VIENNA, July 13:  US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif will face off in Vienna today with seven days left to bridge major differences and strike a historic nuclear deal.
Kerry and the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany will also use their presence in the Austrian capital to discuss an international push for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Fresh from brokering a breakthrough in a bitter standoff in Afghanistan between presidential rivals, Kerry will also try to mend ties with Germany’s foreign minister in the wake of a major spying scandal in Berlin.
Iran’s talks with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany are aimed at a grand bargain reducing in scope Iran’s nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief.
Such a deal is meant to quash for good concerns about the Islamic republic getting the bomb after more than a decade of failed diplomacy, threats of war and atomic expansion by Iran.
Iran denies wanting nuclear weapons.
Officials on both sides say that the talks, which on July 3 entered their sixth and final round, have made some progress, with Iran’s chief negotiator saying Saturday that a draft accord was 60-65 percent completed.
But one key notable issue remains: uranium enrichment, a process which can produce nuclear fuel — Iran’s stated aim — but also in highly purified form the core of an atomic weapon.
Iran wants to increase greatly its capacities to enrich uranium, saying it needs them to fuel its only functioning nuclear power plant — currently fuelled by Russia — as well as a fleet of future facilities.
But the six powers want a sharp reduction.
This, coupled with increased surveillance, would extend the so-called “breakout time” — the time Iran would ed to make enough highly-enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon, if it choose to do so.
“We have made some progress but on some key issues, Iran has not moved from their … Unworkable and inadequate positions”, a senior US official said yesterday.
“There is no question that we have heard about Iran’s aspirations for its nuclear programme in very specific terms and very specific numbers, and that remains far from a significant reduction in their current programme.”
Kerry “will gauge the extent of Iran’s willingness to commit to credible and verifiable steps that would back up its public statements about the peaceful nature of its nuclear programme,” the State Department said.
He will “assess Iran’s willingness to make a set of critical choices at the negotiating table” and then “make recommendations” to US President Barack Obama on the next steps. (AGENCIES)

BAGHDAD, July 12:  Iraq’s Sunni Arab politicians have picked a candidate for the post of parliamentary speaker, an achievement that could revive stalled efforts to form a new government after April polls.
The United Nations warned yesterday that Iraq’s deeply-divided politicians must quickly form a government or risk descent into “chaos”, as security forces beat back one militant assault but lost ground elsewhere.
Iraqi MPs are to hold a parliament session today to hasten the appointment of a parliamentary speaker, president and premier, in the hope that new leadership can better counter a sweeping jihadist-led militant offensive that began last month.
“Elections were held in which doctor Salim al-Juburi won the confidence of the lawmakers present, and he was confirmed as the Sunni bloc’s candidate for speaker of parliament,” a statement from parliament’s United for Change Sunni grouping said.
By convention, the role of head of parliament is awarded to Iraq’s minority Sunnis, the post of president to the Kurds and premiership reserved for Iraq’s majority Shiites.
The statement was sent on behalf of a wider meeting of Sunni lawmakers, who also pledged not to accept incumbent premier Nuri al-Maliki for a third term.
Such a condition could be a stumbling block in forming a new government, given Maliki’s vow earlier this month to never give up on his candidacy for another turn as Iraqi leader.
The previous session of parliament earlier this month ended in mayhem, with MPs trading insults and threats. Too few returned to the chamber after a break meant to cool tempers and the quorum needed to proceed with a vote was lost.
UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov warned Iraqi politicians that “failure to move forward on electing a new speaker, a new president and a new government risks plunging the country into chaos”.
“It will only serve the interests of those who seek to divide the people of Iraq and destroy their chances for peace and prosperity,” he said.
Attendance could be a problem, with parliament not even able to reach a quorum for an emergency session called at the height of the militant offensive last month.
Abdulsalam al-Maliki, an MP from Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s list, said any member of the Shiite National Alliance who stays away is siding with “the enemies of Iraq.” (AGENCIES)

