'Security hinges on regional countries' (plus 99 more items)

Posted: 14 May 2010 07:17 AM PDT

Iranian Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari says the establishment of security in the Indian Ocean hinges only on the countries in the region, not foreign forces.

"Foreign presence is not needed in the region," IRNA quoted Sayyari as saying on Friday.

Shahnameh commemoration held

Posted: 14 May 2010 06:51 AM PDT

A commemoration ceremony has been held at the National Museum of Iran to mark the millennial anniversary of Ferdowsi's epic masterpiece Shahnameh.

The Shahnameh recounts the history of Persia, beginning with the creation of the world and the introduction of the arts of civilization to the Aryans and ends with the advent of Islam in Iran.

Mowlavi review published in UK

Posted: 14 May 2010 06:25 AM PDT

The Center for Persian and Iranian Studies of Exeter University in cooperation with Near East University of Cyprus has published the first volume of Rumi Review.

The Mawlana Rumi Review is edited by Dr. Leonard Lewisohn (Lecturer in Persian, University of Exeter) in coordination with an international team including Dr. Leili Anvar-Chenderoff (INALCO, Paris), Dr. Shahram Pazouki (Tehran University), Prof. Franklin Lewis (University of Chicago, Illinois), and Prof. James Morris (Boston College, Massachusetts).

Denmark ups Iran embassy security

Posted: 14 May 2010 05:55 AM PDT

Denmark says it will tighten security around the Iranian embassy outside Copenhagen, following violent attacks by anti-government protestors.

Police in Denmark clashed with some 70 anti-government protestors trying to enter the Iranian embassy and arrested at least four who had broken windows and caused damage to the embassy's building on Thursday.

Kyrgyz interim govt. retakes offices

Posted: 14 May 2010 05:31 AM PDT

The interim government in Kyrgyzstan has regained control of two government buildings occupied by supporters of ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

The buildings were seized in the southern city of Osh on Thursday. Interim government supporters took them back on Friday after clashes with Bakiyev loyalists.

Afghans protest civilian deaths

Posted: 14 May 2010 05:27 AM PDT

Thousands of Afghan people have rallied in eastern part of the country to protest against the latest killing of 11 civilians by US-led troops.

The furious Afghans took to the streets of Jalalabad in eastern Nangarhar province on Friday, Reuters reported.

Euro plummets drastically

Posted: 14 May 2010 04:18 AM PDT

The euro has touched its lowest rate against the US Dollar since March 5, 2009, due to economic measures adapted by European Union countries who are trying to manage their debts, Bloomberg reported.

The euro has fallen about 12% against the dollar this year, reaching a rate of 1.26 dollars per euro, Wall Street Journal reported.

Britain to stay tough on Iran N-issue

Posted: 14 May 2010 04:09 AM PDT

As the dust quietly settles on Britain's controversial elections, incoming Foreign Secretary William Hague takes a tough line on Iran's nuclear program

In a Friday interview with local newspapers, Hague made it clear that his country has no intention whatsoever to change its antagonistic approach with regards to Tehran's nuclear peaceful program.

Nigerian president names deputy

Posted: 14 May 2010 04:05 AM PDT

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has picked Kaduna state governor Namadi Sambo as his vice president after he took office last week.

The Nigerian leader selected Sambo on Thursday after he met with the Muslim governor in Abuja.

2 NATO soldiers dead in Afghanistan

Posted: 14 May 2010 04:03 AM PDT

At least one American soldier and one NATO service member have been killed in separate attacks in Afghanistan, NATO has announced.

The US soldier was killed in the attack in the east on Friday, said NATO spokesman Col. Wayne Shanks, the Associated Press reported.

PLO member outlines 'ME peace plan'

Posted: 14 May 2010 03:59 AM PDT

Hanan Ashrawi, a member of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee, has visited Washington over a 'plan for peace in the Middle East.'

During a Thursday speech at the Foundation for Middle East Peace in the US capital, Ashrawi called for a complete halt in the expansion of the illegal Israeli settlements in order for a peace initiative to take off, a Press TV correspondent reported.

Mine blast kills dozens in China

Posted: 14 May 2010 03:42 AM PDT

At least 21 mine workers have been killed in a gas explosion in southwest China's Guizhou province, rescuers have announced.

The blast took place at a coal mine in the city of Anshun late Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.

Israelis kill Palestinian teen in WB

Posted: 14 May 2010 03:40 AM PDT

Israeli settlers have shot dead a Palestinian youth in the occupied West Bank over a protest against Israelis' obstruction of roads in the area.

Palestinian security sources say the slain 14-year-old boy was from the village of Mazra'a al-Sharqia near Ramallah.

