National Iranian junior Greco-Roman squad picked three golds, one silver and one bronze to win their first ever title at the Junior Wrestling World Championships.

Held in Tampere of Finland on August 6-7, 2017, young Iranian wrestlers offered awe-inspiring athletic performances to secured a historical team title with a three golds, one silver and one bronze medal and a total of 58 points.

Persian wrestlers gained a five-point win over second-place Russia and claimed the first ever junior Greco-Roman team title for Iran. Turkey landed in the third position bettering the US rivals with gold and bronze medals and 38 points.

Three gold trophies of Iran were clinched by Pouya Dadmarz (50kg), Keramat Abdevali (60kg) and Amin Kavianinejad (66kg). Meanwhile, Arman Alizadeh settled for silver at 84-kilogram weight group and Amin Mirzazadeh stood on the third podium in 120kg category for Iran to become the champion with a total of 58 points.

Final team rankings for the top six teams are as follow:

1. Iran, 58 points (3 gold medals, 1 silver, 1 bronze)

2. Russia, 53 (1-1-3)

3. Turkey, 38 (1-0-1)

4. United States, 29 (1-1-0)

5. Kyrgyzstan, 28 (0-3-0)

6. Finland, 28 (0-0-2) / Meher news /

C lose to 16,660 tons of pistachio worth $173.66 million were exported from Iran to 56 countries, including the US, Ukraine, the UAE, Italy, Bahrain, Brazil, Bulgaria, Turkey, Canada, Qatar, Switzerland, France, Poland, Sweden, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Netherlands, Thailand, Japan, Romania and Hong Kong, during the first four months of the current fiscal year (March 21-July 22).

The exports registered a 41.8% and 36.5% decline in weight and value respectively compared with the corresponding period of last year, the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration figures were cited by the Persian daily Donya-e-Eqtesad.

“Iran supplies more than 50% of the world pistachio market,” deputy minister of industries, mining and trade, Mojtaba Khosrotaj said, adding that Iran’s main rival in pistachio production is the US state of California. / Financial tribune /

Iranian and Iraqi media officials in a meeting in Baghdad signed three memoranda of understanding to further expand bilateral relations.

The MoUs were finalized by Secretary for the Government High Council for Dissemination of Information Alireza Moezi and a group of Iraqi media officials in the Iraqi capital on Thursday.

The Iranian delegation, led by Moezi, visited various Iraqi TV channels and met a group of Iraqi media persons and head of their syndicate.

In separate meetings, the delegation met with Iraqi prime minister, president, vice president and a number of Iraqi religious, cultural and media persons.

The Iranian media delegation signed three memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with Iraqi media.

The signed MoU calls for exchange of media products, benefiting from each others’ capabilities, and establishment of a representative office.

In relevant remarks in late July, Deputy Health Minister Baqer Larijani reiterated that Iran is planning to build Iraq’s first ever foreign University of Medical Sciences.

“This project is being pursued in earnest by the educational department of Iran’s Ministry of Health in line with development of medical science education in Iraq,” Larijani said, noting that the general aspects of the plan had been approved during the previous visit of Iraqi minister of health to Iran.

He maintained that the two countries could expand cooperation on professor/student transfer program, as well as formation of joint scientific networks in the field of research and scientific production.

For his part, Muhammad Siraj, Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Republic of Iraq, thanked Iranian minister of health and his deputy for their support in regard to the construction of the university, adding “we welcome any cooperation with Iran’s ministry of health considering the current state of Iraq and its various needs for development of healthcare.”

It was also decided that a joint committee comprised of officials from the ministries of health in both countries follow up on the implementation of the agreements reached at the meeting.

In relevant remarks earlier in July, Iranian Ambassador to Baghdad Iraj Masjedi underlined that Iran and Iraq are the object of security conditions in each other, adding that Tehran is ready to help Baghdad with the reconstruction of Iraq.

Masjedi made the remarks in a meeting with Iraqi provincial officials of Babel city.

During the meeting, he stressed the fact that the security in Iran and Iraq is intertwined, adding, “We are honored to stand by the Iraqi government and people in the fight against the ISIL terrorist group.”

Masjedi extended his congratulations to the Iraqi people and government on Mosul liberation, saying that the Islamic Republic of Iran shares the happiness with Iraqis.

He pointed to launching reconstruction projects in Iraq, and said Iran will stand by the Iraqis to reconstruct the country. / Fars news /

The 6th International Urban Film Festival hosted by Tehran has announced winners in the international competition category.

The 2017 edition of International Urban Film Festival presented short and feature-length films, as well as documentaries and animations from Iran, Italy, Brazil, Germany, Sweden, Russia, Spain, Austria, and dozens of other countries.

Affiliated to the Art and Culture Department of the Tehran Municipality, Iran’s 6th International Urban Film Festival ran from July 30 to August 5 in more than ten movie theaters across the Iranian capital.

