Iran 'starts enriching nuclear fuel to 20%' at Natanz

　　

　　

　　Western powers have urged further sanctions over Iran's nuclear activity

　　Iran has started the process of enriching uranium to 20% in defiance of the West, Iranian state media says.

　　It said the process, which experts estimate would take about a year, began at the Natanz plant in the presence of international inspectors.

　　The move came as Western powers stepped up pressure on Iran, with the US saying it wanted UN sanctions within "weeks".

　　China, a UN Security Council member, called for further talks over Iran's nuclear programme.

　　The US and its western allies say Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon - a charge Iran denies.

　　Iran's top nuclear official, Ali Akbar Salehi, was quoted by state news agency Irna as saying Iran "had started the 20% enrichment in a separate cascade in Natanz" for use in a Tehran research reactor.

　　He said the cascade contained 164 centrifuges and had a production capacity of 3-5kg (6-11lb) a month - more than the 1.5kg (3.3lb) needed for the research reactor.

　　

ANALYSIS

　　

　　Jon Leyne, BBC News

　　Technically, anything up to 20% enrichment still qualifies as low-enriched uranium. So Iran could argue that it is still keeping within the letter of the law.

　　But the fear is that this move brings Iran closer to the capability to make a nuclear bomb. Experts say that once Iran has a stockpile of 20% enriched uranium, it could take as little as six months to convert it to weapons grade.

　　It's hotly disputed whether Iran has yet made a conscious decision to make a bomb. But as it builds up, at least the capability, the situation becomes increasingly dangerous.

　　As international pressure grows on Iran, there will surely be those within the Islamic Republic who will argue that Tehran should build a bomb - if only to protect against an attack designed to prevent just such a danger.

　　A spokesman for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that its inspectors were at Natanz on Tuesday, but said that they were not expected to report on activities there until next week.

　　The BBC's Jon Leyne says Tuesday's announcement is designed to stress Iran's view that it is only acting within its rights.

　　Iran currently enriches uranium to a level of 3.5% but requires 20% enriched uranium for its research reactor, which is meant to produce medical isotopes. A bomb would require uranium enriched to at least 90%.

　　Enriching to 20% would take about one year, using the 2,000 centrifuges at the underground Natanz facility, experts say.

　　But moving from 20% to 90% would take only six months and only require between 500 and 1,000 centrifuges.

　　Asked if Iran was capable of enriching uranium to 20% and processing it as fuel, Mr Salehi told state news agency Isna: "We have the technical knowledge for this task. However, since it is our first experience we will move more cautiously."

　　Iran insists its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful and designed to provide civilian power.

　　It had already announced on Sunday that it aimed to start producing uranium enriched to 20% for its Tehran reactor.

　　Pressure for sanctions

　　Mr Salehi also said the government would build 10 new enrichment plants next year, despite the fact that it still had problems with its first one.

　　Benjamin Netanyahu: "This means crippling sanctions... applied right now"The US and France reacted by saying that the time had come "for the adoption of strong sanctions", while the British government described Iran's new position as deeply worrying.

　　Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said on Tuesday that US Defense Secretary Robert Gates wanted to see UN sanctions against Iran in "weeks, not months", and that Mr Gates "clearly thinks time is of the essence".

　　The UN Security Council has already imposed three rounds of sanctions against Iran in an effort to make it cease all uranium enrichment activities and heavy-water projects, which could produce plutonium suitable for use in weapons.

　　Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu refused to comment directly on sanctions at a press conference on Tuesday, the Associated Press news agency reported.

　　"I hope the relevant parties will step up efforts and push for progress in the dialogue and negotiations," he was quoted as saying.

　　

URANIUM ENRICHMENT

　　

　　Iran says it is increasing uranium enrichment from 3.5% needed for commercial nuclear reactors

　　Says it will enrich to 20%, needed for a research reactor near Tehran

　　Weapons-grade uranium is at least 90% enriched

　　Experts say achieving 20% is a key step towards weapons grade

　　

　　In depth: Nuclear fuel cycle

　　Iran confuses West again

　　Send us your comments

　　As a UN Security Council member, China's support would be needed for any new round of sanctions against Iran.

　　Russia, another Security Council member which has been uncertain over backing new sanctions, signalled its disapproval of Iran's move.

