TEHRAN, March 12--The Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults has published the Diary of the Islamic Revolution for young adults.
The institute said in a press release that the book contains seven sections which focus on days and events; slogans written on walls and cloth; idioms; interpretations and titles; culture of behavior; characters and personalities.
The diarist, Marjan Fouladvand said in the preface of the book that she felt the need for a simplified diary of important events of the Islamic Revolution which would help young adults become acquainted about this historical occurrence. She said that she wrote the book to help them understand the events leading up to the victory of the Islamic Revolution.
In the book, she has offered explanatory notes about each event before giving the facts about it so that the readers can identify themselves with the atmosphere prevailing at the time.
The diarist also provided the readers with the verbal expressions which were common during the Islamic Revolution.
In the days and events section, the diary has listed the events in alphabetical order.
At the end of the section on slogans and idioms, there are entries about the colloquial expressions used in the course of the Islamic Revolution which are away from their political implications.
The diarist has used newspapers, monthlies and books to compile the book and has also included photos, films and slides in the publication.
She highlighted the major days in the Islamic RevolutionÕs history such as the 15th of Khordad 1342 (1963), 17th of Dey 1356 (1978), 19th Dey 1356 (1978) and 17th Shahrivar 1357 (1978) and several other days.
The 240-page diary has been published in 5,000 copies which are available for students of guidance and high schools.

TEHRAN, March 12--A university instructor has said that the negligence of cultural officials has led to other countries claiming some well known Iranian literary figures as their own nationals.
Ahmad Abu Mahboub told ISNA that some countries have claimed Iranian cultural figures who died abroad as their own nationals. In other words, Iran has been dispossessed of prominent figures who died abroad, he added.
He complained that cultural officials have not taken timely action to foil attempts by foreign countries to claim Iranian literary figures. ÒIf cultural officials continue their inaction in the field, Iran may witness more cultural figures being dispossessed of their true nationality,Ó he said.
Cultural officials should seriously try to remove baseless charges of foreign countries about the nationalities of Iranian cultural personalities, Abu Mahboub said.
Citing an example, he said that for example, Turkey claims Molana Jalaleddin Roumi as its own national while some other websites introduce him as an Afghan poet. They sometimes call Nasser Khosrow as an Afghan. Of course, though the Afghans now have their own independent country, it was once a part of Iran, but, Turkey was not.
He said that sometimes foreign claims about nationalities of Iranian literary figures are absurd. For example, Turkey also claims Owhad-eddin Kermani (an Iranian) although he has not composed even a single line in Turkish language and it has launched an extensive publicity campaign to introduce Molana as its own national.
He compared the situation to distortion of the name of the Persian Gulf and said that timely protests by the Iranian government helped thwart the conspiracy. ÒSuch an action should be taken in the domain of literature so as not to allow foreign countries to dispossess Iran of its own cultural figures.Ó

TEHRAN, March 12--Some 10 Iranian short films will be screened in California as part of the program to mark Middle East Film Week.
Mehr news agency said that Middle East Film Week will be held in California in May and Iran will be represented in the event by Tehran-based Iran House of Young Cinematographers.
Yazdan Ashiri, director of the international affairs of Iran House of Young Cinematographers said that short filmmakers from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will take part in the event.
Dozens of short films from Iran and other countries will be screened while specialized meetings will be held on the sidelines in which critics and filmmakers will talk about the films which are screened.
The short films chosen for the California event include: ÔIn the Taste of SoilÕ by Shahram Shah Hosseini, ÔThe Cold CityÕ by Kaveh Sajjadi Hosseini, ÔMy Secret LifeÕ by Armin Qobadi Pasha, ÔThere Was a BirdÕ by Soheila Nikseresht, ÔVictoryÕ by Sianosh Nassiri Ziba, Parinaz Shajareh and Abetin Mozaffari, ÔDragonfly StormÕ by Shahram Mokri, ÔCeasefireÕ from Ramtin Balef, ÔLoopholeÕ by Vahid Nassirian, and ÔOne Hundred DaysÕ by Reis Dana.

