SELECTED RCI NEWSBRIEFS mon/tue/wed

Rooz Online reported that in recent days, the Iranian government has sharply increased its control and monitoring of Internet users though what is known as “smart filtering.”

Spiegel published its aggressive interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad discussing the Holocaust, the future of the state of Israel, mistakes made by the United States in Iraq and Tehran's nuclear conflict with the West.

Iran: "there is no such country" as Israel!
Ha'aretz reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said: "there is no such country" as Israel.

The Financial Times reported that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will need to spend an extra 5 Billon Dollars this year to pay for subsidies on sales to motorists of imported petrol (gasoline). (IRAN'S ACHILLES HEEL!!)

Reuters reported that Iran is pressing ahead with research tests on nuclear fusion, a type of atomic reaction which has yet to be developed for commercial power generation, but is used to produce thermonuclear bombs.

Reuters reported that the exiled son of Iran's late Shah on Monday called on the Bush administration to put action before rhetoric in ousting Tehran's Islamic regime.

The New York Times reported that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is trying to consolidate power in the office of the presidency in a way never before seen in the 27-year history of the Islamic Republic.

Times Online reported that the US Government is putting Britain’s £1 billion annual trade with Iran at risk by pressing European banks to withdraw from the country. (An example of why Europeans and Russians or Chinese have been dragging their feet in the face of real and present danger from Iran).

The Jerusalem Post reported that Iran has turned to Greece to convey messages to the United States regarding its contentious nuclear program and other disputes, officials said.