Iran cleric slams '09 post-vote unrest

A senior Iranian cleric says after their defeat in the 2009 election the heads of sedition tried to hurt the establishment by starting rumors of vote fraud and drawing people to the streets, PressTV reported.

"The great epic of December 30 (Dey 9) is the day of amity with the [Islamic] Revolution and pledging allegiance to the Leader, and the day of expressing resentment towards the enemies," IRNA quoted Tehran's interim Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami as saying.

He was referring to a massive turnout of demonstrators across Iran on December 30, 2009, when people condemned anti-government protests,

Iran urges UN action on Asgari case

Iran's caretaker Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has urged the United Nations to help determine the fate of an Iranian national who reportedly died in an Israeli prison, Press TV reported.

Ali-Reza Asgari, a former deputy defense minister, mysteriously disappeared in Turkey in 2007. He was believed to have been abducted and transferred to Israel.

A Ynet report on Tuesday stated that a prisoner had committed suicide in solitary confinement in Israel's Ayalon prison.

The Eurasia Review website claimed that a source within the "inner circle" of the Israeli Defense Ministry had identified the prisoner as Asgari

US will oppose bringing Israeli-Palestinian conflict before UN body

The United States said Wednesday it will oppose any resolution brought before the United Nations Security Council that calls on Israel to end settlement activity in the West Bank.

The Palestinians plan to submit the proposal early next year, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told the German Press Agency dpa. He denied earlier news reports that the Palestinians planned to call for the top UN body to recognize Palestinian statehood.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States continued to oppose Israeli settlement activity, but also opposed bringing elements of the Middle East peace process before the 15-member UN

Azerbaijan and Togo established diplomatic relations

Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 29 / Trend I. Huseynov /

The joint communiqué on establishing diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan Republic and Togolese Republic was signed on December 28 at the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the UN, said in the statement of the Permanent Mission, received Trend on Wednesday.

The communiqué was signed by Ambassador Agshin Mehdiyev, Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the United Nations and by Ambassador  Kodjo Menan, Permanent Representative of Togo to the UN.

Mehdiyev and Menan exchanged views on prospects of bilateral relations, possible areas of cooperation and other issues of mutual interest after

Iran calls for forming commission over water issue with Afghanistan, Tajikistan

Iranian Energy Minister Majid Namjou called for the formation of a tripartite commission among Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan over water issues, the semi- official ISNA news agency reported on Monday.

After meeting with his Afghan and Tajik counterparts, Namjou said since there are common concerns over water issue among the three countries, the formation of a high commission is a necessity, Xinhua quoted the report as saying.

The high commission can observe the regulation systems and the laws concerning the water issues in each of these three countries, he added.

Iran has suggested the commission be formed within the following

Parliament of Iran praises Mottaki for his services

In a statement issued on Sunday, 260 members of the parliament thanked Manouchehr Mottaki for his services as foreign minister for more than five years, Mehr news agency reported.

"Mottaki is clearly a capable person in the area of foreign policy, and we hereby express our gratitude for his diligent efforts," the MPs said.

On December 13, President Ahmadinejad dismissed Mottaki from his post while he was away on a diplomatic mission in Senegal. The move provoked criticism from the parliamentarians who believed Mottaki was not removed courteously.

Majlis speaker Ali Larijani expressed his disapproval of the way Mottaki was

Qatar 'welcomes' more Iran military ties

Commander of Qatar's Navy Mohamed Nasser Mubarak al-Mohannadi says the Persian Gulf country welcomes enhancing security and military ties with Iran, Press TV reported.

"The visit by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) fleet to Doha is within the framework of the security and military accord between the two countries," an IRGC statement quoted Mohannadi as saying.

"We urge the continuation of these trips in the future, since developing and expanding friendly ties is in line with efforts to enhance regional peace, security and stability," he added.

The Qatari commander visited military delegates from the IRGC and

Turkish, Pakistani, Afghan leaders agree to joint military exercise

The presidents of Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed Friday at a trilateral summit in Istanbul that their countries' armed forces would conduct a joint military exercise in April 2011, dpa reported.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul hosted his counterparts, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, in the fifth such summit to be held since Turkey launched a three-way initiative among the countries in 2007.

