The Washington Post published an article today headlined "Israel: Iran can build 1 bomb, soon can build 2". The author cites Israel's military intelligence chief, who has said that Iran possesses enough enriched uranium to build one nuclear bomb and soon will have enough to produce a second. Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin's statement coincides with previous assessments from both the CIA and the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog. But any Israeli commentary on Tehran's nuclear program is significant because Israel has not ruled out a military strike to try to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
The Times reported today that members of the British Parliament have condemned Iran for sentencing a woman to death by stoning. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is an Iranian Azeri woman convicted of adultery, and in 2007 was sentenced to death based on the crime (under Islamic Shari’a law) of adultery. An international campaign to overturn her sentence was started by her son and daughter, and it brought widespread attention to her case in 2010, when prominent media sources reported that she was sentenced to be executed by stoning. The Iranian authorities initially denied that this method of execution would be used, but publicly and temporarily suspended a sentence of death by stoning in September 2010. The international publicity generated by Sakineh Ashtiani‘s case has led to multiple diplomatic incidents between the Iranian government and other nations.
The same topic is discussed in an article published by The Guardian. The article is headlined "Iran stoning case woman to be 'hanged'". Sakineh Ashtani, whose sentence of execution by stoning for adultery provoked a worldwide outcry, will instead be hanged for murder on Wednesday." It has been reported that she is to be executed this Wednesday, 3 November," says the article.
An article published recently by Hurriyet and entitled "Turkey's ruling, opposition parties dismiss need for gay rights» touches upon the problem of LGBT rights in the country. Turkey is now criticized for the discrimination of the representatives of the LGBT community by the EU's authorities. However, prominent political parties, both ruling and opposition, have announced yesterday that rights for gays and lesbians in Turkey are now not on the agenda.
Another article by Hurriyet is devoted to the relations between the civil and military authorities in Turkey. The author of the article claims that a new era has begun in the civil-military relations under the AKP rule. The ruling party, which came to power following the Nov. 3, 2002 general elections, eight years ago today, is not the first government to have tangled with the military in Turkey, where the powerful Turkish Armed Forces, or TSK, has periodically carried out coups d’état since the 1960s. But the shift in the balance of power in civil-military ties has been one of the most important changes the AKP has made to Turkey’s political landscape.
Iranian news agency Press TV published today an article headlined "Iran reiterates push for Africa ties". The author reports that Iranian Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani says the Islamic Republic will back efforts by African nations to salvage themselves from arrogant powers' oppression. Larijani made the remark in a Tuesday meeting with head of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) Senate Jean Claude Mokeni in the Iranian capital, Tehran. "Iran's Majlis will support any measures towards the expansion of bilateral economic and political cooperation," he added.
Another article published by Press TV and entitled 'Iran-Germany trade prospering' claims that The trade between Iran and Germany has increased despite the sanctions imposed on Tehran's nuclear program. According to the article, exports from Germany to Iran stood at 3.7 billion euros last year. Germany is an important trade partner for Iran, ranking third after China and the UAE. Nearly nine percent of all Iranian imports came from Germany in 2008.
