RUSSIA

The IAEA has already demanded access to Iran?s atomic sites as long ago as November when it released a report detailing its suspicions that the Iranians were planning to develop nuclear bombs.

Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov said Thursday he would launch a pre-emptive strike against missile shield facilities, which are planned in Poland, Turkey and Romania.

Sudan Thursday expressed hopes that South Sudan will respond positively to the African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) calls to establish peace between the warring nations and steer clear of likely sanctions.

Iran indicated Wednesday that it will seek the lifting of sanctions over its nuclear program in upcoming talks with world powers in Baghdad May 23, though it maintained that it has the right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful uses.

Data from consultants JBC Energy showed Iran's output fell by 150,000 barrels per day over a two-month period, hitting a 20-year-low of 3.2 million barrels in April.

The U.S. tabled draft resolution, which seeks to apply economic sanctions on the two warring countries if they fail to de-escalate a growing border conflict, was presented to the five permanent members of the Security Council during a meeting in New York on Monday.

The news of the day centered on a better-than-expected U.S. manufacturing report for April, which sent ripples across the markets, boosting stocks as investors moved away from bonds and giving a bump to the dollar and crude oil. Investors are hoping this good news will be matched in Friday?s April U.S. jobs report.

The United States condemned the alleged mistreatment of jailed politician Yulia Tymoshenko in Ukraine on Tuesday and called for her release.

May Day, also referred to as International Workers' Day, is a holiday with pagan roots that has slowly morphed into a worldwide celebration of worker solidarity.

Lebanese intelligence officers are questioning crew members of a ship that set sail from Libya and was found to be carrying a cache of weapons that supposedly were intended to supply opposition forces in Syria.

Team U.S.A. will face tough challengers in Argentina, France and Tunisia in Group A.

China pushes ahead with efforts to create a regional and global alternative to GPS.

Campaigning for President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton said the Obama administration was beating the clock on the U.S. economic recovery, and he rebuked Mitt Romney for pushing Bush-era policies on steroids.

Keeping up an old tradition, Germany has threatened to boycott the upcoming Euro 2012 soccer tournament in protest of the imprisonment and alleged mistreatment of Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko.

Skyfall, the 23rd James Bond 007'film will grace the silver screen on Oct. 26 this year in the UK. Directed by Sam Mendes, the film will feature Daniel Craig as James Bond. According to the latest buzz, the new Bond girl will be French actress Bérénice Marlohe, playing the glamorous and enigmatic role of Sévérine.

Riven by ethnic divisions and struggling amid economic woes, Kyrgyzstan is far from stable. But with its vocal and uniquely progressive citizenry, there are worlds of potential for this young Central Asian nation.

India and Russia have chosen to boycott Zimbabwe's 53rd International Trade Fair this year to express their deep discontent with the country's new policies to nationalize and seize control over foreign companies.

Jailed former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko continues a hunger strike to protest prison abuse while doctors say she also suffers from a chronic back condition that is unable to be treated in Ukraine.

On the 26th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, Ukraine launched the construction of a new and improved shelter to permanently secure the traumatized plant. The project, which is expected to cost contributors around 1.5 billion euros, is intended to repair the damage from an explosion that occurred during testing at the power plant in the early hours of April 26, 1986.

A series of at least four explosions shook the Ukrainian city of Dnepropetrovsk on Friday afternoon, injuring at least two dozen people in what authorities now suspect are terrorist attacks.

Following the successful launch of its Risat-1 satellite Thursday, India's space agency announced that it will test two of its heavy rockets prior to its planned 2014 moon mission.