News Archive - 21 January 2012

IRI Foreign Ministry Spokesman expressed surprise over undocumented and unrealistic remarks of French President Nicolas Sarkozy and reiterated Iran’s peaceful and transparent nuclear activities. According to the report of Foreign Ministry Media Department on Saturday, Ramin Mihman-parast denied President Sarkozy remarks on Iran’s nuclear activities and insisted on peaceful and...

IRI's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said sanctions have no effect on Iran progressive and growing trend and any body who wants to threaten Iranians rights, will be confronted proportionally. According to the report of Presidential Office website on Saturday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in an interview with Mexican TV network Televisa, to...

Thousands of Syrians have taken to the streets in the capital to call on the Arab League observer mission to present a fair and just report on their country's crisis, according to Press TV. The rally came one day after head of the Arab League observer mission, Sudanese General Mohammed...

IRI ambassador to the UN blasted the UNSC delay in condemning a range of assassination bids against the Iranian nuclear scientists, adding that the world was languishing in conflicts and poverty due to an influence exerted by certain member-states on the world affairs. Eshaq al-Habib said a Security Council's timely...

A disease-fighting protein in our teardrops has been tethered to a tiny transistor, enabling UC Irvine scientists to discover exactly how it destroys dangerous bacteria. The research could prove critical to long-term work aimed at diagnosing cancers and other illnesses in their very early stages. Ever since Alexander Fleming found...

>ABOARD THE USS ENTERPRISE (Reuters) - The United States will not cut America's fleet of 11 aircraft carriers to help trim the budget deficit, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Saturday, citing tensions with Iran as an example of why the massive ships are so critical to national security. Panetta...

>* Appears to back away from previous threats to Washington* Tensions high over new sanctions and nuclear activities (Adds background)TEHRAN, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Saturday it considered the deployment of U.S. warships to the Gulf part of their routine activity, apparently backing...

A nightingale's call competing with the clamour of traffic or the singsong shout of the vegetable seller, these are the sounds Canadian writer Anosh Irani recollects from Bombay, India, the city of his youth.

(MENAFN - Arab News) The drop in the euro (EUR) and the British pound (GBP) against the US dollar (USD) in recent weeks has propelled oil prices to near record levels in key European currencies. As ...

The European Union is discussing whether to impose sanctions on Bank Tejarat, the last major Iranian bank financing large-volume trade in Europe, according to EU diplomats and sanctions specialists close to the negotiations.

A nude photo shoot of Iranian actress Goshifteh Farahani sparked a huge firestorm in Iran, and she has been told not to return. This massive controversy highlights the fact that women's bodies are still . . .

MONTGOMERY Residents piled into the Municipal Court on Jan. 5 to watch the transformation of their municipal government as the Township Committee gathered for the annual reorganization meeting.

For those of us who log onto the Internet and depend on the World Wide Web or email to accomplish our daily tasks, Wednesday seemed a little different.

I have a good friend, a Marine Corps Reserve Officer who most recently served in Iraq. His haircut is not quite in the style of NCIS's Leroy Jethro Gibbs, but his bearing, dignity and pride in his service to God, country and family is always apparent,...

BRIAN MURPHY Associated Press KHASAB, Oman By dawn, the unmarked speedboats from Iran pull into port. By dusk, they are racing back across the Strait of Hormuz loaded with smuggled consumer goods ranging from Chinese-made shoes to cut flowers from Holland. Even as sanctions squeeze Iran ever tighter, there's one...

Riot police wade in to break up clashes between Sunni militants, Shi’ite mourners in Muharraq

Academy Award nominations will be announced in Los Angeles at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, but this year is a rarity as I do not expect my picks for Best Picture to coincide.

KABUL, Afghanistan -- More Afghans fled the country and sought asylum abroad in 2011 than in any other year since the start of the decade-long war, suggesting that many are looking for their own exit strategy as international troops prepare to withdr ...

