TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Iran will step up its uranium enrichment program by sharply increasing the number of centrifuges used to make nuclear fuel, a senior official said Wednesday, in direct defiance of Western demands.
The statement by Iran's nuclear chief, Fereidoun Abbasi, is likely to escalate tensions. The West suspects Iran's nuclear program could be headed toward weapons production and has imposed punishing sanctions to try to persuade Tehran to stop enrichment.
Iran has denied the charges, saying its program is peaceful and geared toward generating electricity and producing radioisotopes to treat cancer patients.
Uranium enriched to a low level is used to produce nuclear fuel for reactors, but high level enrichment would make it suitable for use in atomic warheads.
Abbasi said Iran is making nuclear advances in the face of the severe economic measures imposed by the U.N. and the West.
"Despite sanctions, we will most likely see a substantial increase in the number of centrifuge machines this year. We will continue enrichment with intensity," Abbasi was quoted by state TV as saying Wednesday. The Iranian calendar year ends on March 20.
Abbasi did not say if Iran's stepped up work would be at the five percent fuel level or the higher 20 percent quality, which has worried the West because it can be purified to weapons grade more quickly. There have been indications that Iran may push its enrichment even higher than the 20 percent acknowledged to U.N. nuclear watchdogs.
His remarks came days after the U.N. agency said Iran is about to double its output of higher enriched uranium at its fortified Fordo underground facility. That could move Iran closer to weapons capability.
A Nov. 8 report by the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran has installed about 2,800 centrifuges at Fordo and is poised to double the number of operating centrifuges, from the current 700 to nearly 1,400.
Iran says it needs 20 percent enriched uranium to make fuel for a medical research reactor in Tehran that produces isotopes for about 1 million patients annually.
Abbasi also said Iran will soon conduct a test run of its heavy water reactor in Arak in central Iran, despite demands from the U.N. to stop the work. The test will use virtual fuel, not actual radioactive material, he said.
He said construction of the 40-megawatt research reactor is progressing on schedule, but he noted that experts are handling the project with greater care in anticipation of possible sabotage attempts.
"The Arak reactor is progressing without any problem according to the schedule. Only because of security considerations, we are moving with caution, since enemy intends to harm this reactor," he was quoted by state TV as saying. "All the equipment needed to operate this reactor has been purchased."
The West is concerned that the heavy water reactor could produce enough plutonium for a nuclear weapon each year, if the spent fuel is reprocessed. That would be another pathway for bomb-grade material, but Iran is not known to possess a plutonium reprocessing facility
Iran has experienced explosions and malfunctions at its nuclear and industrial sites, partly due to faulty equipment secretly procured on the global market.
Also, Iran says it is the target of a campaign that has included the abduction and assassination of scientists, the sale of faulty equipment and the planting of a destructive computer worm known as Stuxnet, which briefly brought Iran's uranium enrichment activity to a halt in 2010.
Hybrid plants like corn or rice are familiar to numerous but hybrid vehicles? Are these space-age autos that tend not to want fuel to run or maybe fly while in the sky?
For the uninitiated, hybrid vehicles could seem like an alien form or specie that demands a great deal of explaining. To automobile and setting aficionados, hybrid cars are either bane or boon particularly using the escalating fuel rates worldwide.
Hybrid vehicles Jay Cutler Jersey may just be the solution of contemporary scientists for the increasing fuel expense along with the deteriorating quality with the surroundings. Contrary for your belief, hybrid vehicles are no lengthier new towards the society since the car industry has come up with a variety of models of hybrid automobiles. Automobile manufacturers Jay Cutler Jersey that have been left behind within the race for an ideal hybrid auto have announced their intention to compete in the marketplace.
Hybrid cars are those that possess the dual characteristics of getting able to run on over two sources of energy like gasoline or battery. The first hybrid autos came while in the kind of hybrid bikes which has fuel attributes but could be operated employing the pedal skills with the rider. Hybrid vehicles are more frequent in Europe particularly Jay Cutler Jersey in Norway and France. Hybrid buses which are operated by overhead and by diesel when they travel in other places with no the overhead wires are also being employed in Seattle. You will find also hybrid submarines which run on nuclear, diesel or electric power.
The most typical hybrid car is that powered by each gasoline and electrical energy. A hybrid automobile attempts to enable the owner to save on fuel whilst becoming atmosphere friendly. Even so, can hybrid autos be efficient adequate to supply prolonged distance travel without becoming refueled or recharged?
Most gasoline-powered automobiles answer this requirement though they lead to far more harm to the environment as a result of the emissions. On the other hand, electric autos are much more environment-friendly but can only go on a maximum of 161 kilometers till it truly is recharged along with the recharging time is extremely slow. The hybrid automobile Jay Cutler Jersey combines the benefits of the two the gasoline-powered and also the electric-powered auto.
A hybrid car possesses a gasoline engine a lot like the ordinary gasoline powered car however the engine is much smaller sized, much more environment-friendly as a result of lesser emissions and much more effective. Furthermore, it possesses a very higher tech electrical motor which permits dual utilization of batteries and energy.
The hybrid car could just be in its infancy however the human mind can really effectively make sure that the hybrid autos will probably be the vehicles in the future.
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Wednesday, November 28, 2012?????Austin, Texas?????Press Release
Gov. Rick Perry celebrated the ceremonial groundbreaking for the Education Center at the Wall, a result of years of dedication and hard work by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. There are 3,417 individuals from Texas whose names are on The Wall in Washington, D.C.
"The Education Center at the Wall, built adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, will compliment the Wall and tell the stories of valor, courage and loss of our veterans," Gov. Perry said. "The Wall ensures we will never forget their names; the Education Center will ensure we never forget their faces or the stories behind their sacrifices."
"The Education Center at The Wall is a place where important values - Duty, Service, Courage, and Integrity - will be celebrated. It is proper that the new veterans, and those now in combat zones, will be honored at this special place," said Jan C. Scruggs, founder and president, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.
The Education Center at The Wall will show the faces and tell the stories of the more than 58,000 individuals whose names are on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, as well as celebrate the values that are embodied by all of America's service personnel. Among the exhibits at the Center will be The Wall of Faces, displaying images of the 58,282 whose names are memorialized on The Wall. The Center's exhibits will include some of the more than 300,000 personal items left at The Wall by brothers-in-arms, parents, children and other loved ones. It will also feature photos and stories of the fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 2010, Gov. Perry kicked off the Texas portion of the grassroots campaign for the Education Center at the Wall at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery.
