US sends envoy to Egypt

The United States has dispatched a former ambassador to meet with top officials in Egypt and reiterate the need for democratic reforms amid the political unrest in the country, the US State Department confirmed Monday.

Retired diplomat Frank Wisner, who served as ambassador to Egypt from 1986 to 1991, has arrived in Cairo for talks with Egypt's leaders, State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said. Crowley could not say whether Wisner would meet with President Hosny Mubarak.

"We have asked him to add his perspective to our analysis on current developments," Crowley said.

The US has urged Mubarak to introduce real

Plane with Azerbaijani citizens evacuated from Egypt arrives in Baku (UPDATE)

The information over plane's arrival added (first version was published at 01:49)

Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 31 /Trend /

The plane carrying Azerbaijani citizens evacuated from Egypt arrived at Heydar Aliyev International Airport early morning on Monday, Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) representative told Trend.

The AZAL plane has brought about 60 Azerbaijani citizens and the body of the killed employee of Azerbaijan's embassy in Egypt, Nijat Gojayev from Cairo to Baku. The plane departed from Baku on Sunday afternoon, AZAL representative told Trend earlier.

There are the Azerbaijani embassy in Cairo's staff and their family members, students learning in

10 dead in fiery train wreck

A collision between two trains late Saturday in northern Germany left 10 people dead and 20 seriously injured, police told the German Press Agency dpa.

A freight train collided with a passenger train in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The reason for the collision was not immediately known.

The wreckage of both trains was ablaze.

The passenger train from the regional HarzElbeExpress was travelling from Magdeburg to Halberstadt.

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Azerbaijani President congratulates re-elected Portuguese President

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has congratulated Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva on his re-election, AzerTAj state news agency reported.

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Candidate to head of CoE office in Azerbaijan identified

Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 27 /Trend/

The process of electing a candidate to the position of head the Council of Europe office in Azerbaijan completed, the Secretariat of the Council of Europe told Trend Thursday.

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Iran should prove peaceful nature of its nuclear program - Medvedev

Iran should convince the world community in the peaceful nature of its nuclear program, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday.

"Iran should resolve the international community's doubts regarding its nuclear program and convince us in its peaceful nature," Medvedev said during his opening speech at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, RIA Novosti reported.

He said that Russia would like to use every possibility to achieve success in the current difficult dialog on Iran's nuclear program.

Medvedev said he had recently discussed this issue with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the phone.

"He [Ahmadinejad] said that he agrees with

Clinton warns of "impact" on US relations with Lebanon

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that a Hezbollah-controlled government in Lebanon would have an impact on relations between the two countries, dpa reported.

"A Hezbollah-controlled government would clearly have an impact on our bilateral relationship with Lebanon," Clinton said after Hezbollah-backed candidate Najib Mikati was appointed prime minister.

The United States has been concerned that increased Hezbollah influence could undermine the special tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri. The United States also blacklists Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

US officials have not said whether the political arrangement would result in an

Casualty reports vary in Moscow airport blast

Russian authorities on Tuesday gave controversial information on the number of people injured in a deadly blast in Moscow's largest airport: the emergencies ministry said 180 people were injured, while the health minister put the number at 128, RIA Novosti reported.

An explosive device was detonated by a suicide bomber as passengers arrived at Domodedovo airport's international arrivals gate at 4:40 p.m. (13:40 GMT) on Monday, killing 31 people instantly. The death toll later rose to 35 as one person died while being hospitalized and three succumbed to their injuries in hospital.

"86 people were hospitalized, 94 received out-patient treatment,"

Iran launches cyber police

The security chief told reporters police progress in cyber space has been increased added that internet crime should be prevented.

Referring to grow of everyday cyber technology makes the user vulnerable to internet crimes.

Ahmadi Mogadham said internet social networks are founded to spread rumors and promote anti government groups.

He added social networks have been established for countries like us however they had losses like incidents in Tunisia.

