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Prayer Time (Tehran)
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Dawn: 5:22
Sunrise: 6:46
Noon: 12:18
Evening: 18:09
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Weather Guide
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MON |
TUE |
Tehran: |
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High: |
13 oC |
13 oC |
Low: |
4 oC |
4 oC |
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Athens |
15 |
16 |
Ankara |
3 |
5 |
Paris |
6 |
3 |
New Delhi |
32 |
31 |
Rome |
12 |
12 |
Riyadh |
22 |
22 |
Frankfurt |
4 |
2 |
Cairo |
22 |
23 |
Kuwait City |
20 |
21 |
Karachi |
31 |
31 |
Copenhagen |
1 |
0 |
London |
7 |
6 |
Moscow |
-2 |
0 |
Madrid |
9 |
8 |
Vienna |
8 |
6 |
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Identification
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Published by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)
Address:
Iran Cultural & Press Institute, #212 Khorramshahr Avenue Tehran/Iran
Managing Director: Mohammad T. Roghaniha
Executive Editor: Amin Sabooni
Editorial Dept. Tel: 88755761-2
Editorial Dept. Fax: 88761869
Advertising Dept. Tel: 88501499, 88737250
Internet Address:
www.iran-daily.com
E-mail Address:
iran-daily@iran-daily.com
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Castro:
Bush Ideas Dangerous For the World
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Gholamali Haddad-Adel
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TEHRAN, Feb. 19--Majlis Speaker Gholamali Haddad-Adel said on Sunday there is complete friendship and trust between Iran and Cuba, while Cuban President Fidel Castro stressed that the ideas of US President Bush are dangerous for the world.
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Fidel Castro
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"We are two revolutionary countries that have common enemies and we must utilize our means and facilities for serving our peoples," the speaker told Cuban President Fidel Castro in Havana, IRNA reported.
Expressing his gratitude over the victorious continuation of the Cuban Revolution, he said, "Your way has continued. What you revolted for has spread in another form in Latin America. All of this is because of your resistance against the American imperialism."
Castro, for his part, said, "Iran is very strong in the Middle East and the world. It can defend its territorial integrity in light of its ancient culture, spiritual and religious values, and reliance on its people."
He emphasized that no country understands the Islamic system better than Cuba.
"America cannot harm Iran, which has brave people who stand united," he said.
Castro noted that the US has been defeated in Iraq and is obliged to leave that country.
"(President George W.) Bush is nothing but a liar and his ideas are dangerous for the world. However, the sad part is that some European leaders are influenced by his line of thought," he said.
The Cuban president further said fossil fuel is on the verge of depletion and hence on the basis of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), all countries have the right to use peaceful nuclear technology for ensuring their advancement.
A high-ranking Iranian parliamentary delegation as well as senior Iranian officials are currently visiting Cuba.
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Revive Spirit of Justice, Brotherhood
Cooperation Can Help
Resolve Muslim Problems
TEHRAN, Feb. 19--President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday "returning to the Islamic Revolution" does not imply repetition of all that took place before the victory of the Islamic Revolution, but rather implies a return to the revolutionary ideals and revival of the spirit of brotherhood.
Speaking to IRNA in an exclusive interview, the president added that this also implies the return of officials among the masses, recourse to justice-seeking and a return to benevolence and friendship.
"I believe that real and genuine progress depends on this return. This is because this is not a return in time or a reactionary move, but rather of a cultural nature. This is one way of rectifying mistakes and returning to those courses of action which we have currently distanced ourselves from. If this were to happen, it would be a form of evolution and perfection,Ó he said.
Ahmadinejad warned against diversion from the path of the Islamic Revolution and called for the revival of the spirit of brotherhood, equality and virtuousness.
This is because generations that lacked ideals became stagnant under the pressure of pseudo realities, while an idealistic generation welcomes improvement and betterment É If we struggle for gaining power, wealth or fame, or seeking revenge, we become either frustrated or regret our deeds. But, if we pursue ideals and do not pursue personal gains, we can never become disappointed.Ó
The president explained that the revolutionary spirit is not akin to inexperience, sentimentalism and naivety, stressing that the spirit of 1978 is one of brotherhood, endurance and self-sacrifice.
IRNAÕs correspondent said: "Some western analysts consider the relative victory of Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Hamas in Palestine and the Mujahideen in Afghanistan, the unified coalition in Iraq and Hezbollah in Lebanon and even your presidential victory as the Middle Eastern countriesÕ criticism of the American and European slogan of democracy. They maintain that the slogan of democracy and freedom benefited Islamists, because people showed their preference for Islamic currents."
Ahmadinejad noted that different nations consider western democracy as both faulty and false since it has theoretical shortfalls and is a kind of postmodern colonialism.
ÒIf some western countries had been truly democratic, they would have respected Islamic nations. This is while these countries supported despotic regimes such as those of Pahlavi and Saddam Hussein. Currently in order to prevent the spread of the Islamic Revolution among Muslim freedom-seeking nations, they pretend that they are democratic," he said.
