WASHINGTON: A major magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean and a tsunami warning was issued for South Pacific islands, US officials said.
The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at 0112 GMT near the Santa Cruz Islands, which are part of the Solomon Islands nation, with a depth of 3.6 miles (5.8 kilometers). The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned that the large quake could trigger a "destructive tsunami" near the epicenter.
- AFP/ck
The candidate, identified as Girish Parmar, has been detained, police said.
The incident took place at Derai village of Bayad taluka this evening after counting of votes for the district panchayat, gram panchayat and nagarpalika elections got over.
"Fifteen persons received injuries after they dipped their hands in hot oil to prove to the lost candidate of their community that they had voted for him. We have already nabbed the candidate," Sabarkantha superintendent of police Chirag Koradiya told PTI.
"We will lodge a complaint against the candidate though none of the persons, who received injuries, is coming forward to register the complaint as they all belong to one community," he said.
"This is a superstition followed in the village to convince a candidate of their community that they voted for him," he added.
NEW YORK (AP) — Opponents are pressing to delay enforcement of the city's novel plan to crack down on supersized, sugary drinks, saying businesses shouldn't have to spend millions of dollars to comply until a court rules on whether the measure is legal.
With the rule set to take effect March 12, beverage industry, restaurant and other business groups have asked a judge to put it on hold at least until there's a ruling on their lawsuit seeking to block it altogether. The measure would bar many eateries from selling high-sugar drinks in cups or containers bigger than 16 ounces.
"It would be a tremendous waste of expense, time, and effort for our members to incur all of the harm and costs associated with the ban if this court decides that the ban is illegal," Chong Sik Le, president of the New York Korean-American Grocers Association, said in court papers filed Friday.
City lawyers are fighting the lawsuit and oppose postponing the restriction, which the city Board of Health approved in September. They said Tuesday they expect to prevail.
"The obesity epidemic kills nearly 6,000 New Yorkers each year. We see no reason to delay the Board of Health's reasonable and legal actions to combat this major, growing problem," Mark Muschenheim, a city attorney, said in a statement.
Another city lawyer, Thomas Merrill, has said officials believe businesses have had enough time to get ready for the new rule. He has noted that the city doesn't plan to seek fines until June.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other city officials see the first-of-its-kind limit as a coup for public health. The city's obesity rate is rising, and studies have linked sugary drinks to weight gain, they note.
"This is the biggest step a city has taken to curb obesity," Bloomberg said when the measure passed.
Soda makers and other critics view the rule as an unwarranted intrusion into people's dietary choices and an unfair, uneven burden on business. The restriction won't apply at supermarkets and many convenience stores because the city doesn't regulate them.
While the dispute plays out in court, "the impacted businesses would like some more certainty on when and how they might need to adjust operations," American Beverage Industry spokesman Christopher Gindlesperger said Tuesday.
Those adjustments are expected to cost the association's members about $600,000 in labeling and other expenses for bottles, Vice President Mike Redman said in court papers. Reconfiguring "16-ounce" cups that are actually made slightly bigger, to leave room at the top, is expected to take cup manufacturers three months to a year and cost them anywhere from more than $100,000 to several millions of dollars, Foodservice Packaging Institute President Lynn Dyer said in court documents.
Movie theaters, meanwhile, are concerned because beverages account for more than 20 percent of their overall profits and about 98 percent of soda sales are in containers greater than 16 ounces, according to Robert Sunshine, executive director of the National Association of Theatre Owners of New York State.
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Follow Jennifer Peltz at http://twitter.com/jennpeltz
A week-long standoff in Alabama, where a retired trucker held a 5-year-old boy hostage in an underground bunker, has ended with the kidnapper dead and the child safe, according to law enforcement.
Officials had been able to insert a high-tech camera into the bunker to monitor the movements of the suspect, Richard Lee Dykes, and they had become increasingly concerned that he might act out, according to a law enforcement source with direct knowledge.
"FBI agents safely recovered the child who's been held hostage for nearly a week," FBI Special Agent Steve Richardson said at a news conference.
The agent said negotiations with Dykes "deteriorated" in the past 24 hours.
"Mr. Dykes was observed holding a gun," Richardson said. "At this point, the FBI agents, fearing the child was in imminent danger, entered the bunker and rescued the child."
