News Archive - 3 February 2013

Ghoochannejhad assists in Belgian ‘classico’ PFDC – LIEGE, In his third appearance for his new club, Reza Ghoochannejhad collected his first scorer point when he assisted the 1-1 in Standard Liege’s 2-2 draw against table-toppers RSC Anderlecht. The Iranian international started for the second consecutive time after coming on as...

>* Positive jobs, manufacturing data strengthen revival view* Middle East tensions fuel supply worriesBy Ramya VenugopalSINGAPORE, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Brent crude steadied above $116 per barrel on Monday, holding near a more than four-month high, as data from top consumers United States and China reinforced a view that the...

>DUBAI (Reuters) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused the parliament speaker's family of corruption on Sunday, turning a long-standing rivalry between two of Iran's most powerful figures into a face-to-face feud, months before an election. Addressing parliament to defend one of his ministers against impeachment, Ahmadinejad went on the attack, playing...

>* Alkhatib to face questions from own coalition allies* Assad blames Israel for air attack, says he can resistBy Khaled Yacoub Oweis and Stephen BrownMUNICH, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Syria's opposition leader flew back to his Cairo headquarters from Germany on Sunday to explain to sceptical allies his decision to...

>Salehi said Syrian National Coalition leader Moaz Alkhatib's comments to him, in their talks late on Saturday, that he would be willing to talk with representatives of the Syrian government if prisoners were released represented "a good step forward"."If we want to stop the bloodshed we cannot continue putting...

>MUNICH (Reuters) - Syria's opposition leader flew back to his Cairo headquarters from Germany on Sunday to explain to skeptical allies his decision to talk with President Bashar al-Assad's main backers Russia and Iran, in hope of a breakthrough in the crisis. The Russian and Iranian foreign ministers, and U.

>However, Ashton's team, which coordinates diplomatic contacts with Iran on its nuclear program on behalf of the United States, Russia, China, France, Germany and Britain, is still hoping for confirmation of the date and venue from Iran's negotiating team, the spokesman said.(Reporting by Adrian Croft) World...

>LOS ANGELES Feb 2 (Reuters) - Actor-turned-filmmaker Ben Affleck won the top honor from his peers at the Directors Guild of America on Saturday for the movie "Argo", cementing the Iran hostage drama's frontrunner status for the Oscars. The Hollywood directors' recognition for Affleck, however, is an awkward result for...

>MUNICH Feb 3 (Reuters) - Six world powers have proposed holding a new round of talks with Iran on its nuclear programme in Kazakhstan on Feb. 25, Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Sunday."I have good news - I heard yesterday that the P5+1 or EU3+3 will...

How do we preach women's equality - an easy access to divorce, contraception and abortion - to people who swear by a sacred book that says you kill people like that?

Iran has been offered fresh talks over its nuclear programme by the major western powers and may even hold direct negotiations for the first time with the US, itsforeign minister said.

The revolts that began in Tunisia at the end of 2010 and spread across the Middle East and North Africa had a devastating impact on tourism, but not everyone in the region lost out.

Iran's foreign minister Sunday welcomed the United States' willingness to hold direct talks with Tehran in the standoff over its nuclear program but didn't commit to accepting the offer -- insisting that Washington must show "fair and real" intentions to resolve the issue and complaining about "threatening rhetoric."

Elections attract their share of wide-eyed idealists, and, with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad nearing the end of his second term as Iran’s President, politicians are jostling to take his place. Most of the possible contenders are hard-liners of one sort or another. But Hooshang Amirahmadi, a moderate, sixty . . . (Subscription required.

Kerry also talked with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan.

Oil prices fell Monday following weeks of strong gains, while analysts warned that trading could be choppy amid growing tensions in the Middle East.

A review of America's arsenal of cyberweapons has concluded that President Obama has the power to order a pre-emptive strike if the United States detects a credible threat. The New York Times reports.

In a roomful of world leaders at a security conference in Munich, Iran's foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, said on Sunday that his country  is prepared to resume  nuclear negotiations in Kazakhstan.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 -- U.S. Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel will likely be confirmed despite taking a flogging from Republicans in recent days -- quite a few political figures and experts believe so.

The Thai stock market turned higher again on Friday, one session after it had ended the six-day winning streak in which it had climbed almost 60 points or 4 percent. The Stock Exchange of Thailand ...

