The 31st edition of the International Holy Quran Fair is underway at Imam Khomeini Mosalla in Tehran. The fair features various Quranic institutions and governmental bodies, as well as international participants from 25 countries. The event also highlights the issues of Gaza and Palestine and the role of the Quran in inspiring resistance, ISNA reported.

Countries such as Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Kuwait, Bangladesh, Iraq, Palestine, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Pakistan, France, China, Croatia, Russia, and the U.A.E. are present at the international section of the fair.

The fair seeks to familiarize people with Quranic concepts through artistic, cultural, and theatrical mediums, especially for children and teenagers. It also offers sections on artificial intelligence, Nahj al-Balaghah, Quranic research and consultation, Quran translation, and easy Quran memorization.

The motto of the fair is “I read you,” which reflects the importance of reading the Quran.

Having kicked off on March 22, the exhibition will run until April 14, every day from 5 p.m. to midnight./ T.T/

Iran national team defeated the Philippines 4-0 on Saturday to win the 2024 IIHF Women’s Asia and Oceania Cup. The competition was held at the Gorodskoi Katok in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Team Melli had defeated the UAE 16-0, Kyrgyzstan 6-0 and India 10-0 in their previous matches.

Iran had won a sliver in the competition last year.

The 2024 IIHF Women’s Asia and Oceania Cup is an international women’s ice hockey tournament run by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).

This edition of the tournament took place from March 24 to 30 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

The tournament followed a single round robin format. /T.T/

Benevolent people across Iran donated more than 26 trillion rials (about $52 million) in zakat (alms) in the past Iranian calendar year which ended on March 19, an increase of 25 percent year on year, ISNA reported.

Zakat is the third of the Five Pillars of Islam and refers to giving a fixed portion of one’s wealth to the needy and poor.

It enjoins every adult, mentally stable, free, and financially able Muslim, male and female, to pay a certain amount of money to support specific categories of people.

The profession of Faith (shahada) – the belief that “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God” – is the first pillar of Islam. Prayer (salat), alms (zakat), fasting (sawm), and pilgrimage (hajj) are the other four.

As much as 80 percent of the collected zakat is spent to provide basic foods for the needy and the rest is allocated for development projects in underprivileged areas, Habibollah Asoudeh, the deputy director of the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation, has said.

Iran has been named the 32nd most generous country among 114 countries by the World Giving Index 2021.

The ranking is done based on the three indices of ‘helping a stranger’, ‘donating money’, and ‘volunteering time’.

Iran was 38th in helping a stranger, 23rd in donating money, and 92nd in volunteering time.

Benefactors have also donated money to free prisoners of unintentional crimes and help develop the health sector.

As an annual tradition, benefactors come together in a ceremony to raise funds for releasing prisoners of unintentional crimes during the holy month of Ramadan (which started on March 12 this year).

On January 5, with the participation of altruists and benevolent people, a total of 2,548 prisoners of unintentional crimes were released from prisons nationwide.

Freeing prisoners of involuntary crimes is done in three ways. The first way is granting prisoners leave and the second way is providing a number of them with loans to be paid inside the prison.

The third way of assistance is the release of unintentional convicts by paying their debt. /T.T/

The Organization of Student Affairs plans to provide new services to foreign students studying in the country’s universities, Hashem Dadashpour, the head of the Organization, has said.

He explained that a major part of the problems for registering cell phones, consular affairs, as well as accommodation will be resolved within the next few days, ISNA reported.

Moreover, online language learning systems will be launched for applicants to take Persian language courses before entering Iran and prepare to study in universities, he concluded.

In September 2023, Dadashpour said the ministry of science was planning to increase the number of international students to some 320,000 from currently around 100,000 by 2026.

“There was an increase in the number of international students over the sixth National Development Plan (2017-2021). The seventh development plan (2022-2026) has also put increasing the figure to around 320,000 on the agenda,” he explained.

“Strengthening scientific authority, developing public diplomacy, and expanding the Persian language are the three main reasons for attracting international students,” Dadashpour said, IRIB reported.

He went on to say that the principle of attracting international students is a major strategy and plan for the Ministry of Science.”

Dadashpour stressed that the international campus of universities is the center of attracting international students and managing their affairs, but all university vice-chancellors are responsible for international students as much as Iranian students.

He pointed out that “International students’ attendance at the cultural events of the university helps Iranian students to get more familiar with them and their culture.”

“Also, international students can have their own cultural and artistic organization.”

