In Iran this week, French bikers zoomed through the provinces en route to China and declared Iranians lovely people with great cities. Big-hearted newlyweds spent their wedding budget to secure the release of 20 prisoners in Isfahan. Authorities executed six people on drug charges, and residents in Arak, fed up with their filthy, polluted air, sent a petition to the government.
Authorities executed six people on charges of drug possession and distribution in the provinces of Qazveen and Ardebil, according to provincial court websites.
Two brothers in Ardebil who were caught with 4.5 kilos of heroin stashed in a bus and a 34 year old woman caught with 3.1 kilos of crack cocaine were executed at the Ardebil central prison on July 6. Qazveen's court website also reported the execution of three people for possession and distribution of 2.4 kilos of crack cocaine on July 7.
Isfahan Newlyweds Fund Prisoners' Release out of Wedding Budget
The central prison of Esfahan took part in a grand celebration on July 1 during which 40 prisoners were released from state custody. According to Esfahan Farda website, a couple with a wedding budget of $32,620.00 donated $28,543.00 of their money for the release of 20 prisoners. Imam Moosa Cazen's Islamic charity, inspired by the newlywed's philanthropy, provided the funds for the release of an additional 20 prisoners and a celebration took place at the prison grounds during which many well known Iranian entertainers such as national superstar Oveysi, took part in the festivities which included a magic show, circus performances and live music.
Arak Residents Petition Against Air Pollution, Demand Environmental Justice
2,000 residents of the city of Arak in the province of Markazi have written a letter demanding government intervention in combating air pollution caused by refineries and industrial plants within the city's confines, Fars News reported. Residents forwarded the letter to President Ahmadinejad, the head of Iran's judiciary, and parliament, complaining that high pollution levels from local plans create toxic air that is “detrimental to the health of the city's residents.” “Please hear our plea for help as each breath that we take could cause us chronic lung disease, various types of cancer, Alzheimers Disease, heart failure along with many other illnesses which will be difficult to remedy and will cause terminal illnesses,” Arak's residents wrote in the letter.
“As you know, Irak is one of the largest industrial cities in the country, and even though the existence of various industrial plants plays an important role in the progress of Iran's economy, and the big industrial companies provide jobs and cause the development of our city, air pollution is also the product of this industry,” the letter posted on Markazy Daily describes. Arak's residents demand that the industrial companies relocate their factories to the areas which were designated for their production by government legislation far from the residential districts of the city. The authors of the letter point out that the owners and operators of these industrial plants are in breach of Iran's environmental protection legislation and have misrepresent the facts to various agencies and deny that poisonous emissions are made by their factories at conferences.
French Bikers Zoom Through, Gush
French motorcyclists on a cross continental road trip to China have entered Iran through the Turkish border. The 29-BMW motorcade will be crossing 16 cities in Iran and will exit through the Khorasan Razavi border to ride on the silk road on their way to the People's Republic of China. “From the moment we entered (Iranian soil) we had put up our guard in defense, but after our first encounter with the Iranian public, we found them to be so kind, likeable and cultured that we became ashamed of our harsh preexisting notions,” one of the motorcyclists David Sanil told Hoodar News.
Mr. Sanil told Hoodar News that he found the desert nights to be spectacular and inexplicably beautiful. He described the city of Tabas as a phenomenon on the planet with its natural green habitat amidst the desert that sets it apart from the others cities they have traveled through. Mr. Sanil's spouse who introduced herself as a scientific researcher said: “If I were to describe Iranian cities I would say that they are the prototype of beautiful engineering, with kind people and clean cities, wide open landscapes, close knit families...[there is] order, hygiene and people who are tolerant of others which in a society is rare.”
Iranian Student Takes Gold For Invention
Sajjad Yaghoubi, a student of biochemical engineering and robotic medical surgery at Azard Islamic University has won the gold medal in the United States World Invention competition for a device he concocted that detects brain tumors, Orom News reported.“This inventor was the only representative from Iran in the field of medicine and he has won the top medal in the most creative (medical) invention in the world,” The Dean of Azard Islamic University said. The U.S. World Invention competition had over 2,000 participants from 21 countries from across the globe.
Locals Block Train to Protest Infrastructure Delay
On July 1st, a group of people from the nearby towns of Emam Khomeini and Vali Asre took part in a demonstration by blocking the passage of the a train passing through Zarand Station by standing on the railway, Sobhe Zarand news reported. The demonstrators were protesting the delay in the completion of a bridge that connects several nearby towns to Zarand. The original passageway was torn down for reconstruction, and the residents of the region were told that the project would reach completion within four months. However, the construction of the bridge has been at a standstill shortly after it began complicating access to nearby towns. The engineer and chief of police approached the demonstrators and guaranteed them that the bridge would be reopened within four days.
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