WASHINGTON: John Kerry spoke with world leaders, including those representing Israel and the Palestinians, in his first phone calls as the new US secretary of state, officials said Sunday.

ISRAELI Defence Minister Ehud Barak said an attack on a Syrian arms complex showed Israel was serious about preventing the flow of heavy weapons into Lebanon, appearing to acknowledge for the first time that Israel carried out the strike.

Having a cohesive cyber policy and security centre is only a start, argue Philip Seltsikas and Max Soyref.

Editor: Michael Perry + 612 9373 1804 Global Picture Desk: + 65 6870 3775 Global Graphics Desk: + 65 6870 3595 (All times GMT/ET) TOP STORIES Syrian opposition chief under fire for Assad ally talks MUNICH - Syria's opposition leader flies back to his Cairoheadquarters from Germany to explain to...

An Israeli airstrike in Syria last week targeted a shipment of weapons and caused minor collateral damage to a nearby research center that deals with chemical weapons, two U.S. officials said Sunday. Syrian television showed images of broken glass and other damage at the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research...

WMDs » Foreign minister says Iran will wait and see if the U.S. is serious about concessions.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stressed his commitment to promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace on Sunday in telephone calls to the leaders of both sides, the State Department said. In separate conversations, Kerry, who took over as the top U.S. diplomat from Hillary Clinton on Friday,...

WASHINGTON (AP) — New Secretary of State John Kerry reached out to Israeli and Palestinian leaders in phone calls this weekend, assuring them the Obama administration will continue to pursue a Mideast peace agreement while recognizing the individual concerns on both sides.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Sunday encouraged the Boy Scouts of America to end its ban on gay members and leaders, days before the group is expected to vote on the controversial and long-standing rule. Related Stories Man stripped and beaten blames Egyptian police Sri Lanka bars human...

A man caught trying to enter Germany with a cheque worth about £44.5m was Iran's former central bank chief, it was reported yesterday. Related Stories Russia marks Stalingrad, 70 years on Five injured after Romanian airliner 'bounces off runway' in Italy Inventor of the Etch A Sketch dies aged...

SOME 20 players from Davao City are currently going through a tedious qualifying process in the 2013 National Age-Group Chess Championships (NAGCC) Mindanao Leg at the Robinson's Place, General Santos City in a bid to win berths to the national grand finals set in Manila.

ANKARA, Feb 4: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Israel of waging "state terrorism" as he condemned the air strike on Syria as an unacceptable violation of international law.

“And God said: Let there be light and there was.” Modern artists have long since thrown over the idea of God, of course, So have they of the heavens being the source of all light. With the invention of electricity, the development of the fluorescent bulb and the deployment...

Washington and Tehran have signalled readiness to hold bilateral talks on Iran’s controversial nuclear programme – if they are confident the other side’s intentions are serious.

Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud-Beytenu party will start coalition talks on Sunday.

Assad was discussing Israel's reported air strike on a military research base outside Damascus last week.

TEHRAN, Feb 4: Iran has on February 1 revealed its most recent indigenous fighter jet — the “Qaher 313″. The prototype Q-313 was presented to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as a ceremonial gift during the country's Ten-Day Dawn celebration.

The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers have arrived at the Superdome. The teams left their hotels in buses roughly 3½ before kickoff was scheduled Sunday.

The Cabinet formally approved the agreement to construct the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline and set up a ministerial committee to explore avenues for arranging $1.5 billion required for the project's implementation. Two major objections to the approval are apparent.

Stocks in the world’s developed nations posted the best start to a year in two decades, a sign the global economy is poised to accelerate after contractions in Japan, the U.S. and Europe, if history is a guide.

Iran’s foreign minister restated a call for direct talks with Washington, but his comments were viewed as more atmospheric than definitive.

Authorities say they have arrested a man who posed as a hired handyman, then stole from the Le Mars homes he was supposed to be servicing.

Israel's defence minister Ehud Barak has strongly signalled that his country was behind an air strike in Syria last week, warning that Israeli threats to take pre-emptive action against its enemies are not empty.

Kurdistan region president, Massoud Barzani’s, burgeoning ties with the Turkish republic risk isolating the Kurdistan region of Iraq, creating a dependent region and ultimately risks the region’s future.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta threw his support Sunday behind the nominee to replace him, former Sen. Chuck Hagel, and said the United States didn’t have enough time to respond to the fatal Benghazi attacks.

