** IRAN DAILY
-- Sanctions, FATF blacklisting hamper foreign investment flow: Hemmati
Over the past two years and eight months, Iran has attracted just $2.1 billion in foreign investment, said the economy minister, attributing the low figure largely to restrictions caused by sanctions and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) blacklisting, and emphasizing that the ongoing efforts will improve the situation.
According to IRNA, Abdolnaser Hemmati said in a televised interview on Sunday night that a joint session between the government and Parliament highlighted a spirit of unity.
-- Iran’s honey production hits nearly 128,000 tons
Iran has produced approximately 127,700 tons of honey across 92,000 apiaries since the start of the current Iranian year (March 20), according to Mohammad-Ebrahim Hassan-Nejad, the deputy minister for livestock production at the Ministry of Agriculture.
The figure represents a 4.7% increase over the projected 122,000 tons for the current year as honey production this year increased 5.63% compared to previous year, when 121,000 tons were produced.
-- Iran’s GDP grows 4% in H1 calendar year: SCI
Iran’s economy grew by 4% in the first half of the current Iranian year (March 20 to September 21) compared to the same period last year, according to a report by the Iranian Statistics Center.
Gross domestic product (GDP), including oil, increased by 4%, while non-oil GDP grew by 2.6% at constant prices.
** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
-- Iranian Researcher Receives BRICS Special Recognition
An Iranian researcher has received special recognition for presenting an innovative project at a BRICS event in Sochi, Russia. Thirty young researchers representing eight BRICS countries, namely, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, UAE and Egypt took part in the event.
It is the first time an Iranian team participates in the event since the country gained BRICS membership last year.
-- Official: Japan to Help Iran Sort Out Differences With FATF
Japan has promised to carry out efforts to help Iran advance its case in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), according to an Iranian deputy finance minister. Hadi Khani made the remarks after returning from a meeting of the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG) in Indore India.
Khani said that on the sidelines of the meeting he had met with Japan’s Deputy Minister of Finance for International Affairs and the head of the country’s delegation to the FATF Mitsutoshi Kajikawa.
-- Iran to Send Nine Karatekas to Premier League Paris
Nine athletes will represent Iran at the 2025 Karate 1-Premier League Paris. The competition will be held from January 24 to 26 in Paris, France.
Iran’s Sajad Ganjzadeh, Amir Mehdizadeh, Mehdi Khodabakhshi, Bahman Asgari, Saleh Abazari, Mehdi Ashouri, Masoumeh Mohsenian, Atoosa Golshadnezhad, and Mobina Heydari will participate in the event.
** TEHRAN TIMES
-- "Mary": Netflix's Israeli reading of the Bible
In mid-October of this year, the news of the removal of a significant number of films about life under occupation for the Palestinian people caught the world's attention. This shocking news was surprising to many, but such an action was not unexpected from a platform that had produced the series "The Messiah" in Christmas 2020. The series presented substantial distortions regarding the situation of the Palestinian people and, on the other hand, praised the Israeli Security Agency.
Netflix's streak of surprises did not end there. Recently, the platform announced that it will release a feature film about Mary, the mother of Jesus, on December 6 of this year. Titled "Mary", the film, which was shot in Morocco, focuses on the period before the birth of Jesus Christ, his birth, and King Herod's (played by Anthony Hopkins) efforts to find Jesus and his mother.
-- Iran among global leaders in thermal power plant efficiency
Iran has emerged as a global leader in thermal power plant efficiency, ranking 12th out of 197 countries. Recent improvements in technology and operational strategies have raised the efficiency of thermal plants from 39.3 percent last year to 39.56 percent this year, positioning Iran among the top 12 nations in this category.
According to ISNA, while thermal power plants account for 82 percent of Iran's power generation capacity, they produce over 94 percent of the electricity consumed nationwide. This achievement has been realized through 146 power plants and 629 generation units.
-- Shiraz, Dushanbe named sister cities
A sisterhood agreement aimed at enhancing tourism exchange between Iran’s ancient city of Shiraz, and Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, has been signed during a ceremony attended by cultural, tourism, and municipal officials from both sides.
The agreement, signed in Shiraz on Sunday, involved the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of Fars province, Shiraz Municipality officials, representatives from the Tajikistan Embassy in Iran, and private sector stakeholders in tourism from both countries.گ
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