Iran

MUMBAI: Flight AI-141 that took off from Mumbai airport early Monday, flying over 11 countries on its way to New York, almost made history — all women pilots, despatchers, check-in staff and pre-flight doctors. In fact, all that came between it and the record books was a Supreme Court ruling making it mandatory for flight on which alcohol is served to have male pursers on board.

M. Shahid Alam

More than eight years after dismantling the Taliban, the United States is still mired in Afghanistan. Indeed, last October it launched a much-hyped ‘surge’ to prevent a second Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, not imminent yet, but eminently possible.

The first dismantling of the Taliban was a cakewalk.

In 2001, the United States quickly and decisively defeated the Taliban, killed, captured or scattered their fighters, and handed over the running of Afghanistan to their rivals, mostly Uzbeks and Tajiks from the Northern Alliance.

Unaware of Pashtoon history, American commentators were pleased at the smashing victory of their military, convinced that they had consigned the Taliban to history’s graveyard.

How many airlines do you think will comply with this?

"Airlines must use the term 'Persian Gulf' rather than 'Arabian Gulf' to describe the body of water separating Iran from the Arabian Peninsula, or face a ban from Iranian airspace, according to Iran's transport minister.

"The airlines of the southern Persian Gulf countries flying to Iran are warned to use the term Persian Gulf on their electronic display boards," Hamid Behbahani, told Iranian press. "Otherwise they will be banned from Iranian airspace for a month the first time and upon repetition their aircraft will be grounded in Iran and flight permits to Iran will be revoked."

A Greek flight attendant has been the first to feel Iran's wrath over the naming confusion. Iran's Press TV reports:

via Al Jazeera English

Qatar, economically dependent on both Iran and the United States, will need to draw on its renowned diplomatic skills to maintain relations with both.

Qatar's diplomatic relationship with Iran sets it apart from its neighbours. While most Gulf states keep Iran at a distance, Doha, the Qatari capital, often appears keen to close the gap.

While Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, toured the Gulf this week, trying to drum up support for new sanctions against Iran, Qatar has spoken out in favour of Tehran's right to develop nuclear technology.

Al Jazeera's Dan Nolan reports from Doha on the trickiest diplomatic task the country has yet taken on.

For anyone who has been following Afghanistan at all during the past decade and a half, that's not a trick question. In ABC/BBC/ARD national public opinion poll in Afghanistan, released in February 2009. Question #38 asked: “Now I’m going to ask what you think about some people and groups. Is your opinion of [INSERT] very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable, or very unfavorable?”

The results (with some details omitted):

a. The Taliban: Favorable 7 | Unfavorable 91
b. Osama Bin Laden: Favorable 6 | Unfavorable 92
c. The United States: Favorable 47 | Unfavorable 52
d. Pakistan: Favorable 8 | Unfavorable 91
e. Great Britain: Favorable 39 | Unfavorable 54
f. Iran: Favorable 57 | Unfavorable 40
g. Germany: Favorable 61 | Unfavorable 31

Iran has announced that it will permanently suspend Gmail services. In place of Google email, users will be able to use a national email service provided by Iran’s telecom agency.

Iran’s telecommunications agency announced what it described as a permanent suspension of Google Inc.’s email services, saying instead that a national email service for Iranian citizens would soon be rolled out. It wasn’t clear late Wednesday what effect the order had on Google’s email services in Iran.
Google didn’t have an immediate comment about the announcement.

The interesting bit is that in the geographical area called Iran today, they had a declaration of religious tolerance 2600 years ago, but today that is certainly not the case. No Sunni mosque in Tehran, persecution of Bahais, discrimination for positions in govt or jobs based on religion. Clothing restrictions based on religious values. It also had a bill of rights, but today they do not even have the right to peaceful process without the state bringing down the full force of the security services.

Iran's national museum has said it will cut all ties with the British Museum in protest at a decision to delay the loan of an ancient Persian treasure.

The Cyrus Cylinder dates back to the 6th Century BC and is regarded as the world's first declaration of rights.

Stars: Jim Caviezel, Shohreh Aghdashloo, etc.

Directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh

(In English and Farsi language with English translations)

In a remote village in Iran in 1986, a French-Iranian journalist comes across a woman and tells the story of how her niece was stoned to death and the incidents that led to the punishment done according to Islamic laws of the land.

Based on a true story written on a novel by Friedhoune Sahebjam, a French-Iranian journalist, harrowing drama gives us a touchy perspective of the events that led to the incident, from a Sheikh's sudden 'appraisal' in the community (a former ex-convict before the Islamic Revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini), a husband who's willing to marry another girl and makes something to divorce his wife Soraya (a familiar subject highly similar to Genesis' thread), an aunt (Shohreh Aghdashloo) who doesn't give up to defend her niece for her human rights and men's deceits, an innocent mechanic who was forced to lie for the sake of the husband, the confused mayor who was verged to follow the dominating laws and the Sheikh, and the deceitfully wrong use of religion and its own god to claim the verdict of the public masses and one's possessive personal involvements and conspiracies.

Guess his pride is still not letting him admit his mistake.. Infact he is feeling proud for the needless war and killings in Iraq.. What an A55...

From The Times

January 30, 2010

Unrepentant, unforgiven, Blair says: ‘I’d do it again’

Tony Blair was branded a murderer and liar last night after he ended his historic appearance before the Iraq inquiry with a blank refusal to voice regrets over toppling Saddam Hussein.

After six hours in which the Chilcot inquiry team had largely failed to breach his defences, the former Prime Minister brought trouble on himself by failing to show the contrition that his critics wanted.