News Archive - 9 February 2014

>* U.K. Buzzard oilfield to undergo more maintenance in 2014* Iran moves to cooperate in U.N. nuclear bomb probeBy Florence TanSINGAPORE, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Brent crude eased back after hitting a five-week high above $109 a barrel on Monday as investors look ahead to more U.S.

>THE HAGUE (Reuters) - At a closed door meeting, Western governments led by the United States took Syria to task for failing to surrender its chemical weapons under ambitious deadlines agreed with Russia after a poison gas attack in August. Speaker after speaker stood up to berate Damascus at the...

>* Rouhani uses nuclear thaw to cut Guard presence in economy* Tensions limited by Khamenei support for nuclear talksBy Babak DehghanpishehBEIRUT, Feb 9 (Reuters) - The article on Iran's semi-official Fars news agency appeared routine: the minister of roads and urban development said the ministry does not have a contract...

Washington, Feb. 10 (ANI): Female professional soccer players in Iran will undergo mandatory sex tests to prove their gender. Iran's covering body for the popular sport has made it mandatory for women to undergo the sex test after it was revealed that several top players were men. According to the...

On Aug. 31, French Rafale warplanes were hours away from taking off to launch cruise missiles against Syria when U.S. President Barack Obama called off the joint strike.

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration has eased the rules for would-be asylum-seekers, refugees and others who hope to come to the United States or stay here and who gave "limited" support to terrorists or terrorist groups. The change is one of President Barack Obama's first actions on

VIENNA — In a significant move, Iran agreed Sunday to provide additional information sought by the UN nuclear agency in its long-stalled investigation of whether Tehran may have worked on nuclear weapons.        

MARTIN WALKER, UPI Editor Emeritus WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- French President Francois Hollande's state visit to the United States this week (without any lady friend in tow) is being touted as a revival of America's oldest alliance. The trouble will be in the newest areas of commerce.

Baghdad — Scores of bodies have been dumped in Iraq’s canals and palm groves in recent months, reminding terrified residents of the worst days of the country’s sectarian conflict and fueling fears that the stage is being set for another civil war.

Limited Ties to Terror Groups Won’t Mean Being Barred From U.S. Washington — The Obama administration has eased the rules for would-be asylum-seekers, refugees and others who hope to come to the United States or stay here and who gave “limited” support to terrorists or terrorist groups.

People who gave ‘limited material support” to terrorists are no longer automatically barred from entering or staying the United States.

Chairman of Iran’s Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has criticized Western countries for resorting to excuses over Tehran’s nuclear energy program.

News on Tunisia continually updated from thousands of sources around the net.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) noted a weekend report in TradeWinds regarding Greek shipowner Victor Restis’s effort to “buy” UANI’s silence on his and EST’s Iran dealings.

The fresh round of negotiations between Iran and the IAEA on bilateral cooperation was "good, constructive and progressive," Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the AEOI said.

Is the 2014 version any, erm, cop?

Three former U.S. ambassadors offered their opinions and insights on a wide range of topics, from the possibility of a nuclear-armed Iran to what it takes to become a career diplomat, before more than 150 people in the second of three “conversations” sponsored by the Princeton Adult School Sunday...

A senior Iranian nuclear negotiator has said that issues related to the country’s defense programs are “non-negotiable.”

Today is Monday, Feb. 17, the 48th day of 2014. There are 317 days left in the year.Highlights in history on this date:1568 - Turkey's Sultan Selim II makes peace with Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II.1801 - U.S. House of Representatives...

Eleven candidates, 12 million voters, more than 6,000 polling centres – and a lot of headaches for the victor. But who are the men who would be Afghan president and what do they offer? 1. The overview The election is the third presidential poll since the fall of the Taliban.

An American political activist believes the US president or members of Congress should pressure Israel to abandon its nuclear weapons. Paul Larudee, co-founder of Free Palestine Movement, made the remarks in an interview with press TV after pro-Israeli lobby in the US, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), denied...

The North Korean government has rescinded an invitation for a senior State Department official to visit the isolated nation to discuss the release of Christian missionary Kenneth Bae, a State Department source told Fox News on Sunday.

Jerusalem, Feb 10 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President Barack Obama in Washington next month, the prime minister's office confirmed Sunday.

Jerusalem, Feb 10 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the recent easing of sanctions on Iran has not only failed to moderate its policies, but is fuelling its aggression, a statement from the prime minister's house said.

MELBOURNE, Feb 10 (Bernama) -- Australia's Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce will visit the Middle East to try to restart live sheep exports to two countries in the region.

(Reuters) – The U.N. nuclear agency said on Sunday that Iran had agreed to start addressing suspicions that it may have worked on designing an atomic weapon, a potential breakthrough in a long-stalled investigation into Tehran’s atomic activities. The development – although limited for now – marked a step...

DAMASCUS - Aid teams evacuated hundreds of exhausted civilians from besieged Homs city Sunday, as Syria's regime and rebels again accused each other of violating a truce ahead of new peace talks.

Watch Video | Listen to the Audio HARI SREENIVASAN: Now, more about our lead story: those talks going on this weekend between International Atomic Energy Agency officials and Iran — talks ultimately designed to make it impossible for that country to produce a nuclear weapon. For more, we are joined...

Thailand ambassador to Iran has expressed hope for an increase in trade between Bangkok and Tehran.

Even the most obedient sometimes distance oneself of the flock. This picture could have been taken in Spain but the shot was in Sanjod, in a remote road of Kurdistan, close to the border with Iran. We spent time with the natives and gave them the pictures that other travelers...

