From the Ceasefire Campaign

From the Ceasefire Campaign

Dear Friends,

North Korea's nuclear test last week showed that policies of isolation and threats of regime change will not prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. We need to act quickly, before the Bush
Administration makes the same mistakes in Iran. The UN Security Council is scheduled to discuss sanctions on Iran this week, making it critical to get as many people as possible involved in this campaign over the next few days, while world leaders are debating their options. Click below to send a message to President Bush, calling on the US to enter direct negotiations with Iran:

www.CeasefireCampaign.org

The last thing the world needs is a global nuclear arms race, so let's seize this moment to show the Bush Administration that the world has a stake in resolving things with Iran peacefully ­ and will hold him accountable.

Talks between the US and Iran won't guarantee a solution to the nuclear problem, but no talks will guarantee failure. There is no military solution to this issue, and President Bush's aggressive policies have begun to spark a global nuclear arms race, as countries rush to build nuclear weapons. There have been several calls, even from prominent members of Bush's own Republican Party, to change course. Join this rising chorus by clicking below:

www.CeasefireCampaign.org

The Bush Administration is starting to learn that it ignores global public opinion at its peril. Let's send a strong message to President Bush ­forward this email to your friends and family, and encourage them to help prevent the nightmare of a new global nuclear arms race from becoming reality.

Thanks!

Cars in Iran

Cars in Iran

According to a 2004 report in the Iran Daily, Iran would have 25 million vehicles on its roads by the year 2020 up from the 2004 figure of 5.4 million. Of this number, approximately half are crammed in to the capital Tehran.

Cars in Iran

Iran has had its own car industry since the 1960s and now exports cars to a number of other countries including Russia and Belarus. Iran Khodro Industrial Group, the country's major vehicle manufacturer, hopes to export 250,000 cars to the world market by 2010, targetting such countries as Egypt, Turkey and Eastern Europe as areas of growth with plans for joint production ventures under license in such countries as China, Senegal and Syria.

Iran's first mass-produced car, the ubiquitous Paykan, based on the 1966 Hillman Hunter, was produced domestically by Iran Khodro from kits shipped by the British manufacturer Rootes. In 1978 Peugeot took over the defunct Rootes Company, and production was shifted under license to Iran, ceasing only in 2005.

The Paykan has been superseded by Iran Khodro's new model, the Samand, which is based on the Peugeot 405. Plans are underway to produce a hybrid version of the Samand under pressure from the government to reduce vehicle emissions in Iran.

© Iranvisitor.com

Government clamps down on ADSL use

Government clamps down on ADSL use

The Iranian government has instructed providers of ADSL internet services to limit private users and internet cafes to a maximum connection speed of 128kps. No reason has been given for the new ban but it follows in the footsteps of an intensification in internet content filtering.

The new restriction will effectively prevent internet users in Iran from receiving multimedia content such as foreign news and entertainment broadcasts and will also make downloading large files more difficult.

The Telecommunications Ministry has said the order will stay in place until "new regulations for providing ADSL services" were issued. It is still not clear whether this means the restriction will stay in place but ADSL providers and users are not expecting the decision to be reversed.

High-speed internet connections of 256kps and 512kps had been available in Iran for little more than one year before the current order was issued in mid-October.

© Iranvisitor.com