Iran announces operation of more than 5,000 centrifuges at Natanz nuclear plant

In the UK and international media today, the Daily Telegraph notes that Iran announced yesterday that it had reached 5,000 centrifuges to produce enriched uranium at its main nuclear plant in Natanz. In related news, BBC Online notes that Iran announced yesterday that it had launched its second space rocket, the Kavosh 2, successfully. BBC Online and Reuters report that the border with Gaza and Israel briefly opened yesterday to allow for a limited amount of food and fuel to flow into the strip. Reuters notes that Arab foreign ministers met in Cairo last night to discuss ways to overcome the faction rifts and lack of negotiations between Fatah and Hamas. The Times and the Daily Telegraph report that Attorney General Menachem Mazuz plans to indict Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on charges of fraud, bribery and tax evasion. The Financial Times notes that a group of former Israeli security officers have launched a campaign to support the Saudi Peace Initiative. The Independent carries a piece on the tensions evolving around the House of Peace in Hebron and Israel's stance over the evacuation of Jewish settlers in the area.

In the Israeli press, all papers note that several Israelis are being held hostage as terrorists rampaged through Mumbai, India yesterday killing over 100 people at ten different sites across the city. In other news, the papers note that Iran announced yesterday that it had reached 5,000 centrifuges at its Natanz nuclear plant. In addition, Iran also confirmed yesterday that it had tested its Kavosh 2 space rocket successfully. Several papers note that Attorney General Mazuz told Prime Minister Olmert yesterday that he will likely be indicted for allegations that he used public money for his own private matters. The Jerusalem Post quoted a senior Israeli diplomat yesterday saying that the United Nations has an interest in downplaying Hezbollah's rearmaments and activities in southern Lebanon. The paper notes that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday that the decision to send US diplomats to Iran for the first time in over thirty years would not be carried out under her term and will be left to the decision makers in the new Obama administration. In addition, the paper reports that Arab foreign ministers met in Cairo yesterday to discuss ways to reconcile differences between the Palestinian factions groups of Fatah and Hamas.

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