Word: localness
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Every night at 11 p.m., the village of Dörentrup in central Germany is thrown into total darkness. Strapped for cash for the past few years, the local council has taken to switching off all the streetlights. But while the scheme saves money, it left residents like Dieter Grote and his wife worrying about their children coming home in the dark. "My wife has all the good ideas," says Grote, who runs an advertising agency. "I discussed the problem with her and we thought it must be possible to have the lights available on demand." Grote got in touch...
Following on the heels of an unprecedented mass trial of 100 opposition figures a week ago, Saturday's session at Tehran's Revolutionary Court focused on the British embassy's chief political analyst, Hossein Rassam; a local staff member of the French embassy, Nazak Afshar; and a 24-year-old French teacher, Clotilde Reisse, who was working and studying in Isfahan, according to IRNA, Iran's official news agency. In a vague and rambling indictment, the three were charged with espionage and "acting against the national security," and for inciting "riots." It went on to blame a litany of Western...
...proceedings. He said the embassy had a budget of $500,000 to finance opposition groups and political activists and that he personally contacted the office of thwarted presidential candidate and now leading opposition figure Mir-Hossein Mousavi in the run-up to the election. He also admitted that a local staffer wore green, the color of Mousavi's campaign, to one of the demonstrations. (See pictures of Mir-Hossein Mousavi behind the scenes...
...British embassy, due to its hostile policies in Iran and fear of exposure of its contacts inside Iran, employed local staff to establish such contacts," Rassam was quoted as saying. "I established such contacts based on orders from embassy officials." The admissions of gathering intelligence on the demonstrations and opposition movement, according to the prosecutors, amount to espionage...
...Local diplomatic staffer Afshar, who works in the cultural mission of the French embassy, wept as she explained her role in the postelection unrest, "I physically attended gatherings ... Brothers at the Intelligence Ministry made me understand my mistake." Human-rights activists believe the confessions at these trials have been made under duress. In last week's trial, observers noted that former Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi appeared confused and seemed to have lost some 20 lb. during his monthlong incarceration...