Iran in the World Press 15 Jan 2010

Iran mourners vent ire at US TEHERAN: Angry mourners chanting anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans joined a funeral procession yesterday for the Iranian nuclear scientist killed in a bomb attack Teheran blames on the US and Israel. Witnesses said around 2,000 people thronged the house in an affluent north Teheran neighbourhood of Massoud Ali Mohammadi, who died on Tuesday when a booby-trapped motorbike exploded as he was leaving home. Bangkok Post | 2010-01-15 | Thailand | Page: 7 Google shows spine It has been dispiriting to see America’s banks apparently stand for nothing more lofty than plunder. It has been demoralizing to see President Obama hiding from the Dalai Lama rather than offend China’s rulers. So all that makes Google’s decision to stand up to Chinese cyberoppression positively breathtaking. By announcing that it no longer plans to censor search results in China, even if that means it must withdraw from the country, Google is showing spine — a kind that few other companies or governments have shown toward Beijing.   International Herald Tribune | 2010-01-15 | Austria | Page: 7 DRINKING of pure alcohol would be closer to 16 liters, about double the amount that U.S. citizens consume. Russians’ infamous vodka-drinking habits are widely blamed for the country’s dismal health statistics. The average life expectancy for men at birth has only recently climbed over the 60-year threshold, and is still among the lowest in industrialized countries. Official data show that at least 2 million Russians are alcoholics and some 100,000 deaths annually are blamed on alcohol consumption.  Moscow Times | 2010-01-15 | Russia | Page: 2 Haiti’s tragedy Haiti is a nation synonymous with disaster. Half its people are unemployed; many more earn only survival wages. Incidence of tuberculosis, a proxy for health more broadly, is the hemisphere’s worst. Natural resources are scarce, and hurricanes pass through with devastating regularity, killing at least 800 people in 2008 alone. But even in that context, Tuesday’s earthquake could be a disaster of another level entirely — epic even in a global context. Set aside the on-scene guesswork.  USA TODAY International Edition | 2010-01-15 | USA | Page: 9 WHITHER THE MUSLIM QUEER? When one asks about homosexuals in the Islamic world, some Muslims may reply that there is no such thing, just like unforgettable answer of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran, at Columbia University in 2007: “ We don’t have homosexuals like in your country. We don’t have that in our country. We don’t have this phenomenon; I don’t know who’s told you we have it.” Islam considers homosexuality a moral dysfunction, as interpreted from the story of the destruction of the people of Lut in the Qu’ran, which mirrors the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra in the Old Testament. The destruction was seen as God’s punishment for male-male sexual attraction. Moreover, in the Tradition of Muhammad (the Hadith or Sunnah), there are reports about condemnation and punishment for men who committed malemale sexual intercourse. Then, in the time of Madh’hab (Islamic school of thought or Religious Jurisprudence), the Qur’an and Hadith became the primary sources of codification of Shari’a (religious law).  The Nation | 2010-01-15 | Thailand | Page: 18 Haiti’s tragedy Haiti is a nation synonymous with disaster. Half its people are unemployed; many more earn only survival wages. Incidence of tuberculosis, a proxy for health more broadly, is the hemisphere’s worst. Natural resources are scarce, and hurricanes pass through with devastating regularity, killing at least 800 people in 2008 alone. But even in that context, Tuesday’s earthquake could be a disaster of another level entirely — epic even in a global context. Set aside t he on-scene guess work . USA TODAY US Edition | 2010-01-14 | USA | Page: 8 It’s tıme for Israel to come to terms wıth regıonal change When there was a massive reaction in Turkey to the insulting treatment of Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon toward Turkish Ambassador in Tel Aviv Ahmet Oğuz Çelikkol, Israel became embroiled in domestic controversy and Ayalon had to issue an official apology. This “inappropriate treatment,” which contradicts the traditions of diplomacy, an occupation founded upon courtesy, constitutes the latest phase in relations with Israel, which have been tense for some time.  Today's Zaman | 2010-01-15 | Turkey | Page: 3 Iranian Soren sedan enters Turkish market The Iran Khodro Industrial Group (IKCO), a leading automobile manufacturer in Iran, has increased its presence in the Turkish auto market by introducing its latest model, the Soren sedan. IKCO entered the Turkish market in 2007 by first bringing Samand LX passenger cars into the country and then the Samand’s EL model. Speaking to the Anatolia news agency yesterday, Yiğit Seskır, general director of MYS Automotive, the Turkey distributor for IKCO, said both of the Samand models were well received by Turkish customers and that this high demand led them to also import the Soren.  