The event was held in collaboration with the Cultural Affairs Department of the University of Art, the Association of Graduates and the Art and Nature Society.
The main approach of the festival is to create an opportunity for artists to understand the natural scenes of the cities and the use of natural materials in civil structures.
Here you can find the Honar Online’s photos of this festival:
In separate congratulatory messages on Sunday, Rouhani said, “I hope we can take big steps in the path of developing peace, justice, equality and brotherhood and moderation by taking advantage of prophets’ teachings and relying on the principle of peaceful coexistence.”
He further called on world leaders to try to “create a year replete with spirituality, dignity, welfare, and elimination of discrimination and violence for everybody around the world through collaboration and dialogue among religious experts and scholars and followers of religions.”
At the end of his message, President Rouhani wished a New Year full of blessings and felicity for the entire world and wished that Almighty God would bestow health, well-being and prosperity on all nations and their governments.
Rouhani also sent a message of congratulations to the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis. The full text of his message follows:
I am delighted to congratulate the birthday of the Prophet of friendship and peace and the start of year 2018 to Your Holiness and all followers of the Prophet of blessings and prosperity, Jesus Christ (PBUH), throughout the world.
I hope that in the new yea, we witness eradication of evil, wickedness, discrimination and poverty for mankind by taking advantage of the teachings of prophets and following their benevolent behaviour and traits. In today’s world, which is suffering the turbulence of moral problems, injustice, suffering and pain, it is the responsibility of politicians, scholars, and religious thinkers to create a beautiful world full of peace and moderation, free from violence and extremism with each other’s help, and leave this lasting legacy for the future.
I wish a year full of blessings and happiness, and pray to the Almighty for your Holiness’ health and success, and everybody’s prosperity and felicity.
Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, the spokesman for the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said the Saudis should know if the Iranian missiles were at the disposal of Yemen’s army and people, the conditions of war would have been different.
The Iranian MP also added that the Saudis must be held accountable for the bombardment of Yemeni people and say which countries have given them these weapons to kill Yemenis.
According to Farsi report by ICANA, Naqavi Hosseini reiterated that Tehran has repeatedly announced the Yemeni army and people are backed by Iran, and at the same time it has frankly declared that Tehran did not give any missiles to Yemenis.
His comments came after US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley stood amid missile fragments at a military base in Washington on December 14 to show what she called proof that Iran is supplying Houthis in Yemen with weapons in “absolute and undeniable violations” of UN resolutions.
Charts and photographs were on display next to the missile parts, which were provided by Saudi Arabia. They showed, Haley claimed, that the weapon fired at the main airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Nov. 4 was an Iranian-made Qiam ballistic missile.
Iran has dismissed the claims saying that it is a fabricated show by Washington and its allies to play a blame game in order to distract public opinion from their own brutal crimes.
Based on these changes, Seyyed Abbas Araqchi and Iran’s ambassador to India Gholam-Reza Ansari will probably be appointed as deputy ministers for political affairs and economic affairs, respectively.
Gholam-Hossein Dehqani, the former Iranian ambassador to the United Nations, will also be appointed as the deputy minister for legal affairs.
The ministry plans to demote the foreign minister’s field deputies – including Deputy for European and American Affairs, Deputy for Arab and African Affairs, and Deputy for Asia and Pacific Affairs – to Director-Generals.
All of these directors-general will be linked to the minister via the “Political Deputy”, and the affairs will be followed up through this deputy. This change is being sought for what is called the “Agility in Foreign Affairs Ministry”.
The event called Colour Dream is underway at the Ershad Art Gallery of Sanandaj and will be open to visitors until December 26.
120 paintings drawn by Kermanshahi children aged 3 to 12 are exposed at the show, which opened on Saturday evening, a Farsi report by IRNA said.
Negin Vakili, a Kurdish artist who has collected these paintings and presented them at the exhibition, said, “When we were in Sarpol-e Zahab County to help children and earthquake-stricken people, I saw one of these kids painting on a piece of carton as they did not have coloured papers and pencils.”
“It gave me the idea to erect a tent and distribute papers, crayons, pastels and markers among these children to give them the opportunity to paint,” added Vakili.
“While the kids were drawing paintings, many adults were there to watch paintings, and it proved that their psychic needs are satisfied by seeing these paintings.”
At the very beginning of the exhibition several paintings were sold, she said, adding that “the money raised from selling every painting is given to the same quake-hit child.”
