Monthly Archives: January 2009

Tehran to Host 12th Int’l Market for Films and TV Programs

TEHRAN (FNA)- The 12th Iranian International Market for Films and TV Programs is scheduled to kick off work here in Tehran on January 30. The five-day market is being held on the side section of the 27th International Fajr Film Festival opening on January 31. International companies have received the …

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Iranian Victims of Iraq Bombing Insured Already

TEHRAN (FNA)- Director of the Traveler Insurance Department at Alborz Insurance Company Ali-Reza Mogharab said Friday that all Iranian victims of the recent suicide bombing in Iraq, who traveled to the country officially, had insurance coverage. Mogharab said Alborz Insurance Company will pay reparations to those died or disabled in …

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Gilanis Blow Karna in Mourning Ceremonies of Ashura

TEHRAN (FNA)- The tradition of playing a musical instrument called the karna has long been practiced in the northern region of Gilan Province during the month of Muharram and on the day of Ashura (the day when Imam Hossein (AS) and his seventy-two companions were martyred on 10th of Muharram). …

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Iran Renews Call for Int’l Efforts to End Massacre in Gaza

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran once again reiterated the need for continued international and regional diplomatic efforts to remove the offensive and siege against Palestinians in Gaza. During the last week, over a dozen senior Iranian diplomats were dispatched to various world countries to invite them to push for the said two …

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Larijani Slams Western Proposals on Gaza

TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior Iranian politician described proposals put forward by Middle Eastern and European states to end the Gaza conflict as “honey injected with poison” that would not protect Palestinian rights. Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, a major figure in the Islamic Republic, was apparently referring to ideas put …

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Balkans Freeze As Gas Row Becomes Crisis

The impact of the Russia-Ukraine gas dispute on the Balkans reached crisis point on Thursday, leaving hundreds of thousands without heating and forcing businesses to cut production or shut down altogether. Many Balkan countries have no alternative routes and rely almost entirely on Russian gas, which stopped flowing completely on …

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Albania To Apply for EU Candidate Status Soon

Albania will officially apply for EU candidate status in the coming months, Prime Minister Sali Berisha said on Thursday. The announcement came during a meeting with the Czech Ambassador in Tirana on the occasion of the Czech Republic assuming the six-month rotating presidency of the EU in January. Stressing his …

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Hungary Gas To Bail Out Serbia

Serbia clinched a deal with Hungary on Thursday to buy gas from the reserves of its northern neighbour, averting at the eleventh hour a heating crisis sparked by the Russia-Ukraine gas dispute. Local media quoted the cabinet of Serbian President Boris Tadic as saying said Tadic struck the deal with …

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Albania Bids Adieu to IMF Amid Bickering

The International Monetary Fund, IMF, ended its mission to Albania on Thursday after monitoring its economy for 17 years, its departure criticised as premature by economic experts and the opposition. Prime Minister Sali Berisha described the end of the IMF mission as the end of post-communist transition for the Albania’s …

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EU Must Press Serbia On Kosovo –Pack

Germany’s Doris Pack said the European Union should put pressure on Serbia to normalise its relations with Pristina or risk a continuation of the inter-ethnic violence in north Kosovo. Belgrade has vowed to never recognise the declaration of independence by its former province and is keeping a firm hold on …

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