The Education Center is still welcoming submissions to its photo collection. For details visit: http://www.buildthecenter.vvmf.org/pages/call-for-photos . For more information about the Education Center at The Wall and how to get involved, please visit http://www.buildthecenter.org.
The United Kingdom (UK) government charges commercial real estate owners a business tax rate on their properties even when they are not doing business there, and many experts say the practice is untenable during the country?s current economic struggle. Experts say it may be worse that the same charges apply even if the owners demolish their buildings in an effort to get a tax break, although it only lasts for six months. A survey conducted by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors shows 90% of surveyors believe the taxes are crippling the chances for a recovery, although those same taxes are what is used to fund local services. For more on this continue reading the following article from Property Wire.
Over 90% of surveyors in the UK believe that charges placed on shops and offices are significantly detrimental to the recovery of the nation's town centers.
Over half also believe that charges are even a contributory factor in property owners demolishing their premises, according to a new survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
When commercial premises, such as a shop or an office, become vacant the owner is not required to pay business rates for three months. For industrials and warehouses the rates holiday is six months. However, after this period, these charges, known as Empty Property Rates (EPR), are applicable at the full rate, leaving many with a tax bill which they have no means of funding.
RICS said that it is worrying that with industry still suffering, over two thirds, some 68%, of respondents claimed that commercial property floor space is currently vacant for periods of over six months, meaning that the problem of unmanageable taxes is widespread at a time when businesses are most stretched.
Business rates collected from ratepayers are initially passed to central government and then redistributed back to local authorities as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. These funds then contribute towards financing local services.
With the situation continuing to impact so significantly on towns across England and Wales, the knock on effect is also being felt in capital values. Some 75% of respondents believe that the rental value of retail premises will decrease as a direct result of EPR.
RICS said that it would like to see to see changes made in the government's forthcoming Autumn Statement by way of an extended exemption period for commercial property owners. This would mean that should a retail property owner lose their tenant, no charges would be applicable for six, rather than three, months. This would be extended to twelve months for owners of harder to let property, such as offices and industrial units.
'The charges faced by property owners are quite simply crippling the high street and preventing businesses of all types from achieving financial stability. It is clear that in this difficult economic climate, businesses need all the help they can get,' said Simon Rubinsohn, RICS chief economist.
'We would like to see the government take the initiative in the forthcoming Autumn Statement and offer property owners a longer exemption period. This would allow commercial landlords some much needed breathing space and contribute towards getting the business sector moving again,' he added.
The research report also found that 89% of respondents believe EPR restricts economic growth, 88% considered EPR a significant deterrent for speculative building, 87% believe EPR has had a negative effect on investment across all sectors, 84% support extending the current rate free period and 82% support a 12 month exemption for new build.
This article was republished with permission from Property Wire.
NEW YORK, Nov. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Innovators for veterans and foster youth were among the celebrity-studded crowd of 400 who turned out to celebrate the importance of work in people's lives at Fedcap's annual gala Monday.
The 2012 Celebration of Work, held at The New York Public Library, drew leaders of city, state and federal agencies and a wide range of other supporters of Fedcap (http://www.fedcap.org/) and its Wildcat Service Corp., The Way to Work and ReServe operations.
Among the honorees and featured speakers:
Gen. Montgomery Meigs (Ret.), President & CEO of Business Executives for National Security with a distinguished 35-year career in the U.S. Army, received Fedcap's Leadership Award. BENS members include corporate leaders across the country who help government address such national problems as the high unemployment rate among returning veterans.
Warren Stephens, Chairman, President & CEO of Stephens Inc., accepted the Fedcap Excellence in Media Award on behalf of Stephens Media for its Saluting American Valor series, which told the stories of U.S. service members decorated for combat heroism in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Marie Tillman, President and Co-Founder of the Pat Tillman Foundation and a staunch advocate for service members, veterans and military families, presented the Excellence in Media award.
Brenda Donald, Director of the District of Columbia Child and Family Services Agency, received the Community Impact Award for her innovative leadership on behalf of youth in foster care.
David Cone, former New York Yankees pitcher and World Series Champion, accepted the Community Leadership Award on behalf of the Yankees in recognition of the team's community support of young people, veterans and other vulnerable populations.
Lauren Molina, star of hit shows?including Marry Me a Little and Sweeney Todd, provided the entertainment.
U.S. unemployment is still near 8 percent nationally and much higher among teen-agers, Post-9/11 veterans and others who face barriers to employment. The nonprofit Fedcap helps thousands of people each year ? including veterans, youth who have spent time in foster care, the formerly incarcerated and people with disabilities ? succeed in education and employment and move toward economic independence. Fedcap places people in jobs across a wide variety of sectors and employs 1,800 in its own businesses.
About Fedcap: Fedcap helps people break through barriers to achieve long-term economic independence. Our programs and operations bring education and the power of work to youth in transition, adults with conviction histories, veterans, individuals with disabilities and many others facing barriers to employment. We place people in jobs across a wide variety of sectors and employ 1,800 in our own businesses. Fedcap is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For more information or to make a donation, call 212-727-4200 or visit www.fedcap.org.? Follow Fedcap on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/fedcap) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/Fedcap).
Media Contacts: Barbara Rosen, VP, Communications at 212-727-4260 or brosen@fedcap.org; James Cook, Communications Coordinator, at 212-727-4375 or jcook@fedcap.org
Labs in France, Russia and Switzerland will conduct independent tests of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's bone samples, searching for evidence that he could have been poisoned. NBC's Martin Fletcher reports.
By John Ray, NBC News
RAMALLAH, West Bank ? For a fateful scene in a murder mystery, it was all a little low key.
Steel-gray skies, a modest guard of honor and a somber ceremony as Yasser Arafat?s tomb was resealed.
It had taken scientists from Russia, France and Switzerland just a few hours to gather the evidence they came for.
No need to exhume the body.?Instead they took samples that they will now examine for the deadly radioactive element?polonium.
Already some experts warn that their findings are almost certain to be inconclusive.
Too much time has elapsed, they caution. And even if investigators find traces of toxin, it won?t answer this question: Who?administered the fatal dose?
Arafat's body exhumed; experts to investigate if he was poisoned
No matter. Almost any Palestinian you ask already has an answer: Israel is the assassin.
After all, a man who was to Palestinians the ultimate fighter for freedom was to Israel too often the odious face of terror.