Most of these paintings are created by kids from Sarpol-e Zahab County, who have depicted the impacts of the earthquake, destruction and loss of loved ones in some of their paintings.
On the evening of 12 November, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit Iran’s Kermanshah with widespread damages reported across the province. Sarpol-e Zahab and Qasr-e Shirin were the ones hardest hit. Over 500 lives were lost and thousands were injured. It was Iran’s deadliest quake in over a decade that caused extensive material damage.
Reports cite economic and political damages as well as chaos in Saudi Arabia as the main prices that the kingdom has paid so far for its war on the impoverished nation of Yemen, a Farsi report by ISNA said on Saturday.
Some of the financial damages inflicted on the Saudi-led coalition are as follows:
Destruction of over 1,200 units of tanks and army vehicles;
Destruction of 12 Apache helicopters, 5 F-16 and F-15 fighter jets;
Destruction of 20 spy planes;
Damages inflicted on 10 warships, frigates and vessels;
Destruction of hundreds of military bases in Najran, Jizan and Asir as well as many other headquarters in various parts of these regions;
Attacks on tens of Saudi bases, after which they have fallen to the hands of the Yemeni army and Popular Committees.
Financial Damages Inflicted on Aggressive Countries
Increasing negative impact on their economy and other financial reserves;
Waste of their main funds for supporting the Saudi-led coalition and covering its weaponry costs.
Yemen War’s Impact on Saudi Arabia’s Economy
Deficit in the country’s annual budget;
Waste of billions of dollars spent to attract new supporters and friends;
Decrease in budget reserves from $737 billion in 2014 to $437 billion in 2017;
Decrease in budget due to declining oil prices and significant budget deficit beyond 15 percent;
Increase in taxes, prices and deterioration of ordinary people’s lives;
Failure in efforts to expand revenue resources;
Increase in military budget which hit $81 million in 2015 and turned Saudi Arabia into the third country in the world after the US and China in terms of military budget;
Decrease in the average growth of Saudi Arabia which used to be the largest economy in the Arab world;
Foreign investors’ reluctance to invest in huge projects in Saudi Arabia;
Decrease in the inflow of tourists and increase in transportation and other urban fees.
Internal Chaos of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen has put the Persian Gulf kingdom in a deep internal crisis with its economic and political repercussions.
The latest developments in Saudi Arabia include the dismissal of Crown Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz in 2015, dismissal of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef in 2017, assassination of Abdul Aziz bin Fahd and arrest of 11 princes and 38 high-ranking officials over corruption.
Analysts say despite the all-out blockade on their country, the Yemenis have managed to raise their missile power targeting the capitals of aggressive states.
The Israeli soldiers used stun grenades and tear gas to disperse the protesters who had gathered outside an Israeli military tower in Bethlehem on Saturday.
Holding Palestinian flags, some of the demonstrators were dressed as Santa Claus.
Bethlehem resident Mohammad al-Lahham said the Santa costumes send a message to Palestinian children “that we are on the path to freedom, to Jerusalem. Papa Noel (Santa Claus) distributes gifts and the occupation distributes bombs today. These are the bombs that the Israeli occupation is distributing today, at Christmas.”
At this time of year, Bethlehem is normally flooded by pilgrims and tourists from across the world as well as local Christians who want to celebrate Christmas Eve at the traditional birthplace of Jesus Christ.
Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa said “dozens” of groups had cancelled their planned visits to Bethlehem after Washington’s controversial decision on Jerusalem al-Quds that sparked violence in the occupied territories.
“Of course this created a tension around Jerusalem and this diverted attention from Christmas,” he added.
There have been regular anti-US protests by Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip since December 6, when US President Donald Trump declared that Washington recognized Jerusalem al-Quds as the “capital” of Israel and moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city.
The dramatic shift in Washington’s Jerusalem al-Quds policy drew fierce criticism from the international community, including Washington’s Western allies, and triggered protests against the US and Israel worldwide.
On Thursday, the United Nations General Assembly voted by a resounding majority to reject Trump’s Jerusalem al-Quds move.
Israel lays claim to the whole Jerusalem al-Quds, but the international community views the ancient city’s eastern sector as occupied land and the Palestinians consider it their future capital.
Pro-Palestine demo in Germany
Separately on Saturday, scores of pro-Palestinian protesters condemned Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as the Israeli “capital” in the central German city of Gottingen.
