News for April 28, 2006

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Iran Says Does Not “Give a Damn” About UN Resolution (April 28, 2006) - Iran’s president said on Friday his country would pay no attention to international calls to halt its nuclear work, hours before the U.N. atomic watchdog reports on whether Tehran has met U.N. Security Council demands. “Those who want to prevent Iranians from obtaining their right, should know that we do not give a damn about such resolutions,” Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a rally in northwest Iran, the official IRNA news agency reported. Mohamed ElBaradei, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is expected to tell the council and the agency’s board on Friday that Iran has not stopped enriching uranium or fully answered IAEA queries as the U.N. body asked a month ago. The West accuses Iran of pursuing a civilian nuclear programme as a cover to acquire atomic bombs. Tehran denies it. “Enemies think that by ... threatening us, launching psychological warfare or ... imposing embargos they can dissuade our nation to obtain nuclear technology,” Ahmadinejad said in the town of Khorramdarreh, in Zanjan province. “Whether enemies like it or not, Iran is a nuclear state. Obtaining nuclear technology is a national demand,” he said. more...

Muslims to Join Pro-Illegals Protest in L.A. (April 28, 2006) - “Islam’s message is one of social justice, economic fairness, and fair treatment in the workplace. The Quran urges the proper treatment and respect of workers.” Choosing May 1, the day Communists worldwide celebrate the worker, activists have vowed to “close” major American cities as millions of Latinos, both legal and illegal, mark what some organizers are calling “a day without an immigrant” and others refer to as the “Great American Boycott.” They are urging supporters not to go to work, school or spend money on that day. more...

American Hiroshima linked with Iran attack (April 28, 2006) - Pakistani journalist who met bin Laden confirms al-Qaida nukes, says they may already be in U.S. Osama bin Laden recording released on al-Jazeera network. Al-Qaida has already obtained nuclear suitcase weapons from the Russian black market, weapons tested in Afghanistan in 2000, and they may have already been forward-deployed inside the U.S., according to the only journalist to interview Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri in the wake of Sept. 11. Last week, Hamid Mir’s credibility skyrocketed when he accurately predicted in Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin and later in WND the imminent release of a new recorded communiqué from bin Laden through al-Jazeera, the Arabic TV network. Two days later, bin Laden’s tape was the focus of international news coverage. “If you think that my information and analysis about bin Laden's location is correct,” said Hamid Mir, “then please don’t underestimate my analysis about his nuclear threat also.” Mir said that he met with an Egyptian engineer last week who lost an eye after one of bin Laden’s nuclear tests in the Kunar province of Pakistan. The Pakistani journalist said the encounter with the engineer greatly disturbed and depressed him since it provided further assurance that a nuclear nightmare for America is about to dawn. more...

Putin threatens to divert oil to Far East (April 27, 2006) - PRESIDENT PUTIN yesterday threatened to divert oil supplies away from Europe to the Far East in the long term if the Kremlin continued to be confronted with “excuses” and “limits” for its expansion plans in the West. The Russian leader told a conference on Siberia’s development that Moscow was continually coming up against “unfair competition” on world energy markets. “Despite the great demand for energy resources, any excuses are being used to limit us in the north, in the south, in the west,” he said. “We must look for markets, fit into the processes of global development. I have in mind the countries of the Asian-Pacific region, which are developing at great speed and need to cooperate with us.” more...

Hamas weighs proposals to ease isolation (April 27, 2006) - The Hamas-led Palestinian government is weighing softening its stance toward Israel to ease isolation but not without concessions from the Jewish state and the international community, Hamas officials said on Thursday. They said ideas such as a 2002 Arab peace initiative, U.N. resolutions on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Palestine Liberation Organization’s national agenda -- all of which include recognition of Israel -- were on the table. One expert on Hamas said any softening would not involve a shift in ideology, but be a way to try to get Western aid restored to the Palestinian Authority and heal a growing rift with President Mahmoud Abbas over government powers. Deputy prime minister Naser al-Shaer, an influential leader of the Islamic militant group and who is close to Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, told Reuters that several ideas were being considered and would be discussed over the coming days. “No decision has been taken yet,” Shaer said. “It is very clear the world wants a certain political price or certain position from this government. What is this position, to what extent can this position be reached?” Added Nayef al-Rajoub, minister of religious affairs: “We are studying and considering all kinds of proposals, including the Arab peace initiative ... but that doesn’t mean we have accepted anything yet.” more...

WMDs, not conventional war, now called top threat to Israel (April 27, 2006) - Israel has adopted a report that calls for revision of strategic priorities. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has endorsed a report by a committee that termed Iran’s nuclear program and Islamic insurgency as the leading threats to Israel. The panel, which met 50 times over 18 months, marked the first time in nearly 60 years that the country sought to define strategic priorities. The panel, chaired by former Finance Minister Dan Meridor and appointed by then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said the prospect of conventional war against Israel has declined, Middle East Newsline reported. Instead, the main threats cited by the 250-page report were those of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism. “The conventional threat has weakened in the face of two other threats — the super-conventional threat — what Iran is trying to do — and the sub-conventional threats, terror and asymmetrical threats,” Meridor said on Monday. more...

‘Tangible proof’ al-Qaida deploying nukes (April 25, 2006) - A terrorism symposium featuring leading experts will begin with presentation of “tangible proof” al-Qaida not only has developed an arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons but also has begun to deploy them for use in its jihad against the United States and Israel. Paul L. Williams, author of “The Al Connection” and “The Dunces of Doomsday,” will present his findings at the National Press Club in Washington at the conclusion of a public debate with Wall Street Journal correspondent Richard Miniter on al-Qaida’s nuclear weaponry. The debate, Friday at 10 a.m., will be moderated by Fred Barnes, executive editor of The Weekly Standard and regular contributor to the Fox News Channel. The public is invited to attend. The organizers say the event is timely, “with increased anxiety over demands for a pullout from Iraq, the nuclear developments in Iran and North Korea, the failure of our government to secure the borders and our country’s fledgling, incomprehensive effort at homeland security.” more...