Newt Gingrich used his victory speech after winning the South Carolina primary to accuse Barack Obama of presiding over a radical, disastrous first term. -AFP

Five years ago, in an op-ed piece published in The Wall Street Journal, two former secretaries of state (Henry Kissinger and George Shultz), a former secretary of defense (William Perry) and a former U.S. senator (Sam Nunn) declared their support for the elimination of nuclear weapons from the globe.

CAIRO -- The political wing of Egypt's most historic Islamist party won by far the largest number of seats in the first post-revolutionary parliament, final results confirmed Saturday, and is now poised to play a dominant role in the drafting of a new constitution.

The only real solution to nuclear weapons in the Middle East is a nuclear free zone.

A few Chattanooga wallets could get lighter in 2012, as economic headwinds blow financial turmoil across the Atlantic to U.S. shores.

Today in History

Newt Gingrich defeated Mitt Romney in South Carolina. Connie Lawn gives us an audio report Press Link To Download MP3….

(CNN) -- A photo and video of a famous Iranian actress baring her breasts have gone viral this week, igniting a fiery debate among Iranians.

Ensuring that dentistry services can be accessed from rural locations and by the elderly were two of the key messages to emerge from discussions about Norfolk’s dental health yesterday.

University of East Anglia degree module will cover topics including veil wearing, 'honour' crimes and arranged marriages Women, Islam and the media are topics often found in close conjunction, and not always in the happiest of circumstances. So in a canny move, the University of East Anglia (UEA), which often...

Salman Rushdie has been in the news a lot lately but it’s clear that many people don’t know enough about him. Here’s a short primer in the shape of an FAQ list.

Gas prices are heading higher in Hampton Roads, with $4 for a gallon of regular possible before summer. What's driving the run-up at the pump? Rising gas prices show no signs of relenting in Hampton Roads.

A buoyant Newt Gingrich struck a populist tone while claiming a double-digit, come-from-behind victory Saturday night, saying that South Carolina voters proved that bold ideas could trump deep campaign coffers.

Wilkes-Barre newspaper reports family has been summoned to hospital, where legendary coach is being treated for lung cancer.

'Thank you, South Carolina!' - Gingrich sweeps to win in South Carolina, scrambling GOP race COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich stormed to an upset win in the South Carolina primary Saturday night, dealing a sharp setback to former front-runner Mitt Romney and suddenly scrambling...

The Blue Hens managed to gut out a 77-74 victory behind freshman Jarvis Threatt's 30 points.

U.S. President Barack Obama made a choice last week: He chose Venezuela over Canada.

As Iran cracks down on filmmakers, ‘A Separation’ rakes in the awards

When I first arrived in South Carolina last week, I expected to hear voters...

Pentagon budget cuts will not threaten the US aircraft carrier fleet and the Navy plans to keep 11 afloat, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said.

A federal judge has issued an order allowing a man convicted of using a defunct Islamic charity to smuggle money to Saudi Arabia to remain free while awaiting an appeals court ruling.Pete Seda, also known as Pirouz Sedaghaty,...

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told sailors aboard the country's oldest aircraft carrier that the U.S. is committed to maintaining a fleet of 11 of the formidable warships despite budget pressures, in part to project sea power against Iran.

Exclusive: Some staunch supporters of Israel believe that its interests are so compelling that they trump American self-governance, with one extremist suggesting the murder of President Obama. Others, however, appear to have joined in an earlier subversion of U.S. democracy, Robert Parry reports.

Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Hailong held talks with Ali Baqeri, visiting deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council on Friday, exchanging views on the Iran nuclear issue.

This is for any Asian American out there who still thinks Ron Paul is the only man they can vote for president (and I’ve met Asians for Paul). As for me, you can now officially count me in as possibly the first Chinese American pundit...

The Iran nuclear crisis is far from over, but Tehran appears to have made a subtle blink -- backing away from its threat a few weeks ago to close the Strait of Hormuz in response to escalating U.S. sanctions.

