Middle East
Ahmadinejad aides targeted by Parliament
Iran's Parliament announced that it has received a series of reports questioning the actions of Esfandiar Rahim Mashai and Hamid Baghai, two chief presidential aides to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Fars reports that the complaints passed along to Parliament refer to a 'disruption perpetuated by the deviant current in the country s administration.'
Iranian authorities try to make humanities more Islamic
Iran s deputy science minister says transforming the humanities into Islamic human sciences is harder than sending a human into space. According to ISNA, Mohammad Mehdinejad Nouri said that Iran s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has called for universities to become more Islamic and for the humanities to be infused with Islamic values.
Iranian political prisoner protests lack of medical care
Cellmates say deceased journalist beaten prior to death
Conflicting reports on Iran’s unemployment rate
Arab states of Persian Gulf condemn Iranian interference
EU considering sanctions against 80 Iranian officials
The European Union is considering imposing sanctions on 80 Iranian officials involved in human rights violations, the International Campaign for Human Rights reports. The list includes members of the police and paramilitary forces, prison officials, prosecutors, judges and other officials involved in violating human rights and allegations of torture and death of dissidents.
Stuxnet of concern for Iranian health ministry
Ahmadinejad proposes Salehi as new foreign minister
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad introduced Ali Akbar Salehi as his new foreign minister to the parliament. Salehi, who has been filling the shoes of the former foreign minister as the caretaker of the foreign ministry for over a month, will become the official foreign minister if the parliament gives him a vote of confidence.
Iranian lawyers warned against media interviews
Iranian judiciary once more condemned lawyers who give out interviews to the media maintaining that such activities detract from the Islamic Republic system. Ayatollah Larijani, head of Iranian judiciary told a gathering of judiciary officials: "Unfortunately some lawyers are failing to attend to their main responsibility while they can avoid many tensions by doing so." Iranian media report.
Ahmadinejad takes over Iranian official news agency
International envoys begin tour of Iranian nuclear facilities
International envoys and representatives arrived in Iran today to begin their tour of Iranian nuclear facilities. ISNA reported that the international delegates which included a number of representatives from Non-aligned Movement, the head of the Group of 77 who is also the Algerian ambassador in the International Atomic Energy Agency, a representative of the Arab League, along with the Syrian and Venezuelan ambassadors visited the heavy water reactor in Arak.
Islamic Republic to revise 400 thousand university topics
Iranian lawyer sentenced to 11 years in prison
Jailed Iranian lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh was sentenced to 11 years in prison as well as 20 years ban from travel abroad and from legal practice. Her husband, Reza Khandan informed the Human Rights Reporters Committee that they now have 20 days to appeal the sentence. Reza Khandan also added that Sotoudeh was given one year in prison for propaganda against the regime while for the two other charges of 'activities against national security and failing to adhere to Islamic hijab (head covering) in a filmed speech' she was given five years each.