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[13 June 2012] World Awakening Awards Exhibition in Tehran - English World Awakening Awards Exhibition. Veteran artists from 59 countries from around the globe forwarded their art works in the forms of posters, caricatures and photographs to the secretariat of World Awakening Exhibition in Tehran. 439 art works from 3006 works of art were selected to compete in the first World Awakening Awards Exhibition. The head of Imam Ali Religious Museum where the event took place said that bringing together renowned international artists to work with top Iranian experts as jury members was an important event all by itself. Art critiques talked about some intricate points in the art works and tried to explain to us what the artist wants the viewer to see.Some visitors said that looking at different works of art at this exhibition made them feel the pains and struggles of people fighting for freedom in the region and through out the world. The event kicked off on May 13th and was to end on June 11th but it was extended until June 21st because of great number of people wanting to attend.

The 29th International Holy Quran Competitions started at Tehran\\\'s Milad Tower International Convention Center on Sunday. Officials and reciters of Holy Quran from more than 65 Muslim and non-Muslim countries have taken part in the six-day event, IRNA reported. Hojatloleslam Mohammadi Golpayegani, head of the Supreme Leader\\\'s office, Seyyed Mohammd Hosseini, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and Iranian MPs and ambassadors were present at the opening ceremony of the event. Representatives of 65 Muslim and non-Muslim countries took part in the 29th edition of Iran\\\'s International Holy Quran Competitions. The jury of the contest has 14 members, 5 of whom are Iranian and the rest are from other countries. A Quran memorizer from Isfahan province and a Quran reciter from Khuzestan province will represent Iran in the memorization and recitation sections of the international event. Iranians win first prizes at 29th International Quran Competition An Iranian Quran reciter and a memorizer won the first prizes at the 29th International Quran Competition, the organizers announced in Tehran on Friday. Qasem Moqaddami received the first prize in the recitation category and Hossein Motamedi won the first prize in the memorization category, Persian news agencies reported on Saturday. They were selected from among over 50 reciters and 40 memorizers competing from about 70 countries. Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Hosseini, and a number of Iranian officials attended an award presentation ceremony held at Tehran�s Milad Tower on Friday. The second prize in the recitation category was handed to Ezzat Sayyid Rashid from Egypt and the third prize went to Mahmood Salman Ali from Bahrain. Reciter Sabruddin Abdulrahman from Indonesia was selected as the fourth winner and the fifth was Najam ul Hassan from Bangladesh. In the memorization category, the second prize was given to Ainul Arefin Rafiqul Islam from Bangladesh, while Abdullah Omar from Libya got the third prize. The fourth and fifth awards were handed to Mahdi Khair Al-Balil from Sudan, and Abdul Malik Muhammad Rahim from Afghanistan. A jury panel of 14 selected from Egypt, Malaysia, Algeria, Indonesia, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon and Iran judged the event. Egyptian master Quran reciter Ahmed Naina was among the jury members for this year�s competition.

The Hijab Martyr Marwa al-Sherbini, has inspired a group of multinational women to call the OIC (Organisation of the Islamic Conference) to declare July 1 the International Day of Hijab. Hijab is an expression of Muslim Women's freedom; and is a choice for them. Democracy is allegedly a pioneer of freedom and as a result should support the right of women to wear the Hijab. Instead Marwa al-Sherbini was murdered in cold blood by Alexander W (full name has never been released by German Authorities) in a German Courtroom with Judge, Jury and Lawyers present by the racist who had initially abused her and sparked the event which led to them being in court in the first place. Her husband was also shot by a police officer when he went to assist his wife; and their child looked on in horror as his mother was murdered and father was wounded. The western media has attempted to cover up this issue; and the exact condition of Marwa's husband is not known since Press TV has been denied access to him by the German authorities. The police officer who shot Marwa's husband has yet to be charged with his crimes and offences by the German authorities.

n this edition of Epilogue the book called "Ricin!" by Lawrence Archer & Fiona Bawdon is reviewed. The book reveals the inside story of the notorious Algerians accused of plotting in London to manufacture a dirty bomb.

The American pastor who burnt the Holy Quran is standing trial in front of a Jury in Michigan to decide whether his latest controversial act can go ahead. Terry Jones sparked outrage across the world last month when he set fire to a copy of Islam's holy text, prompting violent riots in Afghanistan. He now plans to rally outside America's largest mosque in protest of Muslim law as Christians mark Good Friday.

