** IRAN DAILY
--Russia widens energy ties with Iran despite sanctions: MP
Russian energy companies increased their collaboration with Iranian counterparts as unprecedented [Western] restrictions on Russian energy companies were imposed in spring 2022, said Pavel Nikolaevich Zavalny, a member of the State Duma, who is also the head of the parliamentary Committee on Energy.
In a response on the Russian plans for [joint] development of Iranian oilfields, the Russian lawmaker also noted that Iranian companies have been under the same sanctions for years.
So, as a Russian proverb says, “There is no bad luck without good luck,” Zavalny highlighted the significant strengthening of cooperation between the two countries, including in the oil and gas field.
-- IME weekly trade exceeds $836m
The Iran Mercantile Exchange (IME) announced that over 1.97 million tons of commodities, worth over $836 million, were traded in its domestic trading and export halls in the week closing on February 24.
A total of 1.5 million tons of various products, worth over $551 million, were traded at IME’s domestic and export metal and mineral trading hall, reported ime.co.ir on Saturday.
Among the traded products were 186,807 tons of steel, 29,000 tons of iron ore, 293,472 tons of steel, 88,000 tons of sponge iron, 600 tons of zinc, 8,225 tons of aluminum ingots, 9,000 tons of copper, 210 tons of molybdenum concentrate, 48 tons of precious metals, 15 kg of gold bars, 1.08 million tons of cement and 10,000 vehicles.
-- Sefideh Waterfall in Yazd Province attracts ecotourists and geologists
The central province of Yazd, with a significant number of historical, cultural and natural sites, hosts a large number of Iranian and foreign travelers every year. The province is home to a number of famous deserts; however, the vision of a waterfall in a desert setting is really something to see. Nodoushan is a city located in a mountainous region of the province where many people live on farms and have fruit gardens.
Sefideh Waterfall of Nodoushan, located two kilometers from Nodoushan-Meybod road, is among the most beautiful waterfalls in the country. The uniquely beautiful waterfall is surrounded by salt lamps, boiling springs and amazing landscapes. The white color of its water is due to the presence of lime salts and that is why it is called Sefideh Waterfall. ‘Sefid’ means ‘white’ in Persian.
** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
-- 13th Flight Carrying Iran’s Aid Arrives in Syria
The 13th plane carrying Iran’s relief aid for quake-hit people has arrived in Syria.
Iran’s consul general in the Syrian city of Aleppo, Salman Navvab Nouri told IRNA that the cargo contains 12 tonnes of various foods and powdered milk. Previously, three planes of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Damascus, three to Latakia, and six more to Aleppo have been delivered Iranian relief aid to the quake-ravaged Syria.
-- Baraye Follows a Western Vision of World
A couple of weeks ago, on February 6, the Grammy music awards took place in Los Angeles. This year, the Grammy, the equivalent of the Oscar in the music industry, had a new category: best song for social change.
Jil Biden, the first lady of the U.S., took the stage to hand over the award for the song Baraye, known in the West as “the anthem of recent protests in Iran”.
The image of Jil Biden on the stage of the Crypto.com Arena reminded us of Michelle Obama, also on stage but in 2013, giving the Oscar to Argo as the best movie of that year.
The differences between these two cultural products, Argo and Baraye, are clear. Argo is a movie that tries and fails, to tell us what happened in 1979 in Iran.
-- Iranian Short Film Vies for Awards in China
Iranian short ‘Paradoping’ has made its way to the Beijing International Children’s Film Festival in China.
The Iranian Youth Cinema Society reported that ‘Paradoping’, directed by Muhammad Reza Hassani Ranjbar and written by Reza Fahimi, will compete in the Chinese festival.
The comedy film is about a 12-year-old boy who tries to lose weight in a short period of time in order to prepare for football skills assessment tests, but his family is worried that he would suffer from malnutrition.
** TEHRAN TIMES
-- Iranian diplomat in Colombia to discuss political, economic relations
Ali Baqeri Kani, the Iranian deputy foreign minister for political affairs, is in Colombia’s capital, Bogota, as part of a Latin American trip to have talks with Colombian officials regarding Tehran and Bogota’s potential for political, economic, and cultural cooperation.
The deputy foreign ministers of Iran and Colombia met on Friday to discuss a range of bilateral topics, including how to deepen political connections, commercial relations, and scientific, technical, and cultural collaboration between the two countries.
-- Fajr Festival of Visual Arts announces winners
Winners of different categories at the 15th Fajr Festival of Visual Arts were announced on Friday during a special ceremony at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall. They received their awards from Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili and his colleagues.
The Golden Tooba in miniature painting was awarded to Zeinab Shahi, while Ruhollah Parvin, Zeinab Rajabi and Jila Shiri received honorable mentions.
--Iran’s annual export to India rises 60%
The value of Iran’s export to India increased by 60 percent in 2022 as compared to the preceding year, according to the data released by the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The Indian ministry put the worth of Iran’s exports to India at $653 million in 2022, while the figure was $409 million in 2021.
As reported, petroleum products have been the major goods imported by India from Iran in the said months. According to the mentioned data, the value of trade between Iran and India reached $2.5 billion in 2022, rising 48 percent from $1.693 billion in 2021.
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