Iran U23 team claimed the title of the 2023 CAFA Futsal Cup on Sunday. The young Persians defeated Tajikistan 1-0 to register their fourth win in the tournament.

Ali Akrami scored the solitary goal of the match. Iran lost to Turkmenistan 2-1 in their opening match but defeated Kyrgyzstan 1-0, Afghanistan 5-1 and Uzbekistan 5-0 in their following matches.

Tajikistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan competed in the tournament.

The round-robin tournament was held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan from July 23 to 30.

The winning team was determined by the number of points scored. / T.T/

Five Iranian films will go on screen at the 71st edition of Melbourne International Film Festival, which will be held in the Australian city from August 3 to 20. “Subtraction”, “Terrestrial Verses” and “No Bears” will go on screen in the main section of the festival.

Directed by Mani Haqiqi, “Subtraction” follows driving instructor Farzaneh, when she spots her husband on the streets of Tehran, even though he is supposed to be out of town on a business trip, she naturally suspects the worst. Following him, Farzaneh’s fears are seemingly confirmed when she sees him visiting another woman. With that woman’s husband also suspecting something is awry, the situation erupts into violence. Yet, all is not quite what it seems.

Taraneh Alidoosti and Navid Mohammadzadeh deliver compelling, psychologically driven performances in Haqiqi’s highly anticipated follow-up to his black comedy “Pig”.

“Terrestrial Verses” by Ali Asgari begins with a controversy over the naming of an infant and moves through stories of everyday people facing off against the system, from a frustrated, politically censored filmmaker to a teenage girl who – in one of the film’s most daring episodes – confronts her school after being caught with a boy on a motorcycle.

“No Bears” by Jafar Panahi is a docudrama about a Turkish couple who are procuring fake passports to cross the border into Europe.

“Mast-del” by Maryam Tafakori and “48 Hours” by Azadeh Musavi will also be screened in the short films section of the festival. /T.T/

Health Minister Bahram Einollahi has said about 240 hospitals in the country are ready to accept medical tourists.  Last year (March 2022-March 2023), around 1,200 medical tourists received health services in Iran, he said, adding that people from neighboring countries used to travel to Iran for health services, IRIB reported.

“Gradually, as familiarity with Iran’s level of progress in the field of health services increased, the number of medical tourists increased because they trusted the Iranian medical science,” Einollahi highlighted.

So far, some 240 hospitals have received International Patients Department (IPD) permits, he added.

“We are planning to send health attachés to the countries where the number of visits by medical tourists to Iran is high.”

On July 16, Einollahi said, “We have negotiated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the appointment of health attachés in the embassies of some countries with whom we cooperate in the fields of medicine, medical equipment, science and technology, and exchange of professors and students.”

“Health attachés are appointed in six countries in the first phase, including South American and African countries. We are also following up on dispatching health attachés in neighboring countries,” IRNA quoted Einollahi as saying on Saturday.

In this line, the first health attaché will be sent to Iraq by the next two weeks, he noted.

“The issue of medical tourism is very important. Therefore, countries that have extensive relations with us in the field of health diplomacy will be given the top priority.”

President Ebrahim Raisi has said the Islamic Republic is a suitable destination for medical tourism.

Highlighting the country’s great strides in medical and health sciences, Raisi said patients in many neighboring countries prefer to visit Iran for treatment than travel to Europe.

This is due to the lower cost and high level of expertise in Iran, Raisi said, Press TV reported./T.T/

Indigenous ‘Abu Mahdi’ naval cruise missiles joined the naval fleets of the Iran Army and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday.

In a ceremony held on Tuesday morning in the presence of Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, IRGC Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri and Deputy Commander of the Iranian Army Navy Admiral Hamzeh Ali Kaviani, Abu Mahdi naval cruise missile which has been developed by military experts at Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO), joined the navies of the country’s Army and IRGC.

The missile has been named after the former deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units who was assassinated along with top Iranian anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani in a US drone strike ordered by former President Donald Trump near the Baghdad International Airport in early January 2020.

It is said to have a range of over one thousand kilometers, and can destroy any designated target. The missile is also capable to be launched by diverse types of sea, land and air platforms towards targets.