And in 30 years of conflict the Israelis pursued him to Lebanon before finally cornering him in his West Bank compound, the Muqata?a.
Rebuilt from the rubble left by its destruction by Israel, it now houses the gleaming marble mausoleum that is Arafat?s final resting place.
Today it was shrouded in blue sheets to shield the scientists from view as they went about their grim business.
"The time has come to find the proof. And to bring justice. I think he deserves it, and the Palestinian people deserve it,?? says noted Palestinian activist Mustafa Barghouti.
Mohamad Torokman / Reuters
A Palestinian security forces member walks outside the grave of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Nov. 27, 2012.
For the record, Israel enters a strenuous plea of not guilty, courtesy of?Ra?anan?Gissan, who in 2004 was an adviser to?Israel?s then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Did Israel order the death of Arafat? I ask him.
"I can tell you, a definite, absolute no,?? he says. "They used to say that our snipers had Arafat in their sights and the decision was not to kill him."
Palestinians: Settlers threaten West Bank's centuries-old olive harvest tradition
Today's examination was prompted by a television investigation that found polonium on samples of clothing, including Arafat's iconic?kaffiya headdress, provided by his widow.
But the timing is fortuitous, even if it is,?as the Palestinians on the West Bank insist, a coincidence that later this week Arafat's successor heads to the United Nations.
Palestinians have begun to exhume the body of Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat in an attempt to determine whether he was assassinated by lethal doses of radioactive poison. NBC's John Ray reports.
Mahmoud?Abbas is to ask the UN General Assembly to grant his Palestinian Authority a form of recognition known as non-member observer status.
It would put the Palestinians on the same diplomatic footing as the Vatican but more?crucially on open important legal route to potentially suing the Israel?s occupying forces for war crimes through international courts.
The mathematics is looking good for Abbas ? good news for a leader who hasn?t had much to celebrate of late.?
His Palestinian rivals in Gaza, the militants of Hamas, have been buoyed by?the short war with Israel and claim they?ve achieved more in a week than Abbas has won in nearly a decade of failed negotiation.
Win at the UN on Thursday, and Abbas has something to show for his strategy.?
Perhaps then even Yasser Arafat?s spirit might be permitted to rest a little more peacefully.
AP
See key moments and memorable scenes from Yasser Arafat's life.
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Ancient microbes found living beneath the icy surface of Antarctic lakePublic release date: 26-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Justin Broglio justin.broglio@dri.edu 775-673-7610 Desert Research Institute
DRI scientists' co-author study examining life in one of Earths coldest, ice-sealed ecosystems
RENO This week a pioneering study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and co-authored by Dr. Alison Murray and Dr. Christian Fritsen of Nevada's Desert Research Institute (DRI) reveals, for the first time, a viable community of bacteria that survives and ekes out a living in a dark, salty and subfreezing environment beneath nearly 20 meters of ice in one of Antarctica's most isolated lakes.
Lake Vida, the largest of several unique lakes found in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, contains no oxygen, is mostly frozen and possesses the highest nitrous oxide levels of any natural water body on Earth. A briny liquid that is approximately six times saltier than seawater percolates throughout the icy environment that has an average temperature of minus 13.5 degrees centigrade (or 8 degrees Fahrenheit).
"This study provides a window into one of the most unique ecosystems on Earth," said Murray, the report's lead author, and molecular microbial ecologist and polar researcher for the past 17 years, who has participated in 14 expeditions to the Southern Ocean and Antarctic continent. "Our knowledge of geochemical and microbial processes in lightless icy environments, especially at subzero temperatures, has been mostly unknown up until now. This work expands our understanding of the types of life that can survive in these isolated, cryoecosystems and how different strategies may be used to exist in such challenging environments."
Despite the very cold, dark and isolated nature of the habitat, the report finds that the brine harbors a surprisingly diverse and abundant assemblage of bacteria that survive without a present-day source of energy from the sun. Previous studies of Lake Vida dating back to 1996 indicate that the brine and its' inhabitants have been isolated from outside influences for more than 3,000 years.
Murray and her co-authors and collaborators, including the project's principal investigator Dr. Peter Doran of the University of Illinois at Chicago, developed stringent protocols and specialized equipment for their 2005 and 2010 field campaigns to sample the lake brine while avoiding contaminating the pristine ecosystem.
To sample the unique environment researchers worked under secure, sterile tents on the lake's surface to keep the site and equipment clean as they drilled ice cores, collected samples of the salty brine residing in the lake ice and then assessed the chemical qualities of the water and its potential for harboring and sustaining life, in addition to describing the diversity of the organisms detected.
Geochemical analyses suggest that chemical reactions between the brine and the underlying iron-rich sediments generate nitrous oxide and molecular hydrogen. The latter, in part, may provide the energy needed to support the brine's diverse microbial life.
"It's plausible that a life-supporting energy source exists solely from the chemical reaction between anoxic salt water and the rock," explained Fritsen, a systems microbial ecologist and Research Professor in DRI's Division of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences.
"If that's the case," echoed Murray. "This gives us an entirely new framework for thinking of how life can be supported in cryoecosystems on earth and in other icy worlds of the universe."
Murray added further research is currently under way to analyze the abiotic, chemical interactions between the Lake Vida brine and the sediment, in addition to investigating the microbial community by using different genome sequencing approaches. The results could help explain the potential for life in other salty, cryogenic environments beyond Earth.
The Lake Vida brine also represents a cryoecosystem that is a suitable and accessible analog for the soils, sediments, wetlands, and lakes underlying the Antarctic ice sheet that other polar researchers are just now beginning to explore.
###
The funding for this research was supported jointly by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
About the Desert Research Institute:
DRI, the nonprofit research campus of the Nevada System of Higher Education, strives to be the world leader in environmental sciences through the application of knowledge and technologies to improve people's lives throughout Nevada and the world.
All DRI news releases available at: http://news.dri.edu/
Additional Details:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
Article #12-08607 - "Microbial Life at -13 C in the Brine of an Ice-Sealed Antarctic Lake," by Alison E. Murray et al.
More information on the Lake Vida project can be found online at: http://www.dri.edu/lake-vida
Photographs and Video available:
Field Work including the ice core drilling process, Antarctic expedition, ice cores, and Lake Vida research team members.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Ancient microbes found living beneath the icy surface of Antarctic lakePublic release date: 26-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Justin Broglio justin.broglio@dri.edu 775-673-7610 Desert Research Institute
DRI scientists' co-author study examining life in one of Earths coldest, ice-sealed ecosystems
RENO This week a pioneering study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and co-authored by Dr. Alison Murray and Dr. Christian Fritsen of Nevada's Desert Research Institute (DRI) reveals, for the first time, a viable community of bacteria that survives and ekes out a living in a dark, salty and subfreezing environment beneath nearly 20 meters of ice in one of Antarctica's most isolated lakes.
