Ahmadinejad says he wants public talks with Obama
TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he wants to engage President Obama in "negotiations" before international media, a semi-official Iranian news outlet reported on Saturday.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election last month sparked global protests and unrest in Iran.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election last month sparked global protests and unrest in Iran.
Speaking at a meeting of medical school deans, Ahmadinejad said Iran "will soon pursue a new round of diplomatic activity" amid a new position of strength for the Iranian government, the Iranian Student News Agency quotes him as saying.
"I will go to the United Nations and will invite Obama to negotiations," Ahmadinejad said, adding that such talks would be "in front of the international media, not a sit-down behind closed doors in order to talk about matters."
The Obama administration has sought dialogue with Iran but also criticized the government for its handling of unrest after disputed presidential elections.
Last week, Obama said Iran's government must justify itself not in the eyes of the United States, but in the opinion of its own people.
"A sizable percentage of the Iranian people themselves ... consider this election illegitimate," he said at a White House news conference. "It is not too late for the Iranian government to recognize that there is a peaceful path that will lead to stability and prosperity."
Initially, Obama was criticized by Republicans such as Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina for taking a "timid and passive" tone in speaking out against the growing wave of arrests, violence and deaths of pro-democracy activists.
Ahmadinejad said he wants others to stop "meddling" in the internal affairs of Iran.
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Iranian officials, including Ahmadinejad, claimed nations such as the United States and Britain have meddled in Iranian affairs. Last week, Ahmadinejad said officials were "astonished" over what they called meddling and warned of repercussions if meddling continues.
"Didn't he [Obama] say that he was after change?" Ahmadinejad asked Iranian judiciary officials in a speech last week. "Why did he interfere? Why did he utter remarks irrespective of norms and decorum?"
"They keep saying that they want to hold talks with Iran," Ahmadinejad said. "All right, we have expressed our readiness as well. But is this the correct way [for holding talks]?"
Meanwhile, two major political figures have been meeting family members of those detained amid post-election unrest.
One was former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani -- chief of the Expediency Council and supporter of opposition leader Mir Hussein Moussavi, according to the semi-official Iranian Labor News Agency.
The other was Mehdi Karrubi, one of the opposition candidates, who reportedly paid visits to families of political detainees, according to the Etemad-e-Melli, Karrubi's newspaper.
Meanwhile, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported that 20 people between the ages of 35 to 48 were executed in Iran on Saturday for "buying, selling and holding heroin, cocaine and opium."
Courstesy : http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/07/04/iran.ahmadinejad.obama/index.html
Ahmadinejad says he wants public talks with Obama
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Ex-Beatles manager Allen Klein dies
Ex-Beatles, Rolling Stones manager Allen Klein dies
Music manager Allen Klein, whose clients included the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, died Saturday after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's disease, his publicist said. Klein was 77.
The son of Jewish immigrants from Hungary, Klein founded his firm Allen Klein & Co. in the late 1950s before the label evolved into ABKCO Music & Records in New York. The independent label holds the copyrights to music by the Rolling Stones, Sam Cooke, the Animals, the Kinks, Chubby Checker, Bobby Womack and hundreds of others.
Klein represented dozens of artists, including Sam Cooke, the Animals, Bobby Darin and Herman's Hermits. He changed the music industry when he represented Sam Cooke in negotiations with RCA, winning the artist control of his own master recordings.
Known for a tenacious and often blunt style in negotiations, Klein's greatest coups were inking contracts with the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, though both relationships ended in legal battles.
ABKCO built up a catalog of copyrights to more than 2,000 songs, including much of the Stones' 1960s catalog. Klein retained ownership of those titles even after splitting with the Stones. In 1969, John Lennon persuaded the other Beatles that Klein should take over the group's business affairs, but Paul McCartney resisted the move and some music historians say the appointment hastened the Beatles' split.
Lennon later fell out with Klein, who was thought to be the target of the former Beatle's 1974 song "Steel and Glass."
Defending his tough style, Klein told Playboy magazine in 1971: "The music business is about 99 percent no-talent losers who can't stand a winner in their midst."
