News, Prophecy and other

[Shammu]

Flight 93 Hijacker: 'We Have a Bomb on Board'

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — In the last few minutes before United Flight 93 crashed into a rural Pennsylvania field on Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers aboard the plane ordered passengers to "shut up" and "sit" as they issued a terrifying message: "We have a bomb on board."

Federal prosecutors seeking the execution of Zacarias Moussaoui on Wednesday figuratively placed the jury aboard the doomed flight when they played a recording in which the hijackers were heard giving orders to the passengers.

It was the first time the cockpit voice recording was played publicly and was used as evidence as the jury decided whether to give Moussaoui, an admitted terrorist conspirator, the death sentence.

Click here to read the transcript of the recording (pdf).

In the final minutes of Flight 93, passengers attempted an uprising and tried to retake the plane at which point the hijackers crashed it into a western Pennsylvania field. The plane had been headed for the U.S. Capitol, according to Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.

"I don't want to die," a passenger is heard to cry out in the tape. Then a hijacker says, "Shall we finish it off?"

The hijackers alternated between Arabic and English.

The recording began at 9:31 a.m. with the hijackers' voice clearly stating, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain ... we have a bomb on board, so sit." For the next few minutes, passengers are repeatedly told, in English, "Don't move," "Shut up" "Sit," and "down, down, down."

As the tape proceeded, it was clear that passengers were gaining the upper hand.

A voice of a hijacker, presumably inside the cockpit, says, "They want to get in." The voice continues, "Hold from within." At 10 a.m., there is a voice that says, "I am injured." A hijacker asks in Arabic "Shall we finish it off?" The response come back: "No, not yet."

Then a voice is heard in English: "In the cockpit! If we don't, we die!"

At 10:01 a.m., a hijacker asks again: "Shall we put it down? The response: "Yes, put it down."

At that point, the plane appears to go out of control. There are sounds of the hijackers trying to shake off the passengers. The plane pitches back and forth.

A translation of the hijackers' Arabic words was provided to the jury. At one point a hijacker is heard to say "In the name of Allah, most merciful, most compassionate."

A voice in the cockpit says "Please don't hurt me. Oh God!" Then a few seconds later somebody says "I don't want to die!" three times.

In the last minute, voices could be heard in English saying "push up" and "pull down," as flight data showed the steering yoke moving wildly. Some interpreted that as a struggle for control in the cockpit between passengers and hijackers.

The hijackers for more than four minutes before that been swinging the plane wildly in an effort to throw the rebelling passengers off balance.

Then there are what sounds like groans in the cockpit. Amid sounds of a struggle, a hijacker asks, "There is something, a fight?" The response is, "Yeah." Then in Arabic a couple of minutes later, a voice of a hijacker says "Everything is fine. I finished." He said that around the time that the plane is turning back toward Washington.

As the jury heard the recording, prosecutors played a video presentation that simultaneously showed the flight path, speed and heading in a mockup similar to a flight simulator.

At 10:02 a.m., a hijacker says, "Give it to me. Give it to me." At 10:03 a.m. the plane dives amid crashing sounds and the tape stops. The last sound heard as the plane nears the ground: "Allah is the greatest."

The Flight 93 cockpit voice recording is the only such tape that investigators were able to hear from any of the four airplanes hijacked on Sept. 11.

The government rested its case just before 11:30 a.m. EDT after the judge rejected prosecutors' request to display a running presentation of the names and photos of all of the nearly 3,000 victims of Sept. 11. Prosecutors were instead allowed to show one large poster with the pictures of all but 92 of the victims.

There were three victim-impact witnesses who gave testimony following the broadcast of the Flight 93 tape in the courtroom.

The judge sent the jury home for the day and the defense will begin its case on Thursday. Just after that, Moussaoui shouted, "God curse you all!"

Moussaoui is the only person charged in this country in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks. The jury deciding his fate has already declared him eligible for the death penalty by determining that his actions caused at least one death on Sept. 11.

