News Summary for Monday, August 20

Short News Summary for Monday, August 20, 2018. Read the most important news from Iran and the world on the twenty-ninth day of Mordad 97 here moment by moment. The latest news: 19:15, 29.5.1397 - Larijani: 120 suspects of economic corruption have been arrested. Sadeq Larijani, the head of Iran's judiciary, stated that '120 suspects of recent economic corruption' have been arrested. According to Larijani, 'four special court branches' have been established to handle cases of 'economic corruption.' He also mentioned the judiciary's plan to prioritize the trial of individuals 'committing larger crimes' and stated that 'more than 30 indictments' are ready to be referred to court. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the judiciary spokesperson, also mentioned that 'more than 100 people' have been arrested regarding disruptions in the economic system and hoarding goods. Ejei added that 'most of these individuals are still detained, and their bail has not been converted or reduced.' These arrests came after months of fluctuations in Iran's currency market and 'violations' that occurred following the allocation of state currency by some companies. 17:13, 29.5.1397 - Efforts to impeach the Minister of Interior. Fatemeh Saidi, a representative from Tehran, tweeted that on Monday, she signed the impeachment of the Minister of Interior concerning the gatherings in Qom and the threats against the President. This representative wrote: 'It must be clarified who these people are that allow themselves to threaten the President.' On the same day, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, appeared before the Commission of Councils and Internal Affairs of the Parliament to answer representatives' questions. Asghar Salimi, a member of the Commission, stated that 'the impeachment of the Minister of Interior will go to the Parliament and will be submitted to the Board of Directors next week.' 16:58, 29.5.1397 - 10 years of imprisonment for a journalist. Hossein Ahmadi Niaz told ISNA that his client, Mir Mohammad Hossein (Amir Hossein) Mir Asmaeili, a journalist from Jahan San'at, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Ahmadi Niaz stated: 'My client is a satirist who has been sentenced to 10 years of prison, two years of prohibition from media and social media activities, two years of exit ban from the country, and a monetary fine for his satirical and critical writings.' This journalist was accused of insulting sacred values after posting humorous tweets regarding social restrictions. Mir Mohammad Hossein Mir Asmaeili denied any insult to sacred values. 15:57, 29.5.1397 - The IRGC denied involvement in the Feyziyeh gathering. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a statement denying 'any involvement of this institution in the call, invitation of speakers, and holding' the gathering on August 25 in Feyziyeh. On Tuesday, Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi demanded an explanation from the IRGC regarding the presence of its members at this gathering. The IRGC's public relations stated that 'the IRGC had no plans for its staff to attend this ceremony' and 'based on existing evidence and indications, this gathering was spontaneously organized.' The IRGC also strongly condemned 'some slogans, writings, and placards from the protest gathering of clerics and students in Qom.' At this gathering, placards were held by students that implicitly threatened the President with death. Additionally, Hassan Rahimpour Azghadi, a speaker at this gathering, stated that some clerics in Qom have secularized advanced jurisprudence courses. 15:43, 29.5.1397 - Reactions from two Ayatollahs regarding the Qom incidents. Ahmad Zeidabadi, a writer and journalist, referred to the positions of Ayatollah Nouri Hamadani and Makarem Shirazi regarding the Feyziyeh gathering in his Telegram channel, stating: 'The reactions of Mr. Makarem and Nouri Hamadani indicate that this time the political system, due to the excessive sensitivity of the situation and the possibility of uncontrollable crises from these forces, which often have influence in various institutions, does not allow them to take the initiative, and if they extend their feet beyond their rug and insist on their behaviors, they may be completely removed from the circle of power!' 15:36, 29.5.1397 - Ayatollah Nouri Hamadani's objection to the Feyziyeh gathering. Ayatollah Nouri Hamadani also joined the critics of the gathering of students on August 25 in Feyziyeh Qom. According to ISNA, Ayatollah Nouri Hamadani stated about this gathering: 'Some of the speaker's remarks and some slogans were incorrect and regrettable, and we will not allow anyone to question the services of the great clerics and scholars and the seminary.' He urged the responsible authorities of the seminary to follow up on the issue immediately. At the Feyziyeh gathering, in addition to slogans that threatened Hassan Rouhani with death, Hassan Rahimpour Azghadi, a member of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, also stated: 'Advanced jurisprudence classes are held that instead of theorizing religious civilization, they create secular jurisprudence and do not speak about banks and social relations.' 14:22, 29.5.1397 - Venezuela removes five zeros from its currency to combat one million percent inflation. Nicolás Maduro, the President of Venezuela, has reduced the official currency's value by more than 90% to combat one million percent inflation in the country. Starting from Monday, five zeros will be removed from the currency. The backing of the new currency is the virtual currency 'Petro,' which itself is supported by Venezuela's oil and mineral resources. 13:59, 29.5.1397 - Spanish police kill an attacker at a police station. Spanish police shot a man who attempted to enter a police station shouting 'Allahu Akbar' on Monday morning. The attack took place in Cornellà de Llobregat near Barcelona. The police stated that the individual, who was carrying a knife, intended to enter the station before 6 AM. The suspect, a 29-year-old Algerian, was identified as having Spanish identification documents. 13:49, 29.5.1397 - Bail granted for Ejlal Ghavami. Ejlal Ghavami, a journalist, tweeted that he attended the first interrogation session in the second interrogation branch of the Shahid Beheshti Judicial Complex in Sanandaj. Ghavami wrote that 'spreading falsehoods with the intent to disturb public opinion' was his charge, and he was released on a bail of 20 million tomans. 13:37, 29.5.1397 - Fatemeh Hashemi: The slogans in Feyziyeh explicitly declare the assassination and murder of my father. Fatemeh Hashemi wrote in a note about the slogans raised on August 25 in Feyziyeh: 'The threat against the elected president in the seminary, who should be a herald of unity and cohesion in the country, resembles the assassination and murder of my late father, explicitly declaring his death as an assassination and murder, even by drowning.'