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☆ Putin speaks to Iranian president with emphasis on deepening ties, Kremlin says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 12 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, with both leaders placing emphasis on deepening political, trade and economic cooperation, the Kremlin said in a statement on Saturday. It did not say when the phone call took place and made no mention of Iranian arms supplies to Moscow. A senior Russian security official met Iranian leaders in Tehran on Wednesday and the two countries pledged closer ties. The visit took place following accusations by Ukraine and the West that Russia has used Iranian drones to target Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Last month, two senior Iranian officials and two Iranian diplomats told Reuters that Iran had promised to provide Russia with surface-to-surface missiles.

☆ Bahrain holds parliament polls; rights groups slam 'repressive' climate
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Ghaida Ghantous | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MANAMA, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Bahrainis on Saturday voted in parliamentary elections held in an environment rights groups described as "political repression" since the Gulf Arab state has dissolved the main opposition groups and cracked down on dissent. Ahead of the vote, which includes municipal polls, rights group Amnesty International criticised "highly restrictive measures" that bar members of banned opposition groups and those who have served jail terms longer than six months. "Holding this general election will not address the atmosphere of repression and the denial of human rights that has gripped Bahrain for years," Amnesty said in a statement. The government said 344,713 voters were eligible to vote, down from 365,467 in the last polls in 2018. London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, describing the vote as a "sham", said legislation on voter inclusion appeared to target individuals who boycotted earlier polls.

☆ Gulf Arab states can’t give up oil. But they can slash their emissions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Abu Dhabi CNN —As Western states try to wean themselves off their addiction to hydrocarbons, Gulf oil nations have been pushing back hard, warning that a hasty transition away from fossil fuels will be counterproductive. According to the World Bank, Qatar had the highest carbon emissions per capita as of 2019, followed by Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. So, investment in clean energy projects and renewables “makes very good business sense and PR sense for the Gulf,” he said. Gulf petro-states are warning against a quick transition away from hydrocarbons, with the UAE calling for a “mixed energy” approach that minimizes emissions without cutting hydrocarbons. Much of the hydrocarbons exported by Gulf states go to some of the world’s biggest consumers and polluters, including China and India.

☆ Iran's drones are unlikely to help Russia win in Ukraine — and could backfire for Tehran
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Ukraine has blamed Iran for providing Russia with drones, which have been used to attack Kyiv in recent days. They transferred dozens just this summer & have military personnel in occupied Ukraine helping Russia use them against Ukrainian civilians." Amirabdollahian said that "if it is proven to us that Russia has used Iranian drones in the Ukraine war, we won't be indifferent to it." They've also come in handy for Moscow as Russia's military runs low on more advanced weaponry like guided missiles. "Such systems could become a big headache for the Russians and could make Iran's drones and missiles look ineffective while teaching Western militaries how better to counter them," he said.

☆ Leading Iranian actor posts picture without a headscarf in support of anti-government protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Kriti Gandhi | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A prominent Iranian actor has posted a photo of herself without a headscarf on Instagram to express her support for the ongoing anti-government protests. Azadi,” a Kurdish slogan that has become popular during the demonstrations and translates to “Woman. Freedom,” Taraneh Alidoosti’s long brown, elbow-length hair is uncovered as she stares into the camera. She also starred in “Leila’s Brothers,” the Iranian film directed by Saeed Roustayi, which featured at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. A well-known human rights and women’s rights activist, Alidoosti is one of several female Iranian actors who have expressed their support for the protests by posting pictures on social media of themselves with their heads uncovered.

Abd El-Fattah was found guilty of spreading false information for sharing a Facebook post, a charge frequently used against activists and those of suspected of dissent. Abd El-Fattah has been on a hunger strike for more than 200 days and on Sunday stopped drinking water. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday said that he had raised the case of Abd El-Fattah while attending COP27. In January, Egyptian-Palestinian activist Ramy Shaath was freed following more than 900 days in detention after he renounced his Egyptian nationality. The only explanation his supporters have, Bahgat said, is that Abd El-Fattah was “one of the most prominent and influential voices” of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.

☆ Analysis: Iran's unrest sounds death knell for once vibrant reformists
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Parisa Hafezi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

It highlighted the main problem facing reformists in a system where Khamenei, 83 and in power since 1989, wields ultimate power. "People feel reformists helped hardliners by promising reforms that were impossible with hardliners in power," a former official who served in the Khatami administration told Reuters. The reform movement is dead." That view has been echoed in the streets where protesters have grouped reformists with hardliners as part of the problem. The fact is that the reform movement is dead, its has been dead for some time," he said.

☆ Russia, Iran Pledge to Deepen Ties Amid Ukraine War
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Sune Engel Rasmussen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Russian security council, shook hands with Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, in a photo released by Mr. Raisi’s office. Russia and Iran’s security chiefs pledged Wednesday to deepen the military cooperation between the two countries, further cementing ties that have seen Tehran supply drones to bolster Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine. During a meeting in Tehran, Russian security council secretary Nikolai Patrushev and his Iranian counterpart Ali Shamkhani said they would jointly fight what they called Western interference in their countries, and expand economic ties in a mutual effort to evade sanctions.

