Iran Police Invent Interpol Probe In Neda Death
(AP Photo)
Head of police Brig. Gen. Esmail Ahmadi-Moqaddam said, "Arash Hejazi is wanted by Interpol and Iran's Intelligence Ministry" in the murder of Neda, who's shooting fueled what were daily opposition rallies in the capital city of Tehran, according to a Wednesday report by Iran's Press TV, a state-run, English language network.
Speaking by phone to CBSNews.com Thursday morning from her office in Lyon, France, a spokesperson for Interpol flatly denied any involvement whatsoever in an investigation into Sultan's death.
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Iran's One-Two Punch to Reset Reality
Iran's state-controlled media are waging an all-out propaganda assault to cast post-election unrest in the Islamic Republic as a futile attempt by "the West" to interfere.
From news stories alleging a British Embassy staffer was a ring-leader of the dramatic street protests, to editorial columns deriding a "West that imagined that supporting chaos in Iran would reduce the Islamic Republic's power," the message is clear.
Iran's Fars news agency reported Wednesday, citing unnamed officials, that one of three U.K. Embassy staffers (eight were arrested, five have been freed, all were Iranian nationals) still in detention, "had a remarkable role during the recent unrest in managing it behind the scenes."
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From news stories alleging a British Embassy staffer was a ring-leader of the dramatic street protests, to editorial columns deriding a "West that imagined that supporting chaos in Iran would reduce the Islamic Republic's power," the message is clear.
Iran's Fars news agency reported Wednesday, citing unnamed officials, that one of three U.K. Embassy staffers (eight were arrested, five have been freed, all were Iranian nationals) still in detention, "had a remarkable role during the recent unrest in managing it behind the scenes."
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US Commander: Iraqi Forces Will Be Tested
(AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
Lt. General Charles Jacoby, who spoke to McCormick by phone from Baghdad
"I think that was absolutely predictable. We still have some committed adversaries out there," said Jacoby.
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Iran: "New Revelations" In Neda Shooting
(AP Photo)
According to the report by Press TV, Neda was killed "in an ally away from the scene of clashes."
The network quoted the man who allegedly drove her to hospital as saying her death appeared to be "highly suspicious," as there were no police, Basij militia, or any other Iranian security forces nearby.
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"Butcher Of The Press" To Probe Iran Protesters
(AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Saeed Mortazavi, Tehran's prosecutor-general since 2003 and a judge previously, has been implicated by several inquiries in the death that year of a Canadian-Iranian photojournalist who was arrested, tortured and then killed in custody.
"We are deeply concerned by reports that Saaed Mortazavi has been put in charge of the investigation of detained reformist leaders and party officials in Iran," Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Thursday, according to a report in The Canadian Press.
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In Iran, Winds Of Change Are A Gentle Breeze
There are reports that Iran's clerical establishment is weighing the option of replacing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with a panel of religious officials over his contentious role in the election dispute.
Britain's International Business Times, citing Al Arabiya TV, says the country's powerful, 86-member Assembly of Experts — headed by former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani — is split in its support for Khamenei, and his surrogate, current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The unconfirmed report suggests the Experts have met secretly in Iran's holy city of Qom to discuss a political compromise to the week-and-a-half old political unrest which followed the announcement of disputed presidential election results.
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Britain's International Business Times, citing Al Arabiya TV, says the country's powerful, 86-member Assembly of Experts — headed by former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani — is split in its support for Khamenei, and his surrogate, current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The unconfirmed report suggests the Experts have met secretly in Iran's holy city of Qom to discuss a political compromise to the week-and-a-half old political unrest which followed the announcement of disputed presidential election results.
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Afghan Detainees Allege U.S. Prison Abuse
(CBS/AP)
The BBC investigation interviewed 27 former terror detainees across Afghanistan who were detained and then released without charge from the Bagram Air Base. All but two claimed abuse.
All but two of the former prisoners, held at Bagram between 2002 and 2008, alleged abuse and neglect. Many claimed they were subjected to beatings, stress positions, over-exposure to heat or cold, loud noise, being forced to remove clothes in front of female soldiers, sleep deprivation and threats with dogs. Four said their lives were threatened at gunpoint during interrogations.
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Does Letter Prove Iran Election Fraud?
(CBS/YouTube)
Two prominent Iranian film makers have asked European countries not to acknowledge the legitimacy of Iran's June 12 elections, claiming a letter proves the results were fabricated.
Marjane Satrapi (at left), who was behind the acclaimed animated feature film "Persepolis," and filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf addressed a gathering of Green Party members of the European Parliament on Tuesday and presented a letter which they claim shows the real vote count from the disputed election.
A video posted on YouTube shows the two addressing the meeting in Farsi and English (the Farsi remarks are translated, so don't stop watching when you fail to hear a recognizable word right away). Makhmalbaf is reportedly a known acquaintance of opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi.
The letter they present to the MEPs has been circulated for several days, but its contents cannot be verified. It is claimed the letter was a confidential note sent by Iran's Interior Minister (the Interior Ministry is in charge of running elections in the country) to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
IranWatch: Track the latest on the Iran election upheaval
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Iran Soccer Players Behind Mousavi?
(CBS/Twitpic.com)
A number of Twitter users had said today that members of Iran's national soccer team were wearing green wristbands - an apparent show of solidarity with the opposition movement headed by Mir Hossein Mousavi.
The team played South Korea in Seoul Wednesday in a World Cup qualifier match. We found the image at left, apparently taken from Iranian TV during the match, on Twitpic.com.
Just like anything else on a social networking site, we can't verify that the picture shows what it says it shows... It is not clear how many of the players wore the green bands, and it is impossible to be sure they did so in support of Mousavi's movement.
