks and put the national capital into a state of siege. The Washington media, in particular,...

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.

United Nations, Sep 21 (ANI): US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that Iran could play a crucial role in defeating the Islamic State group.

TEHERAN - Iran's judiciary has issued a one-month ultimatum for the government to ban applications WhatsApp, Viber and Tango, in a move that could boost existing restrictions on Internet use in the country. Iran has a policy of filtering online content, which leaves popular websites such as Facebook, Twitter and...

ANOTHER major milestone was recently reached in the process of implementing the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) that was signed on...

CITY Hall Executives toppled Bureau of Jail and Penology, 103 - 82, in their...

Iran is ready to work with the United States and its allies to stop Islamic State militants, but would like to see more flexibility on Iran's uranium enrichment program, senior Iranian officials told Reuters. The comments from the officials, who asked not to be named, highlight how difficult it may...

National Authority for Cyber Defence will oversee protection of both military and civilian systems. JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a National Authority for Cyber Defence on Sunday to oversee the protection of both military and civilian systems.

Anti-immigration Sweden Democrats party - with roots in the neo-Nazi movement - recently won 12.9 percent of the vote.

Sayyed Hani Fahs, a man who rejected the use of violence to gain power, dies from illness

Simin Behbahani, whose poetry was quoted by Barack Obama, has died aged 87. But her work lives on.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's state television is reporting that a Chinese destroyer has docked in a southern Iranian port in the first such visit to the country by the Chinese navy.

Indirect cease-fire talks between Israel and the Palestinians will resume this week. Click here for the rest of the article...

India's key ally Russia has been favouring India's permanent SCO membership, saying the largest democracy joining the group will add weight to the organisation. Another major oil-producer Iran is also aspiring to become member of the SCO.

(AP Photo/Dita Alangkara). In this photo taken on Friday, Sept. 19, 2014, athletes from Syria march into the stadium during the opening ceremony for the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.

Yahoo will use this information to send you a one time email or SMS reminder prior to the start of the event. Yahoo will not share this data with any 3rd party. If you have a Yahoo Account, you can manage your concert reminders and other notifications here. Reply...

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has welcomed signing of a power-sharing agreement by two Afghan rival presidential candidates, noting that the Islamic Republic supports a broad-based government in Afghanistan.

Isil is a threat to the world, not our nuclear programme, says Iranian official

Rosh Hashanah is just around the corner — and for apple farmers in the Golan Heights, so is the Syrian civil war. Israelis feel threatened, but some Druze feel differently. Click here for the rest of the article...

The United Nations refugee agency says that 70,000 Syrian have fled to Turkey in the past 24 hours to escape fighting between Kurdish forces and Islamic State militants.

Republicans say US Sen. Kay Hagan has accomplished nothing. But Hagan, a high-energy lawmaker in the Capitol, points to key add-ons to bills that have helped veterans and farmers. Click to Continue »

A doctor who volunteered with the British hostage before his abduction in Syria last December appealed to the militants to free him.

(MENAFN - Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The Kuwaiti-Iranian Joint Political committee will be meeting in Tehran on Monday to discuss regional security risks, a statement by the Kuwait...

Seven young Iranians seen dancing in a video that went viral have been given suspended sentences of jail and 91 lashes each.

More than 60,000 mostly Kurdish refugees leave Syria for Turkey as fighting rages between Isil and Kurdish fighters defending the northern Kobani region of Syria

Incheon, Sep 21 (IANS): Indian men rowers -- Sawarn Singh Virk in single sculls and lightweight quadruple sculls team of Rakesh Raliya, Vikram Singh, Laxmi Narain Sonu and Shokender Tomar -- entered the repechage rounds at the Chungju Tangeum Lake Rowing Center here Sunday.