Stephen Harper says 'major' changes coming to Canada's pension system: speech

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in a speech at the World Economic Forum, said that "major transformations" are coming to Canada's pension, immigration, science and energy sectors.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has signalled his government will bring forward "major transformations" to the country in the coming months — in areas such as the retirement pension system, immigration, science and technology investment and the energy sector.

Of those reforms, Harper said, getting a grip on slowing the rising costs of the country's pension system is particularly critical.

In the wake of Harper's speech, it now appears that the Conservative government could be poised to gradually change the Old Age Security system so that the age of eligibility is raised to 67 from 65.

Harper made the revelations in a major keynote speech Thursday at the World Economic Forum, the annual gathering of the world's political and business elite.

As expected, the prime minister was critical of Europe and the United States for not adequately dealing with the economic problems that have gripped them in recent months and years.

But it was Harper's assessment of the major changes that lie ahead for Canada that stood out in the speech.

"In the months to come, our government will undertake major transformations to position Canada for growth over the next generation," said Harper.

The Conservative government will table a budget in the coming weeks that is expected to set the stage for years of deficit-slashing and government reform.

"Under our government, Canada will make the transformations necessary to sustain economic growth, job creation and prosperity now and for the next generation," said Harper.

He said that means two things: "Making better economic choices now. And preparing ourselves now for the demographic pressures the Canadian economy faces."

Harper said the country's aging population has become a backdrop for his concern about how to keep the country strong over the long term.

"If not addressed promptly, this has the capacity to undermine Canada's economic position and, for that matter, that of all western nations well beyond the current economic crises."

Indeed, Harper said the country's demographics — an aging populating and a dwindling workforce — constitute "a threat to the social programs and services that Canadians cherish."

For that reason, he said his government will "be taking measures in the coming months."

Harper did not specify what those measures will be, but he said they are necessary — not just to bring the government's finances back to a balanced budget in the medium term, "but also to ensure the sustainability of our social programs and fiscal position over the next generation."

"We have already taken steps to limit the growth of our health care spending over that period," said Harper.

"We must do the same for our retirement income system."

Harper said the centrepiece of the public pension system — the Canada Pension Plan — is fully funded, actuarially sound and does not need to be changed.

But he added: "For those elements of the system that are not funded, we will make the changes necessary to ensure sustainability for the next generation while not affecting current recipients."

So far, the government has come forward with a plan to create a private pooled pension system to encourage Canadians to prepare for their retirement.

Still, there are concerns that as baby boomers approach retirement, the cost to government of providing public pensions will skyrocket.

In December, the National Post reported that there was internal debate within the government about increasing the age of eligibility for the other major element of the public pension scheme — Old Age Security — from 65 to 67.

Internal government documents project the cost of the OAS system will climb from $36.5 billion in 2010 to $48 billion in 2015. By 2030 — when the number of seniors is expected to climb to 9.3 million from 4.7 million now — the cost of the program could reach $108 billion.

Among the other priorities where change is coming:

- Energy

The Conservative government will make it a "national priority" to ensure the country has the "capacity to export our energy products beyond the United States, and specifically to Asia."

"In this regard, we will soon take action to ensure that major energy and mining projects are not subject to unnecessary regulatory delays — that is, delay merely for the sake of delay."

Harper did not explain what he has planned, although he and Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver have complained that foreign-backed "radical" opponents of the $5.5-billion Northern Gateway project have threatened to slow down hearings by the National Energy Board.

- Immigration

The system faces "significant reform," said Harper.

"We will ensure that, while we respect our humanitarian obligations and family reunification objectives, we make our economic and labour force needs the central goal of our immigration efforts in the future."

- Science

The government will continue to make "key investments in science and technology" that are necessary to sustain a "modern competitive economy."

"But we believe that Canada's less-than-optimal results for those investments is a significant problem for our country."

In future, he said, there will be changes to rectify that problem.

- Trade

Harper expects to complete negotiations on a Canada-European Union free-trade agreement this year.

Furthermore, he said, his government is committed to also completing negotiations for a free-trade deal with India by the end of 2013.

And Canada will begin talks to become a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership while also pursuing opportunities to trade in the emerging market of Asia.

Harper arrived Wednesday at the World Economic Forum determined to tout Canada as a trading nation with a solid economic record and massive oil resources which are ready to be sold and shipped to customers worldwide.

Other members of cabinet who are attending the conference in the exclusive mountainside resort in the Swiss Alps are Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, International Trade Minister Ed Fast and Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.