Today's Zaman | 2010-01-15 | Turkey | Page: 8 Obama’s foreign failings are putting U.S. at greater risk (Continued from yesterday) Despite all the Obama administration’s chin-rubbing and hand-wringing about how to proceed in Afghanistan, the president hasn’t even been to the war-t orn c ountry s i nce entering the White House — or before making the fateful decision about the new strategy and troop levels. In fact, his last visit to Afghanistan was a quick two-day stop in July 2008 as a senator and presidential candidate (he hadn’t been there previously either, despite serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee).  The China Post | 2010-01-15 | Taiwan | Page: 8 Former leaders of Iran warn of unrest TEHRAN Two former Iranian presidents yesterday condemned a bomb attack that killed a physics professor who had backed an opposition leader, calling the remote-controlled blast an act of terrorism that could deepen unrest and violence. The separate statements by Mohammad Khatami and Hashemi Rafsanjani did not directly accuse any group of detonating the bomb-rigged motorcycle that killed Masoud Ali Mohammadi, a 50-year-old researcher and lecturer, whose work included some aspects of nuclear theory, on Tuesday.  The Independent | 2010-01-14 | UK | Page: 26 Blair froze out Iraq war dissenters TONY BLAIR froze out anyone with concerns about the Iraq war and was not challenged on the issue by a Cabinet that had been “conditioned” to accept that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, the Iraq inquiry has been told. Lord Turnbull, who as Cabinet Secretary was Britain’s most senior civil servant, said that Mr Blair largely surrounded himself with those who would not disagree with him, while those who did have concerns were given almost no time to discuss the issue. Meanwhile No 10 rejected calls to publish secret letters sent to President George Bush from Mr Blair in 2002 which suggested that Britain would join the US in military action if it was needed. The Independent | 2010-01-14 | UK | Page: 7 Ranting against Iran won’t help reform What to do about Iran? The country is in the throes of a protracted and profound internal struggle whose outcome no one seems able to predict. The plight of the reformers is real and getting worse as the authorities clamp down on dissent, arrest protesters and harass their leaders with increasing brutality. The difficulty of dealing with the regime, and knowing how best to support its people, is made all the more difficult by its position in the region and its nuclear ambitions.  The Independent | 2010-01-14 | UK | Page: 31 Chinese hackers force US showdown GOOGLE’S fight with Chinese censors risks escalating into a fullblown US-China showdown over cyber warfare, as claims emerge about the unprecedented scale of Chinese attacks on US commercial and defence systems. The Chinese-originated attack on Gmail accounts of human rights activists, which Google said had partly prompted its threat to leave China, was “probably insignificant” compared with the “theft” of source code and data from Google and at least 33 other leading technology companies, said a consultant briefed on the cyber attacks. The Sydney Morning Herald | 2010-01-15 | Australia | Page: 1 Iran’s protesters put anti-gov’t slogans on bank notes DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (The Associated Press) — Facing hard-line forces on the streets, Iran’s anti-government demonstrators have taken their protests to a new venue: writing “Death to the Dictator” and other opposition slogans on bank notes, while officials scramble to yank the bills from circulation. There’s no way to calculate how much Iranian currency has been scribbled on or stamped with dissident messages in recent months in response to efforts to halt public demonstrations or choke off the Internet and cellphone messaging. But it’s been enough to bring public denunciations from financial overseers as senior as the central bank governor. Another top regulator said banks will no longer accept defaced bills in an attempt to discourage merchants and others from taking the protest-tagged money. Moose Jaw Times Herald | 2010-01-14 | Canada | Page: 14 Iran kürzt Subventionen Die iranische Regierung unternimmt einen neuen Anlauf zum Subventionsabbau, der für die Bevölkerung steigende Preise für Lebensmittel und Kraftstoffe bedeuten wird. Der Wächterrat billigte eine im Parlament beschlossene Gesetzesinitiative. Der Plan zielt auf eine Entlastung des Staatsetats, in dem 62 Milliarden Euro (knapp ein Drittel) dafür ausgegeben werden, die Preise für Lebensmittel und Ölprodukte niedrig zu halten. (apn) Erlanger Nachrichten | 2010-01-14 | Germany | Page: 4 2 ex-leaders of Iran condemn slaying ALI AKBAR DAREINI AND BRIAN MURPHY TEHRAN, Iran — Two former Iranian presidents on Wednesday condemned a bomb attack that killed a physics professor who had backed the nation’s opposition leader, calling the remote-controlled blast an act of terrorism that could deepen unrest and violence. The separate statements by Mohammad Khatami and Hashemi Rafsanjani did not directly accuse any group for detonating the bomb-rigged motorcycle Tuesday that claimed the life of the 50-yearold researcher and lecturer, whose work included some aspects of nuclear theory.  Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Weekday | 2010-01-14 | USA | Page: 7 Türkiye, Taliban’ı siyasi süreç için ikna edebilir - Irak’taki Sünnileri siyasi sürece katılmaya ikna eden Türkiye, bu başarısını sorunlu Afganistan’da da tekrarlamak istiyor. İngiltere’de temaslarda bulunan Dışişleri Bakanı Ahmet Davutoğlu, Afganistan’la “tarih ve etnik bağlantılarına” dikkat çekerek Taliban’ın siyasi sürece katılmasında Ankara’nın “anahtar bir rol” oynayabileceğini söyledi. İngiliz The Times gazetesi, Davut-oğlu’nun, Afganistan’daki huzurun ancak gruplar arasında sağlanacak uzlaşı ile gerçekleşebileceğini söylediğini aktardı. Davutoğlu, Taliban’ın siyasi sürece katılma çabasının, kaç askerin bölgeye yerleştirileceği sorusundan daha önemli olduğuna dikkat çekti.  Zaman | 2010-01-14 | Turkey | Page: 19 İran lideri Ahmedinejad Erdoğan’ın ziyaret edeceği Riyad’a yüklendi - İran Cumhurbaşkanı Mahmud Ahmedinejad, İsrail, Amerika ve İngiltere’nin ardından Suudi Arabistan’a yüklendi. Dün Huzistan’da halka hitaben konuşan Ahmedinejad, Yemen ve Filistin’deki tavrına gönderme yaptığı Suudi Arabistan’ı “silahlarını kardeş kavgasında” kullanmakla suçladı. Yemen’deki duruma değinen Ahmedinejad, Suudi Arabistan’ın silahlarını bölge halkları lehinde ve İsrail aleyhinde kullanılmaması için Yemen’deki savaşa dahil edildiğini öne sürdü.  Zaman | 2010-01-14 | Turkey | Page: 19 Pig in a poke Apparently, the Turkish foreign minister identified only three challenges facing his country in 2010, which he wished to discuss in his meeting with David Miliband: Cyprus, Iran, and Israel (Israel discovers the limits of Turkey’s neighbourly charm offensive, 13 January). We can only hope that our foreign secretary repaired one omission – the Kurdish question. The road map to peace has been damaged in recent weeks, with the closing down of the DTP (the Kurdish political party) and the detentions of many Kurdish politicians as well as the head of the IHD (Human Rights Association). The Guardian | 2010-01-14 | UK | Page: 37 Newspaper Page - US President Bill Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin sign Kremlin accords to stop aiming missiles at any nation and to dismantle the nuclear arsenal of Ukraine. - An international treaty comes into effect protecting the entire continent of Antarctica as a global wilderness preserve. - In Sri Lanka, nine desperate, heartbroken women quarrel over an infant dubbed Baby 81 - all claiming he was torn from them by the tsunami. - Iran and Nicaragua announce that they will open embassies in each other’s capitals as Iran’s hard-line President Ahmadinejad courts leftist allies in Latin America to offset Washington’s global influence. - A French court acquits six doctors and pharmacists in the deaths of at least 114 people who contracted a brain-destroying disease after being treated with tainted human growth hormones. Dave Grohl Manawatu Standard | 2010-01-14 | New Zealand | Page: 9 Tehran had clear information on Zionist-CIA terror attack Tehran (AFP) Parliament speaker Ali Larijani, Iran’s former chief nuclear negotiator, accused intelligence agents of the United States and Israel yesterday of plotting a bombing which killed a top atomic scientist. “We had received clear information a few days before [the assassination] that the [intelligence] service of the Zionist regime, with the cooperation of the CIA, were seeking to carry out a terrorist act in Tehran,” the ISNA news agency quoted Larijani as saying.  Gulf News | 2010-01-14 | UAE | Page: 17 Iran criticises Saudi role in Yemen conflict Tehran (Reuters) Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday lashed out at Saudi Arabia over its role in Yemen’s conflict with the Al Houthi rebels, saying it should seek to foster peace rather than using weapons against fellow Muslims. “We were expecting that Saudi Arabian officials act like a mentor and make peace between brothers, not that they themselves enter the war and use bombs, cannons and machine guns against Muslims,” the president said. “If only a small part of the weapons of Saudi Arabia were used in favour of Gaza and against the Zionist regime [Israel], today there would be no sign of the Zionist regime in the region,” he added in a televised speech.  Gulf News | 2010-01-14 | UAE | Page: 12 Probe of shell firms ordered PRIME Minister John Key has ordered a report on why a single Auckland address has almost 2500 shell companies registered to it. On his return from his Hawaiian holiday yesterday, he said that if New Zealand’s international reputation was being harmed by its company registration system, changes could follow. He has directed Commerce Minister Simon Power to report on the issue, in the wake of revelations that a New Zealand company was used to charter a Georgian plane to fly North Korean arms to Iran.  