The Iranian national basketball team chalked up its first victory at the 2014 FIBA World Cup when it lined up against Egypt on Wednesday (September 3).
Iran’s Samad Nikkhah Bahrami and Hamed Haddadi were instrumental in the 88-73 win over Egypt.
Iran lost their first three matches at the world event to hosts Spain, and then to Brazil and Serbia.
In their final match in the group stage Iran are to line up against France on Thursday (16:00 GMT).
Iran score first win in the FIBA World Cup
A look at newspaper headlines across the country on September 3
Most Iranian newspapers on Wednesday September 3, 2014 put the victory of the Iranian volleyball squad over the World League champions, the United States, in a thrilling five-setter on their front pages. Another story that drew as much attention in the dailies was the passing of prominent Iranian jurist Nasser Katuzian,who is widely known as the founding father of Iranian law.
Ebtekar likened the defeat of reformists in an in-house vote of Tehran City Council to elect a new chairperson to “an own goal” and said some reformist councilors voted against their own candidate to “hand over the leadership of the City Council to principlists”.
Ebtekar: “The Assembly of Experts throws its weight behind the country’s foreign policy machine at a 16th gathering of the chamber.”
Ettela’at: “Construction of the Middle East’s largest oncology center gets underway in Rasht [northern Iran].” World-renowned Iranian neurosurgeon and medical scientist Madjid Samii and Vice-President Mohammad Bagher Nobakht were on hand for the ground-breaking ceremony.
Ettela’at: “Dr. Amir Nasser Katuzian, who was part of the team that drafted the first Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, passed away at 87.”
Ettela’at: Mehdi Chamran “won 18 of the 31 votes cast” by Tehran City councilors to unseat Ahmad Masjed Jamei as chairman of the council.
Tafahom: “In the year since the 11th government took office, the executive branch has done good things,” said Vice-Chairman of the Assembly of Experts Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi.
Jahan-e San’at: “I am optimistic about the future of talks [with P5+1],” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said after talks with EU’s Catherine Ashton.
Hemayat: “Iran is to replace the West in the Russian food market.” It comes after Russia banned food imports from the EU in retaliation for Western sanctions against Moscow over perceived interference in Ukraine.
Kar va Kargar: “Constructive interaction is the major approach of the 11th government on the diplomatic front,” President Rouhani tells new foreign ambassadors based in Tehran.
Hambastegi: “The Yemeni government was dismissed after growing popular protests.”
Arman-e Emrooz: “Acting Minister of Science, Research and Technology Ali Najafi will implement the policies of Faraji Dana, [who was impeached by parliament last month], Jafar Tofighi says after quitting his advisory role at the science ministry.
Abrar Eghtesadi:“Sweden has expressed willingness to invest in Iran’s petrochemical sector,” Iran’s Ambassador to Stockholm said. It came after the managing director of Pars Special Economic Energy Zone announced that Germany, Turkey and Qatar are set to be part of petro-chemistry projects in Iran.
Asrar: “Public satisfaction with the government’s performance is on the rise,” Justice Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi said.
Jomhouri Islami: In what seems to be a warning to Europe, President Putin of Russia is reported to have said Russia could “take Kiev in two weeks”.
Jahan-e Eghtesad: “The stage is set for Iran to lift itself out of economic recession,” the vice-president for planning and strategic supervision said.
Asr-e Eghtesad: “Iran’s production and exports have both posted increases,” the director of the Trade Promotion Organization said.
Kayhan: “Impeachment of more Cabinet ministers is not on the agenda of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Reports that five more ministers are to be impeached are invented by reformist newspapers,” Gholamali Haddad Adel, the head of the Principlist Caucus in the chamber, said.
We Didn’t Expect “Such A Start”, Iran Captain Marouf Says
Iran produced another stellar performance at the world championship in Poland as the team claimed its second win in Krakow, this time in a thrilling five-setter over the US 3-2 (25-23, 25-19, 19-25, 18-25, 17-15).
“We played several times against the US in the last two months, always losing, but this time around we started well, did well in defense and our side-out was good,” Marouf said in the post-match news conference, poland2014.fivb.org wrote.
“These points are really important for us. We didn’t expect such a start, but the match with Italy helped us a bit. No one expected us to win these two matches, so we are delighted with this perfect start,” Iran captain added.
