Monday 4 January 2010

Iran in the Newspapers 05 Jan 10


Security breach causes airport to grind to a halt
NEWARK, N.J. (The Associated Press) —A man walked through a screening checkpoint exit into the secure side of a terminal at one of the nation’s busiest airports on Sunday night, and flights were grounded for hours and passengers had to be re-screened while air safety officials searched for him. Airline passengers were allowed to begin boarding their planes at Newark Liberty International Airport about six hours after the man was seen bypassing security. The man walked down an exit lane at Terminal C about 5:30 p.m. eastern, Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Ann Davis said, and screening was halted while authorities looked at surveillance tapes to try to identify him. Passengers were then moved from the secure side of the terminal, which is used primarily by Continental Airlines Inc., to the open side to go through screening again, Davis said in a statement. Passengers waited in check-in areas. The terminal was searched thoroughly to make sure no dangerous objects were in it before the boa
Moose Jaw Times Herald | 2010-01-04 | Canada | Page: 14

Security increasing for flights into the U.S. at international airports
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (The Associated Press) — Airline passengers heading to the United States met increased security screening Monday in airports around the world following U.S. requests for stricter checks after a Nigerian man allegedly tried to ignite explosives on a flight to Detroit. Pakistan’s national airline said it was intensifying security checks for U.S.-bound passengers, even though there are no direct flights to the States from Pakistan. Screening was also stepped up for those flying to the U.S. from other parts of Asia and the Middle East. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration said people flying into the United States from countries such as Nigeria, Yemen, Pakistan, Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria are to face the extra screening, which is likely to annoy passengers already facing intrusive security procedures. “It is beyond my imagination what more they could do,’’ said Nadim Umer, 40, a Karachi-based linen merchant who said he was subjected to a strip search when he arrived in New York l
Moose Jaw Times Herald | 2010-01-04 | Canada | Page: 14

Travellers to US face increased scrutiny
WASHINGTON: All travellers flying to the US will face increased random screening, and all passengers from 14 terror-prone nations will be patted down and have their carry-on bags searched, under new rules unleashed by the Obama administration last night. Citizens of Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria, countries considered ‘‘state sponsors of terrorism’’, and those of ‘‘countries of interest’’ — including Afghanistan, Algeria, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen — will face the special scrutiny, officials said. The changes beef up screening standards for all US-bound travellers and are in response to the attempted bombing by a radicalised Nigerian of an airliner coming in to Detroit on Christmas Day. The Nigerian man boarded the flight to the US in Amsterdam and was screened by a magnetometer, which did not detect the explosives he was allegedly carrying in his underwear. The US Transportation Security Administration notified airline carriers yesterday of the changes for all fligh
The Australian | 2010-01-05 | Australia | Page: 8

LIVING IN A WORLD WITHOUT SAFETY
THERE was surely something significant about the news story that dominated the last week of America’s decas horribilis. It was how one lone trust-fund Nigerian was able to command the attention of every important politician, dominate every news cycle and stymie everyone’s travel plans. Just one solitary loser, steeped in post-teen isolation, amped up on messianic fundamentalism, with some badly toasted privates, was capable of all this. It took only 19 of this kind of loser to change world history almost a decade ago. Those sexually repressed and meticulously shaved jihadists did not even have explosives-packed undies. They just had themselves, their willingness to die for Allah, and some big aeroplanes they stole from civilised people. And in return, what prevented the disaster of 9/11 from being even worse were a few brave people who decided to take down in a field in Pennsylvania the plane heading for Capitol Hill. And last weekend, it took one backpacker from Holland to jump on the pathetic creep with the
The Australian | 2010-01-05 | Australia | Page: 6