Lake Vida, the largest of several unique lakes found in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, contains no oxygen, is mostly frozen and possesses the highest nitrous oxide levels of any natural water body on Earth. A briny liquid that is approximately six times saltier than seawater percolates throughout the icy environment that has an average temperature of minus 13.5 degrees centigrade (or 8 degrees Fahrenheit).
"This study provides a window into one of the most unique ecosystems on Earth," said Murray, the report's lead author, and molecular microbial ecologist and polar researcher for the past 17 years, who has participated in 14 expeditions to the Southern Ocean and Antarctic continent. "Our knowledge of geochemical and microbial processes in lightless icy environments, especially at subzero temperatures, has been mostly unknown up until now. This work expands our understanding of the types of life that can survive in these isolated, cryoecosystems and how different strategies may be used to exist in such challenging environments."
Despite the very cold, dark and isolated nature of the habitat, the report finds that the brine harbors a surprisingly diverse and abundant assemblage of bacteria that survive without a present-day source of energy from the sun. Previous studies of Lake Vida dating back to 1996 indicate that the brine and its' inhabitants have been isolated from outside influences for more than 3,000 years.
Murray and her co-authors and collaborators, including the project's principal investigator Dr. Peter Doran of the University of Illinois at Chicago, developed stringent protocols and specialized equipment for their 2005 and 2010 field campaigns to sample the lake brine while avoiding contaminating the pristine ecosystem.
To sample the unique environment researchers worked under secure, sterile tents on the lake's surface to keep the site and equipment clean as they drilled ice cores, collected samples of the salty brine residing in the lake ice and then assessed the chemical qualities of the water and its potential for harboring and sustaining life, in addition to describing the diversity of the organisms detected.
Geochemical analyses suggest that chemical reactions between the brine and the underlying iron-rich sediments generate nitrous oxide and molecular hydrogen. The latter, in part, may provide the energy needed to support the brine's diverse microbial life.
"It's plausible that a life-supporting energy source exists solely from the chemical reaction between anoxic salt water and the rock," explained Fritsen, a systems microbial ecologist and Research Professor in DRI's Division of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences.
"If that's the case," echoed Murray. "This gives us an entirely new framework for thinking of how life can be supported in cryoecosystems on earth and in other icy worlds of the universe."
Murray added further research is currently under way to analyze the abiotic, chemical interactions between the Lake Vida brine and the sediment, in addition to investigating the microbial community by using different genome sequencing approaches. The results could help explain the potential for life in other salty, cryogenic environments beyond Earth.
The Lake Vida brine also represents a cryoecosystem that is a suitable and accessible analog for the soils, sediments, wetlands, and lakes underlying the Antarctic ice sheet that other polar researchers are just now beginning to explore.
###
The funding for this research was supported jointly by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
About the Desert Research Institute:
DRI, the nonprofit research campus of the Nevada System of Higher Education, strives to be the world leader in environmental sciences through the application of knowledge and technologies to improve people's lives throughout Nevada and the world.
All DRI news releases available at: http://news.dri.edu/
Additional Details:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
Article #12-08607 - "Microbial Life at -13 C in the Brine of an Ice-Sealed Antarctic Lake," by Alison E. Murray et al.
More information on the Lake Vida project can be found online at: http://www.dri.edu/lake-vida
Photographs and Video available:
Field Work including the ice core drilling process, Antarctic expedition, ice cores, and Lake Vida research team members.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
A Norwegian company led by Alf Bj?rseth will start burning thorium fuel in a conventional test reactor owned by Norway?s government with help from U.S.-based nuclear giant Westinghouse.
Bj?rseth is now running his private company Scatec AS, and establishing new companies within Scatec based on the latest technologies in the areas of renewable energy and advanced materials, including a thorium fuel effort through a holding company called Thor Corporation.
Thor Corporation owns Thor Energy and also has shares in businesses related to thorium fuel, thorium mining and separation of rare earth elements.? Fen Minerals holds the mining rights to the Fen deposits in South Norway, which are rich in thorium and rare earth elements. The third company is Norwegian Separation Technology, a company in the process of developing a novel separation method for rare earth elements.
Natural Thorium Ore.
The company has completed a 2-year thorium fuel cycle feasibility study which concludes that thorium-based nuclear fuel has several advantages over uranium-based fuel, including better waste characteristics, improved proliferation resistance, and abundant raw material supply.
Related Article: Confidence in Nuclear Power is on the Rise Again
Thor Energy has established a consortium that will fund and run a 5-year thorium irradiation project to be conducted at the Norwegian government owned Halden Nuclear Reactor.? Halden, typically described as a ?test reactor,? also provides steam to a nearby paper mill. The move should bring thorium closer to replacing uranium as a possible safer and more effective nuclear power source.
Thor?s chief technology officer Julian Kelly explained Thor Energy will deploy a mix of solid thorium mixed with plutonium ? a blend known as ?thorium MOX?.
The plan isn?t the one most thorium enthusiasts have been hoping for.? Many professionals believe thorium?s advantages are most pronounced in alternative reactor designs such as molten salt reactors and pebble bed reactors, rather than today?s conventional solid-fuel water-cooled reactors.
Some thorium fans have realized it may be best to insert thorium into the energy scene by first putting it to use in reactors that already have regulatory approval.
Halden Heavy Water Reactor Flow Diagram.
Best or not, Thor is testing the thorium fuel in a conventional reactor at Halden cooled by ?heavy water?.? This is not the same as regular light water reactors built commercially around the world.? The cooling is by deuterium or water with an isotope of hydrogen.
Related Article: What Happens IF Cold Fusion Does Become Reality?
With plutonium seed in the fuel mix, the reactors would not only generate power, but they would also eliminate dangerous waste left over from other nuclear operations and thus help address the problem of what to do with that waste.
The consortium reaches pretty far.? Thor will fabricate some of its own thorium MOX in partnership with Norway?s Institute for Energy Technology. Britain?s National Nuclear Laboratory ? owned by the UK?s Department of Energy and Climate Change ? will also provide some, as will the European Commission?s Institute for Transuranium Elements.
