Iran stands among the top ten science and technology superpowers, ranking higher than Japan, according to a new report published by Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).

ASPI’s new Critical Technology Tracker reported Iran ranked as one of the top 5 countries in six of the forty-four technologies tracked, and ninth in the overall ranking to predict the top ten future global powers.

The number of publications and citations along with the Hirsch Index was examined in advanced aircraft engines including hypersonics and the country stood 4th in line, next to China and the United States, clearly surpassing Japan, Italy, and the UK.

According to ASPI, Iran is also among the top four countries in bio-fuel and smart materials science and new technologies that are emerging onto the market which could change the future of the industry.

Iran has published 2 percent of the total number of worldwide publications in synthetic biology marking it as the 8th country in global rankings.

Beyond the usual competition between China and the US, Iran’s very strong performance in artificial intelligence technologies has become immediately striking. Most notably, Iran emerges as an unexpected powerhouse of hardware accelerator research.

Iran has long been considered among the leading countries in producing science in the world for many years. However, the Critical Technology Tracker has gone beyond simple research and has focused on the key performance measures of scientific and technological capability, revealing countries that have a competitive advantage in this measure across the 44 technologies.  /MNA/

Iranian young footballer Amirhossein Shirch died of a cardiac arrest on Monday. The 23-year-old player, a member of the Babolsar football team, passed away in the seventh minute of the match against Naftogaz Gachsaran in the Iran football second tier league.

The player has had a type of heart disease, Majid Pashna, head of the Babolsar football committee, said.

Cardiac arrest is a medical emergency that occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating. It can happen to anyone, including athletes who are physically fit and active.

In football, cardiac arrest can be caused by various factors, such as underlying heart conditions, heat stroke, or traumatic injuries. /MNA/

Seven movies by female Iranian directors will be reviewed in a special program during the Brussels Short Film Festival, which will take place from April 26 to May 6 in the Belgian capital.

“This program aims to show different points of view of Iranian women on issues that concern them directly,” the organizers have said in their statement.

“Through animation and fiction, these films look at the challenges of the contemporary period and offer a glimpse into the place of women in Iranian society and beyond,” they added.

The screening will be followed by a discussion moderated by Fery Malek-Madani, the founder and administrator of Art Cantara in Brussels, and Farnush Samadi, an Iranian director who is a member of the festival’s international jury.

Samadi’s short drama “Gaze” is a highlight of the program. It is about a woman who witnesses something happening on the bus on her way back from work, but she has to decide whether to reveal it or not.

The program also features “Horn” by Ghasideh Golmakani. It follows a woman from Tehran who urgently needs to find a parking space for her car. This results in disturbing the concentration of the men on the street.

The winner of the Golden Cyrus Cylinder for best short at the 7th Iranian Film Festival in Zurich, “The Visit” will also be screened.

Directed by Azadeh Musavi, the movie is about Elaheh who is finally allowed to visit her husband, a political prisoner, after a delay of six months. She and her little daughter Tara have one single day to prepare for this important meeting.

Directed by Sonia K. Haddad, “Exam”, winner of the grand prize of the jury at the 2021 Dieciminuti Film Festival in Italy, has also been selected for the program.

The drama tells the story of a teenage girl who gets involved in the process of delivering a pack of cocaine to a client, and gets stuck in a weird cycle of occurrences.

The program will also screen “Leftover” by Yasaman Hassani, “Hanged” by Roqieh Tavakkoli and “The Zoo” by Nafiseh Zare’. /T.T/

The value of Iran’s non-oil export to its neighbors rose 19 percent in the past Iranian calendar year 1401 (ended on March 20), the spokesman of Trade Development Committee of the Iranian House of Industry, Mining, and Trade announced.

Ruhollah Latifi said that 75.184 million tons of non-oil commodities worth $30.537 billion were exported to the neighboring countries in the previous year.

Iraq with the purchase of non-oil goods worth $10.238 billion (15 percent growth) and registering a historical record, Turkey with $7.459 billion (23 percent growth), the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with $5.767 billion (28 percent growth), Afghanistan with $1.638 billion (11 percent drop), and Pakistan with $1.448 billion (18 percent growth), were the first five export destinations of Iranian goods among the neighbors, the official said and added that Oman with $1.087 billion, Russia with $744 million, Azerbaijan with $654 million, Armenia with $464 million, Turkmenistan with $460 million, Kuwait with $198 million, Kazakhstan with $195 million, Qatar with $124 million, Saudi Arabia with $14.7 million, and Bahrain with $10.4 million ranked next.

