News Archive - 21 February 2015

>DUBAI Feb 21 (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has dispatched his brother and atomic chief to Geneva to try to overcome hurdles in high-profile nuclear talks with the United States and five other major powers, official Iranian media reported on Saturday. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said...

>LONDON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies are discussing imposing more sanctions against Russia for undermining a European-brokered truce in eastern Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday. Kerry made the comments as he began talks with his British counterpart Philip Hammond in London,...

>LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in London on Saturday for meetings with his British counterpart, and a senior official said they would discuss possible penalties that could be imposed against Russia if violence in eastern Ukraine continues. The senior U.S. official said the...

WASHINGTON - In what is becoming an increasingly nasty grudge match, the White House is mulling ways to undercut Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming trip to Washington and blunt his message that a potential nuclear deal with Iran is bad for Israel and the world.

The closer we approach the 2016 presidential election, the more intense the fear card will be played by those seeking to occupy the White House.The greater dislike those using that card have for Barack Obama, the greater the odds that that intensity will increase exponentially.

Chiheb Esseghaier is pictured in this file photo. (Supplied/QMI Agency) TORONTO -- Alleged Via Rail terrorist Chiheb Esseghaier proposed a terrorist plot to ignite a volcano to wreak "death and destruction" in historic Yellowstone National Park, his trial heard Tuesday.

Hours after fleeing house arrest, Yemen's deposed president denounced a "coup" against his authority and issued a direct challenge to the faction now in control of the capital.

There are still "significant gaps" in negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme, US Secretary of State John Kerry says, warning that President Barack Obama was not prepared to extend them further.

Today in History

Chiheb Esseghaier, accused of plotting a terror attack on a rail target, is led off a plane by an RCMP officer at Buttonville Airport, just north of Toronto, on Tuesday, April 23, 2013. Esseghaier apparently also thought about triggering a volcanic blast to cause a catastrophe in the United States.

ASHEVILLE — Fear is not a word that Elizabeth Colton readily understands in the face of danger. “In those situations, I get amazingly calm.” During Operation Desert Storm of 1991, she went rogue as a “pool-buster.”

BAGHDAD — Thousands of troops and militiamen amassed in northern Iraq on Saturday in preparation for a major offensive against the Islamic State-held city of Tikrit in what Iraqi officials and militia commanders said would be an essential step toward the larger prize of Mosul.

President Theodore Roosevelt said, “Speak softly, and carry a big stick.” More than a century later, President Barack Obama speaks loudly (and incessantly) and carries ...

Eighteen calls were made to the national security hotline about Man Haron Monis in the days leading to the Martin Place siege but none gave any hint the self-styled spiritual preacher was about to carry out the Lindt café siege, an initial report has found.

The Obama administration is establishing a new agency to combat the deepening threat from cyberattacks, and its mission will be to fuse intelligence from around the government when a crisis occurs.

GENEVA: There are still “significant gaps” in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday, warning that President Barack Obama was not prepared to extend them further.

BAGHDAD — Thousands of troops and militiamen amassed in northern Iraq on Saturday in preparation for a major offensive against the Islamic State-held city of ...

LONDON (AP) — The U.S. fears that without a cash injection, the Palestinian Authority could collapse, entailing serious security implications for Palestinians and Israelis.

GENEVA -- With only weeks left to the deadline to reach a first-stage nuclear deal with Iran, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday that "significant gaps" remained and warned that America was ready to walk away from the talks if Tehran doesn't agree to terms demonstrating that...

FOREIGN SECRETARY HAMMOND: Well, it’s a great pleasure to welcome John Kerry here this morning. We have got a series of important challenges to the rules-based international system which is so important both for the United States and the United Kingdom, and ...

TEHRAN: Iran’s Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said Saturday political life in the Islamic republic was tainted by “dirty money”, including from drugs, the official IRNA news agency reported. “A large part of the moral corruption in this country comes from the introduction of dirty money into politics,” the minister...

