Iran approves 6 to run for president; Ahmadinejad is out

Iran approves 6 to run for president; Ahmadinejad is out

TEHRAN, Iran

An Iranian panel charged with vetting candidates approved the country’s incumbent president and five challengers but disqualified former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from running in next month’s presidential election, state television reported Thursday.

The decision by the Guardian Council means that President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate, will face off against a field that includes two prominent hard-liners: Ebrahim Raisi, who is considered close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf.

The Guardian Council, a cleric-dominated body, controls elections and must approve all laws passed by parliament. It has never allowed a woman to run for president and routinely rejects political dissidents and others calling for dramatic reform.

Germ in raw milk, poultry now tops food poisoning list

NEW YORK

The U.S. government’s latest report card on food poisoning suggests that a germ commonly linked to raw milk and poultry is surpassing salmonella at the top of the culprit list.

The report counts cases in only 10 states for nine of the most common causes of foodborne illness, but is believed to be a good indicator of national food poisoning trends.

The most common bug last year was campylobacter. It’s mostly a problem in unpasteurized dairy products, but also is seen in contaminated chicken, water and produce. Salmonella was No. 1 for the past 20 years but last year moved down to No. 2. Other causes like listeria, shigella and E. coli trail behind.

Court finds voter discrimination again in Texas

AUSTIN, Texas

A Republican-drawn map setting the boundaries of Texas’ statehouse districts violates the U.S. Constitution by intentionally discriminating against minority voters, a federal court found Thursday – the third such ruling against the state’s voting laws in roughly a month.

The latest ruling means Texas’ strict voter ID law, congressional maps and state legislative maps – all of which were enacted in 2011 – have recently been found in violation of the federal Voting Rights Act.

For Texas, the stockpiling losses carry the risk of a court punishing the state by demanding approval before changing voting laws. The process, known as “preclearance,” was formerly required of Texas and other states with a history of racial discrimination before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013 struck down the heart of the Voting Rights Act. But the court kept in place the chance that states could again fall under federal oversight if intentional discrimination is found.

American, Russian cheered as they reach Space Station

BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan

A Soyuz space capsule on Thursday safely delivered an American astronaut making his first space flight and a veteran Russian cosmonaut to the International Space Station.

NASA’s Jack Fischer and Russia’s Fyodor Yurchikhin lifted off from the Russia-leased launch facility in Kazakhstan. They reached orbit about nine minutes after takeoff, a moment illustrated when a stuffed white dog toy hanging from a string in the capsule began to float.

About six hours later, they docked at the orbiting outpost.

Associated Press