Vahidi: Israel threats against Iran ridiculous

Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi has severely criticized Israeli military threats against Iran over its peaceful nuclear program, saying such saber-rattling is “ridiculous.”

“Zionists make a lot of noise and rhetorically threaten to take military action against Iran but these remarks are ridiculous,” Vahidi said during an address to an international conference in Tehran, held on Thursday to commemorate the martyred commanders in the Islamic world. 

“The Zionist regime is on the verge of dissolution and undoubtedly its [potential military] action against the Islamic Republic of Iran will certainly lead to the disintegration of the occupying regime,” the Iranian defense minister added. 

The comments come as Israeli officials have recently ramped up their war rhetoric against Iran over its peaceful nuclear activities. 

On February 2, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned that if the Western sanctions imposed against Tehran fail to stop its nuclear program, military action against the country must be put on agenda. 

Meanwhile, Israeli President Shimon Peres has reportedly called on Israeli officials to halt their recently intensified war rhetoric against Iran, describing such anti-Iran remarks as unnecessary warmongering. 

Peres told the Israeli officials that there is no point in the "unceasing self-intimidation," and that Israel should leave “the Iran issue to the superpowers, first and foremost the United States,” the Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Thursday. 

The report also said that Peres is expected to tell US President Barack Obama in an upcoming meeting that he (Peres) does not believe Israel should attack Iran in the near future. 

On February 5, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu similarly warned ministers from his center-right Likud political party to avoid making statements on a possible military attack against Iran, saying such remarks could be damaging to Israel. 

"The chatter causes extensive damage, puts Israel on the frontline and impedes the sanction efforts," Netanyahu said during a Likud ministerial meeting in East al-Quds (Jerusalem). 

The United States, Israel, and some of their allies accuse Tehran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear program. Washington and Tel Aviv have repeatedly threatened Tehran with the "option" of a military strike against its nuclear facilities. 

Iran argues that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has every right to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. 

Iranian officials have promised a crushing response to any military strike against the country, warning that any such measure could result in a war that would spread beyond the Middle East.

US soldier Bradley Manning charged with ‘aiding the enemy’

US Army Private First Class Bradley Manning (C), surrounded by US military, leaves a US military Magistrate Court facility during an Article 32 hearing at Fort Meade, Maryland on December 19, 2011.

Former US Army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning has been formally charged with involvement in the largest leak of classified information in American history.

A military court at Fort Meade, Maryland, on Thursday charged Manning with 22 counts, the most serious of which is "aiding the enemy." 

The charge is an offense that could bring the death penalty, but the prosecution has said it intends to seek a maximum of life in prison for Manning. 

Manning, however, deferred entering a plea. He also declined to say whether he preferred to be tried before a single military judge or a military jury. 

Manning's civilian lawyer, David E. Coombs, said he would be ready to begin the full trial in April. Prosecutors asked for the trial to be scheduled for early August. 

The 24-year-old is accused of passing hundreds of thousands of military field reports from Iraq and Afghanistan and US diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks between November 2009 and May 2010, when he was serving in Iraq. 

The leak of the military documents shed light on civilian deaths, while the diplomatic cables sparked a firestorm by disclosing the private remarks of heads of state and candid observations by senior US officials. 

The Bradley Manning Support Group described his prosecution as "fundamentally unjust.” 

Manning’ supporters also say the conditions of Manning’s pre-trial confinement have been orchestrated by the government to compel him to testify against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. A grand jury has been convened in Alexandria, Va., to hear evidence against Assange. 

"They seem to be bludgeoning Bradley Manning to accept a plea where he would then implicate Julian Assange," said Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, a nonprofit legal organization based in New York City.

Massive $10mn Pink Diamond Found in Australia

Australia's biggest pink rough diamond has been discovered at Rio Tinto's Argyle mine, the world's largest producer of rare pink diamonds, and is to be cut and polished as a single stone.

The diamond will be cut and polished by the company's expert diamond cutter Richard How Kim Kam, media reports said. 

The 12.76 carat gem, which will be known as the Argyle Pink Jubilee, was unearthed at the Argyle open pit in the east Kimberley region of Western Australia, reported Xinhua.

"I'm going to take it very carefully," How Kim Kam told the Australian Associated Press (AAP). 

"I know the world will be watching," he said. 

The finished gem will be graded by a team of international experts and shown around the world before being sold under a tender process later in 2012. 

Argyle Pink Diamonds manager Josephine Johnson said a diamond of its level was extraordinary. 

"It has taken 26 years of Argyle production to unearth this stone and we may never see one like this again," Johnson said.

Innovative Tips to Discipline Your Child

In the absence of a universal parenting handbook, parents often devise their own ways of disciplining children. Although it can be quite a task for parents, doing it the right way is even more challenging. While parents mostly resort to easier weapons such as screaming, slapping and telling them to do things a certain way, there are more ways than one to get the point across.

