PERWI

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 18:12:17

South Africa has claimed the William Webb Ellis Cup after punishing the Rugby World Cup's defending champions, England, with a 15-6 win. South African president Thabo Mbeki celebrates the victory. MD/JR/RE - source presstv

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 11:56:00

Anti-globalization rallies began on Friday. Thousand stage anti-globalization rallies in streets of Washington ahead of International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank meetings. Demonstrations continued Saturday for the second successive day with crowds chanting slogans in protest at IMF and World Bank policies. They said the industrial countries' push for globalization has had no results but the spread of poverty in poor and developing countries.

Thousands of people are fleeing a remote region of Pakistan as clashes between government troops and militants continue.

| 13-Oct-07 3:30 PM EST

Are they caught in the middle of the line of fire or a systematic murderous aggression by Bush and Musharraf to slaughter their perceived opponents ?

Wall Street responded negatively. Stocks, bond yields, and the dollar fell sharply, but gold prices surged.Conway G. Gittens reports from New York.

| 7-Sep-07 11:32 AM EST

| 18-Oct-07 11:46 AM EST | (Relevance: 89.64%)

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:52:04

Microsoft, world's largest maker of PC software, has announced new software linking phones and video to the Office application suite.

The Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 (OCS) software runs on large server systems and allows people using Microsoft's Office software to manage voice calling from their personal computers and in combination with email, instant messaging and other communications.

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 17:18:42

The world's top search engine Google has developed a series of 'Gphones', offering mobile services, such as search, e-mail, and maps.

Wall Street analysts say the mobile phone 'to be launched as early as February 2008', will help company shares break the $700 mark.

"The mobile world has much greater reach than the wired Internet. Google sees this as the future," says Avi Greengart, a principal analyst with research firm Current Analysis.

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 20:47:40

The Sunnyvale-based Company Yahoo Inc. has upgraded and retooled its online search engine in a bid to make it more helpful and powerful.

According to AP, Yahoo's new search engine provides a list of related concepts as a user types into the query box. Moreover, the engine offers more links to photos, videos and music on the main results page.

Iran's Deputy FM Saeed Jalili has been appointed as the country's new chief nuclear negotiator after Ali Larijani's resignation.

Jalili previously served as Deputy Foreign Minister in European and American affairs

| 21-Sep-07 11:32 AM EST

| 18-Oct-07 11:38 AM EST | (Relevance: 97.07%)

President Gen. Pervez Musharraf labeled the attack part of a "conspiracy against democracy," reaching out to the former prime minister with whom he is trying to forge a pro-U.S., anti-militant alliance.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Appearing together before reporters for the first time since Mullen became chairman on Oct. 1, they expressed concern about Iran and Turkey — hot spots commanding attention even as the military focuses on the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Both leaders warned of serious repercussions if Congress were to pass a nonbinding resolution labeling as genocide the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians in the final years of the Ottoman Empire, around World War I.

"I don't think the Turks are bluffing. I think it is that meaningful to them," Gates said. "I think there is a very real risk of perhaps not shutting us down" in terms of access to Turkish airspace for resupplying U.S. troops in Iraq, but of at least restricting it.

"I will say again it has potential to do real harm to our troops in Iraq and would strain — perhaps beyond repair — our relationship with a key ally in a vital region and in the wider war on terror," the Pentagon chief said.

At the same time, Gates said the U.S. and the Iraqis are "prepared to do the appropriate thing" in acting against the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, that has conducted raids into Turkey from northern Iraq.

The Turks have expressed frustration about the lack of action by the U.S. against the group. Gates attributed that largely to a lack of specific intelligence.

Landmark decision

Attorneys for Abdul Malek said it was the first time that a Malaysian court had awarded significant compensation to a political detainee for illegal detention and abuse.

Sivarasa said the verdict was a wake-up call for the government.

"It is good that exemplary damages were given as you really cannot justify the Internal Security Act. Any kind of detention without trial can be opened up to abuse," he added.

In an immediate response, Amnesty International Malaysia called on the government to abolish the ISA, which it said was an "arbitrary law that creates a climate for torture and ill-treatment".

