A group of Real Madrid fans were gathered in a club when 3 ISIS members opened fire on the venue. 16 were killed, and a further 20 were wounded. Following the attack, while being pursued by police and security forces, it appears that the attackers detonated suicide belts, killing themselves. Ziad Sobhan, manager of the club, said, “ISIS members don’t like football – they see it as being against their beliefs.”
Among classic Persian poets, there are none who have given as much richness to the nation’s language and literature as Ferdowsi has. His place in the pantheon of Persian literature is so important that many call him the “pillar of Farsi literature.” Mir Jalalal-din Kazazi, a prominent literary researcher, says, “Ferdowsi re-discovered the pillars of existence and essence in Iran.”
A Global Poet
Ferdowsi’s poetry has been studied in many prestigious universities, not only in Iran, but across the world. A study about the Shahnameh was recently carried out by the Centre for Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at Cambridge University. In Nowrouz last year, a new translation of Shahnameh was published in America. Dick Davis, the translator of this new edition, and a Professor of Farsi language and literature at Ohio University, and member of the Royal Society of Literature, praised the Persian tradition of Nowrouz at the book dedication.
Ferdowsi in the Eyes of Others
As we can see clearly from Ferdowsi’s words, Ferdowsi didn’t have any religious obsession. In a legendary story from Islamic mythology, Alexander makes a pilgrimage to Kabaa, and said that the Creator of the Earth needs neither time nor space. He also says that for our ancestors, fire was something which at which prayer was directed, as stone was used by Arabs.
Foroughi (a writer, philosopher and historian) believes that purity of the language is one of Ferdowsi’s characteristics, saying that in all of the Shahnameh it is impossible to find any obscene words. This shows that Ferdowsi, unlike other poets, tries to avoid corrupting himself with ugliness and immorality. Even when, due to the narrator of his stories, he must tackle an impolite subject, he finds the most subtle euphemisms. Ferdowsi was a very moral man, with weighty views, a kind heart, sensitive feelings, pure passions, and a wise nature. He always was aware of events around him, and guides the readers towards the fact that a bad act gives bad results; a crooked path will never lead humans to realize their dreams.
No-one believed in rationalism, science and preserving knowledge as much as Ferdowsi did. Like Omar Khayyam, Ferdowsi also regrets life’s brevity, displaying his perplexity about where we come from, why we are here, and where we will go after this world.
Abdulali Adib Boroumand, a contemporary poet, writes, “Shahnameh, without a doubt, is one of the world’s most important poetry collections, and Ferdowsi one of the greatest epic poets.”
Multiple translations and adaptations, studies and events, all go to demonstrate that Shahnameh remains an immortal masterpiece.
The literature of the book displays all the features of good poetry, including eloquence, clarity, melody, beauty of words, and deep meaning.
During a meeting in Tehran, Chitchian and Marzouk exchanged views on key aspects of Iranian-Tunisian cooperation and explored potential capacities and needs of the two sides in the field of energy.
The Iranian minister described the meeting as a major step forward for the two countries to boost their energy cooperation and address each other’s needs.
Heading a high-ranking delegation, Marzouk arrived in Tehran earlier on Saturday.
Iran’s capabilities in the electricity industry will be introduced to the Tunisian minister during his stay, Chitchian further said.
In an interview with Tasnim following the meeting, Homayoun Haeri, the managing director of Iranian Energy Ministry’s Water and Energy Industries and Exports Support Center, said Tunisia is a new destination for Iran’s electricity industry exports.
He added that Iran will increase its export of technical and engineering services to Tunisia.
The visit by the Tunisian minster comes against the backdrop of a new wave of interest in ties with Iran after Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) on July 14, 2015 reached a conclusion over the text of a comprehensive 159-page deal on Tehran’s nuclear program and started implementing it on January 16.
The comprehensive nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), terminated all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran.
Managing director of Iran’s National Water and Wastewater Engineering Company Hamidreza Janbaz said a substantial portion of the joint credit line with Japan is expected be allocated to the implementation of water and wastewater projects.
He made the comments at the 2nd conference on Iran-Japan cooperation in the water and wastewater industry, held in Tehran on Saturday.
Janbaz emphasized the need for closer interaction between the Iranian and Japanese private sectors in the water industry.
The official had already told Tasnim that Japan’s advanced technologies in water management, together with Iran’s scientific potential and human resources, can help improve efficiency of water systems in the country.
In a message to Hezbollah Secretary General Seyed Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday, Dehqan offered condolences to Hezbollah and the bereaved family of Badreddine, and said, “Undoubtedly, the blood of Mustafa Badreddine and other martyrs of teh resistance movement shed in the battle against the Zionist (Israeli) regime and Daesh (also known as ISIL and ISIS) mercenaries will root out terrorism in the region.”
