Dutch minister wants detail of Iran death sentence

Dutch minister wants detail of Iran death sentence
THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal called on Iran Wednesday to provide details of the case of a Dutch-Iranian woman whose daughter says she has been sentenced to death for Drug Smuggling. Rosenthal said in a statement he was "very concerned" about the fate of Sahra Bahrami after her daughter told a Dutch Radio Station Wednesday her mother was handed the death sentence. Bahrami has been jailed in Iran since December 2009. Dutch Diplomats have been denied access to her b...

Dutch query Iran death sentence
The Dutch government is seeking "clarification" of reports that a Dutch-Iranian woman has been sentenced to death in Tehran. Sahra Bahrami has been in jail for a year, reportedly after taking part in a Protest against the Iranian government. Her daughter reportedly told Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW) that she was convicted of Drug Smuggling. Dutch officials say they have had no access to Ms Bahrami as Tehran does not recognise her dual nationality. "I am extremely concerned a...

Israeli Foreign Minister Says Turkey Beginning to Look Like Iran on Eve of 1979 Islamic Revolution
In my opinion the only thing holding back Turkey’s Islamist government are The Army generals who are staunch defenders of Ataturk’s  Secular principles. Jerusalem (Reuters) - Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has likened Turkey to Iran on the eve of its 1979 Islamic Revolution, saying Ankara’s policies were to blame for the breakdown of ties with the Jewish State. Writing in Thursday’s edition of the Jerusalem Post under the headline “We wil...

Dutch firefighters tackle blaze at chemical plant
THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Local authorities warned residents to stay indoors and keep doors and windows shut Wednesday as a major blaze and Explosions ripped through a chemical storage and packing company. Television images show a towering plume of thick smoke churning out of the fire and several powerful blasts, apparently as storage tanks exploded. The fire started in the early afternoon at Chemie-Pack Nederland BV in an industrial estate in the southern town of Moerdijk. Moerdijk mayor W...

Dutch firefighters tackle blaze at chemical plant
The Hague,Netherlands - Local authorities are warning residents to stay indoors and keep doors and windows shut as dozens of Dutch Firefighters tackle a major blaze at a chemical storage and packing company. Television images show a towering plume of thick smoke churning out of the fire at Chemie-Pack Nederland BV in an industrial estate in the southern town of Moerdijk. Moerdijk municipality said in a statement Wednesday it is not clear if the fire is releasing toxic fumes. Police say none ...

Israeli foreign minister compares Turkey to 1979 Iran
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has likened Turkey to Iran on the eve of its 1979 Islamic Revolution, saying Ankara's policies were to blame for the breakdown of ties with the Jewish State....

I Coast's Gbagbo 'has blood on his hands' says rival
Ivory Coast's internationally-recognised president told embattled Incumbent Laurent Gbagbo that time was running out, accusing him of being behind a campaign of Rape and Murder of his supporters. Alassane Ouattara, besieged by Gbagbo Troops since the world said he won a November presidential run-off, told Europe 1 radio violence allegedly carried out by Liberian Mercenaries on his behalf left him with blood on his hands. "Many Ivorians have been killed by the Mercenaries and Militia of Laurent G...

When "Cooked Rabbit" Is Actually Bricks Of Cocaine
Another thing the DEA looks for: Heroin brick hidden inside a Cocaine brick! Is cooked game really a good cover for Drug Smuggling? According to the Daily News, "A Yankee Stadium security guard claimed he was carrying a 'cooked rabbit' in his luggage - but airport inspectors found three bricks of cocaine." Roger Levans allegedly declared he had food, including "cooked rabbit," on one of those pesky Customs forms after arriving from Guyana on a Delta flight. But then inspectors looked at his su...

Lieberman to EU chief: If you want Gaza blockade to end, help stop weapons smuggling
The Foreign Minister met with Catherine Ashton on Wednesday, who said crossings into Gaza must be opened to allow for economic reconstruction....

Lieberman to EU: If you want to end Gaza siege, help stop arms smuggling
The Foreign Minister met with Catherine Ashton on Wednesday, who said crossings into Gaza must be opened to allow for economic reconstruction....

Israel calls on EU to help stop weapons smuggling into Gaza
In the region to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, EU Foreign Policy chief Ashton is told by Foreign Minister Lieberman that Israel's siege on Gaza will continue until Palestinian arms Smuggling ends....

I Coast's Gbagbo 'has blood on his hands' says rival
Ivory Coast's internationally-recognised president told embattled Incumbent Laurent Gbagbo that time was running out, accusing him of being behind a campaign of Rape and Murder of his supporters. Alassane Ouattara, besieged by Gbagbo Troops since the world said he won a November presidential run-off, told Europe 1 radio violence allegedly carried out by Liberian Mercenaries on his behalf left him with blood on his hands. "Many Ivorians have been killed by the Mercenaries and Militia of Laurent...

Time for U.S. to leave Iraq, Iran says
BAGHDAD, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Tehran backs a unified and independent Iraq while at the same time advocating a regional treaty with its neighbors, Iran's caretaker Foreign Minister said. Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's caretaker foreign minister, met with Iraq's new speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi to discuss bilateral affairs. Salehi arrived Wednesday in Baghdad for a congratulatory visit as Iraq starts the new year with a partial Cabinet that broke a long-standing political stalemate. Salehi stressed...

