Iran’s Mir Mostafa Javadi gained a gold medal in the Men’s 89KG division at 2023 World Weightlifting Championships on Monday.

In a move no one had expected, Iranian weightlifter Mir Mostafa Javadi won the highly-competitive Men’s 89-Kilogram Group A division on Sep. 11 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Bar bend website reported.

It was the first time the 23-year-old made it to the 89-kilogram podium at Worlds in the snatch, clean & jerk, or Total.

Javadi walked away with gold in the clean & jerk at 215 kilograms, or 473.9 pounds, and gold in the Total, despite finishing sixth in the snatch. He also advanced from ninth to fourth position in the International Weightlifting Federation’s (IWF) official Olympics qualification leaderboards.

Leading up to the 2023 WWC in Riyadh, which runs from Sep. 4 to 17, the 89-kilogram division was widely predicted to be the most intense session of men’s weightlifting.

The roster of Group A contained multiple former and current World Champions, as well as several current world record holders. But nothing played out as it was supposed to. /MNA/

Iranian city of Isfahan is scheduled to host the 5th Mustafa Prize ceremony next month, with reports saying 150 luminaries from across the Muslim world attending the prestigious biennial event for their scientific excellence.

Hossein Rabbani, the head of Isfahan’s Elites Foundation, said the 5th Mustafa Prize ceremony will be held on October 2, when high-profile scientists in the field of Artificial Intelligence convene in Isfahan from 57 Islamic countries.

The prestigious ceremony will also host the 9th round of Science and Technology Exchange Program (STEP), which is a platform organized by Mustafa Science and Technology Foundation to expand the scientific network among the Islamic world’s scholars by holding international events and laying the groundwork for enhancing scientific synergy and cooperation.

“Awarding a prize is regarded as a way of identifying outstanding people in scientific fields and brings to the fore the existing capacities in different areas of science,” Rabbani said.

“An international award, like the Mustafa Prize, has profound impacts given its media aspect,” he said, adding that it conveys the message that the Muslim world pays attention to science and technology.

Mustafa Prize was established in 2012 as one of the symbols of scientific excellence and has been held biennially since 2015, recognizing leading researchers and scientists of the Islamic world.

The laureates are awarded $500,000, which is financed through the science and technology endowment. They will also be adorned with Mustafa Medal and Honorary Diploma.

The prize is awarded in the four categories of Information and Communication Science and Technology, Life and Medical Science and Technology, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, and All Areas of Science and Technology.

In 2016, the Science Magazine called the prize “the Muslim Nobel.” /MNA/

Iran will construct its first research satellite in the field of navigation named “Pazhuhesh 1”, the spokesperson of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) announced on Thursday.

“The Iranian Space Research Center intends to hold a public tender for the design, construction, and delivery of the Research Satellite ‘Pazhuhesh – 1’ in order to support the private sector”, Hossein Dalirian wrote in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Thursday.

Pazhuhesh-1 satellite will actually be a research satellite in the field of space station navigation, he added./ MNA/

According to the seventh plan, exports of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment are projected to increase annually to $1billion, the chairman of the Food and Drug Administration of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FDA) said.

With the removal of preferential currency rates for pharmaceuticals, exports in the first five months of the Iranian year (Starting from March 21, 2023) have reached 50 million dollars, Heidar Mohammadi said.

This shows a growth rate of 300 percent compared to the same period last year, he added.

According to the seventh plan, exports of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment are projected to increase annually to $1billion, he pointed out. /MNA/

Pilgrims have reached the Iraqi city of Karbala to attend the Arbaeen ceremony, which marks the fortieth day after the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hossein (AS) and his companions. (IRNA photos/ Mohammad-Mahdi Pour-Arab)

The governor of Karbala, Aqil Al-Turaihi, has predicted that the number of Arbaeen pilgrims will surpass 30 million this year, a growth of 50% compared to last year. / IRNA/

The number of foreign university students in Iran is forecast to rise from currently around 100,000 to 250,000 by the Iranian calendar year 1404 (March 2025-March 2026).

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, deputy science minister Hashem 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.

The system actually plays the role of an intermediary between universities and applicants for studies in Iran, Dadashpour said, noting: “We briefly introduce the universities with the license to admit international students, and at the same time, the applicants can be connected to the desired university through special links.”

This possibility is also provided for the applicants to study in Iran to register and send the admission application while being familiarized with the cultural and academic situation in Iran, and at the same time to learn about the experiences of international students in the country, he highlighted.

Also, an exhibition will be held from November 14-19 with the aim of introducing the advantages of studying in Iran for international students, he said.

“The first section of the exhibition is related to Persian language teaching centers, and the second section is related to private institutions for attracting international students and institutions of target countries.”

“The third section is dedicated to activists who are interested in attracting international students to Iran. The fourth section is related to scientific and technological achievements of science and technology parks and knowledge-based companies, and finally, the fifth section is related to the cultures and customs of foreign countries.”

The Seventh National Development Plan (2023-2027) has obliged the Ministry of Science to increase the number of foreign nationals studying in the country.

The plan emphasizes the need to boost science diplomacy by increasing foreign students by up to 10 percent, IRNA reported.

It also highlights admitting non-Iranian scientists in research and technology education fields in universities and government institutes, as well as developing student exchange programs. /T.T/

Out of 8,891 knowledge-based companies that are operating in the country, 1,313 are working in the health sector, Younes Panahi, the deputy health minister, has said.

Some 40 percent of the companies active in the health sector are working in the fields of pharmaceuticals, advanced diagnostic kits, and treatment products, IRNA quoted Panahi as saying on Sunday.

