[Dawn] Hundreds of thousands turned out in support of Senegal ... a nation of about 14 million on the west coast of Africa bordering Mauretania to the north, Mali to the east, and a pair of Guineas to the south, one of them Bissau. It is 90 percent Mohammedan and has more than 80 political parties. Its primary purpose seems to be absorbing refugees... 's President Abdoulaye Wade on Saturday, in a massive show of force by the 85-year-old leader who is seeking a controversial third term in office.
The ruling party rally dwarfed an opposition protest held earlier in the day to pressure Wade to drop his plans to contest February 2012 elections, which his critics say is unconstitutional.
But a defiant Wade countered with his rally which saw hundreds of thousands of people swarming the boulevard in front of the ruling party's headquarters in Dakar, an AFP journalist said.
Speaking to thunderous applause he congratulated the country for holding two peaceful rallies a month after violent riots plunged the capital into chaos.
"Senegal has shown its maturity ... we want peace that allows everyone to express themselves and to vote, but once the verdict is passed it must be accepted, and we must become brothers once again," Wade said.
Senegal's Information Minister Moustafa Guirassy said between 1.8 and two million people were at the ruling Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) rally.
"I came to support Wade who achieved in 10 years that which no president before him did," said Dieynaba Sidibe from Tambacounda in the south-east.
The massive show of force by the ruling party came a few hours after an opposition rally where between 10,000 and 50,000, depending on sources, turned out to demand Wade ditch his plans to run for a third term in office.
"No to a third term for Wade", "Wade go, Wade out" read placards brandished by protesters, who had to move their rally to the suburbs after political gatherings were banned in downtown Dakar earlier this week.
"Wade said (in 2007) he wasn't going to run again, he must respect his word. All Senegal's problems come from him," said one protester, Alpha Ciss.
While the president has acknowledged he did say this, he has since said he has the right to change his mind.
Major opposition leaders such as Ousmane Tanor Dieng of the Socialist Party (PS), civil society figures and former Wade allies such as ex-prime minister Idrissa Seck, addressed the crowd.
"This mobilisation shows the determination of the Senegalese people to put an end to Wade's regime. They have been heard. Abdoulaye Wade cannot be a candidate, Abdoulaye Wade will not be a candidate," said Abdoulaye Bathily of the Democratic League.
The protests come one month to the day after riots broke out as parliament examined proposed changes to election laws, leaving over 100 injured in the biggest demonstrations since Wade came to power in 2000.
The changes were later shelved because of the pressure from the street and harsh criticism from abroad.
The proposed changes would have added a vice president to the presidential ticket and dropped the winning threshold for a first-round victory to 25 per cent of the votes from the current 50 per cent.
Wade's critics believe he is trying to smooth the way for his 42-year-old son Karim to succeed him without having to run for office himself. Karim Wade is considered too unpopular to win on his own ticket.
The president has dismissed the claim.
The national debate has heightened tension in the west African country, a bastion of stability in a troubled region which has always known a peaceful transfer of power and never undergone a coup d'etat.
Senegal's first president after independence from La Belle France in 1960, Leopold Senghor, resigned after two decades in office in favour of his prime minister Abdou Diouf in 1981, who accepted defeat when trumped by Wade.
Wade was first elected for a seven-year term in 2000 and again in 2007 for a five-year mandate after a constitutional change shortened the presidential term. According to the constitution, the president can only serve two terms.
However Wade's supporters say this provision only came into play after the change in the law -- which would mean he is entitled to seek another term in office.
Wade's camp says the final decision rests with the constitutional council.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/25/2011 00:00 ||
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"workaholic leadership style" just as I thought. He will be a poor patient. Just as soon as he thinks he is better he will return to his old ways. He wants to live as he wants, eat what he wants , rule as he wants. Sounds familiar? Quaddafi or even Assad. He can't let go. Regarding his health he will be his own worst enemy.
#3
Anonymoose hello!. This personalty type keeps showing up everywhere in history. The need to control and dominate must have been learned from early childhood development. Insecurity would be my guess. Did he have coinage made with his image?. One think I noticed about George Murtha he had his name on just about everything. What I liked about the Egyptians is they rubbed out the old pharaoh and put the new pharaoh over it.
