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Shahr-e Aftab
Municipality Opens
Compiled by Atefeh Rezvan-Nia
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Seyyed Hassan Khomeini at the inauguration ceremony of Shahr-e Aftab on Saturday.
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Tehran Mayor Mohammad Qalibaf on Saturday said that one of the duties of Shahr-e Aftab (City of Sun) is to render suitable services to pilgrims who come to the area to visit Imam KhomeiniÕs holy shrine.
Qalibaf was addressing the inaugural ceremony for Shahr-e Aftab Municipality.
He went on to add, ÒPeople think that Shahr-e Aftab is a residential area. This is while in the Supreme Council of Urban Development the area has been defined as a cultural, scientific, religious and tourism center.Ó
He expressed hope that through the assistance of domestic and foreign investors the people who pass through the area to go to Imam Khomeini Airport witness a complex symbolic of national social, cultural, social and religious manifestations.
Qalibaf recalled that all legal ratifications regarding Shahr-e Aftab have been implemented so far.
He introduced Mohammad Eidian as the acting mayor of the area and noted that within the next 40 days the permanent mayor will be appointed.
Eidian recalled that within five years the main objectives of Shahr-e Aftab will be fulfilled.
He cited establishment of cultural and athletic centers, specialized hospitals, international fairs, entertainment park, flower garden, chain supermarkets, museum and five-star hotels as some of the future projects of Shahr-e Aftab.
Head of Tehran City Council Mehdi Chamran and Seyyed Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the late Imam Khomeini founder of Islamic Revolution, as well as senior officials of Tehran Municipality were present in the ceremony.
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Iran Offers Award for Fighting Tobacco Use
Health Minister on Saturday said that from now on Iran will award a $15,000 prize to the best and most effective person who campaigns against use of tobacco worldwide.
According to Fars news agency, Kamran Baqeri-Lankarai, who was delivering a speech at Tehran Cardiac Center on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, added that the prize, named after Mirza Shirazi, a prominent ShiÕite cleric of the 13th century (AH), will be awarded every year in the annual meeting of World Health Organization (WHO), which is held in Geneva in May.
He emphasized that the prize is symbolic of the campaign of the nation against tobacco use worldwide to show how dangerous cigarettes are for health.
The minister recalled that tobacco use directly kills 80,000 people in Iran every year.
He further recalled that the ratification about warning images being labeled on cigarette packs will be implemented all over the country in six months.
Baqeri-Lankani said that only supermarkets and grocery stores can legally sell cigarettes while smoking is prohibited in public places.
Celebrated each year on May 31, World No Tobacco Day focuses global attention on the devastating toll of tobacco use around the world and the urgent need for nations to implement proven measures to reduce tobacco use and save lives. The event is sponsored by WHO and this yearÕs theme was ÔTobacco-Free Youth: Breaking the Tobacco Marketing NetÕ.
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Dangers of Older Fathers Revealed
Children are almost twice as likely to die before adulthood if they have a father over 45, research has shown.
A mass study found that deaths of children fathered by over-45s occurred at almost twice the rate of those fathered by men aged between 25 and 30, Telegraph reported.
Scientists believe that children of older fathers are more likely to suffer particular congenital defects as well as autism, schizophrenia and epilepsy. The study was the first of its kind of such magnitude in the West, and researchers believe the findings are linked to the declining quality of sperm as men age.
The deaths of many of the children of older fathers were related to congenital defects such as problems of the heart and spine, which increase the risk of infant mortality. But there were also higher rates of accidental death, which the researchers believe might be explained by the increased likelihood of suffering from autism, epilepsy or schizophrenia.
Most research into older parents has, until now, focused on the risks passed on by older mothers. But the new study, published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, was adjusted to take account of maternal age and socio-economic differences.
The research also found higher death rates among children of the youngest fathers, especially those below the age of 19. However, the study said these differences were explained by the risks of teenage motherhood and poorer diet and lifestyle.
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No Threat to Turtles
A volcano in the Galapagos islands that spewed molten lava is not a threat to 100-year-old giant tortoises living around the crater, island officials said.
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Burgh: Iran WorldÕs Safest Country
After a four-day visit to the Iranian capital, the Irish legend Chris de Burgh has called Iran the most secure country in the world.
Mohsen Rajabpour, managing director of Taraneh Sharqi Cultural and Artistic Company and Chris de BurghÕ host in Tehran, said the Irish rock star is surprised at the contrast between the Western media propaganda and the reality in Iran, Presstv reported.
ÒBefore coming to Iran, Burgh had assumed that Iranians would be carrying guns in the streets. However, Burgh said neither the people nor the police carried guns in Iran. He even joked that the only one carrying a weapon was the statue of a soldier in a square,Ó manager of the Arian band said.
ÒSince Chris de Burgh described Tehran more secure than Los Angeles and London, he asked for no bodyguards. He noted a previous trip to Russia, where four bodyguards had been watching over his security,Ó Rajabpour added.
Sherpa Climbs to Clean Up Everest
The first time Apa Sherpa climbed Mount Everest it was just to get to the top. When he conquered the peak an eighteenth time just over a week ago, breaking his own record, he did it for the mountain.
ÒIÕm not climbing for my record. I climbed this time to help,Ó said Apa, 48, who was part of an expedition aiming to draw attention to the issue of global warming and to promote sustainable climbing practices.
ÒWe were trying to clean up because we have only one Everest,Ó he told AFP.
The expedition members, who have just returned to Kathmandu, made a point of bringing down their own waste--excrement and all--since nothing biodegrades in the icy climes of the 8,848-metre (29,028-feet) peak.
ÒI didnÕt know about ecology and global warming,Ó said Apa, adding he now wants to educate people living in the mountains and other remote areas of Nepal about its effects.
He bagged his first Everest summit in 1990, and has been making the climb into the Òdeath zoneÓ look like childÕs play ever since.
WorldÕs Biggest Restaurant in Syria
A restaurant in the Syrian capital with seating for up to 6,012 people is due Thursday to become the worldÕs biggest restaurant after it is officially listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.
The restaurant ÒBawabat DimashkÓ prides itself on its size as well as the variety of culinary traditions it offers in six separate restaurants: Indian, Chinese, Arab cuisine of the Persian Gulf, Iranian, Middle Eastern and Syrian.
The restaurant serves no alcohol, Alalam reported.
Muhanad Al-Saman, the restaurant manager and owner, told DPA: ÒRepresentatives for the Guinness group have completed in the past weeks all the tests and checked all the details and services we offer.Ó
Qusay Halasa from the Guinness group said Bawabat Dimashk has dethroned BangkokÕs Mang Gorn Lunag as the worldÕs biggest restaurant with seating for 5,000 people.
Priceless Chinese Relics Damaged by Quake
Temples, ancient pieces of pottery and the famed Terracotta Warriors were among priceless cultural treasures damaged or destroyed in this monthÕs China earthquake, state press reported.
The May 12 quake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale damaged 1,645 cultural relics in worst-hit Sichuan province alone, including 148 regarded as precious, Xinhua news agency said.
One of those severely damaged was the 2,000-year-old Erwang Temple, in the same area as the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Dujiangyan irrigation system, which also suffered some impact.
The temple was built to honor two ancient kings and was until the quake a popular tourist destination.
A further 239 relics were severely damaged in the neighboring provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu as well as in the Chongqing Municipality, Xinhua said, citing ChinaÕs Cultural Heritage Administration.
Tong Mingkang, the administrationÕs deputy head, said experts from all over the country would gather in the affected areas to help restoration work.
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