News Archive - 9 March 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — Asian champions Japan were handed a tricky path to the 2014 World Cup finals when they were grouped with top-ranked Australia and former regional champions Iraq in the fourth round of qualifiers today. Also joining Japan in Group B were Jordan, who came within a...

Eminent author and translator Simin Daneshvar, known as the first Iranian female novelist, died at her home in Tehran. She was 90. Daneshvar died of natural causes associated with old age however a recent bout with a bad case of the flu also aggravated her health problems, literary critic and...

On Friday, US drones fired several missiles targeting areas in Yemen's southeastern province of al-Bayda, killing 20 people, while 15 people were killed in attacks in Pakistan's northwestern tribal areas. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a local security official said that the number of casualties announced in the Jabra area...

At least 13 Palestinians have been martyred and many more wounded in Zionists' aerial and land attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip. In the first attack, missiles fired from a Zionist regime's drone struck a car in the Tel El-Hawa neighborhood, west of Gaza City, killing both its passengers and...

Amnesty International has criticized Saudi Arabia for imprisoning anti-regime protesters without charge or trial, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of the detainees. The UK-based rights body said almost a year after the planned “Day of Rage” demonstration in the capital Riyadh, some protesters are still being held in...

At least two Palestinians have been martyred and another severely injured in a Zionist regime's airstrike on the besieged Gaza Strip, medical sources said. According to Palestinian sources, the missiles struck a car west of Gaza City on Friday, killing both its passengers. One of the dead was reportedly Ahmed...

Tehran's provisional Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati said in his second sermon that the Iranian people through their massively participation in the ninth parliamentary elections slapped enemies in the face. Addressing a large group of worshippers in the Tehran University campus, Ayatollah Jannati thanked the Iranian people for their...

Bahrainis held a mass anti-government demonstration outside the capital, Manama, to demand an end to the rule of Al Khalifa dynasty. Tens of thousands of Bahrainis took the streets west of Manama on Friday in response to a call from the country’s top Shii cleric Sheikh Issa Qasim. Demonstrators also...

The largest business delegation, led by Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), will stay there until March 14. During the five-day trip, the delegation, representing sectors like, textiles, agriculture, food, automobiles and tools, tea, rice, and petrochem, will have meetings with officials of Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Mines and Industries...

Palestinians are in dire need of medical supplies as hospitals in the Gaza Strip are once again running out of medical provisions over Zionists’ blockade of the impoverished coastal sliver. Ashraf al-Qader, the director of Public Relations and Information Department in Gaza’s Health Ministry, said "infant incubators, dialysis machines, hematology...

>* IAEA cites satellite pictures pointing to bomb test site* UN watchdog chief accuses Iran of tying inspectors' hands* Iran: suspicions of bomb tests, cover-up are "ridiculous"* Israel seeks advanced U.S. bunker buster bombs to hit Iran (Adds IAEA quotes, U.S. general on bunker buster bomb, detail)By Fredrik...

Indonesian Minister of Education and Culture Mohammad Nuh said on Friday that deeply rooted cultural affinity and commonality between Iran and Indonesia prepares grounds for upholding relations and cooperation between the two countries. He made the remarks in a special ceremony marking Iran’s cultural week in Jakarta in presence of...

>The U.N. press office on Friday said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would meet at U.N. headquarters ahead of a special U.N. Security Council session on the Arab Spring uprisings.The other Quartet principals...

>WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama called Russian President-elect Vladimir Putin on Friday to congratulate him on his election victory and the two discussed issues including Iran, Syria and missile defense, according to a White House statement.Obama made "reset" of U.S. relations with Russia one of...

Secretary Clinton wants to give diplomacy time to work. But three years have already been wasted in merry-go-round diplomacy. These are three years the locusts have eaten. All the while, the mullahs have been building, hiding, advancing their nuclear weapons program.

>"We will just continue our work together. We're making progress, and I think that is our assessment at this time," Clinton told reporters following talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan.South Korea, Japan and other U.S. allies have been scrambling to voluntarily reduce Iranian oil imports in...