Hasan Hijazi - Translated

Readers Number : 305

17/10/2007

"Negotiations are ongoing but the prospect of a large-scale swap deal is still far away," Olmert's office said. The Israeli media attributed Olmert's stance to what it described as the government's embarrassment vis-à-vis the families of the two captured soldiers still held by Hezbollah. Yediot Aharonot's columnist Shimon Shiffer said that Sayyed Nasrallah has succeeded in transferring the whole crisis to the Israeli government and its leader, Olmert. He added that "the Israeli institution believes Nasrallah", therefore when he speaks in an optimistic tone, it means that the problem is at the Israeli side.

Lebanon's presidential vote; search for consensus
Fri, 28 Sep 2007 19:58:03

By Daryoush Bavar, Press TV, Tehran

Lebanon's parliament convened on Tuesday under tight security, but failed to elect a new president.

Parliamentary Speaker, Nabih Berri, said in a statement that the session was postponed until October 23 due to the lack of a 'two-thirds quorum'.



Hezbollah slams Congress bill
Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:23:09

Hezbollah slams US congress bill

Hezbollah has condemned US interference in Lebanon's internal affairs calling it a cover up for its crimes in Palestine and Iraq.

The US Congress has passed a bill stressing the importance of Lebanon's presidential elections being held on time and accusing Syria of hindering the process.

Hezbollah has issued a statement saying that no bill passed by the US Congress would be recognized or its aims and outcomes deliberated.

18/10/2007
Iran Thursday shrugged off a warning by US President George W. Bush that its nuclear program could lead to "World War III", saying his remarks only served to show Tehran's diplomatic success. "These declarations show the anger of the United States against the success of Iran on the international stage," said Abdol Reza Rahmani Fazli, the deputy head of Iran's supreme national Security Council. "The statements by the American president, who claims that Iran is seeking to make an atomic bomb, are part of a psychological war," he added.

Bush said Wednesday that he had warned world leaders they must prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons "if you're interested in avoiding World War III." Bush was speaking a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has resisted Western pressure to toughen his stance over Iran's nuclear program, made clear on a visit to Tehran that Russia would not accept any military action against Iran.

At a White House news conference, Bush expressed hope Putin would brief him on his talks in Tehran and said he would ask him to clarify recent remarks on Iran's nuclear activities. Putin said last week that Russia, which is building Iran's first atomic power plant, would "proceed from the position" that Tehran had no plans to develop nuclear weapons." Iran rejects accusations it is seeking to develop a nuclear bomb, insisting it wants nuclear technology for peaceful civilian purposes such as power generation.

Chief Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani was quoted by Iran's official IRNA news agency on Wednesday as saying that Putin had delivered a "special message" on its atomic program and other issues. No other details were given.

LONDON - OCTOBER 08: Musician Brian Eno looks on during an Anti-War rally on October 8, 2007 in London, England. Anti-war protesters marched down Whitehall to Parliament Square, despite being told the protest was illegal. (Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)

| 8-Oct-07 12:23 PM EST | (Relevance: 89.23%)

| 26-Sep-07 4:30 PM EST | (Relevance: 76.31%)

Google has seen its shares surge above $600 Web search giant Google saw its profits leap 46% in the third quarter, beating expectations as it gains market share. The firm saw profits for the three months to the end of September hit $1.07bn (£523.4m) up from 733.4m for the same period a year earlier. The latest rise comes after Google saw profits for the second quarter miss forecasts - which has only occurred twice in just over three years. Google shares recently breached the $600 mark, rising $100 over four weeks.

source almanartv

17/10/2007 The Second Summit of the Caspian Sea Littoral States ended its work in the presence of heads of state of Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan Republic, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in Tehran on Tuesday afternoon. They released a declaration on major regional and international issues. Following is an excerpt of the declaration:(Click on title)

raPutin arrives in Tehn despite warning

SOURCE ALMANARtTV 16/10/2007 Russian President Vladimir Putin, brushing off the threat of a reported plot to assassinate him, arrived in Iran on Tuesday for talks with Iran's leaders focusing on Tehran's nuclear row with the West. The Russian president was officially welcomed by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Saadabad castle in Tehran.

16/10/2007 Prominent Muslim cleric Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi has urged Muslims to defend Iran against any US possible attack against it. In an interview with Islam-Online, Sheikh Qaradawi added that as Iran is a Muslim country, it is “obligatory for all Muslims” to defend it.