He told reporters the cyber police is an instrument to protect people security. Ahmadi Moghadam noted '' we don't want to intrude people privacy but to fight criminals who intrude people

Jalili rules out Ashton’s statement that ball is in Iran's court

Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili on Saturday strongly ruled out the statement made by the European Union Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton that the ball is in Iran's court and there was lack of cooperation from Iran, IRNA reported.

He was responding to a reporter at the news conference who cited Ashton's statement about lack of cooperation from Iran.

"Our stand is quite clear based on respecting the legitimate rights of all nations and if they would be ready to continue talks this afternoon, Iran is ready to proceed with talks," Jalili said.

Jalili recalled repetitive

Jalili meets Russian Deputy FM

Secretary of Supreme National Security Council of Iran Saeed Jalili has met Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov  after meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and EU High Representative Catherine Ashton in evening reported Fars news agency.

The previous round of talks on Iran's nuclear program between the "Six" (the permanent members of UN Security Council and Iran after a 14-month break was conducted in December 2010 in Geneva. An agreement was reached to hold the next round of talks on Jan. 21, 2011.

The United States and other Western countries accuse Iran of developing nuclear weapons for military

Ambassador to IAEA: Iran's nuclear diplomacy, fruitful

Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has hailed Tehran's goodwill gesture to open its nuclear sites to foreign envoys as "productive", Press TV reported.

Representatives from the IAEA, the Non-aligned Movement, Group of 77 and the Arab League arrived in Tehran on Saturday for a two-day tour of the country's nuclear sites.

The delegates, who represent more than 120 countries, visited Arak's heavy water reactor on Saturday and toured Iran's Natanz enrichment facility on Sunday.

Iran's initiative "had a positive reflection in the world and among Russian experts," Ali Asghar Soltanieh said on Thursday, after a closed-door

Afghan parliament opening delayed

Afghanistan has announced a one-month delay in the opening of the country's new parliament to allow the investigation of irregularities in the September general polls, Press TV reported.

President Hamid Karzai's office announced the decision on Wednesday after a judge demanded more time to rule on alleged irregularities clouding the general election, AFP reported.

"The president's office, respecting the demand by the court, delays the inauguration of the parliament until February 22 of the current year,'' Karzai's aides said in a statement.

Wolesi Jirga or the House of the People's inauguration, expected to take place on January

Tunisian president, PM quit RCD party

Tunisian interim President Fouad Mebazaa and Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi have resigned from the ruling party of ousted leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, PressTV reported.

They quit Tunisia's ruling Constitutional Democratic Rally party (RCD) on Tuesday as protests over the inclusion of RCD members in the new government came to a peak, CNN reported.

The RCD says it has expelled Ben Ali and six of his associates from the party.

Four ministers of the prime minister's one-day-old coalition have already left the new government amid widespread public displeasure at the new cabinet lineup.

The two top

Azerbaijani President offers condolences to his Brazilian counterpart

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed his condolences to President of Brazil Dilma Rousseff, AzerTAj state news agency reported.

"I was extremely saddened to learn the numerous human casualties and destruction as a result of the natural disaster that happened in Your country. On my own behalf and on behalf of the Azerbaijani people, I express deep condolences to You, the families and friends of the victims, all the people of Brazil. I hope for the speedy recovery of the wounded and injured," the letter said.

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First US ambassador to Syria since 2005 arrives in Damascus

Robert Ford, the first US ambassador to Syria since 2005, arrived Sunday in Damascus to take up what has been described as a challenging post, a US embassy source in Beirut confirmed Sunday.

"Ford will have a challenging job bringing the different views of Syria and the US to some common ground on issues related to Lebanon and neighboring countries," a western diplomat based in Beirut said.

The last US ambassador to Syria was Margaret Scobey, who was asked to leave Syria days after the February 14, 2005, assassination of Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri, dpa reported.

The killing of Hariri,

Iran defeats North Korea

Iran has defeated North Korea 1-0 in matchday 2 of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup to secure a place in the next round of the competition with a game in hand, Press TV reported.

