UN inspectors visit Iran as nuclear tensions rise

Washington has said it will use force if necessary to keep the Strait of Hormuz open

 

Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have begun a three-day visit to Iran, to try to determine the purpose of the country's nuclear programme.

The visit comes at a time of escalating tension between Tehran and the West over Iran's nuclear activities.
The director general of the IAEA, Yukiya Amano, says Iran needs to engage and answer the agency's questions.
Iran denies that it is trying to develop a nuclear weapon.
The head of the IAEA team said they hoped to "resolve all the outstanding issues with Iran" over its nuclear programme.
"In particular we hope that Iran will engage with us on our concerns regarding the possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear programme," IAEA Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts said before leaving for Iran from Vienna's airport.
Iran's ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Asgar Soltaniyeh, said the inspection was aimed at foiling enemy plots and will prove the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear work.
The dispute over Iran's nuclear activities has intensified since an IAEA report in November expressed serious concerns about the possible military dimensions of the programme.
The agency said it had information suggesting Iran had carried out tests "relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device".
Sanctions Since then the European Union and the United States have introduced a series of sanctions against Iran, including measures targeting the country's lucrative oil industry.
The EU sanctions prohibit the import, purchase and transport of Iranian crude oil and petroleum products as well as related finance and insurance.
All existing contracts will have to be phased out by 1 July.
That timing was intended to give some EU countries time to switch to alternative sources of oil, but Iranian lawmakers are now considering stopping exports to Europe within days, a move likely to drive up fuel prices.
Iran has also threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Gulf, through which more than 20% of the world's traded oil passes.
The United States has said it will use force if necessary to keep the shipping lane open, raising the prospect of a confrontation with Iran.
 

Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai thanks UK for 'sacrifice'

President Karzai said Britain had been Afghanistan's 'steadfast friend'

 

 

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai has thanked the British people for sacrificing "blood and treasure" for the future of his country.

His comments followed talks with David Cameron at the UK prime minister's Buckinghamshire residence, Chequers.
The leaders signed an agreement detailing how their countries would work together after UK combat troops withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014.
Mr Cameron said the relationship would be based on diplomacy, trade and aid.
'A steadfast friend' Mr Karzai said the agreement was "one more step" in Britain's long-term commitment to Afghanistan.
He said Britain had been Afghanistan's "steadfast friend", particularly over the past 10 years.
Speaking the day after the death of a UK soldier in Helmand province - the 397th military death since 2001 - Mr Karzai said Britain had sacrificed "blood and treasure" in his country.
"The Afghan people recognise that, respect that and remember that".

Most French soldiers in Afghanistan are deployed in Kapisa province, near Kabul

Mr Karzai said Britain's continued help would move Afghanistan "towards becoming a fundamentally strong democratic state, free of terrorism".
He added: "May I convey to the people of Britain the gratitude of the Afghan people for all that Britain has offered Afghanistan, for having been ready to sacrifice, and for having been ready to share Britain's hard-earned taxpayers' money with Afghanistan for the betterment of the Afghan life, and for a better, more secure vision and - as a consequence - entire world."
Mr Cameron, after meeting Mr Karzai, said it would be in the interests of Afghanistan and Britain to have a strong relationship "to make sure that the future Afghanistan is democratic and stable and free of the terror of the past".
He said the build-up of the Afghan National Army and Afghan Police Force was on target, and it was one of the keys to security.
"My message to the Afghan people is that we want what you want... We want that country to be run by the Afghans for the Afghans, with an Afghan army and police force to provide that security and that stability."
Mr Cameron was also expected to have signed an agreement to build an officer training college in Afghanistan, based on the British Army's Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.
 

Greeks reject German plan for EU budget commissioner

Many Germans fear Greece will need even more than the 130bn euros foreseen for its second bailout

 

 

Greek officials have reacted angrily to a leaked German proposal for an EU budget commissioner with veto powers over Greek taxes and spending.

The Greek government said it must remain in control of its own budget.
The European Commission says it wants to reinforce its monitoring of Greek finances, but Greece should retain sovereign control.
Meanwhile, Greece and its private investors are close to a deal which will pave the way for a second bailout.
Negotiators say a tentative agreement could be finalised next week.
Greece must reach agreement in the next few days in order to receive the next tranche of funds from its first bailout.
It needs the money to pay off a significant number of bondholders whose bonds mature in March. Without the bailout funds, Greece could be forced into an uncontrolled default from the euro.