Westinghouse is helping to fund the project, as are other of Thor?s industrial partners including Steenkampskraal Thorium Ltd., a South African company that is developing a thorium-fueled pebble bed reactor.? Other partners include the Finnish utility Fortum and the French chemicals company Rhodia.
That news ought to cheer all the thorium enthusiasts.
Yet Westinghouse doesn?t like to discuss its thorium activities publicly.? It is likely the firm believes working alternatives could undermine the company?s conventional nuclear business. Rumors have it Westinghouse has at least a few thorium-connected and alternative nuclear projects in the works.? One is out now and it isn?t a direct competitor as such.
Westinghouse is also known to be the commercial adviser on the U.S. Department of Energy?s collaboration with China on developing a molten-salt cooled reactor.? Westinghouse has also helped organize many of the alternative nuclear sessions at the American Nuclear Society convention just held in San Diego California.
This is great news worthy of Norway and her citizens.? The element thorium was named by the region?s ancestral God Thor, they have rich deposits, and a great deal of competency and intellectual prowess.? The test will very likely work out and that could offer reactor operators an alternative to uranium and ever more plutonium.
It will be fascinating to see the results.? The wait will be long though; it takes quite a while to burn through nuclear fuel.
Does finding tax relief while working out sound too good to be true? Surprisingly, you may be able to financially benefit from your personal training by deducting the session costs on your tax returns this year. According to the Internal Revenue Service, there are certain medical expenses that can be deducted on your tax returns, which may include personal training, in some instances. Read on to determine whether you are eligible to deduct your personal training expenses and experience some healthy tax relief this season.
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For detailed information, visit http://www.irs.gov. Also, make sure to always consult with your trusted financial advisor to confirm that your personal training sessions are tax deductible. This packet is provided for informational only purposes.
WHAT ARE MEDICAL EXPENSES?
Medical expenses are the costs of diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, and the costs for treatments affecting any part or function of the body.
Medical care expenses must be primarily to alleviate or prevent a physical or mental defect or illness. They do not include expenses that are merely beneficial to general health, such as vitamins or a vacation.
WHAT EXPENSES CAN YOU INCLUDE THIS YEAR?
You can include only the medical and dental expenses you paid this year, regardless of when the services were provided. You cannot include medical expenses that were paid by insurance companies or other sources. This is true whether the payments were made directly to you, to the patient, or to the provider of the medical services.
HOW MUCH OF THE EXPENSES CAN YOU DEDUCT?
You can deduct only the amount of your medical and dental expenses that is more than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (Form 1040, line 38).
Example: Your adjusted gross income is $40,000, 7.5% of which is $3,000. You paid medical expenses of $2,500. You cannot deduct any of your medical expenses because they are not more than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income.
WHOSE MEDICAL EXPENSES CAN YOU INCLUDE?
You can generally include medical expenses you pay for yourself, as well as those you pay for someone who was your spouse or your dependent either when the services were provided or when you paid for them.
WHAT MEDICAL EXPENSES ARE INCLUDIBLE?
According to the IRS (www.irs.gov) the following is a list of items that you cannot include in figuring your medical expense deduction.
HEALTH CLUB DUES
You cannot include in medical expenses health club dues or amounts paid to improve one?s general health or to relieve physical or mental discomfort not related to a particular medical condition.
NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
You cannot include in medical expenses the cost of nutritional supplements, vitamins, herbal supplements, ?natural medicines,? etc. unless they are recommended by a medical practitioner as treatment for a specific medical condition diagnosed by a physician. Otherwise, these items are taken to maintain your ordinary good health, and are not for medical care.
WEIGHT-LOSS PROGRAM
You cannot include in medical expenses the cost of a weight-loss program if the purpose of the weight loss is the improvement of appearance, general health, or sense of well-being. You cannot include amounts you pay to lose weight unless the weight loss is a treatment for a specific disease diagnosed by a physician (such as obesity, hypertension, or heart disease). If the weight-loss treatment is not for a specific disease diagnosed by a physician, you cannot include either the fees you pay for membership in a weight reduction group or fees for attendance at periodic meetings. Also, you cannot include membership dues in a gym, health club, or spa.
HOW DO YOU FIGURE AND REPORT THE DEDUCTION?
Once you have determined which medical care expenses you can include, figure and report the deduction on your tax return. Remember for detailed information, visit http://www.irs.gov. Also, make sure to always consult with your trusted financial advisor to confirm that your personal training sessions are tax deductible. This packet is provided for informational only purposes.
WHAT DO I NEED FROM MY DOCTOR?
Laimis Energy recommends that you have your doctor or medical practitioner fill out an Exercise Prescription Form. To print Exercise Prescription Form click here Exercise Prescription Form
WHAT TAX FORM DO YOU USE?
You report your medical expense deduction on Schedule A, Form 1040. You cannot claim medical expenses on Form 1040A, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, or Form 1040EZ, Income Tax Return for Single and Joint Filers With No Dependents.
THE FUTURE
Laimis Energy looks forward to supporting your efforts to qualify for this deduction as we believe it can help keep your training costs down. We would be happy to speak with your doctor or accountant if they have any questions.
Contact us today for more information and to schedule an initial fitness assessment. As you know, Anytime is a great time to get started on reaching your health and fitness goals!
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Houston, you have a space shuttle ... carrier aircraft.
NASA's original jumbo jet, which was used to ferry the space shuttles around the country, has landed at Ellington Field in Houston, where it is to stay.
The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), often referred to using its tail number, NASA 905, was most recently used to fly space shuttle Endeavour to Los Angeles in September. The 747 jetliner was seen by millions of people as it made its way from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to California, where it performed a scenic flyover of the state with Endeavour riding piggyback.
After Endeavour was offloaded, the SCA took off from Los Angeles International Airport, without fanfare, on what was reported to be its final flight: a 20 minute trip to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in southern California. There, it was to join its sister SCA, NASA 911, as a parts donor for another of NASA's 747 jetliner-based programs, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). [Gallery: Ferry Flight in Photos]
Then a flight plan was filed for Ellington Field. NASA 905 was flown to Houston on Oct. 24, just in time for it be on hand for the Wings Over Houston Air Show. The rumor on the flight line was that the public display was a preview of things to come.
Static display
The rumors were right.
"SCA pilots Jeff Moultrie and Bill Rieke and long-time SCA flight engineer Henry Taylor from NASA's Johnson Space Center flew the modified Boeing 747 jetliner from Dryden to Ellington Airport in southeast Houston Oct. 24, where the big Boeing jet will be retired and eventually placed on public display," a statement on NASA's website confirmed this month.
