On 950th Try, Woman Passes Driver’s License Exam
November 7, 2009
(ChattahBox)—A 68-year-old South Korean woman has been trying to pass the written exam to obtain her driver’s license, since April 2005. And after spending thousands of dollars in application fees and never giving up, the determined woman passed the exam on her 950th try, barely scoring a passing grade. Read more
Report: Iran May Have Already Tested Advanced Nuclear Warhead Design
November 6, 2009
(ChattahBox) — Seems that Iran has some more explaining to do. The U.N. nuclear watchdog has asked Iran to explain evidence suggesting the Islamic Republic’s scientists have experimented with an advanced nuclear warhead design, the Guardian reported.
The newspaper, citing what it describes as “previously unpublished documentation,” which come, in part from Western nations’ intelligence services, said Iranian scientists may have tested high-explosive components of a “two-point implosion” device. Parts of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s dossier has been published in the past, but this is the first claim that Iran has sought such advanced weaponry, a claim nuclear experts called “breathtaking” when asked by the Guardian.
James Acton, a British nuclear weapons expert, told the newspaper: “It’s remarkable that, before perfecting step one, they are going straight to step four or five … To start with more sophisticated designs speaks of level of technical ambition that is surprising.”
The IAEA said in September it has no proof Iran has or once had a covert atomic bomb program, but rumor is this was possibly a political conclusion, with the IAEA’s senior staff disagreeing with Mohamed ElBaradei, the agency’s outgoing director who opposes adopting a “confrontational strategy” with Iran.
The Guardian report said that even the existence of two-point implosion nuclear warhead technology is officially secret in both the United States and Britain. Two-point implosion devices, the paper says, are easier to develop than conventional nuclear warheads and are designed to fit onto much smaller and simpler warheads, making it easier to put a warhead on a missile, the newspaper said.
U.S. Schoolboy Sent to India, as Buddhist High Priest
November 5, 2009
(ChattahBox)—A Buddhist high priest referred to, as “His Holiness” Jigme Wangchuk is newly stationed in the Drukpa Sangag Choeling Monastery nestled in the Himalayan town Darjeeling, India. “His Holiness” Jigme, will spend the next ten years in near isolation fulfilling his duties, as a spiritual leader. But this newly installed Buddhist priest is an 11-year-old boy, who until recently, attended school in Boston, Massachusetts, living a normal American life. Read more
Israel Seizes Ship with Advanced Weaponry Allegedly Bound for Syria, Hizbullah
November 4, 2009
(
ChattahBox) — Hundreds of tons of arms of allegedly Iranian-supplied arms on there way to Syria intended for Hezbollah, were seized by Israeli naval commandos. The Francop, a German vessel flying an Antiguan flag, which departed from the Badar Abbas Port in Iran some 10 days ago, was carrying over 500 tons of weapons picked up in the Egyptian port of Damietta, containing thousands of rockets and shells of various types, including 122 mm, Russian-made Katyushas, which have a range of some 30 kilometers. Read more
Prince Albert In Lawsuit Scandel With Former Personal Spy
November 4, 2009
Monaco (ChattahBox) - Prince Albert, the quiet royal ruler of the Mediterranean state of Monaco, has always been the topic of some interest. But the soft-spoken man has been painted into a rather unflattering image after a lawsuit was filed by his former spy.
Abdullah Says Karzai’s re-election ‘not legitimate’
November 4, 2009
(ChattahBox) — Abdullah Abdullah the Afghan presidential candidate who quit the runoff vote, says Hamid Karzai’s confirmation as president has “no legal basis” and questions the president’s commitment to fighting corruption (like many of us). Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC) declared Karzai the winner on Monday following Dr. Abdullah’s withdrawal from the November 7 runoff after his conditions for holding “free and fair polling” were not met. Abdullah speaking publicly for the first time since the election decision, said at a news conference in Kabul saying: Read more
Japan Plans to Inject Pollutants Deep Underground
November 2, 2009
(ChattahBox)—Japan’s Toshiba Corp is forging ahead with the controversial carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, as a pilot project on a coal power plant located on the Southern coast of Japan. Japanese scientists have already embarked on a project of trapping 10 tonnes of CO2 from flue gas, separating it and then transforming it into liquid, but has yet to pump the pollutants underground. Read more
Opinion: Karzai Being Declared Re-elected in Afghanistan Completely Undermines War Effort
November 2, 2009
(ChattahBox) — This is not a good way to proceed. After major corruption allegations forced a runoff election, Afghanistan’s election commission has declared that Hamid Karzai is the president after it canceled Saturday’s scheduled run-off. After the fraudulent August 20 elections, a recount left Karzai with less than 50 percent of the vote, triggering a runoff, to which Karzai agreed last week. However Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah reasonably demanded the resignation of top officials including the head of the Independent Electoral Commission to avoid fraud in the second round of voting November 7, or he would not participate “in an election which is not transparent and fraud-free.”
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Vatican to Admit Married Anglican Priests, But Can’t Become Bishops
November 1, 2009
(ChattahBox)—An official statement from the Vatican over the weekend, made it clear that married Anglican priests would be allowed to become part of the Catholic priesthood. This statement comes on the heels of a previous announcement permitting Anglicans to become Roman Catholics, while still retaining limited Anglican liturgy and identity. Read more
Hillary Clinton sends confusing message in attempting to jump-start MidEast peace talks
November 1, 2009
(ChattahBox) — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has rejected the Palestinian Authority demand that Israel freeze all settlement activity as a precondition to negotiations. Clinton who arrived in Israel on Saturday evening for a brief visit as part of a regional trip, called Netanyahu’s concessions on the West Bank “unprecedented,” and urged Palestine and Israel to restart peace talks on Saturday.
“What the prime minister has offered… a restraint on the policy of settlements, which he has just described, no new starts, for example, is unprecedented in the context of prior to negotiations,” Clinton said, in advance of her meeting with the prime minister.
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