During the meeting, the two sides discussed the latest situation in Iraq, particularly the issue of referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan.
FM Zarif expressed Islamic Republic of Iran’s opposition to the holding of independence referendum in the region and underlined the necessity of respecting national sovereignty, observing the Constitution and preserving the territorial integrity of Iraq.
He also pointed out that the Baghdad-Erbil dialogue is the only solution to the disputes.
During the talks held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Zarif and Burkhalter discussed bilateral ties and other issues of mutual interest.
Zarif, who is accompanying President Hassan Rouhani in his visit to New York, plans to hold talks with many of his foreign counterparts during his stay in the US.
According to Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi, high on Zarif’s agenda will be meetings with foreign ministers of the P5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France, and Germany) on the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
The painting festival, entitled ‘Tehran, The City of Hope; The Family I Love’, was held in the Iranian capital’s Razi Park.
According to Seyyed Abbas Tabatabaei, a municipality official, almost 3,000 kids participated in the festival and created their paintings.
At the end of the festival, he told IRNA, 100 paintings were selected and honoured by the Jury.
Here are photos of the festival retrieved from the Young Journalists’ Club (YJC) and Azad News Agency (ANA):
An event was held Monday at the Maqbaratoshoara, or the Tomb of Poets, in the city of Tabriz, in East Azerbaijan Province, where Shahriar is buried.
Born in Tabriz in 1906, Shahriar received preliminary education in the city before moving to the capital Tehran, where he first studied at the famous Dar ul-Funun (Polytechnic) school and then at a medical college.
Consumed by an unrequited love, he gave up medicine shortly before graduation and worked as a bank clerk for years, instead. Even so, Shahriar excelled in poetry writing, drawing on many of his own bittersweet memories to create lasting pieces of literature.
Shahriar wrote both in Persian and Azeri Turkish languages, and his poems have been translated to 30 languages.
He died on September 18, 1988. He was 82.
Here are Mizan’s photos of Shahriar’s house, which has been turned into a museum:
In the Christian liturgical calendar, there are several different Feasts of the Cross, all of which commemorate the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus.
In English, it is called The Exaltation of the Holy Cross in the official translation of the Roman Missal, while the 1973 translation called it The Triumph of the Cross. In some parts of the Anglican Communion the feast is called Holy Cross Day, a name also used by Lutherans.
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, recalls three events: the finding of the True Cross by Saint Helena, the mother of the emperor Constantine; the dedication of churches built by Constantine on the site of the Holy Sepulchre and Mount Calvary; and the restoration of the True Cross to Jerusalem in AD 629 by the emperor Heraclius after it had fallen into the hands of Chosroas, King of the Persians in AD 614.
September 16 is observed as the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, a feast which continues for several days thereafter. It is counted as one of the five major feasts of the Armenian Church, and the most important of the four feasts of the Holy Cross. According to Armenian tradition, the first one to “exalt” the Cross was the Apostle James of Jerusalem, the “Brother of the Lord”.
Here are Mehr’s photos of the feast celebrated in the Holy Cross Chapel in northern Tehran:
Head of Iran’s Royan Research Centre Hamid Goorabi says researchers at the facility have managed to reproduce a baby ram called “Maral” from the womb of a ewe, and now they are trying to reproduce the Asiatic cheetah from a substitute womb to save the species from extinction.
“To that end, we needed to prepare the ground and make some arrangements, which was realized on the back of efforts by our colleagues and with the establishment of a wildlife cell bank at the research centre,” said Goorabi, according to a Farsi report by Tabnak.
He went on saying that extensive studies have been conducted in this area at the research centre, adding, “At the moment, the cells of some wildlife animals such as the Iranian (Asiatic) cheetah has been collected at the bank cell of the research centre.”
He said research work like the one by which the baby ram was reproduced is aimed at preventing certain species from extinction, including the cheetah, and added, “As our researchers continue their studies, they are seeking to simulate other species such as the cheetah.”
