Analysis: Iran’s conservative leadership divided amid unrest

There are signs that the ongoing protests against last week’s presidential election results may be starting to divide Iran’s conservative leadership. Iran’s influential parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani on Thursday blamed the Interior Ministry for a bloody crackdown on civilians, including students at Tehran University, after Monday’s protests

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Thousands rally in Iran; foreign coverage restricted

As thousands took to the streets again on Tuesday, Iran’s government banned international journalists from covering rallies and blocked access to some online communication tools in the wake of last week’s disputed presidential election. Reporters working for international news outlets, including CNN, could talk about the rallies in their live reports but were not allowed to leave their hotel rooms and offices.

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Iran bans foreign journalists from covering rallies

Iran’s government Tuesday banned foreign media from covering rallies in Tehran being held in the wake of last week’s disputed presidential election. The decision comes after video footage emerged showing violence at demonstrations in support of opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi. Moussavi has contested the results of Friday’s election, which showed an overwhelming victory for hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

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Iranians head to polls in crucial vote

Iranian voters began casting ballots Friday in a colorful and passionate presidential election pitting incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against Mir Hossein Moussavi, the leading reformist candidate. The polls opened at 8 a.m. local time (11:30 GMT) and will stay open for 10 hours, but that time could be extended.

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Journalist who was jailed by Iran returns to U.S.

Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi returned to the United States on Friday after enduring a 100-day ordeal in an Iranian jail. Landing at Washington’s Dulles International Airport on a flight from Vienna, Austria, a smiling Saberi said she was feeling “very good.” Saberi thanked those who campaigned for her release, including her supporters in Iran. “The one thing that kept me going when I was in prison was singing the national anthem to myself,” said Saberi, flanked by her parents

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Comment: Why the world will be watching Zuma

There is a quiet if somewhat skeptical reappraisal taking place in the middle-class suburbs of South Africa. More and more people are expressing their support for newly-elected President Jacob Zuma. It’s an important development because it was many in the middle-class, regardless of race, who were most opposed to Zuma becoming president of South Africa

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Report: China intimidated parents of quake victims

Chinese government authorities have intimidated and unlawfully detained parents and relatives of children who died in last year’s Sichuan earthquake and harassed their supporters, an Amnesty International report said this week. The 52-page report, released Sunday and titled “Justice Denied: Harassment of Sichuan Earthquake Survivors and Activists,” documented instances where parents and relatives said they had been detained for up to 21 days for trying to get answers from officials about their children’s deaths. Some said they had been detained several times

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TV ad to put heat on Congress to pass budget

After e-mail pleas and nationwide canvassing, President Obama’s political arm has made a TV ad that will air Thursday, urging voters to pressure Congress to approve his $3.6 trillion budget. “America is facing tough times,” the narrator says in the 30-second ad. “President Obama has a plan to get our economy moving again, to cut the deficit in half and create jobs by investing in health care, energy independence and schools.

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Thousands attend funeral for Zimbabwe prime minister’s wife

Thousands of people gathered Wednesday for the funeral of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s wife, who was killed last week in a car wreck. Susan Tsvangirai was buried in her rural village of Buhera, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) south of the capital, Harare. The funeral followed two memorial services on Tuesday: one at a church, where President Robert Mugabe addressed mourners, and the other at a stadium

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Mugabe attends Susan Tsvangirai memorial service

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe spoke at a memorial service Tuesday for the wife of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who was killed last week in a car wreck. “We are doing our best that we create a conducive environment and tell our supporters that the issue of violence must end,” he said. Hundreds of people gathered at the Glamis Stadium in the capital, Harare, for Tuesday’s memorial service for Susan Tsvangirai

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