Even though he was in jail in Minnesota at the time of the attacks, the jury ruled that lies told by Moussaoui to federal agents a month before the attacks kept them from identifying and stopping some of the hijackers.

Now they must decide whether Moussaoui deserves execution or life in prison.

Defense lawyers say the jury should spare Moussaoui's life because of his limited role in the attacks, evidence that he is mentally ill and because his execution would only play into his dream of martyrdom.

'Two Very, Very Difficult Days'

Hamilton Peterson, who lost two family members on Flight 93, said he believes the recording provides evidence that passengers attacked and killed a hijacker guarding the cockpit door. He said although he believes the death penalty is appropriate for Moussaoui, he does not believe in martyrdom and is confident the jury will decide the proper fate.

He also praised the prosecutors and other legal experts working on the government's case.

"They also have surrendered their lives since Sept. 11, 2001 ... they've been working 24-7 and I would venture to say, they've been impacted by 9/11 as much as some of the families have," Peterson told reporters after court adjourned for the day Wednesday.

Peterson also said that something lost in the transcripts of the tape, which also were released Wednesday, are the tremors and fear in Flight 93 victims' voices, which can be heard through amplified headsets the jury and the families used to listen to an enhanced audio version that was played for family members only.

"It's been two very, very difficult days but days we know we were proud we participated, we were proud we supported and we want to ensure that America becomes safe," said Rosemary Dillard, who lost her husband on Sept. 11. "It's been pointed out clearly there were some phone calls made that should have been followed up" to possibly prevent the added, she added.

After several days of testimony related to the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, the focus shifted Tuesday to the Pentagon, where the jury saw some of the most gruesome evidence in the trial.

Several photos showed badly burned bodies, facial features still discernible. Defense lawyers objected unsuccessfully to their display.

Lt. Col. John Thurman testified that when the Pentagon was hit, he thought a bomb had exploded, then later described a sensation similar to an earthquake as the plane moved under his second floor office.

Thurman crawled through the office, unable to lift his head above the carpet because the smoke was too intense. He said he felt an overwhelming need to take a nap and "that's when it hit me: I'm going to die. And I got very angry. Angry that terrorists would take my life on the same day my parents were getting their first grandchild" (from his sister).

"I realized I had to get out. I pushed file cabinets with all of my strength and found an opening," Thurman said.

Thurman left the Pentagon coughing up black soot and was taken to a hospital. He fully recovered from his injuries after a weeklong hospital stay that included a medically induced coma.

"I feel incredibly lucky," he said. "But there's guilt about getting the lucky break."

Also on Tuesday, the judge issued an order requiring an unidentified individual to be produced for testimony. The order apparently applied to would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid — defense lawyers issued a subpoena last week seeking his testimony. Prosecutors had opposed the subpoena.

Moussaoui testified previously that he and Reid were going to hijack a fifth plane on Sept. 11 and fly it into the White House. The defense lawyers, who have tried to discredit their client's credibility, have said Moussaoui is exaggerating his role in Sept. 11 to inflate his role in history.

Flight 93 Hijacker: 'We Have a Bomb on Board'

[twobombs]

Israel’s non-policy on Iran

April 11, 2006, 10:45 PM (GMT+02:00)

DEBKAfile’s Analysts note: If Washington’s initial reaction to the Iranian disclosure that it had produced low grade enriched uranium was pallid, the Israeli response was non-existent. Not only did the Iranians make no secret of a “historic achievement” - in defiance of the United Nations and the West - but Mahmoud Ahmadinejad positively threw it in their faces.

A short while earlier, Ehud Olmert, acting prime minister, asked by Time magazine whether Israel would attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, said he did not think Israel should be at the forefront of this war. “I don’t know why people think this is first and foremost a war for Israel. It’s a problem for every civilized country. It is therefore incumbent on America and the Europeans to form a strategy and remove this danger.”

