tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5169130203475264933.post6333093742116664862..comments2024-03-10T22:24:34.032-04:00Comments on Uskowi on Iran - اسکویی در باره ایران: News from IranNader Uskowihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02808543185109048956noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5169130203475264933.post-66516318938356601872008-03-04T01:15:00.000-05:002008-03-04T01:15:00.000-05:00A friend in Europe sent this along. This is a loos...A friend in Europe sent this along. This is a loose translation of the original below it:<BR/><BR/><B>Iran, Out for a Walk With the Dog: Elderly Man Sentenced to Thirty Lashes</B><BR/><BR/>Four Footed Friends are impure animals according to Islam. The exception being <A HREF="http://www.adnkronos.com/IGN/Esteri/?id=1.0.1843976501" REL="nofollow">the four examples belonging to the President</A> which are "Servants of the State."<BR/><BR/>19 Feb 2008<BR/><BR/>Tehran - (AKI) - An Iranian Islamic judge has sentenced a man to four months in prison and thirty lashes for walking his dog.<BR/><BR/>The seventy year old man was surprised by a police patrol as he walked his dog on a leash in Shahr Rey, a suburb of Tehran. The police handcuffed the man then whisked him off for "disturbing the public order." <BR/><BR/>The conviction has somewhat panicked other dog owners. Although the Islamic religion considers dogs to be impure animals the authorities seem prepared to look the other way if dogs are kept as pets -- provided they are kept indoors. However, despite the repeated warnings from police some dog owners continue to bring their pets outdoors.<BR/><BR/>President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad <A HREF="http://www.adnkronos.com/IGN/Esteri/?id=1.0.1843976501" REL="nofollow">acquired four German dogs</A> [possibly meaning German Shepherds] for his personal protection at the price of 110,000 euros each [???]. The presidential dogs have obtained a fatwa, a religious exemption, that legalizes their presence as "Servants of the State." <BR/><BR/>* * * * * * * * <BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.adnkronos.com/IGN/Esteri/?id=1.0.1892719169" REL="nofollow">Iran, esce a passeggio con il cane: anziano condannato a 30 frustate</A><BR/><BR/>Giro di vita sugli amici a quattro zampe considerati dall'Islam degli animali impuri. Fanno eccezione i 4 esemplari del presidente Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in quanto "servitori dello Stato"<BR/> <BR/>Teheran, 19 feb. - (Aki - Adnkronos International, Italian News Agency) - Quattro mesi di carcere e 30 frustate è la pena inflitta da un giudice islamico iraniano a un settantenne che era sceso in strada con il proprio cane. E' successo a Shahr Rey, un sobborgo di Teheran, dovel'uomo è stato sorpreso da una pattuglia della polizia con il cane al guinzaglio. Per l'anziano sono scattate immediatamente le manette con l'accusa "turbamento dell'ordine pubblico". <BR/><BR/>La condanna, esemplare, sembra voler gettare nel panico i proprietari di animali domestici, che malgrado i ripetuti avvertimenti della polizia continuano a sfidare le autorità uscendo da casa con i loro cani. Per l'Islam, il cane è un animale impuro, anche se <A HREF="http://www.adnkronos.com/IGN/Esteri/?id=1.0.1843976501" REL="nofollow">il presidente Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ne ha acquistati recentemente quattro</A> di razza tedesca, per la sua difesa, al prezzo di 110mila euro l'uno. I cani presidenziali hanno però ottenuto una fatwa, editto religioso, che legalizza la loro presenza in quanto "servitori dello Stato".<BR/><BR/>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5169130203475264933.post-46704191007160978552008-03-02T11:27:00.000-05:002008-03-02T11:27:00.000-05:00Iran military strike unlikely to succeed: British ...<A HREF="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080302/wl_mideast_afp/britainirannuclear_080302001450" REL="nofollow">Iran military strike unlikely to succeed: British MPs</A><BR/><BR/>Sat 01 Mar 2008<BR/> <BR/>LONDON (AFP) - A military strike against Iran would be unlikely to succeed and would only inflame tensions in the Middle East, an influential group of British MPs warned on Sunday. <BR/> <BR/>The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee also recommended that British ministers urge their American counterparts to begin direct negotiations with Iran and consider offering it a security guarantee if it provides "credible and verifiable" assurances it will not manufacture nuclear weapons.<BR/><BR/>"A military strike would be unlikely to succeed and could provoke an extremely violent backlash across the region," the committee said in its "Global Security: Iran" report.<BR/><BR/>"We recommend that the government urges Washington to consider offering a credible security guarantee to Iran if the Iranian government in turn will offer an equally credible and verifiable guarantee that it will not enter into a nuclear weapons programme and improves its cooperation with the international community in other areas."<BR/><BR/>The committee also called for ministers to push for Washington to "engage directly with Iran on its nuclear programme, as the absence of such engagement has deprived the international community of a significant diplomatic tool."