News, Prophecy and other

[Shammu]

Despite Controversy, Moon and His Church Moving into Mainstream

CHICAGO _ Two decades after serving time in federal prison, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon had so effectively worked his way back into the political establishment that some congressmen attended his "coronation" on Capitol Hill.

In an unusual ceremony held in March 2004 in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., donned white gloves and placed a gleaming crown atop Moon's head. Moon informed the group that Hitler and Stalin had, from beyond the grave, proclaimed him "humanity's savior, messiah, returning lord and true parent."

Davis, who has since distanced himself from the Unification Church, said he thought the ceremony was an attempt to "bridge gaps" between different religions, and didn't learn until later that Moon interpreted the crowning as a symbol of his religious and political ascendance. "Did I think he was being incarnated into anything?'' said Davis, a deacon in his Baptist church in Chicago. "No. I think it's ludicrous."

Inside the church, though, followers saw the coronation as evidence that world leaders were recognizing Moon as a messiah. "Members of the U.S. Congress gathered to crown me as the king of world peace," he said in a sermon in May of that year. "How can this possibly be a human work?"

The ceremony was another example of Moon's evolution into the American mainstream, including having former President George H.W. Bush speak at the 1996 launch of a Moon-affiliated newspaper in Argentina, news accounts show. In 2005, another Moon-affiliated company donated $250,000 to President George W. Bush's inaugural committee.

While some religious scholars say Unification Church membership in the United States has stagnated at 5,000, church officials contend it's stronger than ever, with 12,000 in the United States and several million members worldwide.

Derided as a cult in the 1970s and '80s that aggressively recruited young people to sell flowers in airports, the church changed its emphasis a decade ago to forming alliances with other faiths around issues such as abstinence and resistance to gay marriage.

Born in 1920 in what is now North Korea, Moon was raised as a Presbyterian, according to his official biography. When he was 16, he says, Jesus came to him in a vision and asked Moon to complete what he considered Christ's unfinished task: In failing to marry and have children, Jesus offered only partial salvation to the world-stances considered heresy by mainstream Christians. The church's most spectacular rite remains mass weddings, which the church calls the way "fallen men and women can be engrafted into the true lineage of God."

In 1954, Moon registered his Unification Church under the official name, The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity. As his movement has matured, his church's members have moved away from communal living to more conventional family arrangements, and public criticism has quieted.

"It's been here for a generation," J. Gordon Melton, director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion in California. "The concerns about it have just sort of drifted away."

I can't post the link because of advertisment.

[Shammu]

Course I like Rock and Roll, so I gotta post this one.............


Alice Cooper's life as a Christian
1-time 'functional alcoholic' talks about his past, his faith, rock 'n' roll
Posted: April 22, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Donald L. Hughes
© 2006 ASSIST News Service

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- Rock star Alice Cooper shocked the world in the 1970s with an alcohol-fueled stage show that explored taboos ranging from murder to necrophilia. Years later he shocked the rock world by quietly embracing Christianity.


Alice Cooper

He's getting a lot of visibility from his syndicated radio show, "Nights With Alice Cooper," which is heard five nights a week on more than 80 stations around the country. Cooper told a guest, "It's great; I get to play anything I want to play." Interestingly, his musical tastes are far-ranging, from Motley Crue to the Beatles.

He also interviews retro rock stars like Ozzy Osbourne, Joe Perry from AeroSmith and Brian Johnson from AC/DC.

Besides his radio program, Cooper maintains an active tour schedule. Little known to most people is that he owns AliceCoopersTown in Phoenix, Ariz., his hometown. It is a restaurant that pays homage to baseball, a sport Cooper is passionate about.

He also loves golf, and his Solid Rock Foundation holds an annual golf tournament to aid at-risk youth in the Phoenix area.

While his on-stage antics and the radio show do not settle well with some Christians, Cooper has a vibrant faith. Though he rarely spoke openly about his faith, he did open up some time ago with Lonn Friend, editor of the on-line rock magazine KNAC.com. Cooper spoke at length about his drinking days, faith in God and views on the shock-rockers who are following in his footsteps.

Cooper was introduced to alcohol when he began his music career and drank heavily for the next 15 years.

Lonn quoted Cooper as saying, "I was a totally functional alcoholic, probably the most functional alcoholic ever. I never missed a show. I never stumbled. I never slurred a word. I mean I was the Dean Martin of rock 'n' roll."

Cooper said divine intervention is what broke his drinking habit in the mid-1980s. "I honestly think I was simply and completely healed," he said. "I guess you can call it a miracle. It's the only way I can explain it. It was absolutely eliminated from my life."

Cooper has often been called the model for today's shock-rockers, including Marilyn Manson. While he doesn't criticize Manson for his on-stage theatrics, Cooper takes issue with Manson's anti-Christian stance.

"He's very vocal about it," Cooper told KNAC.com. "I believe [the Manson album] 'AntiChrist Superstar' was pointed right directly at me. I didn't volley the first shots in this whole thing. His whole anti-Christian thing, and I'm like 'Hey, I'm Christian, and I'm not going to denounce what I believe.' I can be a rock 'n' roll star, a Christian and Alice Cooper."

Cooper continued, "I think Marilyn had a really bad Christian experience when he was younger. My guess is he got involved with some less-than-Christian Christians and that really, forgive the expression, nailed him. You know, he's one of the greatest button pushers I've ever met. And I know that game because I invented that game. ... Manson clicked because he found a whole new set of buttons to push. He even pushed my buttons, which is pretty impressive since I was pushing buttons before he was born."

Cooper's embrace of Christianity was more a return to faith than a coming to faith. "I was pretty much convinced all my life that there was just one God and there was Jesus Christ and there was the Devil," he told KNAC.com.

"You couldn't believe in God without believing in the Devil. I always tell bands that the most dangerous thing you can do is to believe in the concept of the Devil or the concept of God, because you're not giving them full credit. When you believe in God, you've got to believe in the all-powerful God. He's not just God, He's the all-powerful God and He has total control over everyone's life. The Devil, on the other hand, is a real character that's trying his hardest to tear your life apart. If you believe that this is just mythology, you're a prime target because you know that's exactly what Satan wants: To be a myth. But he's not a myth, of this I'm totally convinced. More than anything in the world, I'm convinced of that."

