News Archive - 24 March 2012

[Video] Esteghlal Tehran – Zob Ahan Esteghlal Tehran 2 – 2 Zob Ahan (W28) 35′ [0-1] Mohammad Mansouri Get the Flash Player to see this content. Download 56′ [0-2] Felipe Alves de Souza Get the Flash Player to see this content. Download 63′ [1-2] Mohsen Yousefi Get the Flash...

A former chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency has challenged a report delivered by the IAEA in November on Iran’s nuclear activities, pinpointing that the agency receives unverified intelligence, mostly from the US and Israel. Hans Blix told Al Jazeera on Saturday that the IAEA received information from a...

Islamic Republic of Iran is capable of designing and building pool-type nuclear reactors under the supervision of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said. “Pool reactors are similar to Tehran [Research] Reactor which has a capacity of 5 megawatts (MW) [of electricity] and we...

Leader of the recent military coup d’état in Mali, Amadou Haya Sanogo, has been trained in America on several occasions, an official at the US Africa Command says. Sanogo travelled to the US several times to receive professional military education, including basic officer training, said Patrick Barnes, a US defense...

Thousands of American protesters have taken to streets in the city of Philadelphia to demand justice for the recent killing of an unarmed black teenage boy in the state of Florida. Protesters staged the demonstration named “Million Hoodie Marches” late Friday in Memory of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was shot...

Israeli forces have shot and wounded a 14-year-old Palestinian boy in the occupied West Bank. During the weekly Friday demonstrations in Nabi Saleh, family members of political prisoner Bassam Tamimi were wounded with rubber bullets by the Israeli military. 14-year-old Izz al-Abdul Hazfith Tamimi was shot in the face and...

The price of petrol has broken through the 140p-a-litre barrier for the first time in Britain, according to media reports. The average price at the pumps has now reached 140.20p a liter, with diesel at a new record of 146.72p, the Belfast Telegraph quoted AA as saying on...

IRI President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad left Tehran for Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Saturday morning to participate in the third International Nowruz Celebrations there. Prior to his departure, President Ahmadinejad told reporters that celebrations on Nowruz will be held annually as the International Nowruz Day has been proclaimed by the UN General Assembly on...

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast on Friday evening strongly rejected the claims made by some western media over Iran’s dispatch of weapons to Sudan. Stressing Iran’s policy on negotiation not aggression, Mehmanparast termed the aims behind those claims as suspicious. By dissemination of these baseless claims, the bullying powers are...

It's rising gas prices -- the pocketbook issue -- that's really breathing new life into the "Carter analogy."

>BRUSSELS/DUBAI (Reuters) - The European Union has imposed sanctions on 17 Iranian officials, including prominent members of the government and the judiciary it says play a key role in serious human rights violations. Agreed by EU foreign ministers on Friday, the new sanctions list, published on Saturday, includes the minister...

>* President marks stark differences between North and South Korea* North Korea grieves 100 days after "dear leader" Kim Jong-il's death (Adds report rocket moved to launch site, para 10)By Alister BullCAMP BONIFAS, South Korea, March 25 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama peered across South Korea's tense border...

>* Ramirez hails offshore Mariscal Sucre project* Says priority is to meet growing local demandBy Marianna ParragaGUIRIA, Venezuela, March 24 (Reuters) - Venezuela's Mariscal Sucre offshore gas project will begin production in December after years of delays and difficulties in attracting foreign partners, the South American country's energy minister said.

IRI and Tajik presidents on Saturday acknowledged that Nowrouz is the world cultural heritage and celebrating the festivity indicated historical glory and majesty of the owners of Nowrouz civilization. Addressing a joint meeting of Iranian and Tajik high-ranking delegations, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Tajik counterpart Imomali Rakhmon welcomed Tajikistan's...

>SITRA, Bahrain, March 24 (Reuters) - Bahraini police clashed with anti-government protesters on Saturday at a Shi'ite town where residents tried to demonstrate against the Gulf Arab state's holding of a Formula One race next month. Hundreds of riot police backed by dark blue armoured vehicles and jeeps patrolled the...

By Suvendu Banerjee, New Delhi, March 25 : Food lovers who believe gourmet cuisine and weight-watching don't often go together must have an experience with acclaimed British chef Rob Rees -- often referred to as the Cotswold (rpt Cotswold) chef from the heart of England.

(Reuters) - South Korea hosts some 50 world leaders at a two-day nuclear security summit starting on Monday to discuss ways to safeguard nuclear materials and facilities from terrorist groups. It is the second such summit - the first was hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington in...

