Islamic Republic of Iran has embarked on exporting ‘Brain Surgery Navigation System’ to three countries including Russia, Germany and Ecuador.

The Training Department Manager of a knowledge-based firm Dr. Ebrahim Najafzadeh broke the news on Tue. and stated that Iranian researchers indigenized ‘Brain Surgery Navigation System’ in a way that this sophisticated system, in addition to being used in 80 hospitals of the country, has been exported to three foreign countries.

“We embarked on designing and producing Brain Surgery Navigation or Brain Surgeries’ Strategic System using images,” he added.

He pointed to the application of Brain Surgery Navigation System and added that this advanced system can be used for various brain-related surgeries. The device is applicable as a guide for surgeons on various brain tumors, sinus and cranial (skull) base surgery, brain- and spinal cords’ sampling.

According to him, this system is able to guide surgical process for the surgeon with high precision and confidence using advanced technologies for processing and displaying medical images simultaneous with real-time positioning of surgical instruments.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Najafzadeh pointed to the salient features of the system and added, “Given the high precision of the system which it provides for brain surgical operation, it will enable surgeons to plan surgeries more precisely. This planning includes determining the best cutting point, the optimal path to reach the desired brain area and avoiding collisions with critical structures of the body.”

It should be noted that this domestically-manufactured surgical device is being used in 80 hospitals of the country and also has been applied by 150 surgeons in more than 6,000 surgical operations, he emphasized.

Iranian Brain Surgery Navigation System has been exported to the three countries including Russia, Germany and Ecuador, he said, adding that talks are underway between Iranian and Turkish officials to export this device to neighboring Turkey.

MNA/

Javad Foroughi became the oldest Iranian athlete to win an Olympic medal, earning gold in men’s 10-meter air pistol.

Foroughi set an Olympic record with 244.8 points, finishing 6.9 ahead of silver medalist Damir Mikec of Serbia. China’s Pang Wei, the 2008 gold medalist, took bronze.

The 41-year-old Foroughi surpasses weightlifter Mahmoud Namdjou, who was 38 when he took bronze at the 1956 Melbourne Games.

It was Iran’s first medal in shooting in the history of Olympics.

Iran delegation is made up of 66 athletes in 16 sports in Tokyo.  /MNA/

 

Vice-President for Science and Technology put the sales volume of products of knowledge-based companies at 350,000 billion tomans, showing acceleration of commercialization of ideas of Iranian scientists and researchers.

Speaking on the sidelines of his visit to a knowledge-based company based in Caspian Industrial Town in Qazvin, Sorena Sattari Vice-President for Science and Technology reiterated that sales volume of products of knowledge-based companies in the country increased considerably.

He put the current number of knowledge-based firms in the country at about 7,000.

The government is making its utmost effort to use all its facilities required for the development and growth of knowledge-based firms and IT parks, he emphasized.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Sattari pointed to the plan of constructing Science and Technology Complex in Qazvin province which is underway and added, “Undoubtedly, the government will welcome operation of such project across the country especially in Qazvin province as an industrial town and will spare no effort in backing these plans in line with materializing their objectives.”

MNA/

The Grand Prix of the 2021 Cannes Film Festival in France was Jointly awarded to Asghar Farhadi “A Hero” and Juho Kuosmanen for “Compartment No. 6”.

The 74th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 6 to 17 July 2021. The 2021 Cannes Festival Jury helmed by Spike Lee announced its list of winning films and filmmakers from the competition.

The Grand Prix, presented by director Oliver Stone, was awarded to two films this year: Asghar Farhadi’s ‘A Hero’ and Juho Kuosmanen’s ‘Compartment n°6’.

The Cannes Festival, until 2003 called the International Film Festival and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around the world. It is one of the “Big Three” major European film festivals, alongside the Venice Film Festival in Italy, the Berlin International Film Festival in Germany, as well as one of the “Big Five” major international film festivals, which consists of the three major European film festivals, the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada, and the Sundance Film Festival in the United States.