Iran Launches Nationwide Crackdown on Sex Dolls
Another stunning victory of the Islamic Morality police. Tehran - The Iranian government said Wednesday it would move to stop business in sex dolls and pursue importers amid revelations that a number of sex dolls had been smuggled into the country. Deputy Health Minister Ebrahim Motavelian told Fars news agency that after his ministry was informed about the Smuggling of sex dolls, it had launched investigations about the main source of the import and distribution of the dolls. The Health ...

Iraqis look to U.S. foe Sadr to help stabilize state
NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - The return of anti-U.S. Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr from exile elicited a mixture of euphoria and cautious hope among Iraqis on Thursday, with many looking to him to help stabilize the war-torn country. Hundreds of Sadr's followers in the holy Shi'ite city of Najaf celebrated his homecoming from Iran, and the possible transformation into a mainstream politician of a man once associated with black-clad death squads that roamed Iraq. Sadr, who led two uprisings against ...

Not Clear Whether Woman Accused Of Spying In Iran Is An American
What is this? Though Iran's semiofficial Fars News Agency is reporting that authorities there "announced on Thursday that they have arrested a US woman a week ago on the charges of illegal entry and Espionage in the Northwestern borders of the country," news outlets from elsewhere say it's not certain the woman is an American Citizen. ABC News writes that "a State Department official ... [said[ that the U.S. has asked the Swiss, who represent U.S. interests in Tehran since there are no Amer...

Not Clear Whether Woman Accused Of Spying In Iran Is An American
What is this? Though Iran's semiofficial Fars News Agency is reporting that authorities there "announced on Thursday that they have arrested a US woman a week ago on the charges of illegal entry and Espionage in the Northwestern borders of the country," news outlets from elsewhere say it's not certain the woman is an American Citizen. ABC News writes that "a State Department official ... [said[ that the U.S. has asked the Swiss, who represent U.S. interests in Tehran since there are no Amer...

India's energy diplomacy: Tipping the scales
Though it is largely symbolic, its significance has not been lost on Iran. Increasingly isolated, that country is a big supplier of oil to India, Accounting for 13% of imports. The government in Tehran is scrambling for other channels for the funds—the 400,000 barrels India imports daily are worth $12 billion a year. But India appears to be falling in with American, European and Japanese efforts to discourage financial dealings with Iran. The trade in oil will not stop—January’...

EU, China, Russia urged not to visit Iran: envoys (Reuters)
Brussels/United Nations (Reuters) – The European Union, Russia and China should reject Iran's invitation to visit its atomic sites this month just ahead of key talks, since that is a job for the U.N. nuclear Watchdog, Western Diplomats said on Wednesday. Several Western Diplomats in New York, among them European officials, said on condition of anonymity that Moscow and Beijing were being actively discouraged from attending since it could undermine the united front of the five permane...

Authors: CIA waited years to stop nuclear proliferation
The US government is guilty of allowing nuclear materials and intelligence to proliferate among to some of the most dangerous regimes in the world for more than 30 years, a new book alleges. In Fallout, authors Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins charge that the CIA waited until it was too late to stop the A.Q. Kahn network from disseminating Nuclear Weapons technology to North Korea, Libya and Iran. "They could literally have stopped him in his tracks [in the 1970s]," Franz told NPR's Fresh Ai...

Israel will 'not be Turkey's punching bag', foreign minister claims
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has compared Turkey to Iran prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, saying Israel will "not be Turkey's punching bag"....

Iraq: With Sadr In, Is the U.S. Out?
Anyone remember what Jay Garner, the first U.S. viceroy in Baghdad in 2003, answered when asked how long American Troops would be in Iraq? "Look back on the Philippines around the turn of the 20th century," he told an interviewer. "They were a coaling station for the Navy, and that allowed us to keep a great presence in the Pacific. That's what Iraq is for the next few decades: our coaling station that gives us great presence in the Middle East." Instead, as radical anti-American cleric Muqtad...

Cavs offer job to homeless man with golden voice
CLEVELAND (AP) - The Cleveland Cavaliers have offered a job to a Homeless Ohio man with a golden radio voice. Ted Williams, whose deep baritone and plight have made him an online video sensation, was contacted Wednesday by the Cavs. Team spokesman Tad Carper says details are being worked out on the possible position. It could include Williams working in Quicken Loans Arena. The Columbus Dispatch reports that video of Williams posted this week on its website has commanded millions of views. In...

Must-See Video: Homeless Man With A Golden Voice
What is this? The Dispatch reports that since it put the video online yesterday, there have been "scores of phone calls ... media inquiries and potential job offers that could ultimately provide the one-time radio announcer with a second chance." A YouTube copy has been viewed more than 4.5 million times. The video's star, 53-year-old Ted Williams, is "a sporadic resident of a camp behind an abandoned Hudson Street gas station" in Columbus. As you'll see in the video, he admits to havi...

Ferndale engineer's products bring online radio to home and auto
Apple's Steve Jobs had a garage. Livio Radio's Jake Sigal had a guest bedroom. Having just left his job as a satellite radio project manager at auto supplier Delphi, Sigal stepped out on his own with a lofty goal: changing how the world listens to music. Living off his wife's income, Sigal toiled for months in that guest bedroom -- the incubator for a company now finding a foothold on the national stage. Just three years later, the 29-year-old Ohio nat...