The Iranian Times

Wednesday August 30, 2000 / Shahrivar 9, 1379, No. 1054


Fly to Iran

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Sehaty Foreign Exchange

Flower delivery in Iran

Iranian books

Impressions

Forget Martha's Vineyard
I'm going to Iran

By Genevieve Poucel
August 30, 2000
The Iranian

I imagined Americans were heading to Martha's Vineyard this summer, while I chose a different adventure... I joined the small number of European and American women who ventured into IRAN and abided daily by one single rule: Hair and body must be covered with fabric when stepping outside of the house.

I've traveled in my life, and prepared for trips before, but really nothing emotionally or physically prepared me for what awaited me in Iran. Here are some of my thoughts in retrospect >>> GO TO FEATURE

Race

By Mohandes
August 30, 2000
The Iranian >>> GO TO FEATURE


Outlook

Iran 's reformers scramble to contain student anger

By Jonathan Lyons

TEHRAN, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Iran 's mainstream reformers scrambled on Wednesday to head off rising anger on university campuses, following five days of Islamic vigilante violence against the student movement.

Pro-reform MPs from the Islamic Iran Participation Front, led by the brother of President Mohammad Khatami, denounced attacks by hardline gangs, backed by elements of the security forces, on a big student gathering in the western city of Khorramabad >>> FULL TEXT

Violence flares as students clash with Islamic vigilantes

By Guy Dinmore in Tehran
Financial Times
August 30, 2000

Clashes erupted on Tuesday at the funeral of a policeman in Iran's western town of Khorramabad, raising fears among supporters of Mohammad Khatami, the weakened, pro-reform president, that the worsening political crisis in the capital risks plunging the country into violence.

Khorramabad has been the scene of violent clashes between Islamist vigilantes known as Ansar-e-Hezbollah and radical supporters of the president since last Thursday when Iran's main, pro-reform student group, the Office to Foster Unity, tried to hold its annual national convention there. >>> FULL TEXT

Shakespeare in Iran

By Geneive Abdo
International Herald Tribune
August 25, 2000

Shakespeare wouldn't recognize it. Romeo is a heartthrob from the Iranian cinema; Juliet appears on stage with a veil covering her real hair and a braid dangling down her back.

West meets East every evening at the Vahdat opera hall here, when some 900 Iranians come out to see "Romeo and Juliet," satisfying what the director Ali Rafii calls "their real need for love." Few playgoers have ever read the play in its original, but that's beside the point >>> FULL TEXT

Articulate radicals

Is this a letter from a radical Communist party or a professional PR firm? Fascinating >>> SEE HERE



More Letters

* No good to ridicule

Anonymous writes: In response to dAtyi Hamid's ["Hamvatanaan-e araaqi": I read your satire piece about the "Mojafeqin". I don't condone what they are doing as an organization but believe many who joined their ranks believe genuinely that this is the only way. Just because you and I don't agree with their methods and strategies doesn't justify our blatant and mindless attack on their beliefs >>> FULL TEXT

* Man behind Googoosh

Nicole Radmand writes: I feel our people don't give credit to Shahyar Ghanbari as he is the one behind Googoosh's success. It was his poems that touched our souls.

Of course Googoosh is also a very talented artist but look at the history of the hit songs: Do Mahi, Harf, Safar, Jomeh..."Baa soghouteh dastaayeh to dar tanam chizi forou rikht..." These were all written by Ghanbari.

WHY DOESN'T GOOGOOSH TALK ABOUT SHAHYAR GHANBARI? WHY IS THIS A BIG CRIME? >>> FULL TEXT

* Aalbaaloo gilaas

Neda writes: First of all thanks a lot for the good job and for creating such a wonderful forum for all of us. Second, CHERAA CHESHMAATOON AALBAALOO GILAAS MICHINEH?!

Lately the links on The Iranian Times have sometimes been mixed up. For example the link which was supposed to go to the article about Persia in Hollywood films ended up in a story about pistachios!

Bbut you know what? I think even these small mistakes are fun and make The Iranian more unique.


Media: Need reporter in Iran

To journalists working in or on Iran. Middle East International is a fortnightly English-language paper covering Middle East politics, based in London. We need a correspondent who is in a position to file news stories on Iran every two weeks, covering the principal political developments there and the country's regional and international relations. If interested please contact

Steve Sherman,
The editor


Books

.

,

Twilight
Novel
By Jamshid Fanaian

.

Safar beh khaaneh-ye aazaad shodeh
Award-winning journal on haj pilgrimage
By satirist Ebrahim Nabavi

THE IRANIAN
Bookstore
Music store


    Poetry

Translation of today's poem by Zara Houshmand:

She's gone-no one has ever been so good a friend;

Gone before my heart was full, or ready for an end.

She's gone, and with her the cure for this pain.