The only problem is that Iran’s president has never threatened to wipe America or Europe off the map – only Israel. But Israel’s new leaders, Olmert and foreign minister Tzipi Livni have developed a new catchall cure-all for all Israel’s predicaments from the Iranian nuclear threat to a Palestinian government ruled by a fundamentalist terrorist organization: Israel will follow the lead of “the international community.”

In other words, the incoming Israeli government is shrugging off issues affecting its national security, such as the daily Palestinian missile blitz from Gaza, the penetration of Iranian terror cells, Hizballah and al Qaeda to Palestinian areas – and now the stride made by the Islamic republic on the road to a nuclear bomb. For the first time in its history, Israel is placing its vital interests in the hands of outsiders.

Tuesday, April 11, the day the Iranian president delivered his nuclear bombshell, seven Hamas lawmakers traveled to Tehran to attend a conference on the future of Jerusalem – an occasion that is emblematic of a deadly chain that no one in Israeli government appears willing to perceive.

http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=2261

[Shammu]

The only problem is that Iran’s president has never threatened to wipe America or Europe off the map – only Israel. But Israel’s new leaders, Olmert and foreign minister Tzipi Livni have developed a new catchall cure-all for all Israel’s predicaments from the Iranian nuclear threat to a Palestinian government ruled by a fundamentalist terrorist organization: Israel will follow the lead of “the international community.”

Brother, I think you need to reread some of the news items, in this topic and for Israel.

[Soldier4Christ]

Ehud Olmert and the 1996 Opening of the Maccabean Tunnel
The Times of London Writes Inaccurate Report, Receives “a Ton” of Protest Mail; Palestinians Riot in Jerusalem

By Anthony David Marks

What occurred in 1996 in Jerusalem with the opening of the Maccabean tunnel suddenly becomes news in 2006 with the official election of Ehud Olmert, head of Kadima as Prime Minister, subject to him successfully establishing a coalition government. The information contained in the following IHC article has not been published before or is even known publicly but it reveals more about Mr. Olmert. No doubt, it should be of considerable interest to many.

In 1996 when Benjamin Netanyahu had just become prime minister after defeating Shimon Peres by a narrow majority and Ehud Olmert was mayor of the City of Jerusalem, it was decided to extend an ancient tunnel in Jerusalem’s Old City, built 2200 years ago in the Hasmonean Period. The tunnel runs parallel to the foundations of the Western Wall of the Temple Mount on which the Al Aqsa shrine is located. The Temple Mount is the location of the First and Second Jewish Temples and is the holiest location in Judaism. It is also considered the third holiest place of Islam. The Muslims built their mosque on top of the Temples in the 6th century of the common era. Part of the tunnel had been excavated years earlier and had been in use since 1986. The problem was that the ancient tunnel was narrow and only a limited number of visitors could walk through it at any given time. In order to alleviate the congestion, an exit from the tunnel to the Via Dolorosa in the Old City was planned. In this way, the tunnel could accommodate many more visitors as there would be only one-way traffic.

The Muslims, who had always objected to any changes by Israel in the Old City of Jerusalem even, if it benefited them economically, engineered an accusation that Israel was digging under the foundations of the Al Aqsa mosque and that the structure was liable to collapse. Riots erupted and there were many casualties on both sides.

Journalist David Gardner of The Times of London wrote an article at the time that amazingly took the Palestinian position without even checking the Israeli one. I was furious and fearful that if Gardner’s report in The Times was not challenged immediately as nonsense there would be Muslim attacks on many Israeli and Jewish buildings throughout the world causing untold death and destruction of Jewish life and property. These might have been somewhat comparable (or much worse) to recent Muslim attacks against foreign embassies and other buildings because of a Danish newspaper publishing caricatures of Mohammad.

