Iranian clerics dispute election results

Top clerics and seminary students in Iran’s holy city of Qom have come out against the results of the disputed June Iranian presidential election, which was declared a landslide victory for the hard-line incumbent. The Association of Teachers and Researchers of the Qom seminary school issued a statement on Saturday, saying that the election was skewed.

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British official warns Iran on embassy staffer arrest

"There will be consequences" if Iran mistreats a British Embassy employee who was arrested in Tehran, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Sunday, as cracks began to appear in the Iranian leadership. “The whole of the European Union and actually the international community more broadly has been absolutely united in saying that there’s no place for this sort of intimidation or harassment and that there will be consequences if it continues,” Miliband said on a BBC Sunday morning talk show. Miliband said he is angry about the treatment of the embassy staff members but wants to keep diplomatic channels open.

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Rafsanjani doubts Iranians ‘satisfied’ with election aftermath

A former Iranian president who backed the top opposition leader in last month’s disputed elections has delivered strong and carefully worded support of the grass-roots protest movement, saying he doubts "any wakened consciousness would be satisfied with the resulting situation." Former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani –chairman of Iran’s Assembly of Experts and a supporter of opposition leader Mir Hussein Moussavi was quoted on Saturday by the semi-official Iranian Labor News Agency. Rafsanjani, who heads the group responsible for appointing or removing the supreme leader, was silent and largely unseen during the first two chaotic weeks following the contested June 12 elections. But Rafsanjani — a key politician in the Islamic republic — has become increasingly vocal about the elections results that gave hardline incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad an overwhelming victory.

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Title race revived as Liverpool crush United

The Premier League title race was thrown wide open on Saturday as Liverpool crushed 10-man Manchester United 4-1 at Old Trafford to move to within four points of the defending champions. Rafael Benitez’s side superbly responded from going a goal behind as Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard turned the match on its head before the break, with Fabio Aurelio and Andrea Dossena easing Liverpool well clear in the second half. In contrast, it was a day to forget for United defender Nemanja Vidic, who gifted Torres the equalizer before being sent off against Liverpool for the second time this season

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