☆ Iran calls for deeper energy, trade ties with Russia -Nournews
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Iran's top security official Ali Shamkhani called on Wednesday for deeper ties in energy, transportation, agriculture, trade and banking with Russia, according to NourNews, affiliated with the country's top security body. Shamkhani spoke after a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev in Tehran. The two also discussed the situation in Ukraine and measures to combat "Western interference" in their internal affairs, Russian state media reported. Patrushev, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, also met Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran. Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Jon Boyle and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/5] The supporters of The National Front coalition, Barisan Nasional, shout slogans outside a nomination centre on nomination day in Bera, Pahang, Malaysia November 5, 2022. REUTERS/Lai Seng SinKUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Malaysian political leaders began their election campaigning on Saturday for what is set to be a close race, with incumbent Prime Minister Ismail Sabri facing off with veterans Anwar Ibrahim and Muhyiddin Yassin. The election comes as the Malaysian economy is expected to ease due to a global slowdown, impeding a recovery from a pandemic-induced slump. Inflation is also rising, with the Malaysian central bank increasing interest rates this week for the fourth straight time. The leaders are not working together in this election.

☆ President Raisi says Iran thwarted U.S. destabilisation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

As Iranian authorities marked the anniversary this week of the seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran by radical students, President Joe Biden backed the protesters, saying: "We're gonna free Iran. In Syria, mass demonstrations against Iran's ally President Bashar al-Assad were confronted with force and the country spiralled into conflict which continues 11 years on. By contrast, Iranian cities were now "safe and sound", Raisi said, promising retribution for the unrest the country had seen. At least 14,170 people have been arrested, including 392 students, in protests in 136 cities and towns, and 134 universities, it said. The crisis has dragged Iran's currency to new historic lows.

☆ Iran’s President Slams Biden for Supporting Protest Movement
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Aresu Eqbali | Benoit Faucon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Friday criticized President Biden for backing a monthslong rights movement that has engulfed the country, as he addressed a pro-regime rally to mark the anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Iran holds state-sponsored rallies every year to commemorate the day when radical students stormed the embassy after the fall of the Shah, who was backed by the U.S., holding 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. The two countries have had no diplomatic ties since then.

☆ Biden vows Iran will be 'free' amid anti-government protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | Chantal Da Silva Is A Breaking News Editor For Nbc News Digital Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

President Joe Biden vowed to "free Iran" on Thursday, before saying demonstrators there appeared on track to "free themselves" as anti-government unrest sweeps the country. They have also triggered support from women and others across the world, with the Biden administration facing growing pressure from Iranian American activists to do more. "Don't worry, we're gonna free Iran," Biden told supporters in an aside during a campaign speech in California late Thursday after audience members appeared to call on him to address the ongoing protests. The president was speaking at a campaign rally for Democratic Rep. Mike Levin at the MiraCosta College near San Diego. “Change in Iran should only come from within Iran.

☆ Germany shy of 2030 climate target at current CO2 reduction rate - govt advisors
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Riham Alkousaa | Zofeen T. Ebrahim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Germany aims to become carbon-neutral by 2045 and cut 65% of emissions by 2030 compared with 1990, but current reduction rates are falling short, the first biennial report by the council showed. The energy sector contributed almost half of Germany's 27% CO2 reduction between 2000 and 2021, while the construction, transport and industry sectors, after a good start, have been sluggish to cut emissions in the past decade. The council said the transport and construction sector needed to be restructured to reverse the trend. A change in consumer behaviour was also necessary and the government should impose strict limits on emissions volumes for all sectors, it added. Nearly 200 countries will gather in Egypt next week for climate talks, as pressure for tougher action to tackle global warming grows.

☆ Gulf states use new oil riches to gain regional influence
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

“Money talks,” Michael Maduell, president of the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute in Las Vegas, told CNN. Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, last week announced that the nation’s wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), is establishing five regional companies worth $24 billion across the Middle East. One of the key regional investment destinations for both Abu Dhabi and Riyadh has been Egypt. Once a regional rival, Turkey is now an economic ally of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Despite a political thaw, Gulf investments in Iran and Syria are unlikely for the time being, say analysts.

☆ In Iran Protests, the Hijab Is the Red Line for Both Government and Women
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Sune Engel Rasmussen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Earlier this year, Iranian authorities moved against what they saw as a disturbing trend: More women were refusing to wear a legally required headscarf, or hijab. President Ebrahim Raisi ordered tougher enforcement of the law to coincide with the government’s National Hijab and Chastity Day on July 12. The moves were accompanied by a series of arrests and triggered fury among Iranians who took to the street. Two months later, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died after being detained by the country’s morality police for allegedly disrespecting the Islamic Republic’s dress code, and Iran exploded. Street protests are now entering their sixth week and have picked up steam in recent days, posing the strongest challenge to the Islamic Republic in more than a decade.

