*** IRAN DAILY
-- Iran’s textile industry needs support to boost exports: Union head
By receiving support from banks and the Ministry of Industries, Mine and Trade, Iran’s textile industry can increase the export of products, said the head of the Fabrics and Textile Wholesalers and Retailers Union of Tehran.
In an exclusive interview with Iran Daily, Mohammad Valadkhani said that about 50 percent of the needs of the Iranian market of textile products are met by domestic factories.
Emphasizing the need to equip unions with modern technology, he said, “The most successful countries have updated themselves with developing technology.”
-- Iran Air increases flights from Shiraz to Doha
Iran Air said in a statement that it would start a second weekly flight between Shiraz and Doha as of today.
The statement said the airline had increased the number of flights between the two cities to help growing trade ties between Iran and Qatar, and to respond to rising demand for tourist visits to Shiraz from Qatar, Press TV wrote. Iran Air launched the first weekly flights between Shiraz and Doha last July. Shiraz, a city of over 1.8 million, is Iran’s southern business capital.
-- Five Iranian monuments registered on ICESCO List
Five Iranian cultural and historical monuments were registered on the list of the Islamic Countries Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO).
Secretary General of the Iranian National Commission for ICESCO Masoud Fayyazi announced the registration in a letter to Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Ezzatollah Zarghami, IRNA reported.
The Cultural Landscape of Alamut Castle in the north-central province of Qazvin, Sheikh Ahmad Jami Mausoleum Complex in the northeastern province of Khorasan Razavi, Bastam Historical Complex in the northern province of Semnan, Cultural Landscape of Masuleh in the northern province of Gilan and Alavian Dome in the western province of Hamedan are the monuments inscribed on the list.
*** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
-- Iran’s New Aid Cargo Arrives in Afghanistan
The Islamic Republic of Iran Consulate in Kabul said on Sunday that Iran’s humanitarian aid has arrived in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan.
The humanitarian aid cargo which includes food will be distributed among people in need in Qarabagh District, the consulate said. Iran has previously sent planeloads of humanitarian aid, containing medicine, blankets, food, and warm clothes, to the victims of terrorist attacks in Kunduz, Kandahar, and Kabul in addition to several consignments of aids transferred through roads.
-- Iran Unveils New Defense Achievements
The Iranian armed forces on Sunday unveiled ten locally upgraded missile defense systems and military products with “high capabilities,” able to engage and destroy enemy military equipment during ground combat operations.
The military achievements were showcased during a ceremony attended by Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Muhammad Reza Ashtiani, a number of other high-ranking military officials and experts from the Defense Industries Organization.
The ceremony coincided with celebrations in Iran commemorating the 43rd anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which overthrew the U.S.-backed Pahlavi regime.
-- Iraq, Iran Olympics Committees Ink 3 MoUs on Sports Cooperation
Head of Iran’s Olympics Committee Seyed-Reza Salehi Amiri and his Iraqi counterpart Raad Hammoudi on Sunday have signed three memorandum of understandings with Iraq to cooperate in different sports fields.
Addressing a press conference, Salehi Amiri said, “Today we have the second round of talks with the president of the Iraqi National Olympic Committee, and we held talks in Baghdad two months ago and signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in all fields.”
The Iranian sports official added, “Fortunately, the head of the Iraqi National Olympic Committee followed up on the issue of the MoUs, and ten heads of Iraqi federations have traveled to the country with him.”
*** TEHRAN TIMES
-- IPL leaders Esteghlal edge Zob Ahan
Esteghlal football team edged past Zob Ahan 1-0 here on Matchday 17 of Iran Professional League (IPL) on Sunday. Kevin Yamga scored the winner in the 54th minute with a header at the Azadi Stadium.
Earlier on the day, Persepolis defeated Nassaji 3-1 in Mashhad. Kamal Kamyabinia and Vahid Amiri scored two early goals in the first seven minutes but Karim Eslami halved the deficit in the 16th minute.
-- You sanction it, we build it
Knowledge-based companies are breaking U.S. monopoly by manufacturing sanctioned items to meet the needs of the domestic market while saving large amounts of foreign currency. On February 6, the national media broke the news that the country has overcome a recent sanction-derived shortage of insulin pens challenging diabetic patients, with the transfer of technology from a German company, through the efforts of a knowledge-based company.
Currently, over 7,000 knowledge-based companies are active in the country producing sanctioned items to reduce imports. The fields of aircraft maintenance, steel, nanotech, biotech, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, oil, and gas are among the sectors that researchers in technology companies have engaged in.
-- Jameh Mosque of Borujerd undergoes restoration
A fresh restoration work has commenced on the Jameh Mosque of Borujerd, a centuries-old congregational place of worship that stands tall in the western Iranian city in Lorestan province. The mosque’s dome, rooftop, tilework, and its worn-out bricks are subject to restoration work, provincial tourism chief Seyyed Amin Qasemi said on Saturday, ISNA reported.
In addition to its religious significance, the Jameh Mosque of Borujerd is an attractive tourist destination as it draws many sightseers annually, the official said.
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