TEHRAN, March 12--Renowned Iranian musician, Hooshang Kamkar, will represent different samples of genuine Kurdish music that have been recorded on DVD and VCD formats.
Kamkar will deliver a speech on Kurdish music at a festival on ÔCulture of KurdsÕ to be held in Rome on March 22.
Kamkar will also deal with the genuine pieces of Kurdish music that were recorded on DVD and VCD.
Kamkar accompanied by Ardeshir, Bijan and Saba will perform Kurdish music at the event.
The Kamkars also plan to hold a concert in RomeÕs Auditorium.
Iranian filmmaker and director of ÔTurtles Also FlyÕ, Bahman Qobadi, will attend the Kurdish Culture Festival.

TEHRAN, March 12--IranÕs Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) plans to repair the cultural heritage sites located in Tajikistan and Afghanistan which were part of the Achaemenid Empire.
According to CHN, Tajik Minister of Culture Rajab Amirov announced that his country and ICHTO have reached an agreement on extensive cooperation in repairing and protecting the cultural heritage sites.
ÒWe will set up a workshop to repair the cultural heritage in Tajikistan and Afghanistan. We will invite the Afghan government to join Irano-Tajik efforts to repair cultural heritage sites dating back to the Achaemenid Empire,Ó Amirov said.
ÒThe common culture of Iran, Tajikistan and Afghanistan dates back to several thousand years because once the three countries were part of the Achaemenid Empire. Establishment of the workshop will be a breakthrough in the repair and restoration of cultural heritage sites in Tajikistan and Afghanistan,Ó the Tajik minister said.
Amirov said that Tajikistan needs Iranian expertise in repairing the cultural heritage sites and will dispatch Tajik architects to Iran to undergo training before undertaking to repair the Tajik and Afghan cultural edifices.
He said that several Iranian architects are expected to visit Tajikistan to repair the cultural heritage sites of the Achaemenid Empire.
He pointed out that the Tajik city of Kulob, which dates back to the Achaemenid era, will hold celebrations to mark the cityÕs 2,700-year history.
Iran has so far cooperated with Tajikistan in repairing the tomb of the famous Iranian mystic Mir Seyyed Ali Hamedani.

Rakan appears as the protector of innocents in medieval Arabia.

LONDON, March 12--There is no Batmobile prowling Palestine, nor will you ever spy Peter Parker donning his spider suit in the streets of Riyadh, but if you are in the Middle East watch out for Zein, Aya, Jalila and Rakan.
Is it a bird, is it a plane? No. It's one of these guys, battling crime and saving mankind. Generations of children have enjoyed parables of action icons thwarting evil but one part of the world has been underserved in the superhero stakes. Until now, that is, Independent reported.
Available in English and Arabic, the books' superheroes are the first to be drawn from Arab culture.
"Why can't the Middle East have its own heroes?" asked Marwan Nashar, editor of AK Comics in Cairo. "I grew up reading Spider-Man and loved him. But I couldn't get into Peter Parker. I always wondered why there weren't any Arabs leaping off buildings."
Now there are four. Zein, the last of the Pharaohs, Rakan a medieval warrior from Mesopotamia, female characters Jalila, a Levantine scientist and Aya a Ôvixen on a supercharged motorbike confronting crimeÕ.
No religious faiths are attributed to the four, but there is no disguising where the stories are drawn from. These heroes try to bring stability to an area ravaged by 55 years of conflict between the ÔUnited Liberation ForceÕ and the ÔZios ArmyÕ.
The books are being distributed in Egypt and the Persian Gulf states, but Nashar hopes to expand into Lebanon, Syria and North Africa. The reaction has been positive, says Nashar. The most common response, he says, has been Ôit's about timeÕ.

VIENNA, Austria, March 12--The Third International Human Rights Film Festival opened in Geneva-based Grutli Artistic House on Thursday.
Iranian Nobel laureate of 2003, Shirin Ebadi, chaired the inaugural ceremony of the event which was also attended by the Swiss Foreign Minister Michelene Calmy-Rey and United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Louise Arbour. The festival, whose main topic is ÔTerrorism and Political SecurityÕ, will continue till March 19.
Other topics of the festival are ÔWomenÕs RightsÕ, ÔPoverty and Wealth DistributionÕ, ÔIsrael-Palestine ConflictÕ and ÔHope in PeaceÕ.
Several movies and documentary films will also be screened at the festival.
Films to be displayed at the festival include ÔPoverty and Wealth DistributionÕ depicting the unfavorable conditions of shanty townsÕ inhabitants of Latin American countries, ÔLa Citadelle EuropeÕ dealing with African migrants to Europe and ÔTortureÕ dealing with terrorism. Ebadi delivered a speech at the event on Friday night.