The Canadian delegation used private meetings in the corridors and backrooms at the forum to promote Canada's hopes for a free-trade deal with Europe, and also break into the emerging marketplace in Asia.

The forum, which dates back to 1971, has drawn 2,600 participants, including 40 political leaders and more than 1,600 senior business leaders.

While the economic uncertainty of Europe gripped the discussions, participants — at the urging of the forum's founder, Klaus Schwab — also discussed whether capitalism itself needs to be fundamentally reformed to ensure greater social responsibility.

On Thursday morning, British Prime Minister David Cameron told the conference that Europe's economies had entered a "perilous time" and called for European leaders to avoid "tinkering" with the eurozone debt crisis.

Cameron boasted of his government's actions to get British debt under control and said the countries in the eurozone (Britain is not a member) must also take "bold and decisive " action if they want to solve the debt crisis.

Harper issued a scathing criticism of countries in the developed world, which he suggested had forgotten about the importance of creating economic growth.

"Is it the case that, in the developed world, too many of us have in fact become complacent about our prosperity?" Harper asked.

He suggested that developed countries had taken wealth "as a given . . . assuming it is somehow the natural order of things."

As a result, he said, countries in the western world had become focused primarily "on our services and entitlements."

As a result, he said, it's not surprising that, in addition to banks facing debt, countries themselves were also facing sovereign debt crises.

The problem, he suggested, could be "too much general willingness to have standards and benefits beyond our ability, or even willingness, to pay for them."

Harper warned that the wealth of western economies "is no more inevitable than the poverty of emerging ones."

He said the problems afflicting Europe and the U.S. threaten to become even more serious in future.

"Each nation has a choice to make. Western nations, in particular, face a choice of whether to create the conditions for growth and prosperity, or to risk long-term economic decline."

The solution, he said, is for countries to make the sometimes tough, but correct, decisions now.

"Easy choices now mean fewer choices later."

Tories continue to hedge on plans for seniors' health care

Edmonton: If the province is determined to follow through on the premier's controversial proposal to remove the daily cap on the cost of long-term seniors accommodation, it's not likely to happen before the election - and perhaps not even this year.

Health Minister Fred Horne said this week the governing Conservatives had no plans to remove the maximum amount that seniors can be charged for long-term care, but clarified his comments Friday, telling the Herald the issue is not off the table.

"I'm sure we will have the policy discussion, but we're not there yet," he said in an interview. "I am not ruling anything in or out."

Premier Alison Redford proposed the change during her leadership campaign, saying lifting the cap would spur privatesector investment in creating the 1,000 new continuing care beds promised by her predecessor Ed Stelmach.

The Tory government promised in its February Throne Speech to create at least 5,300 continuing care spaces by 2015. But Horne said there's been no discussion of removing the cap.

"We haven't had it yet," he said. "I am sure that we will. I don't know the timeline."

Seniors Minister George VanderBurg said Friday he hasn't had sufficient time to address the issue. "I would say that I'm going to have that discussion with my ministry staff and my colleagues over the next year.

"It's one of those pieces on the continuing care model that we're moving forward with," he said.

"But I can tell you one thing: to create 1,000 new spaces, I have to partner with foundations, with communities, with the private sector, with anybody that I can create a partnership with to create new models of care."

Horne stressed that if the governing Tories remove the cap, they will provide the necessary financial support to help low-income seniors. "We have to build continuing care spaces that are going to be affordable to people who need them."

Alberta seniors who require continuing health care usually pay a maximum of about $1,700 a month for accommodation, or about $56 dollars a day.

NDP Leader Brian Mason said it is difficult to believe cabinet hasn't already made a decision on the cap, but have likely put off making any announcements because so many Albertans oppose the idea.

Seniors are outraged by the plan to entice the private sector to build long-term care facilities, he said.

"Their scheme to increase seniors accommodation is based on a privatized health-care model that requires seniors to pay more, so that private companies can make a profit," Mason said.

"As long as they are pursuing a private health-care model for seniors' care, price increases are inevitable."

Wildrose health critic Heather Forsyth said raising the cap will have a major impact on the most vulnerable Albertans, putting more seniors in hospital because many won't be able to afford higher fees.

Forsyth urged the Redford government to come clean with Albertans about its plans. Albertans are tired of the flipflopping, she added.

"They are raising the cap. No, they are not raising the cap. They are thinking about raising it. They are not thinking about it. Why don't you tell Albertans what you are going to do before the election. Are you going to raise the cap or not?"

