Bildunterschrift: Internet censorship is a global problem

DW:  End of US export ban on Web tools leaves Iran, Cuba and Sudan speechless

The US decision to allow the export of Internet tools to Iran, Cuba and Sudan won’t bring about instant change. But it does make life harder for the censors – and the regimes in question can’t even complain about it.

BBC:  Meet US Cybercom: Why the US is fielding a cyber army

The US is in the process of creating a unified cyber command, to fight the wars of the future. The Pentagon has no doubt that the next conventional war will include a cyber element.

WAN-Press:  WAN-IFRA Condemns Detention of Iranian Journalists

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) has condemned the continued imprisonment of Iranian journalist Emad Baghi and the repressive measures employed by the state to silence critical publications.

AFP:  Iran renews demand for France to free businessman

Iran renewed its demand on Tuesday for France to release an Iranian businessman who is accused by the United States of having purchased sensitive electronic components and exported them to Tehran.

MSNBC:  Bin Laden’s son calls on Iran to free his siblings

One of Osama bin Laden’s sons has called on Iran’s supreme leader to release members of his family believed to be under house arrest there since they fled Afghanistan in 2001, according to a letter posted Monday on the Internet.

Telegraph:  Iran ‘tried to buy nuclear weapons from Pakistan’

Iran attempted to buy nuclear weapons from Pakistan in 1990 but a putative deal was rejected at the last moment by the former head of the Pakistani military, according to an official transcript leaked in Washington.

AEI:  Iran News Roundup March 12-15, 2010

Mohammad Hashemi Rafsanjani, brother of the former president: “They say Islam is the religion of the barefoot and Ayatollah Hashemi gave them shoes by creating jobs, and therefore, reduced the number of the army of Islam. What kind of logic is this? Should we let the people starve to remain Muslim?…Whoever finds property belonging to the Rafsanjani family can seize it.”

RFE:  Iran Praises Iraq Election As Shi’ite Ally Leads

Iran has congratulated Iraqis over an election that is likely to keep a bloc led by its Shi’ite ally, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, in power after a campaign in which Tehran’s influence was a divisive issue.  Maliki’s main challenger, former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who headed a secular list mixing Shi’ite and Sunni Arabs, made a high-profile visit to Saudi Arabia during the campaign to improve ties with Iran’s biggest Sunni rival in the Persian Gulf region.

TB:  ‘Temporary Marriage’ and the Economy of Pleasure