The rose is gone and still the thorn remains.
-- Rumi
Previous translations



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More news

Eight people injured as unrest erupts again in Khorramabad

TEHRAN, Aug 30 (AFP) - Iran's western city of Khoramabad erupted in violence again overnight as rioters clashed with security forces, leaving eight people injured, press reports said Wednesday. Demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails Tuesday evening and the unrest continued until elite police units and anti-riot forces brought the situation under control, the Kayhan paper said >>> FULL TEXT

Uneasy Calm Prevails in Iranian City

KHORRAMABAD, Iran (AP) - Riot police dispersed a crowd of youths Tuesday as an uneasy calm settled over this western Iranian city following days of violence over a meeting of reformist students. Some 20,000 people marched earlier in the day in the funeral procession of a policeman who was killed in riots on Sunday. Ardeshir Karami was somehow shot during fighting between supporters of students from Iran's largest student group, who had come to Khorramabad for their annual conference, and hard-line vigilantes. Exactly how he was shot remained unclear >>> FULL TEXT

Iran jails lawyer over US radio interview

TEHRAN, Aug 30 (AFP) - The defence lawyer for several pro-reform Iranian newspapers banned earlier this year was arrested in connection with a US radio interview, the state IRNA news agency said Wednesday. Mohammad-Ali Jedari-Forouqi was jailed Monday on charges of helping the editor of a pro-reform journal spread "false allegations" about the Iranian courts in an interview with US radio network Voice of America (VOA) >>> FULL TEXT

Iranian illegal immigrants believed drowned in attempt to enter Croatia

SARAJEVO, Aug 29 (AFP) - Nine Iranians immigrants attempting to clandestinely cross into Croatia most likely drowned when their boat capsized on the river Sava which marks Bosnia's border with Croatia, the UN said Tuesday. The accident occurred late Monday night near the northern Bosnian Serb town of Srpski Brod when one of two boats carrying Iranian migrants capsized, UN spokesman Douglas Coffman told reporters >>> FULL TEXT

Officer alive and well despite Iraqi base MKO claims: paper

TEHRAN, Aug 30 (AFP) - A senior Iranian military officer denied claims by the opposition People's Mujahedeen that it seriously wounded him in a Tehran ambush, a conservative newspaper reported on Wednesday. "I am absolutely safe and sound," the Tehran Times quoted Revolutionary Guards Brigadier General Reza Seifollahi as saying. "There was a plan to assassinate me but it was foiled before they reached me >>> FULL TEXT

Foreign scientist ban at labs to end

WASHINGTON (AP) - Scientists from ``sensitive'' countries such as China, Russia and Iran are expected soon to resume normal ties with the Energy Department's three nuclear weapons research labs, ending a 10-month ban on virtually all such contact. Concerned about safeguarding nuclear secrets, Congress last November barred scientists from 25 ``sensitive'' countries from visiting the labs, having contact with lab scientists or access to any computer systems at the facilities, even unclassified ones >>> FULL TEXT

Oil Overheats Despite Crude Stock Rise

LONDON (Reuters) - Blazing oil prices showed no signs of retreating Wednesday, trading steady despite reports of a big increase in U.S. crude stocks as fears of heating oil shortages this winter in the West mounted. International benchmark Brent crude futures for October delivery were trading nine cents higher at $31.45 in the afternoon while U.S. light crude futures were four cents up at $32.78 >>> FULL TEXT

Iranian film to compete in Venice

Tehran (Iran daily) -- Jafar Panahi's "Daayereh" (The Circle), is the only Iranian film in the the competition category of the Venice Film Festival >>> FULL PERSIAN TEXT

"Smell Of Camphor" in New York

Tehran (Iran daily) -- Bahman Farmanara's criticallt-acclaimed 'The Smell Of Camphor, The Fragrance Of Jasmine' will be shown at the New York Film Festival >>> FULL PERSIAN TEXT

Hats throughout history

Tehran (Hamshahri) -- Study on Iranian hats, crowns and other head covers from ancient Iran up to recent history >>> FULL PERSIAN TEXT

Big match on Friday

Tehran (Iran Varzeshi) -- The Iranian national soccer team has departed for Vienna for a friendly match with the Austrian national team on Friday. Here's an interview with head coach Jalal Talebi >>> FULL PERSIAN TEXT

Mahdavi-Kia will be benched?

Tehran (Iran Varzeshi) -- Hamburg has paid the highest price ever to acquire a new player who may threaten Mehdi Mahdavi-Kia's starting position >>> FULL PERSIAN TEXT

U-17 off to Asian championships

Tehran (Iran Varzeshi) -- Iran's U-17 national soccer team, which has played brilliantly in recent matches, has left for Vietnam to take part in the final rounds of the Asian championships. Here are the names of the players >>> FULL PERSIAN TEXT


BBC

Iran's New Submarine

Iran has launched its first domestically-built submarine in the Persian Gulf. It has been designed to plant mines and carry out reconnaissance missions. Maria Sarsalari talks to Jane's Defence Weekly analyst Paul Beaver about this new submarine: >>> LISTEN HERE

BBC Persian Service


Exchange rate

Updated August 24

Buying: 813 to 816 tomans per dollar

Selling: 822 to 828 tomans per dollar

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Business news


The Web

Iran

Shahyar Ghanbari

The man who wrote many of Googoosh's hit songs.

Beyond Iran

Conform Project

A web designer's version of the telephone game, the Conform Project has a very simple premise, which involves "passing an image around to various designers, with each one adding to and subtracting content from the original image.

More web sites


Quote Unquote

Not given up, yet

Mr Khatami, under no circumstances, will reach any compromise. I don't think he is powerless but he has reached a very difficult point he has to pass. He has not decided to give up. We believe democracy will win in the end.

-- High-level official close to the president
Financial Times
August 30, 2000


Photo of the Day

Happy in Sweden


Music

Shahram Solati

Music artists index


Art

Morteza Katouzian
Dangerous game