Iran says negotiations under way to hold new nuclear

TEHRAN: Negotiations are under way to hold new talks between Western powers and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program and the most likely venue is Istanbul, but there is no date set, Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Wednesday.

“Negotiations are going on about venue and date. We would like to have these negotiations,” Salehi told reporters during a visit to Turkey, where he is expected to meet Turkish leaders.

Salehi also said Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was in touch with the European Union’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who heads the so-called P5+1 delegation, and Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili to try to arrange a date and venue.

“My personal view is to hold this in Turkey in Istanbul. Negotiations are still going on. My colleague Davutoglu is in touch with Lady Ashton and Jalili so that the date and venue is fixed. Most probably, I am not sure yet, the venue will be Istanbul. The day is not yet settled, but it be soon.”

Istanbul was the venue of the last talks a year ago which ended in stalemate because participants could not even agree on an agenda. Iran has since come under much tougher sanctions from the West which accuses it of seeking nuclear weapons capability.

Tehran says its nuclear program is peaceful and that it has a sovereign right to atomic technology. AGENCIES

Big B and Cameron Diaz to come together at IIFA Toronto

Next year, Amitabh Bachchan’s much-delayed international collaboration will finally happen, though on an unusual platform. In June 2011, the Big B will be bonding with several big international names including Cameron Diaz who will be part of an American-Hollywood entourage to be invited to participate at the international Bollywood event.

Says a source, “Because this time the IIFA is being held in Toronto many big names from the American movie industry are being invited to attend and Cameron Diaz has already said yes. The IIFA organizers Wizcraft have already spoken to Cameron. Events are being planned to accommodate Mr. Bachchan and Cameron on the same platform for several discussions on the coming together of Bollywood and Hollywood.”

Though the next IIFA awards function is a long way away and the venue (Toronto) will only be officially announced in mid-January, Sabbas Joseph, Director Wizcraft International Entertainment confirms that Toronto is the venue for IIFA 2011.

As for Cameron Diaz’s participation, Sabbas says, “There are several conversations going on. No comments at this point.”

Priyanka Chopra arrives in auto-rickshaw for charity event

Click above for more event stills

In this day and age when superstars are known to throw tantrums for the smallest of things, Priyanka Chopra did otherwise. The actress was to reach a press conference organized by the NGO ‘Pearl Wave’ when all of a sudden her car’s tyre gave way.

The poor organizers readily arranged for a car to pick her up from where she was stranded mid-way but Piggy Chops refused their offer and preferred to hop onto a rickshaw instead. Braving the Mumbai traffic, Priyanka reached the venue bang on time in the auto-rickshaw much to everyone’s amusement.

Must say, here is one actress who indeed knows how to stick to her commitment even if it means taking the road less travelled.

Iran says nuclear talks could happen in Turkey

TEHRAN: Talks between Iran and major world powers, which have stalled for more than a year, could resume in Turkey “as soon as possible”, Iran’s foreign minister said on Sunday.

The P5+1 group, the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany, had proposed holding talks with Iran over its nuclear programme on Nov. 15-17 in Vienna. Iran indicated it was open to that idea but never formally agreed.

“We have told our Turkish friends that we are in agreement with regard to holding these talks in Turkey,” Manouchehr Mottaki told a news conference. He said the venue, date and agenda were still under discussion. AGENCIES

Vivek Oberoi Wedding Pics

Vivek Oberoi Wedding Pics, Vivek Oberoi and Priyanka Alva got married on Friday evening at the Alva farmhouse in Bangalore.

Vivek arrived at the wedding venue in a Mercedes along with his parents and baraatis at about 5.45 pm. There were dhols, baaja, firecrackers going off as the baraat entered the venue.

The 34-year-old actor was dressed in a heavily embellished maroon sherwani and a turban. He then mounted a mare and, accompanied by the baraat, he rode around the venue like a true-blue dulha.

