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Black boxes ‘damaged’ in Iran air disaster

A day after an Iranian passenger plane crashed in flames killing all 168 people on board, aviation officials were Thursday examining the aircraft’s damaged flight data recorders to try to determine the cause of the disaster. Caspian Airlines flight 7908 — a Russian-made Tupolev Tu-154M — plunged to the ground and disintegrated minutes into its flight from Tehran to the Armenian capital, Yerevan, officials said. Flight data recorders were recovered Wednesday from the crash site — a smoldering crater strewn with charred plane pieces and tattered passports –but Iranian media reported the so-called “black boxes” had been badly damaged

Sotomayor: Judges look at specific cases, not broad policies

Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor avoided direct answers Wednesday to persistent questions about her personal views on abortion and gun control by repeatedly saying she needed the specific circumstances of a case in order to respond. Republican Sen

Search for Air France ‘black boxes’ enters new phase

The search for the data and voice recorders from the Air France plane that crashed more than a month ago off Brazil’s coast is entering a new phase, according to France’s accident investigation agency. All 228 people aboard the plane were killed in the June 1 crash. The flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder, commonly known as black boxes, stop giving out acoustic broadcasts after 30 days

U.S. panel demands release of Baha’is facing trial in Iran

Seven Baha’i prisoners face a death-penalty trial Saturday in Iran amid calls for their release from a U.S. panel on religious freedom. Responding to a letter from Roxana Saberi, the Iranian-American journalist who spent four months in an Iranian jail earlier this year, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) demanded the seven prisoners be freed rather than stand trial on charges of espionage and religious violations.

U.S., Russia ready to set new nuclear arms limits

Russian and U.S. nuclear negotiators have completed a joint statement on the framework for a new arms control agreement to replace the 1991 START I agreement which expires December 5.

Myanmar denies U.N. chief a visit with Suu Kyi

United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon was denied permission to see Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, reporters traveling with the secretary-general said Saturday. Ban told reporters about the denial after he met with Than Shwe, leader of Myanmar’s military junta. Ban is in Myanmar at the invitation of the ruling military junta for talks that are expected to include the detention of Suu Kyi, as well as the detention of other political prisoners

Suu Kyi trial postponed as U.N. chief arrives

Officials in Myanmar delayed the resumption of the trial of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday, a spokesman for her political party said. No reason was given. The delay is the latest in a string of postponements and comes as U.N

Powerful ex-President Rafsanjani remains quiet in election fallout

He’s a key Iranian politician whose name is on the lips of opponents, supporters and experts alike in the bloody aftermath of the Iran’s presidential elections. But despite the chaos that’s plagued the Islamic Republic for the past two weeks — even resulting in the brief detention of his daughter — former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has remained silent and largely unseen. The last time the world saw Iran’s assembled leadership was June 19, when Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei endorsed the victory of hard-line incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the hotly contested June 12 election at Friday prayers.

Report: Iran to ‘review’ UK relations as tensions mount

The Iranian government is considering whether to downgrade ties with Britain amid growing tensions over the disputed presidential election, the ISNA news agency reported Wednesday.

Iranian women stand up in defiance, flout rules

A young Iranian woman named Neda is gunned down in one of the most iconic images of the last week. Another walks down the street, defiantly showing off her hair and body in a revealing dress. And still another woman says she’s not scared of paramilitary forces — no matter how many times she gets beaten.