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Most Iranian dishes contain meat, which could be anything from chicken to lamb or beef — just not pork, as Islam prohibits it. Although there are limited options for vegetarians, Iranian food is highly varied so there’s sure to be something for everyone. For those new to the world of Persian food, here are our top 10 recipe suggestions – all delish and very much Persian. Bon appetit! Or noosh-e jan, as they say in Iran. This article has been published on IranWire.

Chances are if you’re planning a trip to Iran, you will do some reading and research of your own into the culture, the necessary safety precautions, dress codes and the major “dos” and “don’ts” to observe while in the country. But Iran never fails to offer its guests a surprise or two, so the more prepared and informed you are, the better. To help you on your way, here are 10 handy things that you should know before arriving in Iran. This article has been published on IranWire.

The Iranian capital is witnessing a growing, and worrying, new trend; the mass purchase of pre-written or bespoke dissertations. Students, some of them with more money than sense, can stroll into a number of institutes or private organizations in Tehran that write students’ dissertations as a paid service. For a significant fee, pupils then sit back and relax while somebody else puts in the gruelling work that a good thesis requires. This article has been published on IranWire.

Nose cosmetic surgeries are common in Iran and the country has the highest rate, but some Iranian women oppose the procedures by launching a campaign called "My Natural Nose". This article has been published on The News Hub.

Air pollution’s threat to public health has gained considerable global attention in recent years. Links between pollution and heart disease, lung cancer, asthma, and both chronic and acute respiratory diseases are well known. But less widely reported is the link between air pollution and infertility, its relationship to miscarriages, and its impact on in vitero fertilization (IVF) treatments. This article has been published on IranWire

In theory, the law in Iran permits young, single people to live by themselves. But the reality is that society frowns upon it, regardless of gender. This article has been published on IranWire.

It will come as no surprise to those following scientific news that Iran has one of the fastest growing scientific productivity levels in the world. Iranian media is fond of reporting that Iran ranks the highest in science output among Islamic countries and the region, and reports outline how Iranian scientific production has grown 11 times faster than the world average. This article has been published on IranWire.

Like many capitals, Tehran is essentially an industrial city. And, like many other industrial metropolises, it faces a range of challenges — especially when it comes to efforts to make it a world tourist destination. Pollution, traffic congestion, chronic overcrowding and chaos make Tehran less than appealing during many months of the year. But during the Iranian new year, it has real potential to be a top destination. Suddenly, overcrowded streets are empty. For those who choose a “staycation” and avoid the hassle of travel, Nowruz offers the opportunity to explore and enjoy the beauty of Tehran, usually so hard to reach in the chaos. This article has been published on IranWire.

There have been a number of reports of Thai women putting sleeping pills into the drinks of foreign nationals — most of them men — and then stealing from them. On average, one case is reported every week in Pattaya, with many other incidents going unreported because victims are ashamed. In some cases, these crimes have led to fatalities, and authorities have had limited access to information that could help their investigations. “Last summer, we found the body of one of our clients, a 22-year-old boy, in his hotel room. His death was reported as a drug and alcohol overdose. All his assets and cash were gone,” says a tour guide in Thailand. This article has been publish on IranWire.

Iran clearly has a lot to offer: tourists could potentially swim and ski outdoors during a single trip.Skiing is one of the few sporting activities available in Iran where women and men can escape the country’s extensive gender segregation policies and other restrictions. When I lived in Tehran, I used to ski with my brothers and groups of friends regularly, one of the few activities we could do together in public. This article has been publish on IranWire 

Divorce was a stigma in Iran just a few years ago. Rather than run the risk of being exposed as a divorcee, couples frequently chose to stay in unhappy marriages. But, today, divorce is no longer a taboo. Like other nationalities, Iranians divorce for a range of different reasons: economic problems, incompatibility, unrealistic expectations, adultery and abuse. In Kuwait, which has the highest divorce rate among Arab countries and the second highest divorce rate in the world, the main cause is infidelity, with drug addiction featuring relatively low on the list. In the United States, where one in two marriages end in divorce, drug addiction does not appear in the top five causes. However in Iran, drug addiction is the most common reason for divorce. This article has been publish on IranWire

Iran's economy is shrinking under sanctions and falling oil prices.

Ordinary people and patients with severe illness in Iran are the main target of the sanctions against the country

Women who remarry have to keep the name of the ex-husbands on their ID cards... if they had sex with their husbands

Last year, a news report that allegedly said Iranian women training as “ninja assassins” was at the center of a row that saw the news agency Reuters suspended in Iran, and a court case prosecuting the head of the agency's bureau in the country. We know now that the women in the report were practitioners of ninjutsu, a martial art that is becoming increasingly popular among Iranian women.

Jaafar Towfiqi, a former minister of science, research and technology, was chief campaigner for former presidential candidate Mohammad-Reza Aref. After the parliament rejected President Hassan Rouhani’s choice for his old portfolio, Jaafar Meili-Monfared, in Aughust, Towfiqi was named caretaker minister, taking over the ministry responsible not just for scientific research, but also most of Iran’s universities. This article has been published by Asharq Al-Awsat.