Sunday Telegraph: Last week, before the UN Security Council in New York, there unfolded the latest bizarre chapter in one of the most extraordinary stories I have ever followed in this column. Testifying to the council was Martin Kobler, who has just retired after two years as the special representative of the UN’s Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, in Iraq.
Britain’s part in the UN’s disgraceful act of betrayal
Syria war widens rift between Shi’ite clergy in Iraq, Iran
Reuters: The civil war in Syria is widening a rift between top Shi’ite Muslim clergy in Iraq and Iran who have taken opposing stands on whether or not to send followers into combat on President Bashar al-Assad’s side.
Group strives for a safe and prosperous Iran
Albuquerque Journal: This annual conference is the largest political event of the Iranian people in opposition to the ruling religious dictatorship in Iran. Hosted by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, or NCRI, over 100,000 Iranians, world leaders and elected officials come together singing the same tune of democracy, human rights and free and fair elections.
Venezuela ‘ends’ rapprochement with US
AFP: Venezuela said it has “ended” its rapprochement with the United States due to a statement by Samantha Power, nominated to become the US envoy to UN. Power said at a Senate confirmation hearing that if she got the job she would stand up to “repressive regimes” and challenge the “crackdown on civil society being carried out in countries like Cuba, Iran, Russia, and Venezuela.”
No security in Camp Liberty
IPS: Approximately 300 supporters of Camp Liberty inmates gathered outside the United Nations on Tuesday to protest the conduct of Martin Kobler, the Special Representative of the U. N. Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI).
Eight Christians in Iran sent to prison for threatening ‘national security’
Morning Star News: Eight Iranian Christians received heavy jail sentences on Tuesday (July 16) after being found guilty of “action against the national security” and “propaganda against the system” – charges typically leveled against Muslim converts to Christianity in Iran.
World powers hope for ‘change in tone’ in Iran nuclear talks
AFP: World powers hope Hassan Rowhani’s election as president of Iran will provide fresh impetus and “a change in tone” in ongoing talks on the country’s controversial nuclear programme.
Iran’s Ahmadinejad visits Shiite sites in Iraq
AP: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad traveled to southern Iraq on Friday to visit two of the most sacred cities for Shiite Muslims amid tight security on the second day of his two-day visit to the country.
On stage in Tehran: Stories of death row youth
AP: The stage curtains open. Six nooses hang above the young inmates, who are making chairs in the prison workshop to be used as the platforms in their own hangings. The audience gasps.
New president of Iran is no moderate
The Hill: There has been much ado about the recent election of Hasan Rouhani as president of Iran and its geopolitical significance. Many were quick to label Rouhani a “moderate,” suggesting that now may be the time to negotiate with Iran.