The Nelson Mail | 2010-01-14 | New Zealand | Page: 10 Dalla Birmania all’Iran La stretta dei dittatori sulla libertà della Rete WASHINGTON— È un grande bavaglio elettronico. E si estende ovunque. Dalla Bielorussia all’Iran, dall’Arabia Saudita alla Birmania. Sulle prime i regimi sono colti di sorpresa, non sanno come contenere l’informazione alternativa, poi reagiscono e trovano nuovi sistemi per reprimere il dissenso sul web. Internet è considerato una minaccia da leader in divisa e despoti in giacca. Lo temono mullah che si nascondono dietro la religione e atei riciclatisi dopo la fine del marxismo.  Corriere della Sera | 2010-01-14 | Italy | Page: 10 Turkey threatens to recall envoy to Israel RELATIONS BETWEEN Israel and Turkey hit a new low yesterday when Ankara threatened to recall its ambassador over a meeting between the diplomat and Israel’s deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon. Mr Ayalon issued a formal letter of apology last night after his earlier comments had been rejected as inadequate by Ankara. Ambassador Ahmet Oguz Celikkol was summoned to a meeting on Monday with Mr Ayalon to hear complaints over a Turkish TV drama, The Valley of the Wolves. The series, considered anti-Semitic in Jerusalem, depicts Israeli troops kidnapping children and shooting old men. The Irish Times | 2010-01-14 | Ireland | Page: 14 The Future of Iran The deadline for Iran to accept a U.N.-brokered deal on its controversial nuclear program expired on Dec. 31, proving yet again that the policy of modifying the behavior of the Islamic Republic is not working. While Washington frets over what the Obama Administration should do next, legitimate power is tilting away from the central government toward a confident Green Movement. More and more experts are concluding that it is no longer a question of whether the regime in Tehran will fall, but rather when.  The Wall Street Journal Europe | 2010-01-14 | Belgium | Page: 15 Amato: Teheran non s’addice ai filosofi no imboccato un percorso, il che in questo caso potrebbe anche essere avvenuto anni fa». La decisione di rivolgersi all’Unesco è stata ovviamente meditata. Poiché come ipotesi logica si potrebbe anche considerare il caso opposto, ovvero che proprio la Giornata mondiale della Filosofia possa spingere un regime a riflettere. «Sarebbe bello poter costringere un regime chiuso a rispettare la palestra del libero pensiero». Ma quella Giornata rischierebbe invece di «trasformarsi in un’effemeride, come un qualunque 8 marzo». La Stampa | 2010-01-14 | Italy | Page: 34 LETTERE AL DIRETTORE zione ma non è così», ha detto, «quello che è successo si spiega attraverso la nostra storia e con il fatto che Haiti sorge su pericolose placche tettoniche». E continua: «Gli haitiani sono in parte responsabili di ciò che è successo, ma c’è anche una responsabilità della comunità internazionale, che non ha mai accolto questo Paese a braccia aperte». Ma di fronte a uno scatenamento tale di forze della natura davvero la mancanza di strutture civili e i «peccati» della storia e della politica (anche internazionale) hanno responsabilità così determinanti?  La Stampa | 2010-01-14 | Italy | Page: 30 “Neda era laureata in filosofia” Alladirettrice generale dell’Unesco SuaEccellenza Irina Bokova Abbiamo appreso in questi giorni che l’Iran è il paese candidato nel 2010 alla Giornata mondiale della filosofia, che si tiene abitualmente nel mese di novembre. Questo appuntamento annuale rappresenta una meritevole iniziativa che ogni anno consente un intenso dialogo su scala globale e che coinvolge filosofi e studenti in forme inedite per i consueti circuiti accademici.  La Stampa | 2010-01-14 | Italy | Page: 34 Syria: Foreigners can own majority stakes in banks DAMASCUS (AP) – Syria is allowing foreign investors to own majority stakes in the country’s banks, the latest in a string of efforts to unshackle the economy as Syria emerges from years of isolation. Foreign investors can own up to 60 percent of Syrian banks as of January 4, up from 49% previously, if the government approves the sale, Adib Mayaleh, the central bank’s governor, told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Western investors have generally stayed clear of Syria, in part due to US sanctions imposed by former president George W. Bush. Jerusalem Post | 2010-01-14 | Israel | Page: 17 Fiddling while Iran enriches? Sir, – It is said that Nero fiddled while Rome burned. The same can be said for the Western nations who are supposedly trying to curtail Iran’s desire to be in a position to blackmail the West, as it obtains more and more nuclear facilities and weapons. Once again there are meetings and meetings simply to obtain a consensus on what to do about Iran (“Six-nation meeting on Iran being planned,” January 12). What about all the Security Council resolutions that were on the book? These are simply thrown away in the ash bins of history. Cutting off all trade and banking opportunities with Iran might work, but it would require the nations of the world to really do something. TOBY WILLIG Jerusalem Jerusalem Post | 2010-01-14 | Israel | Page: 14

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