Defense minister makes first comments since air strike

Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili slams the ongoing acts of terrorist attacks in Syria, and said they will bear no fruit.

Carlos Queiroz believes Iran can qualify for World Cup 2014 but has reminded his players that they need to stay focused in the final few matches.

Jorge Ramos, Univision anchor and host of the public affairs program, “Al Punto,” said “I think Republicans are finally getting it,” regarding the power of the Hispanic vote. Ramos joined ABC News in a web exclusive before his appearance on the “This Week” roundtable on...

Maria Kirilenko of Russia poses with her trophy after winning the final match over Sabine Lisicki of Germany in the PTT Pattaya Open tennis tournament in Pattaya, Thailand, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. ...

Conclusion As early as a WCIT pre-meeting of the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT, chaired by the Philippines) in October-November 2012, the Philippine delegation had already declared that the Internet, and specifically content,

Israel on Sunday implicitly confirmed it staged an air strike on Syria last week as President Bashar al-Assad accused the Jewish state of trying to further destabilise his war-torn country.

A man caught trying to enter Germany with a cheque worth £44.5 million is believed to have been Iran's former central bank chief, Tahmasb Mazaheri.

February 03, 2013 11:49 PM MUNICH, Germany (AFP) - Iran announced on Sunday fresh talks with world powers on its nuclear drive and said it was open to an offer from archfoe the United States for two-way discussions if Washington's intention was "authentic".

US Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Paris Sunday for talks with President Francois Hollande on issues that will include France's military intervention in Mali, the Syria conflict, and Iran's alleged bid to build a nuclear bomb.

MUNICH (Reuters) - Iran said on Sunday it was open to a U.S. offer of direct talks on its nuclear program and that six world powers had suggested a new round of nuclear negotiations this month, but without committing itself to either proposal. Diplomatic efforts to resolve a dispute...

After four exhausting years, Hillary Clinton leaves the State Department with an impressive record of air miles logged, town-hall meetings held, important but neglected issues highlighted, international crises defused, gaffes avoided, citizens of the United States and the world wowed, and White House policies capably carried out. When Clinton . .

littlesparkvt writes "One of two official packages of photos of Iran's famed simian space traveler depicted the wrong monkey, but a primate really did fly into space and return safely to Earth, a senior Iranian space official confirmed Saturday. The two different monkeys shown in the photos released by Iran’s...

President Bashar al Assad has accused Israel of trying to destabilise Syria after an air strike on a military research base near Damascus last week.

MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) - Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Sunday an attack on a Syrian arms complex showed Israel was serious about preventing the flow of heavy weapons into Lebanon, appearing to acknowledge for the first time that Israel carried out the strike. Israel has maintained official silence over...

MUNICH — An Israeli official on Sunday discussed for the first time an airstrike on Syria last week, hinting that his government had been behind the attack. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak did not directly claim responsibility for an airstrike that Western officials have said hit a convoy in Syria...

Google executive chief Eric Schmidt claims that the Chinese are stealing commercially and politically valuable information from foreign rivals.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi says the next round of comprehensive talks between Iran and six world powers will be held in Kazakhstan on February 25, 2013.

When you think about the most innovative countries, the U.S. and South Korea often come to mind. But what about Iceland or Iran? How do they compare? Bloomberg Rankings recently examined more than 200 countries and sovereign regions to determine their innovation quotient.

German check bust man is ex-Iran bank head

TEHRAN, Feb. 3 (MNA) – The winners of the 30th edition of Iran’s Book of the Year Awards were announced on Saturday.

TEHRAN, Feb. 3 (MNA) – Some 40 new ports will be inaugurated across Iran by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20), ISNA quoted head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization Ataollah Sadr as saying.

MUNICH (AP) — Iran's foreign minister is welcoming the United States' willingness to hold direct talks with Tehran in the standoff over its nuclear program but isn't committing to accepting the offer.

TEHRAN, Feb. 3 (MNA) – A collection of photos on the Islamic Revolution is currently on display in an exhibition at Tehran’s Mellat Cinematic Complex.

CHAGMALAI, Pakistan (Reuters) - In a Pakistan army base high in the mountains on the Afghan frontier, a general explains a strategy for fighting the Taliban he calls simply "WHAM". Related Stories No solid leads in ''brazen'' killing of Texas prosecutor -authorities White House rebuffed Clinton-Petraeus plan to arm Syrian...