Iranian short ‘Braceball’, written and directed by Reyhane Mortezaeinia, will take part in the 4th Ramsgate International Film and TV Festival in the UK.

‘Braceball’ narrates the story of a young boy with a disability, who loves soccer and makes every effort to have his dream come true in spite of his physical limitations.

Set in England’s Royal Harbour, and the stunning location to multiple award-winning and acclaimed TV and Film productions, the 4th Ramsgate International Film and TV Festival will show new works and help promote filmmakers and cultural awareness.

The 4 edition of the festival will be held on 11-14 June 2020. /MNA/

An official at the Ministry of Agriculture said that Islamic Republic of Iran accounted for one percent share of world’s $4 billion turnover of halal food.

Of total more than $4,000 billion financial turnover of halal food in the world, less than one percent of which belongs to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Payman Falsafi pointed to the halal food industry in the country and added, “halal food industry has a special place in our lives and has been intertwined with our lifestyle.”

“Halal Food” has a great influence in transcendence of soul and body of human being, he said, adding, “halal food is highly demanded and welcomed even in the countries where Muslims are in minority.”

About 250 ‘halal’ brands are used in the world, indicating that the product is basically produced according to the ‘halal’ standard rules and regulations, he stressed.

In Iran, there is one ‘halal’ logo which is presented by the National Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran (ISIRI) to producers.

Under the law, various stages should be followed up in order to get a ‘halal’ logo and in this way, priority will be given to the protein and meat products, he added.

In this regard, a bylaw was approved at Iranian Parliament in 2008 entitled ‘Sharia Supervision on Slaughter and Fishing’, Falsafi underscored.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he pointed to the protein and meat products in the country and added, “all protein and meat products in the country are ‘halal’ which are produced under the strict supervision.”

Of total more than $4,000 financial turnover of ‘halal’ products in the world, one percent of which is earmarked to the Islamic Republic of Iran, he said, adding, “however, some countries have been investing on ‘halal’ industry for about 35 years in an organized manner and with a clear investment structure. In other words, these countries accounted for 35% of financial turnover of ‘halal’ trade to themselves.”

MA/

Chairman of the Board of directors of an Iranian knowledge-based company informed that South American countries is inclined to start imports of coronavirus test kits from Iran.

According to Behzad Hajian Tehran, after exports of Iranian anti-coronavirus products and test kits to Germany and some other countries, now South American countries have expressed a tendency for imports of such products.

“We have received orders for some millions test kits from South America and are investigating their supply,” he said.

Islamic Republic of Iran has currently started exporting coronavirus diagnostic kits to a number of countries including Germany and Turkey.

Iranian consignment comprising 40,000 coronavirus test kits was dispatched from Tehran to Germany on May 5.

Its consignment including 15 ventilators, 5,000 test kits, 6,000 face mask, 2,000 medical gloves, and other medical equipment was delivered to Lebanon on May 4.

In mid-April, Spokesperson for the Coronavirus Combat and Prevention Headquarters Kianoush Jahanpour said that the country has developed COVID-19 rapid test kits based on antibody detection, adding that the kits will hit the market soon.

He went on to say that no drug and vaccine has yet been produced in the world to treat and prevent coronavirus and the best way to contain this epidemic, which makes social work and reopening of jobs possible, is to use COVID-19 rapid testing from antibodies.

On March 9, Secretary of Biotechnology Development Headquarters of the Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology Mostafa Ghanei informed that Iranian knowledge-based companies would put their produced coronavirus test kits to the market next Iranian calendar month, Farvardin (Starting on March 20, 2020).

Since the beginning of the entry of coronavirus, into the country, the Biotechnology Development Headquarters of the Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology in cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration of Iran and Ministry of Health issued a call that if any knowledge-based company was able to produce a drug and/or kit.

MNA/

A consignment of COVID-19 diagnostic kits manufactured by an Iranian knowledge-based company has been exported to Germany.

The shipment has consisted of 40,000 coronavirus detection kits, Behrooz Hajian Tehrani, project manager and CEO of the manufacturing company said on Tuesday, ISNA news agency reported.

Referring to the company’s background of producing tumor marker test kits, infectious and hormonal diseases and more than five types of biochemical kits, he said that “So far, these products have been exported to countries such as Germany, Italy, Belgium, Brazil, South Korea, and Turkey.”

Emphasizing that the diagnostic kits made by this company have been able to receive complex processes for obtaining a license in the country, he announced the kits have also obtained the European CE (certification mark that indicates conformity with health, safety, and environmental protection standards) license.

There are about 150 companies and research centers around the world who could produce these kits, most of which are based in China and the United States, while many developed European countries have not yet been able to create the test kits, he explained.

“The shipment, which was exported to Germany today, includes 40,000 diagnostic tests,” he stated, adding, “Turkey, Ecuador, Brazil, and Spain are among the countries that have applied to buy Iranian kits to diagnose coronavirus infection.”

With the onset of the epidemic, Iranian researchers soon achieved the technology to produce three kinds of COVID-19 diagnostic kits that hit the market.

Two types of diagnostic kits are now mass-produced by knowledge-based companies, first one is the RT-PCR tests, 8 million of which are being produced per month; while the other is serology-based tests that a total of 400,000 are being manufactured monthly and is expected to reach up to 2 million.

The first cases of COVID-19 were identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019, which has now spread to more than 210 countries, infecting nearly 3,663,968 people and killing more than 252,758.

Some 100,000 people have so far been diagnosed with the coronavirus in Iran, the health ministry announced on Tuesday.

Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said that the total number of people diagnosed with the coronavirus has reached 99,970 of whom 6,340 have lost their lives.

However, fortunately, 80,474 patients, equaling 80.5 percent of the total, have recovered from the disease.

T.T/

Iran is ready to supply other countries needing the equipment and devices necessary to fight the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, says the foreign ministry spokesman.

“As Iran has progressed in flattening the COVID19 curve, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif promised to supply all countries in need with COVID19-related devices and equipment,” Abbas Mousavi wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday, with the hashtag #StrongerTogether.

“As a gesture of solidarity, Iran has sent medical items to Afghanistan, Lebanon and Germany recently. Iran will keep lending a helping hand to nations in need,” he added.

The Islamic Republic has reached such a level of self-sufficiency in producing the devices that it can now export them to most countries across the world.

An Iranian consignment comprising 40,000 coronavirus test kits was dispatched from Tehran to Germany on Tuesday morning. The country has sent its coronavirus test kits to various countries by the present time. Another consignment including 15 ventilators, 5,000 test kits, 6,000 face mask, 2,000 medical gloves, and other medical equipment was delivered to Lebanon on Monday.

The novel virus that can cause a potentially fatal respiratory infection called COVID-19 has killed more than 258,000 people worldwide, including 6,300-plus in Iran. It first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.

MR/

Iranian researchers have so far conducted over 1,200 projects related to coronavirus, ranking the country third in terms of scientific findings on coronavirus in the world, deputy health minister Reza Malekzadeh has said.

Since coronavirus outbreak, all researchers joined hands to conduct a very significant research activity, so that, 1,200 research projects have been underway over the past month and a half, ISNA quoted Malekzadeh as saying on Friday.

By implementing research and development projects on coronavirus, we will offer excellent scientific products shortly on the international scale, he added.

He went on to explain that most of the coronavirus research currently being conducted in the country is interventional schemes, and 35 schemes are finding effective treatments for COVID-19.

“In the technology sector, we have been able to support knowledge-based companies financially through the Innovation and Prosperity Fund, as well as the Ministry of Health,” he highlighted, stating, Iran was one of the first countries to produce the serology kits, and is capable of exporting it to other countries as well.

The pandemic used a large portion of the country’s energy, budget and health care facilities, and medical centers have faced many economic problems, so that the government needs to support the health sector, in particular, he concluded.

The Iranian health ministry on Friday announced that the total number of people diagnosed with the coronavirus has reached 95,646 of whom 6,091 have died and 76,318 (equaling 72 percent), have recovered.

T.T/

Vice President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari said that knowledge-based companies have produced a lot of equipment for the treating coronavirus, and Iran is able to export them to other countries.

Knowledge-based companies have made great strides in the field of medical equipment and health care, said Sattari on Sunday.

Producing ICU and the CCU equipment, CT-scan machines, coronavirus diagnostic kits, disinfectants, and 6 million masks a day are among the outstanding measures taken by knowledge-based firms, he added.

Sattari noted if the Ministry of Health issues the permit to export the equipment, Iran can export medical equipment in the field of treating coronavirus to other countries.

MNA/

Statistics of the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade showed that 48.2 billion human drugs were produced in the country last year [from March 21, 2019 to March 20, 2020], registering a 23.7 percent growth as compared to the same period of last year.

In the same period, 604,500 tons of detergents were produced in the country, showing a 5.1 percent decline as compared to a year earlier, the ministry added.

In addition, domestic factories succeeded in producing 36,600 tons of pesticides, recording a 37.2 percent growth as compared to the same period of last year.

MNA/

Head of Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI) Hamid Zadboum said on Sun. that the first cargo of Iran’s agricultural products, fresh fruits and vegetables was exported to Kuwait during the outbreak of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

Given the spread of coronavirus in the worldwide, some neighboring countries like Persian Gulf littoral states [including Kuwait] had shut down their borders on importing products, he highlighted.

A couple of days ago, a refrigerated containerized cargo of agricultural products, as weigh as 500 tons, moved from Dayyer Port in Bushehr province towards Al Shyoukh Port in Kuwait, the deputy industry minister added.

Given the pleasant and favorable climatic condition of Iran in the current year [started March 21, 2010], production of agricultural products is satisfactory as compared to a year earlier, he said, adding, “presently, country’s agricultural products are exported to neighboring countries.”

According to the available information, Iran’s agricultural products are exported to the neighboring countries including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman and Qatar considerably and Kuwait has recently been added to the list of Iran’s target market of agricultural produce, TPOI head stressed.

MNA/

The chairman of Intifada and Quds Department of the Coordinating Council of Islamic Propagation said Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei will deliver a speech on the occasion of the International Quds Day, which falls on May 22.

Speaking on Sunday, Brigadier General Ramezan Sharif announced the possibility of canceling this year’s International Quds Day rallies in capital Tehran due to the coronavirus pandemic, noting that Ayatollah Khamenei will deliver a speech on this year’s occasion.

He said due to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council has been reviewing different options to commemorate this year’s International Quds Day.

“The cyberspace and social media are among the options that could be well utilized for marking the event,” he added.

Brigadier General Sharif said the final decisions will be announced later.

The International Quds Day, which falls on the last Friday of Ramadan, is a legacy of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, who designated the day in solidarity with Palestinians. The International Quds Day has been held worldwide since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.

Iranian’s, along with people across the world, hold rallies every year to mark the occasion and reiterate their call for the liberation of Palestine from the Israeli regime’s occupation and to denounce Israel’s atrocities.

However, this year, the coronavirus pandemic has created hurdles for gatherings of such, forcing the officials to search for alternative options.

MNA/