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Home Blog Page 4904

Iran museum displays Latin American dolls

IFP Editorial Staff

November 29, 2014

Iran’s Nations’ Dolls Museum has showcased a number of Latin American dolls to introduce the region’s beliefs and traditions.

The exhibition held on November 27-28 also featured Mexican culture as well as Latin American handicrafts.

The museum displayed 540 culturally diverse dolls from 53 countries such as the UK, Germany, the US, Canada, Norway, Italy, France and Bulgaria.

The showcased dolls included a range of shadow puppets, theatre puppets, and dolls representing different ethnicities.

The visitors were provided with the opportunity to get acquainted with diverse cultures in Iran and other countries.

The Nations’ Dolls Museum was inaugurated in Tehran on the International Day of Peace, September 21, 2014.

Iran’s female vice president has been awarded Italy’s Minerva Award

Emad Askarieh

November 29, 2014

On November 29, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that Italy’s Minerva Foundation has honored Vice President Masoumeh Ebtekar for her outstanding organizational role, and commitment and integrity in her duties. What appears below is a partial translation of the report:

At a ceremony in the City Hall of Rome the 2014 Minerva Award was handed out to Director of Iran’s Environment Protection Organization Masoumeh Ebtekar in recognition of her scientific achievements and the role she has played as an accomplished woman on the political front.

The Minerva Awards, named after Minerva Anna Maria Mammoliti, an Italian journalist and social activist, come in different categories such as art, information, innovation and political management and are given to women. The Minerva non-governmental foundation is run under the patronage of the Italian president.

After receiving the non-cash award – a plaque, [the Minerva Award is symbolized with a brooch in silver, gold and precious stones, depicting the goddess Minerva] – Iranian Vice President Masoumeh Ebtekar said, “I have received this award on behalf of all Iranian women whose endeavors and sacrifices have ushered in monumental achievements for my country.”

Touching upon the progress that Iranian women have made in science, art, sport, as well as in executive and parliamentary undertakings, she stated, “Winning this award is immensely important, because Iran has a government which has been working at home and abroad in line with a policy of moderation.”

Describing the prize as an indication of a deep bond between the Iranians and Italians, she said, “In spite of differences and diversity in our cultures, getting the Minerva Award shows there is affinity and even unity between the two nations when it comes to principles such as the quest for justice, perfection along with selflessness and the love for the environment.”

She expressed hope that Iran and Italy could join hands to promote peace and security and protect the environment.

At the ceremony, along with Ebtekar, a Tunisian woman who has founded a big charity in her country to educate people to take on violence against women was also awarded.

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on Nov. 29

Emad Askarieh

November 29, 2014

Iranian newspapers on Saturday were dominated by the Supreme Leader’s speech at a meeting with Basij volunteers on nuclear talks in which he supported the country’s negotiating team, and the decision to extend the talks for seven months. Newsweek’s cover story on Major General Ghasem Soleimani, the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps’ Quds Force, and his role in crushing ISIS in Iraq appeared on the front pages of several dailies too. Also in the news were the 166^th session of OPEC in Vienna and its decision to maintain the current output ceiling, something which sent crude prices tumbling on world markets.

Abrar: “We will cross all passes and emerge victorious,” said President Rouhani.

Abrar-e Eghtesadi: Lukoil, Russia’s second largest oil company, seeks to return to Iranian market.

Afarinesh: President Rouhani has invited his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to pay a visit to Iran.

Afarinesh: “Nuclear talks will move into positive territory,” said Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly Ali Larijani.

Arman-e Emrooz: “The responsibility to promote virtue cannot be delegated to a certain group. University students are duty-bound to correct deviations,” said Seyyed Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the late Imam Khomeini.

Asrar reports that parliament continues to stand its ground as far as calls for raising the powers of the justice minister go.

Ebtekar: “For the first time in history, all Iranians have been given healthcare insurance coverage,” said Health Minister Seyyed Hassan Hashemi.

Ebtekar: “A trip by [Ayatollah] Hashemi Rafsanjani to Saudi Arabia holds the key to a breakthrough in [nuclear] talks and will help solve regional problems,” said Ayatollah Vahid Khorasani, a senior Shiite cleric.

Ebtekar: Value added tax (VAT) will not be raised next year [starting March 21, 2015].

