The holy shrine of Imam Reza [the eighth Shiite Imam] hosted a massive ceremony Saturday evening. In the candle-light event people mourned the martyrdom of the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
The following are snapshots of the ceremony the Young Journalists Club put online:
Russian President Vladimir Putin will likely attend a summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Tehran next month, media reports said Saturday.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has been quoted by the Russian Sputnik news as saying that Putin has been invited to attend the summit by his Iranian counterpart President Rouhani.
“The decision has not been made so far. The decision will be made depending on [Putin’s] schedule. Russia will be in any case presented there at a high level,” Peskov told reporters.
The invitation was delivered by First Vice-President Eshagh Jahangiri to the visiting Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak on Thursday.
“Iran is interested to see Russia participate in the summit at the highest level,” Jahangiri told Novak.
Apart from Russia, Iran has also submitted official invitations to the presidents of Algeria, the UAE, Venezuela, Qatar, Egypt, Bolivia, Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, and Trinidad and Tobago as key members of the forum as well as the Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Peru and Norway as the observer member states.
The forum, founded in 2001, unites leading natural gas exporting countries and coordinates cooperation between its members.
Iran has condemned two recent terrorist attacks on mosques in the northeast of Nigeria which killed at least 55 people and injured more than 100 others.
Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham Saturday underlined the need for an all-out fight against extremist ideologies.
She voiced Iran’s readiness to exchange experience with Nigeria on fighting terrorism.
The spokeswoman also expressed the Islamic Republic’s sympathy with the Nigerian government and nation as well as the families of the victims.
At least 27 people were killed and about 100 injured in a bomb attack on newly-inaugurated Jambutu Juma’at mosque in the eastern city of Yola on Friday.
Witnesses said the blast in Yola took place in the middle of a large congregation of worshippers, making a hint that the bombing may have been carried out by an explosive device hidden inside the building.
The bomb attack was the second in less than 24 hours on Muslim places of worship. Twenty-eight people were also killed after an attacker detonated his explosives at a mosque in Maiduguri, the capital of the northeastern Borno State, during the early hours of Friday.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the two bomb attacks. Nigerian officials, however, often blame such acts of violence on Boko Haram militants who have been engaged in an armed rebellion against the government since 2009.
A 29-year-old Iranian bride, who is an active member of the Iranian Cheetah Society and an animal rights activist, has asked for a very unusual marriage portion.
Jamnews.ir has filed a report on what has inspired the bride to tie her marriage to wildlife benefits. What follows is the translation of part of the bride’s remarks in the report:
One of my colleagues asked me a month ago what I was planning to ask for as marriage portion.
In answering that question, the idea of having something different which could fulfill my ambitions took shape in my mind.
I decided to ask for a waterhole in the wilderness as my marriage portion, because I blame human activity for the damage caused to animal habitant.
Overexcited with the idea, I contacted my fiancé and shared with him what had just occurred to me. My husband, who is a nature lover and breeds plants and flowers, welcomed the idea. We did some research on the waterhole construction and its costs and had my request officially registered in a registry office. My husband and I plan to finance the construction of more waterholes in the near future in a bid to take a small step toward the revival of the environment.
My contact with nature and wildlife has emboldened and empowered me to fight my problems. I have learned from animals that there is a solution to every problem and that I should not give up when I am unable to find a solution.
I owe what I have in life to signs that God has embedded in nature for us. They are like hidden treasures at the heart of Mother Nature. Upon discovery of those treasures you can lead a good life.
[Waterholes built by the Iranian Cheetah Society have a special structure which doesn’t allow access to animals like camels, but all wild animals such as wolves, hyenas, jackals, gazelles, deer, wild sheep and different kinds of birds can use them.]
The Shiite world is mourning the martyrdom of the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad these days.
These ceremonies come to their peak on Saturday which coincides with Ashura [the day the third Shiite Imam fell on battlefield as he led an uprising to promote justice].
Different Shiite groups use different ways to mourn the martyrdom of Imam Hussein.
The following images have been released by IRNA news agency of ceremonies on the eve of Ashura in Abyaneh in central Iran. In this small village in Isfahan Province, mourners keep tapping two wooden pieces together as those who have recently lost loved ones hand out votive food.
Muslims worldwide hold mourning rituals during the month of Muharram on the lunar calendar in remembrance of the suffering imposed on the religious icon, his family and his companions, by the tyrant of the time Yazid I, an Umayyad caliph, back in the seventh century.
The events peak on the10th day, traditionally known as Ashura, when the Imam and 72 of his companions were martyred at the hands of the despot, to whom they had refused to pledge allegiance.
This year’s Ashura fell on Saturday when, in line with centuries-old customs, benefactors distributed votive food, while others marched in massive mourning processions, lamenting the tragedy.
Mourning processions are also underway in Pakistan, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Lebanon and Australia. Similar ceremonies will also be held in Europe, America and Africa later in the day.
In Sydney, more than 5,000 people took to the streets to observe Ashura, chanting slogans in honor of Imam Hussein and his family’s sacrifices.
Officials in Iran and Russia are determined to consolidate bilateral ties on different fronts.
