Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.

CHRI – Following is the statement by the United Nations Environment Programme: UN Environment continues to be concerned by the on-going detentions, and reported trials, of eight environmental workers in Iran, and has shared its concerns with the authorities in Tehran. Information we have recently received that some detainees may not have adequate access to legal counsel and representation is deeply …

CHRI – Responding to news of an autistic child being treated inhumanely in a school, Iranian officials blamed the child and the parents for not putting their kids in a learning institute for “special” children. But according to the testimonies of dozens of parents of autistic children in Iran, the “special” schools are poorly equipped to care for and support …

Al-Monitor – China is still Iran’s top trade partner, leading oil customer, a key technology exporter, a major political ally and one of the signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) still committed to the deal. All of this has given Beijing an increasingly central position in Iran’s “Look to the East” doctrine, a key foreign policy strategy actively pursued …

Al-Monitor — A 1970s building on Tehran’s Enghelab (Revolution) Avenue that ends in Azadi (Liberty) Square has recently been the site for a series of meetings on an unusual subject given Iranian social norms. Every Tuesday, experts and members of the public come together there to talk, sometimes heatedly, about sex. Since Dec. 4, “Forums on Sexual Crisis in Iran” has …

Al-Monitor – The Iranian government has approved a generous plan to facilitate participation in the hajj, offering Saudi-bound travelers the opportunity to pay for the voyage — estimated to cost over $3,000 — in local currency at rates far below the open market. As of March 5, the US dollar cost around 130,000 rials on the open market, over three times the official rate, which has …