A Gallup poll shows only 8 percent of Americans view Iran favorably, a lower rate than that of nations we've warred with, such as North Korea.

That markets have shifted attention away from an abeyant Euro crisis toward escalating oil prices reflects growing concern surrounding the commodity's potential to thwart domestic and global economic growth.

By Madhusree Chatterjee, New Delhi, March 25: Cycling to work may soon become a reality in Delhi, and not just for the poor. With pollution and shrinking roadspace, the capital is under pressure to adopt the Netherlands model that promotes cycling as an alternative to driving.

Media coverage of President Barack Obama’s high-profile visit to Australia and plan to boost US presence in Asia may mask America’s shrinking global footprint. The combination of concern over China and the US debt crisis could set Washington on a course to becoming a mere regional power in the Asia...

Republicans see rising oil and gasoline prices as an opportunity to score political points on President Obama. To be sure, Obama is partly responsible for the rise in world prices and could do something about it.

Tightened sanctions by the West have yet to dissuade Iran from pursuing its controversial nuclear programme but have triggered an oil price spike that could trigger a global recession.

Chairman of the Tashkent City Court for civil cases Nuriddin Tashmatov removed from Office.

Combine extreme weather events with doomsday theorists who point to 2012 as the end of the Mayan calendar and the talk of Iran developing its nuclear capacity, and some believers are seeing signs of the end of the world. If so, where would one turn for shelter? A piece of...

Lawmakers say "excessive" speculation drives up gas prices

President evokes Cold War symbolism before a trip inside the zone between North and South Korea

In a quiet, yet significant, exception to its transit policy for Indian goods, Pakistan has let Indian wheat pass through its territory to Afghanistan.

Life begins at 40, but not for a small and ageing fleet of nuclear reactors vital for millions of life-saving medical procedures each year and using material that could go in an atomic bomb.

US President Obama is opening his pitch for a quicker lock down on nuclear material available to terrorists.

Do these names mean anything to you?

KUALA LUMPUR : Malaysia will halt all imports of Iranian crude oil, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said here Friday.

McALLEN - The Bahá'í community of the Rio Grande Valley will hold a screening Tuesday at University of Texas Pan-American of the documentary "Education Under Fire."The screening is part of FESTIBA, the university's annual Festival of International Books...

Oil prices slide below $105 per barrel Associated Press Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 08:00 a.m., Thursday, March 22, 2012 NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil dropped to its lowest level in a week...

The commodity markets traded sideways last week. Uncertain trends were mainly due to slow down in China’s manufacturing data and Europe’s lethargy. Gold and crude oil waned in mid trend while waiting for new fundamen tal strength.

PM Julia Gillard flies out today ahead of nuclear security talks amid concern over North Korea and Iran.

President Barack Obama is opening his pitch for faster work to lock down nuclear material that could be used by terrorists with an up-close look at the nuclear front lines along the heavily militarised border with volatile North Korea.Obama...

World leaders including US President Barack Obama tomorrow will launch a summit on the threat from nuclear-armed terrorists, but the atomic ambitions of North Korea and Iran are set to feature heavily.

Among credible experts, there is agreement that an Israeli military strike on Iran this year would be a catastrophically bad idea.

Israeli anti-war protesters march with signs during a demonstration opposing military action against Iran in Tel Aviv yesterday. Israel has refused to rule out military action against Tehran over its nuclear programme.

Why the United States needs to rethink its whole Middle East policy.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian forces pounded the battered city of Homs with tank and mortar fire and troops pummelled several other rebel strongholds on Saturday, leaving at least 24 dead, opposition activists said.

As the application of common sense continues to be deemed a politically inappropriate position to demonstrate — at least in public — it stands to reason that the more we learn, the less we know — or at least are supposed to know. In the last month, we have been...

United States Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter while addressing the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KPCCI) urged Pakistani businessmen not to look towards the United States but towards the Pakistani government to resolve their issues.

Q&A: What makes gasoline prices rise? Associated Press Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 07:01 a.m., Thursday, March 22, 2012 Oil prices have been high in recent months because global oil demand is expected to reach a...

The manipulative elements in this campaign ad for Rick Santorum include quickly juxtaposed images of President Obama and Muslims (most notably Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad).

Goodspeed Analysis: Terrorists may some day acquire a nuclear weapon and threaten to kill millions of people in a single blow but the greater risk a “dirty bomb”

Oil falls to near $106 amid China growth concerns Associated Press Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 05:40 a.m., Thursday, March 22, 2012 Reports that France appeared to be considering releasing strategic oil reserves to lower oil...

