Craig Hill Media and Consulting
Iran
February 1, 1979 – Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran
On February 1, 1979, the Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran in triumph after 15 years of exile. The shah and his family had fled the country two weeks before, and jubilant Iranian revolutionaries were eager to establish a fundamentalist Islamic government under Khomeini’s leadership. Born around the turn of the century, Ruhollah Khomeini was the … Continue reading
January 20, 1981 – Iran Hostage Crisis ended
Minutes after Ronald Reagan’s inauguration as the 40th president of the United States, the 52 U.S. captives held at the U.S. embassy in Teheran, Iran, were released, ending the 444-day Iran Hostage Crisis. On November 4, 1979, the crisis began when militant Iranian students, outraged that the U.S. government had allowed the ousted shah of Iran to travel … Continue reading
January 16, 1979 – Shah flees Iran
Faced with an army mutiny and violent demonstrations against his rule, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the leader of Iran since 1941, is forced to flee the country. Fourteen days later, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the spiritual leader of the Islamic revolution, returned after 15 years of exile and took control of Iran. In 1941, British … Continue reading
Australia neglects militarisation of Antarctica by foreign powers, including China
Australian academics have pointed to dangers that Antarctic bases are for the first time being militarised, despite the continent officially being called a land of peace and science. Satellite systems at polar bases could be used to control offensive weapons, according to a report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and little could be done … Continue reading
Indonesian asylum-seekers give up hope on Australia
As the realisation takes hold that they are shut out of Australia, growing numbers of asylum-seekers trapped in Indonesia are considering voluntarily returning to their homelands. Asylum-seekers in Cisarua, south of Jakarta, told The Australian that Tony Abbott’s election victory was the final blow to lingering hopes of getting to Australia by boat and being allowed … Continue reading
Australia captures five major people smugglers
Federal police have arrested five ‘major’ alleged people smugglers operating in Australia. Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Steve Lancaster made the announcement on Thursday after a series of raids across the country. The AFP has described it as Australia’s largest ever people smuggling strike. Mr Lancaster says four of the five people – three Afghans, … Continue reading
Iran, Pakistan, Thailand snub human trafficking conference in Jakarta; Australia well represented
Iran, the largest source of boat people landing in Australia this year, has boycotted today’s special regional conference on asylum-seekers and human trafficking. The Iranians’ failure to appear casts further doubt on the capacity of the ministerial conference to agree on coordinated “concrete measures” for curbing asylum-seeker flows across the region. Pakistan, another major source … Continue reading
People smugglers take to the sky with Australian asylum seekers
People smugglers are concocting a new and expensive product to sell their asylum seeker clients – flying them into Australia on fake tourist visas to sidestep the harsh policies of both political parties aimed at boat arrivals. Three separate groups of Iranian asylum seekers in the Indonesian province of West Java have told Fairfax Media … Continue reading
August 17 1999 Earthquake exposes weak infrastructure in Turkey
On August 17th 1999, an earthquake in northwestern Turkey killed more than 17,000 people and left more than 250,000 homeless. The immense disaster exposed serious problems with government and building contractors in Turkey. The Northern Anatolian fault runs parallel to the south shore of the Black Sea in northern Turkey. It is on a small … Continue reading
July 27 1980 Ousted shah of Iran dies in exile
On July 27th 1980, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the former shah of Iran, died of cancer while in exile in Egypt. Mohammad Reza was enthroned as shah of Iran in 1941, after his father was forced to abdicate by British and Soviet troops. The new shah promised to act as a constitutional monarch but often meddled … Continue reading
June 29 2012 China Daily Mail Headlines
Qiao Shi’s book rouses demand for judicial independence in China Posted by chankaiyee2 ⋅ June 29, 2012 ⋅ Leave a Comment I hailed recent publication of Qiao Shi’s book “Qiao Shi on Democracy and Legal System” in my post “Chinese rule of law and democracy advocator Qiao Shi returns”. Qiao Shi, though retired, has been striving … Continue reading
May 31 2012 China Daily Mail Headlines
Iran cancels $2 billion dam deal with China Posted by China Daily Mail ⋅ May 31, 2012 ⋅ Leave a Comment Iran has cancelled a $2 billion contract for a Chinese firm to help build a hydroelectric dam in the country, Chinese state media said on Thursday, a move that risks upsetting Beijing, one of Tehran’s … Continue reading
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