Today's Iran News (September 9, 2008)

Russia to keep 7,600 troops in Georgia breakaway regions Russia plans to keep 7,600 troops in Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and will pull out from the rest of the country, Russia's Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said today. Also today, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters that Russian troops would stay in the two regions for "a long time" in order to prevent any "repeat of Georgian aggression". Lavrov also said that Russia has established formal diplomatic ties with them, and that both regions should participate next month's talks in Geneva on their status. The announcement comes a day after Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev vowed to withdraw from undisputed territory by mid-October, during talks with France's President Nicolas Sarkozy in Moscow. OPEC Members likely to maintain oil production levels Meeting in Vienna today, ministers of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries [OPEC], are expected to maintain current output quotas even as some member countries call for closer adherence to predetermined production limits to shore up a market trading at 5-month lows of about $105 barrels per day [bpd]. OPEC members, Iran and Venezuela have been pushing for a floor-price of at least $100 per barrel and urging the organizations members to cut production above predetermined output levels. Saudi Arabia, the oil cartel's leading producer is said to be looking for oil prices around $80 per barrel. Family Plan Protection Bill Passes, Controversial Articles left out Iran's parliament today approved the Family Protection Bill, but without its most controversial articles, numbers 23 and 25. Article 23 of the proposed bill would take away the requirement of previous wives' consent for a married man to remarry, while article 25 required that unusually high dowries be taxed by the government. These controversial aspects of the bill, which contained 51 articles on family matters, received wide-ranging criticism and protest not only from women's and human rights groups, but also from certain members of the clergy. These groups consider the passage of the revised bill a victory. This bill, which originated in Iran's judiciary, first received the support of the executive branch last summer, before being introduced to the Majlis. Bush orders troop cuts for Iraq, deployments to Afghanistan President Bush today announced that he would cut US troop strength in Iraq by 8,000 by February 2009 and that he would send additional troops to Afghanistan in the next few months. Speaking at the National Defense University in Washington, Bush said: "While the enemy in Iraq is still dangerous, we have seized the offensive, and Iraqi forces are becoming increasingly capable of leading and winning the fight. As a result, we have been able to carry out a policy of 'return on success' -- reducing American combat forces in Iraq as conditions on the ground continue to improve." Bush pointed to the handover of the volatile Anbar Province to Iraqi forces resulting from a 90 percent reduction in attacks in the province as proof that security in Iraq is improving. Additional reductions will be possible in the first half of 2009 if the progress in Iraq continues to hold. Acknowledging that "huge challenges" remain in Afghanistan, Bush announced that a Marine battalion and an Army brigade would be deployed to that country. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid criticized the president's plan, saying more should be done to shift resources in Afghanistan.

YouTube | September 9, 2008

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