SEOUL (AFP)— World leaders including US President Barack Obama Monday will launch a summit on the threat from nuclear-armed terrorists, but the atomic ambitions of North Korea and Iran are set to feature heavily. North Korea’s upcoming rocket launch has overshadowed the run-up to the two-day meeting in Seoul, which...

The exchange rate of the Dollar will stabilise somewhere below Rs.125 assured Treasury Secretary, Dr. P.B. Jayasundara last week.

Hundreds of Israelis marched in Tel Aviv on Saturday to protest against a possible Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Click here for the rest of the article...

Doubts as to whether new North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will follow along the curious foreign policy trail blazed by his father, the late Kim Jong-il, seem to have been erased when Mr Kim's government announced earlier this month it would launch a satellite in mid-April to commemorate the 100th...

Benjamin Busch's "Dust to Dust" is a remarkable book -- part military memoir, part childhood reminiscence, and also an effort to explain his relationship with his father, the celebrated novelist Frederick Busch. And yet it is also more than all of those things. Busch is filled with complicated and fascinating...

JERUSALEM (AP) — Ruthie Pliskin didn't want Israel's threats of a possible military strike to be the only message her country had for Iran. So the doctoral student from Tel Aviv posted a photo of herself and her cat on Facebook, with a sign in Farsi reading: "We love you,...

PM Julia Gillard flies out today ahead of nuclear security talks amid concern over North Korea and Iran.

LONDON [MENL] -- Iran has sent elite military units to rescue the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. A leading Syrian opposition member said Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Brigade Corps has deployed thousands of troops in Syria.

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- Iran has established a network that could stage major attacks in the United States, a congressional report said. The House Homeland Security Committee has asserted that Iran built a network throughout the United States.

GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum released what may be the hardest-hitting ad of the 2012 campaign. "Welcome to Obamaville," shot and scored like a trailer for a Hollywood horror film, features a split-second flash of President Obama's face superimposed over the image of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Guest host Laura...

TEL AVIV [MENL] -- The intelligence communities of Israel and the United States have been arguing over Iran's nuclear weapons capabilities, a report said.

I agree with Livingstone's manifesto for London, but he shows too hard a heart to the capital's Jewish community Ken Livingstone got my support in 2000, 2004 and 2008. I backed him early on in his late 1990s campaign to become London's first mayor, defying the control freaks of the...

I'm going to be traveling and away from the Internet for the next week to 10 days or so, but I…

A soulful master musician from Iran, Kayhan Kalhor gives a beautiful and introspective performance to celebrate the Persian New Year, Nowruz — and shows us something about the art of improvisation.

Sanctions have not deterred Iranians from pursuing a nuclear weapon, rather made them more committed. The loss of Iranian crude has had the knock-on effect of pushing oil prices to levels threatening the global economy, says Dina Estafandiary of London’s IISS.

A former senior US diplomat has slammed China for what he called Beijing’s “mercantilist” approach in filling whatever space the western companies have vacated because of the sanctions against Iran.

Ruthie Pliskin didn't want Israel's threats of a possible military strike to be the only message her country had for Iran. So the doctoral student from Tel Aviv posted a photo of herself and her cat on Facebook, with...

The Turkish leader hopes for a key role in brokering US-Iran talks and measures for curbing regime violence in Syria. The issue of Turkey’s oil imports from Iran likely to be high on the agenda.

LOS ANGELES -- Families canceling vacations. Fishermen watching their profits burn up along with their boats' gasoline. Drivers buying only a few gallons of gas at a time because they can't afford to fill the tank. From all corners of the country, Americans are irritated these days by record-high fuel prices...

London, Mar 24 : Researchers have taken a critical step towards developing a rapid, inexpensive diagnostic method for autism.

Ukraine's non-aligned status set out in the law on the principles of home and foreign policy, its geographical location and unique potential are creating prerequisites for the state to be an active player on a continental scale, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Andriy Kliuyev has said.

After suffering lopsided losses to Mitt Romney in the most recent Illinois and Puerto Rico primaries, Rick Santorum looked to Louisiana to help fuel a possible rebound.

Rome (dpa) - At least one Italian soldier was killed Saturday and five injured in a mortar attack on their base in Afghanistan, according to Italian media reports citing military officials.The attack took place at around 6 pm (1300 GMT) at the Ice Forward Operative Base in the southeastern...

