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TEHRAN—Amidst mounting geopolitical tensions, Iranian officials said Wednesday they were increasingly concerned about the United States of America's uranium-enrichment program, fearing the Western nation may soon be capable of producing its 8,500th nuclear weapon. "Our intelligence estimates indicate that, if it is allowed to progress with its aggressive nuclear program, the United States may soon possess its 8,500th atomic weapon capable of reaching Iran," said Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi, adding that Americans have the fuel, the facilities, and "everything they need" to manufacture even more weapons-grade fissile material. "Obviously, the prospect of this happening is very distressing to Iran and all countries like Iran. After all, the United States is a volatile nation that's proven it needs little provocation to attack anyone anywhere in the world whom it perceives to be a threat." Iranian intelligence experts also warned of the very real, and very frightening, possibility of the U.S. providing weapons and resources to a rogue third-party state such as Israel.
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouthi said on Tuesday the movement should focus on building and reforming Palestinian institutions and peaceful resistance, as the peace process has failed.
In a letter penned in jail to the Palestinian people, commemorating his Fatah party's 47th anniversary, Barghouthi said peace negotiations with Israel are finished, "and there is no point to make desperate attempts to breathe life into a dead body."
Meanwhile, Israelis are having Facebook fun with their variation of LOLcats:
I like this one too — for some reason he reminds me of Ariel Sharon:
Topple Mubarak already, I can't take this anymore (Maayan Niezna) See more at the excellent +972.
Confidence is not what I feel when I read this type of item (admitedly in the pretty dire Youm al-Seba3):
Member Egypt’s ruling military council Mohsen Al-Fangary said the parliamentary and Shura Council elections will be held on schedule and both the Ministry of Interior and the Egyptian army will participate to perform these elections to make them successful.
"Egypt will be a civilian country with a strong elected parliament," al-Fangary said, who called on citizens to choose the candidates wisely.
He made this statement during his inspection to the Ministry of Interior group in Jazeera youth center headquarters, while celebrating the tallest flag of Egypt.
Al-Fangary showed an invention from the military council, a device to ward off sharks. The invention was invented in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism, since sharks attacked many tourists in Sharm el-Sheikh city.
What next? Will Tantawi unveil Zagazig's largest ball of twine and Anan launch the production tinfoil-lined helmets to protect soldiers from the mind-control rays of foreign hands?
(This post is motivated by today's performance by General Adel Emara, in the press conference today in which he explained that the military did not shoot or run over anyone on October 9, among other things.)
Possible answers:
The screwing-on of lightbulbs is a sacred national duty that will be carried out with due haste with by appropriate number of generals according to a set but secret timetable.
The inability to restore the lighbulb to its rightful function is the work of infiltrators and saboteurs!
A foreign hand has stolen the lightbulb, but its plots will be foiled.
No foreign agenda can dictate to us what to do with the lightbulb!
Despite reports and video evidence to the contrary, we assure you that the lightbulb is fully functioning.
Together, the SCAF and the people will ensure that all lightbulbs everywhere are screwed on with one hand!
We refuse the lightbulb's resignation and order it to return to its socket immediately!
How do you know about the lightbulb, spy?
I urge you to contribute your own in the comments.
We blogged before about the man who wanted to fight a lion. Unfortunately, he went ahead with his plan and our correspondent J. Hammond was there to witness it all.
Update: Now with images.
Al-Sayed al-Essawy claims to have dreamed of facing a lion since age thirteen. This weekend al-Essawy finally got his chance. The 25 year old resident of Mansoura proved to be one of Egypt’s most able showmen in creating international attention for his match. Despite arrests by the Egyptian government and international campaigns to stop the fight, al-Essawy faced the lion and in doing so fulfilled his dream.
Journalists and well-wishers were driven to a secret location on the edge of an open field a few hours north of Mansoura for the fight. After much hype, al-Essawy finally entered the cage in front of a hundred or so cheering onlookers. Al-Essawy bristled with melee weapons: a two pronged spear to keep the lion at bay, a machete strapped to one leg and a shield made from an old satellite TV dish. He yelled at the crowd to be quiet so he could focus on the lion. Al-Essawy’s facial expressions alternated between fear and bravado, even when taunting his feline opponent. He yelled at it, stuck his tongue out, and at one point poked at it with his trident. Al-Essawy’s provocations were all completed from a safe distance and at one point he sat on a green lawn chair brought into the cage for his comfort.