In a meeting with Tunisia's Foreign Minister Abdulwaheb Abdullah on Sunday, Ahmadinejad said cooperation among Muslim states can help resolve many of their problems, including the Palestinian dilemma.
"By utilizing the vast potentials of the Muslim world, we can uphold Islamic values É Iran and Tunisia, which are cultured and civilized, shoulder tougher responsibilities in this respect," he said.
Abdullah, for his part, referred to commonalities between the two countries and urged expansion of mutual ties in all fields.
Asked whether the country could be administered in light of the spirit that prevailed in 1978, he said, "Some people in this world consider any form of idealism as a dream and negation of realism. I actually want to invite these people to pursue realism.
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Iran Wins World Wrestling Crown
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An Iranian wrestler overpowers his Cuban rival during the final day of the 2006 World Wrestling Championship in Sari, northern Iran, Feb. 19. (IRNA Photo)
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TEHRAN, Feb. 19--Iran beat Cuba in the finals of the 2006 World Wrestling Championship 16-10 and became the world champion on Sunday.
The international event was held at Sari's Rasoul Hosseini Gymnasium, IRNA reported.
Iranian team members in this tough championship were: Taqi Dadashi (55 kg), Morad Mohammadi (60 kg), Hassan Tahmasebi (66 kg), Ali Asghar Bazri (74 kg), Reza Yazdani (84 kg), Jafar Daliri (96 kg) and Fardin Masoumi (120 kg).
Ukraine won the third place by defeating Russia.
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Qalibaf Defends Massive Tree Felling
TEHRAN, Feb. 19--Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf defended Tehran MunicipalityÕs move to cut Lavizan's trees for constructing Martyr Zeinoddin Highway.
Qalibaf also told IRNA on Saturday, some 10 days after the environmental disaster eastern Tehran, which gave rise to a wave of public protest, that the trees were felled according to the ratification of Article 7 Commission.
"This move was completely legal,Ó he said.
The mayor further said if certain things happen in the capital, the print media must pursue them in a more logical manner and without emotionalism.
Declaring that about 2,400 trees were cut down in Lavizan, Qalibaf said, "Until the completion of the highway project, 2,000 more trees must be cut down."
He emphasized that the issue of felling trees in Lavizan has been exaggerated.
Commenting on the decree for stopping the Zeinoddin Highway project, he said, "The Forestry Organization has filed a complaint. Although we have made the necessary coordination, the organization has filed a complaint with the judiciary and a decree has been issued to stop the project. However, in the next couple of days, a new decree will be issued for resuming the project."
Asked why Lavizan's trees were cut down at night, he said, "Most TM projects are carried out at night. In winters, municipality affairs are handled in two working shifts and in summertime in three working shifts."
Other sources, however, maintain that 8,000 trees have so far been felled in Lavizan.
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15 Killed in Nigeria Cartoon Protest
Thousands Protest in Istanbul
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Feb. 19--Nigerian Muslims protesting caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) attacked Christians and burned churches on Saturday, killing at least 15 people in the deadliest confrontation yet in the whirlwind of Muslim anger over the drawings.
It was the first major protest to erupt over the issue in Africa's most populous nation. An Associated Press reporter saw mobs of Muslim protestors swarm through the city center with machetes, sticks and iron rods. One group threw a tire around a man, poured gas on him and set him ablaze.
In Libya, the parliament suspended the interior minister after at least 11 people died when his security forces attacked rioters who torched the Italian Consulate in Benghazi.
Rightwing Italian Reforms Minister Roberto Calderoli resigned under pressure, accused of fueling the fury in Benghazi by wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with one of the offending cartoons, first published in September in a Danish newspaper.
Danish church officials met with a top Muslim cleric in Cairo, meanwhile, but made no significant headway in defusing the conflict.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Istanbul on Sunday to protest against the cartoons.
The protestors carried placards bearing slogans such as "Europe, don't wear out our patience," and called for a boycott of Danish goods.
Another placard said: "The difference between us: you write the history of occupation and tyranny, we write that of justice and compassion."
And in what has become a daily event, tens of thousands of Muslims protested--this time in Britain, Pakistan and Austria--to denounce the perceived insult.
On Sunday, some 400 protestors pelted the US Embassy in Indonesia with rocks, tomatoes and eggs. They burned US flags and smashed the windows of a guard post before dispersing.
But it was in Nigeria, where mutual suspicions between Christians and Muslims have led to thousands of deaths in recent years, that tensions boiled over into sectarian violence.
Thousands of rioters burned 15 churches in Maiduguri in a three-hour rampage before troops and police reinforcements restored order, Nigerian police spokesman Haz Iwendi said.
With Saturday's deaths, at least 45 people have been killed in protests across the Muslim world, according to a count by The Associated Press.
