President Barack Obama has admitted exchanging letters with the Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, in a move which could set the stage for the first meeting between a U.S. and Iranian leader since Iran’s 1979 revolution.

It is hoped a meeting could lead to a solution in the row over Iran’s nuclear weapons programme, which Obama said is ‘larger than the Syrian crises’.

Foreign secretary William Hague is also said to be due to meet Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s minister of foreign affairs, at the UN general assembly meeting in New York.

But Obama admitted that it would not be easy.

In a television interview aired on ABC News, on Sunday, when asked whether he and Rouhani had ‘reached out’ to each other, Obama confirmed that they had exchanged letters, the Guardian reports.

Obama said: ‘I have. And he’s reached out to me. We haven’t spoken directly…’

He added: ‘Negotiations with the Iranians is always difficult.

‘I think this new president is not going to suddenly make it easy.’

The bones of a slave known as Mr Fortune will be laid to rest today 215 years after his death.

Steven R. Mullins, one of the organizers, said: ‘It’s a long overdue honor. We’re not just remembering one man. His body is representing all of the slaves that came over here and worked in this country.’

Fortune was owned by Dr Preserved Porter on a farm in Waterbury, Connecticut, and died of a suspected broken neck in 1798.

After his death Dr Porter, a bone specialist, had his skeleton boiled in order to preserve and study it.

The remains were donated to a Waterbury museum in 1933 by a descendent of Dr Porter who referred to the skeleton as ‘Larry’.

Since then the bones have been studied by scientists keen to learn more about Fortune and his life.

So far scientists have established that Fortune was 5ft 5in tall and died aged roughly 55.

Though the results have ruled out hanging as a cause of death, nobody knows exactly how Fortune broke his neck.

He was never buried in case technology allowed more information to be extracted from his remians in the future, but now a CT scan of the bones has been taken meaning they can be studied without the need to keep them.

Using unusually direct and decidedly undiplomatic language, the U.S. Department of State has sharply criticized Baku for a surprise move blocking a U.S. observer mission from visiting Azerbaijan to review electoral preparations being made for its October 9th presidential election. According to RFE/RL, a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Baku said the pre-election visit, which was to have been led by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Melia, was abruptly cancelled at the request of the Azerbaijani government. No reason was given. Read RFE/RL coverage here:http://www.rferl.org/content/azerbaijan-us-visit-cancellation/25099969.html In a sign that the State Department may be edging away from its flawed practice of artificial even-handedness in public statements about Armenia and Azerbaijan, U.S. diplomats have begun specifically “laundry-listing” Baku’s many democratic shortcomings and corruption-based problems. Responding to an inquiry by H1 Television Washington correspondent Haykaram Nahapetyan, the State Department issued the following statement, addressing many of these issues directly. The State Department’s response is offered in full below: “The U.S. regrets that the government of Azerbaijan has objected to the composition of a U.S. delegation that was to make an official pre-election visit to Azerbaijan. As a result, the visit will not take place.” “The Azerbaijani government’s actions raise questions about the environment leading up to the October 9 presidential election. ” “We call on the government of Azerbaijan to ensure a free and fair electoral process that reflects the will of the people. ” “We urge Azerbaijani authorities to respect the freedoms of assembly, association, and speech as well as the rule of law and due process before, during, and after the presidential contest. We also urge the authorities to facilitate the important work of domestic as well as international election monitors.”  

Lowell, MA — The Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Merrimack Valley took issues of importance to Armenians in the 3^rd Congressional district of Massachusetts to the office steps of Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-MA-3) on Monday, September 9, 2013.

The group included longtime ANCA activists Ara Jeknavorian, Aram Jeknavorian, Tom Vartabedian and Stephen Dulgarian. ANCA Eastern Region Executive Director Michelle Hagopian accompanied the group to the meeting Monday morning.

The visit comes on the heels of a Washington, DC meeting with the Congresswoman and Hagopian. Tsongas has been a steadfast supporter of Armenian American concerns, consistently cosponsoring legislation and attending Armenian events both in the district and on Capitol Hill.

