** IRAN DAILY
-- Daily delivery of gas to national trunkline exceeds 850mcm: Minister
A total of 851 million cubic meters of gas were injected into Iran’s national trunkline on Saturday, the oil minister said, adding that the recorded figure was unprecedented for the gas industry of the country.
Javad Owji announced the above during his visit to the Dispatching Department of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) in Tehran as a cold spell and precipitation drive up the demand for natural gas.
-- BRICS nations buying gold to topple US dollar in transactions
The BRICS countries, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, are buying massive amounts of gold to topple the dominance of the US dollar in transactions on the global stage.
Throughout 2023, the BRICS alliance has acquired gold at a remarkable rate, watcher.guru.com reported. The central banks throughout the alliance have sought to stock up on the metal, with many assuming that it was for an impending BRICS currency announcement. However, Forbes has recently reported that the BRICS bloc is using gold to help shift global demand away from the US dollar.
-- Iran-EU monthly trade up 24%: Eurostat
The Statistical Office of the European Union, Eurostat, in its latest report, said the monthly trade between Iran and the European Union registered a 24 percent growth.
Iran and the member states of the European Union exchanged more than €450 million worth of products in November 2023, showing a 24-percent growth compared to November 2022.
** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
-- Iran: Space Development Inalienable Right
Iran said Saturday its scientific and research progress in the field of aerospace is an inalienable and legitimate right of the nation.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani denounced the “interventionist” stance of France, Germany, and Britain laid out in a joint statement on January 26 about Iran’s launch of Soraya satellite into a low Earth orbit (LEO) with the Qaem-100 space launch vehicle (SLV).
-- Iranian Exhibition in China Reveals Cultural Connections
Age cannot take the shine off their luster. For more than 2,000 years, the monuments rising above the ground at Persepolis, the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire, have borne witness to the apex of ancient Persia, an empire known for its power, affluence, and mixture of different cultures and peoples.
A replica of the stone column with a double-bull capital that was part of the Apadana Hall at Persepolis has been reconstructed in the eastern wing of the Meridian Gate Galleries in Beijing’s Palace Museum. Commissioned by King Darius the Great, who may have intended it to demonstrate the cultural diversity of his mighty empire, it combines Egyptian, Greek and Persian artistic elements.
-- ECO Urged to Start Negotiations for Launching Free Trade Area
Talks for launching a free trade area (FTA) are hoped to begin by member states of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) as soon as possible, the head of the Regional Planning Council (RPC) of the organization said.
The ECO countries have high capacities to boost trade with the launch of the free trade area, Rahim Mombeini emphasized.
Speaking at the 34th meeting of the Regional Planning Council (RPC) of ECO, held at the secretariat of the organization last week with the participation of the representatives from ECO member states, he said ECO is a promising multilateral combination for economic cooperation in the world.
** TEHRAN TIMES
-- Azerbaijan issues statement on 1st anniversary of attack on embassy in Iran
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry has issued a statement on the first anniversary of the attack against its embassy in Tehran. On Saturday, it said that “one year has passed since the attack against the embassy in Tehran as a result of which one embassy employee lost his life, and two others suffered numerous injuries.”
“Following the incident, Embassy staff members and their families were evacuated due to the grave risk posed to their lives and safety,” the statement read.
-- Fajr Music Festival to make international comeback after 10-year break
The 39th edition of the Fajr Music Festival will take place in Tehran and other provinces from February 12 to 17, marking the return of the festival's international title after more than a decade of absence.
This revival is not merely a name change; it symbolizes a more committed approach and a fresh perspective to witness fierce competition in this segment, IRNA reported on Saturday.
-- Trade between Iran, EU members exceeds €4.2b in 11 months
The value of trade between Iran and the European Union member states reached €4.214 billion in the first 11 months of 2023, according to the data released by the European Union's statistics office Eurostat.
Based on the Eurostat data, the trade between the two sides fell 12 percent in the said 11 months in comparison to the previous year’s same period when the figure stood at €4.793 billion.
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