Israeli settler 'kills Palestinian'

Posted: 14 May 2010 03:07 AM PDT

A Palestinian teenager has been shot dead by an Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank, witnesses and activists said.

The settler opened fire after Palestinian youths threw stones at his car travelling along Route 60 in Mazra'a al-Sharqia, east of Ramallah.

Posted: 14 May 2010 02:57 AM PDT

Israeli forces injure 24 Palestinians throughout the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported on Friday.

The report documents human right violation took place in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip from May 5th to May 11th, 2010.

Posted: 14 May 2010 02:42 AM PDT

kourosh ziabari A Harvard University graduate, a current Alexander F. Hehmeyer Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at Duke University, and the director of Triangle Institute for Security Studies (TISS), Peter D. Feaver is perhaps best known for his mission under President Bush as the special advisor for strategic planning and institutional reform on the National Security Council from 2005 to 2007.

The author of "Guarding the Guardians: Civilian Control of Nuclear Weapons in the United States" (Cornell University Press), he is an international relations expert and has long commented on issues pertaining to the Middle East and Iran.

Many injured in Kyrgyzstan clashes

Posted: 14 May 2010 02:38 AM PDT

Clashes have erupted in southern Kyrgyzstan as backers of the interim government moved to regain control of buildings seized by supporters of Kurmanbek Bakiyev, the ousted president.

Gunfire broke out in the city of Jalal'abad on Friday, while in Osh, supporters of the two sides threw stones and hit each other with sticks.

Clashes spread in Thai capital

Posted: 14 May 2010 02:02 AM PDT

Clashes have continued in the Thai capital with gunfire as security forces moved to clear anti-government protesters from demonstration areas.

Tear gas and rubber bullets were fired on Friday as troops moved on so-called red shirts at a checkpoint set up near their main encampment in the central Rajprasong business district, after a series of violent clashes left at least one person dead and nine injured overnight.

Afghans angry at 'civilian deaths'

Posted: 14 May 2010 01:48 AM PDT

Hundreds of protesters have taken to the streets in eastern Afghanistan, accusing Nato-led forces of killing civilians during an overnight raid near the city of Jalalabad.

Angry Afghans set fire to tyres and blocked roads in the Surkh Road district of Nangahar province on Friday, demanding an explanation for the deaths.

Arizona Responds to Boycott Threats

Posted: 14 May 2010 12:19 AM PDT

Arrogant liberals all over America continue to try to condemn and demonize Arizona for their attempts to keep illegal aliens from flooding in and bankrupting their state. Well, Arizona has responded by passing a law to ban ethnic studies courses.

An article on Fox News reports: "After making national headlines for a new law on illegal immigrants, the Arizona Legislature sent Gov. Jan Brewer a bill Thursday that would ban ethnic studies programs in the state that critics say currently advocate separatism and racial preferences. The bill, which passed 32-26 in the state House, had been approved by the Senate a day earlier. It now goes to Gov. Jan Brewer for her signature. The new bill would make it illegal for a school district to teach any courses that promote the overthrow of the U.S. government, promote resentment of a particular race or class of people, are designed primarily for students of a particular ethnic group or 'advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals.' …Schools that fail to abide by the law would have state funds withheld."

Blast rips through China coal mine

Posted: 13 May 2010 11:57 PM PDT

At least 21 workers have been killed in an explosion at a coal mine in China's southwestern Guizhou province, state media has reported.

There were 31 miners underground at the time of the blast late on Thursday, but 10 of them managed to escape alive from the mine in the city of Anshun, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.

US to 'bump into' Brazil on Iran

Posted: 13 May 2010 11:42 PM PDT

US ambassador to Brazil Thomas Shannon says the South American country's stance on Iran's nuclear program clashes with that of Washington.

"As Brazil becomes more assertive globally and begins to assert its influence, we are going to bump into Brazil on new issues and in new places such as Iran, the Middle East and Haiti," Financial Times quoted Shannon as saying on Friday.

Pipe plan to tackle US oil spill

Posted: 13 May 2010 11:24 PM PDT

Oil giant BP is preparing a third attempt to stop hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil a day spilling from a ruptured well off the US coast.

The company said it would try to insert a tube into the main leak on Friday to siphon the crude oil up to a tanker on the surface, about 64km off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico.

Posted: 13 May 2010 10:52 PM PDT

The Afghan president says Kabul will take control over US-run prisons in the country, adding that it also has the potential to take over Afghanistan's political and security affairs.

Hamid Karzai made the comments in a meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday.

'Turkey will stand by Greece'

Posted: 13 May 2010 10:48 PM PDT

Turkey's prime minister says his country would support its debt-crippled neighbor Greece in its efforts toward financial recovery.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, before his departure to Greece on Friday, said Turkey stands by Greece's solidarity. "That is why we are visiting you together with my ministers. We must help with this process," he said.

