World Press on Iran, Turkey and the Caucasus (November 25, 2010)

The Los Angeles Times reports about very high levels of air pollution in the Iranian capital. An article headlined "IRAN: Air pollution levels in capital prompt public holiday" says that the authorities declared Wednesday a public holiday. All state-run organizations, banks and universities were shut by order of the Emergency Committee for Tehran's Air Pollution. Tehran's population has boomed from a few million 30 years ago to about 12 million now.

An article "U.S.-Russia: A side meeting, and then a breakthrough" in the Los Angeles Times states that Russia is to join a NATO missile shield plan. The November 13-14 trip to Japan was devoted almost entirely to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. A meeting on the sidelines with Medvedev was expected to be just another get-together for the two forty-something lawyers. However, Medvedev agreed to work toward cooperation with NATO on a missile shield designed to protect Europe and the United States, beginning with a study of each side's technologies and how they might be interwoven. Meanwhile, the Turkish news agency Hurriyet publishes an article "NATO shield could cause World War III". According to a Turkish political party leader, the alliance is planning to erect an anti-ballistic missile system that will aggressively target Middle Eastern countries. Arguing that the alliance can no longer contribute to global peace, he said NATO should no longer be seen as the "single option" for Turkey. The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization has rejected claims by the International Atomic Energy Agency about a temporarily halt in Tehran's uranium enrichment program, the Iranian news agency Press TV reports. The IAEA confirmed that Iran's nuclear activities had not been diverted to nuclear weapons production, and that the activities remained completely peaceful, Tehran's envoy to the UN body, Ali-Asghar Soltanieh, said on Wednesday.Concerning the economy, the information agency Reuters reports that Georgia's central bank kept its base interest rate unchanged on Wednesday at 7.50 percent, with inflation slowing down in October. The decision was taken at a meeting of the bank's monetary committee. The bank gave no further details. As for society, the Turkish news agency Hurriyet reports that surveys have found out that the headscarf debate is non-existent in Turkish social life. "The deadlock is all political" as parties manipulate the headscarf issue either to strengthen their power or as "ideological ammunition," the Social Research Centre for the Turkish Businesswomen's Association says. Collective answers from all four groups showed 84 percent of people believed women cover their heads "because of faith."