GLOBAL JOURNALS
Karma capitalism GLOBALISATION has been good for the gods in the Indian subcontinent, writes William Dalrymple in the New Statesman. Faith has been growing and religion becoming stronger as the region develops and reinvents itself. ‘‘As India is liberalising and globalising its economy, the country is experiencing a rising tide of popular Hinduism, which is leaving no social segment and no public institution untouched.’’ India now has 2.5 million places of worship, but only 1.5 million schools. Pilgrimages account for more than 50 per cent of all package tours A recent survey found 30 per cent of Indians said they had become more religious in the past five years. ‘‘Such is the appetite for rituals in this newly religious middle class that there has recently been a severe shortfall of English-and Sanskrit-speaking priests with the qualifications to perform Vedic and Agamic rites. When it comes to rituals in the new India, demand has completely outstripped supply.’’ Obama’s Afghan test US President Barack Ob
The Australian | 2010-01-05 | Australia | Page: 6

Tehran flexes military muscle
IRANIAN media yesterday reported that Tehran would conduct a large-scale defensive military exercise next month, coinciding with what government officials now say is a deadline for the West to respond to its counter-offer to a nuclear-fuel deal. The commander of Iran’s ground forces, Brigadier General Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan, said the drill would be conducted by Iran’s army in conjunction with some units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard to improve ‘‘defensive capabilities’’, Press TV, the English-language, state-run media outlet reported. The report followed comments by minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Saturday challenging Western nations to decide by the end of the month on counter-proposals Tehran has floated to an internationally brokered nuclear fuel deal. Iran’s counter-proposals include agreeing to swap the bulk of its low-enriched uranium for more highly enriched uranium, but in small batches and on Iranian soil. Iranian officials also have named Turkey as a possible venue to swap the fuel. Iran has sepa
The Australian | 2010-01-05 | Australia | Page: 7

New air traveler screening focuses on 14 nations
WASHINGTON: Air travelers from 14 countries will face full-body pat downs before boarding airliners under new security screening procedures targeting foreign passengers announced by the United States on Sunday. The procedures, which went into effect yesterday, follow the botched Christmas Day bombing attempt on a Detroit-bound US airliner blamed on a Nigerian man who US officials believe was trained by Al-Qaida in Yemen. Passengers traveling from or through nations listed as “state sponsors of terrorism” — Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria — as well as Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen, will face heightened screening, an Obama administration official said. Nearly all of those are Muslim countries. Nigeria made a formal protest at its inclusion in the list. Such passengers will be patted down, have their carry-on luggage searched and could undergo advanced explosive detection or imaging scans. The Transportation Security Administration, the US agency
China Daily | 2010-01-05 | China | Page: 12

Foreigners arrested
Iran said yesterday that several foreigners conducting “ psychological warfare” against the clerical system were arrested in last month’s bloody clashes between opposition supporters and security forces. Meanwhile, dozens of Tehran University professors appealed yesterday to Iran’s supreme leader to halt the ongoing violence against protesters, adding a new and respected voice in support of the opposition. In the bloodiest unrest since the aftermath of a disputed June presidential poll, eight people were killed on Dec 27.
China Daily | 2010-01-05 | China | Page: 12

Major: When I was Prime Minister I told the truth
FORMER Prime Minister Sir John Major launched a devastating attack on Tony Blair yesterday, effectively accusing his Downing Street successor of going to war in Iraq on a false pretext. Sir John cranked up the pressure on Mr Blair, who is due to give evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry into the war within the next few weeks, by saying he suspected the action ‘was more about regime change than it was about weapons of mass destruction’ – the reason MPs were given for the invasion. Tellingly, Sir John revealed that during his time at No10, the idea of removing Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein by force had been raised by US President Bill Clinton’s administration, but that his Downing Street aides had warned that it needed to be ‘legal and viable’. Mr Blair is expected to face intense interrogation by the Chilcot team over the advice he was given on the legality of the war. His claims that Saddam possessed WMDs have turned out to be completely bogus. And Sir John, who was defeated by Mr Blair in his 1997 landslide Ele
The Mail on Sunday | 2010-01-03 | UK | Page: 9

