Last Updated, 5 March , 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tehran remains firm on nuclear stance
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani says Tehran will not give in to intimidation and threats of UN referral over its right to peaceful nuclear technology. Speaking after the failure of talks in Vienna on Friday with EU officials, he insisted Iran had a sovereign right to enrich uranium. It has emerged that Iran offered EU negotiators a two-year moratorium on industrial-scale nuclear enrichment while continuing its nuclear research. But EU diplomats rejected the offer saying it was not enough to allay concerns that Tehran secretly wants to build nuclear weapons. The failure of Friday's Vienna encounter between Iran and diplomats from Britain, France and Germany paves the way for possible UN Security Council action after the International Atomic Energy Agency meets tomorrow. The US has said that even if the IAEA reports Iran to the Security Council, sanctions against the country are unlikely to be the first step in dealing with the crisis. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ French President starts three-day visit to Saudi Arabia
French President Jacques Chirac is on a visit to Saudi Arabia to boost trade ties. He was greeted by King Abdullah. On Sunday the president will become the first non-Arab leader to address Saudi Arabia's consultative council. He is accompanied by his foreign, defence, finance and trade ministers. The first day of the three-day visit included discussions on Iran and its nuclear stance, the Hamas victory and Lebanon. The main focus will be business ties: Saudi Arabia's growth is consistently above five per cent a year and its economy is benefiting from high oil prices. Some French business leaders were shown plans for the construction of a new project on the Saudi coast - The King Abdullah Economic City - which will be built by 2011. And two military contracts are under negotiation - the Miksa project for protecting Saudi Arabia's borders, and the sale of Rafale planes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated, 4 March , 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Marriage break-up of Blair ally, amid financial probe
One of Prime Minister Tony Blair's closest colleagues in the British government is to separate from her husband, amid the strain of a probe into their complex financial affairs. Culture Minister Tessa Jowell's marital troubles come as authorities in Italy decide whether to press charges against her husband, corporate lawyer David Mills. He is suspected of accepting a bribe of hundreds of thousands of euros from Silvio Berlusconi, in return for testifying in the Italian prime minister's favour in court in the 1990s. Both men deny any wrongdoing. As does Tessa Jowell. She claims that for four years she knew nothing about the sum of cash at the centre of the criminal inquiry in Italy. But although an investigation by Britain's top civil servant cleared her of breaking a ministerial code of conduct, she remains under pressure. Prosecutors in Milan are expected to announce within days whether Silvio Berlusconi and David Mills will face a corruption trial. The timing is particularly sensitive for the Italian leader who is campaigning for re-election ahead of a ballot next month. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated, 3 March , 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Deadly blasts rock Pakistani city
Police believe suicide car bombers may have been responsible.
Karachi is a hotbed of terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda. It has
seen attacks on western targets in the past. It is reported that at
least one US citizen who worked at the consulate is among the dead,
and that another foreigner is missing. Speaking in India, President
Bush said the incident would not deter him from pursuing his Asian
tour to Pakistan. He is due to arrive in Islamabad on Saturday. The search for an agreement was the centrepiece of Bush's visit. "It is not an easy job for the prime minister (Manmohan Singh) to achieve this agreement, it is not easy for the American president to achieve this agreement, but it is a necessary agreement, and one that will help both our peoples," Bush said before the deal was struck. Not everyone is in favour of the blossoming US-Indian relationship. Massive protests were held in Delhi as Bush arrived to protest against his policies in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bush is on his first tour of South Asia. He will be trying to persuade the Indian and Pakistani leaderships to resolve the Kashmir dispute, as well as discussing the war against terrorism. The pact, provided it is ratified by the US Congress, means an end to India's nuclear isolation, a result of the country not joining the non-proliferation treaty. But the prospect of New Delhi in effect bypassing the treaty will worry some in Washington. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated, 2 March , 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Day of decision for UK minister in corruption inquiry
In a separate development, it is also claimed that the British government compromised the investigation by alerting the Italian authorities to a request for Mr. Mills to be extradited. Opposition parties are already asking for clarification. Nigel Evans, a Conservative MP, said: "Surely they would have seen how it did compromise the investigation that was going on , it did directly involve the husband of a Cabinet Secretary of State so surely they should have acted in a more sensitive manner than they way that they did." The Home Office has denied it has broken any rules. But Tony Blair's government is now facing questions in Parliament over its role in the affair. Blair has promised that a full response will be made. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated, 1 March , 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sweden and Niger report bird flu outbreaks
Meanwhile Niger has ordered a cull of poultry in areas hit by a new outbreak, the second in a sub-Saharan African nation after Nigeria. H5N1 has been detected in around 20 new countries over the past month, crossing into Europe and Africa from Asia. Veterinary experts from 50 countries have been meeting in Paris to assess the situation. Consumers are being told that cooked poultry meat represents no threat but at least 20 countries have banned French poultry imports. Paris says that it is in talks to reverse the bans. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Car bombings rock Baghdad
The attacks mark a continuation of one of the worst weeks of bloodletting since the end of the US-led war. It is thought about 400 people have died in sectarian violence since the bombing of a Shi'ite shrine seven days ago. On Tuesday blasts claimed some 60 lives in Baghdad. Meanwhile the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and seven aides have appeared in court for a second consecutive day of hearings. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