In 1971, Klein worked with Ringo Starr to organize the "Concert for Bangladesh" at Madison Square Garden, one of the first major benefit concerts of the rock era.
Late in his career, Klein agreed to license a sample of a Rolling Stones song to the British group the Verve for their hit single "Bittersweet Symphony." But after the song was released, ABKCO successfully argued in court that the Verve had used too much of the sample and won 100 percent of the song's royalties.
Klein is survived by his wife Betty, their three children and four grandchildren. Services will be held in New York on Tuesday
Courtesy : http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/05/allen.klein.obit/index.html
Ex-Beatles, Rolling Stones manager Allen Klein dies
Music manager Allen Klein, whose clients included the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, died Saturday after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's disease, his publicist said. Klein was 77.
The son of Jewish immigrants from Hungary, Klein founded his firm Allen Klein & Co. in the late 1950s before the label evolved into ABKCO Music & Records in New York. The independent label holds the copyrights to music by the Rolling Stones, Sam Cooke, the Animals, the Kinks, Chubby Checker, Bobby Womack and hundreds of others.
Klein represented dozens of artists, including Sam Cooke, the Animals, Bobby Darin and Herman's Hermits. He changed the music industry when he represented Sam Cooke in negotiations with RCA, winning the artist control of his own master recordings.
Known for a tenacious and often blunt style in negotiations, Klein's greatest coups were inking contracts with the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, though both relationships ended in legal battles.
ABKCO built up a catalog of copyrights to more than 2,000 songs, including much of the Stones' 1960s catalog. Klein retained ownership of those titles even after splitting with the Stones. In 1969, John Lennon persuaded the other Beatles that Klein should take over the group's business affairs, but Paul McCartney resisted the move and some music historians say the appointment hastened the Beatles' split.
Lennon later fell out with Klein, who was thought to be the target of the former Beatle's 1974 song "Steel and Glass."
Defending his tough style, Klein told Playboy magazine in 1971: "The music business is about 99 percent no-talent losers who can't stand a winner in their midst."
In 1971, Klein worked with Ringo Starr to organize the "Concert for Bangladesh" at Madison Square Garden, one of the first major benefit concerts of the rock era.
Late in his career, Klein agreed to license a sample of a Rolling Stones song to the British group the Verve for their hit single "Bittersweet Symphony." But after the song was released, ABKCO successfully argued in court that the Verve had used too much of the sample and won 100 percent of the song's royalties.
Klein is survived by his wife Betty, their three children and four grandchildren. Services will be held in New York on Tuesday
Courtesy : http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/05/allen.klein.obit/index.html
Ex-Beatles, Rolling Stones manager Allen Klein dies
Jackson memorial tickets,1.6 million register
1.6 million register for 8,750 Jackson memorial tickets
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- About 1.6 million fans registered for a chance at fewer than 9,000 tickets to Michael Jackson's memorial service next week, organizers said.
Michael Jackson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is surrounded by items from fans.
Michael Jackson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is surrounded by items from fans.
Click to view previous image
1 of 2
Click to view next image
Registration ended at 6 p.m. Saturday. Officials will now "scrub" all entries to eliminate duplicates and those they suspect may have been registered using software that tickets scalpers use to generate multiple hits.
A random drawing will follow. The winning 8,750 registrants will receive an e-mail Sunday after 11 a.m. (2 p.m. ET), AEG Live said.
"I know I'll be hitting the 'refresh' button on my inbox over and over again," said Jackie Flower, an arts student in San Diego, California.
The e-mail will assign the selected registrants a unique code and direct them to a designated distribution center away from the Staples Center.
There, they will each receive two tickets to either the memorial service at the Staples Center arena or a simulcast of the event at the adjacent Nokia Theater LA Live, AEG said.
Jackson's family has still not announced the singer's burial arrangements, saying only that it will hold a private ceremony ahead of the massive public memorial service Tuesday.
Journalists staked out several possible burial locations. A long line of television satellite trucks remained parked outside the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn Cemetery in case it was chosen by the family, but there has been no word from cemetery officials.
Police set up metal barricades around the front lawn, creating spaces for media and fans. Two state trooper cruisers idled at the Hall of Liberty inside the grounds, which contains a 1,200-seat auditorium.
