The UN's nuclear watchdog has asked Iran to explain evidence suggesting that Iranian scientists have experimented with an advanced nuclear warhead design, the Guardian has learned.
The very existence of the technology, known as a "two-point implosion" device, is officially secret in both the US and Britain, but according to previously unpublished documentation in a dossier compiled by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iranian scientists may have tested high-explosive components of the design. The development was today described by nuclear experts as "breathtaking" and has added urgency to the effort to find a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear crisis.
The sophisticated technology, once mastered, allows for the production of smaller and simpler warheads than older models. It reduces the diameter of a warhead and makes it easier to put a nuclear warhead on a missile.
Documentation referring to experiments testing a two-point detonation design are part of the evidence of nuclear weaponisation gathered by the IAEA and presented to Iran for its response.Looks like the US wasn't so wrong about Iran developing nuclear weapons...now multiple... more
War weapons are taken seriously and the MetalStorm 3GL grenade launcher proves this.
Built with one barrel that runs on long-life AA batteries, the MetalStorm 3GL fires 720 grenades in 60 seconds. It is an upgrade of the Milkor grenade launcher traditonally used on te battlefield.
It is likely that this will be used as US weaponry out in the Middle East.
Palestinian leaders are saying that the Obama administration’s backing of Israel’s refusal to halt Jewish settlement expansion has killed any hope of reviving peace negotiations soon.Palestinian leaders are saying that the Obama administration’s backing of Israel’s... more
RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinians should give up seeking an independent state and pursue a single country in which they would enjoy equal rights with Israelis, the chief Palestinian negotiator in Mideast peace talks said Wednesday.
The remark by Saeb Erekat was not a novel idea — prominent Palestinians, including past negotiators, have floated it before, usually when efforts to achieve a negotiated solution to the decades old-conflict with Israel are faltering as they are now.
Barack Obama's push to restart the peace talks has faltered, largely due to disagreements over further construction of Israeli settlements in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, lands the Palestinians want for their hoped-for state.
Some 500,000 Israelis now live in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in settlements built by Israel since capturing the territories in 1967. Israel promised to halt all settlement activity in a 2003 peace plan, but construction has never stopped.
Israel has rebuffed calls from the Obama administration to freeze all settlement construction, instead offering to limit it in the West Bank while retaining the right to continue building in Jerusalem.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says he will not resume negotiations until all settlement construction stops.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has spent much of this week seeking to clarify the American position.http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ioi_0jtO9RjMwPNRoXNCndRPRq3gD9BOQJC00... more
Tehran, Iran (CNN) -- Protesters clashed with police at a central Tehran square on Wednesday while government supporters nearby marked the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy capture with chants of "Death to America."
Scenes in the Iranian capital turned ugly yet again as riot police and pro-government Basij militia turned out in force to quash anti-government sentiment.
At least 2,000 opposition supporters, sternly warned by authorities to stay home, marched defiantly at Haft-e-Tir Square, witnesses said. Many held up their hands in a V sign. Others shouted "Allahu Akbar," or "God is great," a slogan of protest. Police blocked all roads leading to the square, prompting massive traffic jams.
Witnesses described helmet-clad security personnel beating demonstrators with batons and firing tear gas at Haft-e-Tir Square and in a neighborhood a few kilometers north.
"I had never seen that many riot police and security personnel," a witness told CNN. "They were brought in by the busloads. As soon as crowds gathered somewhere, riot police were there within minutes."http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/11/04/iran.hostage.protests/index.html?eref=rss_wor... more
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8341737.stm
Israel's navy has intercepted a ship carrying hundreds of tonnes of weapons 160km (100 miles) off its coast, the military says.
The cache included rockets and missiles, the military said, adding that they originated in Iran and were destined for Hezbollah militants.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the arms were "destined to strike Israel's cities".
The Antiguan-flagged vessel has been towed to the port of Ashdod.
In recent months Israel has stepped up efforts to combat the smuggling of arms to Hamas and Hezbollah militants.
'Numerous weapons'
The Israeli military said marines had boarded the ship after its captain agreed to the search and that no force was used.
The country's deputy defence minister, Matan Vilmai, said the ship's crew were not thought to have been aware of the smuggling operation.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8341737.stm
Israel's navy has intercepted a ship... more
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8341560.stm
How is there going to be peace in the Middle East if a liberal minded representative of the most powerful country in the world is perceived leaning to one side, even the slightest.
To find peace you need to travel the middle road ... and be what you say.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8341560.stm
How is there going to be peace in... more
As you should heard Aghanistan is having an other election due to the blanket corruption and controversy surround the Aug 20th elections.
The challenger to President Hamid Karzai, Abdullah Abdullah say that the election officials must be replaced before the November 7th elections.
Also terrorist organizations have threaten violence against anyone who goes out to vote.
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Article in its entirety: from AP
KABUL (AP) -- President Hamid Karzai's challenger is calling for the removal of Afghanistan's top election official before the country's Nov. 7 runoff.
