This show is made up entirely of amateur images. We've seen time and time again how images captured by ordinary citizens then uploaded onto the Web can change history, or at least shift the balance of power. This week, we take a look back at some of those moments.
INTERNATIONAL PAPERS, Mon. 29/01/13: Islamists leave Timbuktu, burning precious manuscripts as a bitter parting gesture. The US is planning to set up a drone base in north-western Africa. The Netherlands pays tribute to Queen Beatrix after she announces she is abdicating. And Iran sends a monkey into space.
In June 2009, hundreds of thousands of Iranians protested against the presidential vote which saw Mahmoud Ahmadinejad re-elected. The movement was swiftly crushed by the authorities and set off a wave of activists fleeing the country. Three years on, the number of Iranian political refugees continues to rise. The majority pass through Turkey while awaiting a visa for Europe or the US. A few months before the next presidential election in Iran, they told us about their struggle.
This show is made up entirely of amateur images. We've seen time and time again how images captured by ordinary citizens then uploaded onto the Web can change history, or at least shift the balance of power. This week, we take a look back at some of those moments.
Massachusetts Senator John Kerry sailed through a US Senate hearing on Thursday ahead of his expected confirmation next week as the country’s new top diplomat, replacing outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
We begin by looking at how candidates in this week's parliamentary elections in Israel are trying to woo voters in the West Bank. Next, Israel and Iran may be sworn enemies but we have a report showing how Jews are prospering in Tehran. Finally, Jordan says its parliamentary elections this week will showcase recent democratic reforms, but the Muslim brotherhood says it will boycott the count.
This special show is devoted to Iran, Iranian artists and their place at home and abroad. Eve Jackson is joined in the studio by four Paris-based Iranian cultural talents: the cartoonist Kianoush Ramezani, the actor, dancer and choreographer Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam, the pianist Arshid Azarine and the theatre director Farid Paya.
Ali Ahani, Iranian Ambassador to France, tells Douglas Herbert about the strategic relations Iran has built with Syria, and why Tehran continues to support Damascus. Ahani also insists that Iran’s goal is not to develop nuclear weapons, and says that ordinary Iranian civilians are the first target of Western sanctions.
From 10th century epics to 21st century graphic novels, Iran has an incredibly rich literary culture. Today, as we focus on that region, our literary critic Sylvia Whitman discusses a few of her favourite books from Iran: "The Cypress Tree" by Kamin Mohammadi, "The Blind Owl" by Sadegh Hedayat and "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi.
In the Islamic Republic of Iran, there is a thriving Jewish community. It has its own synagogues, schools, a hospital, associations and even a member of parliament. Mostly accepted, Iran’s 10,000 Jews are protected by the Iranian regime, a concrete example of tolerance in the country. Some of them are so patriotic they even say they would defend Iran if they were attacked by Israel.