Recently, the UK-based theatre company London Talents staged a performance in Mumbai addressing parents and teachers on how to make their children understand that sharing and caring are essential. Jumana Kapadia, director of London Talents, shares a few tips on how to role play to discipline kids. 

Role play

Children have feelings and instinctive self-esteem. If you tell your child that he’s selfish for not sharing his toy, and punish him by forcing him to hand it over to another child, you’ll foster resentment, not generosity. Kapadia says, “To encourage sharing, use positive reinforcement rather than admonishment. Keep in mind that it’s okay for your child to hold back for some time and he does not have to hand over his things at that very moment.

Acknowledge to your child that it is, or can be hard to share. “Instead of scolding or pulling it away from him to give his toy over, empathise with him/her. Tell them, ‘I know it can be hard to share and your toy is very special to you, but you know your friend feels sad when you let him play with your toys and I am sure your intention is not to make your friend sad’” says Kapadia. For instance, if your child is used to sitting at one corner of the table most of the time, he/she seems to be taking ownership of it. Instead of asking them to get up and move, encourage them to be a character that they can associate with. This will boost their egos and self esteem. “Tell the little girl that she’s a queen and that she should share her throne with others. This gives each child a feeling that they are important and that they are getting respect.” 

Feelings into words

Help your pre-schooler put their feelings into words. When they’re not being generous, ask what’s wrong. Kapadia provides a reference to the recent show. “For instance, there’s a story where the girl did not want to give her boxes away to the boy. That’s because each of her boxes had a specific purpose in the story. Some were hillsides, some were goats, one a river and the other a troll,” she says. “To an adult these boxes may all look the same, but to the child each box has been invested in and is needed for the role they have given it. She has to learn to adapt her game to the situation. The situation is that her friend needs more boxes to build his bridge. Eventually, they help each other, share the boxes, build a magical bridge and they are rewarded with their own special troll and a goat box.” 

Use hand puppetry

If your child is thoroughly possessive about a toy that his playmate wants, chances are he’s thinking, “It’s either him or me”. The concept of sharing the toy may not even have occurred to him. Encourage the child to tell a story using the toy. Kapadia says, “Ask the children to use their hands as puppets. Give each hand a character. Now ask the children to re-enact the story making the toy part of the story. For example, if they have building blocks, build a truck, use one hand as the driver and the other as its friend, and drive the truck to the child’s friend.” Once the blocks have reached the friend, chances are that the child may demand to have them back. Kapadia says, “Accept that a child’s patience level is lesser than that of an adult. Tell your child, ‘I know you really want to play with it, while you are being good and waiting, can I help you find something else to do?” Such a statement makes the child feel supported and understood, not abandoned. When this strategy is used, children are often happy to wait longer. 

Explore their imagination

Kids running away from mathematical problems are fairly common. So if they have received a worksheet on simple addition and subtraction and are finding it tedious to work it out involve their toy and build a story around it.

Parents also often face the arduous task of running behind their child with boring healthy food. Presentation of food is your ticket to freedom. To tackle a fussy eater, present the food in a fun manner — create a hat out of a sandwich, introduce bitter gourd and chappati as a smiley face. Try eating with your child and build stories around food, sharing ideas. So a morsel of sabzi-roti can transform from a dinosaur to a rocket to sand to anything while it’s on its way to your child’s mouth. “While eating dal-roti, treat the dal like a river and the roti as a boat, so the child will have to dip the roti into the dal for each bite and treat it like play,” she explains.

Brushing teeth can be fun

If your mornings are spent convincing the little one to brush its teeth, change their perception. Kapadia says, “If your child enjoys eating pizza, tell them that their mouth is a pizza base and the tooth paste is a sauce, and by brushing he/she’ll be pulling out the toppings. Ask them to explain the taste. By making the conversation light and fun for them, you’ll turn a difficult chore into a fun habit.”

Health Benefits of Green Tea

Popular in Asia for more than 5,000 years, green tea is quickly becoming a health drink around the world. Green tea was first introduced to the west by Turkish traders in the 6th century. All green tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinesis plant.

Green tea's health benefits are said to come from its high levels ofantioxidants. Research has shown that antioxidants help the body to remove damaging free radicals. Because of its caffeine, green tea should be avoided by infants and children. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should drink green tea in limited amounts.

Green Tea for Longevity and Healthy Aging

The most common use of green tea is to help the body age well. The antioxidants in green tea are thought to erase some of the negative effects of aging on the body. Other uses of green tea are also popular, though there is little research to support most of the uses. Remember that the lack of research for these conditions does not diminish the antioxidant benefits of green tea.

Uses of Green Tea With Unclear, Scant or Contradictory Research Results

• Arthritis
• Asthma
• Cancer prevention
• Cavity prevention
• Diabetes prevention and treatment
• Fertility treatment
• Heart Attack prevention
• Cholesterol and triglyceride improvement
• Memory improvement
• Menopause
• Increase alertness
• Weight loss