Lobat Taghavi, an Iranian female scientist, won the second prize in the Research, Achievements, and Successful Practices section of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Award for Environmental Management in the Islamic World (KSAAEM).

In the ‘Women’s Award for Research, Achievements and Successful Practices,’ the first place was won by Dr. Hanan Al-Mahashir from Saudi Arabia, and the second place was won by Dr. Lobat Taghavi from Iran.

The 9th Conference of Environment Ministers in the Islamic World, held by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, witnessed the awards ceremony of the third session of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Award for Environmental Management in the Islamic World, in which 22 winners from 18 countries received KSAAEM prizes.

The Award is destined to encourage and stimulate interest in joint environmental action in the Islamic world and openness to global experiences in the protection of the environment from an Islamic perspective, while working towards preserving its resources and addressing sustainable development issues in general, through recognizing the merits of the efforts of individuals and institutions concerned with the management of natural resources for the benefit of present and future generations alike.

As for the ‘Women’s Award in Public Benefit Associations and NGOs,’ the first place was won by Dr. Wahiba Thuray Essedik from Libya, and the second place was won by Dr. Sharifa Abdul Carim Macarand from the Philippines.

This branch relates to women’s work and activities in protecting the environment and managing the environmental sector in its various forms, whether in scientific research, civil society in environmental education and fieldwork for NGOs, or in private or government sector institutions.

This branch aims to encourage women’s performance in environmental action and disseminate successful practices in institutions, associations, and personal experiences, especially in rural and agricultural communities.

This branch allocates to women three awards in the basic areas of environmental management, namely the Award for Women in Research, Achievements, and Successful Practices; The Women’s Award in Public Benefit Associations and NGOs; and the Women’s Leadership Award in private or government sector institutions. /T.T/

Iran’s women’s and men’s basketball teams defeated their rivals at the 2022 Asian Para Games on Saturday. The women’s team beat Laos 72-29. Iran had lost to Japan and Thailand in their first two matches.

Team Melli will play Cambodia on Tuesday. The men’s team beat China 72-42 in Group A at the HOC Gymnasium.

Iran, who had defeated Afghanistan 91-33 in their first match, will face the Philippines on Tuesday.

Wheelchair basketball is one of the events at the 2022 Asian Para Games, which takes place in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, from Oct. 19 to 27.

A total of 128 male athletes will represent Iran in 16 events and 82 female athletes will compete in 11 events.

Iran finished in third place in the 2018 Asian Para Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Para shooter Sareh Javanmardi will carry Iran’s flag at the opening ceremony, slated for Sunday.

Iran’s slogan in the 2022 Asian Para Games is “Faith, Iran, Honor” and the name of the delegation is “Children of Iran”.

Hangzhou 2022 will take place from Oct. 22 to 28. An estimated 3,000 athletes will compete across 22 sports. /T.T/

After winning collective UNESCO labels for its Persian gardens and caravanserais, Iran is now considering the same registrations for its top mansions, madrasas, public bathhouses, and pigeon towers, a tourism official said on Saturday.

“The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts has adopted a policy to nominate chains of similar properties such as historical houses, madrasas, public bathhouses, and pigeon towers for inclusion in UNESCO’s World Heritage list, IRNA quoted Seyyed Mahdi Mousavi-Movahed as saying on Saturday.

The advantage of a chain nomination is that by a possible registration on the UNESCO list, we may add arrays of the same properties to the country’s must-see destinations, the official noted.

Last month, a selection of 54 centuries-old roadside inns won a UNESCO label under the name: The Persian Caravanserai. Moreover, the UN body in 2011 gave a seal of approval to the Persian Garden, which includes nine gardens in as many provinces.

The Islamic Republic expects to reap a bonanza from its numerous tourist spots such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, and mansions, of which 27 are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Foreign tourist arrivals in Iran reached some 2.93 million between January and July 2023, according to the latest United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) World Tourism Barometer.

Although the country’s performance as a tourism destination is still far below that of 2019, which was before the start of the Covid pandemic, it is improving slightly compared to last year’s statistics, ISNA reported.

However, the average statistics of Iran’s tourism from January to August 2023 is 50% lower than the same period in 2019 based on the barometer that tracks the sector’s post-pandemic recovery throughout 2023 up to the end of July. Accordingly, Iran attracted 181,423 foreign travelers in January; 327, 816 people in February; 363,547 in March; 381.769 in April, 537,837 in May; 551.142 in June; and 590, 350 in July.

Another statistic compiled by Iran’s tourism ministry indicates the country saw 3.35 million tourist arrivals in the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21), which soars 38 percent year on year. /T.T/

Iran Innovation and Prosperity Fund has set up a pavilion for the Iranian knowledge-based companies at Uzbekistan construction industry UzStroyExpo 2023.