Courtesy : http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/04/jackson.wrap/index.html
1.6 million register for 8,750 Jackson memorial tickets
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- About 1.6 million fans registered for a chance at fewer than 9,000 tickets to Michael Jackson's memorial service next week, organizers said.
Michael Jackson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is surrounded by items from fans.
Michael Jackson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is surrounded by items from fans.
Click to view previous image
1 of 2
Click to view next image
Registration ended at 6 p.m. Saturday. Officials will now "scrub" all entries to eliminate duplicates and those they suspect may have been registered using software that tickets scalpers use to generate multiple hits.
A random drawing will follow. The winning 8,750 registrants will receive an e-mail Sunday after 11 a.m. (2 p.m. ET), AEG Live said.
"I know I'll be hitting the 'refresh' button on my inbox over and over again," said Jackie Flower, an arts student in San Diego, California.
The e-mail will assign the selected registrants a unique code and direct them to a designated distribution center away from the Staples Center.
There, they will each receive two tickets to either the memorial service at the Staples Center arena or a simulcast of the event at the adjacent Nokia Theater LA Live, AEG said.
Jackson's family has still not announced the singer's burial arrangements, saying only that it will hold a private ceremony ahead of the massive public memorial service Tuesday.
Journalists staked out several possible burial locations. A long line of television satellite trucks remained parked outside the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn Cemetery in case it was chosen by the family, but there has been no word from cemetery officials.
Police set up metal barricades around the front lawn, creating spaces for media and fans. Two state trooper cruisers idled at the Hall of Liberty inside the grounds, which contains a 1,200-seat auditorium.
Courtesy : http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/04/jackson.wrap/index.html
1.6 million register for 8,750 Jackson memorial tickets
Harmison misses out on Test squad Ashes
Harmison misses out on Test squad
First Ashes Test: England v Australia
Venue: The Swalec Stadium, Cardiff Date: 8-12 July
Coverage: Test Match Special commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live sports extra, BBC Radio 4 Long Wave, Red Button and BBC Sport website, plus live text commentary on BBC Sport website and mobiles. Live on Sky Sports
Steve Harmison
Harmison took six wickets against Australia for England Lions
Steve Harmison has failed to make the 13-man England squad for the first Ashes Test against Australia, which starts in Cardiff on Wednesday.
Harmison had played down his chances ahead of the squad announcement as he expected England to play with two spinners, while the form of his England rivals Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Onions put them ahead of him in the pecking order.
But Miller did give Harmison hope of a recall later in the series if the pitches suit his attributes of pace and steepling bounce.
"It's a long series, we've got five Test matches in all kinds of conditions. We need strength in depth," said Miller.
"We did talk about Steve and one or two others. We are in a nice position where we have got people who can come in at one or two minutes notice."
Australia captain Ponting is fully aware of the threat Harmison carries and hailed the bowler after the draw against the England Lions.
"Anyone who can bowl that sort of pace, with his height and the ability to swing the odd one away from the right-hander, you've got all the makings of one of the all-time great fast bowlers there's no doubt about that," said Ponting.
"He bowls at over 90mph and, with his height, it's a pretty handy package.
"I think we've known for a long time that he can be a quality bowler on his day and I think at different times during this game he's shown that."
England squad: Andrew Strauss (captain), Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Matt Prior, Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Jimmy Anderson, Monty Panesar, Ian Bell, Graham Onions.
Courtesy : http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/8134166.stm
Harmison misses out on Test squad
First Ashes Test: England v Australia
Venue: The Swalec Stadium, Cardiff Date: 8-12 July
Coverage: Test Match Special commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live sports extra, BBC Radio 4 Long Wave, Red Button and BBC Sport website, plus live text commentary on BBC Sport website and mobiles. Live on Sky Sports
Steve Harmison
Harmison took six wickets against Australia for England Lions
Steve Harmison has failed to make the 13-man England squad for the first Ashes Test against Australia, which starts in Cardiff on Wednesday.
Harmison had played down his chances ahead of the squad announcement as he expected England to play with two spinners, while the form of his England rivals Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Onions put them ahead of him in the pecking order.
