: The US government demanded that the international community act to prevent Iran from making nuclear weapons, with a senior official saying Tehran had already "crossed the international red line". THE HAGUE: Former Croatian Serb leader Milan Babic, 50, who was accused of crimes against humanity perpetrated during the 1991-95 war in Croatia, committed suicide in the detention centre of the UN war crimes court in The Hague. DUBAI: The supremo of the Palestinian radical group Hamas vowed to continue armed struggle against Israel and declared that the Palestinian Authority had accomplished nothing by recognising the Jewish state. ISLAMABAD: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf called neighboring Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai oblivious to events in his own country, stepping up a war of words between the two US allies in the "war on terror." LONDON: The takeover of British port operator P and O by Dubai Ports World became definitive here when the Court of Appeal denied … [Read more...] about World News Summary
World news israel
World powers to discuss Iran crisis as deadlines loom
World powers and Iran resume nuclear crisis talks Monday amid fears that failure on this occasion may lead to a permanent breakdown and push the sides ever closer to the use of force. The two-day meeting follows a bruising May session in Baghdad during which Iran nearly walked out of negotiations aimed ultimately at keeping it from joining the exclusive club of nations with an atomic bomb. Host Russia however is keen to flex its diplomatic muscle and make Iran an example of how Moscow's influence over Soviet-era partners could be used to avoid foreign military intervention in the 16-month crisis in Syria. "There are reasons to believe that the next step will be taken in Moscow," Russia's Deputy Foreign Sergei Ryabkov said. Failure in Moscow could leave the process in tatters and raise the threat of air raids from arch-foe Israel -- a fateful scenario in which broader conflict would lead to a spike in oil prices that could tip over the world's teetering economy. But a July 1 deadline … [Read more...] about World powers to discuss Iran crisis as deadlines loom
Iran, world powers tackle crisis as deadlines loom
MOSCOW - World powers and Iran resume their nuclear crisis talks on Monday amid fears that failure on this occasion may lead to a permanent breakdown and push the sides ever closer to the use of force. The two-day meeting follows a bruising May session in Baghdad during which Iran nearly walked out of negotiations aimed ultimately at keeping it from joining the exclusive club of nations with an atomic bomb. "There are reasons to believe that the next step will be taken in Moscow," Russia's Deputy Foreign Sergei Ryabkov said. Failure in Moscow could leave the process in tatters and raise the threat of air raids from arch-foe Israel - a fateful scenario in which broader conflict would lead to a spike in oil prices that could tip over the world's teetering economy. But a July 1 deadline for a full EU oil embargo and the June 28 rollout of tough US sanctions against a host of Iranian oil clients is providing added pressure for Tehran to bargain more seriously. Two of the biggest … [Read more...] about Iran, world powers tackle crisis as deadlines loom
Analysis: Israelis doubt world will stop Iran’s nuclear quest
The latest report by U.N. inspectors has hardened suspicions that Iran is seeking nuclear arms capability, but Israeli experts have little confidence that international action will deny the Islamic Republic the means to make a bomb. The pessimism sounded by academics, retired generals and statesmen on the consequences of last week's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) findings contrasted with how Israel and the United States responded in public -- with pledges to use the report to rally support for stiffer sanctions against Iran. Nor did the conference on Monday at Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) hear confident predictions that Israel or its allies would attack Iran. "Can this (IAEA) report create a new basis for increasing the pressure on Iran? There is no good reason for being optimistic," said Ephraim Kam, INSS deputy director and a former Israeli military intelligence colonel. "Iran wants a bomb, or at least the capacity to make … [Read more...] about Analysis: Israelis doubt world will stop Iran’s nuclear quest
US, Israel talk tough ahead of Iran nuclear report
A senior US military official said on Friday Iran had become the biggest threat to the United States and Israel's president said the military option to stop the Islamic republic from obtaining nuclear weapons was nearer. In Tehran, thousands of students burned US flags and pictures of President Barack Obama in a rally marking the anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the US Embassy. Both sides have stepped up their rhetoric before the expected release next week of a report by the UN atomic watchdog. Sources briefed on the document said it would support allegations that Iran built a large steel container for carrying out tests with high explosives that could be used in nuclear weapons. "The biggest threat to the United States and to our interests and to our friends ... has come into focus and it's Iran," said the US military official, addressing a forum in Washington. Reporters were allowed to cover the event on condition the official not be identified. The official said he did … [Read more...] about US, Israel talk tough ahead of Iran nuclear report