Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Iran

Iranian Kurds Clash With Police

15 June 2005 (RFE/RL) - The official news agency IRNA says hundreds of Iranian Kurds have clashed with police in the northwestern Iranian town of Mahabad.

TEXT SIZE - +

June 15, 2005

The rioting came as Iran is due to elect a new president on 17 June. It was sparked by news from across the border in Iraq that former rebel leader Mas'ud Barzani was sworn in as the first president of Iraqi Kurdistan.

IRNA said a number of vehicles and shop fronts were damaged when a group of people numbering around 300 took to the streets of the town on Tuesday.

The news agency reported that the unrest died down shortly before midnight. It said Mahabad's main street was littered with stones, bricks, shattered mosaics and destroyed election-campaign posters.

(IRNA/AFP)

Iran has stepped up its pressure on activists using the Internet

Iranian Activists, Journalists Receive Threatening E-mails

A number of Iranian activists and journalists based inside and outside the country have told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda they have been threatened in anonymous e-mails. More

A vendor in the central Bosnian town of Zenica sells heart-shaped cushions with proclamations of love for 1 euro each.

Love It (Or Hate It), It's Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, the Western holiday celebrating love, has become a global phenomenon over the past two decades. The fall of communism and the emergence of the Internet have helped February 14 become something of an unofficial international day of romance. However, not all the passions the holiday stirs are related to love. While some countries have openly embraced the holiday, others are attempting to ban it or replace it with local customs. More

Many Iranians have been claiming that their access to social networks and Internet-based e-mail sites has been blocked in recent days.

Iran Tightens Internet Control

Iranians are reporting that their access to Facebook and Internet-based e-mail sites like Gmail has been blocked, without any explanation from the government. Not even the strongest antifiltering programs have penetrated the firewall, they say. Some speculate the move is related to Iran's plan to launch a national internet, which might sever Iranians' ability to access the World Wide Web. More