>* OPEC keeps 2012 world oil demand growth unchanged* High prices, Europe heighten uncertainty, may crimp demand* Iran oil production edges down* Eyes on IEA oil demand forecasts due next weekBy Zaida Espana and Dmitry ZhdannikovMarch 9 (Reuters) - Europe's debt crisis and an oil price rally are the biggest...

CATCHING the attention of investors is something that most listed companies aim to do. For Eversendai Corp Bhd, its recent announcements of winning contracts in Malaysia and overseas have certainly piqued the interest of the money men and the company w...

Kofi Annan, a joint special envoy of the United Nations and the Arab League, has signaled his preference for a negotiated settlement with President Bashar Assad's government. Former United Nations chief Kofi Annan is scheduled to be in Syria on Saturday on a special peace mission, but the veteran diplomat...

O K, so the new iPad doesn't slice, dice or make coffee. It doesn't steam your shirts. And it doesn't yet have an app that negotiates peace in the Middle East. It's faster. It will run on 4G LTE networks. For now, in the Fredericksburg area, only those on the...

High gas prices are putting a damper on spring travel for Texans, according to a survey released Friday by AAA Texas.

Oil at $110 a barrel is taking only half as big a bite out of Americans' pocketbooks as it did in 1981

After publicly backing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's criticism of U.S. efforts to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., offered up this bit of doublespeak.

Ashgabat, March 10 (IANS/RIA Novosti) A new natural gas field has been discovered in Turkmenistan, state TV reported.

The final 10 candidates to qualify for Brazil 2014 were divided into two groups of five at Friday's draw in Kuala Lumpur. Goal.com looks at who is best placed to progress

Of the four remaining candidates for the Republican Party's presidential nomination, all but Ron Paul have made threats against Iran , sounding like they can't wait to start a new war in the Middle East.

Americans — left and right — are sick of thankless Mideast nation-building. Yet democratization was not our first choice, but rather a last resort after prior failures. The United States had long ago supplied Afghan insurgents, who expelled the Soviets after a decade of fighting. Then we left. The country...

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich was in South Mississippi Friday afternoon speaking at a rally at Gulfport High. The auditorium was about half full, and many of those in the audience were Gulfport High students.

HELENA – While President Barack Obama ’s re-election prospects have improved in recent months, it will take “every bit of the president’s talent to win,” a former top adviser to President Bill Clinton said Friday.

Number of the day 4.8% That's the percentage of Americans' income spent on gasoline, heating oil and other petroleum products , according to the most recent data compiled by Bloomberg. If you think that's a lot,...

Women around the world celebrated considerable progress this week in events celebrating International Women's Day, but...

The Cebu City government will undertake austerity measures to cope with rising fuel prices.

Islamabad, March 10 (IANS) The US has asked Pakistan to abandon the Iran gas pipeline project and counselled Islamabad to explore alternative energy sources.

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said Friday that Iran has to be dealt with, but warned that its nuclear capabilities call for great care and global diplomacy.

Chuck DeCino of New Castle takes advantage of $3.49-a-gallon gas at Wawa on Route 40. The average price per gallon in Delaware is $3.67, but some predict it will top $4 in April.

Aussie coach Holger Osieck was pleased with the final round draw of Asian qualifying for the World Cup.

U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, still recovering from a January stroke, has been “meeting regularly with his staff,” his doctors said Friday.“Sen. Kirk remains fully engaged in his rehabilitation program, and he is demonstrating continued improvements in his mobility for day-to-day activities,” said Dr. Richard L. Harvey, Medical Director...

TALK about democracy, and the conversation invariably turns to elections. Free and fair elections are the bedrock of democracy, a prerequisite for good governance, the rule of law and accountability.

Diplomatic pressure and defections having little effect on President Bashar al-Assad, and the only hope for a quick resolution to the bloodshed is economic sanctions. read more

Iran's supreme leader takes the unusual step of praising President Barack Obama for eschewing the language of war Thursday, raising hopes that he may genuinely be seeking a negotiated solution to Tehran's nuclear impasse with the West.

Mohammed Syed Qazmi's son claims that his father is a celebrated journalist and not a terror suspect.