Multiple Tweeters reported the wristbands being worn. Someone said the players were made to remove them at halftime.
CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer reported from Tehran Wednesday that the government had managed to block all access to Twitter, Facebook and MySpace inside the country.
Iran Cracks Down On Foreign Media
(AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
At left, a significant contingent of Iranian police is jeered by protesters as it rolls through the streets of Tehran, June 15, 2009.
Iran's hard-line regime, starting to show stress under the mounting pressure of massive opposition rallies, has told foreign media that if they're seen on the streets of Tehran today with a camera, they will be arrested.
Since the contested election results were announced just hours after polls closed on Friday, images of thousands of thousands-strong protests — some turning violent — have streamed out of Iran's capital city.
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"Victory Gardens" Are In As England Tightens Its Belt
London producer Amy Guttman has done a two-part series for us on a couple ways Britons are trying to counter the economic effects of recession.
Billed as "Victory Gardens" during World War II, public allotments became hugely popular as a way to bolster the kitchen larder, and maybe even sell some produce on the side.
The souring economy has prompted a huge increase in demand for the public garden plots, and some very exclusive real estate has been opened up to eager gardeners looking for a place to turn their thumbs green:
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Billed as "Victory Gardens" during World War II, public allotments became hugely popular as a way to bolster the kitchen larder, and maybe even sell some produce on the side.
The souring economy has prompted a huge increase in demand for the public garden plots, and some very exclusive real estate has been opened up to eager gardeners looking for a place to turn their thumbs green:
Continue »
CBS Cycling Trio Completes Memorial Ride
Against the rain, against the wind, against the mud, against the innumerable hills and against the odds, they have done it.
Three of my previously-out-of-shape CBS News London colleagues pedaled to their highly symbolic destination today — a memorial to fallen journalists in Bayeux, France.
They set out five days and 200 miles ago in London on the ride in honor of Paul Douglas and James Brolan, two colleagues who were killed three years ago today by a roadside bomb while covering the Iraq war for CBS News.
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Three of my previously-out-of-shape CBS News London colleagues pedaled to their highly symbolic destination today — a memorial to fallen journalists in Bayeux, France.
They set out five days and 200 miles ago in London on the ride in honor of Paul Douglas and James Brolan, two colleagues who were killed three years ago today by a roadside bomb while covering the Iraq war for CBS News.
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Obama Picks Crony As U.K. Ambassador
The Obama administration may well end cronyism, as promised. It may well usher in a long-called for change in the way America's senior representatives in foreign countries are chosen. But it hasn't yet.
According to Britain's newspapers, Mr. Obama has picked former Citigroup vice-president and Democratic uber-fundraiser Louis Susman as the next Ambassador to the United Kingdom. (Susman, then a member of the St. Louis Cardinals executive board, is seen below in a 1985 file photo holding up the National League Championship trophy.)
Susman is a lawyer and investment banker by trade who has no real diplomatic experience. He is, instead, a member of the elite inner circle of Chicago power-brokers who helped propel Mr. Obama into office. He's been nicknamed the Vacuum Cleaner for his ability to suck up donations for Democratic politicians.
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According to Britain's newspapers, Mr. Obama has picked former Citigroup vice-president and Democratic uber-fundraiser Louis Susman as the next Ambassador to the United Kingdom. (Susman, then a member of the St. Louis Cardinals executive board, is seen below in a 1985 file photo holding up the National League Championship trophy.)
(AP Photo )
Susman is a lawyer and investment banker by trade who has no real diplomatic experience. He is, instead, a member of the elite inner circle of Chicago power-brokers who helped propel Mr. Obama into office. He's been nicknamed the Vacuum Cleaner for his ability to suck up donations for Democratic politicians.
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"Everyone Here Is Happy With The Taliban"
(CBS)
"My name is Khalil. I am a Talib and I am from Swat. I have come to Buner to fulfill my duty towards Islam."
So began CBS News' interview with the man in charge of the Pakistani Taliban's latest territorial expansion.
Swat Valley is a picturesque region surrounded by high mountains in northern Pakistan. The government two weeks ago, in a peace-deal which a foreign ministry official on Thursday called "a local solution to a local problem".
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Cops Hunting Monster-Botnet Builders
The FBI and British law enforcement authorities are trying to hunt down hackers responsible for the largest botnet (robot network) ever known to the IT world, according to a California-based Internet security company.
Finjan's Chief Technology Officer has told the Financial Times that six people based in Ukraine are suspected of compromising 1.9 million computers worldwide in just two months — many of them in the U.S.
"With this many computers affected, everyone was there on the list – the U.S. Federal government, big universities, very large public companies," the Chief Technology Officer Yuval Ben-Itzhak told the FT.
London's Metropolitan Police department confirmed to CBS News on Wednesday that their e-crime unit was investigating a botnet created by Ukrainian hackers. The Met would not say what other agencies they are working with, but they do often work with other agencies on cases involving international cyber-crime, including the FBI.
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Finjan's Chief Technology Officer has told the Financial Times that six people based in Ukraine are suspected of compromising 1.9 million computers worldwide in just two months — many of them in the U.S.
"With this many computers affected, everyone was there on the list – the U.S. Federal government, big universities, very large public companies," the Chief Technology Officer Yuval Ben-Itzhak told the FT.
London's Metropolitan Police department confirmed to CBS News on Wednesday that their e-crime unit was investigating a botnet created by Ukrainian hackers. The Met would not say what other agencies they are working with, but they do often work with other agencies on cases involving international cyber-crime, including the FBI.
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