Human rights activist Manzoor Cheema has won a humanitarian award for his efforts to promote social justice. Click to Continue »

SERI ISKANDAR: Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) was the overall champion of the 3rd Chem-E Car Competition 2014, held in Surabaya, Indonesia.

Following the previous article on the cultural narcissism of the West it is interesting to view the extent of ignorance of the Western world about Islam and to understand the effort that should be made on both sides to enable the West to understand the true essence of Islam whilst...

US strategic patience US President Obama has emphasized the need to confront extremism and terrorism to defend Islam and remove the misunderstandings about the religion.

All these years later, Dave Christian is still quick with a smile when asked about the signature moment of his hockey life - the amazing Miracle on Ice triumph over the Soviet Union. ''In sports in general, everyone roots for the underdog, which we certainly were an underdog,'' Christian said...

In its study of the next year's national budget bill (March 5015-March 2016), Majlis on Wednesday refused to pass a $22 million bill intended to fund projects to protect environment. The fund reportedly sought to battle environmental issues, especially dust storms that have recently crippled the country's western parts

23 days to go: Zionist Union's Amos Yadlin: Netanyahu is not 'Mr. Security' - he's failed in security; Meretz chairwoman Zahava Gal-On calls on Netanyahu to cancel Congress speech.

American saxophonist Bob Belden, who gave performances with his band Animation in Tehran, says he will never forget Iran.James Robert Belden known as Bob Belden attended the 30th Fajr International Music Festival with 'Animation' band members, and gave performances on the last day of the gala on Thursday, Persian...

The Iranian wrestling team defeated Turkey at the Greco-Roman World Cup and finished in third place. In the third-fourth match held at the Azadi Complex on Friday, the Iranian wrestling team defeated Turkey 6-2 and came third.

An Iranian lawyer trying to represent a detained Washington Post journalist is not being allowed to see his prospective client, he says. Masoud Shafii said he has been trying to see Jason Rezaian, but he has been stymied by the judge assigned to preside over the case. Rezaian, a dual...

The latest report from the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran's nuclear program contains much that is worth emphasizing. Iran is continuing to account for all its declared nuclear material (and the agency appears to have no reason to suspect the existence of undeclared nuclear material). Iran is also continuing...

The world powers negotiating with Iran over its nuclear programme stand united, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday, a day before resuming talks with his Iranian counterpart. "There is absolutely no divergence whatsoever in what we believe is necessary for Iran to prove that its nuclear program is...

Jafar Panahi, the winner of this year's Berlinale Golden Bear prize, responded to statements from the head of Iran's Cinema Organization about the ";political"; nature of Panahi's recognition by the film festival, saying that ";for many years the art scene [in Iran] has been haunted by the footsteps of politics";.

(MENAFN - AFP) US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz was headed to Geneva Saturday to join talks with Iranian officials as efforts for an historic nuclear deal stepped up a gear.It was ...

Ghani's unprecedented outreach will likely snap under domestic pressure if Pakistan does not move quickly to reward it. —Reuters

debka file ’s exclusive military and intelligence sources have discovered a large-scale Iranian airlift is in progress for bringing thousands of Shiite fighters to the Syrian Mediterranean port of Latakia to reinforce the Syrian army forces falling back from the key city of Aleppo.

debka file reveals that a large-scale Iranian airlift is flying thousands of Shiite fighters to the Syrian Mediterranean port of Latakia to reinforce Syrian forces defeated in the last 48 hours by rebels at Aleppo and to save them from retreat.

GENEVA (AP) - Iran and the U.S. are sending their top nuclear officials to Geneva, in a move that may help resolve disputes standing in the way of a deal focused on capping Tehran's atomic activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

Many digital services would like to see AM/FM radio pay a performance right, too, but the American federal government is giving giant commercial broadcasters a subsidy—one that’s gone on for nearly a century.