In the wake of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, the Arab oil-producing countries (OPEC) imposed an embargo on supplies to the US on 20 October 1973. For the wider world, oil prices went through the roof, from around $3 a barrel before the war to over $11 by early the following January. The crisis led to a recession in 1975, the first of four world downturns where oil price increases caused by events in the Middle East played a key role.

Turkey is keen to pursue Kurdish rebels despite US opposition

Oil prices are hovering close to $89 a barrel as traders weigh up supply issues and the geopolitical tensions building in the Middle East.

US light, sweet crude, which hit the record $89 mark on Wednesday before easing, is up $1.01 at $88.41 while Brent Crude added 59 cents to $83.72.

Prices had pulled back in early trading after unexpectedly large gains in US oil and petrol inventories.

But simmering tensions along the Turkey-Iraq border kept prices aloft.

source almanatv

18/10/2007 US President George W. Bush said Wednesday that he had warned world leaders they must prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons "if you're interested in avoiding World War III." Bush was speaking a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has resisted Western pressure to toughen his stance over Iran's nuclear program, made clear on a visit to Tehran that Russia would not accept any military action against Iran. At a White House news conference, Bush expressed hope Putin would brief him on his talks in Tehran and said he would ask him to clarify recent remarks on Iran's nuclear activities. Putin said last week that Russia, which is building Iran's first atomic power plant, would "proceed from the position" that Tehran had no plans to develop nuclear weapons." Iran rejects accusations it is seeking to develop a nuclear bomb, insisting it wants nuclear technology for peaceful civilian purposes such as power generation. Chief Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani was quoted by Iran's official IRNA news agency on Wednesday as saying that Putin had delivered a "special message" on its atomic program and other issues. No other details were given.

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 05:58:28

Iraq wants Blackwater expelled from the country

A State Department review of private security guards in Iraq is unlikely to recommend firing Blackwater, but it is probably on its way out.

Backwater's work escorting US diplomats outside the protected Green Zone in Baghdad expires in May 2008, US officials said Wednesday expecting the North Carolina Company not to continue to work for the embassy after that.

It is likely that Blackwater does not compete to keep the job, one official said.

The Israeli government and Hezbollah agreed on the details of a prisoner exchange, as each side questioned the other's motives, Haaretz reported Tuesday.

| 17-Oct-07 5:26 PM EST

Soweto, South Africa's most famous township, is cashing in on its legacy as an epicenter of the struggle against apartheid. The former Johannesburg ghetto doesn't attract merely history buffs, but also many other travellers keen to experience some of South Africa's grittier realities....

| 20-Mar-07 12:04 PM EST

A basic overview of the rules of rugby.

England will play in the final after beating France 14 - 9 in Paris

It’s the blessed EID ULFITRI again in Kelantan.

As usual anak perantauan a.k.a “expatriate” sons of the soils returned home for the annual celebration, Some by bus or other public transports while most by cars – personal or private vehicles.

They traveled around the states to visit their relatives too for the bext few days of the EID. Kelantanese are known to be closed to their larger family. Some took the opportunity to organize makan or feast like aqiqah or thanksgiving for a newborn in the family or a house warning party

With all these activities it did cause a massive traffic jam. Yesterday no hired cars (taxis) was willing to go to Kota Bharu, the drivers claimed it took them at least twice the normal time. The were very selective of their destination they were committed to go.

Wishing you the Blessing of the EID and have a nice and rewarding 6 days of Shawal fasting.

3 Chenchens win suit in Strasbourg
Publication time: 5 October 2007, 17:27

Publication time: 10 October 2007, 19:39

For several years tensions between the United States and Iran over the latter's nuclear program have waxed and waned. War between the two sides has been confidently predicted, with even the date of the US attack given by Internet pundits. Nothing happened. With so many past false alarms it is hard to take seriously the renewed rumors of war between the two sides. However, this time things may be different.

US President George W Bush has said he will not leave office (in January 2009) with Iran retaining the capability to develop nuclear weapons. Unless Iran agrees to give up all hope of a nuclear-weapons program, as Libya and North Korea have done, a US military strike against Iran will probably occur at some point between now and the US presidential elections in November 2008. A short, victorious war with Iran, leaving its nuclear facilities in ruins, will, it is hoped, assure the Republican candidate of victory in that election.