Iran tests its first nuclear power plant

Iran tested its first nuclear power plant Wednesday, a stride that prompted one Iranian technician to declare it was "independence day" for the Islamic republic. Tests were carried out at the Bushehr nuclear power plant using “dummy” fuel rods, loaded with lead in place of enriched uranium to simulate nuclear fuel. In a news release distributed to reporters at the scene, officials said the test measured the “pressure, temperature and flow rate” of the facility to make sure they were at appropriate levels

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Iran to test nuclear power plant

Iran’s first nuclear power plant will undergo comprehensive testing Wednesday in front of Russian and Iranian officials, Iranian Students’ News Agency reported, quoting a nuclear expert. Reza Khazaneh, a former adviser to the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO), told the semi-official news agency the tests will be carried out using “dummy” fuel rods without enriched uranium

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BBC: Iran held ‘backroom’ talks with Western diplomats

Iran offered to stop attacking coalition troops in Iraq nearly four years ago in an attempt to get the West to accept Tehran’s nuclear program, a British diplomat told the BBC in an interview aired Saturday. “The Iranians wanted to be able to strike a deal whereby they stopped killing our forces in Iraq in return for them being allowed to carry on with their nuclear program — ‘We stop killing you in Iraq, stop undermining the political process there, you allow us to carry on with our nuclear program without let or hindrance,” said John Sawers, now the British ambassador to the United Nations, in the documentary, “Iran and the West: Nuclear Confrontation.” The United States and other Western nations believe Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program, but Iran says it is developing nuclear capability to produce energy.

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Google’s newest Android prepares to battle Apple

Google launched the latest salvo in the cellphone wars Tuesday with the unveiling of the newest handset to carry its Android platform. Unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Vodafone’s HTC Magic smartphone will make its European bow in the UK, Spain, France and Germany in the coming months. In Italy it will be available under a non-exclusive contract.

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Airport uses radar, noise to prevent bird strikes

The next time you land safely in Seattle, you may want to thank Steve Osmek. He’s the wildlife biologist whose job is to make sure that birds don’t get in the way of airplanes arriving and departing Seattle Tacoma International Airport. Even though the bird strikes that recently caused US Airways Flight 1549 to lose both engines and land in New York’s Hudson River has brought greater urgency to the issue, the danger presented by avian life is nothing new to Sea-Tac.

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