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  • Iran allows eight candidates for presidential race Iran allows eight candidates for presidential race

    TEHRAN - Iran has approved eight candidates for the presidential election due next month, rejecting President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's top aide in a major setback to the hawkish leader of the Islamic republic. Ahmadinejad criticised the decision to remove Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei from the final candidate list and said it was an act of "oppression". He announced plans to take up the case with ...

  • Work starts on creation of new Dubai island Work starts on creation of new Dubai island

    Work began on Monday on the development of a man-made island in Dubai, 500 metres directly opposite the Jumeirah Beach Residence complex. To be known as Bluewaters Island, the new development will house five star hotels and resorts, al fresco dining and entertainment zones, and residential apartments and villas. The focal point of the island city, which will cost $1.6 billion, will be a 688 ...

  • Indian passport problem in Saudi Arabia resolved

    The problem of Saudi Arabian immigration authorities not accepting newly designed Indian passports has been resolved, according to the Indian embassy in Riyadh. India's Ambassador Hamid Ali Rao raised the issue during a meeting with Saudi Deputy Minister of Interior Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al-Salem Tuesday and the matter was clarified, local media reported Wednesday "Some cases were reported in ...

  • Saudi Arabia nabs 10 over spying for Iran

    Saudi Arabia has arrested 10 people on suspicion of espionage for Iran, the interior ministry announced Tuesday. "Following an initial investigation, the security forces arrested 10 more suspects over involvement in the espionage acts for an Iranian espionage cell, reported Xinhua citing a spokesperson for the ministry. The arrestees, comprising eight Saudis, a Lebanese and a Turk, are linked ...

  • Syria asserts right to respond to Israeli violations

    They Syrian government has said that it holds the right to respond to any Israeli violation against its sovereignty. The Syrian foreign ministry, in a letter to the UN, Tuesday complained against the latest Israeli violation which took place earlier, Xinhua reported. The complaint was made in the wake of an Israeli military vehicle violating the cease-fire being observed between Israel and ...

Movie Review

Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin) [DVD]

Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin) [DVD]

Wings of Desire, which marked director Wim Wenders return to his native Germany after more than a decade making films in other countries, is dedicated to all the old angels, especially Yasujiro [Ozu], Franois [Truffaut], and Andrei [Tarkovsky]--all of whom are cinematic mast ... ...

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  • Iran Bars Candidacies of Rafsanjani Ahmadinejad Aide

    IA conservative body in Iran has barred two prominent figures from competing in next month's presidential election: moderate former president Hashemi Rafsanjani and a leading conservative allied to current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Iranian interior ministry said Tuesday the Guardian Council of clerics and jurists excluded the two politicians from a final list of eight candidates ...

  • Kerry Mideast Talks on Syria to Include Russian Call for Involving Iran

    STATE DEPARTMENT U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in the Middle East this week for talks to promote an international peace conference on Syria. Russia wants Iran to be part of the process. In this fight for control of Syria, Iran is one of the biggest backers of embattled President Bashar al-Assad. So Russia says Iran should be part of the peace process. "Iran has ...

  • Iran allows eight contenders for presidential election

    Iranian legislative body has approved eligibility of eight presidential candidates for the June 14 poll in the country, Xinhua reported Tuesday. The candidates, including the country's nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and former foreign minister Ali-Akbar Velayati -- for the presidential election have been approved by Iran's Guardian Council of Constitution, semi-official Mehr news agency ...

  • Palestinians have little faith in US peace effort

    RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinians believe the U.S. effort to restart peace talks is doomed, and they're preparing instead to resume their campaign of seeking membership in key international organizations as soon as next month, officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.As U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrives on another peace mission, Israel and the Palestinians ...

  • How to Arm the Rebels in Syria’s Civil War

    The options for the United States are narrowing rapidly as the Syrian civil war rages on. Although Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, announced recently that they are arranging an international conference aimed at ending the conflict, their effort may not be any more successful than previous failed attempts to find a diplomatic solution. ...

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