How, when and where NASA 905 will be exhibited is still to be announced ? if not also still to be decided. Houston was not awarded one of the retired flown shuttle orbiters that the SCA carried, but Space Center Houston, the official visitor center for Johnson Space Center, exhibits a full size, high-fidelity orbiter mockup.
Regardless of the details, the decision to display the aircraft ensures its history will be preserved.
An early-model 747-123 version, NASA 905 was the 86th 747 built, rolling out in 1970 and making its first flight on Oct. 15 of that year. After serving as a flagship jetliner for American Airlines for several years, the jumbo jet was acquired by Johnson Space Center in 1974 for use by the coming space shuttle program.
Prior to its conversion into a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, the jetliner was the focus of several aeronautical research experiments conducted at Dryden (then known as NASA's Flight Research Center) including wake vortex turbulence studies that aided the Federal Aviation Administration in modifying airport approach-and-departure procedures for airplanes flying behind large commercial aircraft.
NASA 905 then underwent significant structural changes and upgrades by Boeing in 1976, to prepare it for the role it would serve for the next 35 years.
Modifications to the 747 included beefing up the aircraft structure, adding attach points for mounting the shuttle orbiter and installing a flight crew escape system. The latter consisted of an exit tunnel extending from the flight deck to the bottom of the fuselage and pyrotechnics to activate the hatch and cabin window release mechanisms.
The additions also included vertical fins mounted at the ends of the horizontal stabilizer (tail) to aid stability when carrying a shuttle, upgraded engines, removal of most of the interior furnishings, and installation of shuttle-specific instrumentation.
The converted jetliner then returned to Dryden to serve as a launch aircraft for the prototype shuttle orbiter Enterprise during NASA's Approach and Landing Test (ALT) program in 1977. The crew escape system was removed following the successful completion of the ALT program. [Final Voyage of Space Shuttle?Enterprise?(Photos)]
Shuttle carrier
NASA 905 was then modified again from ALT launch to ferry flight configuration, and flew four test flights before being placed into service to carry the shuttle orbiters.
Although the primary function of the SCA was to transport the orbiters back to Kennedy Space Center from Dryden or other contingency landing sites, the aircraft also carried shuttles to and from Palmdale, Calif. for modifications and maintenance.
NASA 905 also ferried the Enterprise for display at special events such as the Paris Air Show in France and the 1984 World's Fair in New Orleans, La.
NASA 905 flew 70 of the 87 ferry flights during the shuttle program's operational phase, including 46 of the 54 post-mission ferry flights from Dryden to Kennedy. After the orbiters were retired, NASA 905 flew three ferry missions in 2012 to deliver the shuttles Discovery, Enterprise, and Endeavour to the museums where they are currently on display.
After delivering Endeavour to Los Angeles on Sept. 21, where the space shuttle was turned over to the California Science Center, NASA 905 returned to Dryden to end its service to the shuttle program.
Flight-worthy
During its 42-year flight career, both as a commercial jet and as a space shuttle carrier, SCA 905 amassed 11,017 flight hours and made 6,334 takeoffs and landings. Currently, the SCA remains in flyable condition. A decision on its future use or retirement is still pending.
NASA's second Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, 911, was acquired from Japan Air Lines in 1989 and, after being modified for its new role, was delivered to NASA in late 1990. It was retired in early 2012 after 386 flights as a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, 66 of which were ferry flights with a space shuttle mounted on top its fuselage.
NASA 911 is now parked at Dryden's Aircraft Operations Facility adjacent to Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif. It is now available as a source of potential spare parts to support NASA's SOFIA, a highly modified Boeing 747 that carries a 100-inch infrared telescope on science missions around the globe.
Both SCAs were owned by Johnson Space Center, though they were based at Dryden during much of their service to NASA.
Click through to collectSPACE.com to see video of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft NASA 905 departing Edwards Air Force Base for the final time.
Follow collectSPACE on Facebook and Twitter @collectSPACE and editor Robert Pearlman @robertpearlman. Copyright 2012?collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.
Copyright 2012 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller passes against Michigan in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller passes against Michigan in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
Michigan wide receiver Jeremy Gallon (10) can't hang on to a pass asnst Ohio State defensive back C.J. Barnett (4) defends in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
Michigan wide receiver Roy Roundtree (21) beats Ohio State defensive back Christian Bryant (2) on a 75-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner passes against Ohio State in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel gathers with members of his 2002 national championship team between quarters of an NCAA college football game between Ohio State and Michigan Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ? The only thing Urban Meyer lost during his first season at Ohio State was his cool ? at the end of the last game.
Carlos Hyde ran for 146 yards and the fourth-ranked Buckeyes' defense shut out No. 20 Michigan in the second half to grab a bruising 26-21 win on Saturday, completing an improbable 12-0 season for the Buckeyes.
Meyer got emotional as the final seconds ticked off, embracing his players on the sideline at a raucous Ohio Stadium. Too emotional, he said later.
"I've got to keep a little more composure, I guess," he said sheepishly. "In the coaching manual, I think it's chapter 13, it says, 'Keep cool.' I lost it there for a couple of minutes."
Well, give the guy a break.
Almost no one ? up to and including Meyer ? expected such a rapid turnaround for the Buckeyes, who were just 6-7 last season with a loss to their archrivals in a transitional year when they were facing heavy NCAA penalties. A month after Meyer took the job last November, they were socked with a bowl ban after this season ? and still ran the table.
"You get all the wins you can, especially against the Team Up North, especially at home on top of that," said exuberant Buckeyes quarterback Braxton Miller.
Ohio State (12-0, 8-0 Big Ten) is ineligible for a BCS national title but still has an outside shot at finishing No. 1 in the final Associated Press Top 25 if other contenders lose. Michigan (8-4, 6-2) will now await a minor bowl bid.
"At this point in time, Ohio State can go and play with anybody in America," Meyer said. "I wouldn't say that five weeks ago, but you've seen the growth, what we did today and the growth of our defense."
Drew Basil matched his season output with four field goals and the defense did the rest, forcing three turnovers in the second half.
It was played before 105,899, the largest crowd ever to witness "The Game" in Columbus.
Meyer and his players were mobbed by thousands of fans who flooded the field after the Buckeyes' ninth victory in the last 11 years in the rivalry (the 2010 win was later vacated by the sanctions).
