Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 13 april 2017
Hard-line ex-leader Ahmadinejad stuns Iran with election bid

AMIR VAHDAT Though Ahmadinejad still ar deal with world powers tiny against Iran’s ruling sys- try’s registration desk, pull-
JON GAMBRELL might not be approved for and as fissures still linger in- tem,” said Soroush Farhad- ing out his identification
Associated Press the ballot by Iran’s clerical- side Iran after his contested ian, who backs reformists. documents with a flourish in
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Stun- ly overseen government, 2009 re-election, which Ever the showman, a smil- front of a melee of shouting
ning Iran and disregarding merely the mention of the brought massive unrest. ing Ahmadinejad made journalists.
the words of its supreme Holocaust-questioning Associated Press journalists “V for Victory” hand sig- Ahmadinejad’s deci-
leader, former President populist might energize watched as stunned elec- nals and walked his for- sion shocked Iran as Su-
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad discontent hard-liners who tion officials processed Ah- mer Vice President Hamid preme Leader Ayatollah Ali
registered Wednesday to want a Persian answer madinejad’s paperwork on Baghaei through the pro- Khamenei offered a thinly
run in the country’s May to U.S. President Donald Wednesday. Asked about cess of registering first. Just veiled warning in Septem-
presidential election and Trump. Ahmadinejad’s Ahmadinejad’s decision, when it appeared Ahma- ber that his candidacy
upended a contest largely candidacy also comes as one Tehran-based analyst dinejad would be leaving, would be a “polarized
expected to be won by its Trump has threatened a offered a blunt assessment. he turned around and re- situation” that would be
moderate incumbent. reappraisal of Iran’s nucle- “It was an organized mu- turned to the Interior Minis- “harmful for the county.”q

Russia vetoes UN resolution to condemn Syria chemical attack

left the U.N.’s most pow- Russia has criticized previ-
erful body struggling to ous investigations carried
tackle the use of banned out by the OPCW and
chemical weapons and to the United Nations which
help end the six-year Syrian blamed the Syrian gov-
conflict. ernment for at least three
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador chemical weapons at-
Vladimir Safronkov told the tacks without visiting the
council before the vote sites. Safronkov reiterated
that a resolution was un- Wednesday that an inves-
necessary, and the draft tigation cannot be con-
put forward by the Western ducted remotely and ex-
powers pre-judged that perts must be drawn from
the Syrian government was a wide geographical basis.
responsible for the April 4 The attack on Khan Sheik-
attack on Khan Sheikhoun houn is expected to be
in which nearly 90 people near the top of the agen-
died. Safronkov said Rus- da when the OPCW’s ex-
sia’s Foreign Minister asked ecutive committee meets
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Thursday at the organiza-
Tillerson during talks earlier tion’s headquarters in The
Wednesday in Moscow to Hague, Netherlands.
jointly request the Organi- Both the Syrian govern-
Russian Deputy U.N. Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov shows his hand to vote against a resolution zation for the Prohibition of ment and opposition have
condemning Syria’s use of chemical weapons, Wednesday, April 12, 2017, at U.N. headquarters. Chemical Weapons “to im- asked for an independent
(AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) mediately put together an investigation Safronkov

EDITH M. LEDERER manded a speedy investi- livia against, and China, independent international said, “whereas the OPCW is
Associated Press gation, triggering clashes Kazakhstan and Ethiopia mission” to visit Khan Sheik- doing nothing, for reasons
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — between Moscow and the abstaining. houn and the air base that unknown.”
Russia vetoed a U.N. reso- measure’s Western back- It was the eighth veto by the U.S. attacked in retalia- “We are convinced that
lution Wednesday that ers. The vote on the Se- Russia, a close ally of Syr- tion. Tillerson is considering we need to have a full and
would have condemned curity Council resolution ian President Bashar Assad, the request, he said, “and immediate investigation,
the reported use of chemi- drafted by Britain, France on a Western-backed Syria we expect that Washing- and the possibilities for that
cal weapons in a town and the United States was resolution and reflected ton will have a constructive have not been exhausted,”
in northern Syria and de- 10 in favor, Russia and Bo- the deep division that has reaction.” Safronkov said.q

Egypt beefs up security outside churches ahead of Easter

HEBA AFIFY apprehension after twin Sunday’s bombings. How- have continued to go to suicide bomber as Mah-
Associated Press bombings in the cities of ever, the enhanced secu- church despite earlier at- moud Hassan Mubarak
CAIRO (AP) — Outside of Tanta and Alexandria killed rity can do little against the tacks. “Egypt’s Copts put Abdallah, a 30-year-old
Cairo’s St. Mark’s Cathe- 45 people this week at effect of repeated attacks their trust in God and not in worker at a petroleum
dral, the seat of the Coptic churches on Palm Sunday, on Coptic churches in re- security measures,” he said. company, and published
Orthodox Pope, a dozen which marks the start of the cent years. Egypt’s Ministry of Interior his picture.
high-ranking police offi- Coptic Christian Holy Week. “No security measure can announced on Wednes- It also published names and
cers are stationed on all The increased security stop a suicide bomber with day the identity of the Al- pictures of others identified
entrances, searching cars measures on display out- jihadist beliefs from blowing exandria church bomber, as fugitive members of the
and scanning the area, side churches across the up a church,” Coptic en- saying that he belongs to same cell, offering LE100
as security measures are country are meant to re- gineer Emad Thomas told the same terrorist cell that thousand ($5,510) for leads
visibly beefed up outside store a sense of security for The Associated Press on carried out the December on their whereabouts. The
churches before Easter Egypt’s Copts amid a war Wednesday. bombing of a chapel ad- Health Ministry said six Mus-
prayers on Sunday. on the embattled minor- However, he believes jacent to Egypt’s main ca- lims were among the dead
The usually festive occa- ity declared by the Islamist that Copts will still attend thedral. in Alexandria.q
sion is tainted with fearful State group, which claimed prayers on Sunday as they The ministry identified the