... associated with Iran's nuclear program have been assassinated since 2010, and a fifth was wounded in a bomb attack. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called Ahmadi-Roshan's killing a "cowardly act" and accused the United States and Israel of responsibility. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful, but Western countries say it is aimed at building a nuclear bomb. Israeli officials have not commented on whether they are behind the killings of Iranian scientists but have made clear...

... "And if Iran is involved in any military action, it's a direct threat to our security." Rogozin was speaking two days after the killing of a nuclear scientist in Tehran by a hitman on a motorcycle. Security Council head Nikolai Patrushev said Israel was pushing the United States toward war with Iran, Interfax reported. (Reuters)

... release. The sum in question amounts to 38 million forints ($171 million), equivalent to Malev's entire annual revenues. Two aircraft were reportedly impounded by creditors. One airliner did not receive permission for take off at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel. The second was detained in Dublin. Russian tour operators whose clients have tickets for the bankrupt airline's flights hope that Aeroflot will fly their clients to Budapest at discount rates, Russian Union of Travel Industry spokeswoman Irina...

... spokeswoman Anna Charlotta Johansson said Wednesday. 
Wallenberg is credited with rescuing tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews from the Nazis. He disappeared after being arrested in Hungary by the Soviet Red Army in 1945. On Tuesday, Hungary, Sweden and Israel launched the Raoul Wallenberg Year to honor his efforts. 
The new Swedish probe will be led by Hans Magnusson, who was involved in a similar effort together with Russian experts in the 1990s. According to Bildt, the Russian experts then...

... Belarus. But room for expansion is limited because the port is surrounded by hills, and the port suffers from insufficient infrastructure and handling procedures and poor road conditions, especially in winter. Seasonal imports of fruit from Turkey, Israel and Egypt and massive grain exports often cause bottlenecks and impact the handling capacity and productivity of the port, Neumann added. 417712 179742

... Moscow's top ally in the Middle East since Soviet times, when it was led by the incumbent's father, Hafez Assad. Ties with Damascus helped Russia retain its clout as a member of the Quartet of international mediators trying to negotiate peace between Israel and the Palestinians. After Bashar Assad succeeded his father in 2000, Russia sought to boost ties by agreeing to annul 73 percent of Syria's Soviet-era debt. Syria's port of Tartus is now the only naval base Russia has outside the former Soviet...

... capacity is presently about 4 million bpd. In addition, oil market disruption caused by potential military action in the Middle East is already priced, while the likelihood that Iran would instigate a military conflict is low. Provoking an attack from Israel or the United States by closing the Strait of Hormuz would deprive itself of its lifeblood. On balance, though, oil prices are on the way down. Brent could fall from $110 today to $90 at year-end. For Russia, even such a reduced price level is...