[Al Jazeera] Three of China's senior railway officials have been sacked following a high-speed train crash that left 35 people dead, state media said.
The Chinese government relieved the head of the Shanghai railway bureau, his deputy and the bureau's Communist Party chief of their responsibilities on Sunday, a day after the deadly crash, in which a high-speed train smashed into a stalled train and derailed.
The three will "also be subject to investigation", China's railways ministry said in a statement on its website.
"As leaders ... they should take ultimate responsibility for the main cause of the accident," railways ministry front man Wang Yongping told news hounds.
The accident, which occurred on Saturday in eastern China, has raised questions about the safety of the country's fast-growing rail network.
"There's been a lot of talk in the country, a lot of suspicion in China about the bullet trains and in many ways this actually really confirms a lot of people's suspicions about the safety and the technology and whether China is really ready to adopt this technology," Al Jizz's Melissa Chan, reporting from the site of the accident in Wenzhou, said.
Badly damaged cars
The accident caused two carriages on one of the high-speed trains to derail. According to the official Xinhua news agency, four cars on the second train also derailed, but it did not say how serious that incident was.
The first train was travelling from the Zhejiang lovely provincial capital of Hangzhou; it struck the other train - which had been stalled after being struck by lightning - in Wenzhou city. One carriage from the first train fell about 20 to 30 metres from an elevated section of track.
Pictures posted on the internet showed one badly damaged car lying on its side by the bridge and the second car leaning against the bridge after landing on its end.
Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang, visiting the scene, "pledged that the Sherlocks will find out the cause of the accident and those responsible will be seriously punished according to the law", the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Rescue mission
Rescuers worked all night and into the morning pulling people - alive and dead - out of the trains.
"The task for us now is to clear the debris and also to check for survivors in those areas that we have not gone to," 35-year-old rescue worker Wang Jun told the Rooters news agency. "Also, we are trying to get the railway line to be operational again."
While the exact number of passengers is unknown, almost 200 people have been hospitalised - 12 at death's door. Among those killed were two foreigners, including a woman in her 20's.
A flicker of good news broke earlier on Sunday when a four-year-old girl was pulled alive from the train wreck almost 21 hours after the accident had occurred. State television said that a male toddler had also been pulled alive from the wreckage.
First generation trains
The trains involved are "D" trains, the first generation bullet train with an average speed of about 150km per hour but not as fast as the new Beijing-Shanghai line.
Xinhua said the train hit by lightning was "D3115", and that the ministry of railways confirmed that it was hit from behind by train "D301".
China has spent billions of dollars and plans more massive spending to link the country with a high-speed rail network.
But the former minister of railways, who oversaw much of that development, is currently under investigation and charged with corruption. The showcase high-speed line between Beijing and Shanghai has been plagued by power outages and other malfunctions since it opened on June 30.
Official plans call for China's bullet train network to expand to 13,000km of track this year and 16,000km by 2020.
The huge spending connected with the rail expansion also has been blamed for corruption, and Railways Minister Liu Zhijun was dismissed this spring amid an investigation into unspecified corruption allegations.
No details have been released about the allegations against him, but news reports say they include kickbacks, bribes, illegal contracts and sexual liaisons.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/25/2011 00:00 ||
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IIRC China's much-ballyhooed HS COMMUTER RAIL has suffered three major incidents or crashes in less than a week, hence the sackings???
Reminds me of the US WILD/OLD WEST of the 19th Century, + the early probs encountered wid the widespread introduction of the "Iron Horse".
#2
Struck by lightning, you say? Isn't that one of those "stuff happens" things? Or are the electrical towers, etc. supposed to be grounded?
Or is lightning a mis-translation of 'evil spirits'?
In any event, the speed of the trains has little to do with the accident. Higher speeds just mean spacing the signals farther apart. But if the signal system is not protected from lightning ...
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/25/2011 6:06 Comments ||
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but news reports say they include kickbacks, bribes, illegal contracts and sexual liaisons
This is why The One is so fascinated by high speed rail. Boodle galore.
Posted by: Matt ||
07/25/2011 11:19 Comments ||
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#4
but news reports say they include kickbacks, bribes, illegal contracts and sexual liaisons
#8
Heard on the radio today, those two dead foreigners are Americans. What a shitty way to die.