Two US police officers have been ordered to stand trial in the death of a mentally ill homeless man following a violent arrest last summer. California's Orange County Superior Court Judge Walter Schwarm made the ruling after a hearing that included surveillance video of the confrontation between the officers and 37-year-old Kelly Thomas in the city of Fullerton. Officer Manuel Ramos is charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. Jay Cicinelli is charged with involuntary manslaughter and assault or battery by a public officer. Both have pleaded not guilty. The officers confronted Thomas while responding to reports that a homeless man was looking into parked cars at a transit center. "This is another victory, on another battle," said Thomas' father, Ron. "We're going to start a new one with the trial." John Barnett, Ramos' attorney, said he would seek another court's review of Schwarm's ruling and did not expect his client would end up facing a jury trial. "We're disappointed that they were held to answer but we will seek review in an appropriate manner," he told reporters after the ruling. "He believes, and he is innocent." Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said during the hearing that Ramos bullied a shirtless Thomas with his menacing remarks and aggressive stance — actions that would have led anyone to fear they were about to get beaten by police. "Any person, any creature on this earth would have fear at that point," Rackauckas told the court during the preliminary hearing. "You're going to fight or flee because this is an imminent threat of a serious beating by a police officer who is there with a baton and a gun and other police officers.... This is going to be a very bad deal," the prosecutor said. Defence attorneys countered that police — who are authorised and trained to use force when necessary — viewed the incident as an encounter with a man who refused to give his name and continued to resist arrest even as multiple officers rushed to assist. The three-day hearing was marked by repeated showing of clips from surveillance video and audio recordings of the confrontation. The footage includes scenes of officers pummelling and pinning down Thomas as he screams that he can't breathe and moans for his father until he goes silent and is taken away by medics, leaving behind a pool of blood. Barnett, Ramos' attorney, said during the hearing that the video — which was introduced by the prosecution — shows that his client made a conditional threat during his conversation with Thomas, stating he wanted the man to start listening and following police orders, such as sitting with his legs stretched out and providing his name to officers. "All that Kelly Thomas had to do was simply comply," Barnett said. "Officer Ramos just lifts him up, he's going to arrest him. ... Not only can he do it, he must do it. He is bound to do it." "Officer Ramos didn't do anything that should or could kill Kelly Thomas," Barnett said, pointing out that his client is often seen on the video at the man's feet. Prosecutors have argued that Ramos punched Thomas in the ribs, tackled him and lay on him to hold him down while Cicinelli — who arrived later on the scene — used a Taser four times on Thomas as he hollered in pain and hit him in the face eight times with the Taser. Thomas lost consciousness and was taken to a hospital. He was taken off life support and died five days later. The coroner's office found that Thomas died from compression of his chest that made it difficult for him to breathe and deprived his brain of oxygen, and facial injuries stemming from his confrontation with law enforcement. In court, Schwartz, Cicinelli's attorney, challenged those findings, noting that testimony by a paramedic who treated Thomas at the scene indicates that Thomas was breathing, although with difficulty, during the confrontation. Schwartz also defended his client's use of the Taser on Thomas, who was still struggling and resisting officers' efforts to handcuff him, and said Cicinelli only swung the Taser at Thomas' hand when the man made an effort to grab the weapon. "To call that a crime is to effectively handcuff our police officers out in the field from dealing with any combative suspect," Schwartz said. The hearing in a Santa Ana courtroom was marked by lengthy testimony from medical experts and graphic photos of Thomas' injuries, including multiple bruises and a bloodied eye, while he was lying on the autopsy table. Attorneys repeatedly played portions of the grainy surveillance video, which was paired with audio from digital recorders worn by some of the officers who were present and which brought some of Thomas' supporters to tears and prompted them to leave the courtroom. The incident last July prompted an ongoing FBI investigation to determine if Thomas' civil rights were violated, an internal probe by the city, protests by residents and an effort to recall three Fullerton councilmembers that is slated for next month's ballot. The recall was sparked after angry residents chastised the council members for failing to take significant action regarding the incident.

[21 Feb 2013] US drone policy amounts to war crimes - English

[08 April 2013] Obama favors killing over capture - English

Tehran has hosted the 30th International Qur\\\'an Competitions in recitation and memorization categories. The event has brought together over 110 reciters and memorizers from 75 world countries. At the contest the competitors will demonstrate their talents in reciting and memorizing the Holy Book with great passion and dedication. Since its first inauguration in 1983 the competition gradually opened its place among Muslim scholars serving as a platform for introducing new faces to the Muslim world in the field of recitation and memorizing the holy Qur\\\'an. A number of Iranian and international reciters have been selected to serve at the jury panel of the 2013 Tehran International Qur\\\'an Competition. On the sidelines of the international contest a seminar on Qur\\\'anic research is also scheduled to be held. The 30th International Qur\\\'an Competitions will continue until June 7, 2013. At the 29th competitions last year Iran, Egypt and Bahrain were announced as the winners of the recitation category, while the prize for best memorizers of the holy Quran went to competitors from Iran, Bangladesh and Libya.

A US federal appeals court has rejected the plea by a Saudi national who\'s serving life in prison for trying to make a bomb. 23-year-old Khalid Ali Aldawsari, a former Texas college student, was convicted nearly two years ago of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. Prosecutors said he had collected bomb-making materials in his Lubbock apartment and researched possible targets -- including former President George W. Bush\'s Dallas home. In the appeal to the New Orleans-based court, Aldawsari\'s lawyers contended that the trial judge improperly allowed evidence and gave invalid jury instructions.

[08 Dec 2014] NY mayor backs investigation into death of unarmed black man - English