　　"Actions such as starting to enrich low-enriched uranium up to 20% raise doubts in other countries and these doubts are fairly well-grounded," Nikolai Patrushev, head of Russia's security council, was quoted as saying.

　　"Political-diplomatic methods are important for a resolution, but there is a limit to everything," he said.

　　Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealed for "tough action" from the international community.

　　"This means crippling sanctions and these sanctions must be applied right now," he said.

　　In October, a deal brokered by the IAEA was thought to have been struck for Iran to send its uranium to Russia and France for enrichment.

　　But last month, diplomats said Iran had told the IAEA that it did not accept the terms of the deal - though there have since been other, conflicting messages.

　　Mr Salehi has said that enriched uranium production would be halted if Iran received fuel enriched to 20% from abroad.

Sponsors try to convert rugby appeal at Six Nations

　　

　　

　　By Simon Atkinson

　　Business reporter, BBC News

　　

　　For every penalty kick and conversion at this year's Six Nations tournament, all eyes will be on the goalposts, complete with their protective pads featuring the logo of tournament sponsor, Royal Bank of Scotland.

　　It is among the most high-profile pieces of corporate backing in rugby union.

　　But will crowds inside the likes of Twickenham and Murrayfield, plus the millions watching on terrestrial television, continue to see the bank as simply the long-time sponsor of the northern hemisphere's primary rugby competition?

　　Or will they instead identify that logo with the bailed-out RBS, a struggling firm, 84%-owned by the UK taxpayer and controversially paying bumper bonuses?

　　RBS clearly hopes the Six Nations can help rebuild its battered image and boost its profile, especially given the way its business has become more focused on UK markets in the past year.

　　"Every piece of marketing is done with a view to building favourability towards a brand," says its head of branding Allan Watt.

　　"But our aim is to remind people that in these difficult times for everybody, we are very much open for business."

　　Excitement

　　The latest £20m sponsorship deal was struck in early 2008 before the full extent of the bank's difficulties were known - even though details of the renewal were not released until after its taxpayer bailout. And Mr Watt insists that breaking the contract was never considered.

　　However, there would have been no shortage of firms ready to step in, with sponsors increasingly keen to get involved since the game turned professional in 1995 and its profile rocketed.

　　

　　The Six Nations itself almost always brings excitement. In the past ten tournaments, all of the participants bar Italy and Scotland have won it at least once.

　　In England especially, the national team winning the 2003 World Cup sparked new interest, increasing the appeal of the game and prompting a shift in the demographic make-up of both its fans and the youngsters who began to pick up the oval ball.

　　Meanwhile match attendances in the English top flight, the Guinness Premiership, may be considerably lower than at top-level football (an average of about 11,400 last season compared with 35,600 in the Premier League) - but they are growing. Only in Wales are real concerns being expressed about crowds at domestic league games.

　　'Desirable audience'

　　However while rugby's fanbase might have broadened from what has always been (especially in England and Scotland) a core support of middle class fans, the sport still primarily attracts what in advertiser speak is "ABC1's" - more wealthy people who are attractive targets for sponsors and advertisers.

　　"Rugby union doesn't have the mass appeal of football - but it's an audience that these brands want to get to," says Nigel Currie of the marketing and sports consultancy Brand Rapport.

　　

　　The English domestic competition is seeing increasing crowds

　　He believes RBS was right not to walk away from the Six Nations as it competes for business against its rivals, including HSBC which sponsors the British Lions. Investec is another key rugby backer and insurer Liverpool Victoria supports an Anglo-Welsh trophy.

　　"For financial services, which are basically pretty boring brands and boring products, rugby adds a bit of excitement, glamour and sexiness," Mr Currie says.

　　However, he agrees that the dominance of banks and drink companies (besides Guinness, Heineken, Magners, Brains beer and Famous Grouse Scotch whisky are among the game's big backers in the UK) is not ideal, and that a wider range of sponsors would be welcome.

　　Indeed some in the game are cautioning that this heavy reliance on sponsorship from particular alcohol brands, which see rugby fans as being among their core audience, could prove devastating if a ban on alcohol sponsorship in sport ever materialised.

