*** IRAN DAILY
--- Iran posts trade surplus of $875m in month to late April
Figures by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) show that the country had a trade surplus of $875 million in the month to April 20.
IRICA’s deputy for technical affairs, Foroud Asgari, said that Iranian non-oil exports have reached a total of $3.699 billion in value terms in the first month of the current Iranian year, an increase of 25% compared to the same month in 2021. Asgari said that imports into Iran over the same period had totaled $2.824 billion, adding that shipments had declined by one percentage point year on year in April.
-- Tehran, Moscow sign transportation deal
Iran and Russia signed a comprehensive agreement to expand transportation cooperation between the two countries.
The agreement was signed by Iranian Roads and Urban Development Minister Rostam Qassemi and his Russian counterpart Vitaly Savelyev in Moscow, IRNA reported.
During his visit to Russia, Qassemi discussed various topics including the finalization of previously reached agreements in the field of rail, sea, road, and air transportation with his Russian counterpart.
-- Artist: Sculpting gives me peace of mind
Sculpting is a branch of visual arts in which hard substances are worked into three-dimensional objects. In the past, limited materials such as stones, metal and wood were cut and shaped into statues, but today everything has changed.
Becoming a sculptor is a matter of practice and experience, said Mansoureh Hajibaba Tabrizi, a prominent sculptor and local costume designer.
She is the founder, owner and operator of the Tabrizi Anthropology Museum, located in Koshk-e Sara Village of Noshahr, a city in the northern province of Mazandaran. The museum was officially launched with the permission issued by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization in 2017.
*** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
-- Report: Iran’s Oil Exports Jump by 30 Percent
Iran’s oil exports jumped by 30 percent from last year to 870,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the first quarter of 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing data from commodity data provider Kpler, as the main Iranian crude buyer, China, is cutting back on imports of Russian oil.
The jump in Iran’s oil exports in Q1 was the fastest among all producers in the Middle East, while the volume of exports is estimated to be the highest since former U.S. president Donald Trump withdrew from the so-called Iranian nuclear deal in 2018, Kpler says, as carried by the Journal.
-- IRGC Dismantles Terrorist Cell in Western Province
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has dismantled a terrorist network in the country’s western province of Kordestan, identifying and arresting all its members.
Members of the cell who took orders from abroad and had a history of terrorist acts and assassinations in the province, were arrested prior to the International Quds Day on Friday.
-- Foolad Advance While Sephan Eleiminated From 2022 ACL
Foolad Khuzestan FC has advanced to the next stage of the Asian Champions League at the top of its group while another Iranian representative Sepahan Esfahan has been eliminated from the competition.
Foolad from Iran advanced to the 2022 AFC Champions League Round of 16 after drawing 1-1 against Shabab Al Ahli Dubai football team.
Foolad advanced from the group stage at the top of Group C of the 2022 AFC with 12 points followed by the Emirati team that was also qualified for the round of 16.
*** TEHRAN TIMES
-- President expresses willingness to enhance defensive cooperation with China
On Wednesday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe.
During the meeting, Raisi urged for increasing the two countries' areas of cooperation and strengthening overall cooperation, including military cooperation.
--- Monthly non-oil export rises 25% year on year
The value of Iran’s export of non-oil products increased 25 percent in the first month of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21 – April 20), as compared to the same month of the past year, the deputy head of Islamic Republic of Iran’s Customs Administration (IRICA) announced.
Foroud Asgari also said that the country’s non-oil trade with other countries registered a $875-million positive balance in the first month.
-- Tourism seen as effective tool against Iranophobia: ICESCO official
The contribution of tourism and the hospitality industry is an effective tool to foil anti-Iranian sentiment or Iranophobia, which has long been forged and spread by some Western governments, an ICESCO official has said.
When holidaymakers arrive in Iran, they feel the real face of the country so tourism is a great instrument to help thwart Iranophobia and Islamophobia sentiments, Abdolkarim Sadeqdoust said on Thursday.
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