Cooper said, "We have to make a choice. And everybody, at some point in their lives, has to make that choice. When people say, 'How do you believe this? Why do you believe this?' I just say nothing else speaks to my heart. This doesn't speak to my intellect, it doesn't speak to my logic -- it speaks right to my heart and right to my soul, deeper than anything I've ever thought of. And I totally believe it. That being said, I'm not a very good Christian. I mean, none of us are ever 'good' Christians. That's not the point. When you're a Christian, it doesn't mean you're going to be good; it means you've got a harder road to pull."

Though some have questioned combining his faith in God with his rock 'n' roll background, Cooper doesn't see a conflict.

"I'm the first one to rock as loud as I can, but when it comes to what I believe, I'm the first one to defend it too," he said. "It has also gotten me in trouble with the staunch Christians who believe that in order to be a Christian you have to be on your knees 24 hours a day in a closet somewhere. Hey, maybe some people can live like that, but I don't think that's the way God expected us to live. When Christ came back, He hung out with the whores, the drunks and miscreants because they were people that needed Him. Christ never spent His time with the Pharisees."

But while Cooper may still speak to some of his old themes, he has a new message today.

"I used to celebrate moral decay, the decadence of it," he admitted in the KNAC.com interview. "I can look back on what I did then and what I'm doing now and they're two different things. But at the time I was the poster boy for moral decay, you know. So yeah, I've got a lot to be forgiven for ... out of ignorance, I thought I was doing the right thing. I was totally in agreement that every guy should sleep with every girl and drink as much as they can. I don't believe that now. I don't believe in it, because I see how destructive it is."

Spiritual awakening is happening around the world, Cooper believes.

"It's obvious humanity is craving for answers directly born of awareness," he said. "That's the healthiest thing I've seen in a long time because there is something better and everybody's got to find it in their own way. People aren't feeling fulfilled by how many cars they own or the size of their stock portfolio.

"Even the addicts are saying, 'It doesn't matter how many drugs I take, I'm not fulfilled. This isn't satisfying.' There's a spiritual hunger going on. Everybody feels it. If you don't feel it now, you will. Trust me. You will."

[Shammu]

Taliban Blamed for Deadly Afghan Blast

By NOOR KHAN, Associated Press Writer Sat Apr 22, 3:28 PM ET

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A roadside bomb killed four Canadian soldiers Saturday in the deadliest attack on that nation's troops since they deployed in Afghanistan four years ago, and commanders blamed loyalists of the former Taliban regime.

The blast came as Afghan President Hamid Karzai said "foreigners" are fomenting his country's insurgency. He didn't name any countries or groups.

Canadian officers said the bomb destroyed one of four armored vehicles in a convoy and killed its four occupants in Gomboth, a village about 25 miles north of the southern city of Kandahar, a former Taliban stronghold.

"We are pretty confident that it was the Taliban and we knew coming in here that they would be targeting us," Maj. Quentin Innis told The Associated Press.

A 2,200-soldier Canadian contingent moved into southern Afghanistan to relieve U.S. troops. Canada has had forces in the country since the U.S.-led offensive that toppled the Taliban at the end of 2001 and a total of at least 16 Canadians have been killed.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, but Taliban militants have vowed to step up attacks on coalition and Afghan forces.

Rising violence is a growing concern for nations contributing troops to a force operating here under a NATO mandate. The force is to rise from its current 10,000 soldiers to about 21,000 by November as it gradually assumes command of all international troops in Afghanistan.

Some 6,000 mainly British, Canadian and Dutch soldiers have started deploying in the south, which abuts the mountainous frontier with Pakistan. The remote, tribal-dominated region is believed to be a haven for Taliban and al-Qaida extremists.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper sent condolences to the family and friends of the four slain soldiers.

"These men were working to bring security, democracy, self-sufficiency and prosperity to the Afghan people and to protect Canadians' national and collective security," Harper said. "We will not forget their selfless contribution to Canada."

While not referring to the bombing, Afghanistan's president accused "foreigners" of financing and arming local militants.

"You must be sure that this is not by Afghans, the killing of ... (innocent) people is by the enemy of Afghans. They are getting money, guns and conspiring through the encouragement of foreigners," Karzai said during a visit to Qalay-I-Naw in western Badghis province, some 250 miles north of Kandahar.

Karzai didn't single out any country or group, but he and other Afghan officials have repeatedly urged Pakistan's government to do more to stop Taliban and al-Qaida-linked militants from using Pakistani territory to stage attacks in Afghanistan.

Pakistan rejects claims it is not doing enough to catch terrorists in the region. It has deployed 80,000 soldiers along the border, but the 1,470-mile border is mountainous and hard to police.

Afghan and Pakistan officials believe top Taliban and al-Qaida leaders, including Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri, may be hiding in the mountains that straddle the frontier.

Taliban Blamed for Deadly Afghan Blast

[Shammu]

Russia Warns Against Threatening Iran

By STEVE GUTTERMAN, Associated Press Writer 17 minutes ago

MOSCOW - A top Kremlin diplomat warned against threatening Iran with sanctions or the use of force, saying that would only aggravate the international standoff over Tehran's suspect nuclear program, Russian media reports said Saturday.

Rather than getting Iran to stop uranium enrichment, a tougher stance could result in Tehran's total refusal to cooperate with the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, said Oleg Ozerov, deputy director of the Foreign Ministry's Middle East and North Africa Department, according to ITAR-Tass.

"We firmly stand today for resolving the problems in and around Tehran diplomatically rather than militarily. Increasing international pressure on Iran has no prospects," Ozerov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

The United States and European allies are pushing for sanctions because of Iran's refusal to suspend its enrichment program, as demanded by the U.N. Security Council. They suspect Iran is trying to develop atomic weapons in violation of its treaty commitments.

The Iranian regime insists the program has only the peaceful purpose of generating electricity. Russia, which has close ties with Iran and is building that nation's first nuclear power plant, opposes sanctions.

Despite what U.S. and Russian officials have described as increasingly close positions on the Iranian nuclear program in recent years, they appear far apart heading into the Friday deadline set by the Security Council for Iran to stop enrichment.

The United States and Britain say that if Iran doesn't meet the deadline, they will try to get the council to make the demand compulsory, which would raise the possibility of sanctions.

Seeking to avoid having the sanctions issue come before the council, Russian officials argue that the International Atomic Energy Agency should take the lead for the United Nations in trying to resolve tensions over Iran's nuclear program.