Emtiaz quoted a Tehran deputy mayor as saying that free Wi-Fi Internet will be made available on board public buses in the capital.

Emtiaz:“Four new police stations will be set up in the capital by the end of this year [ending March 2015],” said Tehran’s Police Chief Hossein Sajedinia.

Ettela’at: “All hospitals across the country will be given a facelift by yearend [March 20, 2015],” said the health minister.

Hemayat: Bime Razi, Iran’s representative in the World Wrestling Clubs Cup –held in the northern Iranian city of Jouybar (Nov. 26-28) – beat the US to claim the title in freestyle discipline.

Iran: “The [Iranian] negotiating team is hardworking, sympathetic, steadfast and logical. The inconclusiveness of the talks will be to the detriment of the US. I do not disapprove of the extension of the talks,” said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

Jahan-e Sanat: “Iran will accept rational and fair words,” said the Supreme Leader.

Kaenat put the cover story of Newsweek: “Nemesis: First He Fought America. Now He’s Crushing ISIS” on its front-page and underlined the praise the American weekly news magazine heaped on Commander of the Quds Force, Major General Ghasem Soleimani [for his role in tackling ISIS in Iraq].

Khorasan: “Iran will soon build its own fuel rods for the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant,” said Director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi.

Roozan: Iran and Total S.A., a French multinational integrated oil and gas company, have opened talks on oil trade.

Roozan: A 32-volume report on forms of domestic violence, which had been compiled when reformists were in power in Iran, went missing during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Sepid: “That [life-saving] medical supplies and medicines were exempted from sanctions [against Iran] was a sheer lie,” said the health minister.

Shahrvand: Plummeting oil prices and a rise in gold prices came in the immediate aftermath of a decision by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) not to reduce production.

UNHCR praises Iran for supporting foreign refugees

Emad Askarieh

November 29, 2014

Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Office in Iran Sivanka Dhanapala praised Iran’s performance in hosting and aiding foreign refugees, especially the Afghans.

“Iran’s services to refugees have set an example for other countries,” Dhanapala said, addressing a conference on cultural and social issues of Afghan refugees in Qom province, Central Iran, on Thursday.

“In Iranian schools, we are witnessing the friendly treatment of refugees by Iranian students,” he added.

Iran has been a generous host to more than 2 million Afghan refugees for two decades with little help from the international community.

Tehran has called on the international community to strengthen support for Iran to help it host the Afghan refugees and provide repatriation support for them.

Voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees from Iran has slowed in recent years in the face of poor security and economic conditions in Afghanistan, which Tehran blames on the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.

The office of the UNHCR was established by the UN General Assembly in 1950.

According to the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, the agency is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees.

UNHCR first opened an office in Iran in 1984 and expanded its presence with the massive influx of Iraqi refugees following the Persian Gulf War in 1991 and the start of Afghans’ mass return movement to Afghanistan in 1992.

Today UNHCR has its Central office representation in Tehran, plus three suboffices in Mashhad, Kerman and Ahwaz.

Iran has key role in campaign against ISIL: Italy

Emad Askarieh

November 29, 2014

Italian Parliament Speaker Laura Boldrini has highlighted Iran’s key role in ensuring stability in the Middle East and in the fight against extremists such as the ISIL terrorist group.

The Italian official made the remark during a meeting with Iranian Vice President and Head of the Department of the Environment Massoumeh Ebtekar in Rome on Thursday.

The Italian official voiced concern over the activities of Takfiri terrorist groups, including ISIL, in the Middle East, stressing that the dogmatic thoughts of such groups had nothing to do with genuine Islam.

She also expressed her country’s readiness to promote bilateral ties with Iran in parliamentary, economic, cultural and scientific fields.

Ebtekar, for her part, underlined the need for parliamentary cooperation between the two countries and invited the Italian official to visit Iran.

In October, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi highlighted Iran’s instrumental role in the fight against terrorism in the Middle East region and praised Iran’s support for the Baghdad government in the fight against terrorist groups.

ISIL terrorists control large parts of Syria’s east and north. ISIL also sent its Takfiri militants into Iraq in June, seizing large swathes of land straddling the border between Syria and Iraq.

The extremist group has threatened all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians during its advances in the violence-torn Arab state.

New figures released by the United Nations show that violence in Iraq claimed more than 1,270 lives in October alone.

