Top of the Morning: Meet Iran’s President Elect Hassan Rouhani

Top stories from DAWNS Digest

Meet Iran’s New President: Not Your Father’s Cleric

A rather surprising result from this weekend’s election. “[Tehran] was calm on Sunday after a long night of spontaneous street celebrations following the surprise victory of president-elect Hassan Rouhani, a cleric whose moderate views have inspired hope among Iranians eager for new personal freedoms and quick social change. But those voters are likely to be disappointed, at least in the short term, as Rouhani sends signals that his agenda will instead be dominated by measured efforts to revive Iran’s sagging economy and improve its relations with the rest of the world.” (WaPo http://wapo.st/125rRMn)

Turkish Unions Call for General Strike

An escalation of the #occupyGezi movement in the wake of the government’s crackdown. “Unions in Turkey have called a one-day nationwide strike to protest against the police crackdown on anti-government demonstrations. The Confederation of Public Workers’ Unions (KESK) and Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DISK) are demanding an end to police violence. The move comes after continued sporadic clashes between protesters and police in Istanbul and the capital Ankara. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has angrily defended the crackdown. Addressing tens of thousands of supporters in Istanbul on Sunday, Mr Erdogan said it had been his duty to order the eviction of the protesters in the city’s Gezi Park the previous night.” (BBC http://bbc.in/125saqx)