The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) has published separate reports on relations between Tehran and Moscow in defense, transportation and navy areas. The following is a brief translation of three separate reports:
Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan and Russian Energy Minister Alexander Valentinovich Novak, who also leads his country’s delegation in Iran-Russia Joint Economic Cooperation Commission, met on Wednesday and stressed the need for the two neighbors to develop ties on all fronts.
Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Akhundi has met with the visiting Russian energy minister. In the meeting, the two sides discussed as many as 121 transportation projects worth €25 billion the Russian firms can invest in, said the Iranian minister.
The Iranian Navy’s Peace and Friendship Flotilla berthed at the Russian port of Astrakhan on Thursday (October 22).
Homegrown destroyer Damavand as well as Peykan and Joshan frigates are part of the Iranian flotilla which docked at the Russia port after three days of sailing in the Caspian Sea.
The port call intends to cement mutual ties, boost efforts to maintain the security of the Caspian Sea and develop naval and cultural exchanges.
In a Thursday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ali Larijani thanked the Russia leader’s constructive role in the course negotiations over Iran’s nuclear case, saying Moscow-Tehran ties would definitely flourish under the new circumstances created by the breakthrough in the nuclear discussions.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 12th annual Valdai International Discussion Club meeting in the Russian resort town of Sochi.
Iranian negotiators and representatives from the P5+1 group – Russia, China, France, Britain, the US and Germany – succeeded in finalizing the text of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on July 14.
Under the JCPOA, limits will be put on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for, among other things, the removal of all economic and financial bans, against the Islamic Republic.
Elsewhere, Larijani pointed to Moscow’s stance on regional issues, saying, “We (Iran) consider Russia’s role and its efforts to establish regional peace and stability as effective and useful.”
Putin, for his part, stated that the Iranian nuclear case came to a conclusion through logic and negotiations, adding that relations between Russia and Iran are developing.
‘Iran role crucial to Syria settlement’
The Russian head of state also highlighted Iran’s constructive role in the fight against terrorism, particularly in Syria.
Without Iran’s engagement and participation in initiatives aimed at the resolution of the Syrian crisis, all such efforts will be in vain, the Russian president added.
On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov highlighted Iran’s role in resolving the ongoing conflict in Syria, saying that the settlement of the crisis gripping the Arab country has “no prospect” without the Islamic Republic’s participation.
Two conferences were previously held in an attempt to resolve the Syrian crisis in the Swiss city of Geneva, one in 2012 and the other in 2014. However, both events ended in failure amid the absence of Iran, an important regional player.
Tehran has drawn up a four-point peace plan on the Syrian crisis, which calls for a national unity government, a ceasefire, fighting terrorism and constitutional reforms in the violence-torn Arab nation, according to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria, which flared in March 2011, has claimed the lives of more than 250,000 people and left over one million injured, according to the United Nations.
A young Iranian man has traveled around the country to take selfies at historical sites and share them online with fellow Iranians.
Earlier in October Mehr News Agency published a report on a young man who has made a film of the selfies he has taken in different ancient places in Iran. The following is the translation of part of that report:
Sadegh Akbari is the director of The Iranian Selfie, a motion picture featuring a young man from Tabriz, East Azerbaijan Province, who has traveled around the country over a one-month period to take selfies at historical sites.
“I wish I will not be alive if Iran does not exit!” This half-line verse by Ferdowsi – a very prominent Iranian poet and the creator of Shahnameh [The Epic of Kings] – is what has inspired this young man. His love for Iran and touring made him strap a backpack on his shoulder this summer and set out for all provinces in Iran all by himself.
The one-minute video he has shared online [on social networking sites] is the result of his month-long trip across Iran. The Iranian Selfie narrates his visit to as many as 150 places of historical interest during 31 days.
[…]
Love for homeland
Sadegh’s journey has come to an end a long time ago, but the toll the [long] journey has taken on the body of the young adventurer has yet to disappear.
“I love Iran and do what it takes for my country. I like to see other countries learn about the beauties of Iran,” he says.
Sadegh does not like to get help from sponsors for his works. He foots the bill for the films he produces. Sadegh wants his work to be watched at home and abroad. To that end, he is planning to present his film with English subtitles.
Deputy Head of Iranian Law Enforcement Force for Coordination Brigadier General Mohammad Javad Zadeh Kamand has said that there are as many as 7,200 female police in the country.
Bahar daily on October 14 published a report on what the senior police official has said about women police and their performance in the Law Enforcement Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The following is the translation of the report:
The general said that police force attaches special significance to the presence of women in its ranks, adding that currently up to 7,200 women are working as police officers.
He further said that a number of women join the police force each year as some quit their jobs on different grounds, adding that the new recruits work either in the units which have vacancies or the units they prefer such as the Traffic Police, Social Department, Prevention Police, etc., and receive related specialized training.
The senior police official went on to say that women have been given a big number of tough and specialized jobs in the police force, adding that policewomen have played a remarkable role on different fronts, especially crime prevention.
For instance, women police officers got involved in a number of cases built against lawbreakers, offered consultation services, and settled the cases peacefully, he said, adding this has spared the police and the judicial system huge costs.
General Zadeh Kamand also credited female police for great efforts they put in in the line of duty and said that accuracy, precision, integrity and authenticity are the salient features of the female police.
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