The junior partner in the Bosnian Serb ruling coalition, the Party of Democratic Progress, PDP, said it was walking out of the government led by the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD, and going into the opposition. The walkout does not affect the stability of the government in the Serb-dominated …
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Gunmen kidnap American U.N. official in Pakistan
QUETTA, Pakistan – Gunmen abducted an American official of the U.N. refugee agency on Monday after shooting dead his driver in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, police said. Police identified the official as John Solecki, head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Quetta. He …
Read More »Cairo court says gas exports to Israel can continue
CAIRO – A Cairo court ruled on Monday that Egyptian gas exports to Israel can continue, pending a review of a November court verdict that the exports should stop. The government had ignored the November verdict anyway and the Israeli company which buys the gas has not complained of any …
Read More »Israeli air strike wounds 4 Palestinians in Gaza
GAZA – An Israeli air strike on a car in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday wounded four militants, Palestinian medical workers said. They had earlier said that one militant had been killed in the attack. The Israeli army said it targeted gunmen who had fired two mortar bombs that …
Read More »India says Pakistan seems serious on Mumbai probe
NEW DELHI – Pakistan seems serious about investigating the Mumbai attacks and has sought clarifications on a dossier of evidence from India, but still is not doing enough to tackle militancy, India’s national security adviser said. “What I am aware of is that after the receipt of the dossier by …
Read More »Kazakhstan to nationalize top banks as crisis bites
ASTANA – Kazakhstan announced plans on Monday to effectively nationalize two of its leading banks as the global financial crisis tightened its grip on Central Asia’s biggest economy. The government said it will buy 78.14 percent of shares in the biggest bank, BTA, which has assets of $28 billion. BTA, …
Read More »Envoy Stresses Iran’s Continued N. Progress
TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior Iranian diplomat underlined his country’s continued activity in the field of civilian nuclear technology, and said that that United States did not have the courage to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities. Speaking to reporters at the Iranian Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan on Sunday, Director General of the …
Read More »IAEA Chief Welcomes US Overtures to Iran
TEHRAN (FNA)- UN atomic watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei in an interview published on Sunday welcomed recent overtures by US President Barack Obama to engage Iran in talks on its nuclear program. ElBaradei called in an interview with the Washington Post for “a direct dialogue” between Iran and the United States, …
Read More »Dubai Police Rescues Iranian Ship Crew
TEHRAN (FNA)- A Dubai Police navy rescue team on Saturday managed to rescue seven crew members on an Iranian ship before it sank off Al Hamriya Port in Dubai. The vessel, carrying 30 tons of vegetables, was located about 20 nautical miles off Al Hamriya port. The crew radioed an …
Read More »Iran Urges Int’l Community to Restore War-Ravaged Gaza
TEHRAN (FNA)- The international community and the Islamic world should restore the Gaza Strip destroyed by Israel’s recent three-week military offensive, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said. The Israeli assault, which lasted from December 27 to January 18, killed some 1,400 Palestinians, injured more than 5,500, and caused widespread damage …
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