There is no good way to die. Maybe their relatives will derive some small comfort from the knowledge that they were helping to alpha test the Chinese high speed rail system. Or not.
#3
Speaking of defaults, here's an article from last Friday, which has gotten no coverage: The International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) said a restructuring credit event occurred after Bank of Ireland closed an offer to buy back about 2.6 billion euros of Tier 1 and Tier 2 subordinated debt at a discount of up to 90 percent earlier this month.
A credit event is financial industry jargon for default on payment, breach of bond covenants or other event that casts doubt on an issuer's ability to service its debt.
#4
Default occurs when the issuer fails to pay the coupon (agreed interest at set date).
The price the bond trades at is immaterial.
Bank of Ireland closed an offer to buy back about 2.6 billion euros of Tier 1 and Tier 2 subordinated debt at a discount of up to 90 percent earlier this month.
Interesting. I wonder what persuaded the bondholders to sell. 90% is a big haircut.
[Al Jazeera] Thousands of Spain's "indignant" protesters - including hundreds who crossed the country on foot - marched through Madrid and once again filled the downtown Sol square to demonstrate against high unemployment and the economic crisis.
Six columns of more than 500 protesters who marched for weeks from cities across Spain formed the core of Sunday's demonstration.
The protesters who call themselves the "indignados" meaning the indignant or outraged, began converging on Madrid a day earlier, two months after they launched their movement.
A more accurate term would be "idiots who continuously vote for socialism". But that doesn't fit well on a t-shirt.
They hiked across the country for two months? All that fresh air and sunshine, the camaraderie and freedom from care... We can only envy the experience.
It's awfully hot on the central plateau in Summer, tho.
On Sunday, they were joined by protesters who arrived in Madrid by bus from over 30 cities as well as residents of the Spanish capital.
"Politicians don't represent us! No! no! No!" the crowd chanted, with some waving handmade banners reading "It's not a crisis, it's the system that's wrong".
So true...
Some protesters began their march 34 days ago and walked 650km from the southwestern city of Cadiz.
Physiotherapists and masseurs accompanied demonstrators to treat them for aching legs and blistered feet.
I thought these were the poor and unemployed? Massage therapists cost $65/hour around here, and physical therapists considerably more. D'you suppose Moses and the Israelites took masseuses with them when they fled the flesh pots of Egypt? And they wandered forty years, not a mere month or two.
Protesters outraged
Protesters said they were outraged with politicians for failing to solve Spain's high unemployment and accuse them of being uncaring, corrupt and inept.
They first began demonstrating before the regional elections in May in response to the perceived failure of politicians to represent the electorate.
Demonstrators had set off from cities across the country at the end of June, including Barcelona, Malaga, Valencia and Bilbao.
Many used the opportunity to stop on the way to Madrid by holding public meetings to spread their message of outrage.
On Saturday, several dozen demonstrators stopped outside Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's official residence just north of Madrid to wave banners and chant slogans.
I see no mention of giant puppets. It isn't a proper demonstration without giant puppets.
"We're here to keep up the momentum of the protests," said Ivan Gracia, a student who came by bus from the northern city of Zaragoza and planned to spend the night in the square.
The protesters have won broad public support in their fight against austerity measures introduced by the Spanish government, with 200,000 people attending rallies across the country.
Too vague
The movement, although it has been able to gather large numbers of supporters, has been criticised for being too vague in its demands - but demonstrators say there are issues that everyone agrees on.
"In two months, we have had some good responses," said demonstrator Fernando Carasa."We have stopped about 60 expulsions, created social pressure and achieved a bigger mobilisation than any political party."
Golly. Congratulations on putting off the inevitable for a little longer. Don't forget, you all need ponies: pretty pink ponies with sparkly tails!
The politicians of the eurozone's fourth largest economy have worked hard to convince investors the country will not follow Greece, Portugal and Ireland in needing a bailout.
But Spaniards say while this has been happening, their own worries are being ignored.
Unemployment has soared to 14-year highs and almost half of under-25s are out of work.
Banks have cut off credit lines, consumer prices are rising faster than the regional average, investment has been slashed and house prices have plummeted.
Earlier this month, the socialist government set new limits on the amount of money that banks can reclaim from mortgage defaulters in what was seen as an effort to appease the protesters.
