After Iran, Twitter conspiracy theory hits Germany

Ahead of Germany’s upcoming general elections, officials warn against premature announcements of alleged poll results by Twitter subscribers.

Before the state media are allowed to broadcast exit polls, baseless postings regarding poll results could fuel ill-founded theorizations about the outcome of the event, German authorities said on Saturday.

“It would be a disaster if the survey results were released before voting stations close,” federal election commissioner Roderich Egeler was quoted by Zionist-run Der Spiegel magazine as saying.

Egeler and other German officials suggested that in the event of such an incident, many would feel free to contest the official results.

The worries have begun haunting electoral processes worldwide after the social networking website played host to an avalanche of unconfirmed projections of Iran’s June 12 presidential election and the ensuing unrest.

As the voting was in process and based on their purported access to the exit polls, many Twitter users put up the alleged returns in percentage terms. As a result one of the candidates claimed victory about an hour after the votes closed.

Once the official result turned out to contradict the prediction the candidate and his supporters cried foul.

Twitter and Facebook also led other cyber hotspots in hosting video messages supposedly depicting the post-election events in the Islamic Republic.

Lebanon: Nasrallah, Hariri meet to boost cooperation

The leaders of Hezbollah and the rival al-Mustaqbal party have held a meeting in order to enhance political cooperation.  Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Saad Hariri conversed about the prospects of the next Lebanese cabinet during the Thursday night’s meeting.     

Iran denies permission for anti-UK rally

 Amid growing public anger against ‘British interference in Iran’s internal affairs’, the Iranian Interior Ministry has refused to issue a permit for a rally outside the UK embassy in Tehran.  “Iran’s Interior Ministry condemns Britain’s interference but has granted no permission for the gathering outside the British embassy on Tuesday,” the ministry said on its website.    

Iran police arrest 457 in post-vote demonstrations

Despite warnings against illegal gathering, Iran’s police arrested 457 in the post-election violence that erupted in Iranian capital city of Tehran on Saturday.  “Iran’s police arrested 457 people who have caused insecurity, disrupted public order and clashed with police around Tehran’s Enqelab square on Saturday,” Iran’s police said in a statement.  

Iraqi committee investigates US crimes

Iraq has formed a committee to assess compensation claims from people who have suffered because of US military operations since the start of this year.  The formation of the committee is part of an interim security accord between Iraq and the US that was signed last November.    

Obama: US ready for N. Korea missile attack

President Barack Obama says the US military is “fully prepared” to deter any possible long-range ballistic missile attack on its soil by North Korea. “This administration — and our military — is fully prepared for any contingencies,” Obama said in an interview with CBS television.  

Mousavi calls for truth commission

Mir-Hossein Mousavi, the leading reformist opposition presidential candidate, who was declared one of the losers by the Interior Ministry, has called for a “truth-finding commission,” to investigate allegations of ballot rigging. The head of his Committee for the Safeguarding of Votes, Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour, announced the proposal at a press conference on Tuesday, ILNA reported.

Mottaki says West ‘dramatizing’ Iran riots

Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki speaks out against Western efforts that seek to dramatize the post-election unrest in the country.

Washington and a slew of European powers, in recent days, have lashed out at governmental moves to restore security in the country.

“We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people… The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching,” said US President Barack Obama said in a Saturday statement.

Britain, France and other European countries have also taken a similar stance on the Iranian elections.

In a Sunday address to foreign reporters, Mottaki responded to “irresponsible and intrusive remarks” made by certain Western countries.

He focused much of his criticism on France, Germany and Britain, advising them to “think twice before questioning the democratic process of the recent election”.

Mottaki criticized the British foreign secretary for his inappropriate and illogical comments on Iran’s elections. He blamed Britain for causing insecurity in the Middle East by helping create the Zionist regime decades ago.

The foreign minister also criticized France for what he called irresponsible remarks on Iran’s elections and demanded an apology from Paris. Germany also came under criticism. Mottaki said Berlin’s position on Iran indicated that German officials were intimidated by Israelis.

He said policymakers in the West need to have “a clear picture” of the historic elections, which saw Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad re-elected for a second term in office.

Presidential contenders Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi reject the result as fraudulent and demand a re-run.

Their supporters have staged rallies, which have largely grabbed headlines in most media outlets.

In response to recent claims of election irregularities, Mottaki said that the election process and the whole structure observing the polls is such that makes the possibility of vote rigging “close to zero”.

Mottaki, however, asserted that due to the government’s respect for democracy, Iranian authorities would look into the protests lodged against the election results and present the findings by the end of the week.

Iranian films scoop international awards

Three short and feature-length Iranian productions have scooped awards at international film festivals in Spain and China.

Spain’s third Granada Cines del Sur Festival granted its Alhambra De Plata prize for best director of a feature-length film, to Behnam Behzadi for Before the Burial, which also won the event’s Netpac Award with Sri Lankan director Prasanna Vithanage’s Flowers of the Sky.

The festival’s Alhambra De Oro prize for best feature-length film went to The Other Bank by Georgian filmmaker George Ovashvili.

Ramtin Lavvafipour’s Calm Down and Count to Seven won the Jury Prix award of the Asian New Talent section of the 2009 Shanghai International Film Festival.