Speaking to the press after the summit, Gul emphasised the importance of fighting terrorism.

"In order to do this, it is necessary for our intelligence organisations to work together in the best way

Anarchists claim responsibility for Rome bombings

An Italian anarchist group has claimed responsibility for two parcel bombings that targeted the Swiss and Chilean embassies in Rome on Thursday, the Italian news agency Ansa reported.

A statement to that effect was recovered from a small box found next to one of the two embassy workers who were injured in the explosions.

The group in question calls itself the Federazione Anarchica Informale, dpa reported.

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Life in prison for former Argentine dictator Videla

Former Argentine dictator Jorge Rafael Videla was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison for crimes against humanity during Argentina's 1976-83 military dictatorship, dpa reported.

Videla, who was commander of the Argentine Army at the time of the 1976 coup and led the country until 1981, was found guilty of torture, premeditated homicide and torture leading to death.

The 85-year-old, who appeared to be in good health when he addressed the court, is to serve his sentence in prison, not under house arrest.

The 1976-83 dictatorship is believed to have claimed 30,000 lives, according to human rights organizations, though remains have

FIFA awarded tax-free in Brazil to organize 2014 World Cup

Brazilian government published on Tuesday in the official Gazette a law that establishes a series of exemptions from federal taxes for the FIFA to organize the 2014 World Cup and the Confederations Cup in 2013, Xinhua reported.

The exemption enters into force on Jan. 1, 2011, and is one FIFA's requirements to hold the World Cup in the country.

According to the law, for the preparation of the event, FIFA does not need to collect taxes on imported goods (IPI), the contribution to Social Security Financing (Cofins) on imported goods and services, and the Contribution to the Programs for Social

Strong earthquake rocks SE Iran, kills at least 7

A strong earthquake shook Kerman province late Monday in south-eastern Iran, leaving at least seven people dead and hundreds injured, the local governor told Mehr news agency.

The 6.5-magnitude earthquake shook several cities, towns and villages in the province. The epicentre was the village of Fahraj near the town of Hossein Abad.

Governor Ismael Najar said that based on initial observations from aid teams reporting back to his office, the casualties were mainly in the villages of Chah Qanbar, Tak Seyfeldini and Sarze Rigan.

Najar added that with some residents still buried under debris in the three villages, the death

Napoli score late goal to join Lazio in second place

Napoli won 1-0 against Lecce Sunday through a last- gasp goal from Edinson Cavani that helped them move to within three points of Serie A leaders AC Milan, dpa reported.

Earlier Sunday, Lazio beat Udinese 3-2 with a late own goal to also move to 33 points.

Milan lost their game at home to Roma 1-0 on Saturday to stay on 36 points from 17 games and will end the year at the top as the league moves into a winter break until January 6.

"We deserve this standing," Lazio captain Stefano Mauri said. "If we are second, it is not by chance."

Uruguay bomber Cavani slammed home a great

Iran urged to beef up security in east

Secretary of Iran's Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei says Tehran and Islamabad should form a joint anti-terrorism command against bombers operating from Pakistan, PressTV reported.

On December 15, a terrorist attack took place at the Imam Hussein mosque in Chabahar in Sistan-Baluchestan Province where people were commemorating the martyrdom of the third Shia Imam, Hussein (PBUH).

At least 37 mourners were killed and more than 90 others were injured including women and children.

"This unpleasant incident has demonstrated the need for Iran to mend its security wall in Sistan-Baluchestan Province," Rezaei said in statement on Saturday.

"The Iranian

Russian police arrest suspected racist riot ringleader

An alleged organizer of recent race-hate riots in downtown Moscow who is suspected of killing a Kyrgyz migrant was arrested on Friday along with three other rioters, a Moscow court announced.

Ilya Kubrakov is believed to be a ringleader of last Saturday's riots on Manezh Square next to the Kremlin and could face life in prison over the stabbing to death of a man from Kyrgyzstan in southern Moscow. His body was found on Sunday, RIA Novosti reported.

