Reuters: An Iranian journalist has been jailed for 14 years on charges ranging from espionage to insulting the country’s leaders in an unusually heavy sentence in Iran, where tens of journalists have been tried in recent years. Rights activists said on Tuesday that Arash Sigarchi, 28, was convicted by the Revolutionary Court in the Caspian province of Gilan in northern Iran.
Iran editor jailed for insulting leaders
Chirac Urges Bush to Offer Iran Incentives
Reuters: French President Jacques Chirac said Tuesday he had urged President Bush to help European negotiations to curb Iran’s nuclear program by offering incentives on trade and aviation. “It seems to me legitimate to make a gesture in the area of Iran’s bid for WTO membership and wish to buy civil aircraft engines,” Chirac told a news conference after talks with Bush on Monday night.
Iran “street kids” crisis growing more acute
Iran Focus: Tehran, Feb. 22 More than 50 percent of Iran’s street-children return to living on the streets after attending rehabilitation centres, according to the head of the Office for Victim Support in the Ministry of Social Affairs. Dr. Seyyed Hadi Motamadi said, “A considerable number of such children, are secretly rented from their parents, at hardly any cost, to work illegally in the black-market despite it being illegal, and they earn inadequate salaries.
Iran “street kids” crisis growing more acute
Iran Focus: Tehran, Feb. 22 More than 50 percent of Iran’s street-children return to living on the streets after attending rehabilitation centres, according to the head of the Office for Victim Support in the Ministry of Social Affairs. Dr. Seyyed Hadi Motamadi said, “A considerable number of such children, are secretly rented from their parents, at hardly any cost, to work illegally in the black-market despite it being illegal, and they earn inadequate salaries.
Natanz plant in Iran is focus of nuclear concerns
USA TODAY: Buried under brown mounds that blend perfectly into the craggy desert landscape, Iran’s largest known nuclear facility is recognizable from the road only because it is surrounded by watchtowers and anti-aircraft batteries. Its existence was revealed to outsiders three years ago by an Iranian opposition group. The Natanz facility, about 160 miles south of Tehran, is big enough to hold 50,000 centrifuges and could produce enough uranium for 25 10-kiloton nuclear …
Up to 400 dead in Iran quake
Reuters: A strong earthquake has hit southeast Iran, killing almost 400 people, injuring hundreds and destroying villages, a local official has told Reuters. Tuesday’s quake, which measured 6.4 on the Richter scale, was centred on the town
of Zarand in Kerman province, about 700 km (440 miles) southeast of Tehran.
Powerful Iran quake kills at least 126
AFP: At least 126 people were killed and hundreds more injured when a powerful earthquake hit southeastern Iran early Tuesday, officials said, amid fears that the toll could rise sharply. The quake, which struck 14 months after the Bam disaster, was reported to have devastated several villages, and at least one other settlement could not be reached because of blocked roads.
DaimlerChrysler Iran Truck Sale Faces German Probe
Bloomberg: DaimlerChrysler AG, the world’s largest truckmaker, is being investigated by German authorities after a Saudi affiliate delivered 270 Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles worth $22 million to Iran without government approval.
In Europe, Bush Takes Tough Stance on Iran
Reuters: President Bush insisted on Monday that Iran cut off support for terrorism and disavow nuclear weapons — and stressed that no response could ever be ruled out. “In safeguarding the security of free nations no option can be taken permanently off the table,” Bush said in a speech on his first trip to Europe since his re-inauguration last month.
Riots rock three Kurdish towns in Iran
Iran Focus: Tehran, Feb. 21 Heavy clashes between Iranian Kurds and security agents erupted on Friday in three towns in western Iran, leaving dozens injured and hundreds arrested. Clashes broke out after State Security Forces agents used force to disperse demonstrations taking place simultaneously in the towns of Sardasht, Saqqez, and Baneh in protest against severe fuel shortages in the area, eye-witnesses reported.