As for the cheetah, he said, the arrangements have been made and numerous studies have been carried out.
“At the moment, we’re looking for a substitute womb, so that we can transfer the fetus to the womb of another animal from which the cheetah can be born.”
As for the possible options for a substitute womb, he said some felines seem suitable for that purpose.
“Of course, research is underway in that regard and it needs further studies, which our colleagues are conducting.”
He said several lab-grown animals are scheduled to be unveiled in almost a month’s time.
Hamadan‘s hosting of the General Assembly of the UNWTO in 2018 has been finalized following the efforts of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran, and Tourism Board of Alisadr Travel Company.
According to a Farsi report by the Mehr News Agency, the finalization that took place at the 22nd session of the UNWTO General Assembly in Chengdu, China, could be the beginning of a fruitful and important route for tourism in Iran and the province of Hamadan.
The process of Hamadan’s hosting of the General Assembly began on October 1, 2016, at a meeting of the World Tourism Organization’s affiliated members in Armenia.
The delegation from the Alisadr Travel Company at the meeting took the opportunity to screen a film introducing Iran, Hamadan and Alisadr cave, which was welcomed by the attendants.
After showing the film, the delegation met with Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization Taleb Rifai, and presented the official request for Hamadan’s hosting of the General Assembly in 2018, which was welcomed by the Secretary-General and it was put on the agenda.
After sending Hamadan Governor’s letter to Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicraft and Tourism Organization, Hamadan’s hosting of this international meeting was pursued at national level, and with the round-the-clock efforts and precise planning, the World Tourism Organization agreed to this proposal.
The Iraqi Supreme Court on Monday ordered the suspension of an independence referendum scheduled to be held in the northern Iraqi Kurdistan region.
In a statement, the court said the poll, which was convened by regional Kurdish president Masoud Barzani, was unconstitutional.
Shortly after the court ruling, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abdi also declared that he has ordered suspension of Kurdistan referendum.
“I will not allow any province or region to separate from Iraq,” he said, stressing that the referendum invalidates the Iraqi constitution, and threatens Iraq’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.” he stressed.
Earlier, Abadi had warned that the Iraqi Army would interfere in the Kurdistan independence plebiscite if it escalates.
While the entire Middle East, except for the Israeli regime, is against the independence of Iraqi Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has insisted on holding an independence referendum on September 25.
Iranian media outlets every so often publish reports on incidents at wedding ceremonies, where the wrong custom of celebratory gunfire leads to tragic deaths and injuries.
According to a Farsi report by the Khabar Online news agency, sometimes the victims are the bride or groom and their wedding day, which must be their best day of life, turns into their mourning ceremony.
The wrong practice is followed at wedding or mourning circles in some cities of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Khuzestan, Lorestan and several other provinces of Iran. In the past, skilled people used to shoot the firearm into the air in various events, which, of course, was performed with the utmost care.
Unfortunately, in recent years, the aerial firings have mostly been performed by unskilled people leading to many unfortunate incidents such as the deaths of the families’ loved ones.
A proper and wise approach must be taken to eliminate this false culture; a culture which is more common in southwestern Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province.
In some countries, such as the United States, the use of weapons has been authorized for citizens after obtaining a license. The criminal systems of these countries argue that citizens must have weapons in confrontation with criminals. Of course, massacres that occur every now and then in public places like schools have turned many people into critics of such strategy.
However, in most countries, governments do not allow the use of weapons by citizens, and certain individuals are allowed to use weapons only under some exceptional circumstances. The Islamic Republic is among the second group of countries and has a heavy punishment for carrying unauthorized weapons.
In Iran, there are very strict rules regarding carrying of all kinds of weapons. In the Islamic Penal Code, there are many prohibitions on the carrying of firearms. The carrying, use, sale and trafficking of firearms is prohibited and punishable. Of course, some people receive permits to carry and hold firearms for hunting, and sometimes they use these unlicensed or licensed weapons in wedding and mourning ceremonies.
© All Content by IFP News ( Iran Front Page ) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