　　'Family audience'

　　Growing levels of corporate hospitality at rugby has also been a welcome addition to the game's coffers, though there will be less of that at this year's Six Nations after RBS cut its corporate hospitality bill by about 90% - to save money and to save face.

　　

　　'Bloodgate' has had little effect on sponsorship of the game

　　Its guests, who may in previous years have enjoyed pre-match meals and entertainment, will instead be more likely to get just a match ticket. There will be no formal RBS hospitality in Cardiff or Dublin. A branded marquee, once a feature of games at Scotland's Murrayfield, is also no more.

　　Instead more of the bank's ticket allocation will go to charities, and it says it is giving greater focus to a campaign that encourages people to help their local amateur rugby clubs.

　　But far from being just beneficiaries, these strong communities that form around rugby are another element that makes it attractive to sponsors, says Jeremy Summers of the legal and commercial consultancy Pitmans SK Sports and Entertainment.

　　"The game's sporting ethic stands above other sports," he says.

　　"Rugby tends to attract quite a family audience and it's seen as a nice, pleasant event to go to. There is obviously some real aggression on the field but there is still a sense that the referee has the last word and is shown respect."

　　Commercial sense

　　Such an image meant that last year's "Bloodgate" affair, where a Harlequins player faked a blood injury to allow his side to make a tactical substitution, was enough to put the sport on the front of newspapers - at a time when club rugby still struggles to make the back pages.

　　However, while such cheating arguably dented rugby's "family" reputation, it appears to have done it no long-term commercial damage.

　　Indeed Harlequins chief executive Mark Evans told a conference last year that such scandals helped to generate interest among fans, and the club says it has lost no sponsorship as a result of the incident.

　　

　　Its main sponsor, Etihad, perhaps prizes its logo on Harlequins' stadium roof (which is on the London Heathrow flight path) as much as it does having the emblem on the famous quartered shirt.

　　The UAE airline is holding a "full review" over whether to renew its contract which expires this summer. But the decision will be based on whether it is getting good value, an Etihad spokeswoman said.

　　In a sport where team sponsorships have been treated more like patronages or community donations, this is a concept which is relatively new but one which is becoming more prevalent says consultant Mr Summers.

　　"There has been a history of corporate chief executives who happened to like a particular sport or a particular club, and that was enough for them to offer financial backing," he says. "And this probably happened in rugby more than most sports.

　　"But we're not seeing that nowadays. Today a sponsorship has to be justified much more commercially. It has to make business sense."

　　Anyone could win the Six Nations this year (well, apart from Italy....)

　　Those thoughts are echoed by Lee Bailey, sponsorship manager at Guinness which is in discussions about renewing naming rights for next season's top English league.

　　"Rugby sometimes used to be that way, to be run unprofessionally, but that's because it was an amateur game. Things have changed," he says.

　　"Bloodgate was a good example of that. It was impressive how the sport responded. They made immediate rule changes, they didn't just sit back. That's the kind of approach which encourages sponsors.

　　"Rugby fans are really getting involved as the growing attendances show. It's becoming more about passion to support your local team rather than just filling out Twickenham for international games."

American football faces financial reform

　　

　　By Caroline Hepker

　　Business reporter, BBC World, New Orleans

　　

　　

　　Quarterback Drew Brees is well paid in a "socialist system"

　　Most of the pros wear earplugs. American football is ear-shatteringly loud.

　　Inside the 70,000 seat Louisiana Superdome it is clear why fans love it.

　　The New Orleans Saints collide, crunch and sprint across the field in their crucial play-off game against the Arizona Cardinals.

　　Occasionally, giant screens flash "TOUCHDOWN" and sparkling cheerleaders pose on the sidelines.

　　But few of the New Orleans Saints fans in their gold and black supporters' jerseys will have given much thought to how America's most popular sport is run.

　　It is a unique business model.

　　Socialist capitalism

　　The National Football League is a closed shop.

　　

　　All NFL teams share in the vast majority of revenues on an equal basis

　　There are only 32 professional football teams in the United States and strict rules about who can own a team.

　　But uniquely, the teams share at least half of their revenue from lucrative TV rights, merchandising and ticket sales.

　　"The revenue sharing keeps all 32 clubs in the hunt," says Mike McCarthy, who writes about the business of sport for the national newspaper USA Today.