The boy, identified only as Ethan, "appears physically unharmed" and is being treated at a hospital, authorities said.
Joe Songer/AL.com/AP Photo
Dykes, 65, is dead, but officials have not yet provided details on how he died.
"Right now, FBI special agent bomb technicians are in the process of clearing the property for improvised explosive devices," the FBI said in a written statement. "When it is safe to do so, our evidence response teams, paired with state and local crime scene technicians, will process the scene."
PHOTOS: Worst Hostage Situations
Dykes allegedly shot and killed a school bus driver last week and threatened to kill all the children on the bus before taking the boy, one of the students on the bus said.
"He said he was going to kill us, going to kill us all," Tarrica Singletary, 14, told ABC News.
Dykes had been holed up in his underground bunker near Midland City, Ala., with the abducted boy for a week as police tried to negotiate with him through a PVC pipe. Police had used the talks to send the child comfort items, including a red Hot Wheels car, coloring books, cheese crackers, potato chips and medicine.
Dykes was a decorated Vietnam vet who grew up in the area. He lived in Florida until two years ago, the AP reported, and has an adult daughter, but the two lost touch years ago, neighbor Michael Creel said. When he returned to Alabama, neighbors say he once beat a dog with a lead pipe and had threatened to shoot children who set foot on his property.
LONDON: Reg Presley, lead singer of British 1960s rock band The Troggs, has died aged 71, a friend said late Monday.
Presley, best known for hits including "Wild Thing" and "Love Is All Around", had announced a year ago that he was battling cancer and would retire from the band.
Veteran music journalist Keith Altham, a close friend of Presley's, wrote on his Facebook page that the singer had died "surrounded by family and friends" on Monday at his home in Andover, southeast England.
"My dear old pal Reg Presley of The Troggs died today," he wrote.
"He was one very real person in a sometimes very unreal world. Our thoughts are with his wife Brenda and the the family and those legion of fans who loved his music and his band. I will miss him hugely."
He added that the singer had suffered a number of recent strokes as well as being diagnosed with cancer.
Presley's daughter Karen told the music website WENN: "He passed away peacefully at home and myself, my brother and our mother were with him. We're absolutely heartbroken."
The singer had announced his retirement in January 2012 after he was taken ill during a gig in Germany the previous month.
"During my stay in hospital tests showed that in fact I have lung cancer," he wrote in a letter posted on the band's website.
"I am receiving chemotherapy treatment and at the moment not feeling too bad.
"However I've had to call time on The Troggs and retire. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the cards and calls and for your love, loyalty and support over the years."
The Troggs' manager did not immediately respond when contacted by AFP.
-AFP/fl
In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, CPM general secretary Prakash Karat called the decision to charge the market rate of diesel for these bulk consumers retrograde and causing a financial crisis. "There are reports of State Transport Corporations curtailing their services and reducing the routes on which buses ply. Steps are being taken to increase the bus fares," Karat wrote expressing concern about the move crippling public transport.
Karat stressed on the need to subsidize diesel for bulk consumers in order to strengthen public transport. "The sharp increase in private vehicles and traffic is causing pollution and a major environmental problem. The only way out is to restrict the expansion of private vehicles and to strengthen public transport," wrote Karat.
CHICAGO (AP) — It really does get better for gay and bisexual teens when it comes to being bullied, although young gay men have it worse than their lesbian peers, according to the first long-term scientific evidence on how the problem changes over time.
The seven-year study involved more than 4,000 teens in England who were questioned yearly through 2010, until they were 19 and 20 years old. At the start, just over half of the 187 gay, lesbian and bisexual teens said they had been bullied; by 2010 that dropped to 9 percent of gay and bisexual boys and 6 percent of lesbian and bisexual girls.
The researchers said the same results likely would be found in the United States.
In both countries, a "sea change" in cultural acceptance of gays and growing intolerance for bullying occurred during the study years, which partly explains the results, said study co-author Ian Rivers, a psychologist and professor of human development at Brunel University in London.
That includes a government mandate in England that schools work to prevent bullying, and changes in the United States permitting same-sex marriage in several states.