Liberal Leader Raj Sherman said raising the amount seniors pay for long-term care is "despicable."

"My view is we have to stop nickel-and-diming seniors who have built this great province," he said.

"It's inhumane and it is unAlbertan and frankly seniors and all Albertans should be disturbed."

Edmonton Airport simulation brings out a crowd

Edmonton International Airport invited over 1,000 people to test its new terminal on Saturday January 28, 2012 as part of preparations for the February 11, 2012 opening of the newly expanded U.S. Departures area.

EDMONTON - Approximately 1,000 people arrived at the Edmonton International Airport with plane tickets and bags in hand Saturday — but never flew anywhere.

The mock passengers were community volunteers helping test operations from check-in, screening and customs in the airport’s newly expanded terminal before a new U.S. departures area opens on Feb. 11.

It’s part of the airport’s $670-million expansion project, rolling out in phases since December and into the fall.

“Today is what we refer to as our advanced trial,” said Diane Trenn, vice-president of airport operations.

“It’s when we bring together a culmination of over three months of training and trialling and testing and breaking and fixing this facility. We bring it all together and we throw over 1,000 passengers into the mix to really help us understand where the opportunities to improve are.”

Volunteers, many recruited through social media, acted as passengers to test amenities, staff and procedures and to give officials a look at the effectiveness of passenger flows, signage, gate boarding and baggage handling. They received free parking and gift bags.

Hundreds of staff also took part, including airport and airline employees and U.S. customs officers.

At Gate 88, emergency responders were tested when a woman complained of chest pains and an unconscious man toppled over among the seats — both part of the simulation.

After the passengers boarded their mock flights, they became just-landed travellers to test arrival procedures.

Trenn said passenger reports will be compiled through the weekend, but she pointed to some areas that may need improvement such as better directional signs, refresher training for staff and some electronic glitches.

“No crises. No major surprises so far.”

Airport spokeswoman Sarah Meffin said the exercise cost about $100,000, but was a “critical learning process.”

Volunteers who travelled to the airport and went through the rigours of pre-boarding without actually getting to fly anywhere had their own reasons for participating.

Joy Jude brought two children and her friend because she wanted a preview of the U.S. terminal before it officially opens.

“I do travel so much so this will be a good experience for me so I don’t get lost when I come in,” she said.

“So far, I really like it. I like the customs and when you put your boarding pass, you can find your own bag there to see that your bag is not lost and it’s coming with you, which is very, very cool.”

U.S.-bound passengers drop their luggage on a conveyor belt after check-in so they don’t have to haul it through pre-board screening and U.S. customs.

After security and customs, some passengers tried the airport’s first moving sidewalks along the Arts District Corridor, which features information and pieces from the city’s arts community.

Passengers also shopped for duty-free items on the pathway between customs and the departures lounge and sampled food from the area’s restaurants and concessions.

“It’s a lot smoother way to go in,” said Henriette Hoeksema, comparing the new U.S. terminal with the current one. “The walkways are really nice and I enjoy looking at the stores, which we never had before. And the seating looks a lot more comfortable.”

She has harsh memories of the existing U.S. pre-boarding area. “It took forever to get through to customs and it was crowded. It was not as wide and not as much room so here is a lot more enjoyable.”

“I think it’s beautiful. It’s fresh, it’s wide, it’s big and it’s easy access,” said Joanne Watson.

“I like that it’s open and there’s lots of comfy chairs, because flying generally involves lots of sitting around and waiting,” said Jody Jones, waiting for her mock flight in the new U.S. departures lounge.

She also had praise for the artwork, Canadian-designed retail offerings and food, but said a dining area was too tight for people lugging bags.

“I like the design — it’s very open, clean and airy. The old Edmonton terminal was closed and dark and dungeony,” said Anthony Jones.

“Looking at what the airport was 15 or 20 years ago to what it’s grown to, it looks like a bit more of a player anyway and if we can get more flights all the better.”

Vincent Lee, an engineer, said he volunteered for fun and to be among the first to see the expansion.

“That mural of the city is really, really nice. It’s by far the best art piece I’ve ever seen anywhere,” Lee said, of a nine-metre mosaic tile mural of Edmonton’s downtown and river valley by local artist Erin Pankratz-Smith.

“The expansion is very nice. The only one complaint I may have is the people movers — they are very noisy compared to the other people movers I have been on.

“Compared to Hong Kong, or Beijing or Shanghai, this is very nice for its size.”

