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

Al-monitor – During the lead-up to the 2013 Iranian presidential election, the earliest signs of Hassan Rouhani’s initially unanticipated victory came from a surprising source: high-quality polling conducted by Iranian pollsters. In the run-up to the presidential election in May 2017, all signs point to a greater availability of Iranian polling data than in the past. AUTHOR Matt Dabrowski ESOMAR …

RFL/RE – Iranian President Hassan Rohani says cooperation among the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is key to implementing a deal reached last week to cut production in a bid to boost slumping global prices, Iranian state TV reported. Oil prices have risen to more than $50 a barrel after members of the OPEC cartel on November 30 …

Iranhumanrights.org – Iran’s Brain Drain Spreads to Fashion Sector as Professionals Emigrate to Escape Raids and Arrests In the latest attack on the Islamic Republic’s growing fashion sector, a court in Shiraz sentenced 12 industry professionals in December 2016 to prison terms ranging from five months to six years. An investigation by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has …

Iranhumanrights.org – Civil rights defender Arash Sadeghi, who is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence for his peaceful activism, is in “critical and worrying” condition after 45 days on hunger strike in Tehran’s Evin Prison, an informed source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. “Arash has lost a lot of weight and he’s suffering from stomach and …

Iranhumanrights.org – Since its 1979 revolution, Iran’s Student Day has been marked with passionate speeches given in a less restrained political atmosphere on university campuses. But this year the government has tried to extinguish displays of political dissent by cancelling speeches that had permits while issuing them for “happy shows,” including musical concerts and stand-up comedy. On December 6, 1956, …