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US Has Played All Its Cards
NEW YORK, Feb. 19--Iran's representative at the United Nations on Saturday night said the US has played all its cards, including economic and political pressures, against Iran.
Addressing a large group of Iranians residing in New York on the occasion of the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, Mohammad Javad Zarif added that despite all these obstacles, Iranians have advanced significantly in all scientific and technological domains, which is worrying the West.
"The current advances of Iranians are not only in the arena of nuclear technology, but also in all scientific fields. These advances have taken place at a time when global powers have done everything possible to deprive Iran and Iranians of access to advanced technologies," he said.
The envoy also noted that Iran has today transformed into a country that has becomes stronger following the trend of exporting democracy to the Middle East.
Zarif emphasized that the Iranian community in the US is powerful, educated and wealthy, and a source of glory and pride for all Iranians.
"You are Iranians who love your motherland and must endeavor to defend the scientific achievements of Iran, despite all the sanctions imposed against it," he said.
Commenting on the western accusation that Iran is carrying out covert nuclear activities, Zarif said, "They lie. All these years, they (westerners) have opposed Iran's attempts to gain access to peaceful nuclear technology."
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More Determined
By S. Sadeghi
Diplomatic efforts to defend our right to civilian nuclear technology and the persistent challenges experienced for almost three years in dealing with the Europeans and the US finally led to IranÕs nuclear dossier being reported to the UN Security Council.
TehranÕs insistence on conducting nuclear research and rejecting scientific deprivation for extended periods has produced changes in its decisions and direction.
Last year the parliament had ruled that if the nuclear program is referred in any way to the world body, the government in Tehran would be duty-bound to put a permanent end to all its voluntary cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) beyond the framework of non-proliferation treaty (NPT).
Following the western-influenced decision of the IAEA board of governors to report IranÕs dossier to the UNSC, Iran for now has ceased its voluntary suspension of nuclear enrichment and research and informed the nuclear watchdog that it will function strictly according to NPT regulations.
As the standoff over the nuclear program takes on broader and disturbing dimensions, political observers not necessarily TehranÕs friends, are trying hard to know why Europe and the self-styled superpower fail to understand IranÕs realities.
Will the arrogant West that has no more aces left up its sleeves and exposed more than ever before eventually come to terms with the ground realities or Iran will be compelled to get out of the NPT increasingly seen as useless by many experts and commentators?
Although five years ago the then US secretary of state, Madeleine Albright admitted that America made a big mistake by supporting the pro-Shah coup in 1953, and although the UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw emphasized that the West made a serious error by backing the former Shah and IraqÕs invasion of Iran, western rulers still have a big problem understanding developments in the Middle East in general and Iran in particular.
Fairly speaking, the West with its infamous history of colonialism and conquests is responsible for the humiliation of the Iranian nation in the past three centuries.
Iran was a major global power against the Ottoman Empire during the Safavid Dynasty. When the Qajars ruled under different western tutelages, parts of our lands were separated and annexed to foreign powers under various pretexts. The disgrace of the Turkmanchay and Golestan treaties concluded by Qajar kings only added insult to injury.
Furthermore, Iranian sovereignty and territorial integrity was violated by the allied powers during the two world wars leaving our people once again insecure and embarrassed. With a large population of intelligent and informed people, Iranians simply do not consider themselves deserving the misery and suffering they have gone through.
Given a raw deal, partly due to the incompetence of authoritarian rulers, partly due to big power greed, our people hold global powers for the trials and tribulations visiting them over several decades.
The West is fully responsible for, and must admit in more unequivocal terms, the crimes it committed against the Iranian nation during the rule of the pro-US Shah that ended in the winter of 1979. It should also stand up and take responsibility for extending military, economic and political support to Saddam Hussein in his bloody war (1980-88) against the newly established Islamic Republic. The military conflict, in which the Iraqi tyrant used western-supplied weapons of mass destruction, left a million dead on both sides. It devastated the Iranian economy and infrastructure then estimated at $1,000 billion.
The victory of the Islamic Revolution was the first effective step to compensate years of backwardness and oppression. Today the visible success of our young scientists and researchers in acquiring civilian nuclear technology, which is among the effulgent accomplishments of the revolution, offers Iranians the golden opportunity to compensate the past disgrace and move forward with hope and confidence.
Let there be no mistake. The more the arrogant Europeans and their neocon American and Israeli cousins resort to irresponsible language to deny the scientific might and right of Iran, the more will our people be determined to defend the declared position on nuclear technology.
The West has been pursuing a dangerous and demeaning attitude not only toward Iran, but the entire Middle East. Those who now contemplate that a Cold War situation seems to be emerging with the ÔenemyÕ this time being the Muslim Middle East instead of the former Soviet Union cannot be accused of warmongering. Of course they can be proved wrong only if the upstart policymakers in western capitals gather the courage and take responsibility for their countries' wrongdoings in Iran and the Middle East that spans over three centuries.
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