Please don't treat us like Mubarek!
Posted by: Fred ||
07/25/2011 00:00 ||
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Soooo....hows that Socialist renewable energy investment scheme workin' for ya?
[Dawn] With their inability to meet thrice-revised revenue target, the economic managers are uncertain about the remaining part of $11.3 billion programme of the International Monetary Fund. And they are likely to request for a fresh programme which, if approved, will be with even more stringent conditions.
The IMF is running out of money. The choice is between Pakistan and Greece. Greece's inevitable default is backed by Germany, compared to Pakistan, whose inevitable default is backed by...nobody.
Background discussions with officials here suggest that a fragile strategy to convince the IMF authorities about a sound economic performance during the last financial year was torpedoed even before its launch when then governor of State Bank of Pakistain Shahid H. Kardar declined to have anything to do with it.
Efforts to pressurise Mr Kardar into agreeing to reconcile revenue collection 'exceeding the target' by affirming receipts in June 2011 from the National Bank of Pakistain and some other enterprises in July led to his resignation because in SBP's opinion coming year's revenues could not be accounted for as previous year's collection.
His resignation and an announcement by the Federal Board of Revenue chairman about surpassing the revenue target came as a surprises to Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh who at that time was on leave in Washington. On his return, he went straight to Mr Kardar to persuade him to withdraw his resignation but by that time things had already gone out of control.
Officials said that top economic managers had planned a reshuffle in economic bureaucracy that envisaged posting of economic affairs division secretary Abdul Wajid Rana as finance secretary in place of Dr Waqar Masood Khan who was to be appointed FBR chairman. Salman Siddique, the incumbent FBR chief, who is to retire soon, would be made the auditor general in place of Tanvir Agha whose tenure had been cut short as a consequence of the 18th Amendment even though he had been cleared by the law ministry to complete his term on which his appointment had been made.
Dr Waqar Masood Khan was appointed finance secretary without the knowledge of the finance minister. Sources said Dr Khan was not a favourite of Dr Sheikh because he often took an independent position on policy matters.
Officials would not confirm the plans for a bureaucratic reshuffle saying many proposals had come under consideration and discarded.
Insiders, however, suggest the changes may have been delayed but will not be shelved and there may be some modifications.
They indicate that Dr Khan was a strong contender for the post of SBP governor even before Mr Kardar was hired about 10 months ago and could now be considered for the important post given his equation with political bosses.
In the meanwhile, the IMF appears to have got wind of the things taking place behind the scene on the revenue front.
Therefore, the authorities found it prudent to officially accept the revenue shortfalls instead of creating a credibility gap.
This was crucial for the ongoing $11.3 billion standby arrangement (SBA) suspended in May last year. Of the SBA, disbursements of about $3.6 billion are outstanding. The first bulky repayment of about $1.2 billion to the IMF is due in February next year and Pakistain will require a fresh loan programme to make repayment.
The government was expecting the disbursement of half of the outstanding amount soon after the completion of the fifth review of the SBA during the current month on the basis of achievement of Rs1,588 billion revenue target and fiscal deficit of 5.3 per cent of GDP. This should have enabled the IMF to also issue a letter of comfort to other lenders to ease financial flows to Islamabad.
As the revenues stood short of target by a huge amount of Rs38 billion, the fiscal deficit also went up to around 6 per cent of GDP as some of the financing items could not materialise.Officials said the government was almost certain that the macroeconomic performance during the last financial year was not sufficient to secure the next IMF tranche and remain engaged under the existing programme that would mean a request for a fresh medium-term programme of about $3.5-5 billion. The new programme is believed to be harsher, given the unsuccessful completion of a softer 30-month standby arrangement.
And for this reason the authorities have not yet requested the IMF for a macroeconomic review which was originally scheduled to be in the third or last week of the current month. During the last meeting with IMF personnel in Dubai before finalisation of the federal budget 2011-12, the lending agencies had clearly told the authorities that they could consider resuming talks only on the basis of actual and reconciled data.
Previously, the IMF had declined a request to hold next review of the 'suspended' $11.3 billion standby programme on the basis of estimated figures of expenditure and revenues of the last financial year.
The lending agency has told authorities to wait for the actual numbers to set schedule for post-budget review talks. The government is yet to make public current year's accounts of the consolidated expenditure and revenue, although these were finalised about a week ago.
