Politics
- Inaugurating a hospital in the holy city of Qom, parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani urges the public to respect sources of emulation, a vague reference to the Palizdar affair.
- Tehran parliamentarian Hojjat al-Eslam Agha-Tehrani refutes rumors about Principalist attempts to undercut Ahmadinejad and said the Principalist elements of the Iranian society are best served with Ahmadinejad in office.
- Former president Mohammad Khatami wonders what has become of the Ansar-e Hezbollah vigilante group, which systematically derailed the Khatami government’s attempts to normalize relations with former adversaries such as Egypt, but has remained silent in the face of Ahmadinejad government’s announcement considering establishment of a U.S. interest section in Tehran and vice president Mashayee’s hand of friendship to the people of Israel.
Diplomacy
- Agah-Sazi re-publishes BBC Persian’s critical report on Ahmadinejad’s declaration of support for Russian intervention in Georgia.
- Ash-Sharq al-Awsat accuses the Islamic Republic of occupying the city of Ahwaz, which the newspaper claims is an Arabic city.
- (E) Ahmadinejad in China.
- (E) Iran to help build 30,000 homes in Nigeria.
- (E) Iran, Germany bolstering parliamentary ties.
Economy
- Agah-Sazi interprets Economy and Finance Minister Shams al-Din Hosseini’s announcement on establishment of a “National Development Fund” as a sign of the fund being more immune from withdrawals than the foreign exchange reserve.
- Alef News Agency publishes a report on Norway’s Future Fund which could serve as a role model for Iran.
- According to Central Bank, inflation rose to 27.6 percent last month.
- Labor Minister Jahromi discusses his role as chief theoretician of the Ahmadinejad government, but in most questions declares himself in opposition to the economic policies and initiatives of the Iranian president. Jahromi refutes rumors that he is behind the idea of Economic Transformation Scheme (substituting subsidies with oil dividends), admits being the person behind forcing the banking system to lower interest rates, but claims he was against Ahmadinejad’s dismantling of Plan and Budget Organization, and adds he was also against forced merger of banks during the Ahmadinejad presidency. Jahromi evades questions on what think tank or group of people devise the government’s economic policies.
Religion, Culture, and Society
- Government spokesman Elham asks members of the press to be optimistic and pray for good weather during the winter.
- Female journalists attack government spokesman Elham for family law reform legislation which provides men with more rights in plural marriages.
- Afghan president Karzai declares listening to music religiously impermissible during Ramadan.
- Law Enforcement Forces raid photography workshops in Zahedan and confiscate computers in fight against immorality.
- Hojjat al-Eslam Hassani Friday prayer leader of Oroumiyeh inaugurates his web site: http://emamjome-hasani.com/
Military and Security
- Clan disputes leave four people dead in Kohkilouyeh va Boyer Ahmad province.
- According to BBC Persian there has been an armed standoff between employees of the Petroleum Ministry and Environmental Agency in the Desert Natural Park of Semnan.
- The Islamic Republic to build heavy submarines.
- Basij chief Hojjat al-Eslam Ta’eb appoints Mohammad-Ali Na’ini as his deputy. Prior to this appointment, Na’ini was chief of the Cultural Department of the Revolutionary Guard’s Imam Hossein University.
Photo of the Day
- Mazandaran province landscape.
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