A Hero tells the story of Rahim, imprisoned because unable to repay a debt. Amazon Studios has acquired US rights to the Iranian film.

Amir Jadidi, Mohsen Tanabandeh, Raana Azadivar, Fereshteh Sadr Orafai and Sarina Farhadi are among the cast members of the flick.

Farhadi has received two Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film for his films A Separation (2011) and The Salesman (2016), making him one of the few directors worldwide who have won the category twice. He also received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay for his film The Salesman.

In 2012, he was included on the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. That same year he also received the Legion of Honour from France. /MNA/

Iranian referee Gelareh Nazemi will officiate at the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Lithuania. The competition will be held from Sept. 12 to Oct. 3 in the European country, Tehran Times reported.

Nazemi had already officiated the men’s competition. She has most recently whistled in the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup qualifiers held in Sharjah, the UAE in May along with her compatriot Zari Fathi.

Gelareh Nazemi also officiated in the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Iranian male referee Ebrahim Mehrabi Afshar will also officiate in the FIFA Futsal World Cup. /MNA/

Qom province is to recognize its first boutique hotel, which is its main structure is a historical mansion featuring gems of traditional Iranian architecture.

“The historical mansion of Salamatiha is to become the first boutique hotel after being fully restored and renovated,” provincial tourism chief Alireza Arjmandi said on Tuesday.

A budget of 180 billion rials ($4.2 million at the official exchange rate of 42,000 rials per dollar) has been allocated to the project, which is being carried out by the private sector, the official added.

Upon completion, the project is expected to generate 17 job opportunities, he noted.

In addition to offering accommodations, boutique hotels are notable for their architectural style, aesthetic appeal, and artistic arrangement, he explained.

He also noted that a way to deal with the destruction of historical monuments and houses is by restoring and rebuilding them, as well as changing their purpose.

Over the past couple of years, hundreds of historical sites and monuments across Iran have been temporarily ceded to the private investors by auctions reportedly to gain higher productivity and better maintenance.

Conducted by the Revitalization and Utilization Fund for Historical Places, the scheme is expected to assist a sustainable development for the local communities through fueling a tourism boom along the once flourishing route.

The second-holiest city of the country after Mashhad, Qom is home to both the magnificent shrine of Hazrat-e Masumeh (SA) and the major religious madrasas (schools).

Apart from sightseers and pilgrims who visit Qom to pay homage at the holy shrine, the city is also a top destination for Shiite scholars and students who come from across the world to learn Islamic studies at its madrasas and browse through eminent religious bookshops.

The antiquity of Qom goes back to the Sassanid era (224 CE–651) and several historical mosques, mansions, and natural sceneries have been scattered across the city as well as towns and villages nearby. /T.T/

Iranian director Ziba Arzhang’s movie “Sky Sun, Tile Sun” was selected as best animation at the Tracce Cinematografiche Film Fest in Italy.

The festival, which is dedicated to short films, is scheduled to be held from July 13 to 18 at Forte Sangallo Nettuno in Rome. However, the winners were announced a few days before.

In “Sky Sun, Tile Sun”, due to the intensity of the explosion and bombardment of the sun, the tiled wall breaks and it gets dark everywhere. People help each other to build a new sun for the sky.

The Iranian film “Cellmate” directed by Behzad Khodaveisi won an honorable mention in the social film category.

Starring Saba Mohammadi and Qorban Najafi, the film is about Rana, a girl around the age of 10, who spends her day in a courtyard playing with a little bird in a cage, hanging out laundry, or reading books.

The film has previously screened at several festivals and won awards, including the award for its screenplay written by Solmaz Etemad at the Japan Media Arts Festival in Tokyo in 2020.

The film won one of the four Excellence Awards in the Entertainment Division of the annual festival, which has been organized since 1997 by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs.

In the free category, “Bernardino da Luina” by Italian director Diego Monfredini was named best film.

“22nd Of April” by Cesare Maglioni from Italy won the Mediterranean Prize in the Social Film section.