Ozerov stressed Russia's opposition to the use of force against Iran — an issue that got close attention in state-run Russian media after President Bush said last week that military action could not be ruled out.

"The forceful option is extremely dangerous and not constructive," ITAR-Tass quoted Ozerov as saying during a seminar on global security.

The report added that Ozerov also warned Iran against making belligerent statements.

Moscow has been frustrated by Tehran's uncooperative attitude, and ITAR-Tass said Ozerov expressed regret over the failure to reach a final agreement with Iran on a compromise proposal to have the Iranian uranium enrichment program operate on Russian territory.

The two nations announced a "basic agreement" in February on implementing the plan, which would allow closer international monitoring of Iranian enrichment program — which can produce both fuel for power-generating nuclear reactors and the core material for atomic bombs.

Iran is prepared for more talks on the Russian proposal, Iran's IAEA envoy said in Moscow on Friday. But Ali Asghar Soltanieh stressed that the details were unresolved and needed much more discussion.

Iranian officials already undercut the intent of Russia's plan by insisting that they would continue some enrichment work at home.

Russia Warns Against Threatening Iran

[Shammu]

Many Fear Russia Slipping Into Secrecy

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 4 minutes ago

MOSCOW - For the Soviet Union, Chernobyl was a catalyst that forced the government into an unprecedented show of openness that paved the way for reforms leading to the Soviet collapse.
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But 20 years after the nuclear disaster, many fear Russia is slipping back into its old, secretive ways.

The Kremlin didn't publicly admit the accident until two days after the April 26, 1986, explosion and then only in vague terms and after officials in Sweden, some 700 miles away, raised worldwide alarm about sharply increased levels of radiation apparently coming from the Soviet Union.

Soviet authorities long had failed to acknowledge domestic catastrophes such as airplane crashes. But this time, as winds carried the fallout across much of Europe, their delay angered the international community and exposed their pathological secretiveness even as Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was pushing for new engagement with the West.

Gorbachev himself waited some three weeks before publicly commenting. He denies a cover up, insisting authorities simply didn't know what was happening.

"We spent the first days trying to get the picture," Gorbachev told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "I can't agree that we were trying to conduct a sly policy and hide something."

"We realized the entire drama only later," he said.

Facing a wave of Western criticism, Gorbachev ordered authorities to open up in unprecedented manner. "Journalists suddenly were given access to nuclear officials and doctors treating radiation diseases — people from another world," said Viktor Loshak, the editor of Ogonyok weekly magazine who was one of a team of Soviet journalists who wrote on the aftermath of the disaster. "That was a powerful push toward greater openness."

The emboldened Soviet media began probing other areas, exposing Stalinist crimes, economic inefficiency and other troubles.

It became known as "glasnost" or openness, and exposed officialdom to widespread contempt from its own people.

"It was glasnost that destroyed the Soviet Union," said Gennady Gerasimov, Soviet Foreign Ministry spokesman under Gorbachev. "People opened their eyes and saw what kind of a country they were living in, and they looked at the nation's horrible history."

Media freedoms expanded under Russian President Boris Yeltsin, but began receding after
Vladimir Putin became president in 2000.

In August 2000, attempts to cover up the government's botched handling of the sinking of the Kursk nuclear submarine that killed its entire crew of 118 closely resembled the initial Soviet response to Chernobyl.

The Kremlin responded to this and other controversies by gaining control of all nationwide channels, and critical reporting eroded sharply. Today many critics say the blanket positive coverage of Putin and his government differs little from Soviet-era news.

"The government views the media as a tool to deliver information about its decisions, like it was in the Soviet times," said political commentator Alexander Golts. "It only gives the information it wants to give."

While print media enjoy considerably more freedom than broadcasters, top national newspapers feel the pressure from owners fearful for their business interests.

New laws sharply restrict media coverage of terrorist attacks, and nationwide television stations toe the government line in reporting on catastrophes and accidents, usually focusing blame on midlevel bureaucrats. Broadcasters are regularly summoned to the Kremlin to receive instructions.

"There isn't a single television station doing genuine reporting here," said Alexei Simonov, the head of the Glasnost Defense Foundation, a leading Russian media rights watchdog. "Media freedom has shrunk in Russia."

Many Fear Russia Slipping Into Secrecy

[Soldier4Christ]

Ahmadinejad recruits
Hezbollah terror chief
'When the Iranians decide to hit the West
in its soft belly, Imad will be the 1 to act'


When Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad traveled to Damascus in January, he took a special guest with him on the flight from Tehran – one of the world's most wanted terrorists.

Intelligence experts have told the London Times Ahmadinejad has recruited Imad Mugniyah, the Lebanese commander of Hezbollah's overseas operations, to oversee retaliation against Western targets if the U.S. orders a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Mugniyah, now in his forties, is on the FBI's "Most Wanted Terrorist" list for past terrorist actions, including the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 in 1985 where one of the passengers, Robert Stethem, a U.S. Navy diver, was murdered. Mugniyah is also believed to be the last person to see William Buckley, the CIA station chief in Beirut, alive after he was kidnapped, mutilated and murdered by Hezbollah in 1984.

Mugniyah and the Iranian president met with leaders of Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and Hamas in Damascus in what has been called a "terror summit" because of the number of groups that have carried out attacks on Israel and Israelis over the years.

Ahmadinejad earlier "threatened to "wipe Israel off the map."

Mugniyah has avoided capture for 20 years, living in Iran and, reportedly, having changed his face and his fingerprints. He is said to have met with Osama bin Laden.

The Iranians "have complete command and control of Hezbollah," said Henry Crumpton, head of counter-terrorism at the state department. "Imad Mugniyah works for Tehran. And you can't talk about Hezbollah and not think about Iran. They really are part and parcel of the same problem."

An Israeli defense source told the Times Mugniyah meets regularly with Mohseni Ezhei, Iran's new defense minister appointed by Ahmadinejad.

"We know that Mohseni Ezhei holds routine meetings with Mugniyah, who is today Iran's head of overseas operations," he said. "Since we know from previous Iranian terror attacks that it takes about a year to plan a substantial one, we should not be surprised if operations against western targets are already in high gear and Mugniyah is certainly playing a major role."

"When and if the Iranians decide to hit the West in its soft belly, Imad will be the one to act," a Western intelligence source said.