In 2010, syndicated columnist Dan Savage launched the "It Gets Better" video project to encourage bullied gay teens. It was prompted by widely publicized suicides of young gays, and includes videos from politicians and celebrities.
"Bullying tends to decline with age regardless of sexual orientation and gender," and the study confirms that, said co-author Joseph Robinson, a researcher and assistant professor of educational psychology at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. "In absolute terms, this would suggest that yes, it gets better."
The study appears online Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
Eliza Byard, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, said the results mirror surveys by her anti-bullying advocacy group that show bullying is more common in U.S. middle schools than in high schools.
But the researchers said their results show the situation is more nuanced for young gay men.
In the first years of the study, gay boys and girls were almost twice as likely to be bullied as their straight peers. By the last year, bullying dropped overall and was at about the same level for lesbians and straight girls. But the difference between men got worse by ages 19 and 20, with gay young men almost four times more likely than their straight peers to be bullied.
The mixed results for young gay men may reflect the fact that masculine tendencies in girls and women are more culturally acceptable than femininity in boys and men, Robinson said.
Savage, who was not involved in the study, agreed.
"A lot of the disgust that people feel when you bring up homosexuality ... centers around gay male sexuality," Savage said. "There's more of a comfort level" around gay women, he said.
Kendall Johnson, 21, a junior theater major at the University of Illinois, said he was bullied for being gay in high school, mostly when he brought boyfriends to school dances or football games.
"One year at prom, I had a guy tell us that we were disgusting and he didn't want to see us dancing anymore," Johnson said. A football player and the president of the drama club intervened on his behalf, he recalled.
Johnson hasn't been bullied in college, but he said that's partly because he hangs out with the theater crowd and avoids the fraternity scene. Still, he agreed, that it generally gets better for gays as they mature.
"As you grow older, you become more accepting of yourself," Johnson said.
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Online:
Pediatrics: http://www.pediatrics.org
It Gets Better: http://www.itgetsbetter.org
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AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/LindseyTanner
9:05 p.m. ET: Obviously, how each team reacts in the first drive right after this power outage and long delay will be huge. In case you forgot, the 49ers will get the ball at the SF 40 after a Kaepernick sack. 3rd and 13 for the Niners.
9:00 p.m. ET: And there’s already a @SuperbowlLights twitter account.
8:59 p.m. ET: Sources tell ABC News the power outage is just a technical issue, nothing nefarious. Reporters at the game say they heard a boom in the stadium before the lights went out. Lights slowly coming back on, and players still on the field.
Matt Slocum/AP Photo
8:54 p.m. ET: The AC is apparently also out at the closed stadium, and people say it’s getting hot in there with such a huge crowd and the lights that are on.
8:51 p.m. ET: Considering the score, the fact that this power outage delay may last as long as 20 minutes, and the fact that the halftime show is over, I wonder how many people are tuning out right about now.
8:51 p.m. ET: Power surge to blame, apparently.
8:48 p.m. ET: “Bring Beyonce Back” trending on Twitter now.
8:45 p.m. ET: Players trying to stay warmed up on the field, and fans sound like they’re getting really antsy.
8:44 p.m. ET: Commercials cost around $4 million for a 30-second spot, and with these extra commercial breaks, some of them might really be getting their money’s worth.
8:40 p.m. ET: Sideline reporter says half the lights in the stadium are out, including the scoreboard.
8:40 p.m. ET: 100 million people are expected to be watching the game today…a game that is suddenly not happening as the power cut out during the third quarter.
8:38 p.m. ET: Cut to commercial as the power goes out at the stadium. The game just got even stranger.
8:38 p.m. ET: And the power is out at the Super Dome.
8:37 p.m. ET: Kaepernick sacked for a loss of 6. 3rd and 13.
8:35 p.m. ET: 49ers to start their drive at the 13-yard line.
8:34 p.m. ET: The biggest deficit ever overcome in the Super Bowl is ten points. It’s been done twice.
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
8:32 p.m. ET: That was fast (11 seconds to be exact) – a 109-yard kickoff return touchdown by Jacoby Jones. An all-time NFL record. 28-6 Ravens.
8:32 p.m. ET: TOUCHDOWN RAVENS.
8:31 p.m. ET: Back to football. Ravens to receive to start off.