The wedding was solemnized according to Hindu rites amid the chanting of verses from Holy Scriptures.

Iran says ready for nuclear talks with major powers

TEHRAN: Iran is ready to hold talks with six major powers over its nuclear programme could take place “in late October or Early November”, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Saturday.

“We think late October or early November will be an appropriate date for the talks by the representatives of Iran and 5+1 countries,” Mottaki told a news conference.

He gave no details about the venue of the talks. AGENCIES

No end to CWG mishaps: Scoreboard collapses

There seems to be no end to Commonwealth Games-related mishaps. After a brief lull, notoriety is back to haunt the sporting event when a 25-feet-high electronic scoreboard at the rugby stadium in Delhi University collapsed. The video matrix LED screen scoreboard was installed at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore. No one was injured in the mishap.
The incident comes barely four days before matches begin at the venue. The rugby stadium will host matches from October 11 onwards.
The scoreboard collapsed when some finishing touches were being given to the peripheral areas of the venue. Soon after the collapse, several paramilitary officials were rushed to the site. Security personnel blocked the entrance to the venue and cordoned off the area soon after the collapse. Construction work at the stadium was completed only a day ago. Barely seven days ago, during a safety check, it was found that the scoreboard was not functional due to shortage of direct power supply required to check the equipment. Also, the Delhi Police was able to lock down the venue only a day ago, after the stadium was handed over to them.

Twin blasts heard in Kabul as Afghan jirga opens

KABUL: Two blasts rocked Kabul Wednesday as President Hamid Karzai delivered a speech at the opening of a “jirga” at which 1,600 delegates will discuss making peace with the Taliban.

A French news agency photographer said at least one rocket landed near the Intercontinental Hotel, not far from the huge air-conditioned tent where the three-day assembly of political, community and religious leaders is being held.

Karzai broke off his speech to say: “Someone is trying with a rocket perhaps.”

“Don”t worry about it, let”s proceed,” he told the delegates, who broke into applause.

In his speech, Karzai condemned the Taliban, who are waging an insurgency against Karzai”s government and have not been invited to the jirga.

Gunfire erupts near venue of Afghan peace jirga

KABUL: Gunfire erupted on Wednesday near the site of a peace jirga in the Afghan capital attended by President Hamid Karzai and hundreds of tribal elders and notables, witnesses and officials said.

Gunfire happened soon after three rockets landed near the vicinity of the conference. Karzai left the venue in an armed convoy as helicopters hovered above.

japan prime minister

Japan’s prime minister says he will resign
Yukio Hatoyama’s decision stems from his failure to deliver on his promise to move a U.S. military base off Okinawa after taking office in September.Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama ended weeks of internal discontent with his leadership by announcing Wednesday that he would resign, a swift fall from grace for a politician who just eight months ago led his endemic opposition party to a historic victory.

His collapse in approval ratings was prompted largely by his failure to deliver on a campaign promise to move a major U.S. military base off Okinawa’s main island. The move was a centerpiece of Hatoyama’s campaign for office last year, but its implementation would have required American consent to alter a painstakingly negotiated 2006 deal with the previous Japanese government before the base could be moved to another part of Okinawa.

The U.S. military has been ensconced in the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on Okinawa since the end of World War II. Home to most of the 47,000 military and civilian personnel in Japan, the base remains crucial to Marine operations in the Pacific. But the accompanying noise and disruption have created a deep current of opposition from many Okinawans.

In elections last year, Hatoyama’s pledge to move the base off the island was part of a broader agenda to give Japan more say over security matters in its alliance with the U.S. It struck a chord not only with Okinawans, who contend the base’s intrusion on their lives is ignored by politicians in Washington and Tokyo, but also with those Japanese leery at how the U.S. alliance has dragged Japan into conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Tags: base, before-the-base, japanese, material, michael-ealy, minister-yukio, obama, speech, station-futenma, track-titled, uncaged, upcoming, venue, World News

Next Page »