Iran sent officers to southern Lebanon last month are in command of thousands of rockets aimed at Israel's cities. It is believed they've been given control of Hezbollah's missiles to attack Israel if Iran's nuclear sites are hit. U.S. officials and Israel intelligence sources believe Mugniyah is in charge of these operations.

Robert Baer, a former CIA agent tasked with pursuing the terrorist in the 1980s said Mugniyah "is the most dangerous terrorist we have ever faced. Mugniyah is probably the most intelligent, most capable operative we have ever run across, including the KGB or anybody else. He enters by one door, exits by another, changes his cars daily, never makes appointments by telephone – he is never predictable. He is the master terrorist, the grail we have been after since 1983."

[Soldier4Christ]

 Iran 'models nuclear plan on Pakistan'
By Philip Sherwell in Washington


The United States arms control chief has given warning that Iran is "very close to the point of no return" in acquiring the technological expertise to make a nuclear weapon.

"In terms of activities on the ground in Iran, it is fair to say that the Iranians have put both feet on the accelerator," said Robert Joseph, the senior US State Department official responsible for countering nuclear proliferation.

His comments, which come as the United Nations Security Council prepares to meet to discuss the crisis this week, indicate that Washington believes that the stakes are rising rapidly in the West's confrontation with the Islamic republic.

Earlier this month, Teheran claimed to have enriched uranium for the nuclear fuel cycle. It has pushed ahead with its programme while taking advantage of a diplomatic stand-off between Moscow and Washington over possible UN sanctions.

Iran is following tactics outlined by its former chief nuclear negotiator in comments to clerics and academics previously unreported in the West. Hassan Rowhani made clear that Iran's goal was to present the world with a fait accompli over its nuclear ambitions.

"If, one day, we are able to complete the fuel cycle and the world sees that it has no choice, that we do possess the technology, then the situation will be different," he told the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council. "The world did not want Pakistan to have an atomic bomb or Brazil to have the fuel cycle, but Pakistan built its bomb and Brazil has its fuel cycle."

He delivered the speech in September, a month after Iran sparked the latest stage of its showdown with the international community by resuming uranium conversion, in breach of previous accords, following the election of its hardline president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Mr Rowhani reiterated to his audience Iran's public insistence that it is seeking nuclear technology only for peaceful civilian purposes. But his comparison to Pakistan's secret development of an atomic weapon is significant, as Iran acquired much of its nuclear know-how from A Q Khan, the rogue scientist known as the father of the Pakistani bomb.

During the speech, Mr Rowhani emphasised that Iran had intended to complete its programme in secret. "This was never supposed to be in the open. But in any case the spies exposed it," he said, in reference to the revelation by opposition exiles of Iran's clandestine nuclear operations.

Karim Sadjadpour, an Iranian analyst with the International Crisis Group, said Teheran was aiming to shape the debate with its claims.

"Iran is betting that it can redraw the West's red lines by creating facts on the ground. At the time they re-commenced uranium conversion activities in Isfahan, last August, much fuss was made in the US and EU, but it eventually became an irreversible fait accompli. They may well believe that the West will eventually come to accept their enrichment activities as well."

The Security Council meets on Friday to hear a report on Iran's nuclear activities from the International Atomic Energy Agency. But although the agency's director, Mohamed ElBaradei, is certain to report that Iran has ignored the ultimatum to halt enrichment work, US, British and French hopes of moving towards imposing sanctions are slim.

Russia hardened its stand against such punitive measures last week. Its foreign ministry said Moscow would consider sanctions only if "concrete facts" emerged that Iran was developing nuclear weapons. China, which also holds a Security Council veto, leans towards the Russian position.

Iran made an apparent attempt yesterday to confuse the situation ahead of the UN meeting when it said it had reached a "basic" agreement with Moscow to enrich uranium in Russia. The announcement made no mention of whether Teheran would cease enrichment in Iran - a key UN demand.

Last week, Moscow rejected an appeal by Washington to halt the sale of air defence missile systems to Teheran in a $700 million (£392 million) deal. "This is not the time for business as usual with the Iranian government," said Nicholas Burns, a senior US State Department official.

[Soldier4Christ]

Death squads target Baghadad's dustmen



IRAQ’S dustmen — mainly students working their way through college — have become targets for assassination in the country’s latest wave of ethnic violence.

In the past month 22 mostly Shi’ite dustmen have been killed on duty, prompting the governor of Baghdad to appeal to the public to protect them or face a refuse crisis in a city that is already in chaos.

Mountains of festering, unbagged filth are spilling across road junctions and street corners as the dustmen, who earn £1.70 for each four-hour shift, become increasingly wary.

One mother, Um Ahmad, lost two sons last week. Ahmad 21, and Ammar, 18, both engineering students, were killed with three colleagues as they collected rubbish in the al-Doura district of the capital.

“They lost their father three years ago during the invasion of Iraq,” she explained sadly. “My boys wanted to earn an honest living while studying and the only job they could find was collecting rubbish.”

Last Wednesday they left home for a 2am shift before college. “I had a bad feeling that morning — call it mother’s intuition,” she said.

“For the first time since they took the job I asked them not to go to work. They were surprised, laughed away my fears, kissed me on the head and wished me a good day before leaving the house.” She sobbed openly as she added: “I wish they had never gone.”

A few hours later Um Ahmad was visited by a neighbour who asked whether her boys had gone to work. When she said yes, the neighbour left, looking upset. Worried by the question, Um Ahmad put on her black cloak and walked for 15 minutes until she found police cars and a crowd gathered around the entrance to a building.

“My heart was beating fast and when they stopped me from entering I told them I wanted to check on my sons,” she said.

Inside, she saw five bodies on the floor, covered with cloth. “I stood by one, not knowing if it was Ahmad, and began to cry until the man in charge came and told me, ‘I am sorry for your loss,’ as he began to uncover the faces of the dead.

“I thought I had lost one son. Instead I found both my boys lying dead on the floor.” She began to scream and wail at the sight of her two dead boys.

According to witnesses, gunmen in an Opel and a BMW driving by opened fire on the men as they worked their way along the streets.

Not only are the dustmen unprotected, but the government and local authorities pay no compensation to the families of the dead. No official has visited Um Ahmad, a poor widow left with a daughter and a young son; nor has she received any contribution towards the costs of the funerals.