Iran, which opened the campaign with a remarkable 3-1 (25-16, 23-25,25-21, 25-22) win over Italy, will face France on Thursday.
VP: Iran’s Tourism Industry Flourishing
“The number of foreign tourists visiting Iran in the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21 – August 22) showed a 200 percent growth in comparison with last year’s corresponding period,” Vice-President and Head of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) Massoud Soltanifar said in a meeting with investors of the tourism sector.
He noted that 90 percent of the foreign tourists come to visit Iran with the purpose of natural, historical and religious tourism, adding, “Only 10 percent of foreign tourists come to Iran to attend conferences.”
Soltanifar noted that Iran has over one million historical and natural sites that only 31,100 or nearly three percent of which have been registered.
Last week, Soltanifar announced that over 4.8 million foreign tourists visited Iran in the last Iranian year (ended March 20, 2014) and brought around $5.5b in revenues to the country despite sanctions.
Women are in the lead in protecting the environment
Women are at the forefront of efforts to protect the environment. More importantly, as compared with men they cause less damage to nature and its invaluable treasure. This definitive verdict was part of a brief report in “Zanan-e Emrooz” [Today’s Women]. If the report had been written by a female writer, it could have come under fire for being biased toward women or for displaying a feminist tendency. But the fact that it has been penned by Bahram Moalemi eliminates the involvement of any feminist bias. What follows is the translation of the report:
The World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) defines sustainable development as “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” One of the fundamental parts of sustainable development is preservation of the environment and correct consumption of present resources. It is impossible to imagine that sustainable development can take place in the world without the contribution of women.
The ability of women to save and invest money in the family is completely obvious. Such ability plays a fundamental role in three major areas, including protection of the environment in today’s world, cutting down on consumption, and reuse and recycling.
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 [also known as the Rio Summit, Rio Conference, and Earth Summit] is deemed to have been be a turning point as far as the role of women is concerned. It was in Rio Declaration that the decisive role of women in securing sustainable development from social, economic, and ecological points of view was recognized and emphasized.
Under Principle 21, related to the conference agenda for the 21st century, women are considered a major group whose contribution to sustainable development is essential. According to policies adopted during the conference, empowerment of women and their complete and equal contribution are regarded as the foundation for peace and sustainable development. [“Women have a vital role in environmental management and development. Their full participation is therefore essential to achieving sustainable development.”]
The results of field studies over the last three decades across the world suggest that in terms of ecology and the environment, women’s knowledge is broader than men.
Also, women tend to be more eager and responsible when it comes to recycling, reusing waste and Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP), aka Green Purchasing.
Who better than women, the epitome of motherliness, can understand the suffering which mankind has inflicted on “Mother Nature”, ease the pain of deep and excruciating wounds left on nature’s fragile body and look after this terminally ill patient? You never know, Lady Luck might smile on Mother Nature and recovery may come along.
Undoubtedly, women are the first who take a hit as a result of environmental degradation. Many researchers are of the opinion that throughout history, awareness on the part of women has contributed to the protection of the environment.
The fact that women and nature have been closely associated with each other throughout history makes for accounts that simultaneously detail the exploitation of women and nature. Women in underdeveloped and developing countries have more in-depth knowledge about flowers and plants, especially about their therapeutic values.
In particular, women living in villages, who play a key role in agricultural activities and in many parts of the world are tasked with supplying their families with water, are well aware of water and soil conditions as well as the determining factors influencing these two integral parts of natural resources.
There is no denying that women have a major role in running and managing families. Tapping into such management skills, a woman can defuse lots of the environmental crises in the world. Women can keep a rein on the excessive consumption of resources, cut down on the excessive use of water, energy and so on, avoid producing too much waste, separate wet and dry garbage, and above all, get their children equipped to take on environmental pollution at home and school, or in society at large.
Public contribution, access to information and justice are some of the principles of sustainable development. Under these principle, people should be able to be part of the decision–making process. Getting women engaged in thinking and planning, and in implementation of change is essential in all fields of decision-making. The role of women should not be played down, instead they should be seen as active planners and organizers of development activities.
As for the importance of women’s contribution to programs and activities intended to preserve the environment within the framework of ecological projects of world organizations such as the United Nations, the World Bank, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the World Wild Fund for Nature, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and so on, we should say that their decisive role is completely obvious in decision-making and in implementation.