The 12th International Exhibition Construction, Heating and Ventilation Systems is going to be held between October 25 – October 27, 2023 at the Venue of UzExpoCenter in Tashkent.

The pavilion of Iranian knowledge-based companies in the exhibition has been set up with the support of the Iranian Innovation and Prosperity Fund and will host 15 knowledge-based companies that will display their capabilities and achievements in the field of the construction industry, heating and air conditioning systems to the visitors.

One of the programs of the Innovation and Prosperity Fund is to help the development of the export market of knowledge-based companies with supporting their presence in permanent foreign exhibitions and also through securing their participation in prestigious international exhibitions in two forms of their independent presence and setting up a pavilion for them. / MNA/

The value of Iran’s exports to India increased nine percent in the first seven months of 2023, as compared to the same period of time in 2022, according to the data released by the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The Indian ministry put the worth of Iran’s exports to India at $393 million in January-August 2023, while the figure was $361 million in the same time span of 2022, IRIB reported.

Petroleum products, raw materials for dye production, and various fruits were the top exported goods to India in the first seven months of 2023. India imported $156 million of petroleum products, $105 million of raw materials for the production of dyes, and $70 million of fruits from Iran during this period.

As reported, the two countries’ trade dropped 27 percent to $1.171 billion in the first seven months of this year from $1.604 billion in the same period of the past year.

The decrease in trade between Iran and India in the first half of 2023 was caused by the drop in the country’s exports to Iran. India’s exports to Iran in the mentioned seven months experienced a 37 percent drop and reached $778 million. In the January-August of last year, India exported $1.243 billion of goods to Iran.

Rice had the largest share in India’s export basket to Iran in the first seven months of this year, accounting for $539 million of the country’s total exports to Iran in this period. Fruits with $30 million and tea with $18 million were the second and third top exported goods to Iran, respectively.

Based on the data previously released by the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the value of Iran’s exports to India increased by 60 percent in 2022 as compared to the preceding year.

The Indian ministry put the worth of Iran’s exports to India at $653 million in 2022, while the figure was $409 million in 2021.

As reported, petroleum products were the major goods imported by India from Iran in the said months.

According to the mentioned data, the value of trade between Iran and India reached $2.5 billion in 2022, rising 48 percent from $1.693 billion in 2021.

During January-December 2022, India’s exports to Iran also increased by 44 percent to stand at $1.847 billion, while the figure was $1.284 billion in 2021.

Rice was India’s major product exported to Iran in the said period during which the country shipped $1.098 billion worth of rice to the Islamic Republic. /T.T/

Nahid Kiani of Iran claimed a silver medal at the Taiyuan 2023 World Taekwondo Grand Prix on Tuesday.She defeated American taekwondo athlete Faith Dillon 2-1 in her first match and then beat Chia-ling Lo of Chinese Taipei 2-1 to book a place in the semi-final.

Kiani defeated Russian Tatiana Minina 2-1 but lost to Canada’s Skylar Park 2-1 in the final match of the women’s under-57kg.

The competition is being held in Taiyuan, China from Oct. 10 to 12. The last GP in the country was held in Suzhou in 2014. China has innovated and hosted another elite competitive series, the Grand Slam, usually held at year’s end in Wuxi.

Crucial ranking points in the Paris 2024 qualification process will be on offer across three days at the Shanxi Sports Center./T.T/

Seven Iranian films will go on screen at the 15th edition of the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival. “Punch Drunk” by Adel Tabrizi will compete in the main section of the festival, which will be held in the U.S. city from November 2 to 12.

Set in Tehran in 1996, the story of the film follows Mahtab who lives along with her 10-year-old child, Erfan. She is divorced from her husband, Morteza, who is in jail.

Mahtab has enrolled her child in a karate class so that he does not end up like his father as far as his character is concerned. Erfan’s only interest is cinema and could not care less about sports. Hassan Khoshnud, the tough and serious karate instructor with his dictatorial methods causes Erfan to run away one day from the karate academy in the middle of exercises.

Short films “Katvoman” by Hadi Sheibani, “Zhakaw” by Farshid Gavilian and “Survivor” by Karim Azimi are also among the films.

An Iranian-Indian joint film, “Katvoman” shows a mom and son playing dressed up as Batman and Catwoman before dad returns for dinner. Through the play, the child discovers a difficult truth about his parents.

“Zhakaw” narrates the journey of a budding filmmaker, whose first cinematic venture has finally wrapped up. With an intention to break free from the shackles of isolation and connect with the folks in his apartment complex, he decides to host a screening of his flick. However, he struggles to bridge the communication gap between himself and his neighbors, resulting in further social awkwardness.

“Survivor” portrays some immigrants waiting by the sea for them to be able to cross it. A young couple is going with the other immigrants to the light of the world, but they have problems when their baby is born.

The festival will also screen Iranian shorts “Shalal”, Unnamed” and “Aban”.

