1. Power Exports to Lebanon From August
2. New Satellite, Radar-Evading Coating to Be Built
3. 10% Growth Disorders In Children
4. Iran 2nd in Int’l Physicists’ Contest
5. UN for Probing Massacre Of Myanmar Muslims
6. Yi Wins 1st London Olympics Gold
7. US Blamed For UN Arms Treaty Failure
8. Russia Rejects Syria Sanctions
9. Call for Expanding Mexico Cooperation
10. Impact of Syrian Events On Turkey and Europe
1. Iran Can Defuse Cyber Attack
2. Tehran Could Play Effective Role in NAM
3. Mossad In Control Of CIA, MI6
. Isfahan to Host Children’s Film Festival
Russia Rejects Syria Sanctions
Russia said Saturday it would not cooperate with a new round of European Union sanctions against Syria and would not consent to inspections of ships flying the Russian flag.
“We do not plan to take any part in measures carrying out European Union decisions directed against Syria,” foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich was quoted as saying in a statement, AFP reported.
“Among other things we will not consider requests and give consent to the search of ships sailing under the Russian flag, nor to the use of other restrictive measures,” said the statement posted on the ministry’s website.
Earlier this week the EU beefed up sanctions against President Bashar al-Assad’s government and agreed to tighten an arms embargo by inspecting vessels and planes suspected of carrying arms.
Russia on Wednesday condemned the new round of EU sanctions against Syria over the prolonged conflict with the armed opposition as amounting to an air and sea “blockade” of its Soviet-era ally.
Russia last month attempted to deliver a shipment of three attack helicopters and an air defense system to Syria in a cargo ship under a Curacao flag before being exposed by Washington.
The Alaed cargo vessel carrying the helicopters was then forced to turn back when its British insurer ended up pulling coverage. It returned to Russia and swapped its flag for a Russian one.
A report by the Interfax news agency on Friday said that Russia planned to delay the shipment until security control was restored in Syria and had moved the helicopters into storage.
Russia argues that the Mi-25 helicopters already belonged to Syria and were only returned to Russia for upgrades under a 2008 contract signed long before the fighting began.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Navy chief said that if the lives of the personnel at the Russian naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus are put at serious risk, they may be evacuated. This comes as Russia holds a major naval drill not far from the Syrian coast.
“If an emergency happens, we will remove the base’s personnel,” Vice-Adm. Viktor Chirkov told Echo Moscow radio Saturday, when asked what the Russian military would do if the base at the Syrian port Tartus came under attack.
He added that it would be up to the Russian president to order such a move.
Earlier, Navy sources warned that Russia currently has enough capabilities to defend its base in Syria from a rebel attack.
This was in response to threats from the so-called Free Syrian Army, who said they would target the base or Russian warships directly for Russia’s support of the Syrian government.
Angry Greeks are taking to the streets, demanding the
government back off plans to save the economy by privatizing their government
jobs.
Anger and frustration boiled over into the streets of Athens Thursday, with
workers at state-run companies marching to save their jobs.
One trade union leader, Spiros Papaspiros, warns the proposed austerity
measures will end in disaster.
He says selling off state-run companies will drive up costs and cut off a
needed lifeline for many Greeks.
Still, many officials say something must be done as the economy continues to
stagger. The government said Wednesday the unemployment rate rose to more
than 16 percent in March, and to nearly 43 percent for young people aged 15 to
24.
Despite the vocal opposition, Prime Minister George Papandreou's plans for
higher taxes and more privatization may not be enough.
Greece is already living on last year's $158 billion bailout from the European
Union and International Monetary Fund. And Eurozone finance chief Jean-Claude Juncker
said Thursday "it is obvious" Greece will need a second bailout in
order to survive.
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria on Sunday demanded written guarantees insurgents will stop fighting before it pulls back troops under the terms of a U.N. peace plan, and a rebel leader said the initiative was doomed.
"The regime will not implement this plan. This plan will fail," Free Syrian Army (FSA) chief Riad al-Asaad told Reuters.
Escalating violence has already raised questions over the ceasefire. Opposition activists said dozens of people were killed and wounded on Sunday when President Bashar al-Assad's loyalists shelled a rebellious area near the border with Turkey.
U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, seeking to end a conflict that has killed more than 9,000 people in the past year, said the latest bloodshed violated the guarantees he had been given and urged Damascus to keep its promises.
The deal Annan brokered calls on Syria to begin the pullback of troops from around towns and cities by Tuesday and for a truce to start 48 hours later.
While emphasizing that would happen, Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said in a statement that Syria also wanted the written guarantees.
"Syria has a plan for military pullback already in place and being implemented, but completing and achieving the main goal would definitely require the guarantees from the other side and those supporting them to abide by the terms of calm," he said.
"(Annan) has not delivered until now written guarantees regarding the approval of terrorist armed groups to end violence and readiness to lay down its weapons," he said.
Syria also sought guarantees that Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey - outspoken in criticizing Assad - would not fund the armed groups.
Annan made no specific reference to the new Syrian demands in a statement from his office in Geneva.
He expressed shock at the "surge in violence and atrocities". Each side has accused the other of intensifying assaults in the run-up to the truce.
"As we get closer to the Tuesday 10 April deadline, I remind the Syrian government of the need for full implementation of its commitments and stress that the present escalation of violence is unacceptable," he said
دانشجویان ترجمه شفاهی ۲:
فایل مربوطه را دانلود نمایید و به انگلیسی پیاده نمایید.
فایل مربوطه را دانلود نمایید و تا دقیقه ۱.۱۷ را به انگلیسی پیاده نمایید.