Love the last line in this story on the emerging feud between Salafists and Sufis in Egypt after a bunch of Salafist neanderthals burned several shrines revered by Sufis (Salafists hate any version of Islam that incorporates mysticism and esoteric beliefs):
A leading figure from the Azeemia Sufi order has warned of a sectarian war between Sufis and Salafis over the destruction of several shrines connected with revered religious figures.
Sheikh Mohamed Alaa Abul Azayem labeled as “thugs” Salafis who carried out the attacks, and accused them of trying to erase important symbols of Islamic Egypt.
On Tuesday, the Azeemia order held a symposium in which it announced its intention of forming a political party named the Egyptian Liberation Party, which aims to protect Sufis in the event that either the Muslim Brotherhood or Salafis come to power.
Abul Azayem also said he had proposed a meeting with Salafis at Al-Azhar in 2006, but they rejected the proposed venue, and even refused to hold a meeting on their own premises.
However, on Monday, Sufi leaders finally managed to meet with their Salafi counterparts in Alexandria, where Salafis denied responsibility for the demolition of shrines.
For his part, Al-Azhar University Professor Ahmed al-Sayeh said he had asked his relatives in Upper Egypt to send him a machine gun with which to kill those who have demolished shrines.
Our friend Ayman Mohieldin, TV superstar on the Egyptian revolution because his stellar coverage on al-Jazeera English, was on the Colbert Report. He did not lose his cool. Kudos for that almost makes us forget about our resentment of his newfound heartthrob status.
About Kamal Abbas and the Centre for Trade Unions and Workers Services: Kamal Abbas is General Coordinator of the CTUWS, an umbrella advocacy organization for independent unions in Egypt. The CTUWS, which was awarded the 1999 French Republic's Human Rights Prize, suffered repeated harassment and attack by the Mubarak regime, and played a leading role in its overthrow. Abbas, who witnessed friends killed by the regime during the 1989 Helwan steel strike and was himself arrested and threatened numerous times, has received extensive international recognition for his union and civil society leadership.
This is another good pun, in Arabic, via Angry Arab
King Abdullah and all kings of Saudi Arabia have the title of "servant of the two holy places" — Mecca and Medina — which in Arabic is "Hami al-Harameen". But here the title has been changed to say "Hami al-Harameen", "servant of the two thieves". Alongside the king are Tunisia's Ben Ali and his wife Leila Trabelsi.
Screengrab from today's al-Ahram: "Chocolate and flowers on Police Day". That's Minister of Interior Habib al-Adly on the right. Here's the link, I just wanted to preserve it in case they take it down.
Things are really heating up across the region — ongoing protests in Algeria, unstable situation in Tunisia, talk of extremely rare protests in Libya, today's protest in Egypt, weird ongoings in Sudan, the release of the Palestine Papers in Israel/Palestine and consequent war between the PA and Jazeera, disgruntlement in Jordan, and a worrying reprisal of sectarian brinksmanship in Lebanon as the STL is about to, probably, inculpate Hizbullah for the wave of killings of the last few years including that of Rafiq Hariir
All of this is distracting me from my work and my focus on what's happening in Tunis.
The Lebanese stuff in particular is the most difficult to follow, as usual if you haven't been raised on a diet of tabouleh and manaqeesh. On such matters I defer to Qifa Nakbi. A few years ago the French comedy group Les Inconnus did this sketch on Lebanon that still holds up perfectly today. Enjoy.
Coolest name ever. If you're 12.Fans of Frank Miller's Dark Knight will get special satisfaction out of this. At Language Log via Sarah Carr on Twitter.
You knew there was a price to be paid for counting Silvio Berlusconi as one of your friends in Europe:
A scandal over Silvio Berlusconi's relationship with a teenage Moroccan girl took on legal and political overtones today when a senior police officer confirmed that the Italian prime minister's office had intervened on her behalf when she was detained on suspicion of theft, claiming she was the granddaughter of the Egyptian president.
Issandr El Amrani | 
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