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Prayer Time (Tehran)
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Dawn: 3:2
Sunrise: 4:48
Noon: 12:03
Evening: 19:40
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Weather Guide
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THU |
FRI |
Tehran: |
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High: |
33oC |
35oC |
Low: |
22oC |
23oC |
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Athens |
23 |
23 |
Ankara |
26 |
21 |
Paris |
23 |
25 |
New Delhi |
40 |
40 |
Rome |
23 |
24 |
Riyadh |
42 |
43 |
Frankfurt |
20 |
22 |
Cairo |
33 |
32 |
Kuwait City |
44 |
46 |
Karachi |
32 |
33 |
Copenhagen |
18 |
19 |
London |
24 |
24 |
Moscow |
18 |
15 |
Madrid |
35 |
33 |
Vienna |
18 |
20 |
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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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President:
More Investment Opportunities Available
Rls180 Trillion for Job Generation
TEHRAN, June 7--President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday urged domestic and foreign investors to further utilize the national investment opportunities.
In an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Ahmadinejad noted that over two-thirds of banking resources have been earmarked for large industries and macroeconomic activities, IRNA reported.
The president characterized national investments in steel, aluminum as well as oil and gas industries and mines as ’favorable’.
“The administration is determined to restrict state investments. Therefore, a very good opportunity has emerged for domestic and foreign investors to invest in development projects,“ he said.
Referring to his recent letter to US President George W. Bush, he announced his plans to send letters to other global leaders.
“In the past 45 days, the government has worked hard, especially in the field of foreign affairs,“ he said.
The chief executive emphasized that the government is determined to overcome the dilemma of youth unemployment.
“We will try to create profit-intensive job opportunities in various parts of the country,“ he said.
He pointed out that the government has allocated 180 trillion rials for job generation projects.
Pointing to the government’s efforts for controlling gasoline consumption, he said, “Presently, about $12 billion worth of gasoline are used annually. This figure equals the government’s annual current expenditures and exceeds the annual development budget.“
Ahmadinejad also said the government plans to expand the public transportation fleet and install dual fuel systems in cars to tackle the dilemma of gasoline shortage.
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Europe Colluded in CIA Prisoner Scam
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Dick Marty
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PARIS, June 7--More than 20 states, mostly in Europe, colluded in a “global spider’s web“ of secret CIA prisons and transfers of terrorism suspects, a European rights watchdog said in a report released on Wednesday.
European states were aware of or took part in a network run by the US Central Intelligence Agency that stretched from Central Asia to the Caribbean, via the Middle East and North Africa, the Council of Europe’s parliamentary assembly said, Reuters reported.
“It is now clear--although we are still far from having established the whole truth--that authorities in several European countries actively participated with the CIA in these unlawful activities,“ said investigator Dick Marty.
“Other countries ignored them knowingly, or did not want to know,“ Marty said in the conclusions of the 65-page report released on the body’s website.
The system was a form of “legal and judicial apartheid“ that placed non-Americans beyond normal legal norms simply because those seized were suspected of terrorism, he told a news conference in the French capital.
Among the charges:-
Í Poland and Romania ran secret detention centers
Í Germany, Turkey, Spain, Cyprus and Azerbaijan were “staging points“ for flights involving the unlawful transfer of detainees
Í Ireland, Britain, Portugal, Greece and Italy were ’stopovers’ for flights involving the unlawful transfer of detainees
Í Sweden, Bosnia, Britain, the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia, Germany and Turkey handed over suspects
Í Cairo, Amman, Islamabad, Rabat, Kabul, Guantanamo Bay, Tashkent, Algiers and Baghdad served as detainee transfer/drop-off points.
Marty said 10 cases involving 17 individuals had come to light but many of the Council of Europe’s 46 member-states had been reluctant to provide information. More cases could follow.
EU investigators said last month they believed 30 to 50 people had been handed over to countries where they might face torture by the United States since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
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Reformers Forging Election Alliance
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Amir Mohebbiyan
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TEHRAN, June 7--A rightwing political analyst said on Wednesday the Experts Assembly elections is important due to concerns among political groups, noting that reformers are forming a coalition for the polls.