Thai army moves against red shirts

Posted: 13 May 2010 10:47 PM PDT

Thai security forces have moved to clear anti-government protesters from an area of Bangkok after a series of violent clashes left at least one person dead and nine injured.

Tear gas was fired on Friday as troops moved on so-called red shirts at a checkpoint set up near their main encampment in the central Rajprasong business district.

Big US insurers disregard order on Iran

Posted: 13 May 2010 10:26 PM PDT

Nearly 300 insurers in California have rejected a state regulator's order to stop making investment in corporations engaged in business ties with Iran.

The insurers, including more than a dozen major firms such as State Farm, Geico and Prudential, are questioning the authority of state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner to impose sanctions on such firms.

Obama to fund Israel's missile system

Posted: 13 May 2010 10:20 PM PDT

US President Barack Obama wants Congress to pay Israel more than $200 million to fund a new missile system, the White House spokesman says.

Obama has asked Congress to approve the aid so that Israel could deploy a controversial missile system called the "Iron Dome."

China PM 'distraught' over attacks

Posted: 13 May 2010 09:49 PM PDT

China's premier has said that a series of attacks on schoolchildren has "deep-seated" roots in social tensions which need to be addressed.

Wen Jiabao told Hong Kong's Phoenix television on Thursday that he "felt extremely distraught" at the children's deaths and that China has to look into the reasons behind them.

Arrests follow US bomb plot raids

Posted: 13 May 2010 09:19 PM PDT

Three men suspected of providing money to the man charged with attempting to plant a bomb in New York's Times Square have been arrested in the northeast of the United States.

The arrests came after agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided homes in homes in New York, New Jersey, Maine and Massachusetts on Thursday morning.

Explosion rocks Athens amid debt crisis

Posted: 13 May 2010 09:17 PM PDT

An explosion outside Greece's main prison injures one person, as the country has been paralyzed with mass protests over austerity measures.

Police say the blast occurred following an unknown tip-off to the Greek media on Wednesday.

Israel deliberately destroyed Gaza

Posted: 13 May 2010 09:10 PM PDT

Human Rights Watch says it has proof Israeli soldiers deliberately destroyed Palestinian homes and buildings during the 2008-09 assault on Gaza.

HRW, in its 116-page report, 'I Lost Everything': Israel's Unlawful Destruction of Property in the Gaza Conflict, says it has documented 12 separate cases of such during the 22-day "Operation Cast Lead".

Maya's Red Flags

Posted: 13 May 2010 09:01 PM PDT

I remember a particular conversation I had with a boyfriend of two years during the second week of our relationship. He was unhappy because I turned down his invitation one night to attend my weekly card game. I remember saying to myself: there is something wrong with this guy. In fact, there was something wrong with me too because I stayed with him for two years and moved halfway around the world to be with him. It took me eight years to get back to where I should have been had I been able to resist him initially. Almost ten years on I am still feeling the impact of that gross error of judgement. In retrospect, the red flags were there. I just chose to ignore them.

The Islamists Amuck in America

Posted: 13 May 2010 09:00 PM PDT

A few days after the failed attempt of a Pakistani-born naturalized American citizen to blow Times Square sky high, I bravely made my way through the returning throng of tourists and street vendors to take a look. By my calculation, had the jackal, Faisal Shahzad, 30, succeeded with his evil project in the early evening of Saturday, May 1 to explode the SUV he left on a Times Square street, he might have killed several hundred utterly innocent civilians, possibly a thousand. Fortunately, he failed.

More US bluster as Lula visits Iran

Posted: 13 May 2010 08:59 PM PDT

The US has claimed that an upcoming visit to Iran by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvia will not impede talks on new Iran sanctions.

Lula will visit Tehran at the helm of a 300-member Brazilian delegation to attend the 14th Summit of the Group of 15 (G15) that will be held on May 17 in Tehran.

Russia defends meeting with Hamas

Posted: 13 May 2010 08:54 PM PDT

Russia has defended its contacts with Hamas after President Dmitry Medvedev met the group's leader, saying the organization must play a role in peace talks.

"Hamas is not an artificial structure," Andrei Nesterenko, the Russian foreign ministry spokesman, said in a statement on Thursday.

Pakistani MPs urge NATO oil halt

Posted: 13 May 2010 08:49 PM PDT

A number of Pakistani lawmakers have introduced a motion that calls for a ban on oil supplies to US-led NATO forces stationed in neighboring Afghanistan.

The lawmakers, from the Jamaat-e-Islami party, submitted the motion to the upper house of the Parliament (Senate) on Thursday, a Press TV correspondent reported.

