No worries at Iran uranium site: IAEA chief

UN experts found "nothing to be worried about" during their first inspection of a previously secret uranium enrichment site in Iran, UN atomic watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Thursday.
In an interview with the New York Times, International Atomic Energy Agency chief ElBaradei said inspectors had found "nothing to be worried about" at the site, which is being built inside a mountain near the Shiite holy city of Qom.
"The idea was to use it as a bunker under the mountain to protect things. It?s a hole in a mountain," ElBaradei told the newspaper.
A team of four IAEA inspectors flew to Iran on October 25 for a first visit of the site, a month after the revelation of its existence had triggered widespread outrage in the West, which suspects Iran is enriching uranium with an ultimate goal of using it to make atomic weapons.
Tehran strongly denies the charge.
Iran has already been enriching uranium -- in defiance of three sets of UN sanctions -- for several years at another plant in the central city of Natanz.
Enriched uranium produces fuel for civilian reactors, but in a highly extended form can also make the fissile core of an atomic bomb.
Tehran has said it decided to build the site in Qom as a fallback in case the plant in Natanz plant was bombed by, for example, Israel.
Until now, the IAEA has declined to comment on whether its inspectors found anything surprising at the site, or whether they were given full access to the site as well as access to the necessary documentation and individuals.
Details on the visit are likely to be included in the agency's next report on Iran expected in mid-November.
Last month, ElBaradei brokered a deal between Iran, France, Russia and the United States to supply much-needed uranium to a research reactor in Tehran.
But while Moscow, Paris and Washington all quickly approved the plans, Tehran has said it wants some amendments and further talks before it agrees.
Under ElBaradei's proposal, Iran will ship out most of its known low-enriched uranium -- about 1,200 kilogrammes -- to Russia for further enrichment. The material will then be turned into fuel by France.
"There's total distrust on the part of Iran," ElBaradei said.
Some reports have suggested Iran wants to ship out the uranium piecemeal, not all at once.
But that was not the issue, ElBaradei said.
"The issue is timing: whether the uranium goes out and then some time later they get the fuel, as was agreed in Geneva, or whether it only goes at the same time as the fuel is delivered."
A simultaneous exchange "would not defuse the crisis, and the whole idea is to defuse the crisis," ElBaradei said.
Compromise proposals were being explored, the IAEA continued.
One would be to send Iran's uranium "to a third country, which could be a friendly country to Iran, and it stays there. Park it in another state, then later bring in the fuel. The issue is to get it out, and so create the time and space to start building trust," ElBaradei said.

Moily gave safety award to IOC 10 days before fire

This is absolutely ironical that barely 10 days after Indian Oil received the "Most-Safe OMC award" for 2008-09, that a fire at its depot

led to a loss of about Rs 1,000 crore besides leaving 11 dead and over 150 injured. The prestigious "Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD) Awards" for being the Most Safe Oil Marketing Company (OMC) was given by none other than the petroleum minister Murli Deora. Incidentally, IOC's marketing division received the award for the OMC in the past three years, an award category instituted for the first time by OISD. These awards are given by ministry of petroleum and natural gas every year recognizing the efforts in safety performance. According to sources recently, the safety department of IOC had brought out four films on safety, titled Work at height', Use of respiratory equipment', Use and maintenance of fire fighting equipment and appliances and road safety within premises'. These films are extensively and regularly screened for employees and contract workmen to keep them alert and updated on safety practices. But apparently as claimed, none of this was happening at the Jaipur depot. Then at the award giving ceremony, Deora had reiterated that necessary steps would be taken to make OISD a statutory body. All attempts must be made to give the OISD statutory powers at the earliest. The assurance gains significance now against the backdrop of the Jaipur inferno. But ironically, the OISD, which is the most competent body to handle safety hazards in the oil sector, doesn't have statutory powers even though it is one of the bodies that set standard procedure and practice for safety and firefighting in the industry. According to sources, there was no reason for IOC not to invest in state-of-the-art safety equipment when the company registered a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 284 crore for the second quarter of the current financial year that ended September 30, 2009 as compared to a loss of Rs 7,047 crore for the same quarter of the previous year. Further, to motivate individual employees towards importance of safety at IOC, cash awards were given to individuals who have made significant contribution to avoid accidents at work place. The criteria for selection of these awards was based on various parameters like complexity of the facility, volumes handled, safety management system with minimum fires, accidents and losses.

Acer's Three New Smartphones in India

Acer has finally arrived in India with three new touchscreens virtually encompassing all price ranges. The new phones prices start at around Rs.12,000 and go up to Rs. 35,000. The new phones launched are the beTouch e101, beTouch e200 and the top-of-the-line neoTouch.As always, we will start with the cheapest of the lot which in this case happens to be the beTouch e101.
beTouch e101
The beTouch e101 might be the cheapest of the lot but the phone still does pack in a decent punch. Boasting of a 3.2 inch resistive touchscreen and powered by the latest Windows Mobile 6.5, this one promises you the new Windows Mobile experience for a very entry level price. On the hardware front too the beTouch e101 fails to disappoint you. It boasts of 256MB of RAM and 521MB of internal ROM. A basic 2 megapixel camera without autofocus completes the imaging side of things.
The only things to crib about are the lack of Wi-Fi and 3G. However, GPRS (EDGE) and bluetooth do find their way in so it s not all that bad. The beTouch e101 retails at Rs. 11,900.

Maoists abduct 2 Rajdhani drivers, seek leader's release

Two drivers of the New Delhi- Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express were kidnapped by Maoists between Jhargram and Sarna stations of the South

Eastern Railway this afternoon. Pro-Maoists group PCPA has claimed responsibility for the attack stating that the train drivers had defied the bandh call. TV reports also suggest that PCPA has set the conditions for releasing the Rajdhani drivers. The pro-Maoist group is seeking the release of their leader Chhatradhar Mahato from the police custody, in a swap deal. SER sources had earlier said the news was received at the headquarters around 3.30 pm that some people had stopped the train by waving a red flag between Jhargram and Sarna stations. All Rajdhani Express trains have two drivers and an assistant.

Pakistan advances in Taliban area

They say that 19 militants and six soldiers have died in clashes since Monday night.
The latest fighting was near the town of Jandola in the east. The army says its next target is the key Taliban-held territory around the Sararogha plains.
Meanwhile gunmen in Islamabad have attacked a high-ranking army officer.
Police said that the unnamed brigadier was attacked as he drove through the capital on Tuesday in the second targeted shooting of a senior officer in less than a week.
They said that the officer and his mother escaped unhurt from the assault - believed to have been carried out in retaliation for the army's offensive in South Waziristan.
On Thursday gunmen on a motorcycle fired on an army jeep in another part of Islamabad, killing They say that 19 militants and six soldiers have died in clashes since Monday night.
The latest fighting was near the town of Jandola in the east. The army says its next target is the key Taliban-held territory around the Sararogha plains.
Meanwhile gunmen in Islamabad have attacked a high-ranking army officer.
Police said that the unnamed brigadier was attacked as he drove through the capital on Tuesday in the second targeted shooting of a senior officer in less than a week.
They said that the officer and his mother escaped unhurt from the assault - believed to have been carried out in retaliation for the army's offensive in South Waziristan.
On Thursday gunmen on a motorcycle fired on an army jeep in another part of Islamabad, killing a brigadier and a soldier in what was believed to be the first killing of an army officer in Islamabada brigadier and a soldier in what was believed to be the first killing of an army officer in Islamabad