But Miller did give Harmison hope of a recall later in the series if the pitches suit his attributes of pace and steepling bounce.
"It's a long series, we've got five Test matches in all kinds of conditions. We need strength in depth," said Miller.
"We did talk about Steve and one or two others. We are in a nice position where we have got people who can come in at one or two minutes notice."
Australia captain Ponting is fully aware of the threat Harmison carries and hailed the bowler after the draw against the England Lions.
"Anyone who can bowl that sort of pace, with his height and the ability to swing the odd one away from the right-hander, you've got all the makings of one of the all-time great fast bowlers there's no doubt about that," said Ponting.
"He bowls at over 90mph and, with his height, it's a pretty handy package.
"I think we've known for a long time that he can be a quality bowler on his day and I think at different times during this game he's shown that."
England squad: Andrew Strauss (captain), Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Matt Prior, Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Jimmy Anderson, Monty Panesar, Ian Bell, Graham Onions.
Courtesy : http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/8134166.stm
Harmison misses out on Test squad
Palin's Facebook account, suggests bigger plans
Palin Links Resignation to 'Higher Calling'
Palin's Facebook account, suggests bigger plans
sarahpalin on face book
JUNEAU, Alaska -- Outgoing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Saturday laid the groundwork to take on a larger, national role after leaving state government, citing a "higher calling" with the aim of uniting the country along conservative lines.
A day after surprising even her closest friends by announcing she would step down as Alaska governor more than a year before her term was up, the controversial hockey mom was still keeping details of her future plans under wrap. But in a statement posted on Palin's Facebook account, she suggested that she had bigger plans and a national agenda she planned to push after she resigns at the end of the month.
"I am now looking ahead and how we can advance this country together with our values of less government intervention, greater energy independence, stronger national security, and much-needed fiscal restraint," she said.
Palin also cast herself as a victim and blasted the media, calling the response to her announcement "predictable" and out of touch.
"How sad that Washington and the media will never understand; it's about country," the statement said. "And though it's honorable for countless others to leave their positions for a higher calling and without finishing a term, of course we know by now, for some reason a different standard applies for the decisions I make."
Palin's personal spokeswoman, Meghan Stapleton, confirmed to The Associated Press that the Facebook posting was written by the governor.
The abruptness of her announcement and the mystery surrounding her plans has fed widespread speculation. But Palin attorney Thomas Van Flein on Saturday warned legal action may be taken against bloggers and publications that reprint what he calls fraudulent claims.
"To the extent several websites, most notably liberal Alaska blogger Shannyn Moore, are now claiming as 'fact' that Governor Palin resigned because she is 'under federal investigation' for embezzlement or other criminal wrongdoing, we will be exploring legal options this week to address such defamation," Van Flein said in a statement. "This is to provide notice to Ms. Moore, and those who re-publish the defamation, such as Huffington Post, MSNBC, the New York Times and The Washington Post, that the Palins will not allow them to propagate defamatory material without answering to this in a court of law."
Palin has kept a low profile since her abrupt announcement Friday at a hastily called news conference at her home in suburban Wasilla, outside Anchorage. All of her public communication since then has been on the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter, or through statements released by her office.
At the same time, Palin informed her spokesman David Murrow early Saturday that someone using the name "exgovsarahpalin" on Twitter was spreading a false rumor that there was to be a party at her suburban home in Wasilla, outside Anchorage. Palin was afraid her home would be mobbed, and security was dispatched, Murrow said.
With only a few weeks before she steps down on July 26, and Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell takes her place, the governor spent the Fourth of July weekend in the state capital, Juneau, but was only spotted briefly on the sidelines of the city's parade.
She had been invited to ride in a convertible, as she did last year, but never told organizers whether she would attend.
Juneau parade director Jean Sztuk said officials drew up banners in case Palin showed and was willing to take part.
As the last of the parade's clowns and marching bands headed past her, Sztuk gave up on Palin. "What governor wants to be at the end of the parade?" she asked.
Her low-profile and vague Internet messages left mounting questions about her plans for the future shrouded in mystery. Will she lay the groundwork for a 2012 presidential bid? Will she find a high-profile place in the private sector, maybe on the speech circuit? Will she drop out of the limelight and focus on her five children?