Vicar of Baghdad: Fifth EXCLUSIVE: hostage may be alive
THE respected clergyman who negotiated with the kidnappers of five British hostages in Iraq has been told that the final man being held may still be alive. Canon Andrew White, known as the ‘Vicar of Baghdad’, has revealed he had been in secret talks over the release of the men for two-and-a-half years. IT consultant Peter Moore was dramatically released last week and flown home from Baghdad to be reunited with his family on Friday. The bodies of three of his security guards were recovered by the Iraqi Government over the summer. The fate of the remaining guard, Alan McMenemy, has never been known, although the Foreign Office believe he was killed along with his colleagues. But speaking to The Mail on Sunday last night, Canon White said he had received word that Mr McMenemy may still be alive. Three days before Christmas, he claims to have been told by senior representatives of the kidnapping group, the Righteous League, that Mr McMenemy would be released with Mr Moore. And in recent days he says his sour
The Mail on Sunday | 2010-01-03 | UK | Page: 12

New U.S. screening focuses on 14 nations
Air travelers from Nigeria, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and nine other countries will face full-body pat downs before boarding airliners under new security screening procedures targeting foreign passengers announced by the United States on Sunday. The procedures, which go into effect on Monday, follow the botched Christmas Day bombing attempt on a Detroit-bound U.S. airliner blamed on a Nigerian man who U.S. officials believe was trained by al Qaeda in Yemen. Passengers traveling from or through nations listed as “state sponsors of terrorism” — Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria — as well as Af g hani s t a n, Al g e r i a , Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen will face heightened screening, an Obama administration official said. Nearly countries. Such passengers will be patted down, have their carry-on luggage searched and could undergo advanced explosive detection or imaging scans, according to the official, who spoke on condition on anonymity. The Tr a ns p
The China Post | 2010-01-05 | Taiwan | Page: 3

Oil rises over US$80 for 1st time since Nov.
Crude oil rose for an eighth day, trading above US$80 a barrel for the first time in seven weeks, as freezing U.S. weather and improving economic prospects boosted the outlook for fuel demand. U.S. heating oil inventories, which have fallen for six weeks, may be further strained by record low tempera- GLOBAL STOCK MARKETS tures across the country’s northeast. Russian oil supplies to Europe were threatened after a deadline passed in talks with Belarus on export duties. In Iran, holder of the second-largest crude reserves, a crackdown on opposition protests last week was the harshest in six months. “Most important has been the cold weather,” said Christopher Bellew, senior broker with Bache Commodities Ltd. in London. Crude oil for February delivery rose as much as US$1.80, or 2.3 percent, to US$81.16 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. That’s the highest since Oct. 30, and the first time above US$80 since Nov. 18. The contract was at US$80.95 at WORLD CURRENCY CROSS RATES
The China Post | 2010-01-05 | Taiwan | Page: 7

Iran hangs three rapist murderers: state agency
Iran hanged on Monday three men c onvict ed of r aping 12 women and murdering seven of them in a town south of Tehran, the official IRNA news agency reported. The men, i dentified by their first names as brothers Alireza and Amir and Afghan citizen Dolat-Khan, were hanged in a prison in Varamin, a small town 30 kilometres south of Tehran, IRNA and other media said. These were the first executions reported in Iran this year. Iran people an AFP reports. In 2008, Iran executed 246 people, the highest number in any country bar China. Tehran says the death penalty is necessary for maintaining public security and is applied only after exhaustive j udicial proceedings. Murder, r ape, ar med r obbery, drug trafficking and adultery are all punishable by death i n the Islamic republic. hanged at least 270 in 2009 according to count based on news
The China Post | 2010-01-05 | Taiwan | Page: 2


PKR WIN MEET DESPITE LOSS
North Korea continued their 2010 World Cup preparations by winning a four-team invitational tournament in Qatar despite losing their final match 0-1 to Iran. A draw between the hosts and Mali in the earlier match meant North Korea could afford to lose to Iran on Saturday having recorded victories in their opening two games. Mehrzad Madanchi scored the winner for Iran.
DNA (Daily News & Analysis) | 2010-01-04 | India | Page: 15