Speaking to ISNA, Amir Mohebbiyan added that some assembly members are concerned that the configuration of the assembly could be affected by the dominant political climate.
“The assembly has always been a source of equilibrium in the country, as it endorses the leader. In the meantime, some newcomers believe the continuation of membership of the previous spectra in the assembly may adversely affect the assembly’s performance. This group maintains that the new wave governing the administration entails new demands which must also be heeded in the assembly elections,“ he said.
Mohebbiyan, who is also a veteran journalist, noted that apart from these two spectra, the current known as the reform movement is trying to form a coalition by relying on the popularity of former President Mohammad Khatami.
He further said former Majlis Speaker Mehdi Karroubi and his National Trust Party are striving to establish an alternative electoral list.
“For a while, it was thought that they would nominate Seyyed Hassan Khomeini as their number one contender, but apparently Khomeini has refused to run in the race. It is not clear who will lead Karroubi’s electoral list. At any rate, it looks like the reformers have become active once again,“ he said.
Mohebbiyan concluded by saying that as far as the rightwingers are concerned, the rift between Chairman of State Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and the head of Qom-based Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi is problematic.
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Russia Not to Support Sanctions
New IAEA Report Underway
MOSCOW, June 7--Russia will only support sanctions against Iran if it violates the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the foreign minister said Wednesday.
“Russia could support measures in the (UN) Security Council only in the event that Iran starts to act contrary to its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which includes cooperation with IAEA inspectors who are currently at Iranian (nuclear) facilities,“ Sergei Lavrov told lawmakers in the lower house of parliament, referring to the Vienna, Austria-based International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, AP reported.
“There is no talk now of any sanctions in the Security Council,“ Lavrov said.
EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, on Tuesday presented a package of incentives to Iran in an effort to persuade it to stop enriching uranium.
The incentives were agreed upon last week by the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia--the five veto-wielding permanent members of the UN Security Council--plus Germany, and are said to include European offers of help in building nuclear reactors for a peaceful energy program.
The International Atomic Energy Agency is to issue a report Thursday on Iran’s uranium enrichment activities, a spokeswoman said, referring to work that has raised western fears Tehran could be seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
The report comes ahead of a meeting next week of the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors and at a time when world powers are offering Iran new talks on its disputed nuclear program if it halts uranium enrichment.
Fleming said the report would cover requests by the IAEA board for the agency’s inspectors to monitor Iranian activity after the IAEA had called on Tehran, most recently in February, to suspend all uranium enrichment activities.
The last IAEA report on April 28 had made clear that Iran was not suspending enrichment work.
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$1.3b Gas Pipeline Contract Signed
TEHRAN, June 7--The contract for the seventh national gas pipeline, linking Assalouyeh-Bandar Abbas-Iranshahr and worth $1.3 billion, was signed on Wednesday by National Iranian Gas Company and Khatam-ol-Anbia Development Headquarters.
The contract was signed in the presence of Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh and Commander of Islamic Revolution’s Guards Corps Major General Yahya Rahim-Safavi.
According to ILNA, the project will transport gas from Assalouyeh to Sistan-Baluchestan province and resolve gas shortage in the provinces of Hormuzgan and Kerman.
The project originates from South Pars gas field and the first phase destination is Iranshahr.
Based on the contract, the headquarters is obliged to complete the project within 30 months.
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Mahathir: US Policy, a Prelude to 4th World War
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia,
June 7--Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Wednesday accused the United States of leading the world into another global conflict in which nuclear weapons could be used.
Mahathir said that the US-led invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, and Washington’s threats to attack Iran over its nuclear program were tantamount to a “fourth World War“. He described the Cold War as the Third World War, AP reported.
“Maybe this is an alarmist view...but the fourth World War is already on and unless something is done, it will spread from Iraq and Afghanistan to Iran and beyond,“ said Mahathir, an outspoken critic of the West who had described the US as a “mass murderer“ for its invasion of Iraq.
