By Fredrik Dahl VIENNA | Wed May 23, 2012 3:03pm EDT VIENNA (Reuters) - A U.N. watchdog report is expected to show that Iran has installed more uranium enrichment centrifuges at an underground site, potentially boosting output capacity of nuclear work major powers want it to stop, Western diplomatic sources say. Two sources said the Islamic state may have placed in position nearly 350 machines since February - in addition to the almost 700 centrifuges already operating at the Fordow facility - but that they were not yet being used to refine uranium.If confirmed in the next quarterly report on Iran's nuclear programme by the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency, tentatively expected on Friday, it is likely to be seen as a sign of continued ... Continue reading →

Woman goes into labour at polling station, names her newborn after presidential hopeful Shafiq The pregnant campaign representative was rushed to hospital after she went into labour at a polling station in Minya MENA, Wednesday 23 May 2012 A representative of presidential hopeful Ahmed Shafiq's campaign went into labour while she was observing the voting at a polling station in Minya. The mother, Kamelia El-Sayed Ibrahim, was quickly taken to hospital, where she gave birth to a boy. Ibrahim named her new born Shafiq, after the candidate she supports. . Short link: Continue reading →

Stars and stripes forever... until they rip your plate away. (Canadian Press via AP Images)American people are some of the loveliest you’ll ever meet and make us expats feel all warm, cuddly and very welcome. But just occasionally they do or say something that we Brits find a tad… eccentric.1. Saying “I love your accent!” Before I moved here, I never imagined that my dreary London burr made me sound smart or lovable. At first the compliments were nice, but then a New York tiger mom asked me to talk to her snoozing two-year-old in the hope that it would rub off. A bit much, I thought.2. Putting last names first The fashion for inflicting quirky monikers on babies started with American parents giving their ... Continue reading →

Shakil Afridi, the Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA collect data that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden, was convicted of high treason today and sentenced to 33 years in prison. Given the severity of the sentence, it's worth considering a few of the people who the Pakistani justice system has not seen fit to put behind bars: Hafiz Saeed The head of a banned charity widely believed to be a front for the international terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba is wanted by both India and the United States for his alleged role in orchestrated the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The Lahore High Court dropped all charges against Saeed in 2009. Last month, the U.S. offered a $10 million reward for information leading to Saeed's arrest, ... Continue reading →

“Patriot of Persia: Muhammad Mossadegh and a Tragic Anglo-American Coup”by Christopher de BellaigueHarper, $14.99> Buy now from AmazonMuhammad Mossadegh was a difficult man to get along with. On his wedding night, meeting his strikingly beautiful bride for the first time, he expressed his displeasure at her heavy makeup. “Madam!” he said sternly. “What is this get-up? Go immediately and wash your face.”As Christopher de Bellaigue brilliantly depicts in this sweeping new biography, his interactions with fellow Iranians, and with the British and American diplomats seeking to persuade, cajole and ultimately out-muscle him, were just as prickly.Best known as the Iranian prime minister ousted in a British- and American-orchestrated coup in 1953, Mossadegh emerges here as a staunch nationalist. Bellaigue’s book is also a rich portrait ... Continue reading →