Iran's Rowhani tells West to use dialogue

IRAN'S new President Hassan Rowhani says the only way for the international community to interact with Tehran on its controversial nuclear program is through dialogue and not sanctions.

"The only path to interact with Iran is through negotiations on equal grounds, reciprocal trust-building, mutual respect and reducing hostilities," he said in a speech after being sworn in before parliament on Sunday.

"If you want a proper answer, do not speak with Iran with the language of sanctions but with the language of respect," he said, adding Iran would "not surrender to sanctions, nor be threatened with war".

He was referring to years of unfruitful negotiations with the so-called P5+1 group of the US, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany over Iran's nuclear activities, which the world powers suspect is aimed at military objectives despite Iranian denials.

Rowhani, who won a surprise June 14 presidential election, has promised to engage in constructive interaction with the world.

The inaugural speech indicated the path that Rowhani's moderate administration would take.

After the speech, he also presented parliament with his government line-up, mostly filled with technocrats seen as close to his mentor, pragmatic ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Among the key nominees were veteran retired diplomat Mohammad Javad Zarif, tapped for the foreign ministry, and ex-oil minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, named to return to the same portfolio.

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US a 'willing partner' if Iran serious

IRAN will find the US a "willing partner" if new President Hassan Rowhani is prepared for serious talks on its nuclear program, the White House says.

In a message congratulating Rowhani on his inauguration, the White House said it "presents an opportunity for Iran to act quickly to resolve the international community's deep concerns over Iran's nuclear program".

"Should this new government choose to engage substantively and seriously to meet its international obligations and find a peaceful solution to this issue, it will find a willing partner in the United States," the statement by White House press secretary Jay Carney said on Sunday.

In taking the oath of office in Tehran, Rowhani called on the West to engage Iran through dialogue not sanctions.

"The only path to interact with Iran is through negotiations on equal grounds, reciprocal trust-building, mutual respect and reducing hostilities," Rowhani said after being sworn in before parliament.

"If you want a proper answer, do not speak with Iran with the language of sanctions but with the language of respect," he said, adding Iran would "not surrender to sanctions, nor be threatened with war".

The West is hoping for a fresh start under Rowhani after years of unsuccessful negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear program, which it suspects is aimed at developing a nuclear weapons capability.

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Sri Lanka protest toll rises

POLICE have poured into a village near Sri Lanka's capital for the funeral of a teenager shot dead by troops during a protest against contaminated water.

Security in Weliweriya village was strengthened as a hospital official said a third person had died after succumbing to injuries sustained during the army's crackdown on the residents' protest on Thursday.

"We have another three people in the intensive care and their condition is serious," spokeswoman for the hospital in Colombo, Pushpa Soysa, said.

Police said 17-year-old Akila Dinesh Jayawardena was killed when troops fired at unarmed residents demonstrating against a factory which they accused of discharging chemical waste and polluting ground water.

Jayawardena was buried on Sunday evening amid tight security by police commandos who were seen near the village cemetery too.

Mourners returning from the burial stopped briefly at the village centre to shout slogans denouncing the authorities and pressing their demand for safe drinking water. They dispersed peacefully, witnesses said.

Roman Catholic priest Lakpriya Nonis said armed troops stormed his St Anthony's church shortly after Thursday's protest and assaulted men, women and children who had sought refuge there.

"They came into the church premises and assaulted people sheltering inside," the priest told reporters after Sunday's burial.

Official sources said nearly 50 people were injured with most of them suffering bullet wounds, while some had been beaten with sticks and rifle butts.

The privately-run Sunday Times said up to six people had been killed and that authorities were not revealing the total number of casualties.

The burials of the other two victims are yet to be decided.

Dipped Products Ltd says it's not responsible for the pollution at Weliweriya.

Its factory remains shut because of the protest.

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Retirees more worried about finances

AFTER consistently topping the list of those who feel most financially secure, retirees are starting to worry.

A survey by ME Bank shows Australian households recorded an overall financial comfort level of 5.5 out of 10 - up from 5.29 six months ago.

But while all other households feel slightly better about their finances, retirees were the only group to turn more pessimistic.

The financial comfort of retirees - in particular those propped up by government payments - deteriorated by five per cent.

They reported feeling increasingly worried about their investments, living standards and income stability.

This is the first time retirees have not topped the list of most financially comfortable since ME Bank's survey began in 2011.

The report suggests lower borrowing rates has relieved pressure on those with mortgages, but done little for low-debt retirees.

Meanwhile, a stronger share market and housing market helped empty nesters - parents whose children have left home - assume the top spot, with their comfort levels up by 12 per cent.

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Hot-air balloons fill sky above France

A MASSIVE gathering of hot-air balloon enthusiasts in northeastern France has set two world records, filling the sky with 408 of the colourful craft at one time and lining up 391 of them for takeoff.

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Zeppelin takes to skies near Paris

TOURISTS seeking an original way to take in France's famed countryside have a new way to do it - in a helium-filled Zeppelin.

Airship Paris' 76-metre-long, five-storey airship has begun flights over the forests and villages northwest of Paris.

The company says it's received "lots" of reservations for flights. It says it's the first commercial airship in the Paris region for 30 years.

The Zeppelin has room for 12 passengers, who can move about the large-windowed cabin during the flight.

On clear days like Sunday, the Eiffel Tower was visible in the distance.

Tourists can also see the Seine river and the Chateau de Versailles from 300 metres up.

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Mars rover hoping to yield more secrets

THE dazzling success of NASA's rover Curiosity has paved the way for a human conquest of Mars, scientists say, almost one year after the groundbreaking probe first touched down on the Red Planet.

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Terror threat 'most serious' in years

THE top Republican on the US Senate Intelligence Committee says the weekend closures of nearly two dozen US embassies and consulates in the Muslim world are "the most serious threat" he's seen in recent years.

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