political news

Spain is taking the right measures for economic stability, the head of the International Monetary Fund has said.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn said he was "confident" Spain's economy would recover and called on all Spaniards to back the government's austerity work.

He was speaking after a meeting in Madrid with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

Mr Zapatero had earlier denied his government was seeking an IMF bailout, but markets have been nervous.

Mr Zapatero said on Thursday that Spain's economy was solid and solvent, and the visit by Dominique Strauss-Kahn was a scheduled one.

'Determination'

Mr Strauss-Kahn said all the measures being put in place by the Spanish government were "clearly being done for the benefit of the economy".

"I am really confident in the medium and long-term prospects for the Spanish economy, providing the efforts that have to be made will be made," he added.

He specifically praised continuing efforts to liberalise the Spanish labour market, saying they went in "the right direction".

Mr Zapatero said that during the meeting he had conveyed to Mr Strauss-Kahn "the determination of the Spanish government to implement and to make effective every single one of these reforms that we have launched".

Nervous markets

Mr Zapatero's government recently introduced a package of spending cuts and a reform of the labour market in an attempt to persuade nervous financial markets that Spain's finances are under control.

However, that's a difficult task, as after the crisis in Greece, the financial markets have been concerned that Spain could be the next country to require outside financial assistance.

As a result, Spain is having to pay record rates to sell its debt, and this week a senior banker revealed that Spanish financial institutions are struggling to get funding on international markets.

Spain is now promising to publish the results of what are known as "stress tests" on its banks, to prove that any fears of their failure are unfounded.

The country is still reeling from the collapse of the construction sector, has a budget deficit of 11%, and one in five workers is unemployed.

To help reduce the jobless count, the Spanish government wishes to liberalise labour laws that currently deter Spanish firms from taking on full-time staff because of the difficulty of making redundancies.

However, this has already faced strong opposition from unions, who are threatening to hold a general strike in September.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has criticised the unilateral US and EU sanctions on Iran that go beyond those approved by the UN Security Council.

He said Russia "did not agree" to any separate sanctions when it backed a joint UN resolution last week.

Meanwhile, Pentagon chief Robert Gates said US intelligence showed that Iran could be able to attack Europe with "scores" of missiles by 2020.

He added that Russia seemed to have a "schizophrenic" approach to Iran.

Moscow viewed Iran as a threat, but still pursued commercial ties with it, he told a US senate hearing in Washington.

Western powers suspect Iran is seeking nuclear weapons - which Tehran denies.

'Collective action'

In an interview that ran on Thursday, the Russian leader criticised the EU and US for acting unilaterally.

"We didn't agree to this when we discussed the joint resolution at the UN," Mr Medvedev told the Wall Street Journal.

Russia this month agreed to back a fourth round of UN sanctions against Tehran, following months of US-led diplomacy.

An Indian Muslim preacher has been banned from entering the UK for his "unacceptable behaviour", the home secretary says.

Zakir Naik, a 44-year-old television preacher, had been due to give a series of lectures in London and Sheffield.

Theresa May said that visiting the UK was "a privilege, not a right".

The home secretary can stop people entering the UK if she believes there is a threat to national security, public order or the safety of citizens.

That includes banning people if she believes their views glorify terrorism, promote violence or encourage other serious crime.

However, somebody cannot be banned just for having opinions that other people would find offensive.

Ms May said: "Numerous comments made by Dr Naik are evidence to me of his unacceptable behaviour .

"Coming to the UK is a privilege, not a right and I am not willing to allow those who might not be conducive to the public good to enter the UK.

"Exclusion powers are very serious and no decision is taken lightly or as a method of stopping open debate on issues."

This is the first person who has been excluded from the UK since Ms May became home secretary last month.

Mr Naik is based in Mumbai (Bombay) where he works for the Peace TV channel.

The BBC's Sanjiv Buttoo says that he is recognised as an authority on Islam but also has a reputation for making disparaging remarks about other religions.

Peace TV itself describes him as "a medical doctor by professional training... and a dynamic international orator on Islam and comparative religion".

"Dr Naik clarifies Islamic viewpoints and clears misconceptions about Islam using the Koran," the channel's website says.

A spokesman for Mr Naik said it was "deeply regrettable" the UK government had "bowed to pressure" from certain groups to exclude him.

