ECONOMIC IDEAL – Tehran, Feb 21, IRNA – The following headlines appeared in the English-language newspapers in the Iranian capital on Sunday:
** IRAN DAILY
— Rouhani: Iran marks 100-fold rise in number of NTBFs
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the number of new technology-based firms (NTBFs) has multiplied 100-fold to around 5,700 under his administration.
Speaking at a meeting of the National Headquarters for Managing and Fighting the Coronavirus on Saturday, Rouhani said there were only 55 NTBFs in Iran when he took office in 2013, while that number has now risen to around 5,700.
— Iran to close border with Iraq to contain spread of coronavirus
Iran will close its border with Iraq to contain the spread of the coronavirus as the number of new positive cases has recently increased in the southwestern province of Khuzestan which shares a border with some Iraqi cities.
Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of the country’s National Headquarters for Managing and Fighting the Coronavirus, Iran’s Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said that the government will also impose travel restrictions in the province, expressing hope that Khuzestan’s problem would be solved soon with the cooperation of the people.
— Minister inaugurates mining, energy projects in central Iran
Industry, Mine, and Trade Minister Alireza Razm-Hosseini inaugurated a mineral production unit worth over $190 million as well as a solar power plant during a visit to the central province of Yazd on Saturday.
Upon arrival, Razm-Hosseini inaugurated a 10-megawatt solar power plant at Chadormalu Mining and Industrial Complex.
** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
— Official Slams IAEA for Leaking Confidential Info
Iran’s nuclear chief on Saturday slammed the leak of confidential information of the member states to the International Atomic Energy Agency, urging the nuclear watchdog to review its mechanisms to prevent information leakage.
“Unfortunately, the leak of the agency’s confidential information to world media is an unpleasant trend that has been going on for years, and in this regard, the Islamic Republic of Iran has on numerous occasions submitted its verbal and written protests to the agency,” Ali Akbar Salehi Salehi said.
— Iraqis Protest NATO Plan to Increase Troops in Iraq
Iraqi officials and religious scholars have lambasted NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s latest remarks that the U.S.-led military alliance plans to significantly increase its forces in the Arab country, describing the measure as unacceptable and unjustified.
Amer al-Faez, a member of the Iraqi Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee, said on Friday that “the increase in the number of NATO forces in Iraq is unjustified,” stressing that the country “does not need any foreign forces.”
— Water, Electricity Restored to Quake-Hit Towns
Water and electricity have been restored to villages and towns in Kohgiluyeh and Boyerahmad province in southwest Iran, which has been hit by a powerful earthquake, officials said Saturday.
The earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale hit the province late Wednesday, forcing people in the capital city of Yasuj and neighboring Sisakht to flee their homes.
** TEHRAN TIMES
— ICCIMA to hold Iran-Oman trade opportunities webinar on Tuesday
The international department of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) will hold a webinar on investigating the opportunities and potentials for trade between Iran and Oman on Tuesday.
The online event will be attended by the members of Iran-Oman Joint Chamber of Commerce, some representatives of provincial chambers of commerce, as well as the chairmen of different unions and associations.
— South Khorasan hosting unique species of urial
Darmian protected area in the eastern province of South Khorasan is a habitat for thousands of the largest and the most beautiful species of urial in Iran, which is even famous worldwide.
The urial (Ovis orientalis vignei), also known as the arkars or shapo, is a subspecies group of the wild sheep Ovis orientalis. Noticeable features are the reddish-brown long fur that fades during winter; males are characterized by a black ruff stretching from the neck to the chest and large horns.
— ‘Unique’ relics unearthed in northern Iran: archaeologist
A “unique” haul of ancient relics and vestiges of urban structures have been unearthed in Astarabad (or Esterabad) in northern Iran, senior Iranian archaeologist Habib Rezai has said.
“As a result of the excavations carried out in this [archaeological] season, historical artifacts and evidence from the Qajar, Safavid, Timurid, Ilkhanid, and Seljuk eras were discovered. These include architectural remains, pieces of pottery and glassware, as well as metal objects and vessels,” Rezai told CHTN in an interview on Thursday.
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