News Archive - 28 February 2013

1st Half – Highlights 2nd Half – Highlights

Persepolis 1 Saipa 0 – Meisam Naghizadeh Persepolis 2 saipa 0 – Gholamreza Rezaei Persepolis 3 saipa 0 – Reza Haghighi (PK) Persepolis 3 saipa 1 – Shah Ali Doost Persepolis 4 Saipa 1 – Mohammad Nouri

Special guest: Ali Latifi – Ex Esteghlal Player

>UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Commodities giant Glencore supplied thousands of tons of alumina to an Iranian firm that has provided aluminum to Iran's nuclear program, intelligence and diplomatic sources told Reuters. The previously undisclosed barter arrangement between Glencore, the world's biggest commodities trader, and the Iranian Aluminum Company (Iralco) illustrates...

After eight months of diplomatic hiatus, Iran and the world powers, the so-called P5+1, were finally able to return to the negotiating table -- and, to the surprise of many observers, managed to pull off a potential breakthrough in the decade-long nuclear standoff. I will dare to go even...

>Earlier this month the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made a surprise recommendation to drop the sport from the 2020 Summer Games, leaving wrestling to fight with seven other disciplines for one spot when the board meets in May."It is a major challenge for the sport, by no means is...

>* April meeting will be key for hearing Iran's position* Diplomat denies six powers softened position on FordowBy Adrian CroftBRUSSELS, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Nuclear talks between Iran and world powers this week were more constructive and positive than in the past, but Iran's willingness to negotiate seriously will not...

>* Pirates still hold about 130 foreign hostages* But successful hijackings dropped sharply in 2012By Abdi SheikhMOGADISHU, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has granted an amnesty to hundreds of young Somali pirates to reduce the threat to shipping in the seas off the Horn of Africa...

>The source told Reuters the meeting of the "Friends of Syria" diplomatic group with the main civilian opposition organization in Syria would also condemn the use of Scud missiles by Assad. The Syrian government denies it is using the ballistic missiles.Russia openly says it is supplying military equipment to...

>ROME (Reuters) - The United States may provide medical supplies and food directly to Syrian rebels for the first time, and a European diplomat held out the prospect of possible Western military support. The diplomat, speaking on the margins of a meeting in Rome between the Syria's main civilian opposition...

>* French leader taking softer approach than Merkel* Syria, Afghanistan on talks agenda in Putin talks (Updates with Hollande comments in Moscow)By Julien PonthusMOSCOW, Feb 28 (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande will raise concerns about Russia's human rights record with Vladimir Putin on Thursday but he sought to play...

Tehran, Feb 28 (IANS) Sepahan of Iran defeated al-Nasr of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 3-0 at the AFC Champions League group stage.

1. Maria-Luiza Tirmaste interview with Kirov Region governor Nikita Belykh, headlined "'Searches and questioning are surely not needed for dismissal'", who speaks about the criminal cases that he is involved in as a witness, his plans as governor and relations with the Russian leadership and the opposition; pp 1, 4...

John Banks' announcement of members of an authorisation body for charter schools today, before Parliament had even passed legislation permitting the schools, is an act of desperation, the education union NZEI Te Riu Roa says.

Twelve responses have been received from parties wanting to provide a master plan for Christchurch’s new Health Precinct, and the final selection process is now underway.

For writer James Lasdun, what began with some harmless emails developed into full-on cyber-stalking.

American music sensation Cee Lo Green will entertain a star-studded audience at next week's Laureus World Sports Awards here. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Cee Lo is best known for major singles ...

Washington (UPI) Feb 28, 2013 The United States fields 17 intelligence agencies with a combined annual budget of $100 billion. They employ 100,000 intelligence specialists. And we still got the genesis of two major trillion-dollar wars, Iraq and Afghanistan, back to front. Three months before 9/11, Mullah Mohammed Omar, the...

After a wait of almost two decades, the groundbreaking of the US$7.5 billion Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline will be performed on March 11 on the Pak-Iran border by the presidents of the two countries.

A local plastic surgeon is doing his part to help victims of dowry burning in India.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's prime minister accused his Turkish counterpart on Thursday of making a "dark and false" statement by calling Zionism a crime against humanity - a comment likely to hit efforts to repair ties between the two former allies. Related Stories Donors step up ties with Somalia; praise...

The Chinese Defense Ministry said yesterday its websites became subject of about 144,000 hacking attacks a month last year and two-thirds of these attacks originated in the United States.