Iran mostly dominated the game but North Korea defended well in the first half to go to the dressing room undefeated at Qatar Sports Club Stadium in Doha on Saturday.

Afshing Qotbi's squad, however, continued to display their good performance in the second half until the breakthrough came just after the hour mark.

Karim Ansari Fard scored the winner in the 62nd minute

Obama presses Zardari on Afghanistan

US President Barack Obama met with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday, emphasizing the importance of cooperating to promote stability in Afghanistan, the White House said, dpa reported

The United States has continuously linked a successful outcome to the conflict in Afghanistan with eliminating the ability of the Taliban and al-Qaeda to operate in remote regions across the border in Pakistan.

"The discussion focused on our shared efforts to fight terrorism and promote regional stability, specifically on the importance of cooperating toward a peaceful and stable outcome in Afghanistan," the White House said.

The meeting came as Vice President Joe

Five people hanged in Iran - news agency

Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan.14 /Trend/

Five people convicted of drug trafficking and smuggling were executed by hanging. The sentence was executed in prison of the city of Horamabad in the west of the country,state news agency İRNA reported.

Law enforcement agencies of Iran executed nine people in 2010. In 2008,  246 people were sentenced to death and  more than 270 defendants - in 2009. Tehran said that punishment through the death sentence is necessary to preserve public order and used only after extensive litigation.

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US state considers alternative to dollar

The Commonwealth of Virginia is planning to file a bill under which it would begin minting its own gold and silver coins as an alternative currency to the US dollar, Press TV reported.

Virginia's Republican Delegate Bob Marshall, from Prince William County, was to ask the General Assembly to consider the idea on Wednesday when it convenes for its annual legislative session, The Washington Post reported.

It is a companion bill to a proposal Marshall has already filed to establish a study committee to examine alternative currencies to that distributed by the Federal Reserve System "in the event

Egypt recalls diplomat over pope's comments on Coptic church attack

Egypt on Tuesday recalled its ambassador to the Vatican over "interfering" comments made by Pope Benedict XVI following the bombing of a Christian Coptic church in Alexandria, dpa reported.

"Egypt considers the latest statement by the Vatican to be an unacceptable interference in its domestic affairs," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Ambassador Lamia Mekheimar was asked to return to Cairo for "consultations," according to the statement. It was not clear how long the ambassador would remain in Egypt upon her return.

The attack in Alexandria during a mass on New Year's Eve killed 23 people and injured around

Plane crash kills four foreigners in Iran

Four of those killed in the plane crash, which occurred on Sunday in Iranian West Azerbaijan Province, are citizens of Iraq, the examination organization of Iran reported.

Currently the dead bodies of 73 people from the total number of deaths have been identified, Mehr news agency reported. 51 killed are men, 26 - women.

The Boeing-727 airplane, owned by Iran Air, crashed on Sunday in West Azerbaijan Province. The aircraft en route from Tehran to Urmia made an emergency landing for unknown reasons and crashed. Seventy-seven people, including 12 crew members, died, while 26 people were injured and one

Airplane crashes north-western Iran, there are dead and survivors (Version 3)

New information on survivors added (previous news has been published at 22:49)

60 people found alive as a result of searching operations on the spot of the wreckage of Iranian passenger plane in West Azerbaijan Province, according to Iranian news agency Mehr.

State of 10 people is extremely difficult.

Mid-range aircraft Fokker-100 crashed Sunday north-western Iran, on which there were 105 passengers and eight crew members. Previously, all of them were feared dead.

Plane owned by Iran Air Airline flew from Tehran to the city of Urmia. The crew failed to land the liner on the first

Congresswoman in critical condition after shooting (Version 3)

Added information on congresswoman`s state

A shooting at a shopping centre in Tucson, Arizona, left 12 injured Saturday, including a member of the US Congress, broadcaster CNN reported, citing police sources.

There were conflicting reports as to whether Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, a 40-year-old Democrat and native of Tucson, had been killed. CNN interviewed a hospital worker who said Giffords was in surgery after being shot in the head.

