May 9, 2005

May 9 2005 (Monday)

* Iran admits to having converted thirty-seven tons of raw uranium into a gas, a key step in uranium enrichment. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4994127,00.html (The Guardian)]
* 88 members of U.S. Congress led by John Conyers write an open letter to the White House asking for answers concerning the new documents leaked which apparently reveal the secret U.S/U.K. agreement to attack Iraq in 2002. [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-523-1592904-523,00.html (The Times)] [http://www.rawstory.com/aexternal/conyers_iraq_letter_502.htm (The Raw Story)] [http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0505/S00089.htm (Scoop)] [http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m11570&l=i&size=1&hd=0 (uruknet)]
* The Sellafield nuclear plant's Thorp reprocessing facility in Cumbria, England, is closed down due to a 20 tonne leak through a fractured pipe of water contaminated with radioactive uranium and plutonium. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/nuclear/article/0,2763,1479527,00.html (The Guardian)]
* More than 50 heads of state, including Vladimir Putin, George W. Bush and German chancellor Gerhard Schröder, are among the guests attending the official celebrations commemorating the end of World War II in Moscow, Russia. It is the first time a German chancellor has attended a world-wide commemoration for the victims of the Third Reich. [http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200505091101.htm (The Hindu)] [http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/05/08/bush.monday/index.html (CNN)] [http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=4527984 (Scotsman)]
* Re-examination of old images taken by the Mars Global Surveyor several years ago may have led to the identification of the crash site of the Mars Polar Lander, which failed in December 1999. Using insights and techniques developed for analyzing images of the Mars Exploration Rovers, Malin Space Science Systems may have spotted the rocket blast zone, Mars Polar Lander and the parachute. [http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0505/05mpl/ (Spaceflight Now)] [http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/050502_mpl_search.html (Space.com)]
* Peter Friederich, former Swiss ambassador to Luxembourg, goes on trial for money laundering. [http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=106&sid=5759302&cKey=1115569703000 (Swissinfo)]
* Former Indonesian president Suharto is hospitalized; there are conflicting reports about his condition. [http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillatestnews.asp?fileid=20050509113611&irec=10 (Jakarta Post)] [http://www.laksamana.net/vnews.cfm?ncat=2&news_id=8132 (Laksamana)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4528511.stm (BBC)] [http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2005/05/09/afx2008591.html (Forbes)]
* The death toll continues to rise due to flooding in Somalia and the Somalia Region of Ethiopia. In April 2005, heavy rains generated widespread flooding and caused the Shebelle River to burst its banks. As of May 5, the flooding in Somali Region alone has caused over 100 confirmed deaths and widespread property damage affecting over 100,000 persons. The floods have also destroyed shelters housing 25,000 Somali refugees in Kenya. [http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=46953&SelectRegion=Horn_of_Africa&SelectCountry=ETHIOPIA (UN IRIN)] [http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=14150 (UN News)]
* Twelve South American and 22 Arab countries begin a summit in Brazil. [http://www.aebrazil.com/highlights/2005/mai/09/84.htm (Agencia Estado Brazil)] [http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/050509/2005050920.html (Arabic News)] [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000086&sid=acjRcP6sMGNY&refer=latin_america (Bloomberg)] [http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=8432204 (Reuters)]
* In Ecuador, former president Gustavo Noboa is placed under house arrest. [http://cbs5.com/world/Ecuador-Ex-President-ai/resources_news_html (CBS)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4531455.stm (BBC)]
* In Italy, two Vatican Radio officials, Cardinal Roberto Tucci and Father Pasquale Borgome, have been convicted of polluting the atmosphere with unnecessarily powerful electromagnetic waves that might have causes increased risk of cancer. They receive 10-day suspended sentences. [http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L0955030.htm (Reuters AlertNet)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4531247.stm (BBC)]
* Hans Blix, former United Nations chief arms inspector, suggests that Iran and Israel could support a ban of uranium enrichment in the Middle East. [http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/news_service/middle_east_full_story.asp?service_id=8508 (Al-Jazeera)] [http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N09702375.htm (Reuters AlertNet)]
* The Nigerian government charges 80 Biafran separatists with treason. [http://allafrica.com/stories/200505090963.html (AllAfricA)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4530379.stm (BBC)] [http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L0940574.htm (Reuters AlertNet)]
* Italian police in Rome reopen the investigation into the murder of Pier Paolo Pasolini. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4529877.stm (BBC)]
* Andrés Manuel López Obrador, mayor of Mexico City, announces that he will quit his post on July 31 to concentrate on his campaign to be president of Mexico. [http://www2.eluniversal.com.mx/pls/impreso/noticia.html?id_nota=282459&tabla=notas (El Universal)] [http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=8429019 (Reuters)]
* In the Democratic Republic of Congo, president Joseph Kabila visits Lumumbashi in Katanga province. At least 30 people have been arrested for an attempted separatist coup in the province. [http://allafrica.com/stories/200505090899.html (AllAfrica)] [http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/MMQD-6C8LME?OpenDocument (ReliefWeb)] [http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/dc95bc14e6e82f317a8dc6e2bd3698f0.htm (Reuters AlertNet)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4529091.stm (BBC)]
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