A neighbour said: “This is the sad fate of the dustmen. They perform a vital public service but nobody helps their families.”

Asked why the dustmen were being targeted, a Sunni insurgent in the district replied that they had brought punishment on themselves.

“We are not against cleanliness or those who work for the good of the country, but these men are traitors — firstly for being Shi’ites and secondly because we have warned them time and time again that we plant booby traps and explosives in rubbish heaps and they shouldn’t report discoveries to the police, but they always do,” claimed the insurgent. He said he belonged to the Al-Qaeda in Iraq organisation of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the country’s most wanted man.

“So what if these Shi’ites are being killed. Every day Sunnis are found shot and drilled to death and nobody is doing much about that,” he added.

Another insurgent claimed spies had been planted among the dustmen by the Shi’ite Badr militia to report on the activities of Sunni insurgents.

“How come most dustmen are Shi’ite and you can hardly find a Sunni allowed to work?” he said. “Those who did in the past were either fired or arrested by the interior ministry and then their bodies turned up in the morgues.”

Kathem Shalash, a 22-year-old Shi’ite student, was injured last year and his cousin killed when a bomb planted in a pile of rubbish blew up as he worked in the al-Shula district.

“I do not do this job out of love but because I needed to earn a living to finish my studies and help my family,” he said. “After the explosion I asked to be transferred to work in the posh Mansour district because I though it was safer, but nowadays everywhere is dangerous.

“I avoid large piles of rubbish. Sometimes I throw stones at them from a distance to check if they are safe, but when I’m not sure I just leave them,” he said.

The targeting of dustmen follows a spate of kidnappings and murders of professional people including doctors, academics and former pilots. The bloodshed has triggered an exodus of intellectuals from the country.

Amid growing fears that Iraq is on the verge of civil war, Sunnis who accuse the dominant Shi’ite alliance of running death squads have begun to band together in in so-called neighbourhood vigilante groups.

[Soldier4Christ]

New bin Laden tape promises attack on US

Al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden issued an ominous new statement on AlJazeera television, appearing to justify attacks on civilians in the West.

"I say that this war is the joint responsibility of the people and the governments. While the war continues, the people renew their allegiance to their rulers and politicians and continue to send their sons to our countries to fight us," bin Laden said in an audio tape.

The al-Qaeda chieftain, who last issued a message via the satellite television broadcaster on January 19, said the people of Western countries were equally responsible with their governments for what he called "a Zionist (Jewish) crusaders (Christian) war on Islam".

He further said that the Western cut off of funds to the Palestinian Hamas-led government proved the US and Europe were at war with all Islamic people.

"The blockade which the West is imposing on the government of Hamas proves that there is a Zionist (Jewish) crusaders (Christian) war on Islam," the tape said.

It was the first new message from bin Laden since January 19. That tape was posted in full on a website a month later and included a vow by the terrorist leader never to be captured alive.

"I have sworn to only live free. Even if I find bitter the taste of death, I don't want to die humiliated or deceived," bin Laden said, in the 11 minute, 26 second tape.

In that message, bin Laden offered the United States a long-term truce but also said his al-Qaeda terror network would soon launch a fresh attack on American soil.

[Soldier4Christ]

Alaska Students Arrested in Alleged Plot

Six middle school students in a small Alaska town were arrested Saturday on suspicion of plotting to bring guns and knives to school and kill fellow students.

The arrests stem from an investigation into rumors reported to police earlier in the week about the students' plans in North Pole, a town of 1,600 people about 14 miles southeast of Fairbanks, said Police Chief Paul Lindhag.

The seventh-graders wanted to seek revenge for being picked on by other students as well as disliking staff and students, Lindhag said.

The students had planned to disable North Pole Middle School's power and telephone systems, allotting time to kill their victims and escape out of town, Lindhag said. He would not elaborate on the case, or what kind of documented evidence led to the students' arrests.

"These are the ones who had major roles in this," Lindhag said. "All our information came through our interviews and stuff like that. There were many hours of interviews, including with witnesses and those who were arrested."

Authorities said the students could face charges of first-degree conspiracy to commit murder.

"I don't think it can get more serious than that," Lindhag said.

The allegations came just days after five Kansas teenagers suspected of planning a shooting rampage at their high school were arrested on Thursday, the seventh anniversary of the Columbine massacre.

School officials in Riverton, Kan., learned that a threatening message had been posted on the Internet, authorities said. The boys ages 16 to 18 will stay in custody through the weekend while prosecutors decide whether to file charges, a judge ruled Saturday.

The North Pole boys, whose names were not released, were among 15 students at the school who were suspended after a parent tipped police Monday evening. A child told the parent that rumors were circulating about the alleged plot, which originally was planned for earlier that day, then changed to the following day, Lindhag said.

The suspended students were quickly identified by officers working with a school safety official. Parents were contacted and told to keep the students away from 500-student campus on Tuesday. Lindhag said authorities don't believe all the suspended students were involved, but that officials were erring on the side of caution.

"There were a lot of rumors flying around," he said.

The six were arrested were taken to the Fairbanks Youth Facility in Fairbanks.

Locals are "shocked, saddened and heartbroken about whole situation," but area schools have long had policies in place to deal with such a crisis, said Wayne Gerke, an assistant superintendent with the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District.

"And we feel very thankful that a student felt they could talk to an adult, and very thankful that the adult had the wisdom to contact the North Pole Police Department," Gerke said.

The other students remain suspended while the investigation continues, and police presence will continue at the school until the end of the school year, according to school district officials.

"People are people," the police chief said. "Something like this can happen anywhere, in a city big or small."

[Shammu]

YMCA warned to vacate Hamas town
After 6 years of operation, Christian organization being booted by terror group
Posted: April 21, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Aaron Klein
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com


JERUSALEM -- The leadership of a West Bank Palestinian city now controlled by Hamas has warned a local Young Men's Christian Association to close its offices and leave town or face likely Muslim violence, WorldNetDaily has learned.

The move highlighted long-standing fears Hamas would use its win in last January's Palestinian parliamentary elections to impose an anti-Christian, anti-Jewish hard-line Islamist regime in the West Bank and Gaza.

"The face of the new Hamas government is coming to the forefront now that they finally took over and have a lot more confidence. They want to create a territory free of Christians and Jews," said a Christian leader associated with the YMCA in Qalqiliya, a West Bank town under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.