Iraq is not a dependable ally
with policies overseen by the foreign ministers of these same 57 nations. Describing itself as the “collective voice of the Islamic world,” the OIC strives to extend Islamic law throughout the world, and to that end, is the driving force at the United Nations to outlaw criticism of Islam (which includes Islamic law) through proposed bans on the “defamation of religions” — namely, Islam. This is a malignant thrust at the mechanism of Western liberty. Where does post-surge Iraq come down in this crucial ideological struggle? An OIC nation, Iraq is, with other OIC nations, a signatory to the 1990 Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam. This declaration defines human rights according to Islamic law, which prohibits criticism of Islam. Indeed, Iraq’s U.S.-enabled 2004 constitution enshrines Islamic law above all. Little wonder Iraq consistently votes at the United Nations with the OIC and against the United States on this key ideological divide between Islam and the West, most recently in November. Then the
The Cedartown Standard | 2010-01-05 | USA | Page: 4


A bit of fortune-telling for the coming decade
Let’s hope the next 10 years will match changes the past decade brought along. As this column is being written, it is still 2009 — barely a day before the world enters the second decade of the second millennium, and the past 10 years have flowed past super fast, packed with many changes of historical proportion. We saw the fall of European-based communism following the fall of the Berlin Wall, the advent of the mobile phone, the boom of the ICT world and burst of the dotcoms. We also saw the first black man being elected as the U.S. president and many new diseases like SARS, Nipah and H1N1. Besides the new sicknesses, the past 10 years also recorded many human-made failures — we have damaged the planet even more, war still rages in the Middle East and, worse of all, we still have not found a cure for AIDS or cancer — these two failures must be recorded as the biggest letdown for humankind. We in Malaysia have also seen amazing changes in all ways — from politics to social changes and economic uncertainty.
The China Post | 2010-01-04 | Taiwan | Page: 8

North Korea
North Korea continued their 2010 World Cup preparations by winning a four-team invitational tournament in Qatar despite losing their final match 1-0 to Iran. A draw between the hosts and Mali in the earlier match meant
The China Post | 2010-01-04 | Taiwan | Page: 17

Sometimes countries’ goals are mutually exclusive
If you t hought t he U. S. would quickly regain the world’s love, admiration and — most important — it’s willingness to follow the U.S. lead once Barack Obama came to power, the news is disappointing. A useful guide to what has transpired comes from Venezuela’s president and his most peculiar sulfur-o-meter. Hugo Chavez, it seems, can smell the devil, especially when the Prince of Darkness takes up residence in the body of a U.S. president. Watching Chavez’s devil-spotting shows that efforts to turn America’s foes into friends will, in many cases, prove utterly useless. There is an important lesson there for everyone, including the current resident of the White House. Chavez’s first supernatural sighting came at the United Nations in 2006, when the Venezuelan leader took the podium after former U.S. President Bush gave a speech, and announced in the solemn chamber that he could smell sulfur still hanging in the air from Bush’s presence. The air cleared up nicely after the 2008 elections. “It doesn’t smell
The China Post | 2010-01-04 | Taiwan | Page: 8

l oses match, but wins the tournament
North Korea could afford to lose to Iran on Saturday having recorded victories in t heir opening t wo games. Mehrzad Madanchi scored the winner for Iran, lobbing a shot home in the 42nd minute to give his side a timely boost ahead of a key Asian Cup qualifier Singapore on Wednesday. North Korea finished on six points from three matches ahead of Qatar on four, then Mali (4) and Iran (3). The North Koreans will next month head to Sri Lanka for the Asian Football Confederation against (AFC) Challenge Cup where the winners of the region’s second-tier tournament qualify for the 2011 Asian Cup. North Korea has been drawn with Brazil, Portugal and Ivory Coast for only their second World Cup campaign.
The China Post | 2010-01-04 | Taiwan | Page: 17

