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N. Korean Official to Visit New York for Nuclear Talks: Clinton
July 25, 2011
WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced on Sunday that North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kae-gwan will travel to New York later this week to continue denuclearization talks with the US and South Korea."I had a very productive trilateral meeting yesterday with Foreign Minister Kim of the Republic of Korea and Foreign Minister ...
6-Party Talks Only If North-South Ties Improve: Clinton
July 24, 2011
NUSA DUA, Indonesia - North Korea must take steps to improve relations with South Korea before any resumption of six-party talks on its nuclear program, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Saturday. Clinton said the United States was encouraged by a preliminary meeting between North and South Korean officials on the sidelines of an Asia ...
Seventeen dead in Norway bomb and gun attack
Saturday July 23
A gunman dressed in police uniform opened fire at a youth camp of Norway's ruling political party Friday, killing at least 10 people, hours after a bomb killed seven in the government district in the capital Oslo. Witnesses said the gunman, identified by police as a 32-year-old Norwegian, moved across the small, wooded Utoeya holiday island firing ...
Ban Calls Climate Change “Threat” to Global Peace and Security
July 21, 2011
UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary-general Ban Ki- moon said here on Wednesday that climate change comprises a very credible threat to peace and security around the world.
"We must make no mistake," said Ban. "The facts are clear: climate change is real; it is accelerating in a dangerous ...
ASEAN Should Be Nuclear Free: Yudhoyono
July 20, 2011
JAKARTA - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) must agree to make the region nuclear free, bisnis. Com online news provider reported here on ...
Abbas to Visit Europe for Support ofUN Vote
July 17 2011
RAMALLAH - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit several European countries to gather support for a UN vote on an independent Palestinian state, a Palestinian official said Saturday. Abbas' tour, which will start on Sunday, will include visits to Norway, Spain and Turkey, said Saeb Erekat, a Palestinian peace...
Gul Vows to Continue Fighting Terrorism with Determination
July 16, 2011
ANKARA - Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Thursday that the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK)'s attacks would never be able to pull down Turkey and its people, adding Turkey would continue to fight terrorism with determination. "Terrorist organization is worried about well-intentioned efforts exerted to overcome problems on ...
Ban “Extremely Worried” About Horn of Africa Drought Crisis
July 14, 2011
UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon told reporters here Tuesday that the humanitarian crisis caused by drought in the Horn of Africa requires urgent action."I am extremely worried by the situation in Horn of Africa," he said. "More than 11 million people need urgent assistance to stay alive, as they face their worst ...
Ban Stresses Commitment to Protecting Children in Armed Conflict
July 13, 2011
UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon told the Security Council here Tuesday that the UN system remains "fully committed" to the protection of children in armed conflict.
"Let us keep working together to ensure that children everywhere can grow up safe, healthy and educated so they can help to build a ...
G8 “Neglecting Hunger Fight Pledge”
July 12, 2011
LONDON - G8 leaders have been accused of neglecting a pledge to fight hunger in poor countries, Anti-poverty group "ONE" said Monday. In a statement, the group said the drought crisis in east Africa is a "wake-up call" to Governments who pledged to help feed the hungry in Africa two years ago. A spokeswoman from the group ...
Syria Opens ‘National Dialogue’ with Opposition Absent
July 11, 2011
PMDAMASCUS - Syria opened a 'national dialogue' on Sunday that it hailed as a step towards multi-party democracy after five decades of Baath party rule, but its credibility was undermined by an opposition boycott. Some 200 delegates, including independent MPs and members of the ...
SAARC Nations Face Common Challenges: Singh
July 10, 2011
NEW DELHI - Countries in South Asia face common challenges of mass poverty, unemployment, lack of adequate health care, illiteracy and environmental degradation, said Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said. In the opening session of the Fifth Conference of South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Speakers and ...