3 arrested over link to NYC bomb plot

Posted: 13 May 2010 08:40 PM PDT

Three people have been detained by US authorities over the Times Square bomb attack in New York City, but no terrorist charges have been yet made against them.

FBI investigators carried out searches in Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey in their continuing investigation into the failed bombing, which White House officials believe can be traced back to the Pakistani militants.

Obama urges funds for Israel shield

Posted: 13 May 2010 07:31 PM PDT

Barack Obama, the US president, has asked Congress for $205m to help Israel speed up construction of a new short-range anti-missile defence system, White House aides have said.

The so-called "Iron Dome" project is designed to intercept rockets and artillery shells from the Gaza Strip and neighbouring Lebanon.

Posted: 13 May 2010 07:23 PM PDT

The strange case of Joseph Moshe has resurfaced.

In August of 2009, Moshe was accused of making threats against the White House. He briefly made headlines during a stand-off with police in Los Angeles. During the confrontation, the Israeli scientist remarkably withstood five rounds of chemical agent tossed inside his car in the parking lot of the Federal Building in West Los Angeles.

Afghanistan to deploy security system

Posted: 13 May 2010 06:58 PM PDT

Afghanistan has decided to deploy a state-of-the-art surveillance system along its border with Pakistan to stop militants from crossing the border.

The US embassy in Afghanistan said in a Thursday statement that the American-made system will be first installed near the Spin Boldak border crossing in Kandahar Province, a Press TV correspondent reported.

Bangkok tense after fresh clashes

Posted: 13 May 2010 06:58 PM PDT

A state of emergency is in force in the Thai capital, Bangkok, following a night of violence between police and anti-government "red shirts" in which at least one protester was killed.

The clashes late on Thursday erupted after a suspended army general allied with the red shirt movement was left in critical condition after being shot in the head.

US companies trying to kill Iran bill

Posted: 13 May 2010 06:26 PM PDT

Major US firms are warning Congress against passing legislation to impose new sanctions against Iran, saying such sanctions will further damage the US economy.

Boeing Co. and Exxon Mobil Corp. are lobbying to fend off tightened sanctions against Iran that business groups say will cut US exports.

Kyrgyz protesters seize two airports

Posted: 13 May 2010 06:04 PM PDT

Supporters of ousted Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev have taken control of local government buildings and two airports in the south of the country.

In the southern city of Jalalabad, where most of Bakiyev's supporters are based, hundreds of people stormed a government building and took control of the area on Thursday, AFP reported.

9/11 Coincidences

Posted: 13 May 2010 06:01 PM PDT

How much more evidence do we need before the government and mainstream media finally talks about this issue? By ignoring this issue, the government and media are just insulting our intelligence. 9/11 witnesses - who include fire crew, police officers and media reporters - heard and saw explosions going off inside the towers, long before they actually fell.

Rogue Generals

Posted: 13 May 2010 04:42 PM PDT

Retired Thai General Khattiya Sawatdipho was dramatically shot in the head Thursday while giving an interview to a reporter on the street in Bangkok. Khattiya was once one of the most prominent commanders in the Thai military, and claims to have worked closely with the CIA in the 1980s to root out communist rebels in the country's south. But after his friend, former Prime Minsiter Thaksin Shinawatra was deposed, he defected to join the country's anti-government "red-shirt" protesters. This case of a government losing control over a prominent military commander is hardly an isolated incident.

Air France black box search fails

Posted: 13 May 2010 04:25 PM PDT

A weeklong search to find traces of an Air France jet on a patch of mid-Atlantic seabed has failed to yield any results, a French official says.

Naval investigators had calculated the Air France Flight 447 beacon's most likely point of origin, which was 40 miles to the southwest of the 1,200-square mile zone they were previously searching, and sent a Norwegian ship and a mini-submarine to search the 80-square mile rectangle, the New York Times reported Thursday.

Iran sanctions hang on Lula visit: US

Posted: 13 May 2010 04:00 PM PDT

A US official has suggested that next week's nuclear talks between Iranian and Brazilian officials could prevent the imposition of tougher UN sanctions against Tehran.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is slated to visit the country to work closely with Iran on a potential nuclear fuel swap deal.

Cigarette butts can protect steel

Posted: 13 May 2010 03:47 PM PDT

A new study conducted by Chinese scientists has shown that some chemical extracts from cigarette butts can be used to protect steel pipes from rusting.

After immersing cigarette butts in water, researchers found nine chemicals, including nicotine and applied the extracts to N80, steel used in oil pipes, Reuters reported.

Spain's major union calls for strike

Posted: 13 May 2010 03:36 PM PDT

In Spain, the General Union of Workers (Union General de Trabajadores) is calling for a public sector workers strike in early June.

The union urged all public workers to "observe a general strike on June 2", Reuters reported.