I wrote a stern letter to the editor of The Times protesting the article and faxed it to him. A short time later I received a letter from a Mrs. Helen Davies who operated a media watch in England. I was not familiar with her or the work that she did. She wrote in response to my letter of complaint that “a ton” of letters had already been sent to The Times. To an educated English person, this meant many thousands of protest letters. But she proceeded to inform me that The Times only chose to publish a single letter and that was mine. I then passed on Helen Davies’ letter with a copy of my article published in The Times, which she had kindly enclosed, to Ehud Olmert, Mayor of Jerusalem. Had she not taken the initiative to inform me of the publication I would not have known about it as I rarely read The Times.

Mayor Olmert responded immediately with a letter of appreciation written on behalf of himself, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the State of Israel. See copies of letters below.

Readers need to know that The Times of London is considered one of the world’s most authoritative newspapers. Like the Encyclopedia Britannica, many consider its contents the last word. Many in the Muslim world read it, including high government officials. Therefore, time was of the essence to refute completely the false and very dangerous claims of the Gardner report in The Times. I had absolutely no idea then that five years later I would be starting the Israel Hasbara Committee - also because of events in London, such as public expressions of antisemitism. Heretofore, such public comments by educated English people were virtually unknown as whatever they thought they keep such thoughts to themselves, or only expressed them in private company. I viewed this change as a turning point very detrimental to the Jewish people and the State of Israel.

[Soldier4Christ]

Walgreen Pulling All ReNu Products Off Shelves

CHICAGO — Walgreen Co. (WAG), the largest U.S. drugstore chain, has told its stores to pull all ReNu products from its shelves, not just the MoistureLoc product that has come under fire, a spokesman said Wednesday.

On Monday, Bausch & Lomb Inc. (BOL) said it would stop shipping its ReNu MoistureLoc contact lens solution in the United States after some users were diagnosed with a serious eye infection.

"There's a lot of customer confusion out there, which is why we decided to remove the entire ReNu line," the Walgreen spokesman said. He said that Walgreen is continuing to sell other Bausch & Lomb products.

Rite Aid Corp., the third-largest U.S. drugstore chain, is removing MoistureLoc products but continuing to sell other products in the ReNu line, a spokeswoman said.

[Shammu]

Barna: Increase in 'Religious Behaviors' May Portend Genuine Change

By Jody Brown
April 12, 2006

(AgapePress) - While Christian pollster George Barna doesn't yet have hard data to confirm it, he says there is reason to hope that Americans are taking God "more seriously" than they were a decade ago.

More than 20 years of studying cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors have given Barna ample opportunities to observe and quantify the spiritual development and religious activity of those who make up the Church in America. By observing such religious behaviors as church attendance, Bible reading, and prayer, the Barna Research Group's research has provided clergy and laity alike insight into how serious Americans are about their faith, their commitment to God, and their involvement in the local church.

The Barna Group is now reporting that it is detecting "significant" increases in religious activity related to five of the seven "core religious behaviors" that the company studies on a regular basis. The researcher himself observes that it is unusual for there to be increases in more than one or two of those behaviors at the same time -- but suggests that with five of the seven showing increases simultaneously, it may indicate a "holistic, lasting commitment to engagement with God and the Christian faith."

So what religious behaviors are showing increased activity? According to Barna, the most prolific jump relates to adults' Bible reading during a typical week, outside of church. Eleven years ago, polls showed Bible readership at just 31 percent -- a 20-year low, says Barna. But a steady increase in the interim -- with a few years of stalled growth along the way -- has brought Bible readership in 2006 to 47 percent. "That's the highest readership level achieved since the 1980s," says the research group.

Church and Sunday school attendance have also picked up, says Barna. Forty-seven percent of adults say they attend worship services in a typical week -- 10 percent higher than in 1996. And almost one in four adults (24 percent) -- as compared with 17 percent ten years ago -- attend a Sunday school class.

Other areas of increased activity, according to Barna, are involvement in small groups during a typical week (23 percent vs. 17 percent a decade ago), and church volunteerism (27 percent) -- the same percentage as 15 years ago after dipping to as low as 20 percent in the meantime.