<BR/><BR/>Iran is at loggerheads with the West over its nuclear programme -- the United States and the European Union in particular believe the Islamic Republic is trying to manufacture nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran vehemently denies, insisting the programme is for peaceful purposes.<BR/><BR/>Full story <A HREF="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080302/wl_mideast_afp/britainirannuclear_080302001450" REL="nofollow">Here</A> <BR/><BR/>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5169130203475264933.post-3873130251396348232008-02-29T18:35:00.000-05:002008-02-29T18:35:00.000-05:00Mark, your entries have helped raise the quality o...Mark, your entries have helped raise the quality of this blog, and are appreciated.<BR/><BR/>Travelling intenationally is hectic, but not that bad!Nader Uskowihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02808543185109048956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5169130203475264933.post-3158475459703623942008-02-29T12:53:00.000-05:002008-02-29T12:53:00.000-05:00My pleasure Nader. I search Yahoo! news for Iran s...My pleasure Nader. I search <A HREF="http://news.search.yahoo.com/news/search?p=Iran&c=yahoo_news" REL="nofollow">Yahoo! news</A> for Iran stories almost daily and if you don't mind I'll post interesting items in your <I>News From Iran</I> "Comments" section.<BR/><BR/>Another good site that I check often and I'm sure you're familiar with is the <A HREF="http://www.payvand.com/news/" REL="nofollow">News</A> page at <A HREF="http://www.payvand.com" REL="nofollow">payvand.com</A>.<BR/><BR/>I hope you had a good time traveling. I wish I could get away for some traveling myself right now. I haven't been on an international flight in over a year. From what I'm hearing from friends flying in and out of the USA has become truly unpleasant and inconvenient. I'm considering going by car or train to Canada first and flying internationally from there in the future. <BR/><BR/>Cheers,<BR/><BR/>Mark<BR/><BR/>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5169130203475264933.post-29639199562182596282008-02-29T11:55:00.000-05:002008-02-29T11:55:00.000-05:00Mark K, thanks much for sharing these pieces with ...Mark K, thanks much for sharing these pieces with us. I’ve been traveling and unavailable in the past couple of days and thanks to you we had interesting material added to the site.Nader Uskowihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02808543185109048956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5169130203475264933.post-2997984005935755202008-02-29T11:52:00.000-05:002008-02-29T11:52:00.000-05:00Mark P, I believe Turkey does have Iran’s backing...Mark P, I believe Turkey does have Iran’s backing in their latest operations. And I do not believe the “temporary” incursion into Iraqi territory is all that temporary. Aside from KKK, the whole idea of an independent Kurdistan is not agreeable for the Turks.Nader Uskowihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02808543185109048956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5169130203475264933.post-87948128439312361052008-02-28T15:30:00.000-05:002008-02-28T15:30:00.000-05:00Iran agents 'sabotaging' anti-Qaeda groups: Iraq i...<A HREF="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080227/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestiran_080227145602" REL="nofollow">Iran agents 'sabotaging' anti-Qaeda groups: Iraq intel chief</A><BR/><BR/>Wed, 27 Feb 2008<BR/> <BR/>BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iranian secret service agents are working to "sabotage" the operations of groups fighting Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Baghdad's intelligence chief said on Wednesday. <BR/> <BR/>Mohammed Abdullah Shahwani issued the statement shortly before a landmark visit to Baghdad on Sunday by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.<BR/><BR/>"We have information confirming that Iranian secret services have sent agents to sabotage the Sahwa experience in Iraq," the statement said, referring to mostly Sunni groups fighting Al-Qaeda in Iraq alongside the US military.<BR/><BR/>Shahwani "stressed the need for the Iraqi people to be vigilant in facing these activities."<BR/><BR/>He also urged Iraqis "to consolidate the security gains that have been achieved in Iraq and that all citizens are benefitting from."<BR/><BR/>There are about 90,000 members of the Sahwa, or "Awakening" forces across Iraq, according to the US military which pays them about 300 dollars a month. The bulk of the fighters are Sunni Arabs, but a good 20 percent of them are Shiite.<BR/><BR/>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5169130203475264933.post-8542212238949515972008-02-28T15:18:00.000-05:002008-02-28T15:18:00.000-05:00UN voices concern over Afghans in Iran border prov...<A HREF="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080227/wl_sthasia_afp/iranafghanistanunrefugees_080227162448" REL="nofollow">UN voices concern over Afghans in Iran border province</A><BR/><BR/>by Stuart Williams <BR/><BR/>Wed, 27 Feb 2008<BR/> <BR/>TEHRAN (AFP) - The UN refugee agency on Wednesday expressed concern about tens of thousands of Afghan refugees who risk expulsion from an Iranian frontier province. <BR/><BR/>Iran last year declared the province of Sistan Baluchestan bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan a "no go area" for foreigners, meaning refugees must quit the area whether they are legally registered or not.