8:27 p.m. ET: First Lady Michelle Obama liked the halftime show. She just tweeted “Watching the #SuperBowl with family & friends.@Beyonce was phenomenal! I am so proud of her! -mo” from her FLOTUS twitter account.
8:22 p.m. ET: And Beyonce ends an impressive and energetic halftime performance with “Halo.”
8:19 p.m. ET: Looks like the DC reunion is over – it was fun while it laster!
Gerald Herbert/AP Photo
8:16 p.m. ET: Destiny’s Child reunion for “Bootylicious!”
8:14 p.m. ET: So many Beyonces!
8:12 p.m. ET: For the halftime performance, there are 135 dancers on the field, and 2,000 fans. And really cool visuals on the stage.
8:10 p.m. ET: Beyonce kicks off the halftime show with “Love on Top” followed by “Crazy in Love.”
8:07 p.m. ET: Here’s what the President and First Lady are eating at their Super Bowl party: Chesapeake Crab Cakes and San Francisco Cioppino Stew with Sourdough Toast. There are also wings, and they’re drinking Anchor Steam and Clipper City beers.
8:05 p.m. ET: Still, the 49ers rallied from a 17-0 deficit to make it to the Super Bowl so it’s tough to count them out just halfway through.
8:04 p.m. ET: Ravens dominating so far, and it’s not even really close. While the teams take a breather, Beyonce heads to the field for the half time show.
8:00 p.m. ET: First half ends with a Ray Lewis sack. The likely future Hall of Famer is retiring after this game. Strangely enough, his first NFL sack was of Jim Harbaugh – who is currently coaching the 49ers. Also in that game? Randy Moss, who is currently having a rough game for the 49ers.
7:59 p.m. ET: Field goal is Good. 21-6 Ravens at the half.
7:58 p.m. ET: Really looks like the big game jitters are getting to Kaepernick. Ray Lewis sack brings out Akers for a field goal attempt.
7:55 p.m. ET: Fun Fact – Kaepernick was drafted by the Chicago Cubs as a pitcher in 2009. You can see the pitcher still in him with some of these throws.
7:54 p.m. ET: 49ers back in the red zone after a few big gains. They still have two timeouts with less than one minute left in the second quarter.
7:52 p.m. ET: 15-yard penalty and automatic first down for the 49ers on a roughing the passer call.
7:50 p.m. ET: That’s Flacco’s 11th touchdown pass this postseason.
Dave Martin/AP Photo
7:49 p.m. ET: 21 – 3 Baltimore as incredible throw, catch and run lead to a touchdown for the Ravens. 49ers have A LOT of work to do in the second half.
7:48 p.m. ET: TOUCHDOWN RAVENS.
7:45 p.m. ET: No flag on what looked like offensive pass interference as Culliver breaks up a Flacco long throw, and we hit the two-minute warning.
7:44 p.m. ET: 2nd and 10 for the Ravens with 2 minutes left in the second quarter. The Ravens will be receiving the ball at the beginning of the second half.
7:41 p.m. ET: Kaepernick, who had been noted for his great decision making calls under pressure, is having a rough game so far. At 25 years old, this start is only the tenth pro start of his career.
7:39 p.m. ET: Awesome 9-year-old girl football player Sam Gordon is in the house!
Obtained by ABC News
7:37 p.m. ET: Volkswagen’s controversial ad just aired – here’s Jamaica’s reaction to it.
Harry How/Getty Images
7:37 p.m. ET: Gutsy fake field goal call considering the Ravens’ rookie kicker is about as sure a thing as there is for points.
7:36 p.m. ET: Tricky – fake field goal by the Ravens, but short of a first down.
7:34 p.m. ET: Almost an interception by the Niners, but it’s just an incomplete pass by Flacco. 3rd and 9.
7:31 p.m. ET: Another first down for the Ravens.
7:30 p.m. ET: Personal fouls by both teams cancel each other out. Ravens first down at 49ers 38.
7:29 p.m. ET: That interception is evidently the first time a 49ers quarterback has ever been intercepted in the Super Bowl (that’s five previous games). And Reed ties the record with his 9th postseason interception.
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
7:28 p.m. ET: Interception by Baltimore but flag is down and teams fighting on the field.