The annual event aims to improve the quality of city life and urban culture, and protect and promote the Iranian-Islamic lifestyle.

Winners in the international competition category are:

Best Animation: ‘Servant’ by Farnoush Abedi, Iran

Best Short Documentary: ‘Vida’ by Daniel Yepez Brito, Colombia & Ecuador

Best Short Fiction: ‘Whole World for a Little World’ by Fabrice Bracq, France

Best Documentary: ‘Advantage’ by Mohammad Kart, Iran

Best Director for Feature Film: ‘Chronicle of a Passion’ by Fabrizio Cattani, Italy

Best Script: Ferrari by Kambuzia Partovi, Iran

Best Actress: Valeria Ciangottini for ‘Chronicle of a Passion’, Italy

Best Actor: Mohsen Tanabandeh for ‘Ferrari’, Iran

Best Technical Achievement: Dodo Mirando for ‘Inner Court’ by Ricardo Mehedff, Brazil

Best Fiction Film: ‘Chronicle of a Passion’ by Fabrizio Cattani, Italy

Special Jury Prize: Mohammad Kart for ‘Advantage’, Iran / Meher news /

Iran is targeting dairy exports worth $1 billion in the current fiscal year (March 2017-18), Agriculture Minister Mahmoud Hojjati said.

“In the past, we used to import dairy products, chicken and wheat but today, not only do we meet the domestic demand but we’ve also turned into an exporter of these products,” he was quoted as saying by IRNA.

According to Kaveh Zargaran, chairman of Agriculture Commission of Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, dairy exports earned $773 million in the last fiscal year to March 2017.

Among the exported products, yogurt topped the list with $218 million, followed by cheese with $187 million, infant formula with $129 million and cream and ice cream with $120 million. In fact, dairy products had the biggest share in Iran’s food exports last year.

Deputy Agriculture Minister Hassan Rokni said some 300,000 tons of dairy products were exported from Iran in the first three months of the current fiscal year (March 21-June 21), registering a 70% increase compared with the corresponding period of last year.

“Our main export destinations over the period were Russia and some Eurasian and European countries,” he has been quoted as saying.

Rokni has put the tonnage of last year’s exports at close to 850,000 tons.

/ Financial tribune /

The First Specialized Fruit Industry Exhibition is scheduled for August 22-25 in Tehran’s Olympic Hotel, an executive manager of the event said.

“Iranian producers as well as representatives from Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, Turkey and Qatar will participate in the exhibition. Four workshops on the role of banks, finance and insurance in the fruit industry, subsidiary industries and packaging, waste management and transportation, prices and the formation of production chains will be held on the sidelines of the event,” Majid Haj-Mohammadi was also quoted as saying by IRNA. / Financial tribune /

A portrait of Christian Ronaldo, the superstar of Real Madrid and Portugal football teams, painted by an Iranian disabled artist has grabbed the attentions of football circles across the world.

Fatemeh Hamami has painted the portrait of Ronlado with her feet due to her disability, a Farsi report by the Varzesh3 news website said.

The portrait went viral immediately after the talented artist published it on her Instagram account with most football media covering it in their news section.

The Goal website wrote the talented Iranian artist has moved the football world by her extraordinary portrait of Ronaldo.

As a devoted football fan, Fatemeh had earlier painted an incredible portrait of Iranian football legend Ali Daei. In reply, the Iranian legend visited Fatemeh personally and praised her exceptional talent in a post on his Instagram page.

Fatemeh suffers from a 85-percent physical disability. She paints with her legs. / IFP /

Iran ranked fourth in the 29th International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) winning one gold and three silver medals.

Japan won four gold medals to stand first followed by China, Russia and Iran, according to imna.ir. Taiwan, Poland, Romania, Great Britain, Australia and Italy took the 5th to 10th spots respectively.

Teams from 82 countries participated in the 29th International Olympiad in Informatics.

The event was held in Tehran from July 28 to August 4, 2017. The IOI is one of five international science Olympiads.

The primary objective of the IOI is to stimulate interest in informatics (computing science) and information technology.

UNESCO initiated and sponsored the first International Olympiad in Informatics in May 1989.  / Iran daily /

The ongoing exhibition ‘100 Works, 100 Artists,’ showcasing works by 257 contemporary artists at Tehran’s Golestan Gallery has exceeded earnings compared to its previous edition, according to the director of the venue.

It opened on July 21 and, after two weeks broke the sales record of the preceding edition, Honaronline reported.

Lunched in 1992, it is the oldest visual arts event. The first edition of the event was held with exactly one hundred artists.

Since its founding, the event has offered quality works and has focused on the economics of art. A quarter century since inception, it has been able to introduce new buyers to the art community.

“This year’s edition has made me extremely happy. The young artists managed to sell a high number of their works – almost 70% of the total sale,” gallery director Lili Golestan said.