President Obama (R) and First Lady Michelle Obama greet German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the North Portico of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 7, 2011 for the State Dinner.

Iran has agreed to address the UN's nuclear weapons concerns.

AGRICULTURE Minister Barnaby Joyce will visit the Middle East to try to restart live sheep exports in two countries.

In a significant move, Iran agreed Sunday to provide additional information sought by the UN nuclear agency in its long-stalled probe of suspicions that Tehran may have worked on nuclear weapons.

Amid reports of an Israeli airstrike on advanced Russian-built S-300 air-defense missiles in the Syrian port of Latakia, military chiefs and missile specialists are delivering stark warnings of the 170,000 missiles and rockets they say are in the hands of the Jewish state's enemies.

A young woman has allegedly been sexually assaulted in Tamworth in northern NSW.

As Hillary Rodham Clinton mulls a second presidential bid, liberals are closely watching whether the onetime supporter of the Iraq war moves to the left or straddles the center.

Ryan Zinke should curb his tone if he wants to be known as a person who serves the public instead of his own political ends. Zinke, whose middle name appears to be Formernavyseal, spoke vividly at a recent Republican meeting in Bigfork. Zinke is running to be the GOP candidate...

Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) resumed talks on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program in Tehran on Saturday. Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, described the first day of talks as "good", "progressive", and "constructive".

Both Iran and the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency cited progress in negotiations this weekend which will expand the U.N.'s access to information on Iran's nuclear facilities and activities. 

US sanctions against Iran stems from the Islamic Republic’s independent policies and pressure from the powerful pro-Israel lobby in the United States, a political commentator says. Following Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979, the United States imposed sanctions against Iran and has further expanded them several times. On Thursday, the Obama...

The U.N. nuclear agency said on Sunday that Iran had agreed to start addressing suspicions that it may have worked on designing an atomic weapon, a potential breakthrough in a long-stalled investigation into Tehran's atomic activities.

Looking back over the past year, Moscow appears to have good reason to congratulate itself on the success of its foreign policy toward Iran and Syria in particular, and toward the Middle East in general. Indeed, while they did not necessarily do so at Moscow's behest, several actors that play...

Cafe Nadery is a community-driven Cafe in historical Greenwich Village in downtown Manhattan. The vision of the Cafe is to create a contemporary Iranian-culture inspired cosmopolitan social space for both Iranians and non-Iranians in the New York City area. Founded in 1928 by an Iranian-Armenian, Khachik Madikiyans, Naderi Cafe in...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration has eased the rules for would-be asylum-seekers, refugees and others who hope to come to the United States or stay here and who gave "limited" support to terrorists or terrorist groups. The change is one of President Barack Obama's first actions on immigration since...

Iran on Sunday denounced what it called Pakistan's inability to secure its own borders after five Iranian soldiers were kidnapped and taken into its eastern neighbour by Sunni extremists. "We are unhappy with the Pakistani government over the abduction of our guards and their transfer to Pakistan," Fars news agency...

OTTAWA - More than three years after his arrest, a man who once auditioned for the Canadian Idol TV show will face trial on a terrorism charge. Khurram Syed Sher, a doctor of pathology from London, Ont., is to be tried by judge alone in an Ottawa courtroom starting...

Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) say they have held “constructive technical” talks in Tehran and agreed on future measures.

Tehran, Feb 9 (IANS) Iran's Sunni rebels kidnapped five border guards in Sistan and Baluchestan province of the country, media reported Sunday.

TEHRAN: Iran agreed on Sunday seven more 'practical steps' with the UN nuclear watchdog in talks seeking further safeguards to enhance transparency on Tehran's nuclear drive, a top official said.

A senior Iranian naval official said Iran is sending warships toward US maritime borders to send a message — a move a US defense official characterized as an announcement, not a deployment. “Iran’s military fleet is approaching the United States’ maritime borders, and this move has a message,” Adm. Afshin...

A close aide to Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh says Iran’s new model of oil contracts is largely expected to attract a large number of foreign investors.

AIPAC and the ADL oppose the Protect Academic Freedom Act on First Amendment grounds.

The scientific consensus about climate change is bleak — especially when coupled with rising skepticism among the public. With no action in sight, maybe we could try rain dances. Click here for the rest of the article...

(MENAFN - Arab Times) KFH-Research, a subsidiary of Kuwait Finance House Group KFH-Group stated that the Islamic finance industry will continue to grow driven by both demand and su...

(MENAFN -Arab News) LAUNCESTON, Australia: Saudi Arabia’s decision to cut March oil prices for Asian customers by more than expected appears to be a three-pronged move to maintain ...

A top Syrian official has described Iran as a key player in the Middle East, stating that the United Nations made a mistake by withdrawing its Geneva II invitation to the Islamic Republic.

Tehran, Iran (AP) - Hard-line Iranian lawmakers are accusing President Hassan Rouhani of halting a scheduled missile exercise, the state news agency said Sunday. IRNA reported that 24 members of parliament said in a statement that the Supreme National Security Council, headed by the president, stopped the annual ...

Iran's Petroleum Minister says it plans to introduce by June a new generation of oil contracts that are more attractive to investors.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has agreed to take seven practical, preliminary measures on nuclear cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by May 15, it said in a joint statement with the U.N. nuclear watchdog on Sunday.

Iran's Petroleum Minister says it plans to introduce by June a new generation of oil contracts that are more attractive to investors.