7:24 p.m. ET: After that commercial about sports fans’ superstitions – here’s an interesting article about when those superstitions cross the line into OCD.
7:22 p.m. ET: Penalties and that fumble killing San Francisco so far. 14-3 Ravens. Ten touchdowns and no interceptions so far this postseason for Flacco.
Harry How/Getty Images
7:22 p.m. ET: TOUCHDOWN BALTIMORE.
7:21 p.m. ET: Automatic first and goal for Ravens after another penalty – a personal foul on 49ers’ Whitner.
7:20 p.m. ET: Flacco connects with Dickson, and a flag is down.
7:19 p.m. ET: While they’re on the subject of Patrick Willis, here’s an interesting story about him and his “brother for life,” the Baltimore’s Michael Oher.
7:17 p.m. ET: Another first down for the Ravens. That’s 4/5 third down conversions for the Ravens so far.
7:16 p.m. ET: Major change of momentum, as Ravens get gain of about 5 after 49ers fumble.
7:12 p.m. ET: Fumble recovered by Ravens. First down for Baltimore.
7:12 p.m. ET: Another first down for the Niners.
7:11 p.m. ET: Another first down on gain of eleven with reception by Davis. Another another small scuffle breaks out. Teams clearly (obviously) passionate.
7:10 p.m. ET: Looks like Davis is okay – gain of 29 yards on great throw from Kaepernick.
7:08 p.m. ET: First Harbaugh parent sightings of the night! They’ve said tonight will be really bittersweet for them.
7:08 p.m. ET: They may be brothers, but side-by-side comparison of the Harbaugh brothers’ reactions to last play show totally different styles.
7:05 p.m. ET: Flacco sacked with 12 seconds left in quarter.
7:04 p.m. ET: Incomplete throw by Flacco with 17 seconds left in the 1st quarter.
7:03 p.m. ET: Unbelievable throw and catch by Boldin for 31-yards.
7:02 p.m. ET: 3rd and 7 for Ravens after incomplete pass by Flacco.
7:00 p.m. ET: 9-yard gain for the Ravens. Ed Reed in locker room for evaluation.
6:57 p.m. ET: Jacoby Jones returns kick to the 22-yard line. Ravens’ Ed Reed and 49ers’ Vernon Davis both apparently being checked out after Reed hit Davis on previous drive.
Harry How/Getty Images
6:55 p.m. ET: And to the relief of 49ers fans, David Akers field goal attempt is good. 7-3 Ravens.
6:54 p.m. ET: Kaepernick sacked. 49ers going for field goal.
6:53 p.m. ET: Davis out and being worked on by trainers. Second and goal, incomplete in the end zone, off of Crabtree’s hands.
6:52 p.m. ET: Vernon Davis, a super speedy tight end, with another first down on a 24-yard reception from Kaepernick. 1st and goal.
6:51 p.m. ET: And Gore with another first down.
6:50 p.m. ET: Kaepernick scrambles for a gain of seven, 2nd and 3.
6:50 p.m. ET: Kaepernick, who shocked the league with his legs when he took over from Alex Smith, gets a 1st down and then some.
6:49 p.m. ET: Gore gains nine, after having a rough few carries early.
6:48 p.m. ET: Huge, 19-yard game for Michael Crabtree, who broke out this season once Kaepernick took over the starting QB job.
6:46 p.m. ET: Already looking to be a really physical game as scuffle between players breaks out after 49ers loss of two yards.
6:45 p.m. ET: And here’s the GoDaddy commercial everybody has already been talking about – supermodel makes out with Hollywood’s favorite extra.
6:44 p.m. ET: Penalties already hurting the 49ers – big game jitters?
McNamee/Getty Images
6:41 p.m. ET: And the extra point is good. 7-0 Ravens
6:40 p.m. ET: TOUCHDOWN BALTIMORE. Ravens take an early lead with a reception by Anquan Boldin.
6:39 p.m. ET: On 3rd and 9, same thing happens, but flag is down for defensive offsides – five yard penalty and replay of 3rd down.
6:39 p.m. ET: Given some time, Flacco throws ball beyond end zone for an incompletion on 2nd and 9.
6:38 p.m. ET: Ravens QB, Joe Flacco, known for his exceptionally strong arm, gets the ball to Torrey Jones at the SF 19.