The key reason for IMF's insistence on actual numbers was based on previous slippages on estimated data but more importantly it wanted to ascertain if revenue and expenditure targets agreed to in pre-budget negotiations in Dubai had been achieved.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/25/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] A strong group within the Pakistain Mohammedan League-Nawaz (PML-N) is trying to save MNA Anjum Aqeel Khan, who is facing charges of land fraud and attack on coppers, from possible disciplinary action by the party, Dawn has learnt.
Sources in the party said a group comprising some influential figures had actively been lobbying for the past few days to save the MNA and so far it had been successful in restraining PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Müslim League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... from taking any extreme step against the politician.
Mr Sharif, according to the sources, had almost made up his mind to expel Mr Khan from the party and seek his resignation from the assembly for causing an irreparable damage to the party's image by not only escaping from police custody but also defying the leadership's directives to surrender before the police.
The PML-N chief, however, deferred the step and constituted a special four-member committee headed by Senator Raja Zafarul Haq to probe into the allegations against Mr Khan. But when the committee absolved the MNA of the charges of escaping from police custody and termed the whole incident part of a conspiracy, Mr Sharif expressed his dissatisfaction over the report and asked the committee to issue a show-cause notice to Mr Khan.
The committee which had earlier announced that it had completed its job later issued a show-cause notice to the MNA, asking him to submit a written reply by July 30. Through the notice, the MNA was asked to give reasons for his "failure to exercise leadership and return to the cop shoppe immediately after a crowd forcibly removed you from police custody outside Police Station, Shalimar". Mr Khan was also asked to give "reasons" for his arrest and "facts" about his alleged involvement in the National Police Foundation land case, being investigated by the FIA.
The sources said the supporters and friends of Mr Khan in the party told Mr Sharif that the MNA's expulsion could be detrimental to the party as it would provide an opportunity to the party's opponents to exploit the incident. They also told Mr Sharif that it would be difficult for the party to regain the National Assembly seat (NA-48), if by-elections were held.
Moreover, the sources said, the group members believed that Mr Khan's expulsion could also cause financial problems for the party as the MNA was a strong financier.
Interestingly, the party has already suspended the basic membership of seven party activists nominated in the FIR (first information report) under the Anti-Terrorism Act for their alleged involvement in the attack on the coppers carrying Mr Khan to the cop shoppe.
When contacted, Raja Zafarul Haq, the head of the PML-N disciplinary committee, denied that there had been any pressure on him or the committee to save the MNA. He said the decision on the issue was still pending before the leadership.
Mr Haq said the incidents that led to the arrest of the MNA and his escape from police custody on July 15 clearly showed that Mr Khan was being politically victimised because of his active participation in protests against the government in the National Assembly.
Replying to a question, he said the PML-N in the past had taken action against its politicians after succumbing to pressure of the media and opponents. He said previously the party leadership had sought resignation of the MNA from Rawalpindi, Pervez Khan, when his nephew was caught for allegedly appearing in the BA examinations in place of his uncle, but later the court acquitted him. He said it was unfair to give judgment before completion of trial.
He said all the committee members had seen the video footage of the MNA's escape from police custody and it was evident that Mr Khan was forcibly taken away from the scene. Moreover, he said, the police had tossed in the calaboose him in the case in which he had been granted an interim bail till July 19.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/25/2011 00:00 ||
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Sanctions? What sanctions? First the gas pipeline deal With Iraq and Syria, now this.
Beirut's signing of agreement may violate UN sanctions against Tehran; Iranian parliamentary delegation tours Lebanese border with Israel. Leb's cabinet on Wednesday approved a memorandum of understanding with Iran to help Beirut pursue oil and gas oil exploration, a Lebanese government source told the Beirut-based Daily Star newspaper. "The cabinet approved a [memorandum] between the Lebanese and Iranian energy ministries," Information Minister Walid Daouq told news hounds. Leb's cabinet is dominated by members of Hezbullies's March 8 coalition. The Islamist movement's Al-Manar satellite channel reported the agreement to be worth $50 million.