Russia and China Warn UN Not to Antagonize Iran (April 27, 2006) - Russia and China on Thursday warned against escalating the dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme. The call came on the eve of an eagerly awaited report on whether the country has met United Nations demands. The US and the European Union believe Friday’s report by Mohamed El Baradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, will set the stage for a UN Security Council resolution, since there is little chance that Tehran will meet the council's demand for “full and sustained suspension” of uranium enrichment, which can produce weapons-grade material.

What’s Really Happening in Tehran (April 26, 2006) - “Tehran appears hell-bent on defying the international community and pursuing a nuclear program that is of growing concern.” - Sean McCormack, US State Department spokesman.

This followed a rare press conference with the international media in Tehran on Monday in which Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad suggested that Tehran might withdraw from the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency and the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and also said “there is no need” for US-Iranian talks on Iraq. Because of the opacity of Iran’s theocratic nationalism, outsiders may be tempted to assume that the official Iranian position is the one expressed last week in Baku, Azerbaijan, by Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najar: “The United States has been threatening Iran for 27 years, and this is not new for us. Therefore, we are never afraid of US threats.” President George W Bush and other US administration officials have frequently said that “all options are on the table” with regard to Iran’s nuclear program, which the United States suspects is designed to develop nuclear weapons. more...

Shouldn’t We Drill U.S. Oil Before China Does? (April 26, 2006) - This is how stupid our oil situation is getting. China is going to be pumping oil out of the Gulf of Mexico — at the same time the United States cannot. What? How’s that again? Here’s how it works, information courtesy Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho who made a speech on the House floor about this Wednesday. China is bidding on, and will win, rights to explore oil leases in the Gulf of Mexico, which are offered for development by Cuba. By the way, Mexico just hit a huge offshore oil find in the Gulf of Mexico and expects to be frolicking in oil cash as a result. more...

Iran Issues Oil Warning (April 26, 2006) - Iran’s top nuclear negotiator on Tuesday refused to rule out using oil as a weapon in a dispute over the Islamic republic’s nuclear drive, saying any “radical measures” against the country would have “important consequences” for energy supplies. Ali Larijani also warned that Iran will withdraw all cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog agency if the UN Security Council imposes sanctions against it, reports Dow Jones newswires. The statements came a day after Iran’s president - facing a Friday UN deadline to stop uranium enrichment - boldly predicted the Security Council would not impose sanctions on Tehran and warned he was thinking about dropping out of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. more...

Egypt Under Siege as Three More Explosions Strike (April 26, 2006) - Egypt is under siege as three more three more explosions have been reported. Egyptian Police have reported injuries after two suicide bombs went off outside the Multinational Peacekeeping Sinai Peninsula Base. Media reports from Cairo say that a separate blast hit in the north of country, Nile Delta. Security officials said the suicide attackers died in the strike on the peacekeeping base, and there were conflicting reports on the wounded. It was not immediately known if there were casualties in the Nile Delta explosion. Other security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information, said they believed at least one New Zealander and one Norwegian attached to the multinational force were wounded along with two Egyptian policemen. The peacekeeping force was set up as part of the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt that led to Israel’s withdrawal from the Sinai. It is partially paid for by the United States and has U.S. advisers and soldiers attached to it, as well as soldiers from several other nations.

Milestone Achieved in the Development of Biological Fuel Cells (April 26, 2006) - A team of researchers at the University of Oxford have developed an enzyme based biological fuel cell that takes oxygen and hydrogen from an atmosphere to power electrical devices. The enzymes used are isolated from naturally occurring bacteria that have evolved to use hydrogen in their metabolic process. The unique features of these enzymes are that they are highly selective and tolerant of gases that poison traditional fuel cell catalysts, such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulphide. Since the enzymes can be grown they represent a cheap and renewable alternative to the expensive platinum based catalysts used by others in hydrogen fuel cells. more...

Hot Clouds Pose Deadliest Threat From Indonesian Volcano Merapi (April 25, 2006) - Super-hot clouds that would rush down the slopes of Indonesia's Mount Merapi burning everything in their path in the event of an eruption pose the deadliest threat to the people living nearby, scientists said Monday. The 2,914-meter (9,616-foot) rumbling volcano has been on standby alert for more than a week, one level below that which would require a mandatory evacuation for more than 29,000 people living around its fertile slopes. more...

Nicaraguan Volcano San Cristobal Spews Cinders Gas (April 25, 2006) - The San Cristobal volcano near here has entered an eruption phase with cinder and gases spewing from its crater amid increased seismic activity, according to the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies (Ineter) Monday. The volcano, 120 kilometers (75 miles) northeast of Managua, has had “moderate explosions in its crater that have released gases and volcanic cinder” carried by winds toward towns 25 kilometers (16 miles) away, the institute said. more...

Volcano Wakes Up Russian Far East (April 24, 2006) - Mount Ebeko, a volcano on the island of Paramushir, which belongs to the Northern Kuril chain in Russia's Far East, has started emitting vapor and gas, a local emergencies official said Monday. “A weather station in Severo-Kurilsk, a town seven kilometers (about 4 miles) away, has reported that the volcano was emitting vapor and gas,” the spokesman said, adding that a team of researchers from the Volcanology and Seismology Institute based on the Kamchatka Peninsula was monitoring the volcano. more...