December, 2008

• 17 December

  Palestinians celebrate release from Israeli jails

  RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – Israel released 224 prisoners in a goodwill gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday, prompting joyous family reunions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Families sang and danced as prison buses rolled up full of newly freed men, shouting and waving from the …

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• 17 December

  Some 30 Russian tourists die in Israel bus crash

  EILAT, Israel (Reuters) – A bus full of Russian tourists veered off a desert road in Israel and plunged down a ravine on Tuesday, killing up to 30 people and seriously injuring about a dozen more. The crash, near the Sinai Desert border to the north of the Red Sea …

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• 17 December

  Iraqi who threw shoes at Bush admits it in court

  BAGHDAD (Reuters) – An Iraqi journalist who has admitted hurling his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush appeared before a judge on Tuesday and confirmed his action, a judicial spokesman said. TV reporter Muntazer al-Zaidi, who also called Bush a “dog” at a news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister …

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• 17 December

  Iraqi doctor guilty of British car bomb plots

  LONDON (Reuters) – An Iraqi doctor was convicted on Tuesday of planning to bomb a nightclub in central London and a packed Scottish airport a day later last year in order to commit murder on an “indiscriminate and wholesale scale.” Bilal Abdulla, 29, was part of an Islamist cell that …

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• 17 December

  Greek PM vows to fight corruption after 11-day protest

  ATHENS (Reuters) – Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis pledged on Tuesday to tackle corruption after 11 days of violence triggered by the police killing of a teenager and fueled by public anger at scandals and a slowing economy. About 100 youths attacked a police station in Athens, setting fire to …

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• 17 December

  India-Pakistan talks stalled after attacks

  SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) – Tentative peace talks between India and Pakistan have stalled after the Mumbai attacks, India said Tuesday, and can only resume if Islamabad takes more decisive action against militant groups on its soil. The talks, known as the composite dialogue, began in 2004 after the nuclear-armed neighbors …

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• 17 December

  Iran, Bosnia Discuss Expansion of Ties

  TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Economic Minister Shamseddin Hosseini and Bosnian Minister of Foreign Trade Mladen Zirojevic in a meeting here in Tehran on Monday explored avenues to expand mutual trade and economic relations. Iran seeks ways to boost cooperation with Bosnia in various sectors like banking, foreign investment, privatization, etc., he …

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• 17 December

  Iran Describes Ties with Oman Model for Regional Countries

  TEHRAN (FNA)- Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Monday that Iran-Oman ties can serve as a model for regional countries. In a meeting with Omani King Sultan Qaboos’ envoy, Abdelaziz Al-Rawwas, he added that the two countries’ relations have always been cordial and extensive. Stating that there is no change …

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• 17 December

  Minister: Iran Favors European Markets

  TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran’s Minister of Commerce Massoud Mir-Kazemi on Monday expressed hope that Iran would expand its presence in the Balkan region so that it could reach the European markets. He made the remark while talking to the Islamic republic news agency after a ceremony during which Iran and Bosnia …

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• 17 December

  Iran: Mottaki’s Absence from Paris Meeting Result of Sakozy’s Remarks

  TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said he did not attend the two-day conference on Afghanistan in Paris due to the undiplomatic remarks made by French President Nicolas Sarkozy about Iran. Paris did not show the courtesy of a host, Mottaki stated during a joint press conference with Armenian …

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