Tehran, IRNA – The following headlines appeared in English-language newspapers in the Iranian capital on Saturday, May 11, 2024:

** IRAN DAILY

-- Tehran to host Iran-Turkey Joint Economic Cooperation Commission

Iran’s minister of roads and urban development said the meeting of the Iran-Turkey Joint Economic Cooperation Commission will be held in Tehran within the next weeks.
Mehrdad Bazrpash, who heads the Iran-Turkey Joint Economic Cooperation Commission, in a meeting with the chairman of the Iran-Turkey Parliamentary Friendship Group said Turkey is an important country in the region and has established good relations with the Islamic Republic in all areas.

-- Iran gearing up in last-ditch quest for place in Paris

The volleyball contests of the Olympic Games in Paris might be some 10 weeks away but it is fair to say that Iran’s adventure of the showdown with the best in the game is right around the corner.
As if the Asian powerhouse – yet to secure a place in Paris – needed more reasons to go all out for success in the upcoming Volleyball Nations League, the remaining tickets for the French capital will be on the line when the preliminary round of the annual event gets underway on May 21.
With Germany, Brazil, Poland, Canada, USA, and Japan having already joined host France, and Egypt likely to take the African slot, only four Olympic quotas remain up for grabs, which will be decided through the FIVB Ranking by the end of the VNL preliminary round on June 23.

-- Iran gearing up in last-ditch quest for place in Paris

The volleyball contests of the Olympic Games in Paris might be some 10 weeks away but it is fair to say that Iran’s adventure of the showdown with the best in the game is right around the corner.
As if the Asian powerhouse – yet to secure a place in Paris – needed more reasons to go all out for success in the upcoming Volleyball Nations League, the remaining tickets for the French capital will be on the line when the preliminary round of the annual event gets underway on May 21.

** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL

-- Iran FM Warns of Rafah Disaster in Talks With UN Chief

Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian has warned of another human disaster in the region amid the ongoing Israeli acts of terror and genocide in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. 
“In continuation of the policy of terror and genocide, the Zionist regime is now trying to cause another human disaster in the region by closing the Rafah and Karem Abu Salim border crossings,” he told UN chief Antonio Guterres on Thursday. He said Israel aims to render international efforts to stop the war fruitless.

-- Saudi Envoy Says Culture Best Bridge With Iran

Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Iran Abdullah bin Saud al-Enezi says cultural interaction is one of the best opportunities to improve bilateral relations between Riyadh and Tehran.
Al-Enezi made the remarks during a meeting with the president of the 35th Tehran International Book Fair (TIBF), Yasser Ahmadvand, on Thursday. Many Saudi publishers were eager to participate in this exhibition, but there was not enough time to coordinate their attendance at the exhibition, al-Enezi said.

-- NIGC Chief: Iran, Iraq Extend Gas Contract

The CEO of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) Majid Chegeni  has said that the gas contract between Iran and Iraq, which would finish at the end of June 20, 2024, was extended for another five years.
Chegeni made the comment on the second day of the 28th Iran International Oil, Gas, Refining and Petrochemical Exhibition (Iran Oil Show), which is underway at the Tehran Permanent International Fairgrounds.

 ** TEHRAN TIMES

-- Desert tourism: hidden gem lies in South Khorasan

 Believed to be among the hottest spots on Earth, UNESCO-listed Rig-e Yalan, situated within Iran’s Lut desert, is a diamond in the rough which could shine bright as a touristic destination, according to experts.

One of the local officials, during a meeting dedicated to planning South Khorasan’s desert tourism event (Glorious East), highlighted the undervalued capacities that lies within the region.

“Desert yields a wonderful allurement,” Alireza Abbaszadeh noted. “Which [its charm] is no less than the sea [nautical tourism].”

-- Yemen’s presence at 35th TIBF as special guest deepens cultural relations between two nations

The pavilion of Yemen, the special guest of the 35th Tehran International Book Fair (TIBF) opened on Thursday at the Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla (prayer grounds).

The opening ceremony was followed by a session titled “The Perspective of Cultural Interactions between Yemen and Iran,” where the Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili said: “The launch of the 35th TIBF comes at a time when nearly 7 months have passed since Operation Al-Aqsa Storm and the defeat of the Israeli hegemony.

-- UNESCO-listed Sassanian landscape to undergo restoration

Fars’s tourism chief has announced plans to restore the UNESCO-registered Sassanid Archaeological Landscape, which is situated in the southern Iranian province.

Mohammad Sabet-Eqlidi publicized the scheme in a familiarization tour of the iconic Qal’eh Dokhtar and Palace of Ardashir, two integral components of this historical ensemble, organized for journalists from Iran and abroad.

Speaking on the sidelines of the journalists’ visit to the ancient sites in Firuzabad, Sabet-Eqlidi highlighted the significance of recent initiatives to organize, renovate, and conserve these historical landmarks.

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