Yesterday, major Muslim organizations in Qalqiliya in conjunction with local mosques, the city's Mufti and municipal leaders, sent a letter to the interior minister of the Hamas-led PA accusing the YMCA of missionary activities and demanding the Palestinian government immediately shut down the Christian offices.

The YMCA has operated in Qalqiliya since 2000.

The petition, obtained by WND, states, "We the preachers of the mosques and representatives of major families in Qalqiliya ask you to close the offices of the YMCA because the population of Qalqiliya doesn't need such offices, especially since there are not many Christians in our city."

It warned, "The act of these institutions of the YMCA, including attempting to convert Muslims in our city, will bring violence and tension."

Already this past weekend several Molotov cocktails were thrown at Qalqiliya's YMCA.

Local political sources said the attacks followed Friday sermons in dozens of Qalqiliya mosques in which preachers called upon the community to revolt against the YMCA.

"There was a coordination among the mosques to speak about the YMCA Friday night. One major imam, for example, warned if the YMCA doesn't close down it will lead to 'acts that no one would like to see,'" said one political source.

Joseph Medi, the YMCA manager in Qalqiliya, told WND his operation has never been involved with missionary activity.

"It's not what we're about. There is no missionary activity here whatsoever. The YMCA is in the city to serve the population with financial help, sporting activities and general educational programs," said Medi.

Medi pointed out many employees at his branch of the YMCA are Muslim. He said the YMCA was instrumental in establishing a number of community programs, including contributing to the financing of the Al Ahli Club, a mostly Muslim local soccer organization that has competed in national games.

Medi said Qalqiliya's YMCA received a final notification from local leaders warning the association to close its offices before "drastic measures" were taken. He said no specific measures were specified.

Qalqiliya is located at the West Bank's point of closest proximity to the Mediterranean Sea. There are reported only about 50-100 Christians in a population of about 28,300. The city's mayor, Sheikh Waji Qawwas, is a Hamas member just released from Israeli prison yesterday.

Hamas swept all 15 municipal offices in local elections in Qalqiliya in December. The terror group went on to win the vast majority of Palestinian parliamentary seats in January and officially took over the Palestinian Authority earlier this month.

One Christian leader, an aide to Jerusalem's Latin Patriarch Michel Sabah who asked his name be withheld out of fear of Muslim retaliation, called the threats against Qalqiliya's YMCA part of a general trend of Christian persecution in Palestinian areas.

"It's been happening all over the West Bank and Gaza," said the aide.

There have been rampant reports of abuses and persecution in several West Bank towns taken over by the PA.

Anti-Christian riots have been reported in Ramallah, Nazareth and surrounding villages as well as in towns in Gaza.

In Bethlehem, local Christians have long complained of anti-Christian violence. The city's Christian population, once 90 percent, declined drastically since the PA took control in December 1995. Christians now make up less than 25 percent of Bethlehem, according to Israeli surveys.

The demands for the YMCA to close are also the latest in a series of reports indicating Hamas may be seeking to impose Taliban-like Islamic rule.

Israeli officials say Hamas in the Gaza Strip has established hard-line Islamic courts and created the Hamas Anti-Corruption Group, which is described as a kind of "morality police" operating within Hamas' organization. Hamas has denied the existence of the anti-corruption group, but it recently carried out a high-profile "honor killing" widely covered by the Palestinian media.

A Hamas-run council in the West Bank came under international criticism last year when it barred an open-air music and dance festival, declaring it was against Islam.


Mahmoud al-Zahar

In response to the uproar, Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar told WND during an exclusive interview: "I hardly understand the point of view of the West concerning these issues. The West brought all this freedom to its people but it is that freedom that has brought about the death of morality in the West. It's what led to phenomena like homosexuality, homelessness and AIDS."

Asked if Hamas will impose hard-line Islamic law on the Palestinians, al-Zahar responded, "The Palestinian people are Muslim people, and we do not need to impose anything on our people because they are already committed to their faith and religion. People are free to choose their way of life, their way of dress and behavior."

Al-Zahar said his terror group, which demands strict dress codes for females, respects women's rights.

"It is wrong to think that in our Islamic society there is a lack of rights for women. Women enjoy their rights. What we have, unlike the West, is that young women cannot be with men and have relations outside marriage. Sometimes with tens of men. This causes the destruction of the family institution and the fact that many kids come to the world without knowing who are their fathers or who are their mothers. This is not a modern and progressed society," al-Zahar explained.

The terror chieftain told WND the West can learn from his group's Islamic values.

"Here I refer to what was said in the early '90s by Britain's Prince Charles at Oxford University. He spoke about Islam and its important role in morality and culture. He said the West must learn from Islam how to bring up children properly and to teach them the right values."

[Shammu]

Sandy Berger appointed
CIA officer fired for leak
McCarthy served as assistant to Clinton,
senior director for intelligence programs
Posted: April 22, 2006
1:18 a.m. Eastern


© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

WASHINGTON – A CIA officer fired for leaking classified information was appointed as special assistant to President Clinton and senior director for intelligence programs by former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, who pleaded guilty to stealing highly classified documents.


Mary McCarthy

Mary O'Neil McCarthy was fired Thursday for reportedly leaking classified information that contributed to a Washington Post report about alleged secret CIA prisons in Eastern Europe.

She most recently worked for the CIA inspector general's office and served as a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Public records show McCarthy, a veteran CIA officer, had served as a special assistant to Clinton and, later, President Bush – a tenure that stretched from 1998 to 2001. She testified to the commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks.

The CIA acknowledged the dismissal of an officer over a media leak is extremely rare. It resulted from a 3-month investigation.

The Washington Post report in November about secret CIA prisons for terrorism suspects prompted an international controversy over U.S. detainee policies and also won a Pulitzer Prize.

The CIA would not say what the leak involved, and declined to identify the officer or describe the officer's duties at the agency, saying that such disclosures would violate the Privacy Act of 1974.

"This CIA officer acknowledged having unauthorized discussions with the media in which the officer knowingly shared classified intelligence, including operational information," CIA spokeswoman Michele Neff said.

Neff said the officer's actions violated a secrecy agreement that CIA employees sign when they begin working for the agency.

The Washington Post reported that the CIA operated a network of secret prisons for terrorism suspects in countries overseas, including Eastern Europe. The report spawned a number of investigations in Europe that have yet to produce definitive evidence that the secret prisons existed.

