Khashoggi's fiancée, human rights group sue Saudi crown prince in U.S. for murder

The fiancée of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and a human rights group he founded has filed a lawsuit at a U.S. court against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), accusing him of ordering the dissident’s murder at Riyadh’s consulate in Turkey.

Global powers push to end Nagorno-Karabakh fighting

Armenia’s president headed to Brussels for talks with the European Union and NATO military alliance on Wednesday in a renewed drive to end the heaviest fighting since the 1990s over the mountain enclave Nagorno-Karabakh.

Goodreads 2019 best science fiction “Recursion” available for Persian readers

TEHRAN – American author William Blake Crouch’s “Recursion”, which won the Goodreads award for best science fiction in 2019, has come out for Persian readers in Iran’s bookstores.

Taliban ambush kills at least 25 Afghan security personnel

 At least 25 Afghan security force personnel were killed in an ambush blamed on the Taliban, officials said Wednesday, as spiraling violence imperils ongoing peace talks.

John Buchan’s “The 39 Steps” appears in Persian 

TEHRAN – A Persian translation of Scottish novelist John Buchan’s “The 39 Steps” has recently been published by Saad Publications in Tehran.

U.S. protests: Teargas used on Portland protesters risks ‘grave health hazards’, says lawsui

A new lawsuit filed by environmental and human rights groups in Oregon alleges that federal agencies’ use of chemical crowd control weapons in Portland, like CS gas, has created “potentially grave health and environmental hazards”, and that the use of such weapons should be subject to assessments of its environmental impact.

“Rotation”, “Song Sparrow” to compete in Suncine environmental filmfest

TEHRAN – Iranian animated films “The Rotation” and “Song Sparrow” will be competing in the 27th Suncine International Festival of Environmental Cinema in Mexico.

Isfahan festival pays tribute to critic Zaven Qukasian

TEHRAN – The 33rd International Film Festival for Children and Youth organized an online program Tuesday evening to pay tribute to Zaven Qukasian, veteran critic and filmmaker whose hometown Isfahan is currently hosting the festival.

IDFA picks “Snow Calls”, “Shadegan” from Iran 

TEHRAN – A lineup of two Iranian movies will go on screen in the various sections of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) running online from November 18 to December 6.

New book on moral principles of Commander Qassem Soleimani published 

TEHRAN – A new book studying the moral principles of Commander Qassem Soleimani has recently been published by the University of Imam Hussein (AS) in Tehran.

Ahmadreza Shojaei picked as Iran’s Still Photographer of the Year

TEHRAN – Ahmadreza Shojaei was crowned Iran’s Still Photographer of the Year on Tuesday for his collection on director Mohammadreza Honarmand’s romance-fantasy “Symphony No. 9”.

Louvre, University of Tehran to conduct survey in ancient Faruj

TEHRAN – Experts from the Louvre and the University of Tehran have been granted a license to conduct a new round of excavation in the historical town of Faruj, northeastern North Khorasan province.

Tourism ministry to help empower inmates

TEHRAN – The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Prisons, Security, and Corrective Measures Organization with the aim of creating jobs and making income for prisoners. 

Sasanians promoted Persian arts through trade, conquest, and diplomacy: experts

TEHRAN - Under Sassanid rule (224 CE–651) Persian arts and architecture experienced a general renaissance. However, it made its way well beyond the vast borders of the longest-lived Persian dynasty, which at its greatest extent encompassed all of present-day Iran and Iraq and stretched from the eastern Mediterranean (including Anatolia and Egypt) to Pakistan, and from parts of southern Arabia to the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Iran launches large-scale electronic aerial drills

TEHRAN – Iran’s Armed Forces have launched large-scale aerial drills involving electronic warfare units and featuring the country’s domestically-built air defense systems and equipment, Press TV reported.

Envoy highlights Iran’s ownership of three Persian Gulf islands

TEHRAN – Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, has reiterated Iran’s position that the three Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, Greater and Lesser Tunbs have always been part of Iran.

Saving JCPOA harder than its 2015 conclusion: Iran’s Vaezi

TEHRAN – Presidential chief of staff Mahmoud Vaezi says preserving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, is more difficult than its formation in 2015 due to the destructive measures taken by the Trump administration.

Hotels allowed to raise prices up to 30%

TEHRAN - The Iranian Hoteliers Association has announced that hotels in the country have been allowed to increase prices up to 30 percent as of September 22.

Online exhibition to display photos on Uraman rural landscape

TEHRAN- The Iranian National Commission for UNESCO will hold an online exhibition on its official Instagram page on Friday, displaying photos on Uraman rural landscape in western Kordestan province which is a candidate for becoming a World Heritage site in 2021.

Martyr Hojaji’s tomb can help promote war tourism 

TEHRAN-The tomb of Mohsen Hojaji, an Iranian soldier who was brutally martyred by Daesh (ISIS) forces in Syria in 2017, is a privilege for the city of Najafabad and can promote war tourism in the region, the deputy tourism minister, Vali Teymouri, has said.

Iran, Afghanistan underscore need to boost anti-narcotics fight

TEHRAN – The Iranian commander of border guards Ahmad Ali Goudarzi, and the Afghan deputy minister of interior for counter-narcotics Mohammad Hashim Aurtaq, emphasized the need for enhanced cooperation to fight against drug trafficking.

National Network of NGOs formed to promote ‘sport for all’

TEHRAN – The National Network of Non-Governmental Organizations has been formed to promote sports, especially cycling, athletics, and swimming, in society.

Iranian researchers produce nano-mask with 99.9% lethality to coronavirus

TEHRAN – Researchers at the Institute of Materials and Energy affiliated with the Ministry of Science, produced nano face masks that can kill coronavirus by 99.9 percent.

Azerbaijan lauds Iran support, accuses Armenia of firing on Iranian borders

TEHRAN – Bunyad Huseynov, Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Tehran, has appreciated Iran's support for his country, underlining that Iran’s role in establishing peace in the Nagorno-Karabakh should be highlighted.

Leader has given three heads of govt. branches ‘full authority’ to overcome problems: official

TEHRAN – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has given the heads of the three branches of government a “full authorization” to do what is needed to be done to overcome the current difficulties, according to Mohsen Rezaee, the secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council.

TEDPIX drops 7,000 points on Wednesday

TEHRAN- TEDPIX, the main index of Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE), lost 7,005 points to 1.412 million on Wednesday.

ICCIMA criticizes CBI performance over export revenue

TEHRAN – Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholam-Hossein Shafeie has criticized the Central Bank of Iran (CBI)’s policies regarding the issues pertaining to the returning of the export revenues into the country’s economy.

Coal extraction stands at 911,600 tons in 6 month

TEHRAN - Some 911,600 tons of crude coal was extracted in Iran during the six-month period from March 20 to August 21, from which 350,000 tons of coal concentrate was produced, IRNA reported citing the data released by Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO).

Iran not intending to engage in arms race, says Zarif

Zarif calls on neighbors to choose peace over tension

TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has called on neighboring countries to choose peace, security, stability and prosperity for all instead of remaining prisoners of the past and perpetuate instability and tension in the region.

Isfahan issues 817 permits for industrial units establishment since March 20

TEHRAN- The head of Isfahan Province’s Industry, Mining, and Trade Department announced that permits for the establishment of 817 industrial units in the province have been issued since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20).