They chanted slogans, waved Palestinian flags and held signs reading, “There is no country called Israel in order [for it] to have a capital.”
Rally in Tunisia
Tunisians also held a similar rally in the capital, Tunis, calling on the parliament to pass a law on criminalizing any normalization of relations with the Israeli regime.
They demanded the freedom of Palestine from the Israeli occupation and called al-Quds Palestine’s eternal capital, Arabic-language daily Alquds Alarabi reported.
Addressing the six-party conference on the threat of terrorism, held in Islamabad on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani called on his counterparts from Pakistan, Russia, China, Turkey and Afghanistan to attach more significance to interaction among their intelligence organizations and data sharing.
He also proposed the idea of formation of a special committee to coordinate counterterrorism efforts and share intelligence data to ensure regional security.
Denouncing the Western so-called anti-terror military coalition for its ineffectual war against terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq, Larijani said the main reason behind the fall of the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group was the formation of the Iran-Russia-Turkey coalition.
Terrorist activities would die down only when schools promoting Takfiri ideologies are closed, he added, saying Wahhabism has resorted to baseless and wrong teachings in the name of Islam to justify massacre of innocent people.
Larijani has joined his counterparts in Islamabad for the two-day meeting to discuss and address the challenges of terrorism and inter-regional connectivity.
The idea to hold such a gathering was put forward by Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan Sardar Ayaz Sadiq during the 2nd meeting of the Eurasian Parliaments’ Speakers in Seoul, back in June, according to Pakistani sources.
Iran has always called for concerted action by the regional countries in the fight against terrorism, and has launched security and intelligence cooperation with its neighbors to counter terrorist operations, particularly along border areas.
“The angels said, Mary, God gives you glad-tidings of a Word from Him whose name is Christ, Jesus, son of Mary; highly honoured in this world and the next,” Zarif said in a Saturday post in his Twitter, quoting a verse from the Holy Quran.
“A very happy and peaceful Christmas to all,” the Iranian top diplomat noted.
“May Christ’s universal message of peace be embraced in the coming year,” he added.
A major story in several newspapers today was the air pollution in Tehran and other megacities, and a protest rally held by the citizens of Tehran in front of the municipality.
The issue of earthquake and the absolute necessity of preparing for the incident also remained a top story today.
The above issues, as well as many more, are highlighted in the following headlines and top stories:
Abrar:
1- UN Security Council Unanimously Pass New Sanctions against N. Korea
2- Bin Salman’s Condition for Release of Bin Talal: Paying $6 Billion
3- Fuad Masum Underlines Support of Iran-Iraq Investment
Arman-e Emrooz:
1- 48,000 Killed by Air Pollution: Shocking Statistics
Asrar:
1- Intelligence Minister: To Save Establishment, It’s Necessary to Avoid Conflicts, Sedition
Emtiaz:
1- 12% of Iranian People Illiterate
2- Minister: Iran to Build Its First ICT Town
Etemad:
1- Nonstop Efforts to Contain 57 Days of Fire in Oil Well Southern Iran
Ettela’at:
1- Labour Minister: Gov’t Strategy Based on Increasing Cash Subsidies of Poor
2- Judiciary Chief, President, Parliament Speaker to Meet on Air Pollution, Quake
3- First VP: Gov’t Resolved to Revise Administrative System
4- Zionist Regime Withdraws from UNESCO in Protest at UN’s Anti-Israel Resolution
Iran:
1- Tehran Mayor: End of Red Alert in Capital; No Concern over Bigger Quake
2- Azeri Maestro: Iranian Tar Must Be Introduced to World Academically
Jame Jam:
1- Less than One Book for Each Iranian Citizen
Javan:
1- Golden Maserati Spotted in Tehran!
Jomhouri Eslami:
1- Iran to Receive New Cargo Ships as of March 2018
2- France Prepares for Christmas by Deploying 100,000 Security Forces
3- Iran, Switzerland to Cooperate on Promotion of Nuclear Safety
Kayhan:
1- Advocates of Reformism: Those Who Regret Voting for Rouhani Are Conspirators!
2- Popular Front: Palestinians’ Legitimate Goal Is to Attack US Interests
Khorasan:
1- One Million Yemenis Suffering from Cholera
2- Telegram to Release Digital Currency Inspired by Bitcoin
Resalat:
1- Parliament Speaker: Terrorism in Mideast Not Over
Shahrvand:
1- We Want Fresh Air
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