The Israeli president on Friday said that Hollywood often wields more influence across the globe than world leaders do. The Israeli president on Friday said that Hollywood often wields more influence across the globe than world leaders do.

March 9 (Bloomberg) -- Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum talks with Bloomberg's Al Hunt about the Republican nomination race, tax policy and the U.S. economy.

Did Fukushima scupper nuclear power?

>WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) - An international naval blockade of Iranian oil exports should be considered before any resort to air strikes against the country's disputed nuclear program, the chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee said on Friday. "That's, I think, one option that needs to be...

KUALA LUMPUR: Top seed Australia will clash with Japan after the regional heavyweights yesterday were drawn in the [...]

Israel has asked the United States for bunker-busting missiles. What exactly those missiles do? The National Post's graphics department takes a look at what that actually means:

It's easy to understand why we invaded Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2001. Americans demanded that we do something following the 9/11 attacks. We were hurt and angry. Retaliation was the natural thing to do.

Mark Lacter: A different way of doing business is taking shape.

It's been interesting watching the ticket reservations, and there are still plenty of great sessions with space. Michael Kiwanuka is one of my favourite events of the weekend. He is being predicted to make it very big this year after he was voted winner in the Sound of 2012 BBC...

We are the One Nation party," Nick Clegg will tell the Liberal Democrats in his speech to their spring conference tomorrow. It is meant primarily as an assertion of the Lib Dems' identity – a party that represents all sections of society and all parts of Britain without being in...

Release Time:  For Immediate Release President Obama called Russian President-elect and Prime Minister Putin to congratulate him on his recent victory in the Russian Presidential election.  President Obama highlighted achievements in U.S.-Russia relations over the past three years with President Medvedev, including cooperation on Afghanistan, the conclusion...

No, it's not "Beijing Fashion Week." It's actually a Chinese Communist Party political convention. China's political elite have gathered in Beijing this week for the annual twin meetings of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Congress (CPPCC). And Chinese netizens are taking to Asian micro-blogging...

Given North Korea's lengthy history of stringing out the negotiation process with West to deliver little or nothing in return, and given its history of reneging on previously agreed deals, we are skeptical that this deal will achieve what the Obama administration hopes it will.

In a media environment where television channels are frequently accused of taking sides, a new station based here and aiming to capture an audience across the Arabic-speaking world is promising… Click to Continue »

US and UK intelligence officers had their fingerprints all over this forced “regime change” in Iran.

A high-profile international mission to end the Syrian crisis stumbled Friday before it began as the opposition rejected calls by U.N. envoy Kofi Annan for dialogue with President Bashar Assad as pointless and out of touch after a year of violence.

The war over contraception rages on, but Democrats have definitely won this round. Over the past week, Democrats have turned the tables on Republicans in the heated debate over whether religious institutions should be required to cover contraception in their employer-sponsored healthcare plans.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Meir Dagan, Former Director of the Mossad, Joins United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) Advisory Board

Political strategies have failed. Let us try a new strategy -- one that goes back to the faith of our common ancestor Abraham. Start with that, and peace will follow.

AFP/New Delhi A major Indian trade delegation headed to Iran yesterday to explore “huge” commercial opportunities created by US-led sanctions against the Islamic republic over its disputed nuclear plans.

In a March 4 story about Ernie Gross and Don Greenbaum, two men who shared the common bond of being at the Dachau concentration camp on the day it was liberated by American soldiers in 1945, The Assoc

Delhi police have refused to divulge the evidence against him till they are "doubly sure".

Oil futures ended at their highest level in a week Friday after the U.S. government reported a solid gain in jobs last month, suggesting improvement in the economy of the world's biggest oil consumer.

"A Separation," a movie from Iran that was this year's Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Film, is playing in area theaters. Photo: Contributed Photo / Westport News contributed

South Dakota Congresswoman Kristi Noem is calling on the Obama Administration to reverse it's decision on explorative drilling for oil on federal lands.

An Indian journalist arrested in connection with a bomb attack last month targeting an Israeli diplomat had links to Iran, but played no role in the attack, his son and fellow professionals said yesterday.

