Global briefing
Week in review: Al Qa'eda denounced by Libyan group
- Jihadist ideology is now under attack from its erstwhile proponents. A Libyan group has issued a new religious document denouncing the tactics used by al Qa'eda as illegal under Islamic law.
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Iran says it will not send uranium abroad
Government decision expected to anger US, which had called on Tehran to accept deal that would delay its ability to make bombs
Ahmadinejad claims Tehran metro
Tehran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's move to control the capital's metro system is seen as a personal grudge against political opponents.
Families concerned for hikers held in Iran
The families of three US hikers detained in Iran have expressed concern about their loved ones’ mental state after weeks of semi-isolation.
Embassy hostage to Iran dealmaker
John Limbert, one of the 52 US embassy staff held captive in Iran in 1979, has been plucked out of diplomatic retirement to help break the current deadlock.
Iran to monitor for Web crimes
Iranian police have set up a special unit to monitor Web sites and fight Internet crimes such as “insults and the spreading of lies”.
Arab leaders worried as Iran criticises Saudi offensive in Yemen
Remarks by the Iranian foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, are lkely to be taken as unwanted interference in Arab matters.
Ahmadinejad may withdraw economic reform bill
MPs say the aim of the economic reform plan will not be realised without parliament’s supervision, but the president feels otherwise.
Mathematics can predict Iran’s nuclear strategy, says scientist
A model based on game theory claims 90% accuracy, and says country will develop weapons-grade fuel but stop there.
Resistance beaten down in Iran
Days after opposition demonstrators took to the streets, a student accused of taking part is reportedly gunned down by security forces.
Iran refuses to ship out uranium
Iran is refusing to send its low-enriched uranium abroad for further processing, refusing a deal between Iran, France, Russia and the United States
Protesters hijack anniversary rally
Thousands of opposition supporters in Iran attempted to hijack an official rally marking the 30th anniversary of the storming of the US embassy.
Obama must press Iran on human rights
While welcoming dialogue with Tehran, lawyer warns west not to concentrate solely on the nuclear issue.
Today's comment
A spiritual analysis of extremism
Jihad Hashim Brown : Westerners need to stop thinking they are celebrities living out pop-modern lives for us on a stage for all their eastern fans to wish they were them.
Your Prophet is your Islam
Omid Safi: Whenever I ask non-Muslims about the Prophet Mohammed: the response is invariably one of deafening silence.
Cold feet as I prepare for journey of a lifetime
Hadeel al Shalchi: By this time next week I hope to be in the final stages of possibly the most challenging duty of my faith – the Haj.
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Iranian police clash with protesters
Iranian security forces beat protesters with batons and fire tear gas on the sidelines of rallies marking the 1979 US embassy siege.
Earthquake hits southern Iran
An earthquake hits Iran’s southern province of Hormozgan, injuring 700 people, the official news agency IRNA reports.
Obama marks Iranian embassy siege
Iran “must choose” whether to open the door to opportunity and prosperity, Barack Obama says, marking the 30th anniversary of the storming of the US embassy in Tehran.
Voices rise against nuclear deal
Iranian political parties build pressure on the government to reject the Western-backed nuclear deal.
Spotlight
The legal legacy of a ‘hedonist’
- In an unprecedented case, the former prime minister Ehud Olmert faces trial for graft, while some of his ministers have been sentenced.
Frontiers
Why the historian is wearing flippers
- Prehistoric European cultures existed along coastlines that have since been reclaimed by the sea. Archaeologists are turning to the ocean floor to join the missing pieces of human civilisation.
Dispatches
Bad blood between Egypt and Algeria runs deeper than football
- Violence is latest incident in escalating diplomatic row between Egypt and Algeria, whose two World Cup qualifying matches this week inflamed decades-old tensions.
The week
- 14.11.2009 to 20.11.2009 Jet fighters took to the Dubai skies, five people survived two months adrift on open seas and Apple entered talks to allow music downloads in the UAE.
Review
- World Young Egyptian women, Ursula Lindsey reports, are taking to blogs and publishing books to give voice to their frustration with the indignities of single life, the pressure to marry and the stigma of divorce.
