News Archive - 11 March 2014

>* Ukraine beefs up forces, seeks Western aid against Russia* War of words continues over Crimea secession referendum* Ukrainian PM chides West over nuclear disarmament treaty (Adds details of U.S. aid bill for Ukraine)By Andrew Osborn and Alastair MacdonaldSEVASTOPOL/KIEV, March 11 (Reuters) - Ukraine's government appealed for Western help...

>GENEVA (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has failed to fulfil campaign promises to allow greater freedom of expression and there has been a sharp rise in executions since his election, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday. Rouhani, who won a landslide in June, led Iran to an...

>NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has to cut its Iranian oil imports by nearly two-thirds from the first quarter after the United States asked it to hold the shipments at end-2013 levels, in keeping with the nuclear deal easing sanctions on Tehran, Indian government sources said. India, with the increases...

>SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has developed sophisticated ways to circumvent United Nations sanctions, including the suspected use of its embassies to facilitate an illegal trade in weapons, a United Nations report issued on Tuesday said. It said North Korea was also making use of more complicated financial countermeasures and...

>KILLIS, ON THE TURKISH-SYRIAN BORDER (Reuters) - Syrian refugees in this border outpost were delighted to hear their home town of Azaz had been liberated - not from Bashar al-Assad's troops but from al Qaeda fighters who subjected them to a regime that included torture and public beheadings. For Syrians...

The Lockerbie bombing was ordered by Iran in retaliation for a US strike on an Iranian passenger plane, a documentary has claimed.

I GUESS that the United States of America, as the sole “superpower” nation of the world – even though currently agonising over the limits of its economic and military might in dealing with Russia over the Ukraine – can indulge in sweeping negative claims against small states in our Caribbean...

When Israel seized a cache of weapons last week, it played up Iran's role. But Syrian-made rockets in the shipment show its sophistication in developing longer-range missiles.

In 2008, through a non-profit group called Pardons Canada, he applied to the National Parole Board for a pardon. It cost him $50

Follow live updates as the hunt for the Boeing 777 continues almost four days after it went missing with 239 people on board Matthew Weaver

Barack Obama’s meeting with Ukraine’s prime minister today raises the stakes in his attempt to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ambitions in Crimea and preempt its spread to other countries in the region.

While the most dramatic and significant regime change since the Cold War occurs, the typical American will go about his or her normal life utterly unfazed.

>INTERNATIONAL/REGIONAL* GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian stocks give ground, copper takes a spill* U.S. oil falls to $100 on China bond concern, stockpiles* Gold holds gains near 4-month high on safe-haven demand* MIDEAST STOCKS-Egypt climbs on talk of Sisi presidential bid; Qatar drops as IQ goes ex-div* India to slash Iran oil...

Though Barack Obama is widely regarded as a weak president, is the new world disorder really all his fault? According to Sen. Lindsey Graham, Vladimir ...

Strong enough The Trib and its columnists are overreacting to the military cuts proposed by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. He isn’t calling for unilateral ...

This week, the 2014 MFA Thesis Exhibitions in the Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design will begin its run through the first week of April. “It’s one of the highlights of the year for the School of Art and Design and for our university community,” said Professor David...

Fruit Chan's "The Midnight After" will be the second opening film, while Iran's Asghar Farhadi, French actress Isabelle Huppert, fashion designer Agnès B, and China's Jiang Wen will get special showcases. read more        

THERE is a magnificent crescent of houses along the Thames in London's Chelsea where virtually every house has a plaque of a major writer who once lived there.

Diwan of Royal Court issues statement on Iran President's visit

When even Russian policemen had to pass security checks to enter the Sochi Winter Olympics, Rabbi Berel Lazar was waved in without ever showing his ID.

U.S. authorities have run the identities of the Iranian men who used stolen passports to board the doomed Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 through available terrorism and criminal databases and have come up with no “hits” on either of the two men, U.S. officials told ABC...

The mood among Malaysians now is moving from patience in the search for the 239 people aboard the missing flight MH370 to embarrassment and anger over discrepancies about passengers, offloaded baggage and concealed information about its last known position. First, the discrepancy over whether five passengers did go onboard the...

TELLING SIGNS: Sandstorms and heavy traffic contribute to Riyadh being among the world’s most polluted cities. (AN photo)

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Women could achieve equal representation with men in the world’s parliaments in less than 20 years if the current rate of progress is maintained, but they’ve stalled in getting the top jobs of president or prime minister, according to new research released Tuesday. The Women in...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Navy admiral nominated to be the next head of the troubled National Security Agency told senators Tuesday that if the U.S. government turns over the bulk collection of telephone data to an independent third party, it could result in higher costs and delays identifying potential...

A successful cyber-attack on a country’s critical infrastructure is not a question of if, but when. A successful cyber-attack on a country’s critical infrastructure is not a question of if, but when.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's pick to lead the National Security Agency pledged on Tuesday to look for ways to build confidence in the beleaguered spy agency and, in a possible shift, stopped short of calling former contractor Edward Snowden a traitor.

The tug-of-war over Ukraine has seeped into the cyber realm, marking the latest example of geopolitical conflicts increasingly playing out in cyberspace.

Recent developments in Ukraine have been nothing less than astonishing -- and that's just as true of seasoned observers of Eastern Europe as it is of everyone else.

In my case, it is agriculture and environment protection. The year 2014 was declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Family Farming.  And just last month (on February 2), the World Wetlands Day was observed, led by the Ramsar Convention. The chosen theme was “Wetlands and...

>Ali Larijani met with South African President Jacob Zuma and South Africa's parliamentary speaker during an official visit to the country from March 4 to 7.But Larijani was forced to cancel the next leg of a planned African tour because of a 24-hour delay when his plane was not...