The silver jubilee event presents various forms of art including painting, sculpture and calligraphy. The opening day generated 1.25 billion rials ($33,051) in sales.

“So far (August 1), 65 artworks have been sold,” among which a painting by modern painter, graphic designer, illustrator and print artist Mahmoud Javadipour (1920-2012) was the most expensive at 300 million rials ($7,858). For his innovations, Javadipour was granted the First Degree Art Certificate by the evaluation council of the Culture Ministry.

The next high-priced works were those by painters Nasser Oveysi, 83, Farideh Lashai (1944-2013) and Ali Taraqijah (1943-2010), ranging between 150 and 200 million rials ($3,930-$5,250).

Painter, sculptor and graphic designer Shamsoddin Ghazi, 33, is the participating artist with the highest number of works sold: four paintings and two sculptures.

Ghazi is among the young participants who are known and well established, while there also are several newcomers. Their works are often abstract with a few surreal paintings.

A Different Exhibition

“As is customary, we replaced each sold work by another work by the same artist. So, compared to what was on display on the first day, now we have a rather different exhibition,” Golestan added.

The price of paintings by celebrated artists starts from a small work by Farah Ossouli at 90 million rials ($2,380) and culminates at 900 million rials ($23,797)  for two paintings by accomplished painter, graphic designer and author Aydin Aghadashlou, 76, and Faramarz Pilaram, hung above the director’s desk. One painting by Parviz Kalantari is tagged at 800 million rials ($21,153).

There is a painting by Masoud Arabshahi, 81, and a photograph by filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami (1940-2016) showing a field and a farm, set at 15 million rials ($397).

The event offers sculptures by famous artists including sculptors Mohammad Hossein Emad, 60, and Reza Qarabaghi, 48; also by avant-garde painter, poet and sculptor Jazeh Tabatabai (1931-2008). The sculptures on sale start from 25 million rials ($661) ending at 80 million rials ($2,115).

At this edition of ‘100 Works, 100 Artists’ there is a special place for artists from the provinces, in particular Isfahan. Their works are diverse: minimalistic, figurative and abstract ranging from $397 to $1,058.

The exhibit will close August 16.  Golestan Art Gallery is located at No. 34, Kamasaei St., Darrus neighborhood. Visiting hours are from 4-8 pm.  Thursday is closed.

/ Financial tribune /

Iranian artist Mohammad Aladpoush won the Best Cameraman award at the 57th Asia-Pacific Film Festival.

He received the prestigious award for filming ‘A Tale of Love’ by Iranian filmmaker Ahmad Ramezanzadeh, IRNA reported.

The 57th Asia Pacific Film Festival (APFF) was recently held from July 28 to 30, 2017 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and with it came two victories for Malaysia’s very own actor-director Syamsul Yusof and Chiu Keng Guan-directed film, Ola Bola.

Syamsul Yusof won the Best Director award at this year’s APFF, as stated by Finas on its official Facebook, while Ola Bola won the Best Editing accolade.

Syamsul was not present at the awards ceremony to receive the award, which was instead accepted on his behalf by Pashah, who represented the Malaysian Film Producers Association.

The young director follows in the footsteps of the late Yasmin Ahmad, who in 2010 received the Best Director award through her movie Mualaf at the 54th APFF in Taipei, Taiwan.

Expressing thanks to his family and production crew, Syamsul also stated that he was grateful ‘Munafik’ was able to enter film markets outside of its home country despite its religious concept and was accepted by the juries.

Syamsul Yusof had earlier won Best Director for ‘Munafik’ at the 28th Malaysia Film Festival (FFM 28) and Anugerah Skrin 2016.

Meanwhile, the multi award-winning film Ola Bola bagged yet another award. As mentioned, the film edited by Gwyneth Lee picked up the Best Editing award at the film festival.

Vice President and Head of Astro Shaw, Najwa Abu Bakar, accepted the award and thanked the whole Ola Bola production team as well as the panels of jury for the win.

Ola Bola follows in the footsteps of Loceng Maut (Salehan Shamsuddin) and Jasmin 2 (Johari Ibrahim), which also won Best Editing at the 24th APFF in Sydney, Australia and the 31st APFF in Seoul, South Korea, respectively.

Previous Malaysian talents to have also won at the prestigious film festival include the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee (Best Actor, Anakku Sazali), A. Bakar Ali (Best Cinematography, Sumpah Orang Minyak), Khalid Salleh (Best Actor, Jogho), Sidi Oraza (Best Supporting Actor, Sayang Salmah), Khatijah Tan (Best Supporting Actress, Embun), and Maya Karin (Best Actress, Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam).

The Asia Pacific Film Festival (APFF) has been held since 1954. The first edition, originally named Southeast Asia Film Festival, was held in Tokyo. The 57th edition was supposed to have been held in Thailand in 2014 but the kssing of Thailand’s poor health back then prompted a delay which led to it finally being held in Cambodia only this year. / Iran daily /