LONDON, July 13:  Model Kate Upton is open to the possibility of being on the cover of Playboy magazine but not in the near future.
The 22-year-old star said she does not see herself posing for the magazine now, reported GQ magazine.
“I never like to say never because there are circumstances
that I could do pretty much anything if it inspires me and if I think that it’s cool at the time. But right now, at this point in my career, I’m not doing Playboy,” Upton said. (PTI)

LOS ANGELES, July 13:  Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine says his wedding to model Behati Prinsloo will not be the usual one.
The 35-year-old singer, without disclosing the details of the wedding preparations, said he is preparing a lot that anybody can think, reported People magazine.
“I’m probably doing more than you think and less than you think, as well. It (wedding) won’t be typical, I can tell you that.”
Levine said he feels he is at the right place in his life right now.
“I definitely feel like I’m sitting in the chair I’m supposed to be sitting in right now. It all feels very natural. It won’t be typical, I can tell you that,” he said.
The singer began dating the Victoria’s Secret model in 2012 but broke up in March 2013 and later reconciled and became engaged in July same year. (PTI)

LOS ANGELES, July 13:  Reality TV star Kim Kardashian has fuelled rumours she is moving to New York City by confirming she went house-hunting there last week.
The 33-year-old ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ star, who was recently spotted viewing a USD 21 million apartment in SoHo, confirmed she and husband Kanye West are on the hunt for a new base, reported E! online.
“I went apartment hunting in NYC with Simon Huck and my mom… Kendall came too. It’s crazy to see the different between Los Angeles real estate and NYC real-estate,” she said.
The group were spotted checking out a lavish apartment in the city last week that was recently put on the market by Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner. (PTI)

LONDON, July 13:  Former Soccer star David Beckham and his designer wife Victoria have reportedly hired a former Buckingham Palace worker as their new housekeeper.
The superstar couple have recruited the male from the British royal household to help with the general running of their 40 million pounds home, reported Daily Mirror.
“They needed a new housekeeper and, hands down, he was the best applicant. His CV was pretty impressive and, obviously, having a former Buckingham Palace member of staff is quite a boon,” a source said.
“Victoria is delighted, and he is fitting in really well with the family.”
David and Victoria have also given the former footman’s salary a significant boost from his previous 15,000 pounds pay cheque.
Besides general tidying, cleaning, ironing and dusting, it is said the new employee will also lend a hand with walking and grooming the dogs. (PTI)

SEOUL, July 13:  North Korea fired two short-range missiles into the sea today, Seoul’s military said, in an apparent show of anger at an upcoming joint military drill between South Korea and the US.
The North fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off the east coast at 1:20 and 1:30 am, local time, the South’s defense ministry told AFP.
“Their range appear to be around 500 kilometres (310.7 miles),” he said, adding Seoul’s military had stepped up monitoring for additional launches.
The move — the latest in a series of similar launches in recent weeks — came a day after Pyongyang condemned an upcoming Seoul-Washington naval joint exercise.
The annual drill, to be held July 16 to 21, involves the US aircraft carrier George Washington, which arrived in the southern port of Busan on Friday.
The North bristled at the port visit by the massive carrier, calling it a “reckless” act of provocation yesterday.
“The US should properly understand that the more persistently it resorts to reckless nuclear blackmail and threat, the further (the North) will bolster up its cutting edge nuclear force for self-defense,” said the North’s top military body, the National Defence Commission.
The North has habitually slammed joint military exercises held south of the border and often responded with missile launches.
Today’s launch was the fifth in less than two weeks.
Previous tests had preceded Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Seoul, and were seen by some analysts as a show of pique at his decision to visit Seoul before Pyongyang.
In between the launches, Pyongyang has also made several peace overtures, including a proposal for both sides to halt all provocative military activity.
Seoul dismissed the offers as “nonsensical” in the light of Pyongyang’s nuclear programme. It also made it clear that the annual joint drills are non-negotiable. (AGENCIES)
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