　　"Every year they get to split up a huge amount of TV money, so you don't have this huge gap between the richest clubs and the smallest clubs.

　　Any team can compete for the Super Bowl title every year in America. Particularly in a capitalist country like ours, that is very unique. As one NFL owner put it 'we are 32 fat cat republicans who vote socialist'."

　　In contrast, in other sports leagues the burden of rapidly rising player salaries has broken smaller clubs, leaving larger ones to dominate the landscape.

　　Think of Premier League football in the UK or US professional sports such as basketball, baseball and ice hockey.

　　Limits on pay

　　Salaries for players such as the Saints star quarterback Drew Brees are limited by a centrally set budget.

　　This season, team bosses were limited to $127m (£80m) for their entire squad of players.

　　That means some footballers are handsomely paid - Mr Brees has a six years $60m contract.

　　But the system has other benefits too, explains Marc Waller, the NFL National Football League's chief marketing officer.

　　"We have a sort of socialist capitalism, I think is the best way to describe it," he says.

　　"Essentially all teams share in the vast majority of revenues on an equal basis."

　　"So whether you come from New York or Green Bay, irrespective of the size of your market, the size of your fan base or your TV audience, revenues are shared equally and equitably, which is fantastic.

　　Costs are controlled in a similar way, Mr Waller explains.

　　"There is a salary cap, everyone has the same salary cap - so you can't buy your way to the best players."

　　One business?

　　But not everyone thinks the NFL model is the right one.

　　

　　The NFL system means even small teams can stay in the league

　　The US Supreme Court is currently deciding on a case about whether the NFL is one organisation or 32 separate businesses.

　　The case could have big implications for holding the league accountable and will have ramifications for many other sports leagues, from tennis to basketball.

　　Then there is the union that represent football players, past and present.

　　The National Football League Players' Association is negotiating to renew the collective bargaining agreement between players and bosses, which expires at the end of this season.

　　They have been locking horns over pay.

　　DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players' Association, says the team bosses now wield too much power: "We are in a situation where the owners believe the players should take about 20% less than they are making right now."

　　Superdome rebirth

　　With no new agreement in sight, the lynchpin of the NFL could crumble.

　　The deal that caps player salaries has in the past prohibited players from going on strike - such as the walk-outs that have plagued the National Hockey League over the last two decades and damaged the popularity of ice hockey.

　　And yet, the New Orleans Saints would not have a home stadium in the city known as "the Big Easy", without the NFL, according to Doug Thornton.

　　This neat former college football player now manages the Superdome for the State of Louisiana.

　　He was also there when desperate New Orleans residents used its damaged shell to shelter from the wind and the rain.

　　He says the money from the NFL meant they could be a symbol of rebirth for the city

　　"After Katrina, people realised that there was a lot of misery and suffering in this building," he says.

　　"It played out on a worldwide stage. It was important to turn the Superdome back into a symbol of inspiration and hope, rather than a symbol of misery."

　　The building was returned to commercial operations a year after the the hurricane struck.

　　"It has meant an awful lot to the people of New Orleans and to the fans," says Mr Thornton.

　　And what better come-back story for the Saints than to win the Super Bowl this February in front of an estimated 140 million viewers, for the first time in their 43-year history?

Michael Jackson's doctor 'to be charged over death'

　　

　　

　　Dr Murray has denied he caused Michael Jackson's death

　　Los Angeles prosecutors will file a criminal case against Michael Jackson's doctor on Monday in connection with the singer's death, officials say.

　　Unnamed police officials also said prosecutors plan to charge the 56-year-old with involuntary manslaughter.

　　The announcement came shortly before Dr Conrad Murray had planned to surrender himself at a Los Angeles courthouse.

　　Details of charges will be officially released Monday, the LA district attorney's office said.

　　Involuntary manslaughter occurs when a death is the indirect result of negligence or recklessness.

　　If Dr Murray is charged, a judge would consider the evidence and decide whether Dr Murray should go on trial.

　　Jackson died at his Los Angeles home on 25 June aged 50. His death was ruled as homicide, mainly caused by the powerful anaesthetic Propofol.

