Iran - Oct 29

The Iranian parliament voted 160 to 79 to reject reformist Prime Minister Hassan Rouhani's choice for science minister, Mahmoud Nili-Ahmadabadi. The choice of science minister is sensitive as the position is responsible for higher education. Students have been jailed and academics have lost their jobs after the unrest in 2009 following the reelection of Ahmadinejad. The previous science minister, Reza Faraji-Dana, angered conservatives with his decision to allow those involved in the protests to return to campuses. Source: BBC