6:37 p.m. ET: And a first down for the Ravens from SF 39.
6:36 p.m. ET: Better start for the Ravens, who pick up eight yards on their first down of the game.
6:36 p.m. ET: And the first drive of the game goes nowhere; Andy Lee punts on 4th down, and Jacoby Jones returns to near the 50-yard line.
6:34 p.m. ET: On first and 15, no gain for 49ers all-time leading rusher, Frank Gore.
6:33 p.m. ET: Five yard penalty for the 49ers for illegal formation.
6:32 p.m. ET: Kaepernick connects with Vernon Davis for a gain of 20, but a flag is down.
6:31 p.m. ET: Here we go – 49ers start the first drive at the 20-yard line.
6:28 p.m. ET: Ravens chose heads, and elected to defer their choice until the second half. 49ers to receive at kickoff.
6:27 p.m. ET: Newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame join the team captains for the coin toss.
6:22 p.m. ET: Alicia Keys performs the Star Spangled Banner, wearing a red dress and playing a white piano at the 50-yard line.
6:21 p.m. ET: Joint Armed Forces Color Guard present the flags.
6:20 p.m. ET: Hudson wearing a green ribbon in honor of the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting while performing with the students.
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
6:19 p.m. ET: In a touching performance, Sandy Hook Elementary School students perform “America the Beautiful,” with Jennifer Hudson.
6:18 p.m. ET: Jason Witten wins the 2012 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
6:12 p.m. ET: And out come the 49ers.
6:11 p.m. ET: The Ravens players are introduced in the stadium to a raucous crowd.
6:09 p.m. ET: And another historic first tonight – the two head coaches are brothers, born just 15 months apart. John Harbaugh, 50, is in his fifth season as the Baltimore Ravens head coach, and has won playoff games in each of his previous seasons. Jim Harbaugh, 49, is in his second season as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, leading his team to the playoffs both seasons.
6:05 p.m. ET: The San Francisco 49ers are going for their 6th Lombardi trophy, which would tie them for the most championships ever with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Baltimore Ravens are trying for their second Super Bowl victory. Neither team has ever lost a Super Bowl game – and at the end of the night, there will only be one team left in the NFL to have never lost a Super Bowl game.
6:00 p.m. ET: It’s here – the biggest spectacle in American sports, the Super Bowl. We’ll be covering the game, performances and, of course, the commercials right here.
It’s been an incredible season so far, and everything has led up to tonight’s game in New Orleans, where the NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers face the AFC Champion Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII. Keep refreshing for the latest updates throughout what promises to be a great game.
MUNICH (Reuters) - Iran said on Sunday it was open to a U.S. offer of direct talks on its nuclear program and that six world powers had suggested a new round of nuclear negotiations this month, but without committing itself to either proposal.
Diplomatic efforts to resolve a dispute over Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran says is peaceful but the West suspects is intended to give Iran the capability to build a nuclear bomb, have been all but deadlocked for years, while Iran has continued to announce advances in the program.
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said a suggestion on Saturday by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden that Washington was ready for direct talks with Iran if Tehran was serious about negotiations was a "step forward".
"We take these statements with positive consideration. I think this is a step forward but ... each time we have come and negotiated it was the other side unfortunately who did not heed ... its commitment," Salehi said at the Munich Security Conference where Biden made his overture a day earlier.
He also complained to Iran's English-language Press TV of "other contradictory signals", pointing to the rhetoric of "keeping all options on the table" used by U.S. officials to indicate they are willing to use force to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
"This does not go along with this gesture (of talks) so we will have to wait a little bit longer and see if they are really faithful this time," Salehi said.
Iran is under a tightening web of sanctions. Israel has also hinted it may strike if diplomacy and international sanctions fail to curb Iran's nuclear drive.
In Washington, Army General Martin Dempsey, the top U.S. military officer, said in an interview broadcast on Sunday that the United States has the capability to stop any Iranian effort to build nuclear weapons, but Iranian "intentions have to be influenced through other means."
Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made his comments on NBC's program "Meet the Press," speaking alongside outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
Panetta said current U.S. intelligence indicated that Iranian leaders have not made a decision to proceed with the development of a nuclear weapon.