'Europe crisis pose threat to Asia'

Posted: 13 May 2010 03:05 PM PDT

Australia's central bank has warned that renewed financial turmoil in some European countries could pose a risk to the Asian growth.

A senior official form the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) on Thursday said measures by the European Union to shore up Greece have gone some way to restoring investor confidence, but doubts could resurface.

Iran subsidy cuts to start this year

Posted: 13 May 2010 03:04 PM PDT

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the plan to cut food and energy subsidies will be implemented in the country in the second half of the 2010/11 year.

In a televised interview in southern Iran, Ahmadinejad said the plan would be Iran's "biggest economic plan in the past 50 years."

Syria: Israel harming ME security

Posted: 13 May 2010 03:00 PM PDT

Syrian President Bashar al-Asad has accused Israel of harming security in the Middle East as the regime continues to threaten its neighbors.

"Israel's policies of rejecting peace and continuing to threaten war is likely to undermine peace and security in the region," the Syrian Arab News Agency quoted President Asad as saying during a meeting with Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos on Thursday.

Merkel warns against euro plunge

Posted: 13 May 2010 02:48 PM PDT

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned against the devaluation of euro against other currencies, saying it is threatening the whole European Union project.

The warning came after the EU's single currency sank to a 14-month low of 1.26 dollars over concerns about sky-high deficits of eurozone nations like Greece, Portugal and Spain.

Chinese man hacks 7 children to death

Posted: 13 May 2010 02:44 PM PDT

An attacker with a cleaver has hacked to death seven children and two adults at a kindergarten in northwest China, the latest in a string of savage assaults on the country's schools.

Since March 2010, some 16 children have been killed in various attacks forcing the government to take emergency action, beef up security and install cameras in Chinese schools.

Skirmish at Afghan-Pakistan border

Posted: 13 May 2010 02:24 PM PDT

Afghan and foreign forces are reported to have crossed into Pakistan in pursuit of undisclosed targets as a military offensive appears to be spilling across the border.

The military operation started on Thursday in the Datta Khel region of Pakistan's Waziristan province, Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder said.

Afghan war costs 'higher' than Iraq

Posted: 13 May 2010 02:23 PM PDT

A recently released Pentagon spending report indicates that the monthly cost of the US war in Afghanistan has topped the costs in Iraq for the first time since 2003.

According to the report, the cost of war in Afghanistan for February stood at 6.7 billion dollars. The figure is almost 20 percent higher compared against the 5.5 billion dollars spent in Iraq.

Posted: 13 May 2010 02:22 PM PDT

On 10 May there were more than two dozen bombings and shootings in Iraq that killed at least 85 people and injured at least 300.These were coordinated attacks, clearly by the same organization.

The American response to this and other recent attacks is to delay plans for withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Obama's election promise was to withdraw troops from Iraq by May this year. Not only is that obviously not going to happen but we learned after his election that "withdrawal" meant leaving 50,000 troops as 'trainers' as well as 4,500 special forces and tens of thousands of para-military contractors.

Nigerian president nominates VP

Posted: 13 May 2010 01:54 PM PDT

Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria's president, has nominated Namadi Sambo, a Muslim governor of the northern Kaduna state, to serve as the country's vice president.

Government sources said on Thursday that Jonathan had picked Sambo to be his deputy after a long deliberation the night before.

Arrests made in NY bomb raids

Posted: 13 May 2010 01:48 PM PDT

Two Pakistani men suspected of providing money to Faisal Shahzad, the New York's Times Square car bomb suspect, have been arrested in a string of raids across the northeast, law enforcement officials have said.

Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted raids in homes in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts on Thursday morning.

Seoul probes explosives on sunken ship

Posted: 13 May 2010 01:47 PM PDT

Seoul says it is checking metal fragments from a South Korean warship that sank in March against a North Korean torpedo it obtained off the west coast in 2003.

"Comparisons are underway to check if metal pieces recovered from the Cheonan are made of material similar to that of a North Korean torpedo," a military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Yonhap news agency on Thursday.

France backs Brazil mediation on Iran

Posted: 13 May 2010 01:31 PM PDT

French President Nicolas Sarkozy assures his Brazilian counterpart that Paris will fully support Brazil's mediation to resolve the international deadlock over Iran's nuclear issue.

In a phone conversation with Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Sarkozy discussed Iran's nuclear issue just days ahead of Brazilian President's planned trip to the country to attend the 14th Summit of the G15 in Tehran.

Will There Be an Indian Harvard?