“There are 1,313 knowledge-based companies in the field of health, of which 28 percent are in the field of medical equipment and 32 percent are active in the agriculture, technology, and food industries.”

On August 6, Panahi said, “More than 21,900 faculty members are active in the field of health. Moreover, 804 government research centers, 39 non-government centers, and more than 600 elites are cooperating with the health ministry.”

Knowledge-based production a priority

In line with the law enforced on May 24, 2022, knowledge-based production is a priority of the government so the plan for promoting knowledge-based products has progressed well so far.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has emphasized the importance of boosting domestic production, saying the reason he placed so much emphasis on production was “because it boosts economic growth, it creates employment, it reduces inflation, it increases per capita income and it improves public welfare.”

To this end, the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology has executed and supported several projects toward the goal of boosting knowledge-based production.

Exporting technological products of Iranian knowledge-based companies is one of the important and key programs of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology, and in this regard over the past years, with the support of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology, the Iranian houses of innovation have been set up in several countries to develop the global market for knowledge-based products.

These centers have already been set up in countries such as Russia, Turkey, China, Syria, Kenya, Armenia, Iraq, and Uzbekistan.

The centers are mainly formed with the investment and support of the private sector to provide the necessary infrastructure for their exports through innovation houses.

By supporting innovative ideas, and holding technological and innovative events, the centers will be a platform for the development and promotion of Iranian knowledge-based companies, startups, and creative industries.

In February, President Ebrahim Raisi said science and technology are the cornerstones of national development.

The chain of knowledge, research, innovation, and technology ensures sustainable development in the country, he added. /T.T/

The number of medical tourists visiting Iran is around one million people per annum, an official with Health Ministry has said. “Every year, one million foreign patients are treated in Iran,” Mohammad-Hossein Niknam, who presides over the ministry’s department for international cooperation, said on Monday.

“We consider this sector as health diplomacy, which is a suitable platform to develop the country’s international interactions.”

Niknam said his department follows three main policies to increase the country’s share in the world’s $100 billion market.

“Our policies on the medical sector concerns internationalization of our capacities, playing an effective role to draw patients, particularly from the neighboring countries, and the development of scientific and economic cooperation to increase the country’s share in the international health market.”

According to Saeid Karimi, the deputy minister of health, Iran’s medical tourism revenues reached $1 billion during the past Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20), adding: “247 hospitals and medical centers have been granted special licenses for medical tourism.”

“People from the neighboring countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Oman, Bahrain, Armenia, and Tajikistan, constitute the lion’s share of medical tourists arriving in Iran.”

The Islamic Republic has been ranked 46th destination for medical tourism [within the 2020-2021 Medical Tourism Index], he added.

Experts say Iran’s Medical tourism is a win-win opportunity both for the country and foreign patients, as they are offered affordable yet quality treatment services and the country gains considerable foreign currency.

The Islamic Republic is known in the world as an affordable destination for health tourism, and the government is making a great effort to attract more medical tourists in the years to come.

Credible surgeons and physicians, cutting-edge medical technologies, high-tech medicine and diverse specializations, super affordable procedures, and finally its hospitable people, are considered Iran’s trump card when it comes to medical tourism. /T.T/

The 10th edition of the Iran-Japan Love and Peace Film Festival was held in the presence of a number of Iranian war veterans and artists of the Tehran Peace Museum in Hiroshima.

During the festival, the Iranian films ‘Yadu’ by Mehdi Jafari, ‘Walnut Tree’ by Mohammad Hossein Mahdavian, ‘The Situation of Mehdi’ by Hadi Hejazifar, and ‘The Miracle of Bonasan’ by Habib Ahmadzadeh were screened in Tokyo and Hiroshima.

‘Yadu’ is about the first months of the Iraqi-imposed war on Iran. At a time when families in different cities of Khuzestan were forced to leave their homes and all their attachments and took refuge in other cities to save their lives.

‘Walnut Tree’ is a 2020 Iranian biographical war drama film. It revolves around the Chemical bombing of Sardasht in 1987. The film screened for the first time at the 38th Fajr Film Festival and received 11 nominations. Mahdavian won a Crystal Simorgh for Best Director and Maadi won the Crystal Simorgh for Best Actor for his performance.

‘The Miracle of Bonasan’ is the story of a genie that has to compose a melody with help from four humans. The idea is to create a human miracle and symphony, or he would be expelled from the Solar System for eternity.

‘The Situation of Mehdi’ is a 2022 Iranian biographical war drama film about Mehdi Bakeri, an Iranian war hero in the Iran-Iraq war. The film screened for the first time at the 40th Fajr Film Festival where it won five awards and earned nine nominations.

Parviz Parastui (actor), Mohammad Hossein Mahdavian (director and actor), Hadi Hejazifar (director and actor), Malek Siraj (actor), Ahmad Yousefzadeh (war veteran and writer), Mehrdad Afrasyabi (cinematographer), Adel Memarnia (cinematographer), Mohsen Sharifian (musician) Habib Ahmadzadeh (writer and director), Mohammad Mahdi Dadman (cultural manager), Zeinab Ahmadzadeh (writer) and Bijan Abdulkarimi (writer and university philosophy professor) were Iranian artists who were present in the festival.

On the sidelines of the festival, Iranian artists and war veterans met with the mayor of Hiroshima on the occasion of the anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and presented the statue of Iranian martyr Daryagholi Sourani to the mayor.

Mohsen Sharifian, as a musician, also performed some pieces of Iranian music at the event.

The event was held by Hiroshima MOCT and Tehran Peace Museum in collaboration Iranian embassy in Tokyo. /T.T/