French automaker Renault signed on Monday a long-awaited joint venture deal with Iran worth 660 million euros ($779 million) to build up to 300,000 cars per year. The new deal puts Renault in partnership with Iran’s state Industrial Development and Renovation Organisation (IDRO) and private firm Parto Negin Naseh. Renault will hold a 60-percent stake with IDRO and Parto Negin Naseh 20 percent each. Source The Local
Efforts to form a coalition government collapsed on Sunday after the Italian president rejected a eurosceptic pick for the key economy ministry, triggering a possible constitutional crisis and opening the prospect of fresh elections. Source Reuters
UK activist and English Defence Leage founder Tommy Robinson was arrested on Friday outside of Leeds Crown Court for reporting on a pedophile grooming trial. Within six hours of his arrest, Robinson was handed a 13 month prison term for violating a prior suspended sentence for a similar offense, while media outlets were banned from covering the incident by the court – with several removing reports which had already been published. Source ZeroHedge
Yemen’s Houthis fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia’s capital on Wednesday – an attack Saudi authorities said they intercepted in the skies over Riyadh. Source Reuters
