Iran is threatening to stop the flow of oil through the Strait
of Hormuz a key world oil route in the Persian Gulf
if the West imposes more sanctions over its controversial nuclear energy
program.The sanctions stem from a U.N. watchdog report that alleges the country
may be developing nuclear weapons. Iran has denied the claims, stating that
its program is for peaceful purposes, Reuters reports."If [the West] impose sanctions
on Iran's oil exports, then even one drop of oil cannot flow
from the Strait of Hormuz," Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi
told Iranian news agency IRNA."Our enemies will give up on their plots
against Iran only if we give them a firm and strong lesson,"
he added.In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner called the threat "bluster."
He said it was "another attempt by them to distract attention from
the real issue, which is their continued noncompliance with international nuclear obligations."Rahimi
has no major
MOSCOW Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Wednesday rejected calls to hold
talks with opposition leaders who have drawn tens of thousands of Russians
to protest rallies to demand free elections and an end to his
12-year rule.The opposition leaders "do not have a common platform, so there
is nobody to talk to," Putin told journalists from state news agencies.Organizers
of the Moscow demonstrations include prominent public figures and representatives of various
opposition groups. But they have passed joint resolutions with a list of
concrete demands, including a rerun of the fraud-tainted Dec. 4 parliamentary election,
the resignation of the Central Election Commission chief and the removal of
barriers that have prevented opposition parties from taking part in elections.Putin on
Tuesday firmly rejected the demands for a rerun of the election. The
government has promised to ease rules for opposition candidates.Putin, who served as
president in 2000-2008, is now seek
ts during their stay.Willis's DJing turn did not get quite as high
marks as her mother's moves, a spy said.Friend FOX411 on Facebook.Ironically, Moore
and Kutcher headed to Parrot Cay just last month for a romantic
getaway, to try and repair their marriage and celebrate Moore's 49th birthday,
after Kutcher was caught cheating with Sara Leal, 22.But shortly after their
tropical escape, Moore announced she would file for divorce. Moore and Kutcher
often vacationed on the island at the private residence of Moore's ex,
Bruce Willis.Other celebrities in Parrot Cay for the holidays included Charlize Theron,
with her mother, and "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol" producer J.J. Abrams
and his wife, Katie McGrath.Reps for Moore could not be reached. A
rep for Parrot Cay declined to comment.Is Demi Moore Aging Backwards?Don't call
her a cougar!
hs of speculation that he would leave office, the 70-year-old conservative Democrat
told supporters in an emailed statement Tuesday that he felt it was
time he "step away from elective office, spend more time with my
family, and look for new ways to serve our state and nation.""Therefore,
I am announcing today that I will not seek re-election," said Nelson,
a former two-term governor. "Simply put: It is time to move on."Democrats
banking on Nelson's ability to leverage his centrist stances and capture statewide
races were left scrambling; many state activists acknowledged being taken by surprise.While
some floated the names of state Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha and
Nelson's former lieutenant governor, Kim Robak, as possible contenders, many said it
was too early to know who might run. Messages seeking comment were
left for Lathrop and Robak.A dream candidate for Democrats: former Nebraska Sen.
Bob Kerrey. Traveling in India on Tuesday, Kerrey told The Washington
a second train to keep moving on the same track and
slam into it.Among those singled out for blame was former Minister of
Railways Liu Zhijun, who was the public face of efforts to build
the bullet train and was detained in February amid a graft investigation.
The Cabinet also cited the general manager of the company that manufactured
the signal, who died of a heart attack while talking to investigators
in August.
MONTERREY, Mexico Police in the northern Mexico state of Nuevo Leon
said Tuesday that information provided by arrested members of a kidnapping gang
has led them to at least seven bodies found buried in shallow
graves or dumped in a well.By nightfall, Nuevo Leon state police had
found seven sets of human remains around the cities of Linares and
Montemorelos, near the border with Tamaulipas state. Four bodies were found burned
or half-buried, and three others had apparently been thrown down a well.A
Nuevo Leon state detective who was not authorized to be quoted by
name said information from a band of five kidnappers detained over the
weekend by soldiers led police to the bodies.The soldiers detained the gang
after a woman's relatives alerted a passing army patrol that she was
being kidnapped.Nuevo Leon security spokesman Jorge Domene said the gang worked for
the Zetas drug cartel.Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon have been the scene of
bloody turf battles between the Z