Abdullah Abdullah says election commission chairman Azizullah Lodin has "no credibility" and should be replaced immediately.
Abdullah made the demand in a news conference Monday during which he spelled out a list of what he said were "minimum conditions" for holding a fair second round of voting.
The Aug. 20 first round was marred by widespread fraud.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATEAs you should heard Aghanistan is having an other election due to the blanket... more
The power of lies, deceptions and disinformation as Americans pay the price of collective stupidity. The filters a news about Israel has to go through to get on the air. After it gets through the filters, it so watered down, it's almost unrecognizable. In America you can criticize God, but you cant criticize Israel.The power of lies, deceptions and disinformation as Americans pay the price of... more
KABUL (AP) -- Four American troops were killed and two injured Monday when two helicopters collided in southern Afghanistan.
Hostile fire has been ruled out in the crash, a military statement said. U.S. military spokesman Col. Wayne Shanks said he did not have other details yet about the cause of the collision.
Shanks said the injured had been evacuated to hospitals inside Afghanistan.
In an unrelated incident, another helicopter went down Monday during an operation by international forces against insurgents in western Afghanistan in which a dozen militants were killed.
The U.S. said military casualties were reported and a recovery operation is under way. Casualties could refer to either dead or injured.
This has been the deadliest year for international and U.S. forces since the 2001 invasion to oust the Taliban. Fighting spiked around the presidential vote in August, and 51 U.S. soldiers died that month - the deadliest for American forces in the eight-year war.
So far in October, more than 30 American troops have died.
The deaths come as U.S. officials debate whether to send tens of thousands more troops to the country and the Afghan government scrambles to organize a runoff election between President Hamid Karzai and his top challenger from an August vote that was sullied by massive ballot-rigging.
President Barack Obama's administration is hoping the runoff will produce a legitimate government. Another flawed election would cast doubt on the wisdom of sending more troops to support a weak government tainted by fraud.
Some Obama administration officials had said the U.S. would be receptive to a deal to avoid another disruptive election if Karzai and Abdullah agreed.
On Sunday, Karzai and his rival, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, both ruled out a power-sharing deal before the Nov. 7 runoff, saying the second round of balloting must be held as planned to bolster democracy in this war-ravaged country.KABUL (AP) -- Four American troops were killed and two injured Monday when two... more
Tunisia's president is likely to be elected a 5th time.. according to one person questioned "To say there is very, very, very little suspense about his re-election is a euphemism"
His last re-election was he worst poll numbers ever with more than 94 percent of votes.. a drop down from his 99.5% and 99.2% of his last two elctions....
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, 73, has been the president since a bloodless coup in the 80's called the change, their i no constitution limit on a presidents terms in tunasia however this will be his last term due to a constitutional age limit on presidential candidates, 75.
despite various human rights organization arguments many Tunisians see this as good thing. more than 5million of the countries 10 million are registered to vote... Ben Ali is spported bu basic every Union and his party Constitutional and Democratic Rally or RCD, which has been continuously in power since Tunisia's independence from France in 1956Tunisia's president is likely to be elected a 5th time.. according to one person... more
VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran ignored a U.N. deadline on Friday to respond to an international draft deal for it to cut an atomic stockpile the West fears could be used for weapons, and challenged the basis of the pact.
Iranian officials said they would give an answer only next week to the U.N.-drafted deal, which has been accepted by the other parties -- Russia, France and the United States.
They also said Tehran preferred to acquire enriched uranium abroad rather than send out its own for processing into fuel for nuclear medicine, as Western powers said it tentatively agreed to at Geneva talks on October 1 on ways to defuse growing confrontation over its disputed atomic aspirations.
....
The U.N. nuclear agency said it had been told by Iran that it was considering the proposal "in depth and in a favorable light," but needed until the middle of next week to take a position -- flouting the IAEA's Friday deadline for responses.
It said International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei hoped Iran's reply "will equally be positive, since approval of this agreement will signal a new era of cooperation" after seven years of standoff.
....
(more in full article - but really, who didn't see this coming? What do you guys think - is it imortant for them to abandon nuclear development of anything but power etc? And should other countries [ie not just Middle East] be disarming and disposing of the weapons as well? I think this world would be better off if no one had these blasted things.)VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran ignored a U.N. deadline on Friday to respond to an... more
Boomgen TV is a new news service that reports the news from inside Iran in English on daily basis. Here is the report no. 25.Boomgen TV is a new news service that reports the news from inside Iran in English on... more
The environmental health department developed several studies around the impact of war on the environment – such as the growing costs of landmines.
"Landmines have been planted in different parts of the world not only to secure borders but also to continue harming thousands of innocent people many years after," Aya Fayyad an AUB student and creator of the project said.