The crush of people precluded Michigan's Brady Hoke from the traditional postgame handshake with Meyer.
"No big deal. Not a big deal," Hoke said over his shoulder as he left his postgame news conference. "Not a story."
Hyde also ran for a touchdown. Miller completed 14 of 18 passes for 189 yards and a score to Corey Brown, who had eight catches for 95 yards.
The Buckeyes had already clinched the Big Ten's Leaders Division, but aren't allowed to play in next Saturday's conference title game. Michigan needed a win to capture a share of the Legends Division with Nebraska, which will meet Wisconsin for the championship.
Hoke had won his first game as a head coach in the rivalry.
"I like the W better," he said.
Now, about all Ohio State can hope for is that every other top team in the nation ? including the only other unbeaten, top-ranked Notre Dame ? loses and loses badly. A team banned from the postseason has never finished No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll, and the Buckeyes are not eligible for the Bowl Championship Series rankings or coaches' poll.
Michigan's Denard Robinson had a brilliant first half, scoring on a 67-yard run, but was largely invisible in the second. He totaled 122 yards on 10 carries, but had lost 2 yards on his four carries after halftime.
"We know the reason we lost the game," Robinson said. "We had three turnovers in the second half. That's not acceptable."
Devin Gardner, the other half of Michigan's quarterback tandem, was 11 of 20 for 171 yards with an interception and a 75-yard touchdown pass to Roy Roundtree.
For the Buckeyes, the game will be remembered for the staunch defense played when most needed. Michigan had 26 plays for 219 yards in the first half, then ran 21 plays for a net of 60 yards in the second.
"It feels great," defensive back Christian Bryant said. "Taking it out for the seniors ? that was our motto for the season ? and that's what we did."
For the Wolverines, there will be lingering questions for Hoke, who wore short sleeves in the freezing temperatures ? just like Woody Hayes used to during the 1960s and 1970s in the rivalry.
With his team ahead 21-20, Hoke called timeout on fourth and 2 near midfield on Michigan's first possession of the second half. Robinson then tried the middle, but ran into linebacker Ryan Shazier for a two-yard loss.
That cost the Wolverines the lead as Ohio State drove to the Michigan 11 before settling for Basil's 28-yard field goal, putting the Buckeyes up 23-21.
"We've got to have each other's back," Hoke said. "We didn't get it and (our own) defense went out there and did a nice job."
Gardner fumbled when hit by Johnathan Hankins with 8:19 left, with Travis Howard pouncing on the loose ball after several players had a shot at it. Taking over at the Wolverines' 10, the Buckeyes could not move the ball and were forced to settle for Basil's fourth field goal of the game, a 25-yarder with 6:26 remaining, for a 26-21 lead.
Basil came into the game just 4 for 6 on the year.
The last turnover ended the Wolverines' hopes.
Gardner tossed a floater that was intercepted by C.J. Barnett, ending the Wolverines final threat as Hyde carried the ball repeatedly and the Buckeyes played keep-away to the finish.
Between the first and second quarters, Ohio State honored its 2002 national championship team. After a highlight clip was shown to a roaring crowd, several players hoisted coach Jim Tressel to their shoulders and carried him out of the end zone.
No boos were heard, or else they were drowned out ? even though it was Tressel's NCAA violations, he failed to report players exchanging team memorabilia for cash and tattoos, which will keep this year's unbeaten Buckeyes home in the postseason.
Asked if ? should his team end up as the only unbeaten in the nation ? it should be crowned No. 1 in the AP poll, Meyer said: "I'm not going to get into the 'what ifs.' You can't control what you can't control. ... We're 12-0 and I'm going to see to it when you walk into that Woody Hayes (practice) facility that this team will never be forgotten. Because they deserve that."
___
Follow Rusty Miller on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/rustymillerap
CAIRO (Reuters) - Youths clashed with police in Cairo on Saturday as protests at new powers assumed by President Mohamed Mursi stretched into a second day, confronting Egypt with a crisis that has exposed the split between newly empowered Islamists and their opponents.
A handful of hardcore activists hurling rocks battled riot police in the streets near Tahrir Square, where several thousand protesters massed on Friday to demonstrate against a decree that has rallied opposition ranks against Mursi.
Following a day of violence in Cairo, Alexandria, Port Said and Suez, the smell of teargas hung over the square, the heart of the uprising that swept Hosni Mubarak from power in February 2011.
More than 300 people were injured on Friday. Offices of the Muslim Brotherhood, which propelled Mursi to power, were attacked in at least three cities.
Egypt's highest judicial authority said the decree marked an "unprecedented attack" on the independence of the judiciary, the state news agency reported.
Leftist, liberal and socialist parties have called for an open-ended sit-in with the aim of "toppling" the decree which has also drawn statements of concern from the United States and the European Union. A few dozen activists manning makeshift barricades kept traffic out of the square on Saturday.
Calling the decree "fascist and despotic", Mursi's critics called for a big protest on Tuesday against a move they say has revealed the autocratic impulses of a man jailed by Mubarak, who outlawed Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood.
"We are facing a historic moment in which we either complete our revolution or we abandon it to become prey for a group that has put its narrow party interests above the national interest," the liberal Dustour Party said in a statement.
Issued late on Thursday, the decree marks an effort by the Mursi administration to consolidate its influence after it successfully sidelined Mubarak-era generals in August.
The decree reflects the Muslim Brotherhood's suspicion towards sections of a judiciary unreformed from Mubarak's days: it guards from judicial review decisions taken by Mursi until a new parliament is elected in a vote expected early next year.
It also shields the assembly writing Egypt's new constitution from a raft of legal challenges that have threatened the Islamist-dominated assembly with dissolution.
The Mursi administration has defended the decree on the grounds that it aims to speed up a protracted transition from Mubarak's rule to a new system of democratic government.
"It aims to sideline Mursi's enemies in the judiciary and ultimately to impose and head off any legal challenges to the constitution," said Elijah Zarwan, a fellow with The European Council on Foreign Relations.
"We are in a situation now where both sides are escalating and its getting harder and harder to see how either side can gracefully climb down," Zarwan said.
"INTIFADA"
A central element of Egypt's transition, the drafting of the constitution has been plagued by divisions between Islamists and their more secular-minded opponents, nearly all of whom have withdrawn from the body writing the document.
Mursi's new powers allowed him to replace the prosecutor general - a Mubarak holdover who the new president had tried to replace in October only to kick up a storm of protest from the judiciary, which said he had exceeded his authorities.
