Iran

The decision was made in the wake of new violence yesterday. According to witnesses, police fired on crowds and beat women with batons. The Council of Guardians reaffirms the validity of the election results. The protest continued into the night to the cry of "Allah akhbar!" And "Death to Khamenei". Moussavi and his wife Zahra propose to continue the protest.

The grand ayatollah insists that he won’t yield to the demonstrations, which have been crushed in violence. Still a demonstration is scheduled for this afternoon in front of parliament. Rezaee withdraws his complaints about election fraud. Tomorrow is set to be a day of mourning.

Election authority says “there is no possibility of an annulment taking place”. Islamic regime opts for hard-line, but calls off pro-Ahmadinejad rally. But confrontation is not over yet. Ayatollah Montazeri calls for three day of National mourning.

The police arrested 457 demonstrators. Yesterday there were no demonstrations. In the evening the cry of challenge to the regime: Allah ahbar! Ahmadinejad continues to blame foreign countries of interference. Conflict in the Iranian leadership.

A spokesman for the body that supervises elections is quoted by Iranian state TV network as saying that even if discrepancy in vote tally reaches three million, it would not affect the outcome of the election. Regime factions and even supreme leader appear entangled in street clashes.

The president of the Pontifical Council for interreligious Dialogue highlights an improved atmosphere and greater trust in Muslim-Catholic relations, also after Benedict XVI’s trip to the Holy Land. Problems do remain, including the right of Muslims to convert and the possibility to have Christian places of worship in the Saudi kingdom. Oasis conference focuses on tradition and dialogue between religions and cultures. Issues touched include the US, French and British cases, the development of Islam in given nations, and the move away from literalism in Qur’anic exegesis.

Benedict XVI visits San Giovanni Rotondo and proposes the characteristics of the Saint from Pietrelcina to capuchin monks, Padre Pio spiritual groups and all faithful. The Pope prays before the body of the saint.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation forecasts that in 2009, for the first time in history, a sixth of the global population will suffer from hunger. For the FAO director, Diouf, the phenomenon is caused by the “dangerous combination of the global economic recession and the persistent high prices of basic food items in many countries”.

Mehdi Kharroubi and the wife of Moussavi call for demonstrations, against the warnings launched yesterday by the Grand Ayatollah. The Police announce a harsh crack down on “illegal gatherings”. An increasingly wide divide between protesters and establishment. Moussavi will not be present at the gathering of the Guardian Council for the partial verification of the election results.

Everyone expects an address to the nation over the problems of the contested elections. Khamenei has already declared Ahmadinejad the winner; following criticism and the pro-Moussavi demonstrations he allowed a partial recount of votes, but the people on the streets are calling for new elections. Even Ahmadinejad seems more cautious. Assembly of experts, the most important religious organism, has praised the Iranians for their voter turn-out, but have not said a word about Ahmadinejad’s contested victory

The Maronite Patriarch responds to Nasrallah, affirming that Lebanon must be neither pro East or pro West but a crossroads between the two. Some wanted it to belong solely to the East. The cardinal’s words are echoed by Maronite parliamentarians who remind the secretary of the Party of God that he too had invited people to avoid attacking the religious sentiments of others.

In a moving but shrewd speech Khamenei calls for an end to demonstrations. Voter participation shows the people trusts the Islamic government. There was no fraud and complaints must follow the law, and not pour into the streets.