Unveiling of the airport terminal expansion started in December with the opening of new shops and restaurants in an expanded Central Hall.

A new Canadian Border Security Agency area opens in the summer, followed by a domestic and international lounge in the fall. A new central tower — combining a control tower with offices — opens in late 2012 along with a new Courtyard by Marriott hotel.

U of A scientists know why the caged bird sings

EDMONTON - When University of Alberta psychology professor Chris Sturdy began studying songbirds to better understand animal evolution and human problems associated with speech and language, he wasn’t sure whether a creature with a chickpea-sized brain could be trained to participate in his experiments.

Since then, there have been no end of surprises coming from his laboratory, which is funded by National Science and Engineering Research Council.

In comparing the ability of humans, mammals and birds to be trained to discriminate between subtly different series of musical notes, for example, some songbirds fared much better than rats, which did poorly, and better than humans, even when the humans had previous musical training.

Sturdy and his colleagues learned that female chickadees responded differently when exposed to the sound of a dominant male versus a subordinate male.

They also responded relatively calmly when presented with a mounted Great Horned Owl along with a recording of the sound that a live one makes in the wild. However, those same chickadees got much more excited when subjected to the sight and call of the much smaller Saw-whet owl, a predator that has a shorter wing span and is better equipped to hunt them down in the trees and bushes.

“Generally speaking, birds learn their vocalizations in a manner analogous to human speech learning, so understanding songbirds as a non-human model that can be reared and tested in controlled environments may allow us to understand something about the human condition,” says Sturdy, who has 20 conditioning chambers in his lab at the university and five computers that constantly play and record songs of the birds.

“It’s humbling to test these birds and see how similar they are to us in the way they respond to stimuli. They really are a lot smarter than most people think.”

The idea that the brain of a songbird can tell us something about human nature and the way our brains work is not as outlandish as it might sound. Like children, songbirds learn how to sing from their parents.

And research has shown that like birds, humans value music because of the emotions it brings out.

While a crying baby, for example, may be calmed by Brahms’s lullaby, the music of Michael Jackson or LMFAO has the ability to stimulate the brain’s reward centre sufficiently to get a man with no discernible dancing abilities to get up at a party and make a fool of himself.

Research has also shown that the sound of music has the ability to improve memory. Played at 60 beats per minute, Mozart’s music, for example, has been shown to activate both the left and right brain. Triggered simultaneously in this way, the human brain is better able to learn and retain information. That may be why some actors tend to sing the words of a play when they are trying to memorize their lines.

Songbirds, like humans, are one of only six animal groups — including bats, parrots, hummingbirds, and cetaceous creatures such as whales and dolphins — that are able to learn by communicating vocally.

They also possess a highly evolved network of interconnected brain regions that control their ability to sing, hear and perceive the meaning of a multitude of sounds they hear in the wild every day.

Like dogs, not all songbirds are equal in their ability to learn. Black-capped chickadees, such as those found in Alberta’s river valleys, seem to have an especially sophisticated system of communicating.

No one knows exactly why, but it may have something to do with their social structure. Chickadees flock up in fall and winter before paring up in spring. They are one of the few songbirds you hear communicating in the dead of winter.

The notion that songbirds can learn actually goes back to the days of Mozart, when cross-fostering experiments resulted in a Linnet (a small finch-like bird) learning to sing like a skylark.

But the idea that they could tell us something about humans didn’t really get started until the 1980s, when a small group of scientists, including Canadian scientist Ron Weisman, Sturdy’s mentor, began investigating the possibilities in systematic and sophisticated ways.

Now it’s a fast growing field, with major universities from around the world playing host to songbird labs such as Sturdy’s.

As sophisticated as these ways are, the basic protocol for training a songbird in a lab is as simple as it gets in science.

Songbirds are rewarded with food for doing things right and punished for getting them wrong, much as dog-owners do when they’re training puppies. In the case of songbirds, Sturdy and his students simply turn off the lights when the birds get the wrong answer.

To make sure that humans participating in some studies are trying their best, they are given a financial reward.

There are many reasons why songbirds communicate.

“Ron Weisman, my old boss, used to joke that it was all about sex and violence,” says Sturdy. “Funny as it sounds, there’s a great deal of truth to it. Birds sing to woo a mate, stake out a territory and defend it against other birds and predators.”

As complex as some of these bird calls can be, they involve just four note types, which scientists in this field of study label as A, B, C, and D.