SHOOTER Nur Suryani Mohd Taibi is likely to compete in two events at the London Olympics if a ruling set by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) is applied.

ATLANTA, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- The owner of a Jewish newspaper in Atlanta said he regrets publishing a column that suggested Israel consider killing President Obama.

We had a super week in regard to swing trading as markets and stocks did what the charts said they were going to, now it looks like we need at least a few days of correcting and backing and filling before we attempt a new move higher but it was...

Fundamentalist are awesome wether they are putting planes into buildings, shooting abortion doctors, drinking kool-aid or banning Barbie the hits keep coming. Good job religion doing your part to make the world freaking nuts.

AUSTINTOWN, Ohio - A long time state representative from the Valley has passed away.

Every country involved in the dispute over Iran’s possibly acquiring nuclear weapons is calculating how the American presidential election plays to their agendas.

A statement seems to be an effort to reduce tensions that have been heightened over the Strait of Hormuz.

If war is a continuation of politics by other means, elections can only raise its stakes.

The president of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai announced he has met with the insurgent group Hizb-i-Islami to negotiate peace. Hizb-i-Islami is led by the former U.S. ally Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and controls land in northeast Afghanistan. These talks come amid reports the U.S. has engaged in talks with the Taliban,...

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said yesterday it considered the likely return of US warships to the Gulf part of routine activity, backing away from previous warnings to Washington not to re-enter the area.

Toad Hollow Day of Encouragement

The U.S. Secret Service is looking into a controversial column by an Atlanta Jewish newspaper publisher that mulled the assassination of an American president. Andrew Adler, owner and publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times, wrote a January 13 column ab...

Saudi Arabia has the capacity to make up for Iranian oil exports to Europe should the region’s leaders go ahead with an embargo, according to the International Energy Agency and the Centre for Global Energy Studies.

More Afghans sought asylum abroad in 2011 than in any other year since the start of the decade-long war.

The U.S. Secret Service is looking into a controversial column by an Atlanta Jewish newspaper publisher that mulled the assassination of an American president.

When Israel's defence minister, Ehud Barak, said this week that his country was "very far off" from taking a decision about whether to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities, General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, may have allowed himself a moment of relief before boarding his...

An Israeli air and ground strike killed two Palestinians in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Earlier this week, a hacker or group of hackers who claim to be Saudi scaled up their cyber offensive against Israel by paralysing the websites of El Al airline and the Tel Aviv stock...

We live in violent, turbulent times—perhaps the most dangerous in human history, right? Wrong. At least that's what Steven Pinker would argue.

The NDP leadership contenders pitched themselves in Montreal. Paul Dewar announced his plan for...

This isn't rocket science, spaul. You get more affordable college the same way you get anything else. First, you identify it as a priority, which Michigan clearly hasn't. Then you figure out how to make it so – in this case more state investment coupled with less or better focused...

Facing controversies over its association with the Syrian government and its direction, the party now faces a potentially divisive leadership contest. read more

Man was waiting for bus on Philadelphia Pike; people in car also injured

>The report did not give the cause of the incident but said so far only seven people had been rescued.Local ports official, Ali Akbar Safaie, said the boat was travelling from the Island of Hormuz to Bandar Abbas. Rescue efforts were continuing, he said. Industrials...

Jailed Iranian blogger Hossein Ronaghi Maleki has been transferred to hospital in critical condition. Iran's House of Human Rights website reports that Ronaghi Maleki was transferred to Hasheminejad hospital on Thursday.

In recent years, there have been dozens of incidents of vandalism, arson, or other problems related to Baha'i-owned cemeteries or efforts by Baha'is to bury their dead. Authorities are currently trying to confiscate and destroy the Baha'i cemetery in Sanandaj, some 400 kilometers west of Tehran. -BWNS

The agreement was made during the 23rd meeting of Iran-Turkey joint economic committee in Ankara on January 18, which was chaired by Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and Turkish Environment and Urbanization Minister Erdogan Bayraktar.

