Obama cancels meeting with Putin over Snowden asylum tensions

Obama cancels meeting with Putin over Snowden asylum tensions

    Wednesday, August 07, 2013   No comments

Relations between the United States and Russia deteriorated further on Wednesday when Barack Obama abandoned a presidential summit with Vladimir Putin that was due to be held next month, amid fury in Washington over Moscow's decision to grant asylum to the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The White House confirmed that it had decided to snub the Russian leader by pulling out of the planned bilateral meeting in Moscow, but is expected to take part in the broader G20 meeting of international leaders in St Petersburg.

Moscow reacted coolly to the decision, which had been widely expected after Putin infuriated the Obama administration by granting temporary sanctuary to Snowden, who fled to Moscow after the Chinese government allowed him to leave Hong Kong, rather than heed US calls for his arrest.

In a statement, the White House said that it had concluded there was "not enough recent progress in our bilateral agenda" to hold a US-Russia summit. It cited a lack of progress on arms control, trade, missile defence and human rights, and added: "Russia's disappointing decision to grant Edward Snowden temporary asylum was also a factor that we considered in assessing the current state of our bilateral relationship. Our co-operation on these issues remains a priority for the United States."

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'No coups, yes to elections!': Massive pro-govt rally held in Tunis

'No coups, yes to elections!': Massive pro-govt rally held in Tunis

    Sunday, August 04, 2013   No comments

Thousands of Tunisians flooded the capital in support of their Islamist-led government amid calls for its ouster. Members of the secular opposition have alleged the ruling Ennahda party orchestrated the murder of a prominent leftist politician.

Over 150,000 people flocked to Tunis’ central Kasbah Square, brandishing Tunisian flags and shouting pro-government slogans.

The throng chanted “No to coups, yes to elections!” referencing the untimely ouster of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on July 3 by the army.
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Hassan Rouhani has taken the oath of office as president of Iran before parliament in Tehran, promising to lead a government of hope and moderation

Hassan Rouhani has taken the oath of office as president of Iran before parliament in Tehran, promising to lead a government of hope and moderation

    Sunday, August 04, 2013   No comments

In his first speech he promised to lead a government of righteousness, honesty and trustworthiness. He said Iranians had rejected extremism in the June presidential election. The Iranian people had smiled at the world by electing him, he said. "The people voted for moderation ... the people want to live better, to have dignity, and enjoy a stable life. They want to recapture their deserving position among nations," he said.

The new president called for better relations with the world and the demise of international sanctions. "The only path to interact with Iran is through negotiations on equal grounds, reciprocal trust-building, mutual respect and reducing hostilities," he added.

PYD leader: Turkey continues to support al-Nusra Front against Kurds

PYD leader: Turkey continues to support al-Nusra Front against Kurds

    Sunday, August 04, 2013   No comments

Turkey continues to provide support for al-Qaeda-linked groups fighting Kurds in Syria's north despite statements by Turkish officials that such groups are a threat to Turkey's security as well, the leader of the most powerful Syrian Kurdish group has said.
Saleh Muslim, who heads the Democratic Union Party (PYD), said in remarks published on Sunday that witnesses on both sides of the border have confirmed that there was a transfer of weapons and ammunition from Turkey to Syria through the Karkamış border gate in the southeastern province of Gaziantep on the night of Aug. 2. He said the weapons were then transported to Arab villages near the Kurdish-populated town of Kobani (Ayn al-Arab in Arabic) apparently in preparation for attacks on Kobani.

“Kobani is next. It is impossible to understand how Turkey lets this happen. If the al-Nusra Front is the enemy, then this should be prevented,” Muslim told Taraf daily in an interview. The al-Nusra Front is one of the al-Qaeda-linked groups involved in clashes with the Syrian Kurds in Kurdish-populated towns near the Turkish border. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), another al-Qaeda affiliate, is also fighting the Kurds.

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Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (pictured right) won the first round of Mali’s presidential election with 39.24% of the vote while Soumaila Cisse (left) earned 19.44%, the Interior Ministry said Friday. The victor will be decided in an August 11 run-off

Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (pictured right) won the first round of Mali’s presidential election with 39.24% of the vote while Soumaila Cisse (left) earned 19.44%, the Interior Ministry said Friday. The victor will be decided in an August 11 run-off

    Friday, August 02, 2013   No comments

Former prime minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita came in first in Mali’s presidential election but he will face ex-finance minister Soumaila Cisse in a run-off after he failed to secure an outright majority, the government said on Friday.

Keita secured 39.24 percent of the vote in the July 28 poll, well ahead of Cisse with 19.44 percent, Moussa Sinko Coulibaly, Mali’s minister of territorial administration said. The run-off will be held on August 11.
Cisse is expected to form an alliance with two of the other principal candidates, Dramane Dembele and Modibo Sidibe.

While Sunday’s voting was peaceful and has been praised by observer missions, the three men came together on Monday to complain about the process.

Cisse has called for the resignation of the minister of territorial administration, who announced Tuesday’s partial results, accusing him of preparing public opinion for an eventual illegitimate win by Keita.

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Bashar al-Assad Is On Instagram

Bashar al-Assad Is On Instagram

    Friday, August 02, 2013   No comments

If you're looking for new follows to spice up your Instagram feed, why not check out the official account of Syria's one and only dictator, Bashar al-Assad. Yes, the Syrian president has opened up an official Instagram account to show off all the great things going on in his country that are not part of the brutal two-year civil war tearing apart the rest of it.

The photos aren't the candids, selfies, and food shots of a typical Instagram account, but are mostly staged photos of Assad and his wife doing presidential and First Lady things, like visiting people in hospitals,hugging children, waving to adoring crowds, and unveiling things. It isn't even propaganda so much as it is a really boring family slideshow.

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Dianne Feinstein Initiates Pro-Iran Diplomacy Letter in Senate

Dianne Feinstein Initiates Pro-Iran Diplomacy Letter in Senate

    Friday, August 02, 2013   No comments

Dear President Obama:

We urge you to seize the opportunity presented by the upcoming inauguration of Iran’s new president, Dr. Hassan Rouhani, by reinvigorating diplomatic efforts to secure a verifiable agreement that ensures that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons.

Since 2010 Congress has worked with your Administration to increase U.S. and international sanctions against Iran. The impact on Iran’s economy has been significant: the value of the Iranian rial has plummeted against the U.S. dollar since 2011, unofficial estimates of inflation range as high as 70 percent, exports of oil have been halved, Iranian oil production has declined 35 percent to 2.6 million barrels per day, the Iranian economy declined by as much as 8 percent between March 2012 and March 2013 and is set to decline further in the next year, and unemployment estimates range as high as 20 percent.

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