** IRAN DAILY
-- Iran to build power plant in Sri Lanka soon: Minister
Iran’s Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian said that a project to construct a 120-megawatt power plant by Iranian experts in Sri Lanka is at its final stages and will hopefully become operational in the near future.
The Iranian official was speaking in Tehran on Saturday during a meeting with Sri Lanka’s Minister of Irrigation Shasheendra Rajapaksa, IRNA reported. Mehrabian added that the project will bring significant added value and develop cooperation between the two countries further.
--- SCO, BRICS put Iran’s membership on top of agenda
Two senior Russian officials said that the official expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS, where Iran’s membership will most likely be decided, are at the top of the agendas of their respective upcoming summits.
Bakhtiyer Khakimov, Russia’s presidential representative for SCO affairs discussed the bloc’s agenda for the next summit on Saturday, according to Mehr news agency. “Iran’s accession as a full member will be one of the key decisions of the July 4 summit that will take place in New Delhi via video conference,” he said. “Iran has completed the mandatory procedures and will join the family of SCO member states at the New Delhi summit.”
-- Int’l trade to rise with new terminal on Turkish border
Iran will launch a new terminal on its border with Turkey within days, with the aim of increasing international trade via its territory.
Iran’s Road Maintenance & Transportation Organization (RMTO) said in a statement on Saturday that the Razi Border Terminal will be officially inaugurated in a ceremony attended by senior government officials.
** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
-- Iran to Play Uzbekistan in CAFA Nations Cup Final
Iran’s national football team will play Uzbekistan in the final match of the 2023 CAFA Nations Cup. The match is scheduled for Tuesday at the Milliy Stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
On Friday, Iran defeated Kyrgyzstan 5-1 thanks to a hat-trick from Mehdi Taremi and Sardar Azmoun’s brace. Mirlan Murzayev netted a consolation for Kyrgyzstan.
-- Shanghai Festival Awards Two Iranian Movies
Two Iranian films namely “Cause of Death: Unknown” and “1.5 Horsepower” were awarded at the 25th Shanghai International Film Festival.
Sorour Peyrovani won the Best Actress award for “1.5 Horsepower” and Davood Malek Husseini won the Best Cinematographer prize for the “Cause of Death: Unknown” at Shanghai International Film Festival.
-- Russia: Iran to Fully Join SCO at Next Summit
MOSCOW (Dispatches) -- A senior Russian official says Iran’s full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be at the top of the agenda of the upcoming summit of the bloc.
“Iran’s accession as a full member will be one of the key decisions of the July 4 summit that will take place in New Delhi via video conference. Iran has completed the mandatory procedures and will join the family of SCO member states at the New Delhi summit,” Bakhtiyer Khakimov, Russia’s presidential representative for SCO affairs, said on the sidelines of the 26th annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
** TEHRAN TIMES
-- Mohammadreza Fahimi, world’s most loyal fan, dies
- Mohammadreza Fahimi, a football fan who was hospitalized for 22 years, passed away on Sunday.
He was 33.
In May 2001, Mohammadreza, 11-year-old, attended a match between Shamushak and Persepolis at the Mottaqi Stadium in the city of Sari, north-east of Tehran, where the stadium collapsed because of lack of crowd control and about 100 people were taken to hospital and several people lost their lives.
He survived but was involved in a car accident on the way back to his home and suffered a spinal cord injury. Mohammadreza was hospitalized since that time but did not abandon his beloved sport.
-- “Like a Fish on the Moon” crowned best at Transylvania Film Festival
Iranian drama “Like a Fish on the Moon” won the award for best film at the 22nd edition of the Transylvania International Film Festival, the organizers of the Romanian event announced on Saturday.
Director Dornaz Hajiha received the Transylvania Trophy, which is awarded to best film. In addition, the film’s star Sepidar Tari was selected as best actress.
-- New traces of ancient city revealed in western Iran
A team of archaeologists has found new clues about an ancient city, which was prosperous during the Sassanid era, in western Iran. Intact layers of the ancient city of Shapurkhast have been revealed in an archaeological project started in April, Lorestan province’s tourism chief said on Thursday.
“Also, during this period, several tombstones and disintegrated remains of human corpses from an old cemetery and some home ovens have been unearthed,” Ata Hassanpur said.
6125**7129