According to Latifi, Iran imported 21.582 million tons of non-oil products valued at $28.305 billion from its neighbor in the past year, with a 10-percent growth in worth year on year.

The UAE with sales of $18.395 billion (11 percent growth), Turkey with $6.999 billion (15 percent growth), Russia with $1.577 billion (five percent drop), Pakistan with $842 million (170 percent growth), and Oman with $619 million (29 percent growth) were the first five sources of goods sales to Iran among the neighbors, he said and added that Iraq with sales of $264 million, Kazakhstan with $125 million, Qatar with $84 million, Azerbaijan with $34 million, Afghanistan with $29 million, Turkmenistan with $28 million, Armenia with $14 million, Kuwait with $12.5 million, and Bahrain with $3.5 million are in the next ranks respectively.

Latifi, who is the former spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), further stated that Iran’s non-oil trade with neighboring countries accounted for 52 percent of its total non-oil trade, exports to these countries for 57.5 percent of the total non-oil exports, and imports from them for 47.5 percent of the country’s total non-oil imports in 1401, which shows the increasing importance of neighbors in Iran’s foreign trade and bringing foreign currency to meet the needs of the country under sanctions.

As previously announced by Latifi, the value of Iran’s non-oil export rose 10 percent in the past Iranian calendar year.

He said that 122.056 million tons of non-oil commodities worth $53.166 billion were exported in the previous year.

The official also announced that 37.18 million tons of non-oil commodities valued at $59.655 billion were imported to the country during the past year, with a 10 percent drop in weight, and a 13 percent rise in worth, year on year.

He went on to say that the country’s non-oil trade reached 159.236 million tons worth $112.821 billion in the previous year, with an 11.2 percent growth year on year.

Increasing non-oil exports to the neighboring countries is one of the major plans that the Iranian government has been pursuing in recent years.

Iran shares land or water borders with 15 countries namely UAE, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Saudi Arabia.

From its early days, the administration of President Ebrahim Raisi attached great importance to upgrading relations with neighboring countries. Advancing economic diplomacy is the fulcrum of this orientation, known as the Neighborhood Policy.

In order to achieve the goals of this Policy, the Raisi administration initiated multiple visits and tours. President Raisi and his foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian visited numerous countries and used everything in their power to boost Iran’s relations. /T.T/

A total of 2.64 million of non-oil goods worth $1.43 billion were exported from East Azarbaijan Province to over 100 countries. According to Leili Orangi, a local customs official, a total of 2.64 million of non-oil goods worth $1.43 billion were exported from East Azarbaijan Province to over 100 countries during the first 11 months of last Iranian year (March 21, 2022-Feb. 19), registering a 4% rise in terms of weight, but a 3% fall in value.

Steel products (such as rebars, sheets and pipes), can and profile, plastic materials and products, chemical and petrochemical products, nuts and dried fruits (such as dates, pistachio and raisin), petroleum products (such as bitumen and industrial and mineral oils), copper products (such as copper tubes and cables), plumbing accessories and fittings, cereal products (such as wafer and biscuit), glass products, machines and mechanical devices were the main products among the 79 types of goods exported during the period.  /MNA/

Iranian badminton players have snatched five medals in the 2023 World Transplant Games underway in Perth, Australia. Iran’s athlete bagged two gold, two silver and one bronze in badminton.

Previously, Iranian athletes bagged nine medals in petanque and squash at the end of the second day.

Athletes and teams from 45 countries are participating in Perth for a week of competition and camaraderie.

Athletes are competing in 17 various sports fields during 15-21 April 2023. / MNA/

The song ‘Lonely Fighter’ composed by Reza Aliabadi won the award of the ‘World Music’ section at the Academia Music Awards held in the US.

Produced by the “Hafdang” group, the piece has been both played and composed by Reza Aliabadi. 20 of his students accompanied him under the framework of the Jami music band.

Reza Aliabadi who is acquainted with Tanbur since his childhood is the third Iranian who has managed to win the award at the Academia Music Awards after Alireza Ghorbani and Pouya Saraei.

The Akademia Music Awards is dedicated to recognizing top musical talent from all across the globe. Each month, the executive team of the event reviews hundreds of music submissions in each genre to identify and select the top artists. /MNA/

The biggest student Quran gathering was held in Tehran and some countries today. Secretary General of the Quran, Prayers Department at Iran’s Education Ministry said that nearly four million students from different countries took part in the Quranic gathering in the blessed month of Ramadan.

As many as 20,000 Qur’an gatherings were held in schools across the country, Mikael Bagheri said.

Around 800 central gatherings were held in the Iranian cities, he further noted.