Iran claims nuclear breakthrough

[Bhaisahab]

TEHRAN, Aug 29: Iran announced on Monday it has made another breakthrough in its controversial nuclear programme by successfully using biotechnology to extract purer uranium from its mines.

A report on state television said researchers from Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, after six years of research, had mastered the technique of employing microbes to purify uranium ore in mines prior to mining. It said “using biotechnology substantially decreases the cost, increases optimisation and prevents environmental contamination” in the process that leads to the production of yellowcake, or concentrated uranium oxide.

http://www.dawn.com/2005/08/30/top12.htm

[Tace]

1. As A Fellow Into News Scrutiny -- This Story Needs More Scrutiny

I'm just not sure where to begin.

"Employing microbes to purify uranium in mines prior to mining."

Some wild stuff.

[greyl]

2. Scrutinize biotechnology

and you may be amazed.
http://www-als.lbl.gov/als/als_news/news_archive/vol.87_100197.html

I appreciate your skepticism.
:)

[passy]

3. Fascinating, does anyone else use this technique?

[WCGreen]

4. WE can't use that technology... It ain't in the Good Book

[Seabiscuit]

5. Fuck Iran. They just want to goad Shrub into invasion. Then they'll

destroy what's left of our troops. Shrub apparently wants the same thing. Perhaps we could send Shrub to Tehran with a machine gun? Then they could just murder each other?

[Ian David]

8. This will end with us all speaking Canadian. n/t

[keopeli]

6. Um, not to be rude but, who is this source?

[Judi Lynn]

7. The source is AFP. Agence France-Presse.

Here's AFP's history: (from their site)

A Long Tradition of Newsgathering
AFP is the world's oldest established news agency, founded in 1835 by Charles-Louis Havas, the father of global journalism.
Today, the agency continues to expand its operations worldwide, reaching thousands of subscribers via radio, television, newspapers and companies from its main headquarters in Paris and regional centers in Washington, Hong Kong, Nicosia and Montevideo. All share the same goal: to guarantee top quality international service tailored to the specific needs of clients in each region.

Some Key Dates
<1835> - Agence Havas, the first worldwide information agency, is founded.
<1852> - Agence Havas sets up a dedicated advertising branch.
<1940> - In London, Paul-Louis Bret launches Agence Française d'Information (AFI). In November, legislation forces the split of the advertising and newsgathering operations of Agence Havas. The newsgathering operation, now owned by the State, becomes the Office Français d'Information (OFI, or French Information Office).
<1944> - In Algiers, the provisional government merges the Office Français d'Information and France-Afrique, thus forming Agence Française de Presse. In April, the French National Resistance Committee clandestinely launches the Agence d'Information et de Documentation (AID) in occupied France. In August, a group of Resistance fighters trade in their weapons for typewriters, and merge the OFI and the AID, turning them into Agence France-Presse. Martial Bourgeon becomes its first Managing Director. Later that year, a decree confers the provisional status of public corporation to AFP.
<1946 - 1954> - Maurice Nègre is Managing Director for most of this period. AFP's worldwide network is reinstated.
<1953> - In March, AFP gains international fame for breaking the news of Stalin's death.
<1954> - Jean Marin is appointed Managing Director.
<1956> - A bill on the statute of AFP is put forward.
<1957> - Parliament unanimously adopts AFP's statute. The agency gets a new legal structure: its Managing Director is henceforth elected by the Board of Directors. At this time, AFP has 25 provincial bureaus, 59 overseas bureaus (including 13 in the former colonies), correspondents present in 116 countries and distributes news in 73 countries.
<1957> - Jean Marin is elected Managing Director and will be re-elected, every three years, until 1975.
<1958> - The Beijing bureau opens.
<1969> - Launch of the Arabic language service.
<1971> - Satellites are employed for transmissions.
<1972> - On September 6th, AFP breaks the news of the Israeli hostages' deaths at the Olympic Games in Munich an hour ahead of the rest of the media. On November 22nd, the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times sign-up for distribution of AFP news in the U.S.
<1975> - Chief Editor Bernard Cabanes is murdered during the « Parisien Libéré » crisis.
<1984> - The audio service is launched.
<1985> - Launch of AFP’s award-winning international photo service.
<1987> - The Arabic-language desk moves from Cairo to Nicosia as the latter becomes the Middle East regional headquarters.
<1988> - Launch of the graphics service.
<1991> - Launch of AFX News, an English-language economic subsidiary.
<1995> - Launch of AFP-Direct, enabling customized transmissions of AFP services. This same year, AFP ends its agreement with the Associated Press on its provision of American news and sets-up an autonomous newsgathering network in the U.S...
<2000> - AFP launches its Olympic Games Multimedia Service
<2000> - Bertrand Eveno is elected as AFP's new president.
<2002> - Interactive television: AFP joins forcers with Visiware. Also this year, AFP breaks new ground in Japan as it starts distributing its sports pictures on Third Generation (3G) cellular phones.
<2003> - Pierre Louette is named General Director.
<2004> - AFP releases its archives on the Liberation of Paris. During the latter half of the year, Pierre Taillefer is named as new Director of Information.

http://www.afp.com/english/afp/?pid=history