Iran
Iran arrests 13 Baha'is, claiming they were proselytising to children, Iranian media say
Iran said on Saturday it had arrested 13 adherents of the banned Baha’i faith for proselytising to children and adolescents, local media reported.
Iranian lawmakers re-elected former Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Tuesday as the speaker of parliament.
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, a parliamentary candidate, casts his vote at a mosque in downtown Tehran, Iran February 21, 2020. Hamed Malekpour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Iranian lawmakers re-elected former Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Tuesday as the speaker of parliament, state television reported, ending speculation that he might stand as a candidate for president next month.
State TV said 198 lawmakers, out of 287, voted for Qalibaf, who previously ran unsuccessfully in two presidential races and dropped out of a third to avoid splitting the hardline vote.
Qalibaf revived his political ambitions by running for parliament in 2020.
An early presidential election is set for June 28 following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.
The registration for presidential candidates will start on Thursday. Qalibaf had been touted as a potential candidate in the presidential race by insiders and Iranian state media.
Writing by Parisa Hafezi
Iran said on Saturday it had arrested 13 adherents of the banned Baha’i faith for proselytising to children and adolescents, local media reported.
Around 153 prisoners were released by Yemen's Houthis on Saturday with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), according to a statement by the ICRC.
The American and Qatari energy giants ExxonMobil and Qatar Energy have launched a new drilling operation off the coast of Cyprus, aiming to tap into the island's potentially vast natural gas reserves.
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