Interview with Bill Swears, Author of Apocalyptic Adventure Zook Country Seattle Post-Intelligencer Copyright 2012 Seattle Post-Intelligencer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Published 02:47 a.m., Thursday, March 22, 2012 Bill flew military helicopters for 22 years, seven in the Army and fifteen...

The Jewish Federation of the North Shore will offer to the community a free Lunch and Learn series entitled “Jewish Art: Preserving the Past, Painting the Present.”

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian forces pounded the already battered city of Homs with tank and mortar fire and troops raided a rebellious northern town on Saturday, leaving 10 civilians and four soldiers dead, opposition activists said.

As Washington’s smear campaign fires away at MEK, Bardia Amir-Mostofian, a 44 year old engineer and resident of Ashraf, dies of cardiac arrest due to fatigue following a 48-hour-long transit inspection after entering Camp Liberty.

Summary The United States is not eager to launch an air campaign against the Syrian regime that would be similar to the NATO campaign in Libya even though numerous US lawmakers have called for

Demonstrators hold torches, Syrian and Kurdish flags during a commemoration for the victims of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime in front of the Syrian Embassy in Sofia on March 21. AFP PHOTO IT looks very much like the Arab and Western powers who had planned to bring down Syria’s Assad...

Syrians shout slogans during a protest against the regime following Friday prayers in Taftanaz in Idlib province on March 23. Syrian forces bombed towns and clashed with rebels in several regions as activists said thousands staged anti-regime protests and the European Union slapped sanctions on the country’s First Lady. AFP...

Visions of a mushroom cloud over a US city may have led America into a dubious war in Iraq, but the threat of nuclear terror has lost none of its power to fixate US leaders and shape foreign policy.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday time was running out for the West to come up with new proposals to secure Russia's agreement to a missile defence shield in Europe.

A historic conference bringing Iran and Israel together with Arab states to discuss a ban on nuclear, chemical and biological weapons in the Middle East is scheduled to take place in Helsinki in December, it has emerged.

A political bidding war between the main parties to prove who is tougher on crime has led to New Zealand having one of the world's highest rates of imprisonment, an international study has found.

If you’re a bear market believer, get ready to grumble. What follows will only make you grumpier because you’re about to learn that you’re going to lose even more money betting against the market

A summit of Arab leaders, held here for the first time in a generation, is a prime opportunity for Iraq to reassert itself as a political player in the Arab world after years of war, isolation and American occupation.

A look at the recent turmoil threatening to plunge Syria into civil war and escalate tensions in the Middle East.

Washington, Mar 24 : Michelle Obama made an appearance on David Letterman's show on Monday and talked about what she learnt about parenting from her father and his fight with multiple sclerosis.

Actor has child endangerment charges dropped

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari arrived in Tajikistan on Saturday for regional security talks with Afghan leader Hamid Karzai.

A leading US-based energy consulting firm says oil price may hit $240 a barrel and economic growth may fall by over 25 percent if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz in reaction to the Western sanctions.

DUSHANBE: President Asif Ali Zardari arrived here Saturday on a three-day visit to this land-locked Central Asian country to attend Nauroz celebrations at the invitation of his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon.

The former UN weapons inspector discusses Iran's nuclear programme and how to prevent another war in the region.

The discovery of radioactive metal tissue boxes at U.S. Bed, Bath & Beyond stores in January highlighted one of the topics drawing world leaders to a nuclear security meeting in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday and Tuesday.

India has shared information about the Iranians being involved in an attack on an Israel diplomat in New Delhi.

(The Associated Press) WASHINGTON — Far from home if not away from election-year politics, President Obama is returning to the threat to American security that he calls the gravest of all: terrorists getting material for a nuclear bomb.

It was a tough week for Rick Santorum, suggesting that it would be better to elect Barack Obama an "Etch-A-Sketch" Republican like Mitt Romney and then walking it back. Now he's out with an over-the-top apocalyptic web video in the vein of every zombie movie ever made, depicting …

(23 Mar) – Indonesian maid Vitria Wahyuni, jailed in Singapore for 10 years for strangling her 87-year-old employer, may get a heavier term. The possibility has arisen after prosecutors filed an appeal against the sentence earlier this week. Vitria had pleaded guilty in the High Court earlier this month to...

Once upon a time, Disney and Warner Bros being major animation or cartoon producers exploited the artists of the Philippines and Burma (now Myanmar) to produce their cartoons for their TV audience. These were all done by hand. Of course, this was good as they provided employment for the country.