A previous report from broadcaster NPR had said that at least six others had died in the attack, which would mean there were at least five wounded based on initial reports of 12 shot. Several of the wounded or dead include staff members traveling with the congresswoman.

The motive for the attack remains

Iran N-tour invite aims at transparency - FM

Iran says that the invitation for international envoys to visit its nuclear sites is a gesture aimed at further transparency in the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, Press TV reported.

"Previously similar invitations were made after which envoys from a number of countries came to our country to visit the nuclear facilities," Iranian caretaker Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Friday, IRNA reported.

Iran's invitation comes ahead of the multifaceted talks with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia, and the US -- plus Germany (P5+1) scheduled for late January in Istanbul, Turkey.

Iran names envoys to Algeria, S Korea

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the Islamic Republic is keen to enhance its ties with countries around the world as he names new ambassadors to South Korea and Algeria, Press TV reported.

Ahmadinejad made the remark during a meeting on Thursday with Iran's new ambassador to South Korea, Ahmad Masoumifar and the Islamic Republic's new envoy to Algeria Mahmoud Mohammadi, IRNA reported.

During the meeting, the Iranian chief executive provided the new ambassadors with a set of guidelines on ways to further expand the Islamic Republic's ties within the regional and international scopes.

Pursuance of bilateral agreements and consolidations of

Members of Ombudsman office visit clinic psychiatric hospital

Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 5 /Trend/

The members of Ombudsman's National Preventive Mechanism against violation carried on long-term visit to Health Ministry's Clinic Psychiatric Hospital #2. They met the patients in wards and departments, learned their detention conditions, inspection and cure processes. They also investigated the treatment towards patients, their cure, feeding, their security in food products, and medicinal preparations, Ombudsman Office's press service reported.

A number of obstacles were found during the visit. Thus, because of no yard in the institution, it is impossible for the patients to walk once a day in the yard. Also it was determined that

US criminal court case opens against Michael Jackson's doctor

Preliminary hearings began Tuesday in the involuntary manslaughter case against the doctor who is alleged to have given Michael Jackson the dose of hospital anesthetic that killed the king of pop in 2009, dpa reported.

Dr Conrad Murray, a 57-year-old cardiologist, has pleaded not guilty in the case, with his lawyers likely to claim that someone else - possibly Jackson himself - injected the fatal dose.

Jackson died on June 25, 2009, just as he was about to embark on a sold-out comeback tour. He was 50. Coroners found that he died from an overdose of propofol, a hospital anesthetic

Iran calls for ICRC help on Asgari case

Iran has urged the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to help determine the fate of a former Iranian deputy minister who has reportedly died in Israeli detention, Press TV reported.

In a message to ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger, Iran's caretaker Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi expressed concern over recent report about the alleged death of former Iranian deputy defense minister Ali-Reza Asgari.

Asgari mysteriously disappeared in Turkey in 2007. He was believed to have been abducted and transferred to Israel.

A report by the Israeli website Ynet last week stated that a prisoner had committed suicide in solitary

Commander: Iran fully monitoring enemy's military moves in region

A senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced that Iranian armed forces are closely monitoring even the minor military moves made by the enemies in the region, and said enemies' military bases are within the reach of Iran's missile systems, FNA reported.
   
"We enjoy full supremacy over the enemies and we find out any minor change happening along our coasts," Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said.

Iranian forces are well informed of the enemy moves, when their warships and cruisers are on alert, or when their crews put on life jackets and get ready to launch their boats, we are informed of their moves, the commander reiterated.

"Thousands

Number of injured in church blast in Egypt rises to 97

The number of people injured in the blast near Coptic Christian Church in Alexandria has climbed to 97, other 21 are reported missing, the Egyptian Health Ministry said on Saturday, RIA Novosti reported.

The explosion occurred after New Year Mass as the worshippers were leaving the church. There are no Russian nationals among those affected, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

A spokesman for the Egyptian Health Ministry said that information about new victims of the blast may appear soon as all of those affected were delivered to different hospitals.

Three people with most severe injuries were taken to the best