** IRAN DAILY
--Iran raises alarm at ‘dangerous’ rise of terror groups in Afghanistan
The Iranian foreign minister condemned recent deadly terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, raising the alarm at the rise of Daesh and other terror outfits in the conflict-ridden South Asian country.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks during a meeting with Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, secretary-general of the Austrian Foreign Ministry, in Tehran on Saturday.
The top Iranian diplomat warned that the rise of Daesh and other terrorist groups, following a change of government in Afghanistan, was dangerous.
-- Official: Saudi Arabia rejoins Iran export destinations
Saudi Arabia rejoined Iran’ export destinations, said the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) spokesman, adding that the value of Iran’s non-oil trade with its 15 neighbors reached $22.58 billion in the six months to September 22, registering a 52 percent rise year-on-year.
The country traded over 47.2 million tons of commodities with the neighboring countries in the said period, IRNA quoted Rouhollah Latifi as saying on Sunday.
-- Radkan Tower in Khorasan Razavi Province, a sophisticated instrument of astronomical science
Standing some 100 feet tall on a hillock in northeastern Iran, Radkan Tower was long assumed to be an ancient tomb, or perhaps a beacon guiding travelers in the area. In fact, it’s likely it was something much more spectacular.
The tower known also as, Mil-e Radkan, is located 26 kilometers northwest of Chenaran, Khorasan Razavi Province.
Thanks to the discoveries of an archaeoastronomer, it’s now believed the Radkan Tower was an incredibly sophisticated instrument of astronomical science built nearly 800 years ago.
** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
-- 160 MPs Urge Government to Expand SCO Ties
A group of Iranian lawmakers on Sunday called on the administration of President Ebrahim Raisi to activate economic diplomacy and make plans to derive the maximum benefit from country’s membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
In a letter addressed to Raisi, 160 Iranian MPs thanked his administration for active diplomatic efforts in advancing Iran’s ‘Look to the East’ policy and in achieving permanent membership at the Shanghai bloc.
-- Iran Taekwondo Team Wins Int’l Fajr Cup
Iranian taekwondo team has won the International Fajr Taekwondo Competitions ended here at Tehran’s Parsian Hotel. The 31st International Fajr Taekwondo Competitions which had started on Friday at Tehran’s Parsian Hotel and ended on Saturday.
In this round of the competitions 171 taekwondo athletes from nine countries; namely, Iran, Armenia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, Russia, Iraq, Lebanon and India participated in eight weighs of -54, -58, -63, -74, -80, -87 and +87 weighs.
At the end of the international competition the Iranian taekwondo champions with their eight gold medals, and 1004 points managed to win the cup of the oldest taekwondo tournament, the Turkish athletes with their three silver medals ranked 2nd and the Pakistani taekwondo champs with their single silver medal ranked 3rd.
-- Iran Mulls Selling Crude to Domestic Private Buyers
The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) chief Mohsen Khojasteh has said that the company plans to sell crude oil for a first time to private buyers inside the country as the company seeks to maximize output and sales to meet revenue targets set by the government.
Khojasteh Mehr said that the company would seek to diversify its sales option mainly by relying on capacities of Iran’s private sector. “We will use all legal capacities for crude sales including foreign buyers or qualified domestic buyers,” said Khojasteh said.
He said that other options for maximizing crude oil sales would be to barter crude for goods or for investment brought to the Iranian construction or energy projects.
** TEHRAN TIMES
-- Five books by Iranian writers embellish White Ravens Catalogue
Munich’s prestigious International Youth Library (Internationale Jugendbibliothek, IJB) has selected five books by Iranian writers for its 35th edition of the White Ravens Catalogue. The books are “The Mammals of Iran: Bears and Other Carnivores”, “The Battle of Noruz: Mani + Festival-Makers + Festival-Spoilers”, “Zahhak, the Snake Shoulder: A Story with Seven Narrators”, “Barli, the Balloon Seller and the Dwarf Generals” and “The Orange Girl”.
In a preface to the catalogue, International Youth Library director Christiane Raabe said, “It aims to promote quality in children’s book publishing and has become an increasingly useful tool for anyone interested in looking beyond national borders.”
-- SEO hosting 13th virtual intl. forum on Islamic capital markets
Iran’s Securities and Exchange Organization (SEO) is hosting the 13th Virtual International Forum on Islamic Capital Markets (ICM) during October 17-18. Over 90 guests from 26 countries are participating in the current year’s event which was opened by the SEO Head Majid Eshqi on Sunday.
Some 10 prominent foreign experts and scholars are scheduled to deliver speeches in the forum along with three lecturers from Iran. The heads of supervisory institutions from Peru, Maldives, Syria, Montenegro as well as the CEOs of stock exchanges of the Central African Republic and Kazakhstan are also special participants of the mentioned forum.
-- Mazandaran holds potential to become intl. tourist destination
The northern province of Mazandaran has considerable potential to attract vacationers from around the world and become an international tourist destination. Having a wide range of capacities and potentials, Mazandaran, which is a top destination for domestic travelers, can be turned into a destination for foreign travelers as well through careful planning, the provincial tourism chief has announced.
Given that the provincial capital of Sari has been selected to be the cultural capital of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in 2022, there is the possibility of promoting it as a tourist destination internationally, Seifollah Farzaneh said on Sunday.
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