Her constituents, for one, wanted to know, especially in Juneau, where she has struggled to win over residents.
"I think she owes it to Alaskans to tell us why," said state Sen. Dennis Egan, D-Juneau, the son of Alaska's first governor, Bill Egan.............
..........
More of this please check : http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/04/palin-links-resignation-higher-calling/
Palin Links Resignation to 'Higher Calling'
Palin's Facebook account, suggests bigger plans
sarahpalin on face book
Palin's Facebook account, suggests bigger plans
sarahpalin on face book
JUNEAU, Alaska -- Outgoing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Saturday laid the groundwork to take on a larger, national role after leaving state government, citing a "higher calling" with the aim of uniting the country along conservative lines.
A day after surprising even her closest friends by announcing she would step down as Alaska governor more than a year before her term was up, the controversial hockey mom was still keeping details of her future plans under wrap. But in a statement posted on Palin's Facebook account, she suggested that she had bigger plans and a national agenda she planned to push after she resigns at the end of the month.
"I am now looking ahead and how we can advance this country together with our values of less government intervention, greater energy independence, stronger national security, and much-needed fiscal restraint," she said.
Palin also cast herself as a victim and blasted the media, calling the response to her announcement "predictable" and out of touch.
"How sad that Washington and the media will never understand; it's about country," the statement said. "And though it's honorable for countless others to leave their positions for a higher calling and without finishing a term, of course we know by now, for some reason a different standard applies for the decisions I make."
Palin's personal spokeswoman, Meghan Stapleton, confirmed to The Associated Press that the Facebook posting was written by the governor.
The abruptness of her announcement and the mystery surrounding her plans has fed widespread speculation. But Palin attorney Thomas Van Flein on Saturday warned legal action may be taken against bloggers and publications that reprint what he calls fraudulent claims.
"To the extent several websites, most notably liberal Alaska blogger Shannyn Moore, are now claiming as 'fact' that Governor Palin resigned because she is 'under federal investigation' for embezzlement or other criminal wrongdoing, we will be exploring legal options this week to address such defamation," Van Flein said in a statement. "This is to provide notice to Ms. Moore, and those who re-publish the defamation, such as Huffington Post, MSNBC, the New York Times and The Washington Post, that the Palins will not allow them to propagate defamatory material without answering to this in a court of law."
Palin has kept a low profile since her abrupt announcement Friday at a hastily called news conference at her home in suburban Wasilla, outside Anchorage. All of her public communication since then has been on the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter, or through statements released by her office.
At the same time, Palin informed her spokesman David Murrow early Saturday that someone using the name "exgovsarahpalin" on Twitter was spreading a false rumor that there was to be a party at her suburban home in Wasilla, outside Anchorage. Palin was afraid her home would be mobbed, and security was dispatched, Murrow said.
With only a few weeks before she steps down on July 26, and Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell takes her place, the governor spent the Fourth of July weekend in the state capital, Juneau, but was only spotted briefly on the sidelines of the city's parade.
She had been invited to ride in a convertible, as she did last year, but never told organizers whether she would attend.
Juneau parade director Jean Sztuk said officials drew up banners in case Palin showed and was willing to take part.
As the last of the parade's clowns and marching bands headed past her, Sztuk gave up on Palin. "What governor wants to be at the end of the parade?" she asked.
Her low-profile and vague Internet messages left mounting questions about her plans for the future shrouded in mystery. Will she lay the groundwork for a 2012 presidential bid? Will she find a high-profile place in the private sector, maybe on the speech circuit? Will she drop out of the limelight and focus on her five children?
Her constituents, for one, wanted to know, especially in Juneau, where she has struggled to win over residents.
"I think she owes it to Alaskans to tell us why," said state Sen. Dennis Egan, D-Juneau, the son of Alaska's first governor, Bill Egan.............
..........
More of this please check : http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/04/palin-links-resignation-higher-calling/
Palin Links Resignation to 'Higher Calling'
Palin's Facebook account, suggests bigger plans
sarahpalin on face book
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