The short shows the coronavirus is affecting the entire planet, killing thousands, changing the way we see the world and pushing our societies to rethink their habits deeply. One habit to improve above all others to be able to win the fight against this new common enemy is hand-washing. But what about those places where freshwater is not a given primary commodity?

“Ora Zero” by Fabiana Pernisco from Italy was picked as best social film.

The audiovisual essay Ora zero reflects certain situations of the city of Taranto (Italy) and its inhabitants, focusing mainly on the social and environmental problems suffered by the immediate surroundings of the industrial complex Ilva (today owned by ArcelorMittal), Europe’s largest steel center./T.T/

The first international innovation center of Iran inaugurated in Tehran to attract foreign students to participate in domestic knowledge-based companies and startups, IRNA reported.

The center, called Yas, was inaugurated by Ahl Al Bayt University in cooperation with the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology, on Sunday.

During the inauguration ceremony, Vice President for Science and Technology Sourena Sattari said that the innovation center can be a base for exporting Iranian technology and knowledge-based products, while foreign students are ambassadors to introduce the country’s capabilities to the world.

Pointing out that the power of countries depends on the power of technology companies, he said that “If we want to guarantee our power, we must consider the development of knowledge-based companies.”

“We should try to sell Iranian products to other countries and make the world, especially neighboring countries, want Iranian products,” he highlighted.

Supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem, facilitating the process of commercialization of knowledge-based ideas, creating employment, and empowering Muslim students in the knowledge-based economy are among the goals of the center, which seeks to establish contacts with educational and research centers in the Islamic world and attract talented Muslim students across the world.

Accordingly, this innovation center intends to play a key role in empowering and developing the cultural and economic development of Muslims around the world by attracting, organizing, managing, and synergizing accelerators, startups, technology companies, and knowledge-based companies.

Innovation in Iran developed rapidly in 5 years

Knowledge-based companies and creative startups have grown over the past five years, and Iran has risen 45 places in the Global Innovation Index, according to the UNESCO 2021 Report.

The Global Innovation Index in Iran from 2015 to 2019 has risen from 106 to 61 with continuous improvement, showing 45 steps growth.

The development of accelerators and innovation centers over the last five years has led to a rapid increase in startups and knowledge-based companies.

Between 2014 and 2017, exports of knowledge-based goods grew by a factor of five, before slumping in 2018 after the U.S. withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (2015), commonly referred to as the nuclear deal, and re-imposed sanctions.

The report states that innovation in Iran has developed rapidly over the past five years, and by the end of last year, 49 accelerators and 113 innovation centers had provided services to start-ups with the participation of the private sector.

5,000 knowledge-based companies

Currently, some 5,000 knowledge-based companies are active in the country, manufacturing diverse products to meet the needs of the domestic market while saving large amounts of foreign currency.

The fields of aircraft maintenance, steel, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment, oil, and gas are among the sectors that researchers in technology companies have engaged in, leading to import reduction. /T.T/

The Director of Iran National Carpet Center (INCC) said that country’s export of handwoven carpet in the first two months of the current year (from March 21 to May 21) registered an eighty percent hike in terms of value.

Iran’s export of handwoven carpets in the first two months of the current year (started March 21, 2021) recorded an 84.6 and 275 percent growth in terms of value and weight respectively as compared to the last year’s corresponding period, said Farahnaz Rafe on Tuesday.

Among other 33 countries imported handwoven carpets from the Islamic Republic of Iran, the two countries of Japan and Germany stood at the first and second ranks respectively in this period, she added.

According to the statistics, 50 and 46 percent of handwoven carpets were exported from Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA) and Mehrabad Customs respectively while the rest from other customs offices of the country.

The ascending exports trend of handwoven carpets in the first two months of the current year (from March 21 to May 21) indicates that country’s export of handwoven carpets hit 84.6 percent hike in terms of value and also 275 percent growth in terms of weights as compared to the same period of last year. / MNA/