Sundance film weighs into US tax debate

US multinationals make billions of dollars in profit but can pay no federal tax due to "legal but immoral" tax arrangements, according to a scathing film at the Sundance film festival.
"We're Not Broke" tackles head on issues currently being thrashed out between Republican presidential candidates, over the fairness of America's tax code in particular as budgets are slashed.
The film by Karin Hayes and Victoria Bruce is in competition for best US documentary at the independent film festival, which closes this weekend in the ski resort of Park City, Utah.
The movie explains how business titans like Google, Bank of America, General Electric (GE) and Exxon managed to pay no federal tax, even when their profits are mostly made in the United States.
"They can absolutely afford to pay taxes. About a third of their profits should be going to tax, to pay for our roads, our schools, our military, and feed people and the arts," co-director Bruce told AFP.
"You have GE, that is a sponsor of Sundance. If they care about the arts, I suggest they pay their taxes, because little kids don't even have art at schools because all the school budgets have been cut so much."
And she said: "Now a lot of companies are based on intellectual properties, like Google's search engine, for example. There's no product.
"So they can actually sell that technology to a corporation they own in the Cayman Islands where there is a zero-percent tax and pretend that they have to use all the profits they have in the US to pay the rights to use the software."
The same thing with the drug companies, she said.
"Drug companies here are absolutely horrible, they ... tell us: 'We don't make any profit in the US.' And we know that it's totally untrue."
"The corporations keep saying that it's legal. But is it moral?"
The film highlights the complexity of the US federal tax code for companies, which often use their financial muscle, via lobbyists on Capitol Hill, to push through additions, modifications or exemptions to the rules.
"Although politicians may talk about wanting to close corporate tax loopholes, they are in sort of a cage because they have to raise so much money for their campaigns, who are they going to get that money from?" said Hayes.
"There has to be a very strong movement of people demanding 'We will not stand for this type of financing of candidates,' and to get the corporate money out of politics and then to be able to take actions and close all these loopholes, that the corporations are essentially writing themselves."
The movie highlights the work of US Uncut, an association created in February 2011 which campaigns against tax evasion across the US. Many of its members have joined the anti-Wall Street Occupy movement.
Bruce also believes that change has to come from popular action, rather than through the ballot box, including November elections in which President Barack Obama is seeking re-election.
"Voting, I'm not convinced that it's working anymore. In fact, I don't think November would change anything ... Obama has been completely on the side of corporations since he's been in office," she said.
And she added: "Once you realize that you're paying more than corporations in your country that are making billions of dollars in profits, and then you are told that we have to fire teachers, we can't feed poor people, you realize how our system is corrupt and broken.
"It's sucking money out of the population and it's not coming back, it's in the pockets of the CEOs now and they don't care about us."

