Meanwhile, In The Middle East

Iran back to enriching uranium:

Iran has resumed uranium enrichment which was suspended under a deal with the European Union and critical questions remain about its atomic programme, the UN nuclear watchdog said.

In a new report, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Tehran has resumed its uranium enrichment programme and asserted that questions remained about its atomic programme. It confirmed that Iran has pushed ahead with nuclear fuel work which the IAEA had called on it on August 11 to halt, in order to save talks with the European Union on guaranting Tehran’s atomic programme is peaceful.

The agency said it was still not in a position to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in Iran. “In view of the fact that the agency is not yet in a position to clarify some of the important outstanding issues after 2-1/2 years of intensive inspections and investigation, Iran’s full transparency is indispensable and overdue”, the report by IAEA chief Mohamed El Baradei said.

Meanwhile, at the UN:

Investigators confronted Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday with findings of their probe of the $64-billion Iraqi oil-for-food program, concluding that he bore primary responsibility for mismanagement and faulting him for not acting to halt suspected abuses by contractors and laxity by member states, said diplomats who spoke to Annan after the meeting.

The investigators, led by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, are expected to issue a public report Wednesday about abuses in the relief program. A committee spokesman said it would be at least 700 pages and would also examine the responsibility of Security Council members who knowingly allowed Saddam Hussein to reap billions from smuggling and kickbacks.

I wonder what else we are missing (and mind you, I am not criticizing the media for their focus on Katrina).