The Los Angeles Times reports on the developments taken place yesterday in the Iranian-Armenian border. A woman referred to by authorities as American, who is of possible Armenian Christian descent, has been arrested on espionage charges. Customs officials allegedly discovered she was carrying hidden "spy equipment" and microphones on her body. The woman feared she'd be killed by Armenian security forces if she were returned to Armenia. Iran appears to be ratcheting up pressure on the country's mostly Armenian Christian minority, reportedly arresting Christian leaders and missionaries on accusations of promoting "hard-line" religious views with foreign backing.
The Turkish information agency published a set of articles concerning different countries of the region.
“Dump poses environmental threat in Yerevan” says that environmental activists in Armenia are warning that the spring thaw may lead to an environmental crisis stemming from a Soviet-era toxic waste dump outside Yerevan. The landfill, which was breached last year for reasons that remain unclear, is situated in an area prone to landslides and the terrain around it could shift once the snow melts, activists have said. Officials maintain that they have a clean-up plan in place, but activists said the government must act more quickly. Various international organizations have recently been attempting to assess the scope of the problem.
The article headlined “Barroso to push for Nabucco in Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan” says that European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso announced Wednesday that he will visit Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan next week to discuss the Nabucco gas pipeline project. The project is viewed by some as a key element of the Western strategy to reduce Europe's dependence on Russian energy supplies. The project was initially proposed almost 10 years ago but regional politics have since stalled further progress on the project. Investors are expected to make a final decision on the project by the end of 2011.
“Protesting war veterans fined in Georgia” is an article published by Hurriyet. It says that eleven people arrested while police were dispersing a war veterans’ protest were fined Tuesday for petty hooliganism. The war veterans began the demonstration, which included a hunger strike, on Heroes’ Square on Dec. 27 to protest the planned Jan. 1 abolition of social benefits they had been receiving. Benefits to veterans include a monthly utilities allowance of 22 lari (12.50 U.S. dollars) and free public transportation. The Interior Ministry claimed that police had to use force against the veterans after the demonstrators refused to remove makeshift tents from the area and verbally abused police officers.
The Iranian information agency Press-TV published the article 'Canada to probe killings of Iranians.' It says that the Canadian foreign ministry has announced Ottawa's plan to launch a "transparent" investigation into the murders of three Iranians killed in Canada. All three cases are under the purview of the police departments in the jurisdictions where the deaths took place. Iran's Foreign Ministry has warned the Canadian foreign affairs department about the declining level of security in Canada for Iranians over the past months which has led to the deaths of three people. In a message to Lawrence Cannon on Wednesday, Salehi highlighted the responsibility of Canada in protecting the rights of Iranians residents in the country.
