Iranian state radio says Tehran will reject a proposed U.N. resolution calling for Iran to suspend uranium enrichment.
A commentary broadcast Saturday said Iran would not accept unfair decisions, even in the framework of resolutions by international bodies.
On Friday, the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council agreed to consider a resolution demanding that Iran cease uranium enrichment by August 31 or face the possibility of sanctions.
A vote is expected this week. Read more
For the second time in less than a week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is back in the Middle East.
She arrived in Israel Saturday for talks with the prime minister. No one is saying if Rice will go to Beirut, but her stop there earlier this week was kept secret until the last minute over security concerns.
Rice is expected to discuss a peace plan for Israel and Lebanon that would bring a UN mandated multinational force to the region.
President Bush again reiterated his support for that in Saturday’s radio address.
While no one is saying publicly what that force might look like, the numbers passed around Read more
Today, the Democratic Republic of Congo goes to the polls to elect a new president. Under President Mobutu Sese Seko, who died in 1997, Zaire (as the country was then called) saw its per capita gross domestic product decline by an average of 4.9 percent per year between 1980 and 2000, the worst record among countries for which data are available.
As Congo heads to the polls, we wonder: What is most remarkable about its recent past? Read more
What would you do if you received an SMS saying official sources had said that an 8.8 magnitude earthquake was about to hit Jakarta?
There’s no shame in answering that question with “panic”, or perhaps something a little more dignified, such as “be seriously concerned”. After all, that’s how many people in Jakarta reacted to an SMS that circulated on Tuesday claiming a quake in the city had been predicted.
People working in high-rise buildings chose to delay work and stay out of the skyscrapers. Others went home earlier, writing the entire day off. Teachers canceled classes.
All for nothing, really. There is no known way of predicting earthquakes. Read more
In the corporate world, meetings — an effective tool for brainstorming, gathering feedback, solving problems, and most importantly decision-making — take up about 50 to 60 percent of a manager’s time.
However, without proper planning and implementation, most meetings end up being unproductive.
Last week we saw the importance of effective planning; today let’s see some practical guidelines on how we can achieve our desired objectives/goals with minimum resources. Read more
The diplomatic community in Indonesia will soon have two more new female members. They are India’s new ambassador to Indonesia Navrekha Sharma and Bangladeshi ambassador Salma Khan.
From the 89 foreign missions here at present, only two missions are headed by women: Thai Ambassador Atchara Seriputra and Zimbabwean Ambassador Alice Mageza.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Tuesday received letters of credence from the five new foreign ambassadors including Sharma and Khan. The three others are Singaporean ambassador Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, Swiss envoy Bernardino Regazzoni and Holy See Apostolic Nunciature’s Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli. Read more
The East Kalimantan administration has assured it will complete all the necessary preparations for the National Games (PON) in March 2008, downplaying doubts over its competence.
“Preparations for the games are in progress. We have completed the construction of other supporting venues,” East Kalimantan Secretary Syaiful Teteng said at the National Sports Council (KONI) office Tuesday.
“We are now focusing on speeding up the construction of the main stadium, which is 28 percent complete,” he said.
The provincial administration has been making a point of its readiness to host the quadrennial sporting event, after the local media reported the alleged involvement of Governor and the chief of the East Kalimantan KONI, Suwarna Abdul Fatah, in a corruption case had stalled preparations. Read more