The infrastructure of the university, educational and cultural planning, and the university staff should all attract students in a way that gives them a different positive view of Iran as they get back home.

The deputy head of the student affairs organization considered it important to provide suitable centers and platforms for teaching the Persian language to international students in universities.

Dadashpour stated, “Learning the Persian language is an important precondition for studying in Iran.”

The 61st meeting was held with the motto of cultural transformation of the university and smart governance.

Foreign students from 119 countries

Currently, international students from 119 countries are studying in Iran, IRNA reported.

Shortening the processes of providing services to international students, such as issuing visas and residence permits, offering employment, banking, and transportation services, and benefiting from cultural advisors who are currently based in 81 countries, as well as ambassadors in different countries, are among the capacities which can be used to attract more international students.

The Ministry of Science is planning to upgrade an online system titled “Study in Iran” in order to familiarize foreign students with universities as well as the conditions and costs of living in the country.

For the time being, the system is operating in four languages Persian, English, Arabic, and Chinese, Dadashpour said in June.

“We plan to add three more languages, namely Russian, French, and Spanish in the next few months,” he added, IRNA reported. /T.T/

The 35th Tehran International Book Fair (TIBF) is scheduled to take place at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla from May 8 to 18, the book fair’s deputy director Ali Ramezani has said.

After careful review and examination of the available options, Imam Khomeini Mosalla was chosen as the venue for this year’s TIBF, Iran’s primary book trade event, Ali Ramezani explained.

Ramazani highlighted the registration process for domestic and foreign publishers interested in participating in TIBF, emphasizing that publishers from both categories can now access the event’s official website to review the participation regulations and conditions.

The registration for foreign publishers in this edition commenced on Saturday and will run until April 20, he added.

He further noted that in this edition, the workflow has been streamlined from publisher registration to book presentation in booths for operational agents and publishers.

Earlier this week, Yasser Ahmadvand, the director of the exhibition announced that India will be the special guest of this edition of TIBF.

A cultural memorandum of understanding was signed between the officials of the Tehran International Book Fair and the New Delhi International Book Fair, aimed at fostering discussions between Iranian and Indian cultures with a focus on books, he explained.

He further noted that as per this agreement, Iran will also serve as the special guest at the New Delhi International Book Fair in 2025.

The Tehran International Book Fair has turned into a landmark, momentous book fair in West Asia after 34 editions in a row. Millions of visitors inspect the fair every year, including thousands of university students, scholars, and their families.

The cultural event currently serves as the most significant cultural event in Iran. On average 2,500 domestic and 600 foreign publishers participate in the landmark event. The foreign publishers substantially offer their materials in English or Arabic however titles in French, German, Chinese, Korean, or Japanese are also available./T.T/

For more details Please visit the following website

https://tibf.ir/en

The head of the Iran Food and Drug Administration (IFDA) described Iran as one of the most successful medicine exporters in the region. Seyyed Haidar Mohammadi made remarks at the opening ceremony of the respiratory medicines factory where he also said that Iran has a lot to say in the pharmaceutical industry.

“We are one of the most successful drug exporters in the region,” the IFDA chairman said.

“With the sanctions against our country in place, if we wanted to even just import the drugs that we have managed to produce, it would not be possible for us,” he added.

Mohammadi continued, “In the meeting I had with the Deputy Minister of Health of Russia, he was surprised at Iran’s progress in the pharmaceutical industry despite tough and long-term sanctions.”

He further revealed and condemned the lies told by Western countries who claim to have not sanctioned drugs and medicine for Iranians.  /MNA/

72 countries will take part in the 13th Tehran International Animation Festival. Speaking at the press conference of the 13th Tehran International Animation Festival, Hamed Alamati, the general manager of the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults spoke about the role of animation in depicting the brutality of the Israeli regime against the Palestinian nation.

In this regard, the 13th Tehran International Animation Festival has decided to fulfill its mission by holding the meeting of “Palestine the Holy Land.”

72 countries will take part in this animation festival, Alamati said, adding that 42 countries made it to the selected works.

Kanoon (The Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults) is holding the 13th Tehran International Animation Festival (TIAF) from March 6th to March 10th, 2024.

The deadline for the Call for Entries of the 13th Tehran International Animation Festival has been extended by 10 days, owing to exceptional demands. The extended deadline is November 11, 2023.