Referring to attempts by major supporters of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, including the US, Israel and certain ‘treacherous’ regional regimes, to prevent the defeat of terrorism, the Defense Minister underlined that Daesh is, notwithstanding, nearing its end due to the sacrifices and steadfastness of the resistance front.
Mustafa Badreddine was martyred in a massive explosion near Damascus International Airport on Friday, in an attack Hezbollah later said had been carried out by “Takfiri groups”.
He was the commander of Hezbollah’s military arm, its chief of intelligence, and adviser to Nasrallah.
Badreddine was also the cousin and brother-in-law of the top Hezbollah commander, Imad Mughniyeh, who was likewise assassinated by the Israeli regime in Damascus in 2008.
“We believe that the revival of direct flights to Tehran from Kuala Lumpur is timely and we foresee that our direct flights from both Asean cities of Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok can improve bilateral relations while encouraging trade and tourism activities between the cities,” AirAsia X Chief Executive Officer Benyamin Ismail said in a statement, The Rakyat Post reported.
He added that the flights to Tehran from Kuala Lumpur (klia2 Airport) and Bangkok (Don Mueang International Airport) will start on June 21 and 22, respectively.
The klia2 flights leave every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday at 7:05 p.m., arriving in Tehran at 11:40 p.m. local time. The return flights take off at 1:05 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, arriving at klia2 at 12:45 p.m.
From Bangkok, the flights take off every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3:10 p.m., arriving in Tehran at 10:20 p.m. local time. Return flights take off at 9:50 p.m. and arrive in Bangkok the next day at 8:00 a.m.
The resumption of flights will come against the backdrop of a new wave of interest in ties with Iran after Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) on July 14, 2015 reached a conclusion over the text of a comprehensive 159-page deal on Tehran’s nuclear program and started implementing it on January 16.
The comprehensive nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), terminated all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran.
A huge number of Iranian twins, triplets, and other multiples gathered together on Thursday evening at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium in a ceremony whose motto was “Iranian Twins, Guardians of Persian Gulf Heritage”.
Iranian banks made inroads into a number of non-banking fields, such as real estates, industry and energy when the most stringent sanctions in 2012 shriveled the economy.
With those sanctions lifted, CEO of Pasargad Bank Majid Qassemi said some of their companies will be offered for sale on the over-the-counter securities market Fara Bourse.
The initial public offering (IPO) can take place in the current Iranian year which ends in March 2017 or the next Iranian year and is expected to raise about $330 million, local media quoted him as saying.
One the of companies set for IPO is Pasargad Energy Development Co. (PEDC) which is involved in oil and gas exploration as well as refining.
According to Qassemi, PEDC is working on approximately $12 billion of energy projects, including construction of a $2.2 billion gas line to neighboring Iraq.
Iran is slowly but surely opening to international business, with many investors casting off their fears about the consequences of trade with the Middle East’s second largest economy.
Since the lifting of sanctions in January, Iran’s stock market has rallied 30% as foreign companies and investors have been scoping the market of 80 million people for opportunities.
Meanwhile, Iran’s reconnection to the global financial system has buoyed the country’s banks which mostly suffered under the sanctions.
Qassemi said Pasargad wanted to turn into a “global bank” and Europe was a priority, where the lender sought to open branches in the UK, France, Switzerland and Spain.
The bank, he said, is considering initiating joint ventures with local lenders and building a profile overseas through acquisitions.
“We’ll focus on whichever country can answer our needs,” he was quoted as saying.
Pasargad is one of the 19 privately-owned banks in Iran. According to Qassemi, the lender increased assets by 14% in 2015 to 505 trillion rials ($16.6 billion).
The international banking industry, however, remains wary of resuming normal business with Iran.
Major international banks fear falling foul of American regulations or losing crucial permits to operate in the US.
On Friday, London-based HSBC slammed US Secretary of State John Kerry for exhorting European banks to do business with Iran while Washington continues to restrict American financial firms from doing the same.
Writing in the Wall Street Journal, HSBC’s Chief Legal Officer Stuart Levey said the US government is taking a “very odd position” on trade with Iran.
“On the one hand, Washington is continuing to prohibit American banks and companies from doing Iran-related business … on the other hand, Mr Kerry wants non-US banks to do business with Iran without a US repudiation of its prior statements about the associated financial-crime risks,” he said.
In 2014, French bank BNP Paribas was fined more than $8.9 billion for breaching US sanctions on Iran. Standard Chartered was also fined nearly $1 billion for trading with Iran.
Speaking to reporters in Tehran on Friday, the Iranian general said the terrorist groups in Syria benefit from the backing of both regional and ultra-regional countries.
“The enemies (of Syria) equipped terrorists with very new weapons,” he deplored.
General Vahidi then gave an assurance that the strategic village of Khan Touman in northern Syria will be recaptured in the near future.
Located in south of Aleppo, Khan Touman was under the control of Syrian troops since December, but fell into the clutches of militants from the al-Nusra Front terrorist group on May 6.
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