The missile can pass over natural and artificial barriers, as well as the enemy’s radar and defense systems and strike designated targets from different directions.

Due to the incorporation of highly destructive explosive materials in its warhead, Abu Mahdi can destroy all types of ships, frigates, and destroyers.

It can be fired from the depths of the Iranian soil toward moving targets in the sea using an advanced integrated navigation system and a powerful propulsion system.

Abu Mahdi is the first long-range naval cruise missile in Iran that uses dual-mode active and passive seekers.

The technology enables the missile to counter the enemy’s electronic warfare and increases its stealth capabilities when approaching the target and hitting it. All this happens with the enemy not having noticed the missile and missing the opportunity to give a timely response.

Its launcher can load and fire missiles in the shortest possible time and can launch several projectiles in quick succession and from different directions toward a specific target, with the missiles hitting the designated target all at once.

The missile can be fired from all types of mobile and fixed launch pads, and its navigation system is capable of updating the target’s final position during the cruise.

The Iranian defense minister said the indigenous Abu Mahdi missile will increase the country’s naval defense range by several times.

Speaking at the ceremony, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani said that the missile, with a range of 1,000 kilometers, enjoys pinpoint accuracy and very high destruction power, can cross geographical barriers and cruise at low altitudes, is radar-evading and can counter the enemy’s electronic warfare, and employs artificial intelligence in its flight path design software.

“With the mass production of Abu Mahdi missile, we will be able to fire at the enemy’s moving targets in the sea from the depths of the Iranian soil and entirely hidden places at the maximum operating pace, and completely destroy the enemy’s ships, frigates and destroyers,” he said.

Commander of the IRGC Navy Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said one of the main features of the new missile is keeping the enemy away from the Iranian coasts and rendering its aircraft carriers useless.

He explained that if an Iranian military vessel sails 1,000 kilometers offshore and launches an Abu Mahdi missile, the enemy’s aircraft carrier will have to retreat at least 1,000 kilometers further away to evade the long-range naval cruise missile.

“This means that the fighter jets on board that aircraft carrier will be rendered useless,” he said.

“We can fire the Abu Mahdi missile from deep inside the country. The missile has a dual seeker and performs successfully against the enemy’s electronic warfare,” the general said.

Iranian military experts and engineers have in recent years made remarkable breakthroughs in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient.

Iranian officials have repeatedly underscored that the country will not hesitate to strengthen its military capabilities, including its missile power, which are entirely meant for defense, and that Iran’s defense capabilities will be never subject to negotiations.

MNA/

Twelve universities of medical sciences from Iran are on the Leiden ranking 2023 list.From among 72 universities of medical science in the country, 12 universities are on the Leiden list. Tehran, Shahid Beheshti, and Tabriz universities rank first to third among the Iranian universities, IRNA reported.

In Total, 46 Iranian universities are among the 1,411 top universities in the world.

Last year, 44 universities from Iran were listed in this ranking.

Among Islamic countries, Iran ranks first, followed by Turkey and Egypt with 36 and 13 universities respectively, ISNA reported.

The CWTS Leiden Ranking 2023 offers important insights into the scientific performance of over 1400 major universities worldwide. Select your preferred indicators, generate results, and explore the performance of universities.

The Leiden Ranking provides indicators of scientific impact, collaboration, open-access publishing, and gender diversity. Size matters when comparing universities: performance can be viewed from an absolute or a relative perspective (e.g., the number versus the percentage of highly cited publications).

Compared with other university rankings, the Leiden Ranking offers more advanced bibliometric indicators. The underlying methodology is richly documented. The Leiden Ranking provides information exclusively about the research done at universities.

Research is represented in publications, and carefully collected data about these publications forms the basis for the Leiden Ranking. This basis also ensures the independence of the Leiden Ranking, since there is no reliance on data submitted by the universities themselves.

Recently, the 20th edition of the QS World University Rankings (2024) has placed seven Iranian universities among the world’s top institutes, compared with six universities in 2023.

The Ranking features 1,500 institutions across 104 locations and is the only ranking of its kind to emphasize employability and sustainability.