EE .UU . cierra su embajada en Yemen por amenazas terroristas
Los gobiernos de Estados Unidos y del Reino Unido cerraron ayer sus embajadas en Yemen por amenazas terroristas de la red Al Qaeda en la península arábiga. La medida, que podría ser seguida por otros países occidentales, fue decidida después de que ambas capitales anunciaron el envío de más ayuda al gobierno yemenita para luchar contra aquella organización. La red terrorista –liderada por el saudita Osama bin Laden– está vinculada con un reciente intento fallido de atentado contra un avión estadounidense en la pasada Navidad. Ayer, durante una entrevista para la cadena Fox News, el asesor en antiterrorismo del presidente Barack Obama, John Brennan, dijo que existen “indicios de que Al Qaeda está planificando un atentado contra un objetivo en Sanaa (capital de Yemen), tal vez contra nuestra embajada”. Sin embargo, Brennan negó que ese país vaya a convertirse en “un segundo frente militar” en la guerra de su país contra el terrorismo islámico. “El gobierno yemenitaa está dando prueba de buena voluntad para co
Clarin | 2010-01-04 | Argentina | Page: 20

Israel: proponen que se jure por el Estado “judío y sionista”
El partido de ultraderecha Israel Beitenu, de la coalición del gobierno, elevó un proyecto de ley según el cual diputados israelíes se verían obligados a jurar lealtad al “Estado Judío Democrático y Sionista”. La iniciativa provocó de inmediato un fuerte rechazo de una extraña coalición de diputados árabes, ultrarreligiosos judíos e izquierdistas de varios partidos dentro y fuera del oficialismo. La propuesta, elevada por el diputado David Rotem con el apoyo logístico del canciller Avigdor Lieberman –presidente de Israel Beitenu– pretende dar un paso adelante en la plataforma del partido, que propone la obligación del juramento de lealtad al Estado Judío, Democrático y sionista. Esta exigencia no podría ser acatada por los ultrarreligiosos –que no aceptan el sionismo hasta la llegada del Mesías– ni por los árabes, que verían en el juramento por el Esta- Condena en Irán La justicia iraní condenó ayer a seis años de prisión al periodista Ahmad Zeidabadi, en la primera sentencia definitiva contra un referente
Clarin | 2010-01-04 | Argentina | Page: 22

Irán pelea por ser alguna vez una democracia
Quienes conocemos y queremos al pueblo iraní sufrimos cada vez que nos llegan noticias desde Teherán que hablan de nuevas represiones al pueblo por parte del gobierno fraudulento y autoritario de Mahmud Ahmadineyad, apoyado por ciertos líderes religiosos (entre ellos el ayatolá Supremo, Alí Jamenei). Pero, por más que este autócrata (estilo Chávez) pretenda silenciar la voz de la oposición y desconocer las protestas callejeras, la red de Internet y Youtube se lo impiden. Las nuevas protestas son una continuación de las que tuvieron lugar a mediados del año pasado, con motivo del triunfo fraudulento de Ahmadineyad en las elecciones presidenciales del 12 de junio contra el candidato opositor Mir-Hussein Mousavi. Esta vez, la muerte del anciano ayatolá Hussein-Alí Montazeri, de 87 años, uno de los líderes de la revolución islámica, teólogo shiíta, defensor de los derechos humanos, prolífero escritor y clérigo disidente, quien acusó reiteradamente al régimen de instalar una dictadura en nombre del Islam (por lo
Clarin | 2010-01-04 | Argentina | Page: 19

Three cheers for 2009
2009 was most notable for the three bad things that didn’t happen. Firstly, the financial meltdown did not plunge us all into a 1930s-style depression, although there were plenty of pundits predicting that less than a year ago. All that happened was that a very specific kind of financial bubble burst. All the land and houses were still there, and so were most of the factories and jobs. But there has been a deep recession in the developed countries, and the slow recovery may be a false dawn: a “double-dip” recession is still possible. The second predicted disaster that did not come to pass was a killer global pandemic like the 1918 strain of influenza. Something of that order is probably still lying in wait for us, but the swine flu turned out to be much less lethal than was feared. Considerable credit should go to those who made a vaccine available much faster than was thought possible, but we got lucky. And the third bad thing that didn’t happen? The same bad thing that hasn’t happened every year since 20
The Citizen | 2010-01-04 | South Africa | Page: 12