China has urged Iran to resume talks on its nuclear ambitions. Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Hailong said Beijing wants the issue resolved peacefully through talks and not through sanctions and "military means."

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders has issued a call to action regarding the recent arrest of labour activists in Iran and called for their immediate and unconditional release.

The first snow of the winter season gave a white cover to Tehran on Saturady. While the snow slowed the traffic and caused some headaches, some people were outdoors to take advantage of the fresh powder

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has warned that a military strike on Iran would "trigger war and chaos in the Middle East."

These photos by Mehrvarz Ahmadi show snow covered streets in the city of Tabriz in northwestern Iran. Tabriz, the capital of the East Azerbaijan province, is Iran's fourth largest city.

The top U.S. military official held closed talks Friday with Israeli leaders over how to respond to Iran's controversial nuclear program, which both countries fear is being used to develop nuclear weapons.

Washington — Vilified by the Republicans who want his job, President Barack Obama says he will stand before the nation Tuesday night determined to frame the election-year debate on his terms, promising that his State of the Union address will offer an economic blueprint that will "work for everyone, not...

KAY JOHNSON Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan More Afghans fled the country and sought asylum abroad in 2011 than in any other year since the start of the decade-long war, suggesting that many are looking for their own exit strategy as international troops prepare to withdraw. From January to November, more...

Ambassador Ashok says India opposes the idea of sanctions against Iran, citing a lack of "conclusive proof" about its nuclear program.

"I'm nowhere near where I want to be," said Williams, who has won her last 17 matches at Melbourne Park. "I'm just trying to play through it. A little rusty."

Andrew Adler made the controversial statement about Obama in the Atlanta Jewish Times, a paper which serves the Jewish community in Atlanta, U.S.

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's national currency fell by 11 per cent Saturday amid the government's refusal to sign off on a move to raise bank interest rates, state news agencies reported. The semiofficial Fars news agency said the the country's currency, the rial, was trading at nearly 20,000 to the...

Thai soldiers march in a parade as part of celebrations of the Royal Thai Army national day at a Navy base in Thailand’s restive southern province of Narathiwat on January 18. AFP PHOTO ON Jan. 12, Thai authorities arrested a man they say was a member of the Lebanon-based Shiite...

(MENAFN) Iranian Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade said that in the January-November period of 2011, the value of trade between the country and Afghanistan reached USD2 billion, reported Tehran ...

Islamabad, Jan 21 : Former Pakistan President Pervez Mussharaf's government pushed Iran to abandon their nuclear-weapons programme to stop another Muslim country from achieving that status, secret American cables have revealed.

As the United States seeks to mobilize international support for a tough new set of sanctions on Iran, some experts are warning that tightening the economic vise could backfire and embolden the ruling regime.

Michael Mann is the rare director-writer-producer who has maintained simultaneous careers in feature films and television, and he’s done this

The old adage, 'When one door closes, another opens,' has come true in the pharmacy business in Pacific Palisades. Pali Rx, owned and operated by pharmacist Jasmine Shabbouei, now occupies the corner space at Via de la Paz and Antioch that was formerly McKiernan Prescription Center for 52 years.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, will meet with military and political leaders. Israel has grown increasingly vocal about its impatience over the international community's failure to curb Iran's nuclear program through sanctions. Analysts say Dempsey will warn Israel against attacking Iran.

Input from the leading minds on Myanmar.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Saturday it considered the likely return of U.S. warships to the Gulf part of routine activity, backing away from previous warnings to Washington not to re-enter the area. The statement may be seen as an effort to reduce tensions after...

A spokeswoman says arriving flights are experiencing delays of less than two hours, but most departing flights are leaving on time

Dispatches from emergency operations center

The US Treasury Department is under bipartisan pressure to draft tough rules implementing an Iranian sanctions law enacted in December. While the effect on US financial institutions is likely to be minimal, foreign financial institutions may take a hit.

An Iranian delegation visited Beijing on Friday to discuss with Chinese officials the nuclear dispute between Tehran and the West.