"They also have adverse economical, environmental and public health affects. Also, the tentative restoration of lands and water bodies contaminated with landmines keep increasing yearly environmental costs. In order to minimize this global problem, states should sign the treaty to ban landmines, to secure a world free of landmines and a healthier future."The environmental health department developed several studies around the impact of war... more
Expats who took out loans to finance extravagance lifestyles during Dubai's good times are now facing jail time for bounced checks or defaulting on loans.
Dubai may like to think of itself as an island of modernity in the Middle East, tending to its image as a destination for the rich and famous and as safe haven for their investment capital. But the idea of criminalizing debt is cruel and unusual.Expats who took out loans to finance extravagance lifestyles during Dubai's good times... more
From BBC: A court in the United Arab Emirates has convicted a US citizen of Lebanese origin on terrorism-related charges and sentenced him to 18 months in prison. Defendant Naji Hamdan pleaded not guilty to the charges, including having links with Islamist militants in Iraq and said he confessed under torture. He has been held for more than a year and could be freed soon because the sentence takes account of time served. Reports say the accusations related to his activities on the internet.
The case has drawn criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union who referred the case to the US government saying there was insufficient evidence for a trial in US courts. Mr Hamdan, 48, lived in the United States for 20 years where he ran an car parts business, and he moved to the UAE in 2006. UAE public prosecutors said that, while living in the US, he donated $2,000 to an unnamed Islamic charity. This is alleged to have financed the firing of two rockets on Israel. He was also reportedly alleged to have copied and reposted an item from an Islamist website, but his lawyer argued this did not constitute in crime in the UAE.
In all, he faced three terrorism-related charges. It was not clear after the verdict whether he had been found guilty of all or some of the charges. The verdict by the Federal Supreme Court cannot be appealed. But Mr Hamdan was detained in August 2008 and the 14 months he has already spent in jail will reportedly be counted as part of his sentence.From BBC: A court in the United Arab Emirates has convicted a US citizen of Lebanese... more
I am grateful to Mr. Don Harkins the editor of THE IDAHO OBSERVER, (USA) and her associates Ms. Anne Wilder Chamberlain to help me prepare my story.
The following short note comes from them:-
KHALID
When we first began corresponding with Khalid Awan in 2007, we had no idea why he was serving time in U.S federal prison.We soon discovered Awan was one of the first of thousands of Muslims taken prisoner in the post-9/11 U.S "terror War". As the story began unfolding in our letters, we began to realize that this honest, humble and sincere man was not only innocent, but the ongoing injustice being done to him provides critical insight into the mindless, mean-spirited, bureaucratic-yes-men idiocy fueling the illegal U.S. "War on Terror" (and just about everything else that is going wrong in this country). At our insistence, Awan wrote his story and supplied us with whatever documents we requested. And now, after three months of cooperative efforts, the story of Khalid Awan can be told. We have come to know Awan as a peaceful man engaged in peaceful work, who has been wrongfully accused, detained and repeatedly convicted of crimes he did not commit because he was a Muslim with international connections and an office in New York on 9/11. Anyone who might of the Muslim belief, especially a person raised overseas who has difficulty understanding our language and our corrupt judicial system, can be arrested and detained indefinitely in this country, certainly without a trial before a jury of his peers. Khalid is one of these Muslims.
We present this to you in faith that you will realize a deeper understanding of the levels of complicity necessary for the "land of free" to tolerate the phony war on terror year after year and in hope that Awan --- and all the other million or more political prisoners being held by this country---will one day be reunited with their families.
(Thanks from the bottom of my heart to you, Mr. Don Harkin and Ms. Anne W. Chaimberlain for your devoted, caring attention in helping me expose my plight and injustices being suffered by myself and others. Your humanitarian devotion, on-going help and attitude truly an inspiration to me in my life!)
"Remarks such as these, stated once in a while by Israeli leaders, are no more than sorry excuses aimed at avoiding supplying answers regarding Israel's nuclear arsenal and deflecting public awareness from the crimes and terror Israel commits in the region,""Remarks such as these, stated once in a while by Israeli leaders, are no more than... more
Several groups came together in protest of the continued war calling on the Obama Administration :To Bring the Troops Home they met at 12 noon in WALL ST & BROAD ST where they passed out fliers explaining to passerby the cost of the current wars, demonstrating how health care reform can be funded, and gathering signatures to be sent to Sen. Gillibrand and Sen Schumer asking them to lead the movement to fund domestic priorities instead of endless wars. These petitions can be found and signed at http://www.panys.orgSeveral groups came together in protest of the continued war calling on the Obama... more
This is an article taken from The Guardian, highlighting the fact that 'the world's Muslim population stands at 1.57 billion', which equates to 'nearly one in four people' practicing Islam around the world, according to the US Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, which published the survey.
What's more interesting is the fact that the top five Muslim countries in the world are all outside of the middle east with China having a bigger Muslim population then Syria.This is an article taken from The Guardian, highlighting the fact that 'the world's... more
