Iran is to shift its foreign currency reserves from dollar to euro and use the euro for oil deals in response to US-led pressure on its economy.
Periodic Table of the 'Rogue Elements' and Isotopes including Putinium!
The British probe into the death of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko is focusing on rogue elements in the Russian government, The Guardian reported today. Police were last night closing in on a group of men who entered the U.K. among a large crowd of Muscovite football fans. The group of five or more arrived shortly before Litvinenko fell ill and attended the CSKA Moscow match against Arsenal at the Emirates stadium on 1st of November.
Oops, I was there and probably sitting next to some radioactive 'Rogue Elements'!
>> View the photo I took on the night
Saddam verdict didn't give Bush the big swing he was hoping for!
The new Coat of Arms of North Korea!
The "Dear Leader", Kim Jong-il (read Nuke Bang-ill) went ahead and conducted its first ever nuclear test this morning.
>> BBC: North Korea claims nuclear test
>> The Guardian: Nuclear test sparks international condemnation
BBC Radio 4 is uncovering Iran!
Iranian actor & comedian Omid Djalili looks at the long tradition of satire in Iran, which is today being continued by young comedians like himself in Britain and America.
>> Listen to: From Tehran with Laughter (30 min)
Life is like a bowl of hummus:
You can't get hummus without smashing some chickpeas!
>> Watch tongue-in-cheek Jon Stewart with Aasif Mandvi here
" Because of the closure of Beirut airport and the destruction of Lebanon's highway system by Israeli bombardment, I returned to Beirut from Damascus by bus on Friday, 18 August, 2006, traveling along Lebanon's byways. The slow journey took us through beautiful villages and small towns that most passengers would not have visited otherwise. Perhaps we need a calamity to remind us of what is often sacrificed in high-speed development".
>> Photo essay: Clear picture of the destruction & Lebanese people's resilience
"Superman returns but not to the skies of Beirut,
people head for cover as they hear guns shoot.
America stands by as the Middle East goes insane.
Is it a bird? Course not, it?s an Israeli warplane."
Soul Bean Caf?
These sites are following events in Lebanon and collecting news and reports.
>> Lebanese bloggers group blog
>> Global Voices Online
>> Say No to War with your photo!
>> Max says No to War!
>> Mehrdad says No to War!
>> Signed, sealed & delivered!
>> Read about it here
Hands off the pomegranate!
Don't Attack Iran: Public meeting
Friday 2nd June 2006 6.30pm
Friends Meeting House, Euston Road, London WC1 (opposite Euston Station)
Speakers: Human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Shirin Ebadi, Tony Benn, Lindsey German (Stop the War Coalition), Jeremy Corbyn MP (CND), Zibir-Mir Hosseini & Elaheh Rostami-Povey (London Middle Eastern Institute, SOAS).
See you there!
Dr. Ramin Jahanbegloo & Christopher Eccleston as Dr. Who
Some observers fear a new round of crackdowns on intellectuals is taking place in Iran. They point to Dr. Ramin Jahanbegloo who has been held in a Tehran prison for more than three weeks.
Iranian intellectuals who are active both in Iran and abroad are like Dr. Who! They are time-travelling adventurers who explore time and space fighting for justice. I really hope Dr. Jahanbegloo could get back from the 14th to 21st century this time.
Death has a tendency to encourage a depressing view of war!
? Donald Rumsfeld
Major right-wing publications in US are calling on President Bush to urgently plan for military strikes against Iran in the wake of its announcement this week that it has successfully enriched uranium to a purity necessary to fuel nuclear reactors. >> antiwar.com
>> Loopy's account of protests in Paris
>> The Guardian's report on the protests
Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII) is an independent campaign organisation with the purpose of opposing sanctions, foreign state interference and military intervention in Iran.
>> Get involved and spread the word
From the great Mesopotamia to Mess O'Potamia!
Senior British diplomatic and military staff gave Tony Blair explicit warnings three years ago that the US postwar Iraq strategy was "an unbelievable mess".
David Mohammad Yaghoobi wrote : " "So what have you been learning about this nuclear mess?" I inquired, thrilled at being able to get an off-the-record response from such exposed people. "Well it's crap, isn't it" replies Snow barely allowing me to finish."
PART ONE: CHANNEL 4 IN IRAN
PART TWO: CHANNEL 4 IN IRAN
PHOTOS OF CHANNEL 4 IN IRAN By DMY
PHOTOS OF CHANNEL 4 IN IRAN By C4
McDonald's changes its brand to suit kosher appetites. McDonald's iconic "golden arches" are being trumped by the blue and white of Israel's flag after the hamburger chain bowed to pressure from Tel Aviv's chief rabbi to distinguish its kosher restaurants and save religious Jews from accidentally chomping on a cheeseburger.
After McKosher here is my proposed McHalal.
It says Halal in Arabic script.
According to the Guardian, a senior British Foreign Office official said that while it could take Iran several years to build a serviceable nuclear weapon, it might gain the technical know-how within months. "By the end of the year is a ... realistic period," said the official. "It would be really damaging to regional security if Iran even acquired the technology to enable it to develop a nuclear weapon."
This reminds me of the 45 minute claim about Iraq!
Jon Snow and the Channel 4 News team will be broadcasting, blogging and podcasting from Iran starting 6 March 2006.
>> Channel 4 News from Iran
>> News from Iran Blog
The Iranian missiles are getting sharper!
>> Click here to see the original picture of Bushehr Nuclear Reactor and the missiles.
