Radiofarda – Iran’s Statistical Center (ISC) has reported the inflation rate to have reached 40 percent in the 12 months ending December 22. In the last 30-day period inflation reached 41.1 percent. The Iranian government and the Central bank have stopped reporting vital economic statistics since March, after currency devaluation, inflation and unemployment soared mainly due to U.S. sanctions. The …

Radiofarda – A poll conducted by the state-run Iran Students Polling Agency (ISPA) shows that the level of people’s satisfaction with the Islamic Republic’s performance is 15 percent in the capital city of Iran. The poll taken in the Province of Tehran also shows 54 percent of the people believe that anti-establishment protests will continue in the future. A political …

Radiofarda – The source of a mysterious stench that has pestered residents of Iran’s capital Tehran this year, is the usage of nonstandard mazut with high-density sulfur in the nearby town of Shahr-e Rey’s industrial complexes, Tehran municipality has disclosed. Last winter and again this fall a terrible foul smell gripped parts of Tehran and officials kept pointing fingers at different possible …

Al-Arabia – Iraqi demonstrators protesting Iran’s interference in the country’s politics, as well as Qusay al-Suhail’s candidacy for prime minister took to the streets on Sunday. “We don’t want whoever wants the West’s approval and sells the country. We don’t want whoever leaves the people hungry and satisfies Iran,” protesters were heard chanting in videos posted on social media. Officials …

Al-Arabia – The secondary circuit of Iran’s Arak heavy water nuclear reactor will become operational on Monday, the country’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported.The starting of the secondary circuit will not violate restrictions placed on Iran’s nuclear program under a 2015 deal with world powers, but shows Iran is continuing work to develop the reactor amid renewed tensions with the …

Iran-HRM – About 1,500 protesters were killed during less than two weeks of unrest that started on November 15, including about 400 women and 17 teenagers, Reuters reported on Monday, December 23, 2019.Two of the Iranian officials who provided he figures to Reuters, said they were based on information gathered from security forces, morgues, hospitals and coroner’s offices.Reuters said Khamenei’s …

VOA – Thousands of Iraqis protested Monday in Baghdad and other parts of the country after politicians missed an overnight deadline for naming a new prime minister. Anti-government rallies have rocked the capital and the Shiite-majority south since October with people protesting against corruption, poor services and a lack of jobs. FILE – Iraq’s President Barham Salih speaks to the …

Radiofarda – Prosecutors in Iran have rejected a motion to conditionally release two well-known female prisoners, their defense attorney told the government’s official news website IRNA on Sunday. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a dual British-Iranian citizen detained on ambiguous national security charges since 2016, and renowned human rights defender Narges Mohammadi are eligible for conditional release, the attorney Mahmoud Behzadi-Rad reiterated. Mohammadi …

Radiofarda – Reports from Tehran say the parents of Pouya Bakhtiari, a young man killed by Iranian security forces during the protests in November have been summoned to the Intelligence Ministry in Tehran on Saturday, December 21. They were reportedly told not to hold a vigil for their son in public places and limit the commemoration session to a small …

Radiofarda – Twenty one adolescents and children working as porters, carrying goods on their backs across the Iran-Iraq border have died in 2019 from soldiers’ bullets or cold weather, a human rights group has said. The porters taking the dangers journey to eke out a living are called “kolbar” in local Kurdish language. Seven of these young kolbars were shot …