Posted: 13 May 2010 01:29 PM PDT

India is currently confronting a dilemma that threatens to stop the country's impressive economic expansion in its tracks: an acute shortage of trained manpower. To provide the country with a much-needed injection of skilled engineers and managers, India's leaders have embarked on an ambitious effort to encourage foreign higher educational institutions to open campuses on their soil.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government has proposed legislation, which the Indian Parliament is expected to enact into law, paving the way for foreign universities to set up branches in India. They will have a vast pool of aspirants to choose from: 88 out of every 100 Indian students who graduate from high school don't go on to higher education. And though this number is projected to fall to 70 out of 100 by 2020, that will still leave large numbers of Indians out of higher education.

Iran, Kenya in $300mn economic venture

Posted: 13 May 2010 12:58 PM PDT

An Iranian company is to invest $300 million in a joint venture with a Kenyan firm to turn Iran's southern port of Bandar Imam into a regional hub for the import and export of grains.

MJ Kaveh Group and the Kenyan firm will each invest $150 million to construct several silos in Bandar Imam, a statement issued by the private Iranian firm read.

Posted: 13 May 2010 12:56 PM PDT

The European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, has revealed a set of proposals to fully integrate the economies of the EU member states and centralize power under a federalized union.

Following monday's announcement of a €750bn EU bailout fund, the EC head and Bilderberg darling José Manuel Barroso announced details of the plan for further European integration.

Elena Kagan's Opposition to Gun Rights

Posted: 13 May 2010 12:55 PM PDT

A third instance of Elena Kagan opposing Americans' Second Amendment right to own a gun has now become public, and is sure to become a major issue in her Supreme Court confirmation hearings. And it confirms that President Obama's gun-control agenda is to create a Supreme Court that will "reinterpret" the Second Amendment until that amendment means nothing at all.

Hatoyama to miss US base deadline

Posted: 13 May 2010 12:47 PM PDT

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama says he may miss a self-imposed end of May deadline to relocate a controversial US military airbase.

"We will do as much as we can do by the end of May," Eurasia Review quoted the Japanese premier as saying on Thursday. "We will of course make efforts in June and afterwards, if there are things we have to discuss further."

'Red-shirt' general shot in Bangkok

Posted: 13 May 2010 12:41 PM PDT

A Thai general closely aligned with the country's opposition has been shot as the army mounts a massive crackdown on the anti-government protesters in Bangkok.

General Seh Daeng on Thursday was shot possibly by a sniper near the site swarmed by thousands of anti-government protesters. The general is reported to be in serious condition.

Posted: 13 May 2010 12:36 PM PDT

The Palestinian government in the Gaza Strip, headed by the Hamas movement, decided to establish a new temporary refugee camp at the Erez Terminal, between the Gaza Strip and Israel, to absorb the Palestinians who were forced out of the West Bank recently.

The Palestinians were forcibly removed from occupied West Bank under the new Israeli order number 1650 in which Israel allowed itself to deport Palestinians livening in the West Bank without a West Bank identity card or residency permit.

US dollar puts pressure on oil prices

Posted: 13 May 2010 12:35 PM PDT

Oil prices have fallen below $75 in the United States after the US currency gains in value and puts extra pressure on oil.

Crude oil futures fell to a three months low of $73.91 a barrel on Thursday, trading 60 cents below the low price of $74.51 a barrel on Friday -last week, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Meshkatian instruments to go on display

Posted: 13 May 2010 12:25 PM PDT

Iran's Music Museum is planning to hold an exhibition of musical instruments belonging to the late Iranian musician and Santour virtuoso, Parviz Meshkatian.

The museum is negotiating with the Meshkatian family to borrow the instruments for the exhibition, museum director Ali Moradkhani told Fars News Agency on Wednesday.

Russia, Turkey seal nuclear deal

Posted: 13 May 2010 12:15 PM PDT

The Russian president and the Turkish prime minister have sealed a $20 billion deal allowing Russia to build Turkey's first nuclear power plant.

Dmitry Medvedev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the deal in Ankara on Wednesday after more than a year of negotiations between officials of the two states.

Russia defends Medvedev-Hamas talks

Posted: 13 May 2010 12:11 PM PDT

Russia has rebuffed Israel's criticism of President Dmitry Medvedev's meeting with the leader of the Palestinian group Hamas.

Israel's foreign ministry said it was "deeply disappointed" that Medvedev had met Khaled Meshaal, the group's exiled leader, during a visit to Syria this week.

US 'warns' against Jerusalem demolition

Posted: 13 May 2010 11:56 AM PDT

The US has warned Israel against "inflammatory actions" after the regime announced plans to continue demolition of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem.

"If either side [Israel or Palestinians] takes significant actions during the proximity talks that we judge would seriously undermine trust, we will respond and hold them accountable," an unnamed US State Department official said Thursday, the BBC reported.

Senate climate bill unveiled

Posted: 13 May 2010 11:50 AM PDT

With the Congressional election being less than six months away, the Democrats are trying hard to attract votes and regain power by revealing a new climate bill.

