*** IRAN DAILY
-- President rushes to flooded southeast after Moscow visit
Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi visited the flood-hit areas in the southeastern province of Kerman on Friday immediately after returning from his two-day trip to Russia.
During the visit, Raeisi went to the affected areas and met the people, IRNA reported.
-- China puts 4m barrels of Iranian oil into state reserves
China has offloaded nearly four million barrels of Iranian crude oil into state reserve tanks in the southern port city of Zhanjiang over the past few weeks, a trade source and ship tracking specialist Vortexa Analytics said on Thursday.
The move comes as world powers are in tough negotiations with Iran to revive a 2015 nuclear deal that will include the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil. The former Trump administration pulled out of the deal and re-imposed sanctions,
-- Tourism makes biggest contribution to int’l solidarity
Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Ezzatollah Zarghami underlined the defining role of tourism in creating unity among people throughout the world.
The top Iranian official made the remarks in a meeting with Zurab Pololikashvili, the Georgian secretary-general of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), during the Fitur: International Tourism Trade Fair in Madrid, Spain, on Thursday.
“Today, tourism is the most influential means to promote and foster solidarity among nations, clearing the negative views and paving the way for friendship throughout the world,” said the Iranian minister.
*** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
-- Iran, Russia Sign Oil, Energy Agreements
Iranian Petroleum Minister Javad Owji has said that several important agreements have been made between Tehran and Russia on the expansion of oil and gas cooperation.
The Thursday report by Tasnim said that Oil Minister Javad Owji had finalized several contracts with Russian companies during his ongoing trip to Moscow.
The report said the contracts will allow Russian firms to engage in Iranian oil and gas projects through offering investment or technology or to have contractors involved in the projects.
--Official: Exports to Iraq Top $8bn
Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber of Commerce Yahya Al-e Es’haq has said that Iran’s exports to Iraq during the first eight months of the Iranian calendar year (starting March 21, 2021) have fetched the country exceed to $8 billion.
Al-e Es’haq added that the revenues show a 14 percent growth when compared to the figures during the similar period in its preceding year, expressing hope the earning would hit $10 billion by late March 2022.
Elaborating on the recent visits of two Iranian trade and economic delegations to Iraq and its Kurdistan region, he said the Iranian industrialists should seize the trade opportunity at this juncture.
-- The head of Iran Condemns Terrorist Bombing in Lahore
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh on Thursday condemned a terrorist attack in Pakistan’s Lahore that led to death and injury of a number of civilians.
Khatibzadeh offered Iran’s condolences to those who had been affected by the terrorist explosion, as well as the Pakistani government.
Such acts of terror, according to the spokesman, highlight the need to combat terrorist groups in order to restore peace and stability to the region.
*** TEHRAN TIMES
-- Iran beat Uzbekistan at CAFA Women’s Futsal Championship 2022
Iran defeated Uzbekistan 5-2 in their opening match of the CAFA Women’s Futsal Championship 2022. Sahar Zamanifard, Fatemeh Papi, Sara Shirbeigi, Fereshteh Karimi and Nesa Ahmadi scored for the Iranian team. The four-team competition is being held at the Dushanbe Multi-functional Sports Complex from Jan. 21 to 28.
Tajikistan, Iran, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan compete in the tournament. The teams will play each other twice. The Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) is an association of the football playing nations in Central Asia.
-- 13,000 orphans supported by Iranian charities abroad
Iranian charities abroad supported 13,000 needy orphans in various provinces during the first six months of the current [Iranian calendar] year (March 21- September 22, 2021), according to the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation. Also, during this period, 550 new sponsors living abroad provided assistance to orphans across the country.
Currently, 3,000 philanthropists living abroad are cooperating with the relief committee and providing financial assistance to needy families and orphans inside the country. The Foundation currently covers 147,000 orphaned children and 260,000 children with families who cannot afford to bring them up on their own.
-- New round of restoration begins on Semnan’s Shah Abbasi caravanserai
A new round of restoration work has been commenced on the Safavid era (1501-1736) Shah Abbasi caravanserai in the north-central province of Semnan, the provincial tourism chief has announced.
The project involves replacing worn-out materials, cleaning the brick walls, and removing the layers of paint and grease from the stone and brick surfaces as well as removing extensions of the last few years, Hamidreza Dustmohammadi said on Thursday.
Strengthening the walls and repairing the historical inn’s façade are also parts of the project, the official added, ISNA reported.
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