Iran qualifies 8 candidates for presidential election: media
May 21, 2013 by contributor · Comments Off
TEHRAN, May 21 (Xinhua) — Iran’s Guardian Council of Constitution, the high legislative body of the country, has approved the qualification of eight presidential candidates, semi- official Mehr news agency reported on Tuesday.
Iran Electoral Watchdog Hints at Rafsanjani Rejection
May 20, 2013 by contributor · Comments Off
DUBAI — Iran’s electoral watchdog said on Monday it would bar physically feeble candidates from running for president, in an apparent hint that it could disqualify 78-year-old former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani from the race. Rafsanjani, if he is allowed to run, would be a significant challenge to conservative hardliners who are ultra-loyal to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and who otherwise dominate the field for the June 14 presidential election.
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Obama Besieged on Many Fronts
May 16, 2013 by contributor · Comments Off
VOA – The recent history of second term U.S. presidents indicates trouble will come at some point. You just don’t expect it to come three at a time with roots both foreign and domestic. But for the moment that is where the Obama administration finds itself. All of sudden last November’s easy re-election victory over Republican Mitt Romney seems like a galaxy far, far away. And that soaring rhetoric from the second Obama inaugural about all of the hoped-for accomplishments now sounds a bit off key. Second term presidents often find that their relevance begins to wane after the second congressional midterm election, in the final two years of their presidency. But in some ways it feels like it’s already waning with this president.
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Iran to build 6 refineries in Africa
May 13, 2013 by contributor · Comments Off
TEHRAN, May 13 (Xinhua) — Iran will build six oil refineries in African countries in the near future, Tehran Times daily reported on Monday. Iranian energy official Hassan Khosrojerdi was quoted as saying Iran has signed memorandums of understanding with six African countries and has started to look for appropriate places to establish the refineries.
Rafsanjani to Run In Iran’s Presidential Election
May 11, 2013 by contributor · Comments Off
VOA – Former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has registered for June’s presidential election. Rafsanjani, who was president from 1989 to 1997, is seen as a threat to Iran’s clerical elite around Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran Courts Indian Companies with More Alluring Oil Contracts
May 11, 2013 by contributor · Comments Off
VOA – DUBAI/NEW DELHI — Iran has offered new, more alluring terms to reluctant Indian companies to win the investment it craves for its decaying energy sector suffering from tight Western sanctions. Iran started offering production sharing contracts (PSCs), long denied to investors, to a group of Indian oil executives visiting Tehran in January, an Indian industry source said on Thursday.
Iran’s ex-president not to run for presidential race
May 9, 2013 by Editor · Comments Off
TEHRAN, May 9 (Xinhua) — Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami said he will not partake in the coming presidential elections slated for June 14. Khatami said that the time is not ripe for him to run for the presidential race, Tehran Times daily reported on Thursday.
Three Long-Missing Women Found Alive in Cleveland
May 7, 2013 by contributor · Comments Off
VOA-Police in the north-central U.S. city of Cleveland are praising the bravery of three women who were found alive late Monday after vanishing for a decade. Police say they have arrested three brothers for the women’s kidnapping: 54-year-old Pedro Castro, 50-year-old Onil Castro and 52-year-old Ariel Castro, the owner of the house where the women were found.
US Calls for Shutting Down Iran, North Korea Arms Networks
May 4, 2013 by contributor · Comments Off
VOA – GENEVA — The United States said on Friday that Iran and North Korea were trying to obtain high-tech materials linked to their nuclear programs in violation of U.N. sanctions. Iran was also sending weapons and ammunition to Syrian government forces despite a ban, said Thomas Countryman, Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation.
EU’s Ashton, Iran’s Nuclear Negotiator to Meet May 15
May 2, 2013 by contributor · Comments Off
BRUSSELS — European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton will meet Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in Istanbul on May 15, her spokesman said on Thursday, to discuss future diplomatic efforts to resolve a decade-old dispute over Tehran’s atom work.