In developed and developing countries, there is a close and direct correlation between women and nature. Women are deemed as target groups as far as environment programs are concerned, and the accomplishment of such plans despite some almost insurmountable obstacles involved, depends on women’s direct and active contribution.
Photoshopped sketch or photo?
What appears below is the story of a row between two artists over a picture. The lesson one can take away is that adherence to work ethics, and recognition of intellectual property can produce healthy competition. It is not surprising that pundits say, “At all times, ethics is one step ahead of the law.”
Photoshop work or photo? Which expression about the image that appeared on the front page of “Shargh” [East] Newspaper following the demise of prominent Iranian poet Simin Behbahani sounds to be right? The sketch artist is of the conviction that he is the creator of the artwork, whereas the photographer contends that since his photo played a vital role in the creation of the sketch and there was no mention of him, copyright laws have been violated.
In light of the fact that Iranian newspapers face limitations about publishing the images of women on their front pages, the daily decided instead to have a photoshopped image of hers published. Graphics designer Shahab Jafarnejad was tasked with working on the image. […]
However, after the appearance of the work in the paper, photojournalist Arash Ashournia in a critical comment posted on his Facebook page argued, “It’s nothing new to see my photos appear in papers, magazines, Facebook or Twitter without permission after their logos or the name of the website they belong to are removed. […] That some turn a photo into a painting with the help of software and then publish it under their own names sound to be a new trend, though. […]”
In response to comments by Ashournia about the image, Shahab Jafarnejad argued, “First of all, to draw a sketch of a person, the sketch artist needs to see that person. It’s impossible to draw a sketch from memory. Second, if the photographer assumes that I have tweaked the photo with Photoshop, I am ready to post the different layers of work online to let him know that he is mistaken.” He later put the layers of his Photoshop work on the page for the public to judge.
[…] Gradually the heated debate shifted to “To what extent one who has designed an artwork based on a photo can claim the right to its ownership?” The response to that question generated different and even contradicting comments.
Eventually, Jafarnejad made another comment, and stated, “I looked at the matter from another angle. I wondered how I would feel if my work were published with some changes without any mention of my name and came to the conclusion that Ashournia was right. Although I came across the photo accidentally and did not know the name of its photographer, I can relate to him and admit that he is right.”
Maintaining his initial stance, Ashournia made an apology for his initial strongly-worded post. The debate, nonetheless, still rages as to whether the real creator of such artworks is the designer or the photographer. It seems the unresolved question can be addressed in an academic atmosphere where experts can work out a solution to defend the rights of the artwork creators.
Incentives for foreign direct investment in the mining industry
“The mining industry is among investment priorities of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade, accounting for almost 30 percent of such priorities. Expansion of facilities whose production stands at 85 percent of their nominal capacity along with other fields is on the list of investment priorities. In addition to measures to prop up the private sector and adoption of resistance economy-based strategies, investors, especially foreign ones, have been invited to put their money in the mining industry,” CEO of the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) Mehdi Karbasian told the Gostaresh San’at, Madan, va Tejarat (Industry, Mine, and Trade Development) Magazine on August 31. The following is a translation of his comments:
In the category of metal and metal products, among other things the investment priorities are assigned to titanium concentrate (only in regions where the supply of raw material is possible), gold concentrate and bullion, high and medium carbon ferromanganese, alumina powder, silicon metal, polysilicon, rhenium, copper wire, aluminum foil, potash and magnesium production from brine, and the construction of loadingpiers.
As for non-metallic mineral, among other things, the processing of precious, semi-precious and decorative stones, renovation and transformation of brick industries, processing and production of mineral raw materials for tile and ceramic industries, granite and marble processing facilities are on the list of investment priorities.
In areas which fall within our jurisdiction, we directly lend support to industries. As for others, we propose other organizations to back them. To decrease the ministry’s operating costs, in addition to measures to prop up the private sector and adoption of resistance economy-based strategies, investors, especially foreign ones, have been invited to put their money in the mining industry.
In terms of construction,operations and development in the fields mentioned above, we count on foreign capital, and we expect those who can offer support vital to investment to do their best. […]
For the time being, IMIDRO is working on 29 projects. Last year [when the new government took office] the majority of mining projects were either half-finished or stalled altogether. They fell as long as four to 12 years behind schedule. The projects on the IMIDRO agenda mainly deal with the production of steel, gold, aluminum, coal and coke, lead,zinc, iron and ore, as well as power plants andinfrastructure development.