THE US may be stepping more deeply into the Syrian war by agreeing to give the rebels direct aid, but some fear it is too little, too late.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Major Western donors have stepped up efforts in recent weeks to reengage with Somalia, opening the way for increased development assistance to a country trying to shake off years of conflict. Related Stories Iran steps up arrests, torture, executions of dissidents - U.N. Al Qaeda commander...

People Signing On Urge SCOTUS Against Prop 8 Today – Eastwood and his ‘Empty Chair’ - 1. Obama Admin. To Urge Overturning Prop 8 - Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli, plans to file a brief today with the Supreme Court in favor of challengers of...

The U.S. has agreed to directly supply Syria's opposition with $60 million in non-lethal aid, but some critics wonder if its enough to make any difference in the two-year-old conflict

Is it possible Iran has paid for and outsourced their nuclear program to North Korea? One leading expert say yes. And Iran might be providing their best nuclear scientist as well.

THE stance of these two states is very strange,” Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki remarked in mid-2012, in reference to Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

A series of bombings struck Baghdad and towns south of the Iraqi capital on Thursday, killing at least 22 and wounding dozens in areas that are home to mostly Muslim Shiites, the latest evidence of rising sectarian discord in Iraq.

>GENEVA (Reuters) - Iran has stepped up executions of prisoners including juveniles as well as arrests of dissidents who are often tortured in jail, sometimes to death, the United Nations reported on Thursday. In twin reports issued in Geneva, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the U.N. special investigator...

>"I call it a milestone. It is a turning point in the negotiations," Salehi told Austrian broadcaster ORF in an interview during a visit to the Austrian capital for a United Nations conference."We are heading for goals that will be satisfactory for both sides. I am very optimistic and...

After pleading not guilty to the most serious charge against him and guilty to 16 lesser counts, U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning told a military judge on Thursday that he released hundreds of thousands of classified government documents to the WikiLeaks website to “spark domestic debate” on foreign policy...

World powers and Iran wrapped up two days of talks Feb. 27 in Kazakhstan aimed at breaking a decade of deadlock over the Iranian nuclear program, but there was no sign they had achieved any breakthrough.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan group of senators is pushing a resolution saying that if Israel attacks Iran in self-defense, the United States will assist its Mideast ally.

CAIRO - Egypt's government said Thursday that it invited an International Monetary Fund delegation to the country in March to resume talks on a $4.8 billion dollar loan desperately needed to boost the ailing economy, the official news agency said. The Middle East News Agency, MENA, quoted

FORT MEADE, Md. – After pleading not guilty to the most serious charge against him and guilty to 16 lesser counts, U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning told a military judge on Thursday that he released hundreds of thousands of classified government documents to the WikiLeaks website to “spark domestic...

  A lot of people have been discussing lately of the potential use of drones on American Citizens. Generally speaking, the discussions regarding the use of drones have been referring to criticisms of both the United States, and particularly the … Continue reading →

>Brahimi said hope for a solution to the crisis, which began as a peaceful pro-democracy uprising but has turned into a conflict on largely sectarian lines, lay in the hands of Russia and the United States.More than 70,000 Syrians have been killed in almost two years of fighting. Damascus...

Exclusive: The Right’s desperation over U.S. demographic changes has spread to the U.S. Supreme Court where its five Republican partisans appear ready to tear up the most important part of the Voting Rights Act and thus clear the way for suppressing the votes of minorities, reports Robert Parry.

ROME - In a significant policy shift, the Obama administration said Thursday it would for the first time provide non-lethal aid directly to rebels who are battling to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad, announcing an additional $60 million in assistance to...

Argentine lawmakers approved a deal struck with Iran to set up a "truth commission" to investigate a deadly 1994 bombing of a Jewish center that killed 85 people and wounded 300.

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's Congress approved early on Thursday an agreement with Iran aimed at resolving the 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish community center that Argentine courts have long accused Tehran of sponsoring.

The message which the Syrian opposition will receive in Rome today is that the Americans and the Europeans will not fight to overthrow Bashar Al-Assad, and that they will adopt the “Russian solution”, of which the foundations were laid by the Geneva agreement, in exchange for Russia pledging not to...

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A bomb in a car parked near a crowded restaurant in a Shi'ite neighbourhood of the Iraqi capital Baghdad killed at least 11 people on Thursday, police sources said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Sunni Muslim insurgents are redoubling their efforts to undermine...

The presence of the trio Barack Obama, John Kerry, and Chuck Hagel in one administration is reassuring. For one thing, they are not seekers of foreign military adventures, and do not consider the United States to be the world’s policeman.