Almost six weeks after the death of Mahsa Amini, the unrest in Iran shows little sign of abating. Defying security forces, thousands marched to her grave in the northwestern city of Saqqez on Wednesday, as crowds clashed with security forces on the streets of the capital, Tehran, and several other major metropolitan areas. Wednesday was 40 days since Amini's death after she was detained by morality police last month. “Freedom, freedom! A crowd chants "Freedom, freedom!

☆ Shadow puppet enthusiasts hope robotics can save ancient art
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Malaysian college lecturer Ahnaf Hakimi Ahmad hopes to save the ancient tradition of shadow puppetry using 3D-printed figures controlled by robotics instead of people. Ahnaf, 33, hopes his invention, which is funded by a 20,000 Malaysian ringgit ($4,244) grant, can allow people to enjoy the rapidly fading artform "whenever and wherever". So, with this animatronic shadow puppet show, it will be a new phenomenon for these youths," he said at a performance at a mall in Penang island. Wayang usually depicts epic Hindu tales such as the Ramayana in hours-long theatrical and musical performances, but some in Muslim-majority Malaysia consider them un-Islamic. ($1 = 4.7120 ringgit)Reporting by Ebrahim Harris; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor and Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Attack on Iran shrine will not go unanswered - foreign minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A general view of the Shah Cheragh Shrine after an attack in Shiraz, Iran October 26, 2022. Iranian officials said they had arrested a gunman who carried out the attack at the Shah Cheragh shrine in the city of Shiraz. State media blamed "takfiri terrorists" - a label Tehran uses for hardline Sunni Muslim militants such as Islamic State. Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi blamed the protests sweeping Iran for paving the ground for the Shiraz attack, and President Ebrahim Raisi said Iran would respond, according to state media. State media said he was not Iranian, but did not give his nationality.

Security forces clashed with crowds who had gathered at 22-year-old Amini's grave in her hometown of Saqqez, according to a semi-official Iranian news agency, which also said that the internet in the region was subsequently cut-off. Anti-government protests since Amini’s death last month have persisted across Iran despite an intense crackdown. Cemetery clashes“A limited number of those present at Mahsa Amini’s memorial clashed with police forces on the outskirts of Saqqez and were dispersed," according to the semi-official news agency ISNA. Internet in Saqqez was then "cut off due to security considerations,” the agency reported, adding about 10,000 people had gathered. The governor also said that Amini's family decided against holding a memorial service for her and described as "false" any reports of roads to Saqqez being closed.

☆ Islamic State claims responsibility for shrine attack in Iran
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

CAIRO, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Islamic state claimed responsibility for a shrine attack in the Iranian city of Shiraz on Wednesday, a statement on their telegram channel said. The attack on a Shi'ite Muslim shrine in Shiraz killed 13 people on Wednesday, authorities said, and President Ebrahim Raisi vowed that the shooting would not go unanswered. read moreReporting by Yomna EhabOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Iran says attack on shrine will not go unanswered -Tasnim
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

DUBAI, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The attack on a Shiraz shrine will not go unanswered, Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi said on Wednesday according to semi-official Tasnim news agency, after a "takfiri" gunman shot at pilgrims praying at the Shah Cheragh shrine. "Experience shows that Iran's enemies, after failing to create a split in the nation's united ranks, take revenge through violence and terror. This evil will definitely not go unanswered, and the security and law enforcement agencies will teach a lesson to those who designed the attack," Raisi said. "Takfiri" is a term used by predominantly Shi'ite Muslim Iran to refer to hardline, armed, Sunni Islamist groups. Reporting by Dubai Newsroom Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Iranian authorities did not respond to requests for comment for this story. His comments have angered Iranian authorities, who placed him under a travel ban in 2017. The supreme leader's office wrote back and said Iran's government does not allow discrimination or inequality. Iranian officials have occasionally counted on him in times of crisis. The group, denounced by Tehran as terrorists, has carried out repeated attacks on Iranian security forces.

☆ Qatar to stage 2023 Asian Cup, most likely in early 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa and President of Qatar Football Association (QFA) Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani pose during an announcement ceremony of 2023 Asian Cup at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia October 17, 2022. Asian Football Confederation/Kamarul Akhir/Handout via REUTERSKUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Qatar will stage the next Asian Cup in place of original hosts China, the Asian Confederation (AFC) announced on Monday, with the tournament likely to be moved from mid-2023 to early 2024 to avoid the heat of the Gulf summer. The Asian Cup is held every four years. The QFA is proposing all eight be used for the Asian Cup, Al Salat said. Qatar was also one of three nations bidding to stage the 2027 edition of the Asian Cup after Iran and Uzbekistan withdrew expressions of interest.

☆ At least four killed in fire at Iran's notorious Evin Prison, amid anti-government protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Henry Austin | Henry Austin Is A London-Based Editor For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

At least four people were killed and 61 injured after a large fire broke out at a notorious prison housing political prisoners and anti-government activists in Iran‘s capital, state-run news agency IRNA reported Sunday, citing the country's judiciary. Damage caused by a fire at the Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran late Saturday. Iranian state media has reported that at least 60 people have died since the beginning of the protests in Iran. He is safe and has been moved to a secure area of Evin Prison. Several other dual national Iranians and foreign citizens are held in Evin prison.

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