Freed UK hostage ‘delighted’ to be home
LONDON – Freed British hostage Peter Moore said yesterday he was delighted to be back with his family after being released from captivity in Iraq. Moore, 36, a computer expert, was released unharmed on Wednesday after two-and-a-half years’ captivity. In this time, all four of his bodyguards, also Britons, are thought to have been killed. Moore flew back into Britain on Friday. He said in a statement: “I am delighted to have returned to the UK and to be reunited with my family. I’m looking forward to spending the coming days and weeks catching up on all the things I’ve missed.” The bodies of bodyguards – Alec MacLachlan, 30, Jason Swindlehurst, 38, and Jason Creswell, 39 – were handed to British officials last year. The fourth, Alan McMenemy, 34, is believed to be dead. Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says there is no “direct evidence” that Moore was held inside Iran. newspaper has reported that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard led the kidnap operation and took the five to Iran within a day of th
The Citizen | 2010-01-04 | South Africa | Page: 11

inconvenient truth An even . . .
modern day Nostradamus,” a billing Rosenberg is wont to reject, simply because he staunchly claims he is no prophet. Rather, his conjectures are solidly based on his long time involvement in global politics, particularly in the Middle East, and his deep knowledge of Biblical prophecy. That, coupled with his impeccable, yet eerie timing, have defined his books to be “ripped from tomorrow’s headlines.” Over the past 15 years, Rosenberg has worked with the world’s most influential figures in politics, business and media. He was researcher and writer for radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, communications adviser to then Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Nethanyahu and Deputy Prime Minister Natan Sharansky, was campaign strategist for US presidential candidate Steve Forbes. After the success of his novels, he was interviewed on more than 400 radio and television programs and has been a guest speaker all over the world. His interest in biblical prophecy stems from the fact that he is a Christian of Jewish Orthodox
Philippines Daily Inquirer | 2010-01-05 | Philippines | Page: 22

Tighter screening for US-bound flights
The newmeasures came in the wake of the botched Christmas Day bombing of a Northwest Airlines plane heading from Amsterdam to Detroit which has forced many airports and airlines to boost already tight security. All passengers flying into the US from abroad will be subject to random screening or so-called “threat-based” screens, the Transport Security Administration (TSA) said in a statement on Sunday. It further mandated that “every individual flying into the US from anywhere in theworld traveling from or through nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest will be required to go through enhanced screening.” The tough rules went into effect on Monday and followed the failed plane attack blamed on a 23-year-oldNigerian who had recently traveled to Yemen to train with al-Qaida. Terrorism fears were also heightened on Sunday when flights out of one terminal at Newark International Airport were temporarily halted following a possible security breach. The suspension came after a
Philippines Daily Inquirer | 2010-01-05 | Philippines | Page: 18

An even more
MANY MOONS AGO, disaster movies hit the screens and quickly became top movie grossers and their mushy movie themes became a singing contestant’s piece de resistance (as in “Towering Inferno,” “Poseidon Adventure” and the copiously sticky theme from “Titanic”). Flash forward to more recent disaster pics, movies now take on more other worldly plots, like having the Mayan calendar’s prediction of the earth’s makeover at the center of the oh-so-tiring triumph of computer generated effects in “2012.” Far-fetched and fantastical as they come, movie plots as these are nevertheless hailed as elaborate figments of some writer’s fertile imagination, perhaps based on half truths and dismissed as nothing more than popcorn-andsoda entertainment. The novel “The Last Jihad” written by Joel Rosenberg, that got on the New York Times best sellers list for 11 weeks, is being considered for yet another doomsday movie. Only, this time, the plot is uncannily a case of life imitating art. When Rosenberg, an American political s
Philippines Daily Inquirer | 2010-01-05 | Philippines | Page: 22

Iran set
a one-month deadline for the West to accept its counterproposal to a United Nationsdrafted nuclear plan and warned that otherwise it will produce reactor fuel at a higher level of enrichment on its own.
The Wall Street Journal Europe | 2010-01-04 | Belgium | Page: 34