McCarthy succeeded Rand Beers in the job of special assistant to the president and senior director for intelligence programs. Ironically, she was named to the position by Berger, who pleaded guilty last fall to stealing classified information from the National Archives while preparing Clinton to testify to the 9-11 commission.


Sandy Berger

Last September, a judge ordered Berger to pay a $50,000 fine for his crime. Berger avoided prison time under the punishment handed down by U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson.

In addition to the fine, which exceeded the $10,000 recommended by government lawyers, he was prohibited from access to classified government materials for three years.

"The court finds the fine is inadequate because it doesn't reflect the seriousness of the offense," Robinson said as Berger stood before her.

During the hearing, Berger described his crime as a lapse of judgment.

"I let considerations of personal convenience override clear rules of handling classified material," Berger said. "I believe this lapse, serious as it is, does not reflect the character of myself. In this case, I failed. I will not again."

The stolen documents were copies of highly secret memoranda, possibly with handwritten notes, that allegedly were critical of the Clinton administration's response to the "Millennium 2000" terror plot to bomb the Los Angeles International Airport.

Berger, who was an adviser to the presidential campaign of Sen. John Kerry when the scandal broke, has held multiple national security jobs since the Carter administration and recently was a foreign policy adviser to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Public records show that McCarthy contributed $2,000 in 2004 to the presidential campaign of Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic nominee.

Berger initially said he took copies of the classified documents regarding terrorism from the National Archives by "accident" and then misplaced them in what he described as an "honest mistake." He later admitted, however, that after pilfering the documents, he destroyed three of the five with scissors at the office of his consulting firm.

[Shammu]

Perdue signs Bible, Ten Commandments bills

By SHANNON McCAFFREY
Associated Press Writer

ATLANTA (AP) -- Students in Georgia's public schools could begin to take Bible classes as soon as next year, under legislation Gov. Sonny Perdue signed into law on Thursday.

The law will make Georgia the first state to offer state-sanctioned elective classes on the Bible.

Perdue, a Republican who is up for re-election in the fall, also signed a bill Thursday that permits the display of the Ten Commandments at courthouses, an issue the Supreme Court recently ruled can raise thorny constitutional issues.

Critics question whether the measures blur the line between church and state.
   
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National civil rights groups said they are waiting to see how the laws are implemented before deciding whether to challenge them in court.

"There could be constitutional problems," said Jeremy Leaming, spokesman for the Washington D.C.-based Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.

"But it could be some time before we know."

The Bible is already incorporated into classes in Georgia and other states, and some local school districts have passed measures permitting Bible classes.

But education analysts say the law in Georgia is the first in which a state government has endorsed such courses.

A version of the Bible class measure was first unveiled by Democrats in the state Legislature. But Republicans, who control both the Senate and House, quickly offered their version, which ultimately passed.

Under the new law, elective classes on the Old Testament and New Testament may be taught to high school students. Local school systems will decide whether to teach the courses.

The plan gives the state Department of Education until February 2007 to craft curricula for the courses.

Some education officials in Georgia oppose the measure, saying it will place teachers in the position of navigating a tricky constitutional divide.

The law requires that the courses be taught "in an objective and nondevotional manner with no attempt made to indoctrinate students."

Leaming said the pair of pro-religion bills smacked of "election-year politicking."

For Perdue, who is facing re-election in November, the bills appeal to religious conservatives who are an important part of his base.

But the issue could also play well for some Democrats in more conservative districts, as well as those in urban areas where black churches wield a strong influence.

Both bills passed by comfortable margins in both chambers.

The Ten Commandments issue has raised sticky constitutional issues that courts have struggled with in recent years.

In a split decision last year, the U.S. Supreme Court last year declared two courthouse displays of the Ten Commandments in Kentucky unconstitutional. But it said that another religious display outside the Texas Capitol was permissible.

The new measure in Georgia was prompted after public postings of the Ten Commandments sparked controversy at the Barrow County Courthouse. A federal judge ordered the display removed in July after a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Perdue signs Bible, Ten Commandments bills

[Soldier4Christ]

Hamas: We're 'totally different' from al-Qaida

But ideological connections with global jihad group well-documented


JERUSALEM – Seeking to distance itself from remarks broadcast today in a newly-released recording purportedly of Osama bin Laden, Hamas claimed its goals are "totally different" from al-Qaida, and that it is not associated in any way with the global jihad group.

The denials come in spite of well-documented ideological connections between Hamas and al-Qaida and mounting evidence bin Laden's group has infiltrated the Palestinian territories and is looking to stage an attack against Israel.

In his first message in three months, bin Laden said in an audio tape released today that a Western freeze on funds to the Hamas-led Palestinian government was evidence Washington and Europe were conducting "a Zionist crusaders war on Islam."

In an ominous new threat, bin Laden also appeared to justify attacks on civilians in the West and called on his followers to go to Sudan to fight a proposed United Nations force in Darfur.

Media outlets reported the voice on the tape sounded strong and appeared the same as on other recordings attributed to bin Laden.

In response to the terror chieftain' remarks about his group, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri claimed today "the ideology of Hamas is totally different from then ideology of Sheikh bin Laden." But Zuhri added the "international siege on the Palestinian people" would create tension in the Arab and Islamic world.

Israel and the U.S. has been trying to financially isolate Hamas, refusing direct aid to the Hamas-led PA and encouraging the international community to follow suit.

But portraits and quotes from Dr. Abdullah Azzam, who was al-Qaida's ideologue and, until Azzam's death, Osama bin Laden's spiritual mentor, can be found throughout mass material regularly distributed by Hamas and posted throughout the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

Reuven Erlich, director of the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at Israel's Center for Special Studies, previously told WND, "We found Azzam's picture on Hamas posters from Gaza and a lot of Hamas' material. Azzam's portrait in materials reveal that he is perceived by Hamas as one of the four 'outstanding figures' of the Islamic 'struggle' in Palestine and around the world."

WND reported last month two Palestinians, one reportedly tied to Hamas, were charged in Israel with membership in al-Qaida. They admitted to meeting with al-Qaida members in Jordan to secure funding for a large-scale attack against Israel, which reportedly including use of a car bombing.

