NPR 2012-02-20

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British Foreign Secretary William Hague warns that if Tehran develops nuclear weapons, Iran would be attacked and there'll be war. Hague told the BBC it's clear Iran is behind the attempted assassination² of the Saudi ambassador to the US and recent terrorist incidents in Georgia, Thailand and India.

 

"Iran has increased in its willingness to contemplate³ utterly⁴ illegal activities in other parts of the world - this is part of the dangers that Iran is currently presenting to the peace of the world."

 

Meanwhile, Iran says it's stopped selling crude oil to British and French companies, but that would have happened anyway in July when an EU boycott⁵ of Iranian oil goes into effect. For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller in London.

 

A news agency in Iran is reporting a fire erupted at one of the biggest petrochemical facilities there. The oil and gas sector⁶ in Iran has been hit by an increasing number of attacks in recent years. There was no word on the cause of the fire.

 

In Egypt, the nominating period for presidential candidates opens in a couple of weeks, but there's still no final election date. Nonetheless, as Merrit Kennedy reports, Egypt's electoral commission says the whole process should be over by the end of June.

 

The date when Egypt's ruling generals hand power to an elected president continues to be a flashpoint here, as protesters and political figures call for a faster turnover⁷ of power. The generals said initially⁸ that they'd cede⁹ power in six months, and it's now been more than a year. State press reported earlier this week that presidential elections would be pushed up to late May. This comes after the candidate registration¹⁰ period was pushed up one month. But from today's press conference of the electoral commission, it seems that elections will still take place in June. The head of the Presidential Elections Commission said the exact voting date is not set yet because of logistical problems with organizing the vote for Egyptians abroad. For NPR News, I'm Merrit Kennedy in Cairo.

 

GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum charged this weekend that President Obama uses what he calls a phony theology to justify¹¹ policy. Today on ABC's This Week, the president's campaign advisor¹² Robert Gibbs said of the Santorum attack.

 

"I can't help but think that those remarks are well over the line."

 

Gibbs says the candidate should instead focus on the economic challenges faced by millions of Americans.

 

Since 1996, the Irish theater production featuring music and tap riverdance has been touring America. This year, that will end. Show is on an 82-city North American farewell tour.

 

This is NPR News.

 

An avalanche¹³ in the Austrian Alps has left Price Johan Friso in critical condition. The 43-year-old Dutch prince was rescued after skiing off marked trails.

 

Voters in Latvia have rejected a referendum that would have made Russia one of the country's official languages. NPR's Corey Flintoff says the result was expected but it highlights the deep division in Latvian society.

 

The real issue ethnic¹⁴ oppression says is discrimination. Ever since Latvia claimed its independence from the former Soviet¹⁵ Union in 1991, Russians in the country say they've been treated as second-class citizens. They say that official status for their language would help assert their rights. Many ethnic Latvians still resent the former Russian domination of their country, and they say the Russians who remain should have to assimilate and use the native tongue. Latvia's president opposes the referendum, noting that the government already provides Russian speakers with schools in their own language. The referendum is expected to fail. Corey Flintoff, NPR News, Moscow.

 

A swanky 70th birthday celebration for boxer¹⁶ Muhammad Ali in Las Vegas featured videotaped good wishes from President Obama. Proceeds from the event will go to brain research. Ali has been suffering Parkinson's disease for several years.

 

For the first time in modern Olympic history, there'll be a women's boxing event when international athletes meet this summer at London, but the perennial¹⁷ female question “what to wear” had emerged as a distraction¹⁸. It appears the answer's going to be either shorts or skirts depending upon the preference of the athlete.

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