Newspaper Page
A boy in Hamburg, Germany, takes part in a vigil on Saturday to commemorate the victims of recent violence in Iran.
The Wall Street Journal Europe | 2010-01-04 | Belgium | Page: 11

The Radical Legacy of 1979
If ever one year in recent times was a catalyst for change in the broader Middle East and Muslim world, it was 1979. One ray of light in that year of darkness was the signing of the historic Camp David peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. Conversely, three events had dire consequences with which we live today. First, there was the overthrow of Iran’s shah by the Ayatollah Khomeini. Second, the takeover of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, by a group of Islamic extremists. And third, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Each event fostered the forces of radicalization with implications far beyond the region’s borders. • Iran becomes a theocracy. Khomeini’s revolution in the early months of 1979 established the wilayat al-faqih, or rule by a Muslim cleric who became the Supreme Leader. He, in effect, formed a theocratic system in Iran, a predominantly Shiite country, and declared the new regime to be “God’s government,” warning that subsequent disobedience was a “revolt against God.” Khomenei called
The Wall Street Journal Europe | 2010-01-04 | Belgium | Page: 15

Iran to hold military drill
DUBAI—Iranian media reported Tehran would conduct a large-scale defensive military exercise next month, coinciding with what government officials now say is a deadline for the West to respond to its counteroffer to a nuclear-fuel deal. The commander of I ran’s ground forces, Brig. Gen. AhmadReza Pourdastan, said the drill would be conducted by Iran’s army, in conjunction with some units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, to improve “defensive capabilities,” Press TV, the English-language, state-run media outlet reported Sunday. The report follows comments by Iran’s foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Saturday, challenging Western nations to decide by the end of the month on counterproposals Tehran has floated to an internationally brokered nuclearfuel deal. In the counterproposals, Iran has said it would agree to swap the bulk of its low-enriched uranium for higher enriched uranium, but in small batches and on Iranian soil. Iranian officials also have named Turkey as a possible venue to swap the
The Wall Street Journal Europe | 2010-01-04 | Belgium | Page: 11

world in brief
Obama’s ■ WASHINGTON, plan to begin D. C.: President phasing out Barack nuclear weapons from officials has run in the up Pentagon against powerful and other resistance US agencies, The Los Angeles Times reported late Sunday ( Monday in Manila). AFP banned ■ WASHINGTON, from doing D. C.: business Chinese in companies the United States for selling military equipment to Iran are evading US sanctions, The Wall Street Journal said late Sunday on its website citing a nonproliferation watchdog group. AFP a ■ suicide WASHINGTON, bomb attack D.C.: on The a eighth secret CIA man base killed in in Afghanistan last week was a captain in the Jordanian spy service known as the General Intelligence Department, The Washington Post reported late Sunday ( Monday in Manila). AFP seeking ■ SEOUL: “a South turning Korea point” said in on relations Monday with it was North Korea and again urged its communist nucleararmed northern neighbor to disarm. AFP ■ LOS ANGELES: Hollywood blockbuster Avatar surged to a box office haul
Manila Times | 2010-01-05 | Philippines | Page: 16

Passengers face tougher inspections on US flights
WASHINGTON, D. C.: US officials Sunday ( Monday in Manila) toughened security measures for all US-bound airline passengers, and warned those traveling from or via 14 “ terror linked” nations will undergo mandatory enhanced screening. The new measures came in the wake of the botched Christmas Day bombing of a Northwest Airlines plane heading from Amsterdam to Detroit which has forced many airports and airlines to boost already tight security. All passengers flying into the United States from abroad will be subject to random screening or socalled threat-based screens, the Transport Security Administration (TSA) said in a statement. But it further mandated that “every individual flying into the US from anywhere in the world traveling from or through nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest will be required to go through enhanced screening.” The tough rules go into effect from midnight Sunday (Monday in Manila) and follow the failed plane attack blamed on a 23-year-old Niger
Manila Times | 2010-01-05 | Philippines | Page: 16