Leb has threatened to complain to the UN over the recent maritime border demarcation between Israel and Cyprus, which allows the two countries to exploit natural resources within their respective areas of illusory sovereignty. In signing the agreement, however, Leb may be violating UN Security Council sanctions against the Islamic Theocratic Republic and could incur a condemnation from the world body, the Ya Libnan website reported.
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch, Butch and the Kid finally brought their horses under control... an Iranian parliamentary delegation toured Leb's border with Israel, the Daily Star reported, including a stop at the now-closed Fatima Gate between the neighboring states. The five-member delegation reportedly visited the gate -- a border crossing during Israel's occupation of southern Leb that closed in 2000 -- shortly after Israeli troops conducted repair work on the border fence. The Iranians reportedly drove to Khiam, a former Israeli detention center in southern Leb. Air strikes in the 2006 war severely damaged the former prison, which has since become a popular Hezbullies-run museum displaying military vehicles captured during the conflict.
"During the morning tour, the delegation inspected a number of towns in southern Leb as well as roads that Iran helped build following the 2006 war," the newspaper reported. "Iran has carried out between 40 and 50 projects across southern Leb, including the establishment of new roads and mosques.
The Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran will accept no excuses from Russia, if Moscow fails to launch Bushehr nuclear power plant within the specified deadline, a senior Iranian politician says.
"According to the contract, the Russian company is bound to fulfill its undertakings with respect to the completion and launch of the plant," Deputy Chairman of Iran's Majlis (parliament) Committee on Foreign Policy and National Security Hossein Ebrahimi told Majlis news agency (ICANA) on Saturday.
"The Islamic Theocratic Republic will no longer accept any ambiguity or justification (for delay) with regard to the launch of Bushehr nuclear plant, and nuclear-generated electricity should enter the grid at the specified time," he added. The politician was referring to the Thursday remarks made by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Alexander Lukashevich that Moscow was awaiting "a more specific request" from the Iranian side on when to start the project.
Ebrahimi argued that the mutual contract requires no specific request by Tehran, and Moscow should therefore finish the work within the stipulated deadline.
The construction of Bushehr power plant started in 1975 when Germany signed a contract with Iran. Germany, however, pulled out of the project following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran then signed a deal with Russia in 1995, under which the plant was originally scheduled to be completed in 1999, but the completion of the project was repeatedly delayed. The nuclear power plant was finally finished with the help of Russia following a three-decade delay.
In October 2010, Iran started injecting fuel into the core of the reactor at Bushehr nuclear power plant in the initial phase of its launch. However, ars longa, vita brevis... engineers began removing the fuel rods in late February for safety reasons. The unloading of the fuel delayed the plant's joining the national grid, initially scheduled for the beginning of 2011.
The Islamic Republic of Iran will accept no excuses from Russia, if Moscow fails to launch Bushehr nuclear power plant within the specified deadline, a senior Iranian lawmaker says.
According to the contract, the Russian company is bound to fulfill its undertakings with respect to the completion and launch of the plant, Deputy Chairman of Iran's Majlis (parliament) Committee on Foreign Policy and National Security Hossein Ebrahimi told Majlis news agency (ICANA) on Saturday.
The Islamic Republic will no longer accept any ambiguity or justification (for delay) with regard to the launch of Bushehr nuclear plant, and nuclear-generated electricity should enter the grid at the specified time, he added. The legislator was referring to the Thursday remarks made by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Alexander Lukashevich that Moscow was awaiting a more specific request from the Iranian side on when to start the project.
Ebrahimi argued that the mutual contract requires no specific request by Tehran, and Moscow should therefore finish the work within the stipulated deadline.
The construction of Bushehr power plant started in 1975 when Germany signed a contract with Iran. Germany, however, pulled out of the project following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran then signed a deal with Russia in 1995, under which the plant was originally scheduled to be completed in 1999, but the completion of the project was repeatedly delayed. The nuclear power plant was finally finished with the help of Russia following a three-decade delay.
In October 2010, Iran started injecting fuel into the core of the reactor at Bushehr nuclear power plant in the initial phase of its launch. However, engineers began removing the fuel rods in late February for safety reasons. The unloading of the fuel delayed the plant's joining the national grid, initially scheduled for the beginning of 2011.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Three of China's senior railway officials have been sacked following a high-speed train crash that left 35 people dead, state media said.
A strong group within the Pakistain 