The tourists have left and the gangs of kidnapping, the mafias of thieves and absolute mayhem have come to prevail from the North to the South.

BEIRUT (AP) — —CASUALTIES: The number of people killed in Syria's civil war is nearing 70,000, according to U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay. The Britain-based Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, claims 56,416 people have been killed. The Observatory's figure...

CARTER PRELIM: Probable cause was found Wednesday to have murder suspect Vincent B. Carter stand trial in the shooting death of Terry L. Williams. MADISON TECHNOLOGY: Madison Elementary School has established an adopt-a-classroom campaign to raise money for technology.

ROME—The Obama administration said Thursday that it will provide the Syrian opposition with an additional $60 million in assistance and—in a significant policy shift—will for the first time provide nonlethal aid like food and medical supplies to rebels battling to oust President Bashar Assad.

The head of Syrian Air on Thursday invited foreign airlines to resume flights to Damascus, offering discounts and giving assurances that security has been restored on the airport road. "I call on ...

In the 1980s, the U.S. and its Saudi allies teamed up to funnel money and weapons to Afghan Islamists whose bloody “victory” set the stage for the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Now, the same team is heading back to work supporting Sunni rebels in Syria, as the Independent Institute’s Ivan...

Do not be fooled by Iran’s claims that positive steps are being taken to resolve the stand-off with the West over its nuclear programme.

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa suspended all imports of crude oil from Iran for an eighth consecutive month in January, data showed on Thursday, as Pretoria steers clear of the shipments because of sanctions. South Africa used to import a quarter of its crude from Iran but has come under...

Travel within Iraq remains dangerous

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 Reuters) - Thailand's government will hold formal peace talks with a major Muslim rebel group for the first time next month, marking a breakthrough in efforts to end a worsening conflict in the country's south that has claimed over 5,000 lives since 2004. Related Stories Japan...

TEHRAN, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Iran's ruling cleric Ali Khamenei said the country was ready to support Pakistani efforts to secure a reliable source of natural gas.

It's about the right to know. And the right to say 'enough already!' • A grievous blow for Ivan Massow , the millionaire Tory businessman who once described himself as the "only gay in the Westminster village". Things have moved on, but still Massow was unable to convince the...

According to the U.S. State Department the world's most prolific terrorist groups are supported by the government of Iran, Sudan, Syria and Cuba. But while Iran, Sudan and Syria have well-known and documented current ties to various terrorists groups, Cuba's place on the list has increasingly come under fire.

UN watch slams 'Ahmadinejad-style pronouncements' by Turkish prime minister.

In the Islamic Republic, a woman is typically not allowed to sing solos in public unless she performs for an all-female audience and is accompanied by an all-female band. The Iranian singer known as Hari is pursuing her dream in Iraq.

Former senator from Nebraska approved to replace Panetta with support of four Republicans after bitter confirmation battle After one of the lengthiest and most bitter confirmation fights in recent history, the Senate on Tuesday voted to confirm Chuck Hagel as president Barack Obama's next secretary of defense. The Republican former...

As the world's best-travelled correspondant, John Simpson has seen it all. He picks his favourite spots and recalls his most dangerous assignments.

Crude Oil Futures Mixed in Asian Trading

ISLAMABAD: Experts termed the Pak-Iran gas pipeline as vital for Pakistan national economy. Talking to Radio Pakistan, the former Secretary of Foreign Affairs Najmuddin Sheikh said that Pakistan has no other option but to get gas from Iran to overcome its energy needs.

America cannot "dictate to the world" and must work with allies and build relationships with other nations, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said shortly after being sworn in Wednesday as the new Pentagon chief.

Part funeral, part jubilee, the Vatican had never witnessed an event like this before. People flocked from all over the globe to acknowledge the retiring Pope.

Brent crude steadied near US$112 a barrel on Thursday, coming off a one-month low hit in the previous session

ALMATY, Kazakhstan - Iran and world powers have concluded a surprisingly cordial summit in Kazakhstan that appears to have given a gentle nudge to the decade-long nuclear stalemate, experts say. Two days of talks in the soaring Tien Shan mountain city of Almaty concluded on Wednesday, February ...

In James Lasdun’s marvellously creepy novel The Horned Man , we meet Lawrence Miller, a middle-aged Englishman who, like his creator, lives in the US and teaches at a college in the New York area. Such colleges, in Lasdun’s black satire, are forcing houses of guilty hypocrisy about sex.