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| Pro-government rallies held across Iran Iran's police chief threatens 'no mercy' in crushing opposition protests, as state-sponsored rallies take place across countryTens of thousands of hardline government supporters turned out for state-sponsored rallies today in Iran, some of them calling for the execution of opposition leaders, while the country's police chief threatened to show "no mercy" in crushing any new protests by the pro-reform movement.Pro-government rallies were staged in Shiraz, Arak, Qom and Tehran, among other cities. Demonstrators in Tehran chanted "Death to Mousavi", a reference to the opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi. Some shouted "Rioter hypocrites must be executed" and held up a banner that read: "We sacrifice our blood for the supreme leader."The government gave all civil servants and employees the day off to attend the rallies and organised buses to ferry in groups of schoolchildren and supporters from outlying rural areas.Hardline cleric Ahmad Alamolhoda described opponents of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as supporters of Satan."Enemies of the leader, according to the Qur'an, belong to the party of Satan," Alamolhoda told demonstrators in Tehran in comments broadcast on state television. "Our war in the world is war against the opponents of the rule of the supreme leader."Police chief General Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam warned anti-government protesters to stay off the streets or face harsh consequences. At least eight people were killed in violence on Sunday, the country's worst unrest since the aftermath of the disputed presidential election on 12 June."In dealing with previous protests, police showed leniency. But given that these opponents are seeking to topple [the ruling system], there will be no mercy," Moghaddam said, according to the official news agency IRNA. "We will take severe action. The era of tolerance is over. Anyone attending such rallies will be crushed."One of those killed on Sunday was a nephew of Mousavi. Iran's deputy police chief, Ahmad Reza Radan, said Ali Mousavi was assassinated by unidentified assailants and not killed by security forces.Ali Mousavi was buried today in a hastily organised ceremony. Authorities had taken his body from the hospital earlier in the week in what was seen as an attempt to prevent the funeral from turning into another pro-opposition protest.The opposition says Ali Mousavi was killed by security forces. The New York Times quoted a family friend as saying he was run over by a vehicle outside his home in an assassination. The opposition leader and other family members attended the funeral.Iranian authorities faced uncomfortable questions about a graphic video broadcast on the internet, purportedly from Sunday's demonstrations. It showed two white police pickup trucks, with large bullbars on the front bumpers, ploughing separately into a group of protesters.One truck is first seen driving into the crowd, then reversing away from a body lying face down on the asphalt. The second truck then speeds up and runs over the body, lying in a pool of blood, as people nearby cry out. The authenticity of the video could not be independently verified.When asked about the video and whether police trucks intentionally ran over people, Moghaddam became enraged. "Don't ask lies," he said. "There are no pictures showing police cars running over people."Radan said police had a video showing a black car running over two people during Sunday's violence. He said the owner of the car had been arrested but provided no other details.Moghaddam said more than 500 protesters who took part in Sunday's demonstrations were arrested, although the number may be higher since hardline Basij militiamen and intelligence agents may have apprehended more people.There are increasing fears Mousavi could also be arrested, following the detention of a number of prominent activists and the sister of Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi.The government has also limited the movement of a leading opposition figure, Mahdi Karroubi, by refusing to protect him when he leaves his home.Karroubi and Mousavi were the two defeated reformist candidates in the disputed June election, which set off the worst unrest in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.Authorities were also tightly restricting media coverage of street rallies. Internet access in the country is sporadic, as are cellphone and text messaging services.Sunday's deadly protests coincided with Ashura, the most solemn day of the year for Shia Muslims. The observance commemorates the 7th-century death in battle of one of Shia Islam's most beloved saints, and it conveys a message of sacrifice in the face of repression.The arrests, along with tough criticism of the US and Britain, added to rising tensions with the west, which is threatening to impose tough new sanctions over Iran's suspected nuclear programme and has criticised the violent crackdown on anti-government protesters.The UN high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, urged the government to keep security forces from using excessive force. She said she was "shocked by the upsurge in deaths, injuries and arrests" and stressed that people had the right to protest peacefully without being beaten and jailed.IranProtestguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Sarkozy Criticizes Strong Euro The French president said a strong euro is denting the competitiveness of the euro zone and risks handicapping European companies as they recover from the global recession. online.wsj.com |
'New Wave' Auteur Dissected Romances Eric Rohmer, an architect of French New Wave cinema, leaves a rich collection of movies often centered on romantic relationships. Mr. Rohmer died Monday at age 89. online.wsj.com |
Thierry Henry escapes punishment for World Cup handball • Fifa accepts it has no legal right to punish Frenchman• 'Blatant unfair play' helped to eliminate IrelandThierry Henry seems certain to escape any kind of sanction for the handball that knocked Ireland out of the World Cup after Fifa said it could not punish the Frenchman retrospectively for the offence.Henry's handball, which allowed him to control the ball and cross for William Gallas to score the decisive goal in their World Cup qualifying play-off, ended the Republic's hopes of qualifying for the finals in South Africa.The Football Association of Ireland were infuriated by the goal and demanded a replay, then suggested they should be allowed to go to the World Cup as a 33rd team. The Fifa president, Sepp Blatter, described the handball as "blatant unfair play" and referred the incident to the organisation's disciplinary committee. "Fair play must be maintained in our game," he said at the time.But the disciplinary committee has now decided that it has no legal right to consider the case under the governing body's rules. It says this kind of handball offence is not classed as "a serious infringement" necessary to prosecute Henry under Fifa's disciplinary code. While the illegal use of a hand in the build-up to a goal is not covered by the code, a deliberate handball designed to prevent a goal being scored could be punished."The disciplinary committee reached the conclusion that there was no legal foundation for the committee to consider the case because handling the ball cannot be regarded as a serious infringement as stipulated in article 77a of the Fifa Disciplinary Code," world football's ruling body said. "There is no other legal text that would allow the committee to impose sanctions for any incidents missed by match officials."Thierry HenryFifaFranceRepublic of IrelandWorld Cup 2010Simon Burntonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
The Distant Memories of Haiti Before the Quake When a city like Port-au-Prince is leveled, you have so many memories of it and so many connections, now severed, that it's as if you'd lived a fiction instead of your real life. feedproxy.google.com |