"The only two religious behaviors which did not reflect significant change were prayer and evangelism," says Barna. Both of those parameters have remained fairly stable over the years, according to the group's tracking data -- 84 percent of adults claimed they had prayed in the last week, and six of ten claimed to have shared their faith in Jesus during the past 12 months with someone whom they knew believed differently.

While George Barna remains optimistic about these latest findings, he cautions about reading too much into them as such indicators often have an "ebb and flow" to them. Still, he says, if over the next couple of years all of these measures stabilize or show slight growth, he would be willing to suggest, with confidence, that America is experiencing genuine and "meaningful" change in people's religious habits.

"Until we have such confirmation, which only comes with time," he says, "we certainly have a reason to hope that Americans are taking God more seriously -- and a motivation for believers to pray more fervently that such a commitment will take root in our culture."

Barna recently released his report "The State of the Church: 2006," which is available on his group's website.

Barna: Increase in 'Religious Behaviors' May Portend Genuine Change

[Shammu]

Christian Outreach Brings 'Book of Hope' to Rwanda's Schools, Prisons

By Allie Martin and Jenni Parker
April 12, 2006

(AgapePress) - More than 500 Christian volunteers from various countries are distributing God's Word and taking part in numerous relief activities as one African nation marks a solemn anniversary. The effort is being spearheaded by the Book of Hope ministry and is called "100 Days of Hope."

The outreach coincides with Rwanda's 100 days of genocide that took place in that country from April 7 through July 15, 1994. During that period 12 years ago, an estimated 937,000 Rwandans were slaughtered in a campaign of ethnic violence carried out largely by members of extremist militia groups.

During the 100 Days of Hope, international Christian ministries, and Christian volunteers from the U.S. and Australia are partnering with local churches in Rwanda in an effort to bring encouragement and healing to the scarred African nation. Scripture books will be handed out to two million children throughout the 12 provinces of Rwanda, and many service-oriented projects will take place as well.

The international campaign in Rwanda kicked off last Friday (April 7) and runs through July 15, 2006. During this time, participating Christian ministry leaders and volunteers will work along with their local partners on construction of schools, homes, and orphanages; distribution of humanitarian aid and medical assistance; women’s ministries, child and youth-oriented evangelism; a church leadership conference, a businessmen's outreach, and other evangelistic outreach efforts.

Book of Hope missionary Carl Ratz is leading the massive outreach, a major focus of which is getting the Word of God into the hands of Rwandans. He says while the 100 Days of Hope campaign is "a project that has logistical problems," two years of planning have gone into the event.

"We have a number of teams going from America here to help in the distribution," Ratz adds. "We go to the church and train them and help them get ready to go."

The Book of Hope ministry began in 1987 when officials in El Salvador asked founder Bob Hoskins to supply a Bible to every school child in that country. The result was the Book of Hope scripture book, a publication that combines the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to tell the life story of Jesus Christ.

The biblically-based text reads in chronological order and also features study questions that direct the reader back into scripture. A clear plan of salvation is also included at the end of the Book of Hope to explain to readers how they can accept Christ as their personal Savior. The ministry has already handed out more than 354 million copies of the scripture book so far.

The 100 Days of Hope project's goal is to provide the Book of Hope to every schoolchild and teacher in Rwanda. However, Ratz says certain features of the landscape make this a daunting and difficult task.

"The country is known as the land of a thousand hills, and our team says there's a school on the top of every one of those hills," the missionary explains, "so the roads are very bad once you get off the main roads, and to get the books to the schools and to get the teams of Rwandans there is a logistical nightmare. But it's happening."

In addition to giving the Book of Hope to Rwanda's schoolchildren and teachers, Ratz notes, the ministry also plans to provide the scripture book to all of the nation's prison inmates. If the goal is reached, Book of Hope will have distributed more than 2,050,000 scripture books across the country.