He told reporters that what was more ’frightening’ was that nuclear weapons could be used in the new war.
Mahathir said he was in Iran recently and was convinced that Iranians would not give up their right to a peaceful nuclear program, which the US says is capable of building weapons. Iran insists it only wants to produce energy.
Mahathir claimed the Iranians have trained 14,000 suicide bombers who “will not confine themselves to Iran,“ citing press reports which he did not identify.
The Perdana Leadership Foundation, a non-governmental organization headed by Mahathir, will hold a three-day seminar from June 20 to call on world leaders to criminalize war.
Mahathir, who retired in 2003 after 22 years in power, said the only way to prevent war is to elect leaders who commit themselves to settling disputes through negotiations and not through killing and violence.
“That to us is very primitive,“ he said.
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Imparting Skills
By M. P. Zamani
According to the Labor Ministry, close to 80 percent of the Iranian workforce is unskilled. Given that Iranians are a highly progressive, professional, intellectually-advanced, talented and artistic people, with a high sense of aesthetics and cultural standards, it would be difficult to digest such information as it belies the common perception about the Persian stock.
Nevertheless, since the information comes from a government source and is taken to be authentic, it would be worthwhile to take a re-look at the labor market and identify the reasons why we have not been able to create a bigger pool of skilled resources.
On first thoughts, one might think that perhaps the fault lies with the education system and the academic environment in the country, which provides the foundation for intellectual advancement and development of skills.
Thus the question arises: Is there a need to revamp our education system with new concepts and methodologies that are on par with international standards?
However, a review of our educational system would reveal otherwise. The Islamic Republic’s educational system is said to be one of the most extensive in the world comprising a large number of schools and universities. Having one of the world’s youngest populations, the onus is on the government to educate more than 18 million students at segregated schools scattered all over the country.
There are also a number of separate schools for talented children. Gifted students are identified early through test results and granted admission to special schools. Their education is paid for by the state and they are taught by university professors.
Currently there are 54 state operated universities, and 42 state medical schools, the top choice for students in the highly competitive and tough national entrance exams as they have the most challenging programs. There are 289 major private universities operating as well. Strong competition exists among the higher ranking universities.
The Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, has in its latest rankings placed the University of Tehran on top, followed by the prestigious Sharif University of Technology.
Graduates from Iranian universities end up in more competitive institutions of Europe, the United States and Asia in big numbers. There are approximately 50,000 Iranian students currently studying abroad, reports say.
In the past two decades, the education system and curricula have undergone reforms several times, concomitant with the needs of the society, job market and the youth. Secondary education is now oriented toward vocational training providing several options keeping in mind future job prospects and careers.
It should also be kept in mind that despite western economic pressures and political animosity in the past 25 years, the Islamic Republic continues to maintain high levels of education and research standards in several of its well-reputed universities. The fact that our students continue to bring home medals in math and science Olympiads and international contests in robotics, computer science and other fields of engineering year after year is strong evidence.
Therefore, the education system has provided the necessary mechanisms for intellectual growth and development of skills. In that case, why is the country unable to create a bigger class of professionals? If we go by the Labor Ministry figures only 15 percent of the current workforce is skilled, very meager by the high educational standards that are being imparted.
One factor that is having an adverse effect on developing professionalism in the work place is that we have a huge state-controlled economy and public sector with top jobs going to people who have the right connections, irrespective of whether they are qualified or not.
This can have a demoralizing effect on the employees, especially when their qualification, and contribution is not given due weight and they start to stagnate. Also, the frequent changes in the management and policymakers are harmful to organizational initiative, expertise and enterprise.
Further, with the labor market reaching saturation levels and annual demand for jobs exceeding 700,000, there is a big rush to take whatever positions are available, whether the person fits it or not.
The cream of the talent and the financially well-to-do end up migrating to the technologically-advanced countries due largely to nepotism and the job market’s inability to sustain the skilled workforce.
In the absence of the right work culture, innovation, skills and creativity naturally get stifled. In other words, when merit is ignored, mediocrity stands to gain.
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