<BR/><BR/>Visiting UN Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees Erika Feller said 53,000 Afghan refugees risked being expelled from the country as illegals for failing to come forward for a new registration there.<BR/><BR/>"These are people who for one reason or another may end up 'illegal' as they were not able to comply with the registration requirement," she told reporters.<BR/><BR/>The head of the interior ministry's bureau for alien and foreign immigrant affairs, Taghi Ghaemi, confirmed that all Afghans in Sistan Baluchestan who had failed to register would be seen as illegal and expelled.<BR/><BR/>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5169130203475264933.post-54832320556201428302008-02-28T15:05:00.000-05:002008-02-28T15:05:00.000-05:00Qatar PM in Iran to boost tiesWed, 27 Feb 2008 TEH...<A HREF="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080227/wl_mideast_afp/iranqatareconomydiplomacy_080227204919" REL="nofollow">Qatar PM in Iran to boost ties</A><BR/><BR/>Wed, 27 Feb 2008<BR/> <BR/>TEHRAN (AFP) - Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani held talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad here Wednesday on a visit aimed at boosting strong energy links with the Islamic republic. <BR/> <BR/>"Qatar wants a comprehensive boost in its relations with Iran, and in regards to energy it pays special importance," Thani told the official news agency IRNA.<BR/><BR/>Ahmadinejad told Thani that Tehran "sees no restriction in expanding ties" with fellow OPEC member Qatar, with which it shares one of the world's biggest natural gas fields in the Gulf.<BR/><BR/>Thani's trip comes 10 days after Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed al-Maktoum, the prime minister of fellow Gulf Cooperation Council member UAE, visited Tehran.<BR/><BR/>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5169130203475264933.post-67339530674842552992008-02-28T14:52:00.000-05:002008-02-28T14:52:00.000-05:00European firm thrives in Iran despite sanctions By...<A HREF="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080228/lf_nm/iran_sanctions_company_dc_1" REL="nofollow">European firm thrives in Iran despite sanctions</A><BR/> <BR/>By Fredrik Dahl<BR/><BR/>Wed, 27 Feb 2008<BR/><BR/>TEHRAN (Reuters) - British executive Robert Mills says his express delivery firm is enjoying explosive growth in Iran, despite tightening international sanctions on the Islamic Republic over its disputed nuclear plans. <BR/> <BR/>With a longstanding U.S. embargo barring two key rivals from entering the world's fourth-largest crude producer, DHL Express claims a share of at least 60 percent of what Mills called one of the region's fastest-growing markets for the sector.<BR/><BR/>"Business is good, business is improving year-on-year," enthused the 40-year-old country manager of DHL, a unit of mail and logistics group Deutsche Post.<BR/><BR/>"After China and Russia in the 80s and 90s it is one of the biggest untapped markets left in terms of consumers."<BR/><BR/>A service provider which has no major dealings with Iranian banks, which are increasingly shunned by their Western counterparts, DHL's experience is not representative of the environment facing foreign companies in Iran.<BR/><BR/>But its position in transport does illustrate how Iran's windfall gains from high oil prices are, to some extent, cushioning the sanctions' impact on the country.<BR/><BR/><B>For Mills, financial and other punitive measures imposed by the United Nations and the United States since late 2006 over Tehran's nuclear programme have not slowed business: "I can't feel them, I can't see them," he said.</B><BR/><BR/>A country of 70 million, Iran is the second-largest producer in the 13-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Imports have soared this decade, rising by 14 percent to nearly $50 billion in the 2006-07 Iranian year.<BR/><BR/>Mills said the tonnage handled by DHL jumped by 50 percent in two years and the company has doubled its turnover in Iran since 2005 on the back of rising imports of everything from telecommunications equipment to car spare parts.<BR/><BR/>"We have had quite an explosion of growth ... Iran is a big importing country."<BR/><BR/>Iran, whose economy grew 6.7 percent year-on-year in the six months to September according to central bank figures, expects to earn $63 billion from oil sales in the 2007-08 fiscal year.<BR/><BR/>"Because of the high oil price it is easier to get around the direct financial sanctions," said senior director Richard Fox of international credit ratings institute Fitch in London.<BR/><BR/>Full story <A HREF="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080228/lf_nm/iran_sanctions_company_dc_1" REL="nofollow">Here</A><BR/><BR/>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5169130203475264933.post-31305152818920353682008-02-28T06:32:00.000-05:002008-02-28T06:32:00.000-05:00Interesting that Iran has (publicly anyway) denied...Interesting that Iran has (publicly anyway) denied Turkey use of Iranian "territory", with which to pursue Turkey's war into northern Iraq. It should be noted that during the Iran-Iraq War, the IRIAF made use of Turkish airspace, for purposes of geographical advantage, in order to help defeat Iraqi air defenses in strikes against Iraq. Circumstantial evidence also suggests that during the 2nd Lebanon War, Iran made use of Turkish airspace for flights providing war supplies to Hezbollah.Mark Pyruzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00595161519097596575noreply@blogger.com