The editor-in-chief of the reformist newspaper owned by defeated presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi was arrested yesterday, a colleague at the Etemad Melli daily told AFP.
Mohammad Ghoochani was taken from his home, the source said on condition of anonymity.
"His wife told us that Mr (Mohammad) Ghoochani was taken away from home early yesterday morning by unidentified people who were also swearing loudly," the source said.
Hundreds of protestors have also been detained in Tehran - the epicentre of the election protests - and in other cities. (AFP)
Hamas says Carter offers path to talks
Former US President Jimmy Carter presented a 'personal initiative' to open direct talks between Washington and Hamas during a recent visit to the region, a senior Hamas official said yesterday.
Senior Hamas leader and parliamentarian Mushir al-Masri, who attended a meeting between Carter and Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya in Gaza City recently, said the group would study the proposal though it would not accept the three conditions of the Mideast Quartet.
The Quartet, made up of the US, the UN, the EU and Russia, has demanded that Hamas recognise Israel, renounce violence and accept past agreements signed between Israel and the Palestinians. (AFP)
Apple CEO Jobs had liver transplant
Steve Jobs, the chief executive of Apple Inc, received a liver transplant about two months ago but is expected to return to work later this month, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.
Jobs, a pancreatic cancer survivor, stepped away from managing day-to-day operations for the consumer electronics giant about six months ago, citing unspecified health issues.
He may return to work part-time at first, the newspaper said, quoting an unnamed source. The source said Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook may continue to manage daily operations of the company when Jobs first returns.
Neither Jobs nor a company spokeswoman confirmed the report, the newspaper said.
Some Apple directors knew about the surgery, which occurred in Tennessee, and were briefed weekly by Job's doctor, the report said. (Reuters)
Taiwan issues typhoon warning
Taiwan authorities yesterday issued a sea warning for the island's first typhoon of the year, a light but slow-moving storm expected to reach land this weekend with torrential rains and wind gusts up to 103 kph.
Typhoon Linfa, centred 410 km southwest Taiwan as of 5 a.m., was headed toward the island and the southeast coast of China, the Central Weather Bureau said.
"As the typhoon continues to move north-northeast, it constitutes a threat to the Taiwan Strait," the bureau said on its website www.cwb.gov.tw.
The light typhoon, with sustained winds of 83 kph, is expected to reach land today, lingering through tomorrow at an usually slow 10 kph, raising the risk of floods or mudslides. (Reuters)
Stroke victim walks again with botox
An Australian stroke victim paralysed for more than 20 years has walked again thanks to anti-wrinkle drug botox, in a case hailed as extraordinary by his medical team.
Russell McPhee, 49, was confined to a wheelchair after suffering a severe stroke 23 years ago that left him so disabled that doctors initially told him he would never leave hospital.
But after being injected with botox, the anti-ageing treatment popular among Hollywood celebrities, McPhee can walk around his home unaided and travel up to 100 metres using a walking stick.
"I thought I was going to die in a wheelchair," McPhee told AFP.
The former meatworker admitted he and girlfriend Kerry Crossley were initially sceptical when told about the treatment.
"(Kerry) chipped in and said 'what, don't you think he's pretty enough?'" McPhee said. (AFP)
NY Times reporter escapes from Taliban
A New York Times reporter kidnapped last November by the Taliban and held in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan has escaped to freedom, the newspaper reported yesterday on its website.
David Rohde and a local reporter, who were abducted outside Kabul along with their driver, "just walked over the wall of the compound" where they were being held captive in Pakistan's remote North Waziristan region, Rohde's wife Kristen Mulvihill told the Times after speaking with her husband.
Rohde and the Afghani reporter, Tahir Ludin, made their daring escape on Friday night and managed to find a Pakistani army scout who escorted them to a nearby army base. They were flown to Bagram US military base in Afghanistan, the newspaper reported.
Their driver did not escape with them.
Rohde, 41, was said to be in good health, while Ludin injured his foot in the escape. (AFP)