Court spokesman Oleg Shassayev said all four detainees could be kept in pretrial detention until February

Palestinian Authority demands Europeans recognize independent state

Palestinian Authority on Thursday officially demanded that European countries recognize an independent Palestinian state on the territories occupied in 1967 by Israel, with east Jerusalem as its capital, dpa reported.

Palestinian negotiator Nabil Shaath met in Ramallah with the ambassadors from France, Britain, Sweden, Denmark and the EU special envoy for peace. He demanded that their countries recognize a Palestinian state on 1967 borders.

In a press statement emailed to reporters, Shaath demanded European recognition for a Palestinian state, "even in case a peace agreement is not reached with Israel."

He urged Europe to play "a more influential role in

Israel must guarantee to end conflict - Arab League

The Arab League says there will be no more talks between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel unless Tel Aviv "offers serious guarantees" on ending the conflict, PressTV reported.

"Resuming the negotiations will be conditioned on receiving a serious offer that guarantees an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict," Arab foreign ministers said in a statement read by Arab League chief, Amr Moussa, on Wednesday.

The decision was taken after a ministerial follow-up committee on talks held a meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo.

The ministers stated that they have rejected resumption of negotiations because the talks

Julian Assange freed on bail in Britain

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was Tuesday freed on bail by a court in London after a week in custody, dpa reported with reference to the BBC.

The 39-year-old Australian will continue to fight his extradition to Sweden where he is wanted in connection with sex offence allegations, his lawyers said.

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Eastern Partnership Foreign Ministers take stock of Partnership progress

The Eastern Partnership (EaP) is strategically important as a way of deepening and strengthening relations between the EU and the Partner countries, said participants of the second Foreign Ministers' meeting within the framework of the Eastern Partnership, held on 13 December in Brussels, the EU said.
 
The meeting, chaired by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton, drew high level participation from the EU, including 27 EU Member States, the EU Council, the European Commission, the six Eastern European Partner countries, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the Committee of the Regions (COR), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the

Exit poll: Prime Minister Thaci wins Kosovo elections

Prime Minister Hashim Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) won the most votes in a snap election held on on Sunday, an exit poll showed, dpa reported.

According to the poll conducted by the Gani Bobi agency, the PDK received 32 per cent of the votes cast, ahead of Pristina Mayor Mustafa Isa's Democratic League of Kosovo.

Newcomer party Vetevendosje (Self-determination) came third with 15 per cent, ahead of the Future for the Alliance of Kosovo (AAK) on 12.5 per cent.

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State statistics committee head: GDP growth for 2010 to be 4.7-4.8 percent in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 12 /Trend, N.Ismayilova/

Upon 11 months, the GDP growth in Azerbaijan amounted to 4.5 percent, the chairman of the State Statistics Committee of Azerbaijan Arif Veliyev said on Sunday.

"Given that today, all spheres of the Azerbaijani economy grew, except agriculture, GDP production in the country by the end of 2010 is expected to grow by 4.7-4.8 percent," said Veliyev.

Despite 4.5 percent GDP growth, the growth rate of non-oil GDP in January-November amounted to 6 percent, Valiyev said.

According to him, the decline in agricultural production is linked with the decline in crop production by 8-9

US-led soldier killed in Afghanistan

Another US-led foreign soldier has been killed in a roadside bomb blast in southern Afghanistan, the Netherlands-based BNO News has reported.

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said the serviceman was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) in southern Afghanistan on Friday, saya Press TV.

In line with its usual policy, ISAF has withheld all other details about the bomb attack.

The latest incident brings the death toll for foreign soldiers based in Afghanistan to 684 this year, eclipsing the previous record of 521 in 2009.

2010 has been the deadliest year of the nine-year war

Ashtiani recounts murder on Press TV

An Iranian woman convicted of murder and adultery has accompanied a team of TV production group to her house to recount details of killing her husband at the crime scene, Press TV reported.

Contrary to a vast publicity campaign by Western media that confessed murderer Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani has been released, a team of broadcast production team with the Iran-based Press TV has arranged with Iran's judicial authorities to follow Ashtiani to her house to produce a visual recount of the crime at the murder scene.

