Top story: Three months after Iran's post-election unrest, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad does not appear to have moderated his tone on domestic or international policy, but his relations with the country's clerical establishment appear more strained.
In a press conference on Monday, the president continued to lambast Iran's opposition, calling them "pollutants." On the same day, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Ahmedinejad to be open to "benevolent criticism." The Society of Militant Clergy, a leading clerical group, agreed saying that the President should "seriously try to solve people's problems and the country's economic and social issues and avoid talking about unnecessary and provocative issues."
In the same press conference, Ahmadinejad ruled out any concessions on Iran's "undeniable right" to a nuclear program, but said he is open to discussions on other issues with U.S. President Barack Obama. As the International Atomic Energy Agency meets in Vienna, Director-General Mohammed el-Baradei says the group has reached a stalemate with Iran over its nuclear program.
Milestone: Switzerland has overtaken the United States as the world's most competitive economy according to the World Economic Forum.
Asia
- Afghanistan's UN-appointed election watchdog has ordered a partial recount of last month's presidential election after finding evidence of fraud.
- South Korea is demanding that North Korea apologize for releasing water into a river causing a deadly flash flood.
- Taiwan's premier has resigned over his response to last month's typhoon.
Middle East
- Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak approved the construction of 450 new housing units on the West Bank.
- Lebanon's opposition has rejected Prime Minister-Designate Saad al-Hariri's proposed government.
- A roadside bombing in a Northern Iraqi Shiite town killed five, including a police chief.
Europe
- British courts have convicted three men for involvement in the 2006 transatlantic airliner terror plot.
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned against "premature judgments" about last week's airstrike, called in by German troops, which killed dozens of Afghan civilians.
- Northern Ireland's last pro-British paramilitary groups have agreed to scrap their weapons by the end of February.
Americas
- Mexico's attorney general -- a major figure in the country's drug war -- has resigned.
- Venezuela has reached a deal to export gasoline to Iran.
- As part of a campaign to bolster its defenses, Brazil will buy 36 French fighter jets
Africa
- The Ugandan military has entered the Central African Republic in search of Lord's Resistance Army rebels.
- Lubna Hussein -- whose case has stirred international interest -- was sentenced to a month in prison after she refused to pay a fine for wearing pants.
- Somaliland's Parliament broke out into a fistfight over a motion to impeach the president.
BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images
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