US, Iraq Negotiating Possible Post-2011 US Force
July 09, 2011
WASHINGTON — The United States and Iraq are negotiating the possibility of keeping some US forces in the country beyond a December 31 deadline for withdrawal, the US military's top officer said Thursday. "The negotiations are ongoing and it's hard," Admiral Mike Mullen told reporters at a Pentagon Press Association ...
Russia Concerned About Militants’ Use of Internet
July 07, 2011
MOSCOW - Russia's top security official warned on Wednesday that Islamist militants were increasingly using the Internet to fight for the "minds and hearts" of disillusioned youths, Russian media reported.
Federal Security Service (FSB) director Alexander Bortnikov emphasized the importance of countering the use of the Internet to lure ...
Libya denies Russia report Gaddafi seeking way out
July 06, 2011
Muammar Gaddafi is sounding out the possibility of handing over power, a Russian newspaper said on Tuesday, but the Libyan government denied it was in talks about the veteran leader stepping....
Libya, Missile Defense Hinder NATO Ties: Russia
July 05, 2011
SOCHI, Russia— Differences over the war in Libya and missile defense plans are hindering efforts to build a strategic partnership between NATO and Russia, Russia's foreign minister said Monday.
"The dialogue is not proceeding as easily as we expected after the Lisbon summit," Sergey Lavrov said, referring to the meeting ...
Turkish Airlines has been Named “Best Airline in Europe”
July 05, 2011
KABUL - Turkish Airlines has been also named as the winner of the categories, "Best Premium Economy Seats" and "Best Airline in Southern Europe" by Skytrax. According to the results of the evaluation 2011, Turkish Airlines has been chosen as the winner of the 3 categories by Skytrax which is a ...
Iran Exports $2 Bln Worth of Petrochemicals
July 04, 2011
TEHRAN - The Director of National Iranian Petrochemical Company (NIPC) Abdolhossein Bayat said that Iran exported 2 billion U.S. dollars worth of petrochemical products in two-month period from March 21 to May 20, the local Press TV reported Sunday. Bayat said 2.8 million tons of petrochemical products were exported in that period, said the...
Arab Uprisings are Opportunity for Democracy: Clinton
July 03, 2011
MADRID - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the Arab Spring Uprisings represent a true opportunity for democracy in the Arab region, noting the need for international support of these changes.
The remark was made during a meeting on Saturday between Clinton and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who both, ...
Islamic Terrorism Still A Threat: Germany
July 02, 2011
BERLIN — Germany's top security official said Friday that the terrorist threat to the country hasn't decreased and the number of radicals continues to grow, even with the death of Osama bin Laden. Security officials saw no reason to lower Germany's threat level following the death of the al-Qaida leader, said Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich, presenting the annual report by Germany's domestic intelligence...
Gul Designates Erdogan to Form New Government
June 30, 2011
ANKARA - Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Wednesday designated Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is also the chairman of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), to form the new government, said a presidential statement. The statement issued by the Presidential Press Office said that Gul ...
Cameron to Urge Rethinks on Strikes
June 29, 2011
LONDON - British Prime Minister David Cameron was calling Tuesday on public sector unions to halt planned industrial action and accept that their pension packages are unsustainable and must be reformed. The Prime Minister was insisting the present arrangements are "not fair to the taxpayer" two days before a mass walkout of ...
Military Action Won’t Solve Libyan Crisis: China
June 28, 2011
LONDON – Military action alone won't resolve the Libyan crisis, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Monday in a warning to nations conducting the NATO-led air campaign in Libya. Following talks in London with British Prime Minister David Cameron, the Chinese leader said his nation backed attempts to reach a political solution over ...
ASEAN-China Youth Leaders to Form Association
June 27, 2011
PHNOM PENH - The youth leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China (ASEAN-China) on said he will establish an ASEAN-China Youths' Association aimed at building closer relations and cooperation and sharing experience.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of a two-day ASEAN-China youth leaders symposium on Sunday, Sok Theavuth, youth leader of Cambodia,...