　　

　　Several drugs were found in Michael Jackson's body

　　A cocktail of drugs - including sedatives Midazolam and Diazepam, the painkiller Lidocaine and the stimulant Ephedrine - were also detected in his body a coroner confirmed.

　　Dr Murray told police he had been giving Jackson Propofol as part of his treatment for insomnia, according to an affidavit made public in August.

　　But he has always maintained he did not prescribe nor administer anything that should have killed the singer.

　　The legal wrangling comes after several days of negotiations where his lawyers have tried to arrange for Dr Murray to surrender to prosecutors, in an attempt to avoid him being handcuffed and arrested.

　　"It seems ridiculous to us that it's been dragging on this long", Dr Murray's defence team spokeswoman Miranda Sevcik was quoted as saying by AP.

　　"To us this is showmanship and we are just done", she added.

 

Newcastle 5 - 1 Cardiff

　　

　　

　　Newcastle brushed aside challengers Cardiff City on Friday to extend their Championship lead to six points.

　　Andy Carroll had a hand in the first three goals, which came in 15 minutes.

　　The striker scored the first from close range, saw his shot off the post turned in by Gabor Gypes for an own-goal, then rose unmarked to head his second.

　　After the break sub Peter Lovenkrands added two more, poking in before adding a fine curled second, with Aaron Wildig hitting a late Cardiff consolation.

　　Former Magpies striker Michael Chopra had promised not to celebrate if he scored at St James' Park, but his restraint rarely looked like being tested on a black night for the Welshmen.

　　Newcastle manager Chris Hughton fielded all six of his January transfer acquisitions in his starting line-up, and that meant debuts for Leon Best and Fitz Hall and a first appearance at St James' for Patrick van Aanholt.

　　But it was one of the old guard who struck the first blow with just three minutes gone, after Gyepes had conceded a third-minute corner trying to stop Wayne Routledge.

　　Danny Guthrie's cross was headed back across goal by Hall and flicked on by Kevin Nolan for Carroll to stab home from close range and give his side the perfect start.

　　

　　The 21-year-old striker should have collected his eighth goal of the season three minutes later when he smashed a left-foot shot against the foot of the post.

　　But the unfortunate Gyepes could only help the rebound into his own net as the Magpies raced into a 2-0 lead.

　　Ross McCormack might have pulled one back immediately for the visitors, but his stinging volley cannoned back off the bar.

　　Carroll then claimed his second of the game when he met Danny Simpson's inch-perfect cross with an unstoppable header.

　　Bluebirds full-back Adam Matthews drifted a 20th-minute cross on to the angle of bar and post with goal keeper Steve Harper once again beaten, but it was not Cardiff's night.

　　The second half was never likely to start as explosively as the first, although Harper had to be on his toes to turn over Chopra's 51st-minute shot after it looped up off Hall.

　　Dave Jones' men were enjoying plenty of possession, but were rarely able to trouble Hughton's rearguard.

　　They were made to pay with 21 minutes remaining when Routledge fed Lovenkrands and he finished with aplomb, sliding the ball past David Marshall.

　　Carroll was denied a hat-trick by Gyepes' 80th-minute goal-line clearance, but Lovenkrands made it 5-0 with a fine finish two minutes later.

　　Cardiff substitute Wildig's late strike was scant consolation for the demoralised visitors, who never the less remain in the play-offs and have an FA Cup fourth-round tie at Chelsea to look forward to.

　　One plus point for the Bluebirds was the return of midfielder Stephen McPhail, who played his first game - lasting 75 minutes - since returning from treatment for cancer.

　　Newcastle manager Chris Hughton:

　　"Potentially he's [Andy Carroll] number nine material. He's a player who leads the line.

　　"In some ways, he's an old-fashioned centre-forward who has a prowess in the air, but he's still developing.

　　"He has good football skills for a big man, but what he has to add is goals and he was able to do that tonight."

　　Cardiff City manager Dave Jones:

　　"Stephen [McPhail] has had the all-clear and I thought him being back today, he didn't look out of place.

　　"Yes, maybe just a little half-a-yard but that will come with games, that will come with the more games he gets.

　　"But he feels fit and he feels strong. I just didn't want to go into the last 20 minutes of that [second] half where he is drained and he pulls something again."