Christian Outreach Brings 'Book of Hope' to Rwanda's Schools, Prisons

[Shammu]

Senator Applauds Kansas Legislature for Voting to Regulate Porn Biz Billboards

By Allie Martin
April 12, 2006

(AgapePress) - A Kansas lawmaker says the state's legislature has responded to the increasing prevalence of pornography profiteers and their promotions by voting to restrict billboards advertising sexually oriented businesses.

The Kansas Senate bill known as SB 519 prohibits signs or outdoor advertising for adult cabarets and other sexually oriented businesses from being located within one mile of any state highway. Also, if the business is located within one mile of a state highway, the bill would allow the establishment to display a maximum of two exterior signs -- one identifying the business and the other stating that it is off limits to minors.

State Senator Tim Huelskamp authored the bill, which he says is primarily designed to protect minors. "We have [this problem] in the state of Kansas and, I presume, in other states," he notes, "but I'm pretty aware of it. I have three young children."

Huelskamp says he and other members of the state House and Senate do a lot of travel as part of their legislative duties, "and we're seeing a proliferation of signs for these pornography shops across the state of Kansas, a lot of signs going up, a lot of new shops going up." This bill, he explains, "would simply regulate the size and number of those signs and hopefully present a more family-friendly image for the state of Kansas."

The senator is confident the proposed legislation will stand up to any legal challenges, as it has already cleared some hurdles of that nature. "The strongest opposition was a few legislators who raised some constitutional objections, at least in their mind, but we met those objections very well," he says.

Also, certain attorneys threatened that perhaps they would sue the state of Kansas, Huelskamp points out. "But sometimes when you're trying to do the right thing," he asserts, "particularly on matters such as these, you can expect a lawsuit from the pornography industry, given how many dollars are involved in that particular industry."

Nevertheless, Huelskamp contends that signs advertising sexually oriented businesses deliver a message that is "not productive" for the economy of Kansas -- and he considers such outdoor ads inappropriate, whether viewed by tourists or young children. He is pleased that SB 519 has passed the legislature; the bill now goes to Governor Kathleen Sebelius for her signature.

Senator Applauds Kansas Legislature for Voting to Regulate Porn Biz Billboards

[Shammu]

 Palestinian envoy highlights importance of Tehran conference
Algiers, April 12, IRNA

Palestine-Conference-Salman
Palestine's Ambassador to Algiers A. A. al-Salman on Wednesday highlighted significance of the International Conference on Qods and Support for the Rights of Palestinian People under present circumstances.


Al-Salman told IRNA that the Conference is of high significance at a time when Palestine is subject to pressures and sanctions of the West, especially the US.

He said the meeting will be influential with respect to the fact that it will be held in an important country like Iran, which has a strong position in the world of Islam and can build up support for the Palestinian people and their aspirations.

He hoped that Muslim states will benefit from the opportunity available and take necessary decisions in line with the interests of the Palestinian nation.

Palestinian envoy highlights importance of Tehran conference

[Shammu]

 Algerian Journalist: Arab League had better remain silent on Palestine!
Algiers, April 13, IRNA

Arab League-Palestine
An Algerian journalist wrote in this country's Al-Shorouq daily's Wednesday edition that Arab leaders' silent on Palestine issue would serve that nation's interests more than the Arab League's phony support.

Sa'd bou-Aqaba wrote, "O Arab nation! The Arab League at the end of its important extraordinary session summit issued a significant communique announcing that Palestine, Iraq, Sudan and Afghanistan would soon be liberated!
"The AL has considered as 'unacceptable' the EU's halting of its financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority. By God that is a righteous stand!
"The AL has denounced the EU's unjust measure, but it is the first time in world history that the receivers of alms are negotiating with alms' donators after being deprived of it!
"If the AL was after revival of its lost prestige -- if anything till remains of it -- it would have in its communique asked the multi-millionaire Arabs to stop wasting money in beaches of Europe, East Asian and even America; but the AL instead challenged the alms donators!
"The AL could not even challenge its own members for rejecting to receive Hamas delegations, or for congratulating the successor of Ariel Sharon for assuming responsibility in occupied Palestine, but they never congratulated Hamas after its victory in democratic Palestinian elections.