Lavvafipour’s production was awarded for “its spirit of innovation” and exceeding “the traditional way of film-making in Iran.”

Made in the style of documentary realism and with dynamic camera work, Calm Down and Count to Seven has won the Ecumenical Award of the Fribourg international festival and the VPRO Tiger Award of the Netherlands’ International Film Festival for its level of craftsmanship and cinematic intelligence.

Mehdi Jafari’s Window also received the Garcia Francisco award of the International Short Film Competition section of Spain’s 37th Huesca International Film Festival.

Jafari has made several short films, including Pilgrimage, A Little Bit Higher and All Good Days

UK denies interference in Iran post-vote unrest

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband has rejected Iran’s claims regarding the interference of foreign countries in the post-election unrest in the country.

“I reject categorically the idea that the protestors in Iran are manipulated or motivated by foreign countries,” Miliband said on Sunday.

His remark came after Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki spoke out against Western efforts that seek to dramatize the rallies held in Tehran and other cities in protest at the result of the country’s 10th presidential election.

Miliband denied claims by his Iranian counterpart, saying, “Foreign Minister Mottaki’s attempt in remarks to diplomats in Tehran this morning to turn the dispute among Iranians about the election results into a battle between Iran and other countries — the UK in particular — is without foundation.”

“The UK is categorical that it is for the Iranian people to choose their government, and for the Iranian authorities to ensure the fairness of the result and the protection of their own people,” he added.

Miliband also expressed concern about reports by Iranian officials that at least 13 people were killed and 20 wounded in violence in Tehran on Saturday. “These reports will raise the level of concern among Iranians and around the world.”

In his Sunday address to foreign reporters, Mottaki responded to “irresponsible and intrusive remarks” made by certain Western countries.

He focused much of his criticism on France, Germany and Britain, advising them to “think twice before questioning the democratic process of the recent election”.

Mottaki criticized the British foreign secretary for his inappropriate and illogical comments on Iran’s elections. He blamed Britain for causing insecurity in the Middle East by helping create the Zionist regime.

The US and a slew of European powers namely Britain and France, in recent days, have lashed out at the Iranian government’s attempts to restore security in the country.

Presidential contenders Mir-Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karroubi reject the result as fraudulent and demand a re-run.

Supporters of Moussavi, the last Iranian prime minister, have held mass rallies since incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared victor of the June 12.

VOA, BBC guiding unrest in Iran

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hassan Qashqavi pins the blame for the recent post-election turmoil across the country on US and British media outlets.

“Voice of America (VOA) and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) are state-funded channels and not privately-run. Their budgets are ratified in the US Congress, as well as the British Parliament. The two channels serve as mouthpieces of their respective governments,” Qashqavi stated on Saturday.

He noted that the two news outlets seek to stir up ethnic discord across Iran in the hope of fomenting the country’s disintegration.

“Any sort of contact with the said channels either through e-mail or telephone runs against national Iranian sovereignty and is considered as an act of enmity towards the Iranian nation. The channels act as command posts engineering the ongoing post-election riots,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman noted.

Iran has witnessed post-election protests and demonstrations since last Saturday when the election results confirmed the re-election of incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Reformist presidential candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have rejected the polling figures. They define the results as voter fraud and are calling for an invalidation of the ballot and a re-run of the entire exercise.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Friday ordered that protests against the presidential election results must end. He also underscored that the Islamic Republic system has been scrupulously true to the choice of the voting public.

Iran: 13 killed in Saturday violence in Tehran

At least 13 people were killed and 20 wounded in post-election violence in the Iranian capital Tehran on Saturday, officials have said. The casualties occurred after some ‘terrorist elements’ infiltrated the rallies. The armed terrorists set fire on a mosque and two gas stations and attacked a military post.

Iran council warns Mousavi against demonstration

Iran’s Security Council has warned defeated presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi against ‘the consequences’ of backing street rallies. “It is your duty not to incite and invite the public to illegal gatherings; otherwise, you will be responsible for its consequences,” Iran’s Security Council, a body affiliated with the Interior Ministry replied Mousavi’s letter in which he had criticized the law enforcement forces for failing to prevent attacks on protestors during the street rallies.  

Russia & China: a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear program

 Russia and China have called for a diplomatic solution to end the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program.  “Russia and China assert that the regulation of the situation around the Iranian nuclear program is possible only by political and diplomatic methods,” a statement issued by the Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday.

Obama: World is watching Iran’s actions

 Hours after the Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, demanded an end to street protests, US President Barack Obama said that the “world is watching” Iran’s actions.  Addressing the Friday prayers gathering attended by millions of people — the Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that last Friday’s election indicated a ‘common sense of responsibility’ of the Iranian nation to determine the future of the country.
He urged all presidential candidates to be vigilant in the face of what he termed enemy plots to sow the seeds of division among all walks of life and said that the time for rivalry is over, stressing that all should unite and line up behind the president-elect, the incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

 After the speech, Obama expressed fresh concerns about some of the rhetoric from Tehran, saying that “I’m very concerned based on some of the tenor — and tone of the statements that have been made” — adding that the government of Iran surely recognizes that the world is watching.