March 11, 2014 11:25 PM PATTAYA - A small travel agency in south Pattaya by the name of Grand Horizon has come under intense scrutiny after it issued tickets to two men travelling with stolen passports on the ill-fated MH370.        

Two suspect men who flew on a missing Malaysian airliner appear to have been Iranian illegal immigrants, officials said Tuesday, lessening fears of terrorism but doing little to unlock the agonising riddle of what has befallen the plane's 239 passengers and crew. On the fourth day of a multinational search...

For many businesses in the UK, this Spring is one to be celebrated more eagerly than most.

:: Sky News will be showing a 12-minute special report on the story so far of the missing flight MH370 at 4.30pm, 6.30pm, and 8.30pm. The plane's manifest contained 12 crew from Malaysia and 227 passengers from 14 different countries: 153 Chinese, 38 Malaysians, seven Indonesians, six...

Interpol believes it unlikely the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines plane was the result of terrorism, as it was suggested the aircraft may have veered hundreds of miles off course. Four days after flight MH370 and its 239 passengers and crew went missing without trace, the search has been extended...

Meet Darryl Gibbs who has been in Brazil for over a year. Read the following interview in which Darryl tells us about some of his most memorable experiences and gives some useful advice to newcomers.

» Iran topped America's list of hostile nations since 2006. Rising threats elsewhere and Iran's steps towards nuclear disarmament push it into second place. North Korea still ranks among the first.

>* War of words continues over Crimea secession referendum* Ukrainian PM chides West over nuclear disarmament treatyBy Alastair Macdonald and Andrew OsbornKIEV/SEVASTOPOL, March 11 (Reuters) - Ukraine's interim leaders established a new National Guard on Tuesday and appealed to the United States and Britain for assistance against what they called...

>Global Picture Desk: + 65 6870 3775Global Graphics Desk: + 65 6870 3595(All times GMT / ET)Receive this schedule by email:mediaexpress.reuters.comTOP STORIESBank of England's Carney grilled over forex scandalLONDON - The Bank of England's top management moved quickly as soon as it learned that staff might not have...

>Bahrain has been grappling with unrest by majority Shi'ites over the past three years demanding political reform and an end to perceived discrimination in the Sunni Muslim-ruled country. Bahrain denies any discrimination against Shi'ites.Bomb attacks have increased since last year, raising concern about further instability in the Western-allied kingdom...

>* Russian companies' and banks' external debt tops $650 billion* European exposure makes EU wary of sanctions* Slowing investment, capital outflows will hurt RussiaBy Dmitry Zhdannikov and Vladimir SoldatkinLONDON/MOSCOW March 11 (Reuters) - To understand Western unease about the idea of imposing wide-ranging sanctions on Moscow over its intervention in...

SUBANG, March 11 — The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) has denied any inconsistencies between its intelligence reports and that of the police regarding the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS)... …

A man travelling with a stolen passport on a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner was an Iranian teenager trying to migrate to Germany, and is not believed to have any terrorist links, police say.

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. anti-drugs chief has praised Iran's fight against narcotics trafficking despite what human rights groups describe as a surge in executions in the country, many of people convicted of drug-related offences.

Here are the top 20 unheralded players to watch out for at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. An unheralded footballer is a person who is either a role player or does not have star status among casual football fans. The 20 unheralded players were ordered subjectively projecting how...

BANGKOK: The two mystery passengers who triggered an international terrorism probe into a missing Malaysian jet now appear to be young Iranian migrants seeking a new life overseas, officials said Tuesday.

The ongoing crisis in Russia and Ukraine has, for some, highlighted deficiencies in President Obama’s foreign policy (or lack thereof). Breakout’s Jeff Macke likens it to the widely held belief that President Jimmy Carter was particularly weak when dealing with the Iran hostage crisis.

SUBANG, March 11 — The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) has denied any inconsistencies between its intelligence reports and that of the police regarding the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS)... …

>Diplomats from almost 200 nations gathered in Bonn, Germany, vowed to speed up work towards agreeing a 2015 pact to cut greenhouse gas emissions that U.N.-backed scientists say is causing extreme weather events and rising sea levels.The preliminary talks are the first of a series this year...

Telegraph View: Two aviation disasters in the news have served as chilling reminders of the risks involved in flying        

(MENAFN - Arab Times) Saudi Arabia slammed as "aggressive and irresponsible" on Monday accusations by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that the kingdom was supporting global ter...

The BBC's Lyse Doucet talks to shoppers in a bazaar in North Tehran about their hopes for the future.

An Iranian friend of one of the two mystery passengers said he hosted the pair in Kuala Lumpur after they arrived from Tehran.

Increasing number of young cafe lovers signals more social freedom in Iran

Al Jazeera uncovers evidence Iran's secret service and a Palestinian group were behind bombing of Pan Am flight 103.

Iran’s ambassador to Beirut has hailed the close ties between the Iranian and Lebanese nations, saying the Islamic Republic supports all Lebanese groups regardless of their political inclinations.

سنندج- ایرنا- فرماندار شهرستان بیجار با اشاره به اجرای یک پروژه مهم اشتغالزایی در بیجار گفت: شهرستان بیجار با مشکل و معظل مهم مهاجرت و بیکاری مواجه است و امید است پروژه جدید اقتصادی راهگشای این مشکلات شود.

Jerusalem, March 11 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lashed out at what he views as the world's "faint" response to Iran's alleged attempt to ship weapons to the Gaza Strip. "At most I heard a few faint condemnations of Iran from the international community after we intercepted this...