India on Sunday said it is seriously concerned over escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran, and called for immediate de-escalation of the situation.
Japan survived early pressure from Zico's Iraq to beat them 1-0 at home on Tuesday, taking a significant step towards qualifying for the 2014 soccer World Cup in Brazil.
Justifying his decision on Iraq, former US President George W Bush said on Friday said dislodging of the "brutal dictator" Saddam Hussain was a necessity after 9/11 attacks but regretted that military had to be used to do so as there was no other "choice".
'The principle guiding my decisions on troop levels in Iraq is: return on success. The more successful we are, the more American troops can return home,' he said in a televised speech to the nation on Thursday night.
Mentioning the recent attacks on US forces in Syria and Iraq, he added, "The US sent messages to the Axis of Resistance but received a clear response on the battlefield."
The minister is expected to bring back the bodies by Monday.
He also told interrogators that Abu Omar al Baghdadi, who is identified as the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq, is a fictional role created by al Masri and that an actor is used for audio recordings of speeches posted on the Internet.
The latest flashpoint in West Asia has derailed India's preliminary plans to resume crude oil imports from Iran, officials said. In January, officials of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas had told Business Standard that the government had been studying proposals for the same, given that India was trying to expand sources of imports. "We are always monitoring the situation when it comes to crude flows.
South Korea moved a step closer to burying their 55-year Asian Cup hoodoo when they grabbed a goal in each half to beat Iraq 2-0 on Monday and set up a final against Australia or United Arab Emirates.
India's net oil import bill could widen to $101-104 billion in current fiscal from $96.1 billion in 2023-24 and any escalation in the Iran-Israel conflict could impart an upward pressure on the value of imports, ICRA said on Tuesday. The domestic rating agency said based on its analysis, lower value of Russian oil imports is estimated to have led to savings of $7.9 billion in 11 months (April-February) of 2023-24, up from $5.1 billion in 2022-23.
The insurgents are pushing Iraq towards the brink of a civil war but the Iraqi government and the military could still prevent it with strong international backing, the generals said.
This is the first time President Bush has gone on record saying that US forces were `stressed' in Iraq.
The claim's authenticity could not immediately be confirmed.
Striking a strident posture, the US defence secretary said disarmament is not an issue between Iraq and the United Nations, but between Iraq and the US.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
United States President Barack Obama has marked the end of the Iraq War by lauding the "extraordinary achievement" of his country's troops. He paid tribute to the slain soldiers and their families in a speech at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. "Tomorrow, the colours of the United States Forces Iraq, the colours you fought under, will be formally cased in a ceremony in Baghdad. Then they will begin their journey across an ocean back home," the BBC quoted Obama as saying.
As many as 94 Indians on Monday left Iraq after a "pro-active approach" initiated by the Indian officials there that would see nearly 600 nationals leaving the war-hit country to safety this week.
The United States is deploying up to 275 military personnel in Iraq to protect its citizens and property as the war-torn country battles a dramatic sweep by insurgents there.
The Indian Embassy in Baghdad is "proactively liaising" with the authorities in Iraq to facilitate the return of about 28 Indins who are subjected to long working hours with poor salaries there after being reportedly duped by unscrupulous travel agents.
The new executive order, which will come into force on March 16, covers people from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen.
"In view of the seriousness of the current security situation in Iraq, Government of India advises its citizens to defer visits to the country for the time being," an official release said.
Saddam would continue to inspire Sunni Arabs to not only oppose the US but also other governments that are perceived to be US puppets.
Iraqi Sunnis have been outraged by the executions and international human rights groups have also expressed concern.
The process will involve a four-stage disengagement that is scheduled to begin this spring, or at the latest by the end of the summer.
The location of the 40 Indian construction workers kidnapped in Mosul town of strife-torn Iraq has been identified by Iraqi authorities, the government said on Thursday.
In an address at a security conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in the Kazakh capital, he also underlined the need for holding accountable the sponsors, financiers and facilitators of terrorism, in remarks that came amid Pakistan's continuing support to various terror groups.
Delivering a speech at Greater Columbus Convention Center in Ohio on Thursday, McCain said: 'By January 2013, America has welcomed home most of the servicemen and women who have sacrificed terribly so that America might be secure in her freedom. The Iraq War has been won. Iraq is a functioning democracy, although still suffering from the lingering effects of decades of tyranny and centuries of sectarian tension.'
United States Defence Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said the new Iraqi constitution will not end all violence in Iraq.
Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Salih said that the Iraqi security forces will have assumed direct control over many provinces of the country.
The US is incredibly dependent on oil and it feared that the competition on the world market could become 'too hard', he told a security seminar in Stockholm.
Many nurses hailing from Kerala are stranded in conflict-torn Iraq. Their families reveal their horror stories to Vicky Nanjappa.
Around 5,000 Shia Muslims and 162 Hindus have agreed and are ready to go to Iraq.
Britain has some 9,000 troops in Iraq, mostly based in the south of the country.
Iraqi officials said the insurgents had planned to seize control of the holy city of Najaf and kill top Shia religious figures -- including Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most revered Shia leader.
Football's governing body FIFA has suspended the Iraqi Football Association (IFA) 'because of government interference'. 'In accordance with FIFA statutes, the clubs and representative teams of Iraq are no longer permitted to take part in international matches, whether friendly or competitive,' read a statement on the FIFA website.
Senior British commander in Alamarah in Iraq, Lt Col Andrew Williams, told Washington Times in an interview on Tuesday. London is yet to confirm this report.
