*** IRAN DAILY
— First phase of smart COVID plan to be implemented in executive organizations: Minister
The first phase of a smart plan to curb coronavirus spread and impose restrictions in Iran will begin as of Saturday in executive organizations, said the interior minister.
In an address to reporters following a Tuesday meeting of the operational headquarters of the National Task Force for Fighting the Coronavirus, Ahamd Vahidi, who is the headquarters’ commander, added the smart plan will be implemented in five phases starting from the executive organizations.
— Iran plans overseas farming in Russia, Brazil
Iran plans overseas farming in Brazil and Russia to grow crops and secure a stable supply amid surging food prices and lingering drought.
The West Asian country, which relies on imports for key staples such as rice, wheat, corn and oilseeds, is seeking to boost supplies as surging global food costs and the most draconian sanctions ever imposed by the US, fuel inflation, Press TV wrote.
In recent years, consecutive governments have spoken of plans to lease arable land or buy stakes in overseas ventures in countries such as Kazakhstan, Brazil, Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Ghana, but it is not clear how many of those plans have been firmed up, if any.
— Documentary on Gilan Province’s namad mali shown in video competition section of UNWTO’s General Assembly
A short documentary film about namad mali of northern province of Gilan, was shown in the video competition section of the General Assembly of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) held in Madrid from Nov. 30-Dec. 3, said deputy head of the province’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization.
Namad mali, roughly translated as felt beating, is a traditional craft being practiced in various parts of Iran to make a traditional rug named namad.
Farzad Rashidi told IRNA that namad is produced in different cities of Gilan Province including Talesh, Rudbar, Rudsar and Amlash.
*** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
— Iranian Women Basketball Team’s FIBA Ranking Improves
Iranian national basketball team’s International Basketball Federation ranking improved two steps in latest FIBA ranking. The Iranian national basketball team ranked 6th in 2021 Asia B Cup.
The team’s current FIBA with two step improvement is now 78th in the world. In Asian Basketball Federation ranking, the Iranian national team ranks 15th. The American team ranks first in the world and Australia second the world ranking.
— Over 108 Million COVID Vaccines Injected in Iran
The Iranian Health Ministry said on Tuesday that more than 108 million jabs of COVID-19 vaccines have been injected across the country.
New figures released by the Health Ministry indicate that more than 108.41 million doses of coronavirus vaccines have been administered in the country as of Tuesday, with over 58.29 million people having received the first dose of the vaccine.
While more than 39.52 million coronavirus diagnostic tests have been carried out in Iran so far, the total number of people tested positive has exceeded 6,141,000 following the detection of 3,514 new cases since Monday.
— Acclaimed Joint Production Documentary Wins Big in UK
The North East International Film Festival (NEIFF) in the UK has awarded ‘The Forbidden Strings’, a documentary from Iran, Afghanistan, and Qatar.
Directed by Hassan Nouri and produced by Afsaneh Salari, the doc won the awards for Best Feature Documentary and Best of the Fest Feature at the 2021 edition of the NEIFF.
The 71-minute film tells the story of four young Afghans who have been making music together for years, despite the disapproval of the people around them.
*** TEHRAN TIMES
— Cinéma Vérité announces Iranian lineup for international competition
Seven documentaries by Iranian filmmakers will be screened in the various categories of the international competition at the 15th edition of the Cinéma Vérité festival. The major Iranian international festival for documentary films will open with a limited number of guests and audience on Thursday at Tehran’s Charsu Cineplex.
“Eastwood” by Alireza Rasulinejad, “Makeup Artist” by Jafar Najafi and “Broken Bones” by Alireza Memariani will be screened in the feature-length documentary category.
— Tehran, Prague explore avenues of economic co-op
Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA), in a meeting with the ambassador of the Czech Republic in Tehran explored ways of expanding economic cooperation between the two countries, the ICCIMA portal reported on Tuesday.
In the meeting, Gholam-Hossein Shafeie and Joseph Richtar emphasized the two countries’ experiences in the field of rail transport and water resources management and called for cooperation in such areas.
During the talks, Shafeie described the Czech Republic as one of the most stable economies in Eastern Europe which has experienced significant economic growth over the past decade and has progressive investment laws compared to other Eastern European countries.
— Qatar World Cup a chance to dwindle Iranophobia, deputy minister says
The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be a significant opportunity to represent the true face of Iran by efforts to dwindle the so-called anti-Iranian sentiments, the deputy tourism minister has said.
“Qatar’s World Cup offers a unique opportunity to introduce destinations near the host country, and we should take advantage of this opportunity to confront Iranophobia”, ILNA quoted Ali-Asghar Shalbafian as saying on Monday.
To make good use of this occasion, it is necessary to develop consensus among the relevant agencies, and if this does not occur, it will be detrimental to the country, the official added. A key priority should be introducing Iran and its unique tourist attractions to World Cup spectators, he noted.