The number of top Iranian universities and research institutes in the Essential Science Indicators (ESI) database has increased from 112 last year (March 2022-March 2023) to 115 this year, the Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC) has reported.

The number of top Iranian universities and research institutes in this database has increased from 112 last year to 115 this year.

The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2023 has placed 65 Iranian universities among the top Asian institutions.

The Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings 2023 use the same 13 performance indicators as the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, but they are recalibrated to reflect the attributes of Asia’s institutions.

The universities are judged across all their core missions – teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook – to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparisons available.

In the 2023 edition of the Times Higher Education’s Asian University Ranking System, the names of 928 institutions from 36 Asian countries are included in the final list. In the previous edition of this ranking system, 58 universities from Iran were among the top institutions in Asia, IRNA reported. /T.T/

Iranian students grabbed two gold and two silver medals at the 34th edition of the International Biology Olympiad (IBO) held in the United Arab Emirates from July 3-11.

The IBO 2023 hosted 293 students from 76 countries.Arman Forqani and Ali Qasemloui won the gold medals, while Kiyarash Behboudi and Aidin Naziri-Fard won the silver medals.

In the 33rd International Biology Olympiad, Iran’s team was ranked first in the world by winning four gold medals.

The IBO 2022 was held in Armenia and attended by 65 countries.

Thanks to the achievement, Saman Hosseinkhani of Iran was selected as a member of the International Biology Olympiad (IBO) Steering Committee, which represents the IBO association legally and manages its daily affairs.

Previously, Iranian students won 2 silver and 3 bronze medals in the International Physics Olympiad 2022, held online from July 11 to 14 and hosted by Switzerland, and won three gold medals and three silver medals, ranking 8th in the International Mathematical Olympiad, which was held in Oslo, Norway.

Over the past Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20, Iranian students won seven gold medals, 11 silver medals, and nine bronze medals at different international Olympiads.

According to the Ministry of Education, Iranian students have won 192 gold medals, 371 silver medals, and 204 bronze medals since 2005, IRNA reported.

Recently, Iranian students grabbed two gold and two silver medals at the 54th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) which was held in Tianjin, China, on July 10.

Mohammad-Hossein Barekati and Iliya Kahvand won the gold medals, while Amir-Hossein Razavi and Amir-Mohammad Hosseini snatched the silver medals.

The International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) is an annual competition for the world’s most talented chemistry students at the secondary school level.

All participants are ranked based on their individual scores and no official team scores are given. Gold medals are awarded to the top 12% of students, silver medals are awarded to the next 22% of students, and bronze medals are awarded to the next 32% of students.

Attended by 83 countries, the 54th International Chemistry Olympiad was held with the slogan of ‘Change, Creation, Fusion’. /T.T/

Iran defeated titleholders Italy 3-2 (25-20, 23-25, 23-25, 25-16, 15-9) at the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Men’s U21 World Championship final match Sunday night. Amirmohammad Golzadeh collected 20 points for Iran and Italy’s Alberto Bovolenta scored 21 points.

It was Iran’s second gold in the history of the competition. They also had a bronze medal in 2007.

Earlier in the day, Bulgaria won the bronze medal after defeating Argentina 3-0.

Iran defeated Thailand (two times), Tunisia, Bahrain, Poland, Argentina and Italy in the competition. The competition was held in Manama, Bahrain from July 7 to 16.  /T.T/

The Iran-Czech co-production “Endless Borders” by Iranian director Abbas Amini was honored at the 20th edition of Yerevan Golden Apricot International Film Festival, which came to an end in the Armenian capital on Sunday.

The film received the Golden Apricot at the Regional Panorama section dedicated to feature and documentary film competition from West Asia.

“Endless Borders”, opens in Baluchestan, in a small, scarcely “wired” village bordering Iran and Afghanistan, where complicated entanglements occur when an exiled Iranian teacher finds himself helping a refugee Afghan family fleeing the Taliban.

“Drifter”, a co-production of Portugal and France by Simao Cayatte won the Silver Apricot in this section, while “Magic Mountain”, co-directed by Mariam Chachia and Nik Voigt from Georgia received Jury Special Mention.

