Iran appoints the first woman governor

The Iranian government has appointed the country's first woman district governor since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

The appointment of Rahmat Ruhani Sarvestani as governor of Sarvestan, a district near Shiraz, the capital of the southern Fars province, was announced in a statement by the Iranian Minister of Interior.

Correspondents say the status of women in Iran has improved since the election of reformist President Mohammad Khatami in 1997.

He appointed a woman as one of his vice presidents.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service