Press TV's "Iran Today" program, will shed light on the highways and byways of the

Merkel appeals for calm in euro crisis discussions Eds: EU summit on December 16-17 in Brussels

Chancellor Angela Merkel appealed on Wednesday for calm, after eurogroup leader Jean-Claude Juncker criticized Germany for creating "taboo zones," in its approach to the euro currency crisis, DPA reports.

"We should work in a calm and targeted manner towards that which awaits us next Friday," Merkel said of an upcoming European Union summit at which leaders are to agree on a permanent euro rescue mechanism from 2013.

"My calm demeanour is my contribution to the process," she retorted to Juncker's earlier criticism.

"Germany is a bit too simple in its thinking," Juncker had written in an article to appear Thursday in weekly

Deep divisions ahead of next round of Iran talks

No one was surprised when the latest round of nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers saw the same lack of concrete results as numerous previous encounters, dpa reported.

Although both sides floated a confidence-building scheme involving the export of Iranian nuclear material as a topic for their next meeting in Istanbul late January, opposing interpretations of such a deal exposed their lack of common ground.

While the US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China once again voiced concern over a possible Iranian nuclear weapons programme, Iran refused to budge from its right to nuclear technology, including the uranium enrichment process, which the West wants suspended.

Both sides could however claim partial victory in the talks that ended Tuesday in Geneva

Iran had said it would not talk about

Israel should stop building new settlements - Turkish president

Turkey's president said on Monday that Israel should give up building new settlements and start displaying a positive stance for the continuation of the peace talks with Palestine, Anadolu Agency reported.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul and President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine held a tete-a-tete meeting and later co-chaired talks between Turkish and Palestinian delegations at the Cankaya Presidential Palace in Ankara on Monday.

Appearing at a joint press conference with Abbas afterwards, Turkish President Gul said developments regarding the critical peace process in the Middle East were on the agenda of the Palestinian leader's talks in Turkey.

Gul said that

Real Madrid interested in Inter veteran Diego Milito

Spanish giants Real Madrid are interested in signing Inter Milan's veteran striker Diego Milito, according to the website of sports daily Marca on Sunday.

Real are looking to sign a top striker in the winter transfer window to cover for the absence of Gonzalo Higuain, who will be out for up to three months with a slipped disk, dpa reported.

Real coach Jose Mourinho is keen on Milito because the veteran Argentine was outstanding last season when Mourinho led the Italians to a historic treble of league, cup and Champions League.

Milito, 31, scored both goals in Inter's Champions League

Fifty-five passengers of troubled Dagestan-bound plane remain in hospitals

A total of 55 people remain in hospitals following an emergency landing of a Dagestan-bound plane at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport, according to a statement published on the Russian Health Ministry's website, RIA Novosti reported.

All three engines of the Dagestan Airlines' Tupolev-154 plane successively failed several minutes after it took off from Moscow's Vnukovo Airport for Dagestan's capital, Makhachkala, on Saturday afternoon. Two people were killed and about 80 were injured during the emergency landing as the plane skidded off the runway and broke into pieces.

Dagestani president's brother Gadzhimurad Magomedov, who was on board the plane and received serious

Azerbaijani President offers condolences to King of Jordan

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed his condolences to King Abdullah II of Jordan in connection with the death of his grandfather, the official website of the Azerbaijani President said.

"I was extremely saddened by the news on the death of Your grandfather. Sharing Your sorrow in connection with this great loss, I express You, all members of Your family my deepest condolences," the letter said.

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OSCE Astana summit adopts final declaration

The OSCE summit held in Astana on Dec. 1-2 and brought together leaders of all OSCE member countries after a 11-year hiatus, has adopted a final declaration, stated the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, KazTAG reported.

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Clinton to consult with Asian allies on North Korea

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will host a meeting with her Japanese and South Korean counterparts next week to discuss the tension over North Korea, the State Department said Wednesday, dpa reported.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara will sit down with Clinton in Washington on Monday to demonstrate "the extraordinarily close coordination" between the three countries on maintaining security in the region.

The United States and South Korea completed four days of joint naval exercises off the Korean peninsula to show a willingness to respond with force to what they see