"But every indication is they want to continue to increase their nuclear capability," he said. "And that's a concern. And that's what we're asking them to stop doing."
The new U.S. secretary of state, John Kerry, has said he will give diplomacy every chance of solving the Iran standoff.
THE BEST CHANCE
With six-power talks making little progress, some experts say talks between Tehran and Washington could be the best chance, perhaps after Iran has elected a new president in June.
Negotiations between Iran and the six powers - Russia, China, the United States, Britain, France and Germany - have been deadlocked since a meeting last June.
EU officials have accused Iran of dragging its feet in weeks of haggling over the date and venue for new talks.
Salehi said he had "good news", having heard that the six powers would meet in Kazakhstan on February 25.
A spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who coordinates the efforts of the six powers, confirmed that she had proposed talks in the week of February 25 but noted that Iran had not yet accepted.
Kazakhstan said it was ready to host the talks in either Astana or Almaty.
Salehi said Iran had "never pulled back" from the stuttering negotiations with the six powers. "We still are very hopeful. There are two packages, one package from Iran with five steps and the other package from the (six powers) with three steps."
Iran raised international concern last week by announcing plans to install and operate advanced uranium enrichment machines. The EU said the move, potentially shortening the path to weapons-grade material, could deepen doubts about the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel's mission to stop its arch-enemy from acquiring nuclear weapons was "becoming more complex, since the Iranians are equipping themselves with cutting-edge centrifuges that shorten the time of (uranium) enrichment".
"We must not accept this process," said Netanyahu, who is trying to form a new government after winning an election last month. Israel is generally believed to be the only country in the Middle East with nuclear weapons.
(Additional reporting by Myra MacDonald and Stephen Brown in Munich, Dmitry Solovyov in Almaty, Yeganeh Torbati in Dubai and Jim Wolf in Washington; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Will Dunham)
LONDON: Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari are set to hold key talks Monday with British Prime Minister David Cameron on the Afghan peace process.
The summit at Cameron's Chequers country retreat near London is aimed at boosting cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan, amid growing fears that a civil war could erupt when international troops leave Afghanistan next year.
"This trilateral process sends a very clear message to the Taliban -- now is the time for everyone to participate in a peaceful political process in Afghanistan," a British government spokeswoman said.
Support from Pakistan, which backed Afghanistan's 1996-2001 Taliban regime, is seen as crucial to peace after NATO troops depart -- but relations between the neighbours remain uneasy despite some recent improvements.
Both Kabul and Washington have regularly accused Pakistan of helping to destabilise Afghanistan.
But Afghan peace negotiators have welcomed Pakistan's release of dozens of Taliban prisoners in recent months, a move they believe could help bring militants to the negotiating table.
Cameron hosted a private dinner for Karzai and Zardari at Chequers on Sunday evening, ahead of Monday's in-depth talks between the leaders and their officials.
These are the third trilateral talks in a year following meetings in Kabul in July and New York last September -- but they are the first in which Pakistani and Afghan army and intelligence chiefs will also take part.
In an interview with Britain's Guardian newspaper and ITV television station released late Sunday, Karzai said the biggest threat to peace in Afghanistan was not the Taliban, but meddling from foreign powers.
"Peace will only come when the external elements involved in creating instability and fighting, or lawlessness in Afghanistan, are involved in talks," he said, without naming any particular country.
The president also suggested Western troops had been "fighting in the wrong place" in Afghanistan, saying security in the southern Helmand province was better before British troops arrived there.
A statement released by his office said the talks in Britain would be "focused on ways to accelerate peace process in Afghanistan and further strengthen cooperations between Afghanistan and Pakistan in the fight against terrorism and extremism".
Karzai is also due to meet the heir to the British throne Prince Charles during his three-day trip to Britain, which began on Saturday.
Britain still has around 9,000 troops in Afghanistan ahead of a scheduled withdrawal in 2014.
Afghan soldiers and police are taking on responsibility for battling Taliban militants from the 100,000 NATO troops due to depart by the end of next year.
But more than 60 foreign soldiers were killed in 2012 in "insider attacks" by members of Afghanistan's security forces, which have bred mistrust and threatened to derail the training process.
Afghan forces are also increasingly being targeted by Taliban bombers as they take on a greater security role.
-AFP/ac
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