“Rep. Tsongas has always been very attentive to our issues and our cause. We’re glad she’s trying to become an even stronger advocate for Armenians, and this meeting was a reminder of that,” said Ara Jeknavorian, ANC of Merrimack Valley co-chairman.

Much of the discussion centered on the situation in Syria and the ANCA’s stance to oppose air strikes by the United States. The ANC leaders expressed their dire concern about the region and about Armenians living there and those who have fled. Rep. Tsongas was receptive and also deeply concerned about the entire situation, and she informed the group she would keep the local ANC abreast about what plays out in Congress this week.

Rep. Tsongas, a member of the Armed Services Committee, was informed about Syrian rebels targeting Armenians prior to that committee’s hearing on Syria on Tuesday, September 10.

Besides Syria, Rep. Tsongas heard concerns of the local ANC on issues such as House Resolution 227 (the Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Resolution), foreign aid to Armenia and Massachusetts’ 3rd district Armenian community. She said she is always happy meeting with constituents as she “is only as good as the stories I hear.”

“The ANCA Eastern Region is very lucky to have such a strong voice for Armenians in our corner with Rep. Tsongas. She has made her presence known both locally and nationally, whether by attending April 24 commemorations or signing on to Dear Colleague letters over the years,” stated Hagopian.

The ANC of Merrimack Valley also brought up the dedication of a new Armenian Genocide monument that will be erected on public land in front of Lowell City Hall in April 2014. Both Jeknavorians, Dulgarian and Vartabedian all serve on the Merrimack Valley Armenian Genocide Monument Committee and encouraged Rep. Tsongas to attend the event next spring.

The meeting follows a busy month in August for the ANCA Eastern Region that saw many local ANCs meeting with representatives in their districts while Congress was in recess.

NASA launched an unmanned rocket to the moon Friday night to study its lunar atmosphere and environment.

The 90-foot rocket carrying the orbiter was expected to be visible to much of the eastern U.S. seaboard when it launched from Virginia, officials said earlier

It launched at 11:27 p.m. ET at the Wallops Flight Facility at Wallops Island.

The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer is designed to “orbit the moon to gather detailed information about the lunar atmosphere, conditions near the surface and environmental influences on lunar dust,” NASA said.

“A thorough understanding of these characteristics will address long-standing unknowns, and help scientists understand other planetary bodies as well,” NASA said.

Nicknamed LADEE, it is expected to reach the moon on October 6.

Earth’s distance from the moon is between 223,700 miles to 251,700 miles depending on the moon’s position, the space agency says.

Israel and the U.S. today carried out a joint missile test in the Mediterranean, firing two rockets which later fell into the sea.

News of the secret drill came this morning when the Russian defence ministry reporting that a radar system had detected the launch of two ‘ballistic objects’.

Later today, Israel’s defence ministry revealed that it had conducted a test of missile designed to be used as a target in an anti-missile system funded by the U.S.

A Russian official said that the launch was detected at 6.16am GMT by an early warning station near the Black Sea, designed to detect missiles fired from Europe and Iran.

A spokesman for the U.S. Navy said that American forces did not fire any missiles, but did not confirm whether or not the U.S. was involved with the Israeli operation.

‘No missiles were fired from U.S. ships in the Mediterranean,’ he said.

Officials within Syria said there were no signs of any missile attacks in Damascus.

Thieves who ransacked a charity’s office had a crisis of conscience and returned the stolen goods – along with a contrite letter of apology. The non-profit organization, which counsels those who are victims of violent sexual attacks, was hit by burglars on July 31 in San Bernardino County, California. The burglars dropped into the building from the roof and made off with laptops and other computer equipment. The director of San Bernardino County Sexual Assault Services Candy Stallings was called to the scene at 4am. She said that police officers were asking questions among the local transient community and explaining the work that the charity carried out. She said that the following night, she was called out again by police but what greeted her at the organization’s door was a pleasant surprise – all the charity’s computer equipment had been returned. There was a note attached which read: ‘We had no idea what we were takeing [sic]. Here your stuff back we hope that you guys can continue to make a difference in peoples live. God bless.’