Like scat and jazz singers who use predetermined formulas in innovative ways, chickadees will repeat the A or the B or the C or D notes and drop one of them in the sequencing. But unlike the improvised melodic line of a scat singer, they never mix up the sequence. D never follows A, for example and D will never follow C.

Sturdy acknowledges that he’s been compared to Dr. Doolittle more than once in his career.

“I have been known to go out in my backyard to try and communicate with the birds to get the right response, just as most Canadians do when they go on a camping trip to see if they can get a response from a common loon. I’m not always successful, but it is gratifying when you get the response you are looking for.”

Sturdy is convinced that the songbird’s ability to learn is much greater than the abilities he has been able measure so far in his lab.

“Part of the problem is that we are dealing with birds in a lab that are not mating or looking out for predators. But I think the biggest thing is that we are probably not always asking the right questions when we design these experiments. It’s not the songbird that the problem, it’s us.”

County councillor succeeds Kowalski as PC nominee in northern Alberta

EDMONTON - Maureen Kubinec, a councillor from Westlock County, will replace veteran Speaker Ken Kowalski as the Progressive Conservative candidate in northern Alberta riding of Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock, ending Kowalski’s 32 years of uninterrupted power.

The nomination is one of nearly a dozen PC candidate elections taking place across the province on “Super Saturday” as the ruling party prepares for a coming spring election.

“I’m confident we can build on what Ken Kowalski has done in this riding,” Kubinec said. “They are big shoes to fill.”

Kowalski, 66, was not present for the nomination, which took place at the Westlock Memorial Hall on Saturday afternoon. Roughly 40 Conservatives turned out to hear the results.

In other ridings, four candidates are competing for the nomination in Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo, where the winner will fight an election battle against Wildrose incumbent MLA Guy Boutilier.

Boutilier, who has held the seat since 1997, was a Conservative MLA until July 2009 when former premier Ed Stelmach ejected him from the party caucus for publicly criticizing the government.

He jumped to the Wildrose and will run for that party in the election.

The Grande Prairie-Smoky race will conclude Saturday as well, with three people hoping to replace former cabinet minister Mel Knight, who is retiring.

The remaining eight nominations are in southern Alberta, where school principal Christine Cusanelli clinched the vote in the wild-card riding of Calgary-Currie.

Cusanelli faced tough competition in the southwest Calgary riding — currently held by retiring Alberta Party MLA Dave Taylor — including former alderman Jon Lord and party veteran Dale Galbraith.

“This is a huge celebration,” said Cusanelli, principal of St. Michael School. “I think this means we stand a chance in the election to have this constituency returned to the PC bedrock it once was.”

Elsewhere in the city, a two-way race in Calgary-Varsity resulted in a win for lawyer and businessman Donna Kennedy-Glans, who edged out Ph.D candidate Rhiannon MacDonnell. Liberal incumbent Harry Chase currently holds the riding but is resigning. Labour leader Bruce Payne will try to hold the seat for the Liberals.

Competition was also fierce in Calgary-Hawkwood, a new riding carved out of Calgary’s northwest.

Alderman Kelly Hegg was the successful nominee in Airdrie, besting former Airdrie mayor Linda Bruce and engineering firm director Mike Crawford. But he will face a tough election battle against incumbent Wildrose MLA Rob Anderson.

“I’m thrilled to be nominated,” Hegg said, adding Airdrie has always been a “PC constituency.”

To the south of the city, John Barlow, associate publisher of the Okotoks Western Wheel newspaper, was the successful nominee in Highwood. That’s the same constituency where Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith is running as a candidate

Former alderman Darren Hirsch took the vote for Medicine Hat, retiring Tory MLA Rob Renner’s riding, where nearly 400 voters turned out. Linda Rossler, retired school district superintendent, and Dan Hein, investment advisor and former campaign manager for Medicine Hat MP Lavar Payne, were also in the running.

“I understand it’s one step in the journey. So we’ll see where it goes from there,” Hirsch said.

Results for the Little Bow riding, currently held by retiring incumbent Tory MLA Barry McFarland, will likely be made available after 10 p.m.

When “Super Saturday” is complete, the PCs will have about 80 of their 87 candidates in place.

Alberta NDP provincial secretary Brian Stokes said Friday his party has 69 of its 87 candidates nominated, and expects to have a full slate by Feb. 13.

Liberal Party operations manager Corina Ganton said that party has 31 candidates in place and 24 in the nomination process.