Kadhafi to Stay Out of Libya Peace Talks: AU Panel
June 27, 2011
RETORIA – African leaders welcomed Sunday Moamer Kadhafi's decision to stay out of negotiations to end Libya's four-month conflict, as battles raged between the regime and rebels near Tripoli.
Multiple rocket and heavy machine gunfire was heard on the plains below the rebel enclave in the Nafusa Mountains, southwest of...
Egypt will Not Need IMF, World Bank Funds: FM
June 26, 2011
CAIRO – Egypt will not borrow from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund after revising its budget and cutting the forecast deficit, even though a loan had been agreed, Finance Minister Samir Radwan said Saturday. The 2011/12 deficit in the first draft budget was forecast at 11 percent of gross domestic product, but was revised to 8.6 percent...
Russian Billionaire Challenges Putin Party
June 26, 2011
MOSCOW – Billionaire oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov Saturday won the leadership of a Russian pro-reform party, setting the goal of challenging the dominance of Vladimir Putin's ruling faction United Russia.
Delegates elected Prokhorov unopposed as the new leader of the Pravoe Delo (Just Cause) party at an extraordinary congress in Moscow marked by bold ambitions the businessman would turn it into a...
IAEA Seeks Enhanced Role in Nuclear Safety
June 25, 2011
VIENNA - Member states of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Friday highlighted the need to strengthen the agency's role in nuclear safety issues.
"The IAEA plays a central role and is the appropriate international focal point for strengthening the global nuclear safety framework," said a summary statement from an IAEA ministerial...
57 Al-Qaida Militants Escape Prison in South Yemen
June 23, 2011
SANAA, Yemen – Dozens of al-Qaida militants battled their way out of prison Wednesday in the latest sign that Yemen's political upheaval has emboldened them to challenge authorities in the countries nearly lawless south, security officials...
Clinton Backs Saudi Women’s Call for Right to Drive
June 22, 2011
ASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday publicly threw her support behind a campaign by Saudi women to lift a ban on female driving in the ultra conservative, oil-rich kingdom.
"What these women are doing is brave, and what they are seeking is right," Clinton said, ending what officials here had called ...
Iran Arrests 4 Members of Jundollah Group
June 22, 2011
TEHRAN - Iranian security forces have arrested four members of the "terrorist" Jundollah (God's soldiers) group along Iran's borders in the Southeastern Sistan and Baluchistan province, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Tuesday. "Four terrorists, who wanted to infiltrate into Iran, were arrested at Sistan...
Iran Invites UN Atom Chief to See Its Nuclear Sites
June 22, 2011
VIENNA – Iran's nuclear energy chief said on Tuesday he had held "very good" and "transparent" talks with the head of the U.N. atomic agency and had invited him to visit the Islamic state's nuclear facilities.
The rare meeting in Vienna between Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani and Director General Yukiya Amano of the International Atomic Energy Agency...
Human Trafficking for Labor Exploitation is Modern-Day Slavery: OSCE
June 21, 2011
VIENNA – Human trafficking for labor exploitation is a new form of slavery that occurs on a massive scale, the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, said today at an OSCE-hosted conference that highlights how decent work and social justice can prevent...
Iran to Link Nuclear Plant to Grid ‘in August’
June 20, 2011
TEHRAN – Iran's first nuclear power plant, built by Russia, is to be connected to the national grid in early August, the Iranian ambassador to Moscow, Reza Sajjadi, said in media reports on Sunday.
"Russian officials announced that they are ready to inaugurate the (Bushehr) plant and connect its electricity to the national grid...
Pakistan Suffers US$ 67.93 Bln Losses Due to Operation against Terrorists
June 20, 2011
ISLAMABAD –Pakistan’s economy has suffered direct and indirect losses upto US $67.93 billion due its role as a frontline state in operations against terrorists, miscreants and militants since 2001 besides causing damage to its social fabric. According to Pakistan Economic Survey 2010-11, the events that transpired after 9/11...