The colorful trace of autumn in Tehran

Emad Askarieh

November 27, 2014

There is something in the autumn that makes everyone look in awe of its beauty as they whisper “Blessed is God, the best of the creators”.

People say there is something incredibly nostalgic about the annual cascade of autumn foliage, but the fact is that vibrant colors and shiny leaves go hand in hand to make this season all the more attractive.

It is autumn in Iran and trees have turned orange and yellow here and there. The Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) on November 26 released great pictures of the autumn season in Tehran. The following pictures are worth a look.

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Entire Iran to stand up to excessive demands: Leader

Emad Askarieh

November 27, 2014

“In the [nuclear] negotiations, if sensible things are said and fair and wise arrangements are made, we will agree to them; but, Iranians, from the top all the way to the bottom [of social strata,] from the masses of the people to all its officials, will stand up to excessive demands,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in a gathering of members of Basij.

The Leader noted that both the Iranian nation and the negotiating sides must know that “if the talks fail, the one who will lose the most will be the Americans not us.”

In their last round of talks before a November 24 deadline, Iran and the P5+1 countries — the United States, Russia, China, Germany, France and Britain — wrapped up a week of closed-door intense nuclear negotiations in Vienna, Austria, on Monday. The talks aimed to tackle the remaining obstacles that exist in the way of reaching an agreement.

At the end of the talks, the two sides decided to extend their discussions for seven more months. They also agreed that the interim deal they signed in the Swiss city of Geneva last November will remain in place during the course of the negotiations until July 1, 2015.

Iranian director’s short film nominated for Oscar

Emad Askarieh

November 27, 2014

A film by an Iranian director has been initially shortlisted for the best Live Action Short Film at the 87th Academy Awards.

Parvaneh, the 25-minute short film by Talkhon Hamzavi, is one of the 10 motion pictures selected from a 141 qualified short films in this Oscar Awards category.

Parvaneh narrates the story of an Afghan girl who has entered a refugee camp in Switzerland, but when she comes to know about her father’s poor health condition in Afghanistan, she decides to send the whole money she had illegally earned in the foreign land to her family.

She is forced to go to the city of Zurich, but due to not possessing a valid passport, she finds herself unable to follow her initial aim. Meanwhile, she meets a girl named Emily, and the rest of the story is determined by their friendship.

Hamzavi, who is currently living in Switzerland, has produced her film in German language. She had formerly participated in various foreign film festivals with Parvaneh, and in 2013, won the silver medal for the best foreign film at Student Academy Awards.

Her film was forwarded to the Oscars from the country of her residence. She was born in 1979 in Tehran, and migrated to Switzerland when she was 7. She obtained her Master of Arts in film-making from the University of Zurich.

All the 10 qualified short movies were viewed for the first round of voting by the Academy’s Short Films and Feature Animation Branch Reviewing Committee at Los Angeles screens. Based on the regulations, three to five movies will ultimately be opted as the major finalists at the upcoming Academy Awards. Four cities of Los Angeles, London, New York, and San Francisco will host the branch screenings in December.

Nominees in all 24 categories of the 87th Annual Academy Awards will be announced on January 15, 2015, in Samuel Goldwyn Theater, and the Oscars Ceremony will be held on February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.

Iran has officially addressed Reza Mirkarimi’s Today to represent the country this year. A Few Cubic Meters of Love, the Iranian-Afghan film directed by Jamshid Mahmoudi, is also nominated by Afghanistan to compete at the upcoming Academy Awards.

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on Nov. 27

Emad Askarieh

November 27, 2014

Parliament’s vote of confidence to Mohammad Farhadi as science minister dominated the front pages of Iranian newspapers on Thursday. Also among front-page headlines was the spillover of protests to other American cities following the decision of a grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri not to indict a white police officer for fatally shooting an unarmed black teenager in August.

Abrar: America has extended the suspension of its sanctions against Iran.

Abrar: “Those who have illegally received scholarships should be dealt with,” an MP said during the confirmation hearing of Mohammad Farhadi, the new science minister.

Afarinesh: South Korea paid $500 million it owed Iran [for crude imports].

Afkar: President Obama has urged Saudi King Abdullah’s son to help normalize relations between Tehran and Riyadh.

Afkar: President Rouhani has hailed the performance of the Iranian nuclear negotiating team.

