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- Iran’s Zarif leaves Tehran for Moscow
- Shiraz University ranked 1st in liver transplantation: Iranian health official
- Japan’s Abe to meet Iran’s president to discuss easing tension in region
- Downing of US spy drone shattered war threats against Iran: Top IRGC commander
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- Iranian Taekwondo team wins 2019 World Cup championship
- US sanctions failed to force Iran to buckle: Report
- Crew fixing Iran oil tanker broken down in Red Sea
- As Iranians hold nerves, US seeks to scare off trade
- Leader expresses concern about Kashmir, urges India to follow fair policy toward Muslim-majority region
- Iran saffron exports down due to smuggling, government restrictions: Exporter
- Iran FM warns US against ‘serious miscalculation’ in Persian Gulf
- Iran’s resistance policy led to release of oil tanker: MP
- Iran in reverse brain drain as top students come home in rising numbers
- Iran official calls for compensation for tanker seizure
- Iran hails N Korea for standing against ‘unilateral’ US demands
- Shia Muslims celebrate Eid Al-Ghadir
- North Korea praises Iran’s anti-US struggle
- Zarif says to meet French president Friday
- Iranian court hearing case of UK oil tanker
- Over half of Japanese voters oppose joining US-led anti-Iran coalition in Persian Gulf: Poll
- IME trade ups by 21 percent in July
- Finland backs INSTEX in defiance of US
- US anti-Iran policy in high seas harms Europeans: LA Times
- Iran, China confer on Syria
- Iran, Finland share views on Persian Gulf dialogue forum: Zarif
- Iran warns US against seizure of oil tanker
- Iraq eager to benefit from Iranian Police’s experience
- Iran planning 3rd step to reduce nuclear commitments: Spokesman
- Leader grants clemency to over 1,000 Iranian inmates
- Registration for Arbaeen Pilgrimage to begin in Iran on Friday
- Iran, Iraq agree to reopen Khosravi border crossing
- Iran deplores suicide attack at Kabul wedding hall
- Iran to hold int'l hand-woven carpets expo
- Zarif meets with Iran-Kuwait Friendship Group members
- Adrian Darya oil tanker not under any sanctions, says Iran envoy
- ‘Iran to stay in nuclear deal as long as its interests are met’
- India envoy happy with positive trend of trade with Iran
- Iran’s annual export of white meat tops 2.5m tons: Minister
- Iranian scientist discovers new state of matter
- Iran, Japan diplomats discuss bilateral ties
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- ‘Iran to become self-sufficient in producing aircraft engines'
- US issues seizure warrant for Iranian supertanker 'Grace 1'
- Neanderthal tooth unearthed near Iran’s Zagros mountain
- Iran’s Zarif due in Kuwait on Saturday
- US faces humiliating defeat after Gibraltar releases Iranian tanker: Envoy
- Spokesman rejects claim on Iran’s commitment in exchange for tanker release
- Zarif reacts to release of Iranian tanker in Gibraltar
- Israel, UAE engaged in secret talks on Iran arranged by US: Report
- US threatens visa ban as Iranian-operated tanker sets to sail from Gibraltar
- Enemies must factor Iran's global power in their calculations: IRGC's chief commander
- Trump’s administration conflicting messages to Iran baffle go-betweens: Report
- Gibraltar releases Iran-operated tanker despite US pressure
French Leftwing outsider Benoit Hamon will fight former prime minister Manuel Valls for the French Socialist presidential nomination next Sunday after winning the first round of the party's primary.
Hamon was not considered a serious contender when the campaign began in December but the 49-year-old former education minister put himself in the driving seat with what he called a "message of hope and renewal".With Europe shifting to the right and the deeply unpopular President Francois Hollande ruling himself out, the Socialist primary has been billed as a fight for the party's soul with a left-leaning faction represented by Hamon battling Valls' centrist camp.
Hamon, 49, scored over 36 percent with Valls trailing on 31 percent, according to results from around 80 percent of polling stations.
Maverick former economy minister Arnaud Montebourg was eliminated with 17 percent and immediately threw his support behind Hamon.
Whoever wins the Socialist nomination faces long odds as polls currently show the presidential election coming down to a contest between conservative ex-premier Francois Fillon, far-right leader Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron, the 39-year-old former economy minister, AFP reported.
A defiant Valls, 54, told his supporters the Socialist primary runoff would be "a clear choice between unachievable promises and a credible left".
Hamon said he offered hope to a party ailing after five years under Hollande beset by economic sluggishness and mass protests.
His supporters had voted "through conviction and not out of resignation", he said.
Hamon performed strongly in three TV debates crammed into a short campaign, attracting attention with a proposal to give the unemployed and low-paid a "universal income" rising from 600 euros to 750 euros ($640 to $800) a month. Valls has poured scorn on the idea.
The two men will face off in a head-to-head TV debate on Wednesday.
The photogenic Macron has stolen the limelight from his former Socialist government colleagues in recent weeks, with his campaign speeches packed to overflowing.
But with right-wing ideas taking root across Europe, most opinion polls currently show a Fillon-Le Pen presidential showdown as the most likely scenario in May.
Macron is projected to score better than the Socialist candidate in the first round but both would be knocked out.
Valls, who was slapped by a protester during campaigning, appears to have paid the price for his association with Hollande and has at times struggled in a contest he had been expected to dominate.
Following his elimination, Montebourg backed his former cabinet colleague Hamon, both of whom represent the Socialists' left flank.
"We left the government together, we fought together. Next Sunday I'll be voting Hamon," he said.
Some Socialist supporters said Hamon was a breath of fresh air.
"To me he is the one best placed to revive the party," said Jean-Claude, who cast his ballot in Millau, southwestern France.
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