"Such nasty adopting of stands is no less harmful than EU's halting of its alms to Palestine, and is by no means in line with the seized rights of the oppressed Palestinians.

"It means that the AL believes they -- the cheap Arab leaders -- and the EU are the real guardians of the Palestinians, and not their worthy elected current leaders, Hamas.

"The AL had better remained silent and advised the Arab leaders, too, to follow suit, because the alms that the West has ceased paying to the Palestinians is not even equal to a tenth of the money stolen from the Arab nations each year by their leaders, or the money spent by such and such Emir, or minister in vacation resorts of Bangkok, Cannes, etc."

Algerian Journalist: Arab League had better remain silent on Palestine!

[Shammu]

 Asefi: World Muslims happy with Iran's big nuclear success
Tehran, April 12, IRNA

Iran-Nuclear-Asefi
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi said on Wednesday that Iran's "big" success in mastering nuclear fuel cycle has made the world of Islam happy.


"The big success has placed Iran among a few countries possessing such a technology in the world," said Asefi, stressing that the "big" success is the outcome of Iranian scientists' endeavors.

He said the success is a source of honor not only for the Iranian nation but also for the world of Islam.

The US has launched wide-scale efforts to convince the world that Iran defies the international community, while the fact is that the success has made Muslim states highly happy.

He added that the US opposition is due to Iran's independence, which is the key to Islamic dignity and strength.

Asefi, who is in Istanbul to attend the conference of the OIC parliament speakers, said Muslim envoys, present in the meeting, had in their talks with Iranian officials announced that they considered he achievement as a success and congratulated Iran on the issue.

The Islamic Republic of Iran still believes in cooperation with the international community, said Asefi, adding that the US and few of its allies should not be taken synonymous to the international community.

"We are still determined to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency and what we've done thus far been under supervision of the Agency," concluded Asefi.

Asefi: World Muslims happy with Iran's big nuclear success

[Shammu]

 Haddad Adel calls on Muslim states to react to another sacrilegious move
Istanbul, April 12, IRNA

Iran-Haddad Adel-Turkey
Iranian Majlis Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel who is in Istanbul to attend the 4th Parliament Speakers Meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) sent a letter to the Secretary General of the conference Ibrahim Auf calling for necessary reaction to be shown to another insulting move against Islamic sanctities.


The letter read "Following the publication of defamatory cartoons in the newspapers of Denmark and some other European countries which have hurt the feelings of Muslims across the globe, we have heard that Ms. Ayan Hirsi Ali, a Member of Parliament of the Netherlands is busy making a movie titled "Submission 2" with an anti-Islamic theme."
"I deem it necessary to request Your Excellency, as the Secretary General of Parliamentary Union of OIC Member States to inform the honorable speakers of Parliaments of Islamic States of the matter and ensure that appropriate measures are taken by the member parliaments to deal with that. The General Secretariat of PUIC, too, is requested to react to this matter by having it raised in other international parliamentary institutions," said the letter.

The General Secretary of the PUIC read the letter in the Executive Committee of the Conference on Tuesday and it was agreed that the issue should be placed on the agenda of the OIC summit which is to kick off on Wednesday in Istanbul.

The two-day conference will open in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Wednesday and would end on Thursday.

Parliament speakers of Islamic states, in their two-day meeting, will discuss issues related to the Islamic world including the West's and United States' application of double standards on issues affecting Islamic states, insult to religious sanctities and support for the Palestinian people.

An expert meeting of the 4th OIC Parliament Speakers Conference and the 14th meeting of the Executive Committee of the OIC Parliaments Union kicked off separately in Istanbul on Saturday.