Directed by Amir-Ali Sisipour, “Shalal” tells the story of a young boy named Mehran and his mother Ziba, who possess a peculiar habit of capturing people’s shadows using a black fur and drinking it until their own shadows return. One fateful day, Mehran feels compelled to capture someone’s shadow all by himself and sets out on a mysterious journey.

“Unnamed” by Iranmehr Salimi revolves around the life of Zainab. As a talented volleyball player, Zainab feels that her spirit aligns more with the male gender. Consequently, she chooses to undergo a gender transition. However, in doing so, she is aware of the severe repercussions, including the end of her successful career due to her short stature and the loss of her sole source of income, which could potentially jeopardize her family’s future.

“Aban”, a co-production between Iran and France by Abbas Taheri and Mahdieh Tusi, tells the story of Nazanin who tries to turn their 9-year-old child, Aban, away from a very driven feminine taste under constant pressure from her ex-husband. Today, Aban goes to the hospital hoping to undergo life-changing surgery.

The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival emphasizes artworks that are by, for, and about the Asian and Pacific Islander diaspora experience.

Asian and Pacific Islander includes, but is not limited to people from and are descended from areas now known as Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, China, Russia, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Micronesia, and the Pacific Islands./T.T/

Iran ranks first in the field of ophthalmology among West Asian countries and competes with the world’s most advanced countries in this regard, according to an Iranian health official.

Chairman of the Ophthalmology Department at Iran’s Health Ministry, Dr. Mahmoud Jabbarvand, said Iran has been welcoming millions of medical tourists on a yearly basis and that no Iranian patient is sent abroad for medical treatment.

“Given the scope of research and studies in the field of ophthalmology, Iran is comparable to the world’s advanced countries,” Jabbarvand said in an interview with IRNA published on Saturday to mark World Sight Day.

“Because of the extensive range and outstanding quality of ophthalmic services and treatment here in Iran, no patient is sent abroad and even many patients from different countries, especially neighboring ones, travel to the country for treatment,” he said.

He further said that Iran has gained the expertise to domestically manufacture artificial corneas, adding that artificial cornea transplant is performed on patients who neither can receive human tissue nor stem cells.

Those who have undergone the surgery have managed to regain their full eyesight, Jabbarvand said.

He explained that 2,500 ophthalmologists are currently active in Iran, which has achieved significant progress in the field of stem cell application.

Iranian specialists can skillfully undertake meticulous applied research, he noted.

“Due to the great expertise and dazzling performance of our doctors, coupled with the efficient operation of state and private hospitals, patients who are diagnosed on time will quickly undergo surgery and regain their sight,” the top Iranian health official said.

Iran’s scientific community has remained productive in recent years, even as economic sanctions have made it difficult for universities to buy some of the most advanced equipment or send talented students to Europe or the United States to attend scientific meetings.

Tehran, Mashhad, Yazd, Shiraz and Ahvaz are among the top destinations chosen by medical tourists, who choose to cross borders to seek affordable treatment in Iran. /MNA/

Iran’s first satellite system project named after top anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani will be put into orbit within the next two years, according to the head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA).

Hossein Salariyeh said on Tuesday that his agency, in line with efforts to provide space station services in the field of communications especially the Internet of Things (IoT), has drawn up the technical specifications of the first indigenous narrowband telecommunication satellite and invited relevant knowledge-based companies to contribute their share to the project.

“In the first phase of the bidding process of this ambitious project, qualified and eligible companies and consortia were identified; and the winner of the tender, which is a consortium comprising of private and public firms, was selected in the second phase,” the official said.

Salariyeh went on to say that the contract for the Martyr Soleimani satellite project has been negotiated and concluded, emphasizing that a contract for the design, construction, delivery, test, and launch of the telecommunication project has been finalized between the ISA and a domestic consortium.

The senior Iranian space official further said that the satellite system project is gradually being built, and will be put into orbit within the next two years as several domestically-developed satellites are already in line to be blasted off into space.

“Martyr Soleimani satellite constellation will initially provide narrowband IoT services, meaning it will mostly collect data from sensors on the ground and transmit it to a reference station. God willing, the number and capabilities of involved satellites will grow later on,” Salariyeh said.

He added, “Currently, a specific bandwidth has been defined for the system, which will increase as newer models of satellites will be manufactured in the future. This means that the satellites will be equipped with newer and more advanced payloads.”

The ISA chief noted that the Martyr Soleimani satellite constellation will be placed in a low Earth orbit (LEO), hailing the project as the first of its kind in Iran and even the Muslim world.

The system has been developed entirely by Iranian specialists and is currently under construction. It will provide excellent services to state institutions, private companies, and ordinary people, Salariyeh said.

Despite sanctions imposed by Western countries in recent years, Iran has managed to take giant strides in the civilian space program.

The country is among the world’s top 10 countries capable of developing and launching satellites. /MNA/