Senators John Kerry and Josef Lieberman jointly unveiled the 987-page bill in a ceremony today, New York Times reported.

Posted: 13 May 2010 11:37 AM PDT

Israeli nuclear whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu has been sentenced to another three months imprisonment for allegedly refusing to perform community service in West Jerusalem.

Vanunu, a former employee at Israel's secret Dimona nuclear facility in the Negev desert, spent 18 years in jail after he revealed information about the facility to the international media.

'Iran, West will settle nuclear issue'

Posted: 13 May 2010 11:36 AM PDT

The West has no choice but to reach an agreement with Tehran on its nuclear program, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has said.

Speaking to the Egyptian paper Al-Ahram, Ali Akbar Salehi said the US and its Western allies do not seek an end to the nuclear issue but want to "all together eliminate Iran's nuclear program."

Draught threatens Bakhtegan Lake

Posted: 13 May 2010 11:23 AM PDT

The Environment Protection Organization of Iran has warned about the declining water levels of Bakhtegan Lake in the country's southern Fars Province.

Located about 160km east of the historical city of Shiraz, the lake is facing a great environmental disaster due to, draught and lack of proper management, ISNA reported.

When History Repeats...

Posted: 13 May 2010 11:10 AM PDT

On February 27, 1933, after Hitler came to power, the Nazis burned down the Berlin Reichstag (Parliament) building and blamed it on Communist terrorists to justify a "temporary" suspension of civil liberties to cope with the terrorist threat. This is how Hitler became an absolute dictator. The "temporary" suspension of freedom lasted until Germany was in ruins.

Posted: 13 May 2010 11:09 AM PDT

A Palestinian infant was killed and 3 civilians, including a child, were wounded during Israel's military attacks targeting the West Bank, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights said in its weekly report.

The report, which documents daily human rights violations in the occupied territories, covers the period of Thursday May 6th to Wednesday May 12th 2010.

Thai PM withdraws election offer

Posted: 13 May 2010 11:06 AM PDT

Thailand's prime minister has withdrawn his offer of an early election after the red-shirts showed no signs of ending their protest in a Bangkok shopping district.

Premier Abhisit Vejjajiva had offered to hold elections in November to end the months-long protest in the Thai capital.

Renewed gunfire rocks Thai capital

Posted: 13 May 2010 11:06 AM PDT

Gunfire and loud explosions have been heard in central Bangkok near the area where the red shirt protesters are camped out, after they ignored a deadline to end their two months of street rallies.

Al Jazeera's Wayne Hay, reporting from the Thai capital, said that the gunfire started after the 6pm (1100 GMT) deadline set by the government passed without the protesters moving off the scene.

Moms of US detainees get Iran visas

Posted: 13 May 2010 11:00 AM PDT

Tehran has issued visas for the mothers of three US nationals detained in Iran for illegally crossing the border, Iran Foreign Ministry says.

During his weekly press conference in Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters on Tuesday that the mothers of the three US nationals, Joshua Fattal, Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd, have been granted visas to visit Iran and meet their children.

3 plotters of Moscow bombings killed

Posted: 13 May 2010 10:56 AM PDT

Russian security forces have killed three members of a criminal group assumed responsible for Moscow's twin metro bombings on March 29 which left 39 people dead.

Russia's Federal Security Service Chief Alexander Bortnikov said on Thursday that the trio were members of a "criminal group, which included people who had accompanied the bombers on their way to Moscow and one of them to the site of the terrorist attack."

Russia against bypassing UNSC on Iran

Posted: 13 May 2010 10:51 AM PDT

Veto-wielding UN Security Council member Russia warns the US ands its Western allies against imposing unilateral sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

The European Union has talked about the possibility of imposing unilateral sanctions if the UNSC rejects the US-drafted sanctions resolution. The move comes amid efforts by permanent and non-permanent UNSC members to diplomatically end the nuclear standoff.

Posted: 13 May 2010 10:49 AM PDT

The Love Police interrupt a photo op and press conference for George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and William Hague, Conservative party MP, shortly after the "election" of David Cameron.

With that in mind, the Love Police blast the "illusion of democracy" and attempt to steer the people towards the unified war party and rule by bankers. The audience looks stunned, but the purpose of the interruption is explained to the crowd after the figures of interest walk indoors in frustration.

Posted: 13 May 2010 10:24 AM PDT

A script leaked for the upcoming film Robert Rodriguez Machete confirms fears that seeks to build up a racial cult figure who kills for the cause of illegal immigrants.

Dubai arrests Nigerian ex-governor

Posted: 13 May 2010 10:18 AM PDT

Police in Dubai have arrested James Ibori, a former governor of the oil-rich Niger Delta, on corruption charges, the head of Nigeria's anti-fraud agency has said.