Arabs suspend observer mission, Syria deaths spike

DAMASCUS: The Arab League suspended its controversial observer mission in Syria on Saturday as the bloodshed in a crackdown on anti-regime protests spiked with the death toll nearing 200 in four days.The announcement came as umbrella opposition group the Syrian National Council said its leader would travel to New York to press the UN Security Council for protection from President Bashar al-Assad s regime.SNC chief Burhan Ghaliun s trip comes amid a new bid by Arab and European states for UN action over the more than 10-month-old deadly crackdown on dissent that has hit immediate opposition from staunch Syria ally Russia.It also comes as Gulf states and Turkey called in Istanbul for global efforts to focus on bringing the bloodshed to an 'immediate end' and paving the way for the initiation of a political transition.Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said 'the decision to suspend the observer mission was taken after a series of consultations with Arab foreign ministers because of the upsurge of violence whose victims are innocent civilians.'He said it also came 'after the Syrian government chose the option of escalation, which increased the number of victims.'The 165 League observers were deployed on December 26 after Syria agreed to a League plan foreseeing a halt to the violence, prisoners freed, tanks withdrawn from built-up areas and free movement of observers and foreign media.The head of the monitoring mission, General Mohammed Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi, said unrest has soared 'in a significant way,' especially in the flashpoint central cities of Homs and Hama and in the northern Idlib region.According to a tally by AFP taken from reports by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and official Syrian media, 193 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since Tuesday.That compares with the figure of more than 5,400 given by the United Nations last month since anti-regime protests erupted in mid-March.The SNC, meanwhile, has 'decided to head to the Security Council tomorrow, led by Burhan Ghaliun, to present the Syrian case... and demand protection,' executive committee member Samir Neshar told an Istanbul news conference.He spoke after Gulf states and Turkey, which have led regional condemnation of Damascus, called on Assad to accept an Arab League proposal for him to step down and turn over power to his deputy before formation of a unity government.Syria has categorically rejected the proposal.'We hope Syria seriously evaluates the decisions of the Arab League, puts an end to repression against its people and start a reform process in line with the demands of the people,' Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.On Saturday, deadly clashes and an ambush on a bus transporting soldiers claimed at least 15 lives, according to activists and state media.In the restive central town of Rastan in Homs province, 'a large number of soldiers in the countless checkpoints inside the city deserted and turned their arms on the regime s soldiers,' according to a local activist.Damascus does not recognise the scale of the protest movement, insisting instead that it is fighting 'terrorist groups' seeking to sow chaos as part of a foreign-hatched conspiracy.As the violence rages, wrangling continues over the wording of a draft Security Council resolution its supporters want put to the vote in the next week.Russia made clear that the Arab and European draft formally submitted by Morocco on Friday crossed 'our red lines.'A previous European draft that would have threatened 'targeted measures' against Assad s regime was vetoed by Beijing and Moscow in October.Backers of the new resolution hope that critics -- who also include India and South Africa -- will be swayed by the tough new stance of the Arab League.The new text 'fully supports' the Arab League plan and 'encourages' all states to follow sanctions adopted by the pan-Arab bloc last November, but contains no mandatory action.Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin said the wording crossed 'our red lines, where we cannot go.'He said Moscow opposed any hint of sanctions, arms embargo or 'regime change' and accused the Arab League of seeking to 'impose' a solution. (AFP)

Cops Search for Missing Florida Baby, Teen Parents

ABC News’ Katti Gray reports:
A missing 1-year-old boy from Orlando, Fla., his teen mother and teen father, who is a registered sex offender, are being sought by police, ABC affiliate WFTV reported.
The baby boy’s grandmother reported the three missing on Jan. 21 after her daughter, Jessica Gonzalez, 18, and the child did not return home, Orange County Sheriff’s Office officials told ABC affiliate WFTV in Orlando.
Sheriff’s deputies said the three were last spotted around 9 a.m. Friday walking along U.S. Highway 192 near Armstrong Boulevard in Kissimmee, Fla.
The baby’s father, Sean J. Schwartz, 17, is listed on the Florida Sexual Offenders and Predators list as “absconded,” which means he no longer lives at the last address he registered with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
“What we are trying to do right now is determine the safety of the child. Make sure he’s doing well,” said Capt. Angelo Nieves of the sheriff’s office.
Schwartz, who was convicted of lewd or lascivious molestation of a victim under 12 years old with the offender under 18 years old, according to the FDLE sex offender registry website, is only allowed supervised visits with his son.
“Obviously there is a history with this young man regarding a prior incident with him and he has a criminal record, and again we are concerned with the child’s safety,” Nieves said.

Celebrity Sleepovers: Comedian and Filmmaker Mark Malkoff Cozies Up to the Stars

A New York comedian and filmmaker known for outrageous stunts such as living in an Ikea for a week and visiting 171 Starbucks stores in Manhattan has made his most recent idea a reality in a series of celebrity sleepovers.
Mark Malkoff decided he wanted to visit Los Angeles without spending thousands on hotels, so he dreamed up a way to stay in beautiful places without spending a dime. He used Facebook, emails and snail mail to write to about 25 celebrities asking if they would let him stay the night.
"I couldn't believe when people started saying yes. More people said yes than no," Malkoff, incredulous, told ABCNews.com. "I honestly wasn't sure celebrities would say yes, since it was such an outrageous request. I also thought about how potentially awkward and uncomfortable it could be, but people welcomed me with open arms. It was just a crazy fun experience."
On his trip, Malkoff did six overnight sleepovers and seven daytime naps with 13 celebrities who opened their homes to him, including actress Kate Walsh, singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb and "Bridesmaids" director Paul Feig (pictured above). He took photos and made a video that documented the experience. He shared his stories with ABCNews.com.