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** IRAN DAILY
--Minister: Coronavirus figures in Iran declining amid surge in other countries
Iran’s Health Minister Saeid Namaki said despite the increase in the number of coronavirus infections and deaths in many countries in the world, the figures in Iran are declining.
Unlike the European and American countries, Iran is in a situation that the rate of deaths and hospitalizations in some provinces is nearly zero, and even some provinces on Saturday reported no death and even no new hospitalization, Namaki said.
-One-month trade at $ 7.3b: IRICA
The value of Iran’s foreign trade during the 30-day period to December 30 stood at $ 7.3 billion, according to the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA).
IRICA spokesman Rouhollah Latifi said of this figure, $ 3.6 billion pertained to Iran’s exports and $ 3.7 billion to the country’s imports.
--Eight-month non-oil exports to Afghanistan fetched $ 1.2b
Iran exported non-oil products worth $ 1.2 billion to Afghanistan during the first eight months of the current calendar year (March 20-November 20), according to figures by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA).
Of this figure, $ 70.6 million pertained to Iran’s exports of steel bars, accounting for the biggest share (six percent) of the value of the overseas sales to the eastern neighbor in the same period, IRNA reported. Iran exported 177,700 tons of steel bars to Afghanistan in the same duration. The average price for each ton of the product stands at $ 408.
** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
--Iranian Vaccines to Prove Better Than Others’
The coronavirus vaccine made in Iran outperforms many vaccines developed by other countries, Health Minister Saeed Namaki said Sunday.
"We will prove in the near future that the homegrown vaccine (for COVID-19) is better than many vaccines being produced (elsewhere) in the world,” Namaki said during a virtual press conference.
--Volleyballers Among Top 10 in FIVB World Ranking
Iranian national men’s team has maintained the rank of eight in the latest FIVB Senior World Ranking that was published early on Sunday.According to the latest ranking, the Iranian volleyball team stands top of the Asian continent and 8th in the world with 279 points.
Brazil, Poland, USA, Russia, Argentina, France, and Italy sit at top of the table while Japan, Canada, and Serbia have the rank of 9 to 11.
--175 MPs Condemn U.S. Blacklisting of Iranian University
Lawmakers in the Iranian parliament on Sunday denounced illegal U.S. sanctions against Al-Mustafa International University, a religious studies institution based in the holy city of Qom.
In a statement, more than 175 MPs condemned the blacklisting of the university by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
The Treasury announced the blacklisting earlier this month, claiming that Al-Mustafa University’s foreign branches were being used as "a recruitment platform” by the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) for intelligence gathering and operations.
** TEHRAN TIMES
-- Iran adds three to list of individuals involved in Soleimani assassination
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the special aide to the speaker of the Iranian Parliament on international affairs, has said the list of individuals involved in the assassination of Iran’s top anti-terror commander Qassem Soleimani has been updated from 45 to 48.
Iran’s Judiciary has added new names to the list of individuals involved in the January assassination, Amir-Abdollahian said on Sunday.
--20th-century hospital undergoes urgent restoration in Zanjan
Shahid Beheshti Hospital, the first modern health center built in the northwestern Zanjan province, has undergone some urgent rehabilitation works, provincial tourism chief has announced.
The hospital, which was built in 1937 during the First Pahlavi period (1925-1941), was known as Shahnaz Hospital at the time.
The hospital building is not suitable for providing medical services anymore and immediate restoration is needed, Amir Arjmand said on Sunday.
--Mashhad to host intl. calligraphy exhibition on Silk Road
Prominent calligraphers from different countries will be displaying their artworks in a virtual exhibition and conference on the Silk Road, which will be held during January 2021 in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad.
The First Raqs-e Qalam International Exhibition and Conference of the Silk Road Calligraphy will be organized by the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO from January 20 to 23.
In a press release published on Sunday, Iranian National Commission for UNESCO director Hojjatollah Ayyubi said, “Iran is the cradle of exalted arts especially those related to books.”
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