We have taken the initial steps toward attracting foreign capital and the presence of foreign investors can already be felt in most mining projects. For instance, we have talked to foreign investors about the implementation of some large-scale steel projects including a 4 million ton steel project which covers extraction, concentration, pelletizing and production of steel. The offer has been welcomed warmly by foreign investors.
Elsewhere, in Persian Gulf Special Economic Zone (PGSEZ),some projects are being run by Hormozgan Steel Company (HOSCO) and Kish South Kaveh Steel Company (SKS). In coordination with the Center for Free and Special Economic Zones, an expanse of land as big as 2,500 hectares is going to be added to the zone in order to help infrastructure develop and encourage the inflow of capital.
ISIL beheads another US journalist, Steven Sotloff
Last month, the White House confirmed the authenticity of a gruesome video showing the beheading of US journalist James Foley by ISIL. The video shows a black-masked ISIL militant beheading Foley in retaliation for US airstrikes against the group in Iraq. It also warns that the group would slay Sotloff, if the US president did not halt the airstrikes.
“The life of this American citizen, Obama, depends on your next decision,” the ISIL militant said.
ISIL has executed Sotloff and posted the video showing his beheading on the Internet, the SITE Intelligence Group, a research organization that tracks terrorist web postings, said on Tuesday.
The video shows a bound Sotloff being held at knifepoint by an ISIL militant against a desert backdrop that appears similar to the one shown in the Foley beheading video.
Sotloff, who disappeared in Syria in 2013, had worked with Time magazine, Foreign Policy and other publications.
His mother recently issued a video in which she requested ISIL to release her son.
A spokesman for the Sotloff family said, “The family knows of this horrific tragedy and is grieving privately.”
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said US officials were checking the reports.
In the video, ISIL allegedly also threatens to kill David Haines, a British citizen.
ISIL controls large parts of Syria’s northern territory. The group sent its fighters into neighboring Iraq in June, quickly seizing large swaths of land straddling the border between the two countries.
The US military has begun planning for airstrikes against ISIL targets in Syria after the Foley beheading. The US has launched a limited air campaign against the terrorist group in Iraq since August 8.
Iran score second consecutive win in FIVB World Championship
The Iranian national volleyball team made it two out of two on September 2 at the 2014 FIVB Men’s World Championship in Krakow, Poland after they beat the United Sates in a nail-biter 3-2.
Iran won the first two sets (25-23, 25-19), before the US made a comeback and won the third and fourth sets (19-25, 18-25). In the decider, Iran players produced a stellar performance and defeated the World League champions 17-15.
The Iranian victory in the thrilling five-setter put them atop Group D of the World Championship on five points. Iran defeated European powerhouse Italy 3-1 in their opener on Sunday.
Iran’s Larijani Lambasts US for Starting Terrorism in Region
“The Americans should be blamed for the start of terrorism in the region; when the US occupies a country, naturally the young people of that country see themselves bound to resist; if you (the Americans) don’t occupy, terrorism will be annihilated in the region, if you don’t treat terrorism tactically, the problem of terrorism will not be created in the region,” Larijani said, addressing a gathering of Basij (volunteer) officials in Tehran on Tuesday.
He stressed that Iran along with other Muslim states should only be in charge of the establishment of security in the region and they don’t need any western assistance, and added, “Muslims are not fond of terrorism.”
“It is you (the westerners) who help these people behind the stage to create fake movements so that they tarnish the face of Islam and become your puppets too,” Larijani added.
In relevant remarks in August, Larijani underlined that the US airstrikes would by no means help destroy the Takfiri terrorists of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
“This western hue and cry about the fight against ISIL is a mistake because the terrorists who are hidden inside homes cannot be destroyed through airstrikes,” Larijani said, addressing the closing ceremony of the 10th International Energy Conference.
Addressing the western supporters of the ISIL, Larijani said, “If you want to annihilate ISIL, then you should not have helped them all throughout the last several years.”
He reiterated that bombing the ISIL was not the proper way to destroy the Takfiri terrorists.
“We state our words frankly, but some countries say something (against the terrorists), while they help the ISIL secretly ….” Larijani added.
