Guinea-Bissau closer to political stability, security - Secretary-General

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed cautious optimism over the progress of democracy in Guinea Bissau, where a series of political assassinations earlier this year threatened stability in the impoverished West African country.

Report: Iran proposes “big changes” to draft atom deal

The U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which had requested a reply by last Friday, said its chief, Mohamed ElBaradei, had now received an “initial response” from Tehran.

 

“(ElBaradei) is engaged in consultations with the government of Iran as well as all relevant parties, with the hope that agreement on his proposal can be reached soon,” the IAEA said in a statement. It gave no further details.

 

The Iranian pro-government daily Javan said in an unsourced report that Iran wanted shipments of low-enriched uranium (LEU) — for conversion abroad into fuel for a Tehran research reactor — to take place in stages, not in a single consignment.

 

It also wanted simultaneous imports of higher-enriched fuel from other countries for the same plant.

 

The conditions were likely non-starters for Western powers, which suspect the Islamic Republic covertly seeks nuclear arms capability. Tehran says its program is only for electricity.

 

“If the Iranian position is as described, it gets the IAEA nowhere,” a western diplomat in Vienna said. “They are undercutting Mohamed ElBaradei, who is seeking to help them demonstrate the peaceful intent of their nuclear program.”

 

ELBARADEI PLAN

 

Under ElBaradei’s plan, Tehran would transfer about 75 percent of its known 1.5 tons of LEU in one shipment to Russia by the end of this year for further enrichment. The material would then go to France to be converted into fuel plates.

 

These would be returned to Tehran to power the U.S.-built reactor, which produces radio-isotopes for cancer treatment.

 

The U.S. role would be to upgrade safety and instrumentation at the plant, Iranian officials said.

 

France reacted cautiously to the reports of Tehran’s latest position, saying it wanted to see Iran “respond clearly and positively to the proposal submitted by the IAEA, which is fully supported by France, the United States and Russia.”

 

Western powers were likely to rebuff Tehran’s proposed amendments because their priority is to reduce the stockpile of Iranian LEU to ward off the danger that Iran might turn it into the highly enriched uranium needed for an atom bomb.

 

Sending most of the LEU abroad would buy about a year for talks on forging a long-term solution to the nuclear dispute, in which Western powers want Iran to halt enrichment in return for economic incentives.

 

Iran’s request for nuclear fuel imports is problematic because U.N. sanctions ban trade in such materials with Tehran.

 

Western diplomats said Iran risks rekindling demands for harsher sanctions unless it acts on the fuel plan and other nuclear transparency measures before the end of the year.

 

“NOT ONE IOTA”

 

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated that his country would not retreat “one iota” on its right to a nuclear program and suggested it was gaining ground in the dispute.

 

“They (the West) used to tell us to halt everything (nuclear activities), but today they have announced their readiness to cooperate with us in fuel exchange and technology,” he said in a speech in the northeastern city of Mashhad on Thursday.

 

“We welcome cooperation on nuclear fuel, power plants and technology and we are ready to cooperate,” he added, without saying whether Iran would accept the IAEA proposal or not.

 

But Iran’s English-language satellite station PRESS TV quoted an unnamed source as saying that Iran did not trust other countries involved, such as the United States and France.

 

“Iran needs to receive guarantees that the nuclear fuel for Tehran’s research reactor will in fact be supplied,” it quoted the source as saying. “Iran as the buyer of the nuclear fuel should determine how much fuel it requires to purchase.”

 

The draft fuel deal emerged from talks that followed an October 1 meeting in Geneva, where Iran also told six big powers it would open a newly disclosed enrichment site to U.N. inspectors.

 

Four senior IAEA inspectors returned to Vienna on Thursday after a first visit to the site, which Iran expects to start operating at the end of 2010. The team chief said it “had a good trip” but would not elaborate. Details are likely to come in the IAEA’s next quarterly report on Iran, in mid-November.

 

The inspectors wanted full access and documentation to verify that the plant, being built beneath a mountain, was designed to enrich uranium only to the low purity needed for electricity, not the high level suitable for bombs.

UN Secretariat seeks more than $5 billion to cover work for next two years

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today proposed a budget of just over $5 billion to cover the work of the United Nations Secretariat for the next two years, telling a General Assembly committee that only a slight increase over the budget is needed despite increased demands for the UN’s services.

Will Russian spaceships go nuclear?

Russia says it wants to build a nuclear-powered spaceship for “large-scale space exploration”, but experts question the claim

Today on New Scientist: 29 October 2009

Today’s stories on newscientist.com, at a glance, including: the secret history of swine flu, why the ultimate jukebox is the next step in net music, and why three buses always come along at once

Sudan: UN seeks release of staff members taken hostage in Darfur

The top African Union-United Nations peacekeeping official in Sudan met with leading Government ministers this week to urge them to step up efforts for the safe release of abducted UN and other humanitarian workers in the strife-torn Darfur region, calling it a “hostage crisis.”

