Free Republic

IRAN: TEXT MESSAGE TELLS PRESIDENT HE SHOULD WASH MORE Tehran, 14 April (AKI) - Iran's hardline president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has apparently been incensed by an anonymous text message suggesting he does not wash enough. Ahmadinejad has taken legal action over the offending text, has fired the president of a phone company and has had four people arrested and accused of colluding with the Israeli foreign intelligence service, Mossad, the anti-government website Rooz Online reports. Poking fun at the president, the regime's senior figures and its policies, has reportedly become a national pastime in Iran. The Iranian authorities are paying particular...

A GlobeScan poll of 20 countries around the world conducted between June and August 2005 showed that the French public is unusually skeptical about the free enterprise economic system. A majority or plurality of all of the other 19 countries polled agreed with the statement “The free enterprise system and free market economy is the best system on which to base the future of the world.” France alone had a minority, 36 percent, agreeing with the statement, while 50 percent disagreed. Ironically China had the largest majority, with 74 percent agreeing. Turkey (47%), Russia (43%) and Argentina (42%) each had...