In the official competition of the festival, “Black Stone” by Spiros Jacovides from Greece won the Golden Apricot, while “Kiddo” by Zara Dwinger from Netherlands received Jury Special Mention.

“Black Stone” follows a documentary crew as they film civil servants who are absent from their duties. During the filming, the crew unexpectedly encounters Haroula, a Greek mother who is desperate and excessively protective, on a mission to find her son.

However, when Haroula’s son is accused of fraud, she embarks on a journey with her other disabled child and a Greek-African taxi driver to bring him back to his rightful home, even if this means discovering who her son really is.

“Kiddo” follows the journey of Lu as she leaves the children’s home and embarks on an adventure with her quirky mother, complete with cowboy boots, wigs, and sunglasses riding along in their trusty old Chevrolet. During their journey to the east, both of them fantasize about finally sharing an everlasting bond.

In this section, the festival also screened Iran’s “Silent House” co-directed by Farnaz and Mohammadreza Jurabchian.

The documentary tells the story of three generations of an Iranian family who live in a historic and exceptional hundred-year-old house.

The festival also honored Belgian filmmakers and brothers Jean Pierre and Luc Dardenne as well as Filipino film director Lav Diaz with Parajanov’s Thaler for their outstanding artistic contribution into world cinema. /T.T/

Muḥammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, better known as Khwarazmi, is a Muslim Iranian mathematician and astronomer whose major works introduced Hindu-Arabic numerals and the concepts of algebra into European mathematics.

Tir 22nd in the Iranian calendar (July 13th) marks a Commemoration Day of Kharazmi, also known as Information Technology Day.

Al-Khwārizmī (770-840 C.E) is famous for his mathematical works, which introduced Hindu-Arabic numerals and algebra to European mathematicians. In fact, the words algorithm and algebra come from his name and the title of one of his works, respectively, Britannica reported.

The figure became famous for his mathematical works. He wrote a book on algebra from whose title the word algebra is derived, and he wrote a book on calculation that introduced to Europe the Hindu-Arabic numerals and how to do arithmetic with them, the encyclopedia added.

The mathematician’s major accomplishments were the books he wrote on mathematics and science. His mathematical books introduced the ideas of algebra and Hindu-Arabic numerals to Western mathematicians during the Middle Ages. His scientific works concerned geography and astronomy, the source added.

In the 12th century, a second work by the scientist introduced Hindu-Arabic numerals and their arithmetic to the West. It is preserved only in a Latin translation, Algoritmi de numero Indorum (“Al-Khwārizmī Concerning the Hindu Art of Reckoning”). The name of the author, rendered in Latin as Algoritmi, originated the term algorithm.

UNESCO chose the year 1983 corresponding to 1362 AH as the 1500th year of Khwarazmi’s demise.

The cultural body asked the member states to commemorate Khwarazmi, the founder of Algebra, and hold a commemoration ceremony for him.

Every year, various events are held to commemorate the occasion. International Khwarazmi Festival is one of the prestigious events in Iran.

The festival aims at encouraging entrepreneurship, identifying innovators and technologists of the country, supporting the winners of the festival, and providing a suitable platform for scientific and technological cooperation at the global level. Submitted designs are evaluated and reviewed in sixteen specialized teams with five criteria.

In 1987, the leading Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST), affiliated with the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, decided to institute an award, which acknowledges the Iranian outstanding achievements in science and technology.

Khwarazmi; influential figure in algebra

IROST proposed the creation of the Khwarizmi Award in memory of Abu Jafar Mohammad Ibn Mousa Khwarizmi, the great Iranian Mathematician, and Astronomer.

The International Kharazmi Festival launched its national programs in 1987 and its international edition in 1992.

The Festival is an opportunity for both Iranian and foreign participants to put their scientific achievements on display.

The prestigious event is dedicated to recognizing outstanding scientific achievements made by researchers, inventors, and innovators worldwide.

The executive process of this festival in five competitive sections includes domestic projects, foreign projects, projects of Iranians living abroad, selected successful projects in national production, commercialized projects from the previous award winners, and special awards (to honor Iranian intellectuals and scientists). /MNA/

Reported by Tohid Mahmoudpour