February, 2009

• 2 February

  Gunmen kidnap American U.N. official in Pakistan

  QUETTA, Pakistan – Gunmen abducted an American official of the U.N. refugee agency on Monday after shooting dead his driver in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, police said. Police identified the official as John Solecki, head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Quetta. He …

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• 2 February

  Cairo court says gas exports to Israel can continue

  CAIRO  – A Cairo court ruled on Monday that Egyptian gas exports to Israel can continue, pending a review of a November court verdict that the exports should stop. The government had ignored the November verdict anyway and the Israeli company which buys the gas has not complained of any …

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• 2 February

  Israeli air strike wounds 4 Palestinians in Gaza

  GAZA  – An Israeli air strike on a car in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday wounded four militants, Palestinian medical workers said. They had earlier said that one militant had been killed in the attack. The Israeli army said it targeted gunmen who had fired two mortar bombs that …

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• 2 February

  India says Pakistan seems serious on Mumbai probe

  NEW DELHI  – Pakistan seems serious about investigating the Mumbai attacks and has sought clarifications on a dossier of evidence from India, but still is not doing enough to tackle militancy, India’s national security adviser said. “What I am aware of is that after the receipt of the dossier by …

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• 2 February

  Kazakhstan to nationalize top banks as crisis bites

  ASTANA  – Kazakhstan announced plans on Monday to effectively nationalize two of its leading banks as the global financial crisis tightened its grip on Central Asia’s biggest economy. The government said it will buy 78.14 percent of shares in the biggest bank, BTA, which has assets of $28 billion. BTA, …

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• 2 February

  Envoy Stresses Iran’s Continued N. Progress

  TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior Iranian diplomat underlined his country’s continued activity in the field of civilian nuclear technology, and said that that United States did not have the courage to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities. Speaking to reporters at the Iranian Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan on Sunday, Director General of the …

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• 2 February

  IAEA Chief Welcomes US Overtures to Iran

  TEHRAN (FNA)- UN atomic watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei in an interview published on Sunday welcomed recent overtures by US President Barack Obama to engage Iran in talks on its nuclear program. ElBaradei called in an interview with the Washington Post for “a direct dialogue” between Iran and the United States, …

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• 2 February

  Dubai Police Rescues Iranian Ship Crew

  TEHRAN (FNA)- A Dubai Police navy rescue team on Saturday managed to rescue seven crew members on an Iranian ship before it sank off Al Hamriya Port in Dubai. The vessel, carrying 30 tons of vegetables, was located about 20 nautical miles off Al Hamriya port. The crew radioed an …

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• 2 February

  Iran Urges Int’l Community to Restore War-Ravaged Gaza

  TEHRAN (FNA)- The international community and the Islamic world should restore the Gaza Strip destroyed by Israel’s recent three-week military offensive, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said. The Israeli assault, which lasted from December 27 to January 18, killed some 1,400 Palestinians, injured more than 5,500, and caused widespread damage …

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• 2 February

  Iranian Navy Plans to Build New Bases in Oman Sea

  TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian Navy plans to establish new bases in the Sea of Oman by 2015. The naval bases are currently under construction and they will be completed by the end of the fifth five year Socio-Economic Development Plan (2010-2015), said Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, commander of the Iranian …

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