WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

Wednesday, September 21, 1:30 pm: news arrives that at least six people were arrested in Iran, accused of a "cover-up to fulfill the needs of the British secret service in exchange for big sums of money." Iran’s Culture Minister called them subversives and enemies of the Islamic system.

Today, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will submit a letter to the U.N. Security Council requesting official recognition of a Palestinian state.

The sudden wave of unrest in the Middle East may make it appear as though that part of the world has only recently undergone a political awakening. But some activists have been fighting for change for a long time. In some cases their work has forced them to flee and work from afar.

Iran has arrested two former presidential challengers who helped to spark demonstrations against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after losing a disputed election in 2009, according to reports.Since that election, and the protests that followed, Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi became opposition le

On Monday tens of thousands of Iranians took to the streets of Tehran and other cities in the largest street protests since the 2009 uprising. Demonstrators came out to show their solidarity with Egypt’s revolt.

The world has watched as demonstrations toppled governments in Tunisia and Egypt in recent weeks, and then as thousands of anti-government protesters returned to the streets in Tehran on Monday.But is it likely there will be "a wave of protests" in Iran like those that happened elsewhere?

In his book, "Letters to My Torturer: Love, Revolution, and Imprisonment in Iran,"  Iranian journalist Houshang Asadi reflects on his years in prison after his arrest in 1981. The book is a series of 27 letters to his interrogator.