If 63-year-old Chinese scholar Zhou Dou had his way, he would be on hunger strike on June 4, sitting quietly through the day at Purple Bamboo Park, 20 minutes’ taxi ride from Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. His aim: to mark the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown and to dramatize his defiant call for answers from Chinese authorities. “What is the truth” he pressed rhetorically, as he discussed his plans with CNN a week earlier.
Tag Archives: june
Ahmadinejad lashes out at Iran’s ex-presidents
It’s a first for Iran: a series of debates televised live ahead of the upcoming presidential elections next week. And Wednesday’s was one to remember. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, known for his fiery attacks on his foes, unleashed a mouthful Wednesday against Iran’s former presidents Mohammad Khatami and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, whom he accused of colluding with his chief rival, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
New U.S. border rules take effect for land and sea entry
Headed to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean?
Shots fired at Iran president’s campaign office
Gunmen on motorcycles fired Friday on a campaign office for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, wounding two adults and a child, according to a report by Iran’s state-run news agency. The shooting happened about 5 p.m
Queen Elizabeth Snubbed: Britain Declares War on France
France and England have fought each other in the 100 Years’ War, the Seven Years’ War, the Napoleonic Wars and scads of less memorably named conflicts. And more recently, the French and English have treated the blood-and-tears clashes between their national rugby and soccer teams as fetishes for those battles of yore.
Iranians regain access to Facebook, Twitter
The online networking sites Facebook and Twitter were back in business for Iranians Tuesday, a day after the government banned the country’s access to them, a freelance writer said.
Study: Abuse, provocative images increase Internet risks for girls
A history of childhood abuse and use of a provocative online identity increase the risk that girls will be victimized by someone they meet on the Internet, according to a study appearing in the June issue of Pediatrics.
Thousands gather to hear, cheer Iran’s Michelle Obama
Dancing in public in not allowed in Iran, but thousands could hardly contain themselves at a recent presidential campaign rally in the capital city, Tehran. On this day, the deafening cheers were not for presidential hopeful Mir Hossein Mousavi, but rather for his wife — a woman some are calling Iran’s Michelle Obama. The comparisons to the first lady of the United States stem from the role Zahra Rahnavard is playing in her husband’s quest for the presidency.
Report: Iran blocks Facebook ahead of presidential election
The Iranian government has blocked access to the social networking site Facebook amid political jockeying for the June 12 presidential elections, according to the semi-official Iranian Labour News Agency. Reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi — a former prime minister considered a threat to current hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — created a Facebook page for his campaign that has more than 5,000 supporters on the site. Those attempting to visit Facebook received a message in Farsi saying, “Access to this site is not possible,” according to CNN personnel in Tehran.
Analysis: Hezbollah win could shake Obama Mideast policy
Since the moment Barack Obama took office, he has made a concerted effort to speak directly to the Muslim world. Even his inauguration address sent a new and different message from the United States: “To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect,” he said on January 20, standing in front of a changed nation