IRANIAN PRESIDENT VISITS CENTRAL ASIA
DUSHANBE, Iran: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in the Central Asian republic of Tajikistan Monday for talks with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmon to be followed by a visit to Turkmenistan. It is Ahmadinejad’s first international trip after a bloody crackdown on opposition supporters in Tehran on December 27 when at least eight people died and hundreds were injured. AFP
Manila Times | 2010-01-05 | Philippines | Page: 16

Greener oil sands, greener planet
Now that the noise and fuss of political posturing has faded, one key question emerges from the Copenhagen summit: Who will lead the evolution to a low-carbon future? It must be Canada, the only energy superpower in the democratic world. Canada’s oil sands, if they can become greener, are a major part of the answer to stable and long-term hemispheric energy supply. Copenhagen made it all too clear that the planet needs a more sustainable energy platform to address the threat of climate change. We can use the $15-trillion wealth of the oil sands to fund and build a greener future. Indeed, we can use the enormous wealth the oil sands can confer to pay for the transition to alternative energy, built on a platform of much greener hydrocarbon production. This is more than possible. It is necessary. Of the world’s four major oil reservoirs – Saudi Arabia, Canada, Iran and Iraq – we are best placed to invest tens of billions of dollars in the new technologies the world needs to meet the aspirations of India, Chi
The Globe and Mail (BC Edition) | 2010-01-04 | Canada | Page: 13

TOUGHER SCREENING FOR U.S.-BOUND AIR TRAVELLERS Washington –
Air travellers going from or through nations Cuba, Iran, Sudan, Syria Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen will undergo increased security screening before boarding U.S. bound airliners under new security screening procedures that go into effect today. The passengers will be patted down, have their carry-on luggage searched and could undergo advanced explosive detection or imaging scans.
The Globe and Mail (BC Edition) | 2010-01-04 | Canada | Page: 10

Iranian journalist gets prison, exile
TEHRAN, Iran — An Iranian journalist lost an appeal Sunday against his conviction on charges of spreading propaganda against the ruling Islamic establishment and was sentenced to six years in prison and five years of internal exile in a remote desert town. The court also confirmed a lifelong ban on political activity for the prominent reporter, Ahmad Zeidabadi, who was also once a student activist. Zeidabadi was among more than 100 political figures and activists tried together in the aftermath of Iran’s disputed presidential election.
The Anniston Star | 2010-01-04 | USA | Page: 6


The silent cleric who could hold the key to Iran’s future
We like to believe — and newspapers and television like us to believe — that the battle for Iran is being fought on the streets of Tehran, of Isfahan, of Najafabad. Untrue. The future of the nation is being decided in Qom, among the clerical leaders of Iranian Shia Islam; and one of the most influential of them — perhaps the closest of all the ayatollahs to President Ahmadinejad — is silent. Just why Mohammed Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi, a member of the Assembly of Experts — the clerics who choose the “Supreme Leader” of Iran — should refrain from comment at such a critical and violent period of the Islamic Republic's history, is unclear. But we can be sure that he remains in constant contact with the president whose dubious re-election provoked the street demonstrations, killings, and subsequent judicial tortures and deaths in Iran. For if Ahmadinejad has a mentor in Iran, it is not Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader but Mesbah-Yazdi, the 75-yearold conservative oligarch who has enormous power over the Rev
Belfast Telegraph | 2010-01-04 | UK | Page: 29

World Cup boost for North Korea
North Korea continued their World Cup preparations by winning a four-team invitational tournament in Qatar despite losing their final match 1-0 to Iran. A draw between the hosts and Mali in the earlier match meant North Korea could afford to lose to Iran having recorded victories in their opening two games. Mehrzad Madanchi scored the winner for Iran. North Korea finished on six points from three matches ahead of Qatar on four, then Mali (four) and Iran (three). North Korea have been drawn with Brazil, Portugal and Ivory Coast for only their second World Cup campaign. Reuters
South China Morning Post | 2010-01-04 | China | Page: 30

Les Québécois très positifs face à 2010
Malg ré la récession , les Québécois entrevoient la prochaine année avec beaucoup d’optimisme, selon un sondage SOM réali

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