I'm cross posting this info here in case these story grows bigger.
Here is a link to Internet Traffic Reports in Asia right now. Iran is DEAD.
http://www.internettrafficreport.com/asia.htm#graphsthen this story:
Ships did not cause Internet cable damage
(AFP)
3 February 2008
CAIRO - Damage to undersea Internet cables in the Mediterranean that hit business across the Middle East and South Asia was not caused by ships, Egypt’s communications ministry said on Sunday, ruling out earlier reports.
The transport ministry added that footage recorded by onshore video cameras of the location of the cables showed no maritime traffic in the area when the cables were damaged.
‘The ministry’s maritime transport committee reviewed footage covering the period of 12 hours before and 12 hours after the cables were cut and no ships sailed the area,’ a statement said.
‘The area is also marked on maps as a no-go zone and it is therefore ruled out that the damage to the cables was caused by ships,’ the statement added.
Two cables were damaged earlier this week in the Mediterranean sea and another off the coast of Dubai, causing widespread disruption to Internet and international telephone services in Egypt, Gulf Arab states and South Asia.
more ...
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2008/February/theworld_February77.xml§ion=theworld&colAnd this:
Iran Oil Bourse to deal blow to dollar
Fri, 04 Jan 2008 20:45:41
The long-awaited Iranian Oil Bourse, a place for trading oil, petrochemicals and gas in various non-dollar currencies, will soon open.
Iran's Finance Minister Davoud Danesh-Jafari told reporters the bourse will be inaugurated during the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution (February 1-11) at the latest.
"All preparations have been made to launch the bourse; it will open during the Ten-Day Dawn (the ceremonies marking the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran)," he said.
The Minister had earlier stated that the Oil Bourse is located on the Persian Gulf island of Kish.
more...
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=37468§ionid=351020103And this from the Energy Bulletin site:
Published on 3 Feb 2008 by Energy Bulletin. Archived on 3 Feb 2008.
Iran oil bourse scheduled
by Staff
EB reader BB writes:
Iran was scheduled to inaugurate its Oil Bourse this coming week.
That probably isn't going to happen because all internet access in Iran was cut over the weekend (the undersea cables were chopped). This was mentioned on Wikipedia for a day... but now the article links and coverage have disappeared.
Iran is in total internet blackout at the moment. Any further information is appreciated.http://www.energybulletin.net/39844.htmlEdited to ad this link. Israel and Iraq are the only two countries in this region not impacted.
http://mathaba.net/rss/?x=580589Coincidental?
Is cutting off Iran's internet access better than bombing it?