Abbas: Signs of al-Qaida in Palestinian territories

After months of denying the jihad group was able to infiltrate Palestinian territories, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in February announced there were signs al-Qaida had established itself in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

"We have indications about a presence of al-Qaida in Gaza and the (West) Bank. This is intelligence information. We have not yet reached the point of arrests," Abbas said.

"The last security report I received was three days ago," Abbas told the London-based al-Hayat newspaper. "This is the first time that I've spoken about this subject. This is a very serious matter."

Israel: Al-Qaida infiltrated after Gaza withdrawal

Abbas' statements followed a series of warnings by senior Israeli intelligence officials that al-Qaida operatives infiltrated Gaza while the Rafah crossing, the main terminal at Gaza's border with Egypt's Sinai desert, was opened for several days immediately after Israel's withdrawal from the area this past August.

Egyptian officials attempted to close the border several times, but Hamas and other terror groups managed to reopen the crossing, once using a controlled explosion along the border fence and another time ramming a dump truck through the border wall.

Egypt has admitted to difficulty eliminating al-Qaida cells in Sinai suspected of involvement in recent terror attacks, including the bombings in Sharm el Sheikh in July and Taba last year, which together killed more than 100 people.

In September, Maj. Gen. Aharon Zeevi Farkash, chief of intelligence for the Israeli Defense Forces, said al-Qaida infiltrated Gaza and was interested in attacking Israel.

Security officials said they feared al-Qaida terrorists who made it to Gaza will try to cross into the West Bank's Palestinian population centers, which border many of Israel's major cities.

Yaacov Amidror, former chief of research for Israeli military intelligence, told WND al-Qaida may seek to use Gaza as a sanctuary to plan attacks throughout the Middle East.

"Today, one of the weaknesses of al-Qaida is its lack of a safe haven in the Middle East," Amidror said. "The new realities in Gaza will make it one of the most convenient places for al-Qaida to base their global operations. The Gaza Strip will become a paradise because it will be an area in which the population and the terror groups in power, especially Hamas, share the same ideology as al-Qaida."

Al-Qaida leader in Palestine soon to be revealed?

An al-Qaida leader as important as overall terror chief Osama bin Laden and the group's Iraq leader Abu Musab Zarqawi will soon reveal himself in the Palestinian territories and orchestrate local and global jihad from the area, according to a pamphlet distributed last month in the Gaza Strip and obtained by WorldNetDaily. (link: http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=49138)

The pamphlet, signed by a group calling itself the Jaish al Jihad, or Army of Jihad, claimed to speak for al-Qaida. It warned all non-Muslims and foreign embassies to vacate the Palestinian areas within one month.

"Is there now among us a person like Saladin, like Sheik Osama bin Laden, like Abu Musab Zarqawi? The answer is yes. We have this man and he will appear with the help of Allah very soon on the land of Palestine," said the pamphlet, which was intercepted by the Palestinian General Intelligence after being circulated in southern Gaza.

[Shammu]

 Iran 'models nuclear plan on Pakistan'
By Philip Sherwell in Washington
(Filed: 23/04/2006)

The United States arms control chief has given warning that Iran is "very close to the point of no return" in acquiring the technological expertise to make a nuclear weapon.

"In terms of activities on the ground in Iran, it is fair to say that the Iranians have put both feet on the accelerator," said Robert Joseph, the senior US State Department official responsible for countering nuclear proliferation.

His comments, which come as the United Nations Security Council prepares to meet to discuss the crisis this week, indicate that Washington believes that the stakes are rising rapidly in the West's confrontation with the Islamic republic.

Earlier this month, Teheran claimed to have enriched uranium for the nuclear fuel cycle. It has pushed ahead with its programme while taking advantage of a diplomatic stand-off between Moscow and Washington over possible UN sanctions.

Iran is following tactics outlined by its former chief nuclear negotiator in comments to clerics and academics previously unreported in the West. Hassan Rowhani made clear that Iran's goal was to present the world with a fait accompli over its nuclear ambitions.

"If, one day, we are able to complete the fuel cycle and the world sees that it has no choice, that we do possess the technology, then the situation will be different," he told the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council. "The world did not want Pakistan to have an atomic bomb or Brazil to have the fuel cycle, but Pakistan built its bomb and Brazil has its fuel cycle."

He delivered the speech in September, a month after Iran sparked the latest stage of its showdown with the international community by resuming uranium conversion, in breach of previous accords, following the election of its hardline president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Mr Rowhani reiterated to his audience Iran's public insistence that it is seeking nuclear technology only for peaceful civilian purposes. But his comparison to Pakistan's secret development of an atomic weapon is significant, as Iran acquired much of its nuclear know-how from A Q Khan, the rogue scientist known as the father of the Pakistani bomb.

During the speech, Mr Rowhani emphasised that Iran had intended to complete its programme in secret. "This was never supposed to be in the open. But in any case the spies exposed it," he said, in reference to the revelation by opposition exiles of Iran's clandestine nuclear operations.

Karim Sadjadpour, an Iranian analyst with the International Crisis Group, said Teheran was aiming to shape the debate with its claims.

"Iran is betting that it can redraw the West's red lines by creating facts on the ground. At the time they re-commenced uranium conversion activities in Isfahan, last August, much fuss was made in the US and EU, but it eventually became an irreversible fait accompli. They may well believe that the West will eventually come to accept their enrichment activities as well."

The Security Council meets on Friday to hear a report on Iran's nuclear activities from the International Atomic Energy Agency. But although the agency's director, Mohamed ElBaradei, is certain to report that Iran has ignored the ultimatum to halt enrichment work, US, British and French hopes of moving towards imposing sanctions are slim.

Russia hardened its stand against such punitive measures last week. Its foreign ministry said Moscow would consider sanctions only if "concrete facts" emerged that Iran was developing nuclear weapons. China, which also holds a Security Council veto, leans towards the Russian position.

Iran made an apparent attempt yesterday to confuse the situation ahead of the UN meeting when it said it had reached a "basic" agreement with Moscow to enrich uranium in Russia. The announcement made no mention of whether Teheran would cease enrichment in Iran - a key UN demand.

Last week, Moscow rejected an appeal by Washington to halt the sale of air defence missile systems to Teheran in a $700 million (£392 million) deal. "This is not the time for business as usual with the Iranian government," said Nicholas Burns, a senior US State Department official.

Iran 'models nuclear plan on Pakistan'