Ibori was taken into custody on Thursday on the orders of the Nigerian government for allegedly laundering hundreds of millions of dollars during his eight years in office.

Bakiyev supporters 'attempt coup'

Posted: 13 May 2010 10:01 AM PDT

Hundreds of supporters of Kurmanbek Bakiyev, Kyrgyzstan's ousted president, have stormed a third regional government building in the south of the country.

The occupation of the office in Batken came after followers of Bakiyev had earlier taken control of the regional governors' offices in Osh and Jalalabad.

Thai Army plans to seal protest

Posted: 13 May 2010 10:00 AM PDT

The Thai Army says it plans a massive lockdown on a Bangkok neighborhood where thousands of red-shirts have gathered to resume their anti-government protest.

Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd, the spokesman of the agency tasked with putting an end to the months-long protest, said armored personnel carriers and snipers will surround the protesters who have barricaded themselves in an upmarket shopping and hotel district.

Govt crackdown in NW Pakistan

Posted: 13 May 2010 09:58 AM PDT

A Pakistani official says in a crackdown against the militants at least 60 suspects were arrested in the Kala Dhaka area of Mansehra district in Pakistan.

Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told reporters on Thursday that at least 60 militants were arrested in the operations that took place in different parts of Kala Dhaka area near Hazara border of the Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa province.

'Enmity toward Iran fundamental for US'

Posted: 13 May 2010 09:49 AM PDT

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad describes US enmity towards Iran as "fundamental," saying Washington fears the growing influence of Tehran.

In a televised interview in southern Iran, Ahmadinejad said the people in the US and Europe have become "disappointed with their leaders and now see Iran as their only hope."

€500 note withdrawn in Britain

Posted: 13 May 2010 09:44 AM PDT

The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) has withdrawn hundreds of millions of pounds' worth of €500 notes in Britain hoping to stop money laundering.

In an attempt to crack down on international gangs, SOCA, in collaboration with the Treasury and Home Office, reached a deal with the UK banking system in April to keep the notes out of circulation in Britain. This came after an investigation revealed that 90 per cent of the €500 notes in Britain were used for criminal purposes.

Alleged fraud by Baugur boss

Posted: 13 May 2010 09:43 AM PDT

Charges were filed against former owner of the Baugur investment group, Jon Asgeir Johannesson, by Iceland's collapsed Glitnir Bank alleging £1.4bn in fraud.

The charges, brought forth by the bank's board, allege that Mr. Johannesson, who was one of the biggest shareholders in the publicly listed Glitnir Bank and has remained a director of the House of Fraser and a chairman of Iceland Foods, led a conspiracy to siphon £1.4bn ($2bn) from the bank by engaging in "heavy and improper lending to entities that they controlled," depleting its cash reserves and exposing the bank to its failure during the October 2008 meltdown of the Icelandic economy.

Alleged fraud against Baugur boss

Posted: 13 May 2010 09:42 AM PDT

Kyrgyz regional office seized in south

Posted: 13 May 2010 09:41 AM PDT

Supporters of the former President of Kyrgyzstan, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, have taken over the regional government headquarters in the southern city of Osh.

The demonstrators scuffled with guards and entered the regional administration office in Osh, Kyrgyzstan's second largest city, after holding a demonstration that drew about 1,000 people.

Cabinet and Security Council forms

Posted: 13 May 2010 09:40 AM PDT

David Cameron's new government has begun to take shape as positions for its new cabinet are being secured and its first meeting set to take place today.

Prime Minister Cameron and his deputy Clegg have already begun to set policy priorities and select members of its new cabinet for their first meeting to be held today at 9am BST.

Raids in US over NY bomb plot

Posted: 13 May 2010 09:40 AM PDT

The US authorities investigating the attempted bombing in New York's Times Square earlier this month have executed search warrants at several locations in the northeast of the country.

Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have conducted raids in Watertown, Massachusetts, and other Boston-area sites on Thursday morning.

Posted: 13 May 2010 09:30 AM PDT

Israeli media sources reported on Thursday that 13 Israeli soldiers serving at an Air force base were arrested over drug usage.

According you Ynet the soldiers serve as technicians, ammunition inspectors, and dog trainers, they were presented to a judge at a military court which sentenced 11 of them to jail time till the end of the investigation while the remaining two soldiers were detained within their units.

Libya crash survivor 'doing well'

Posted: 13 May 2010 09:06 AM PDT

A 9-year-old Dutch boy who was the sole survivor from a plane crash in Libya has been reported to be in stable condition.

The Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A330 came down on a plot of barren land just short of the runway on Wednesday morning, killing 103 people, including 11 crew and 70 Dutch nationals.

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