Short news updates for Saturday, September 3, 2018. Read the most important news from Iran and the world on the third day of September 97 moment by moment.
Pope: I am ashamed of the Catholic Church's negligence Pope Francis said on Saturday in Ireland that he is ashamed that the Catholic Church has not properly addressed the issue of sexual abuse of children by priests. According to Reuters, the leader of the world's Catholics described these crimes as 'disgusting' and added: 'I cannot ignore the great scandal of the abuse of young people that has occurred in Ireland by priests. These priests were supposed to protect and educate young people.' The credibility of the Catholic Church in Ireland has been severely damaged due to the exposure of multiple cases of rape and sexual abuse by priests.
Hassan Rouhani: Iran's conditions are hard and difficult The President of Iran said on Saturday: 'Today is one of the hard and difficult days for our dear country Iran against foreign conspiracies.' Speaking at the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini, he added: 'Today is not a day to shift the burden we carry onto others, and the idea that someone can separate their account from others is a pure and great mistake.' Mr. Rouhani emphasized unity and stated that standing against problems and 'the conspiracies of enemies' is a collective duty.
Zarif: We are waiting for Europe to act to preserve oil sales Iran's Foreign Minister said on Saturday, on the sidelines of the 'Overcoming Crisis and Development of Iran' conference, that 'the European Union was supposed to take several actions, especially to preserve Iran's oil sales and maintain banking channels, which we are still waiting for.' According to Mehr News Agency, Mohammad Javad Zarif also commented on the EU's €18 million support package, stating: 'This is a package that helps both sides to communicate with each other and has nothing to do with the JCPOA and this atmosphere; the claim that it is a quid pro quo for the JCPOA is irrelevant.' The European Commission approved its €18 million package for 'supporting sustainable economic and social development' in Iran on September 1. Iran has described it as 'a positive but weak action.' However, Israel and the US have criticized this EU decision. Israel stated that this aid is like poison for the people of Iran, and the US emphasized that this action sends the wrong message to Iran.
Lawyer of Ramin Hossein Panahi: Execution should be halted until the request for retrial is determined One of the defense lawyers for Ramin Hossein Panahi stated that, considering the contents of the case, his client 'does not deserve execution.' Maziar Tataei told ISNA that he requested judicial authorities to halt the execution until the determination of the retrial requests. Ahmadinejad, another defense lawyer for Ramin Hossein Panahi, had reported on August 19 that he submitted a request for retrial regarding his client's case to the Supreme Court. Ramin Hossein Panahi was arrested in July 2017 on charges of membership in the 'Komala Party' and 'baghi' or armed rebellion against the Islamic government and was sentenced to death by the first branch of the Sanandaj Revolutionary Court. His appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court, and this sentence is currently with the execution department.
Fire in Marivan; at least four killed Following a fire in the pastures of Marivan, the technical and operational deputy of Iran's Emergency Organization stated that so far four people have died as a result of this incident. Hassan Noori told ISNA that this fire occurred in the heights of the village of Pileh. The cause of the incident is still unclear, but according to Mr. Noori, it may have occurred due to the heat. He stated that around 1 PM local time, the incident was reported to the emergency services, which dispatched seven ambulances to the scene. Hassan Noori said that firefighting operations are still ongoing.
Nasrin Sotoudeh, imprisoned lawyer, goes on hunger strike Reza Khandan, the husband of Nasrin Sotoudeh, an imprisoned defense lawyer, announced on Saturday that she has begun a hunger strike. Mr. Khandan published a letter written by Ms. Sotoudeh on his Facebook page, in which she stated that this human rights lawyer is protesting her detention and the 'judicial pressures' on her family and friends by going on hunger strike. Ms. Sotoudeh is imprisoned in Evin Prison in Tehran.
Iranian weightlifter sets record at Asian Games Sohrab Moradi, an Iranian weightlifter, won the thirteenth gold medal for Iran's sports delegation at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. This world and Olympic champion managed to set the world record in the clean and jerk category. He had previously improved the world records in the snatch and total in Anaheim, USA.
Cultivation of marijuana in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad 'with a loan from the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee' ILNA reported that the head of the Agricultural Jihad Organization of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province confirmed that an individual has used a loan from the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee to cultivate marijuana on one hectare of land. According to this official, this person 'claimed to create job opportunities for several beneficiaries under the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee in the city of Dena and obtained about 400 million tomans from this supportive institution.' The prosecutor of Dena County reported the arrest of two individuals in this regard.
'At least two killed' in suicide bombing in Jalalabad, Afghanistan France Press reported from Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan that a suicide bombing that occurred on Saturday left at least two dead. The explosion took place outside the election commission office in this city. The explosion on Saturday, which also left four injured, occurred near protesters who were demonstrating against the disqualification of a candidate in the upcoming elections. No group has yet claimed responsibility for this attack.
Continued hospital visits by people due to the storm in Sistan and Baluchestan An official from the Sistan and Baluchestan governorate reported that people continue to visit hospitals due to the storm. Mehr News Agency reported that the director-general of the crisis management office of the governorate stated that hundreds of people 'have gone to medical centers and hospitals due to respiratory problems caused by the dust storm.' Abdul Rahman Shahnavazi said: 'From August 22 until this morning [Saturday], 598 people in the counties of Zabol, Zahak, Hamun, Hirmand, and Nimruz have gone to medical centers due to respiratory problems caused by the dust storm.' Among these, 144 have been hospitalized.