Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Iran

Russian Builder Says Bushehr Plant To Miss Launch Date

Bushehr nuclear plant (file photo) (Fars)

March 12, 2007 -- The Russian company building Iran's first nuclear power station at Bushehr said today the launch will be postponed due to payment delays.

TEXT SIZE - +

March 12, 2007

Irina Yesipova, a spokeswoman for state-run Atomstroiexport, said the company has not received payments from Iran for two months.

Atomstroiexport said in a statement Russia will not deliver uranium fuel this month as earlier planned. The plant was scheduled to begin operations in September 2006.

The announcement follows failed talks between Atomstroiexport and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran last week in Moscow.

Atomstroiexport officials traveled to Tehran today for a fresh round of talks.

Tehran has warned Russia not to politicize the issue and not to link the project with the international dispute over Iran's nuclear program.

(compiled from agency reports)

RFE/RL Iran Report

SUBSCRIBE For regular news and analysis on Iran by e-mail, subscribe to "RFE/RL Iran Report."

A vendor in the central Bosnian town of Zenica sells heart-shaped cushions with proclamations of love for 1 euro each.

Love It (Or Hate It), It's Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, the Western holiday celebrating love, has become a global phenomenon over the past two decades. The fall of communism and the emergence of the Internet have helped February 14 become something of an unofficial international day of romance. However, not all the passions the holiday stirs are related to love. While some countries have openly embraced the holiday, others are attempting to ban it or replace it with local customs. More

Many Iranians have been claiming that their access to social networks and Internet-based e-mail sites has been blocked in recent days.

Iran Tightens Internet Control

Iranians are reporting that their access to Facebook and Internet-based e-mail sites like Gmail has been blocked, without any explanation from the government. Not even the strongest antifiltering programs have penetrated the firewall, they say. Some speculate the move is related to Iran's plan to launch a national internet, which might sever Iranians' ability to access the World Wide Web. More

Web-savvy Iranian oppositionists are renowned for their ability to use proxies and other means to circumvent Tehran

Explainer: Iran's National Internet

Reports that Iran has stepped up its Internet censorship in recent days -- as evidenced by a general slowdown of the web, Internet blackouts, and the blocking of sites such as Google -- has raised speculation that the country might be testing its controversial "national Internet." More