The official selections of 13th Tehran International Animation Festival will be announced on the early December. /MNA/

Pasteur Institute of Iran has embarked on producing a vaccine for leishmaniasis which is said to be the first of its kind in the world. Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease that is found in parts of the tropics, subtropics, and southern Europe. It is caused by infection with Leishmania parasites, which are spread by the bite of infected sandflies.

There are several different forms of leishmaniasis in people. The most common forms are cutaneous leishmaniasis, which causes skin sores, and visceral leishmaniasis, which affects several internal organs (usually spleen, liver, and bone marrow).

“The disease has been reported in some parts of the country, but there is currently no vaccine for leishmaniasis in the world,” ISNA quoted Rahim Sarvari, the president of Pasteur Institute as saying.

Accordingly, one of the main priorities of the Pasteur Institute of Iran is to produce a vaccine for the treatment of Leishmaniasis, he said.

Sarvari went on to say that extensive efforts are underway to develop the vaccine. “The process has gone through several phases, and the results will be announced soon.”

Since the disease is caused by a parasite (Leishmania) which easily changes structure as it is detected, the development of the vaccine requires further in-depth study, he noted.

Pneumococcal vaccination of babies kicks off

On February 19, the national program for pneumococcal vaccination of babies under 12 months of age started.

The program was officially launched in the city of Bandar Khamir, southern Hormozgan province, IRNA reported.

The vaccination program to combat pneumococcal has been added to the country’s immunization program, Pedram Pak-Aein, an official with the ministry of health, said.

It will be implemented in several phases, with the priority given to underdeveloped areas, he added.

Some 3.5 million doses of pneumococcal vaccine have been imported. In the first phase, the vaccines will be distributed in deprived areas of the southern provinces of the country, the official explained.

The vaccine prevents not only the death of at least 1,500 children every year but also protects thousands of other children against bacterial infection caused by the virus, he further noted.

Pak-Aein went on to say that vaccination against rotavirus will start in the calendar month starting February 20 aiming to prevent the hospitalization of 10,000 children per year.

Knowledge-based companies and domestic manufacturers will soon produce both pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines and present them to the market within the next few months.

The pneumococcal vaccine helps protect against some types of bacterial infections that can cause serious illnesses like meningitis (an infection in the brain and spinal cord) sepsis (a life-threatening reaction to an infection) pneumonia (an infection in the lungs).

Pneumococcal vaccine can be injected when babies are 2, 4, and 12 months old, IRNA quoted Mohsen Zahraei, the head of the preventable diseases department of the Ministry of Health, as saying.

“We hope to be able to develop these two vaccines soon. Once the vaccines pass the quality control trials, and obtain the Food and Drug Organization approval, we will be able to use the domestic products in the national vaccination program,” Zahraei said.

“Since the development of a vaccine is a complex process and takes a lot of time, the vaccines are imported now.

Annual vaccination worldwide prevents the death of two and a half million children, which shows the very high effectiveness of vaccines,” he added. /T.T/

Ahmad Aminzadeh of Iran won a gold medal with a record-breaking lift at the Fazza World Cup on Saturday. Aminzadeh triumphed in the +107 kg category, securing a gold medal with a record-breaking of 267kg lift. This victory not only places Aminzadeh at the forefront of his category but also solidifies his qualification for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. His teammate, Mehdi Sayadi, despite a strong performance, narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth with 231kg.

The Fazza World Cup, a pivotal event in the para powerlifting calendar, has attracted 183 powerlifters from 32 countries, showcasing the high level of competition and the international prestige of the event. This year’s competition not only provided a platform for athletes to showcase their abilities but also served as a crucial qualifier for the upcoming Paralympic Games.

Earlier in the day, Mohsen Bakhtiar of Iran won a gold medal in the men’s up to 59kg with a 196kg lift.

The championships, which started on Wednesday, will continue until Mar. 6 in Dubai, the UAE. /T.T/

Iranian female taekwondo athletes snatched 8 medals at the 33rd International Fajr Cup taekwondo competitions on Tuesday. The Iranian female taekwondo athletes won 7 gold medals and 1 silver in this competition with the participation of 349 athletes from different countries in Tehran Taekwondo house.

Armenia won the runner-up title and Kazakhstan came third. Tajikistan and Azerbaijan took fourth and fifth places respectively.

Armenian representative in the -67 kg category was chosen as the best player in the competition.

The 33rd Fajr Cup International Taekwondo competition was held on Tuesday in Tehran.

/ MNA/