Canadian-Romanian goldmine draws protests

BUCHAREST - Hundreds of Romanians took to the streets Saturday in two simultaneous demonstrations in a Transylvanian village and in Bucharest, one in support and the other against a Canadian goldmine project.

"We are here to sound the alarm and call on authorities to take into account Romanians' opposition to this project," Eugen David, chairman of Alburnus Maior association, one of the organizers of the Bucharest protest, told AFP.

Rosia Montana Gold Corp., which is 80 percent held by Canadian firm Gabriel Resources and 20% by the Romanian state, plans to use cyanide to extract some 300 tonnes of gold in the village of Rosia Montana, thought to be Europe's largest deposit.

On Saturday, hundreds of people supporting the project gathered in the central square of the village yelling "Down with Unemployment" or "We Live on Gold, We Die of Hunger," the Mediafax news agency reported.

"It's time for the government to decide to open the mine," said Cristian Albu, chairman of Viitorul Mineritului mining union. "We want jobs for us and our children."

The company has already obtained a permit from the Romanian culture ministry but still needs the go-ahead from the environment ministry to start digging.

The project has drawn criticism from environmentalists, archaeologists, historians and international organizations that claim the mine would threaten the environment and priceless Roman-era mining galleries.

"Yes to Culture, No to Cyanide," protesters yelled in Bucharest, calling on the government to propose Rosia Montana as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Activists also protested against a draft law stating that mining is in the public interest and enabling mining companies to expropriate land as they please.

"We are against this project first because the company's promises to create thousands of jobs are false, according to analysis of similar mines," Bogdan Hossu, chairman of Cartel Alfa, one of the main union confederations in the country, told AFP.

"Secondly, the project consists in having a huge tailings pond (mine dump). In case of an ecological disaster like the one in Baia Mare in 2000 or in Hungary in 2010, the Romanian state would be held responsible," he added.

US making powerful bomb to ‘hit’ Iran

Washington, January 28
The US military has stepped up efforts to make their largest conventional weapon, the 13.6 tonne “bunker-buster” bomb, more powerful and capable of destroying Iran’s most heavily fortified underground nuclear facilities.

The efforts have been speeded up as part of contingency planning for a possible strike against Iranian nuclear sites, the Wall Street Journal reported quoting US officials.

The move comes after Pentagon war planners concluded that their largest bomb isn’t yet capable of reaching Tehran’s nuclear weapon-making facilities buried deep underground.

The “bunker-buster” bomb, known as the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, was specifically designed to take out hardened fortifications built by Iran and North Korea to cloak their nuclear programme, the paper said quoting US officials.

But, early tests indicated that the bomb as currently primed was not fully capable of destroying some of Iran’s facilities, because Tehran had added new fortifications to protect them.

Doubts about the bomb’s effectiveness, US officials said had prompted Pentagon this month to secretly approach the Congress for funding to enhance the “bunker-buster’s” ability to penetrate deeper into rock, concrete and steel before exploding.

The US Defence Department has spent $330 million so far to develop about 20 such bombs. The Pentagon is seeking $82 million more to make them effective, the paper said quoting government officials briefed on the plan.

The US aviation giant Boeing received a contract in 2009 to fit the weapon on the American air force B-2 Stealth bomber.

Defence Secretary Leon Panetta in an interview to the paper acknowledged the bomb’s shortcomings against some of Iran’s deepest bunkers and said development work was being done and he expected a more powerful “bunker-buster” to be ready soon.

The Pentagon officials said the new money was meant to ensure that the weapon would be more effective against facilities such as Iran’s Fordo enrichment plant, which is buried in a mountain complex surrounded by anti-aircraft batteries near Qom city, making it a particularly difficult target even for the most powerful weapons in the US armoury.

According to US air force officials, the 20 foot-long “bunker-buster” carries 5,300 pounds of explosive material and is designed to penetrate upto 200 ft underground before exploding.

The mountain above Iran’s enrichment site at Fordo is estimated to be at least 212 feet tall. The WSJ said that Israel is the only country besides the US to possess such bombs. 

Targeting N-sites

• The largest conventional weapon, the 13.6 tonne “bunker-buster” bomb, is capable of destroying Iran’s underground nuclear facilities have been speeded up.
• The move comes after the Pentagon concluded that their largest bomb isn’t yet capable of reaching Tehran’s nuclear weapon-making facilities buried deep underground.
• The 20 foot-long “bunker-buster” carries 5,300 pounds of explosive material and is designed to penetrate upto 200 ft underground before exploding