NPR 2010-12-06

Iran announced today it's produced its own uranium, which could be processed into material that could be used for nuclear power. Iran's nuclear energy chief said this means Iran has become self-sufficient in the entire fuel cycle, from extracting uranium ore to enriching it and producing nuclear fuel. The announcement comes a day before talks in Geneva with world powers, seeking assurances that Iran is not developing nuclear weapons. Iran maintains its nuclear program is only aimed at producing power.

NATO officials say two foreign troops and two Afghan civilians 1 were killed today at a military base in southeastern Afghanistan. NPR's Corey Flintoff reports a bomb smashed the stalls at a small market.

NATO officials say the attack took place near the NATO base at Gardez in Paktia province, at a small market catering 2 to Afghan and NATO troops. A provincial 3 government spokesman said the two civilians killed were shopkeepers. More than a dozen other people in the area were reportedly wounded. A Taliban spokesman contacted media outlets 5 to say that the attack was carried out by one of its fighters, but the claim hasn't been confirmed. NATO didn't give the nationalities of the troops killed, but most of the foreign forces in Gardez are Americans. Corey Flintoff, NPR News, Kabul.

The former South African President Thabo Mbeki has arrived in Ivory Coast, where two rivals have both laid claim to the presidency 6. The incumbent 7 and the opposition 8 leader have both taken the oath of office. The BBC's John James reports from Abidjan that Mbeki is trying to negotiate a resolution.

Thabo Mbeki's arrival is the first attempt by someone outside the current deadlock 9 to try and find a breakthrough. The borders were opened for the first time in days to let his plane land. He faces a considerable challenge. Ivory Coast now has two presidents. But he's mistrusted by the opposition, who remember his mediation 10 during the heights of the Ivorian civil crisis. He's been sent by the African Union on an urgent mission to find a peaceful and legitimate 11 way to resolve the current standoff.

The BBC's John James reporting from Abidjan.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said today that he may run for president in 2012. He told "Fox News Sunday" he's been talking to friends who think he may have a chance.

"We're much more inclined to run than not run and I think (we) everything we've done over the last year, talking to friends, thinking things through, has made us more inclined to believe that it's doable."

Gingrich said that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt 12 Romney is probably the front-runner for the Republican nomination 13, but that former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is probably the most popular of the likely GOP candidates. Whereas when he stands in that what could be a crowded field, Gingrich says he's competitive and somewhere in the bunch.

This is NPR News from Washington.

The worst forest fire in Israeli history is now under control. The blaze began Thursday near the city of Haifa and has destroyed dozens of homes and millions of trees. Forty-one people have died.

Russian news is reporting that a rocket carrying three communication satellites has crashed into the ocean, roughly 900 miles off the coast of Hawaii. NPR's David Greene says the payload was meant to enhance a system in Russia that's similar to GPS.

The launch of the three satellites today was meant to bring Russia's global navigation system to full speed. The system is like GPS, helping 14 people down on earth find their location and where they are going. It's operated by Russia's space agency. The rocket carrying the satellites took off from the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan but apparently 15 never made it to orbit. A spokesman for the space agency told Reuters there was an unplanned situation. Meanwhile, Russian news agencies quoted unnamed sources in the airspace industry saying the rocket fell back into the atmosphere and landed in the Pacific. That's not the only news of air disasters in Russia this weekend. On Saturday, a Russian-made Tupolev-154 jetliner suffered engine trouble and had to make an emergency landing outside Moscow. Two passengers were killed and dozens of others were hurt. David Greene, NPR News, Moscow.

For sale, an acre plus in western Montana, no electricity, no running water, no cabin, that's at the Newseum in Washington. But the listing notes it's a piece of infamous 16 history. It was once owned by the Unabomber. Ted 4 Kaczynski is serving life in prison for a bombing spree between 1978 and 1995 that killed three people and wounded 23. The asking price for his land is 69,500 dollars. The realtor notes the location is obviously very secluded 17.

I'm Nora Raum, NPR News in Washington.