Arman-e Emrooz: Mohammad Farhadi, President Rouhani’s pick for science minister, won 197 nods from MPs to take charge of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology.

Arman-e Emrooz: Ali Motahari, [a principlist MP who supported President Rouhani’s nominees for science minister] has come under a barrage of attacks by fellow principlists in the chamber.

Asrar: “We all have to turn out for [upcoming parliamentary] elections,” said former President Mohammad Khatami.

Ebtekar: Former President Mohammad Khatami has described the performance of President Rouhani as “good”.

Ebtekar: “Using Basij [the Volunteer Force] to advance partisan agenda is sinful,” said Chairman of the Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Emtiaz: Sami Yusuf, an Iranian-born British singer-songwriter, is to perform onstage in Iran.

Emtiaz: “The value of smuggled items in Iran stands at $20 billion annually,” said the director of the Headquarters to Fight Smuggling in Goods and Currency.

Esfahan Emrooz has described the confirmation of President Rouhani’s pick for science minister as “reconciliation between government and parliament”.

Etemad: As many as 70 French automotive managers will soon pay a visit to Iran.

Ettela’at: The government spokesman said the pay rise of civil servants will be proportionate to inflation next year.

Ettela’at: European giants are in line to make it to the Iranian stock market.

Farhikhtegan: “Some want to tell Rouhani that they are still powerful,” said reformist former President Mohammad Khatami.

Hamshahri: Mayors of Asian cities have welcomed a proposal by Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf to establish a joint development fund.

Hemayat: “The bullying attitude of the United States is to blame for the failure [of Iranian and P5+1 negotiators] to strike a nuclear deal,” said Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani.

Iran: As many as 15 million people who live on the edges of major cities will benefit from the Healthcare Transformation Plan.

Iran Daily: Musician Khorshidifar passes away.

Javan: “Recent talks proved that the United States is not trustworthy,” said the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps.

Jomhouri Islami: “Iran has no plans to cut its crude oil production,” said Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh.

Kaenat: Three policemen on the beat have been killed in a terrorist attack in Zahak, a small town in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.

Kayhan: The Russian ambassador to Tehran has said in an exclusive, “Just like Iran, we view economic self-sufficiency as the way to counter sanctions.”

Resalat: American people are protesting against racial discrimination from coast to coast.

Roozan: [With the confirmation of Farhadi as science chief] Mohammad Ali Najafi, who served as acting minister since the impeachment of Faraji-Dana, released a memo to bid farewell to the staff at the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology.

Shahrara: Sami Yusuf [an Iranian-born British singer-songwriter] says he will soon pay a pilgrimage visit to Mashhad [home to the shrine of Imam Reza (PBUH)].

Shahrvand: A number of MPs have signed a motion that calls for the death penalty for those convicted of staging acid attacks.

Iran MP: Talks on Iran nuclear issue showed US not trustworthy

Emad Askarieh

November 27, 2014

A senior Iranian legislator has said that nuclear talks between the Islamic Republic and the six major world powers revealed that the United States is not a reliable country.
Chairman of Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Alaeddin Boroujerdi said on Wednesday that Iran’s negotiating partners – Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States, and Germany – must live up to their commitments based on the Joint Plan of Action, signed between the two sides in the Swiss city of Geneva last November.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran displayed its sincerity with respect to this accord, but America is trying to weaken the pillars of this agreement by announcing new sanctions [against Iran],” Boroujerdi said during a meeting with chair of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with Iran, Tarja Cronberg, in Tehran.
The Iranian lawmaker further noted that Washington does not respect the rights of the Iranian nation and tries to influence Iran’s position and the result of the talks through sanctions.
Boroujerdi also underscored that such sanctions have helped Iran base its economy on domestic capabilities.
Cronberg, for her part, expressed hope that the Geneva nuclear deal is respected in its entirety.
The latest round of nuclear talks between Iran and P5+1 ended in the Austria capital, Vienna, on November 24, with the two sides agreeing to extend the Joint Plan of Action to July 1, 2015.
Under the Joint Plan of Action reached between the two sides in November 2013, a final comprehensive deal aims to give assurances that Tehran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful and, at the same time, lift all sanctions imposed against the Iranian nation over the country’s nuclear program.
Iran has repeatedly said its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, including generating electricity and making radioisotopes for its cancer patients.