"A Separation," a movie from Iran that was this year's Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Film, is playing in area theaters. Photo: Contributed Photo / Westport News contributed

Everybody's watching gas prices as they flirt with the dreaded $4 per gallon threshold and threaten to disrupt a modest economic recovery.

Republican Brendan Doherty says all the  Bush tax cuts enacted by Congress in 2001 and 2003 should be allowed to expire at the end of this year.

Sorry about not getting to this sooner, but all of this talk-talk-talk takes time to digest. Here…

NEW YORK — Gasoline prices are lower this week after 39 days of increases, though experts say they should rise again in the spring. Meanwhile oil prices continued to climb.

Remarks With Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan After Their Meeting Remarks Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State Treaty Room Washington, DC March 9, 2012 SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, good morning, and welcome to the State Department. It’s always a pleasure to have Foreign Minister Kim back in Washington. And...

On his first trip to Hawaii as defense secretary, Leon Panetta stressed the need to give international sanctions enough time to work on Iran and Syria as talk grows of military intervention.

MANAMA (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Bahrainis demonstrated on Friday to demand democratic reforms, stepping up pressure on the U.S.-allied government with the biggest protest yet in a year of unrest.

Talk about getting the royal treatment: President Barack Obama, an avid basketball fan, is bringing British Prime Minister David Cameron to an NCAA Tournament game in Ohio, showing off one of America's most popular...

Things are getting more complicated and obscure with the emergence of the Iranian question as an Israeli and American priority. U.S. officials are saying that while they are not fond of the idea of the U.S. taking part in arming the opposition, they do not mind if others...

Rick Santorum sought to broaden his pitch to Alabama and Mississippi Republicans beyond his conservative stands on social issues on Friday with scathing attacks on President Obama over national security, energy and global warming.

The filmmaker behind the "Kony 2012" documentary, the mega-viral hit that exploded on the Web this week, told NBC's Today show Friday that he makes no apologies for trying to put a human face on a complex and decades-old conflict. "We can all agree we can stop him this year,''...

As Christians living in America, it is difficult for us to completely understand the Jewish people and the love they have for their homeland, a love that goes far beyond patriotism.

* U.S. jobs data better than expected * U.S. trade deficit rise could limit gains in oil * Oil supported by Chinese inflation data * Coming up: CFTC positions data 3:30 p.m. EST Friday (Recasts, updates ...

Rafael Behr says the NHS reforms offer more pain for the Lib Dems, and asks if Labour can start a different conversation about benefits. Samira Shackle recalls Clegg's condemantion of Remploy job losses, and says Cable's criticism of government policy hurts because it is true.

In the battle over speculation, I truly believe that many do not understand what is going on. Perhaps it is the word "speculation" that is causing some of the confusion. When

Syria, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Libya, Egypt and the list goes on and on of places where peace is hard to find. Where do you find peace when the troubles range closer to home: bills to pay, taxes, divorce, sibling rivalries, not to mention March Madness? Paul writes in Ephesians...

Do you think these names are poised to outperform?

PRINCE GEORGE: President Barack Obama said Friday the US economy was "getting stronger" after the release of figures showing more than 220,000 new jobs were created last month.

The Obama administration says it's helping South Korea and other nations look for alternative energy sources to wean themselves from Iranian oil.

>VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog does not rule out that Iran may be trying to remove evidence from a military site that inspectors want to visit as part of an inquiry into suspected research relevant to atomic bombs, the agency's chief said on Friday. Yukiya Amano's comments,...

South Asian experts say there is a lack of Asian support for a possible US or Israeli attack against Iran as it could destabilize the whole region and jeopardize its energy needs.

India is studying the import restrictions imposed by Argentina and its impact on bilateral trade. “That (Argentina's import restrictions) is being taken up.

Tehran's interim Friday Prayers leader has praised the high popular turnout in the Majlis elections, saying every Iranian vote cast was a slap in the face for the enemy

FIFA will interview the match referee and players during a probe of Bahrain's "unusual" 10-0 win over Indonesia in a World Cup qualifier.