The OIC Parliaments Union was established in Tehran upon the initiative of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1999.

Its second and third sessions were held in Morocco and Senegal in 2001 and 2004, respectively.

Haddad Adel calls on Muslim states to react to another sacrilegious move

[Shammu]

Thousands Rally Against Racial Hatred in Russia’s St. Petersburg

Created: 11.04.2006 18:29 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 19:08 MSK

MosNews

About 3 thousand people took part in a rally against racial hatred in Russia’s second-largest city of St. Petersburg, Russian news agencies reported Tuesday.

The rally was organized by the pro-Kremlin youth movement “Nashi”, days after a student from Senegal was shot dead in an apparently racist attack.

Apart from “Nashi” members, the rally was attended by people from the St. Petersburg Anti-Fascist Association, members of the African Unity group and members of the city legislative assembly and government.

Before the start of the rally a group of 15 students from African countries performed national songs and dances.

All participants observed a minute of silence in memory of all victims of fascism and racism.

Senegalese student Lamzar Samba was shot dead in St. Petersburg street on April 7. Police found a shotgun decorated with a swastika at the scene of the murder. The incident was just one in a string of recent attacks against foreigners in Russia.

Thousands Rally Against Racial Hatred in Russia’s St. Petersburg

[Shammu]

Russian Expert Dismisses Iran’s Nuclear Claims as “Fairy Tales”

Created: 12.04.2006 19:15 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 19:15 MSK, 11 hours 27 minutes ago

MosNews

Russian nuclear expert, academician Yevgeny Velikhov has cast doubt on Iran’s nuclear claims.

Velikhov, the president of the Russian Kurchatov Institute scientific center, quoted by Interfax said there is only a “low power Russian-produced thermonuclear tokamak (toroidal magnetic confinement) reactor” in Iran. He added that in 1993, his institute had sold a tokamak device “which it no longer needed, to an Iranian university”, to “teach students.” “But that is all, one cannot make any serious work with it.”

He said that “for a long time now we have not cooperated in this area with Iranian nuclear scientists, however, we do know that Iran has a second device of this kind, bought from China”.

Velikhov said there were “around 100 such devices in use around the world. Any university is allowed to run this type of experimental device and these are purely civilian peaceful research projects.”

Speaking on statements in the Iranian press that Iran “is the first country in the world to master the technology of thermonuclear synthesis,” Velikhov said they show “full incompetence.” He added that “scientific results should be reported at scientific conferences.” Otherwise, such statements can be treated only as “fairy tales,” the scientist said.

Russian Expert Dismisses Iran’s Nuclear Claims as “Fairy Tales”

[Shammu]

Iran Rejects Russia’s Call to Stop Uranium Enrichment Work

Created: 12.04.2006 13:02 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 13:02 MSK, 17 hours 40 minutes ago

MosNews

Iran has rejected Russia’s call to end its uranium enrichment work. A senior Iranian official said the country’s nuclear program could not be stopped.

“Iran’s nuclear activities are like a waterfall which has begun to flow. It cannot be stopped,” the official was quoted by Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Iran said on Tuesday it had produced low-grade enriched uranium suitable for use in nuclear power stations, setting itself on a collision course with the West and the UN Security Council, which have called for a halt to its work on uranium. Russia described Tuesday’s announcement as “a step in the wrong direction” but Iran held firm.

A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman was quoted by the ITAR-TASS news agency on Wednesday as saying Tehran should halt uranium enrichment. Iran has been referred to the UN Security Council for failing to convince much of the international community that it is only enriching uranium for power stations and not branching out into weapons.

Deputy head of Russian Foreign Ministry’s information department, Andrei Krivtsov, quoted by Interfax news agency, said Iran’s work on uranium enrichment was a “step in the wrong direction. It is contrary to the resolutions of the International Atomic Energy Agency board of directors and the statement by the chairman of the UN Security Council.”

Iran Rejects Russia’s Call to Stop Uranium Enrichment Work