At an emergency meeting called to discuss the decree, the Supreme Judicial Council, Egypt's highest judicial authority, urged "the president of the republic to distance this decree from everything that violates the judicial authority".
Al-Masry Al-Youm, one of Egypt's most widely read dailies, hailed Friday's protest as "The November 23 Intifada", invoking the Arabic word for uprising. "The people support the president's decisions," declared Freedom and Justice, the newspaper run by the Brotherhood's political party.
The ultraorthodox Salafi Islamist groups that have been pushing for tighter application of Islamic law in the new constitution have rallied behind the decree.
The Nour Party, one such group, stated its support for the Mursi decree. Al-Gama'a al-Islamiya, which carried arms against the state in the 1990s, said it would save the revolution from what it described as remnants of the Mubarak regime.
Facing the biggest storm of criticism since he won the presidential election in June, Mursi addressed his supporters outside the presidential palace on Friday. He said opposition did not worry him, but it had to be "real and strong".
Candidates defeated by Mursi in the presidential vote joined the protests against his decision on Friday. Former Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa was photographed linking arms with leftist Hamdeen Sabahi, liberal Mohamed ElBaradei and others.
Mursi is now confronted with a domestic crisis just as his administration won international praise for mediating an end to the eight-day war between Israel and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
"The decisions and declarations announced on November 22 raise concerns for many Egyptians and for the international community," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement.
The European Union urged Mursi to respect the democratic process, while the United Nations expressed fears about human rights.
(Additional reporting by Omar Fahmy and Reuters TV; Editing by Alison Williams)
The M23?s latest assault on Goma has an international legal consequence and constitutes a set of war crimes. The large-scale military assault launched by M23 on Goma, and the manner in which both Rwanda and M23 forces are fighting this war, raise numerous red flags regarding large scale violations of human rights and international humanitarian law (IHL). Such violations have long characterised the international legal framework in armed conflict; yet despite post-Cold War improvements in the enforceability of international criminal law, in the Congo context those who perpetrate human rights violations and war crimes seem largely immune to legal accountability. The indictment of the Congo War Lord commonly known as Terminator has proved disastrous and difficult to enforce and the current UN Security Council sanctions against the M23 rebel leader Sultan Makenga is likely to suffer the same fate, yet the Rwandan leaders who have been supporting these conflicts in Congo for almost 2 decades seem not bothered by the continued death of innocent people. The International Community with the largest UN Peace keeping force in the world stationed in Congo, just looked on as the M23 forces matched into Goma without any resistance. Certainly, international law offers no panacea for the death and destruction of war; nor does most media coverage of the Congo conflict devote more than the scantiest attention to the human rights implications of such violence. International law does, however, provide the most important standard against which the conduct of opposing sides can be judged. Such judgments have political currency, if not during the heat of battle then later. International human rights campaigner Raji Sourani described it in the midst of the current violence, human rights is the ?skin? to protect civilians from the all-out aggression of those who attack them. International law impacts the present war in Congo in two key ways. One pertains to whether the violence deployed by each side complies with or violates IHL, in particular the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocol I of 1977. The other, more complicated issue pertains to the assistance the Rwandan government is giving the rebel group M23. Since the 1996 Rwanda has been involved directly or indirectly in the destabilization of Congo. Rwanda has been denying or giving vague excuses .However, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the official guardian and authoritative interpreter of IHL, has consistently maintained that the Fourth Geneva Convention will be applicable to countries or individuals who support not only rebels but rather all activities that result in the crimes against humanity. This view is endorsed by a vast preponderance of international legal opinion, including United Nations resolutions and the opinion of the International Court of Justice. Rwanda under Kagame for his personal economic reasons also advances the novel interpretations of IHL in order to project the legitimacy of dubiously legal or patently unlawful practices in his involvement in Congo by arguing that Congo harbors the former militias who committed genocide in Rwanda in 1994. Rwanda?s consistent position over almost 2 decades that Congo harbors militias and as such, Rwanda has to go to Congo any time its coffers are dry, does not hold any legal water in the glass. This extends to the interpretation that Rwanda?s own conduct is not tightly regulated by IHL when engaged in a war against what they call militias and sometimes terrorists. However, the Geneva Conventions are considered customary international law, and therefore apply any time and place and on any parties who use armed force to wage war on enemies. The fundamental purpose of IHL is to protect civilians and minimize avoidable harm during armed conflicts. Under IHL, five core principles govern what conduct is lawful in armed conflict. Violations of these constitute grave breaches and thus can be considered war crimes. These principles are: civilian immunity (ie, the prohibition against intentionally targeting civilians or otherwise treating them as combatants); distinction (i.e., the imperative to distinguish between civilians and combatants in military operations, and for combatants to distinguish themselves as such through identifiable dress and insignia and by carrying arms openly); proportionality (ie, the requirement to use force in a manner that is proportionate to the military value of the target); necessity (ie, the obligation to restrict targets or tactics to those necessary to achieve legitimate military goals); and humane treatment (ie, the prohibition of torture, inhumane and degrading treatment of prisoners, and the imperative to guard the rights and interests of ?protected persons?, the legal term for civilians in captured territories).. Unfortunately, there has been violation of these entire international legal obligations by the rebels in the territory they have captured. Reports have indicated massive killings, abductions of civilians, rape of women and disappearances. Ultimately, no matter how much Rwanda wants to use Rwanda militias in Congo as the political, legal and moral interference in the Congo affairs, its actions and legacy, are not far from those of other states which systematically use violence against civilians. This will be determined by its adherence to or violations of normative interpretations of international law. The longer Rwanda under Kagame continues to kill Congolese directly or by his rebel proxy M23 indiscriminately and with impunity, and the longer it maintains the military and financial illegal support of this notorious rebel group, the more such policies will face greater de-legitimation and opprobrium. Jacqueline Umurungi Brussels. .
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Public release date: 26-Nov-2012
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The M23?s latest assault on Goma has an international legal consequence and constitutes a set of war crimes. The large-scale military assault launched by M23 on Goma, and the manner in which both Rwanda and M23 forces are fighting this war, raise numerous red flags regarding large scale violations of human rights and international humanitarian law (IHL). Such violations have long characterised the international legal framework in armed conflict; yet despite post-Cold War improvements in the enforceability of international criminal law, in the Congo context those who perpetrate human rights violations and war crimes seem largely immune to legal accountability.