Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.

RFL/RE – Iran’s judiciary says the former head of the country’s largest state-controlled bank who fled to Canada amid a massive embezzlement case has been handed a lengthy prison sentence in absentia. Mahmud Reza Khavari (file photo) Mahmud Reza Khavari, the former head of Bank Melli Iran, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for “disrupting the economic system,” Iranian news …

newsmax – Today is Human Rights Day! Is this a day for celebration or mourning? Ordinarily, such a day would be for festivity; but, this day is not a usual moment in time. Why? The Iranian regime is the source of human rights abuses. Iran is not a typical state. It has the trappings of being normal, when, in fact, …

nrttv – An Iranian court has sentenced a young woman of Kurdish origin to prison and ordered her to receive 50 lashes as punishment for participating in an event recognizing the referendum on Kurdistan independence in northern Iraq. Zamana Zewia, a student at Payam Noor University in Saqqez, was accused of “acting against national security,” “participating in illegal gatherings” and “disrupting …

Reuters – Russian President Vladimir Putin told Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday he wanted to work with Iran and Turkey to kick-start the Syrian peace process, Russian news agencies reported. Putin was also cited as telling Assad he hoped that it would be possible to launch the work of the Syrian Congress on National Dialogue and that he would …

VOA —As Iraq emerges from three years of war with the Islamic State group, the U.S. is looking to roll back the influence of neighboring Iran and help the central government resolve its dispute with the Kurdish region, the American envoy to the country told The Associated Press. U.S. Ambassador Douglas Silliman took up his post in Baghdad in September …