Really quite remarkable. The debate runs 85 minutes.

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Iran’s ability to enrich uranium is growing at a prodigous rate. According to a International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report obtained by Reuters, Iran had 4,920 centrifuges, cylinders that spin at supersonic speed, being fed with uranium hexafluoride gas (UF6) for enrichment nonstop as of May 31, a jump of about 25 percent since February. Due to increased number of centrifuges operating Iran had increased its rate of production of low-enriched uranium (LEU), boosting its stockpile by 500 kg to 1,339 kg in the past six months. This leads David Albright, a fellow at the Institute for Science and International Security, a think tank that tracks proliferation issues, to conclude that Iran now had accumulated enough LEU to convert into high-enriched uranium (HEU) sufficient for one atom bomb.

The story in the New York Times:

Iran has significantly expanded uranium enrichment with almost 5,000 centrifuges now operating and this has made it harder for U.N. inspectors to keep track of the disputed nuclear activity, an IAEA report said on Friday.

Obtained by Reuters, the restricted International Atomic Energy Agency report said Iran had increased its rate of production of low-enriched uranium (LEU), boosting its stockpile by 500 kg to 1,339 kg in the past six months.

Iran’s improved efficiency in turning out potential nuclear fuel is sure to fan Western fears of the Islamic Republic nearing the ability to make atomic bombs, if it chose to do so.

Oil giant Iran says it wants a uranium enrichment industry solely to provide an alternative source of electricity.

But it has stonewalled an IAEA investigation into suspected past research into bomb-making, calling U.S. intelligence about it forged, and continues to limit the scope of IAEA inspections.

David Albright of the Institute for Science and International Security, a think tank that tracks proliferation issues, said Iran now had accumulated enough LEU to convert into high-enriched uranium (HEU) sufficient for one atom bomb.

This would require reconfiguring Iran’s centrifuge network and miniaturizing HEU to fit into a warhead — technical hurdles that could take 1-2 years or more — and would not escape the notice of U.N. inspectors unless done at an undeclared location.

There are no indications of any such secret site.

“Still, Iran is ramping up enrichment to reach the point of potential nuclear weapons capability. They haven’t made a political decision to do that. But their lack of constraint is disappointing given (U.S. President Barack) Obama’s effort to start negotiations,” Albright told Reuters from Washington.

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Barack Obama, the US president, in a speech in Cairo on Thursday said his aim was to seek a “new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world”.

Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr gauges reaction to his speech in Afghanistan, a country at the heart of the United States’ war against extremism.

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A UN team investigating possible war crimes in Gaza, led by Richard Goldstone, is in the Strip on a week-long fact finding mission. They had to enter from Egypt after Israel failed to grant visas, despite repeated requests by the UN. With Israel boycotting the commission, can the UN mission investigate alleged violations of international law, and can UN investigations in the Gaza strip lead to any prosecutions?

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The European parliament elections are underway, with the economic crisis one of the key issues affecting voters.

But while taxpayers will foot the bill for bailing out the region’s banks, citizens are still left in the dark about the state of the institutions’ finances.

Samah El-Shahat reports from London.

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Pakistan’s military says it is making important gains, in its offensive against the Taliban. But tens of thousands of people have been displaced by the fighting in the northwest. Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder exclusively reports on the families returning home to scenes of devastation in Buner, in the Swat valley.

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Marc Ona Essengui is credited with keeping a hydoelectric dam and an extensive mining operation from Gabon’s largest national park. Ever since he developed polio as a young child, the Gabon activist has dedicated his life to campaigning for disabled rights and for the environment in his country. A father, a journalist, and passionate environmentalist, Ona is recognized as a tireless voice for the Congo River basin and he is the subject of this week’s Making a Difference. VOA’s Paul Sisco has the story.

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