Ban expresses disappointment that Zimbabwe blocks UN torture expert

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced his disappointment that the invitation extended by the Zimbabwean Government to the United Nations independent expert on torture was suddenly revoked yesterday.

UN nuclear watchdog receives initial response from Iran on fuel agreement

Iran has submitted an initial response on a draft agreement on fuel for its civilian nuclear research facility to the head of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it was announced today.

November 12 Protest to Save the Life of Mumia Abu-Jamal

ALL OUT NOV. 12 IN D.C.

Protest to save Mumia’s life

Civil rights investigation demanded

By Dolores Cox
Philadelphia
Published Oct 28, 2009 4:49 PM

The International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal (ICFFMAJ) coalition convened an urgent meeting here on Oct. 17. Mumia supporters from Philadelphia, New York and Washington, D.C., were in attendance. It was a fightback strategy meeting of critical importance. Mumia, who has been on death row for over 27 years, is now, more than ever, faced with having his life snuffed out by the political powers that be.

At the Oct. 17 meeting organizers said that if the U.S. Supreme Court upholds the original 1982 death penalty verdict and overturns the current verdict of life without parole, then Mumia’s execution is imminent.

History of injustice

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge signed Mumia’s death warrant. The execution was scheduled to take place on Aug. 17, 1995, Marcus Garvey’s birthday. That execution was stayed by a national emergency protest, and Mumia’s life was saved, pending further appeals.

However, in December 2001, Mumia’s 1982 death sentence was actually overturned by the federal court and subsequently upheld by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals this past April, though it nonetheless upheld his guilty verdict. He was thus granted life in prison without parole. The prosecution then appealed that ruling, again seeking the death penalty.

In April the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review an appeal demanding a new trial for Mumia. This court’s next step will be to decide whether to reinstate the death penalty, which the Philadelphia District Attorney office is clamoring for, or to rule in favor of life in prison without parole. If the Supreme Court rules to continue with the current sentence of life without parole, the D.A. can choose to accept this decision or request a review of it and continue to pursue Mumia’s execution. Neither decision is acceptable to Mumia supporters who are continuing to fight for his release or a new, fair trial at the very least.

A case currently being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court (Smith v. Spisak) could have implications for Mumia’s fate, which now hangs in the balance. At issue is whether the judge’s instructions to the jury were confusing and faulty regarding when a verdict is arrived at and if juries are being confused as to whether mitigating factors that could lead to greater leniency require unanimity. A 1988 Supreme Court case (Mills v. Maryland) ruled the judge erred in instructing the jury and overturned the lower court’s death sentence. Both Mumia and Spisak share this issue. The question is also whether that ruling applies to states other than Maryland.

Grave situation requires response

The gravity of Mumia’s situation is compounded by other events. The current Philadelphia District Attorney has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for reinstatement of the death penalty. And the leading candidate running for the D.A. position, Seth Williams, an African American, is campaigning on the promise to sign a warrant for Mumia’s execution, with the backing of Philadelphia’s Fraternal Order of Police.

Additionally, current Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell was actively involved in Mumia’s prosecution, and has made it eminently clear that he would sign a death warrant for Mumia if the Supreme Court affirms the death sentence. Another factor is the scheduled December release of a documentary film about Mumia by Tigre Hill, also an African American, called “Barrel of the Gun,” which supports the police version of events on Dec. 9, 1981, that led to Mumia’s arrest.

The ICFFMAJ, the New York Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition, and numerous other organizations and collectives in Washington, New York and Philadelphia are presently mobilizing an international demonstration in Washington on Nov. 12 at the U.S. Department of Justice. There they will be delivering the collection of signed letters to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder demanding a civil rights investigation of the 28-year conspiracy to execute Mumia, an innocent man, for his political beliefs. Locally, Philadelphia activists will also be protesting against Seth Williams.

An urgent appeal is being made for all activists to participate in the Nov. 12 press conference and letter delivery actions in Washington. A civil rights investigation into this case could mean the difference between life and death for Mumia, and might open the door for his release from the hellhole of death row.

Massive outreach and publicity are needed. For transportation from New York City on Nov. 12, call 212-330-8029. For more information visit www.freemumia.com or call 212-330-8029, 215-476-8812, or 301-762-9162.

Join the fight against injustice and racism. We must act now before it’s too late. Free Mumia!

The writer is an International Action Center volunteer in New York.
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UN expert concerned over reports of torture after being blocked by Zimbabwe

The United Nations independent expert on torture today voiced concern over reports of ill treatment in Zimbabwe, 24 hours after his invitation to visit the country was suddenly revoked.