He said Mr Naik had been holding talks in the UK for 15 years and the decision to bar his entry was disappointing.

The United States is expanding its sanctions against Iran because of concerns about its nuclear ambitions.

Washington said the individuals and institutions targeted were helping Iran to develop its nuclear programme.

This is the first step in implementing sanctions adopted by the UN Security Council last week.

Those blacklisted include Iran's Post Bank, Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi and the air force and missile command of the Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Western powers accuse Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons - a charge Iran strongly denies.

Front companies targeted

The US sanctions prohibit any American business or individual from trading with those named on the blacklist. The sanctions also freeze any assets they may have under US jurisdiction.

"We will continue to target Iran's support for terrorist organisations, we will continue to focus on Iran's Revolutionary Guard, and we will continue to expose Iran's efforts to evade international sanctions," US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told a White House news briefing.

Also on the list is a front company for the national shipping line, which is run by the Revolutionary Guards.

The Treasury has designated 27 new ships and has updated entries for 71 others whose names had been changed.

The designation of Post Bank brings to 16 the total number of Iranian banks under sanctions. The US Treasury says Post Bank is a front for Bank Sepah, which was designated in 2007 for providing financial services to the Iranian missile industry.

EU sanctions

Last week, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed the UN sanctions as "a used handkerchief" fit for the dustbin.

The European Union, which has been working closely with Washington, will decide on its own sanctions at a summit on Thursday.

The EU's proposed sanctions go further than the UN, targeting the oil and gas industry.

EU countries such as Germany and Italy have become important trading partners for Iran, but the EU is becoming increasingly concerned that Iran may be pursuing nuclear weapons.

Seattle police are to review training procedures after video of an officer punching a teenage girl circulated widely on US television and online.

The officer struck the 17-year-old after she tried to intervene while he was scuffling with another teenage girl he had seen jaywalking, officials said.

The Seattle police union defended the officer, saying he was working alone amid a crowd and feared for his safety.

The girls, who were arrested, were not harmed in the incident, police said.

In the video, shot on Monday, the officer is shown struggling with a girl in black who police said had tried to leave the scene when he confronted her about jaywalking.

A girl in a pink top intervenes, apparently trying to free the other girl. The footage then shows the police officer punching her as onlookers watch.

The officer, Ian Walsh, has been transferred temporarily to the department's training unit, Seattle police said.

Police officials said the review of training procedures was not meant as a criticism of the officer's actions but would examine whether training could be improved.

Seattle police officers' guild president Richard O'Neill said officers were wary of crowds that could turn violent.

"This officer, if you see on the video, was surrounded by an ever-growing group," he said. "This could have been a tragedy."

A Seattle police spokesman said that use of force was within an individual officer's discretion.

Turkish troops in pursuit of Kurdish rebels have crossed into northern Iraq and killed four militants, Turkish officials say.

The military said air strikes were also launched against rebel positions deeper inside Iraqi territory.

The offensive took place after rebels made an unsuccessful attack on border guards, Turkish officials said.

Turkey has been fighting insurgents of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) for more than a quarter of a century.

Military officials said three commando companies and one special forces battalion penetrated 3km (two miles) into Iraq in pursuit of the rebels.

The PKK is fighting for autonomy in Turkey's largely Kurdish south-east.

The group is considered a terrorist group, not just by Turkey but by the US and the EU.

More than 40,000 people are believed to have died in the conflict, on both sides.

At least 16 people have died in the US state of Arkansas after floodwaters hit campsites in a mountainous national park, state governor Mike Beebe says.

Two dozen people were taken to hospital and some 30 others remained unaccounted for.

Helicopters are taking part in the search in a remote, mountainous area in the state's south-west.

The operation is focused on campsites along the Little Missouri and Caddo rivers in the Ouchita Mountains.

Mr Beebe said the deaths had occurred at about 0530, when the floodwaters reached their peak.

A river gauge at Langley, just south of Albert Pike in the Ouachita National Forest, showed the water rose 8ft (2.4m) in one hour, according to the US Geological Survey.

The National Weather Service said 7.6in (19.3cm) of rain had fallen overnight.

Some campers described how they had to cling to trees for hours to survive.

The remains of destroyed tents and damaged log cabins were later seen lining the banks of the swollen rivers.

The governor said damage to the area was comparable to a strong tornado.