** IRAN DAILY
-- Saudis keen on economic coop. with Iran: Deputy FM
Iran’s deputy foreign minister for economic diplomacy says Saudi Arabia is keen on economic cooperation with Iran, stressing that a joint economic commission between the two countries will soon be held.
During a press conference on Monday, Mehdi Safari referred to his visit to Saudi Arabia in April, adding that he has invited the Saudi Minister of Investment Khalid a-Falih to visit Iran to explore the country’s modern technologies.
-- Afghanistan welcomes Kandahar-Chabahar rail link
The Taliban-ruling government in Afghanistan has lauded the railway link between Kandahar and Iran’s Chabahar, with the head of the its Chamber of Industries and Mines stating that the rail connection between the two cities brings hopeful prospects for Afghans.
According to Afghanistan National Television, Shirbaz Kamizadah emphasized the importance of investing in the country’s railway sector, stating that the rail connection between Kandahar and Chabahar in the southeast of Iran brings promising news for Afghans.
-- 200 students compete in global science event
The 54th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) kicked off in Iran’s historic city of Isfahan on Monday, bringing together nearly 200 high school students from 17 countries.
The nine-day event, hosted by Isfahan University of Technology, marks the second time Isfahan has welcomed the IPhO, the first being in 2007.
** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
-- Minister: Iran’s Agriculture Output Grows 19%
Iran Agriculture Minister Muhammad Ali Nikbakht has said that the country has made a major breakthrough by increasing its agriculture output by nearly a fifth in a year, amid growing efforts to cut back on imports of basic goods and to increase the added value in the Iranian agriculture sector.
Nikbakht said that Iran’s agriculture output had increased by just over 19% in the calendar year to March 20 to reach a total of 131 million metric tons (mt).
-- Envoy: Chinese Firms Willing to Invest in Iran
China’s ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Iran Zong Peiwu says that Chinese companies are willing to invest in various projects in Iran and to that end, seek a stable environment for investment.
In a meeting with an Iranian media delegation, Zong Peiwu called on Iranian media to introduce the economic activities of Chinese companies in Iran and added that this cooperation is beneficial for both parties.
-- Iran Secures Significant Growth in Knowledge-Based Sector
Vice President for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy Rouhollah Dehghani Firouzabadi says Iran has witnessed significant advancements in its scientific and technological landscape over the past nine years.
Firouzabadi announced the return of over 3,400 researchers to Iran, with more than 1,400 returning in the last three years alone. He reported a dramatic increase in the sales of knowledge-based companies, which have surged by 225 percent, reaching 530 trillion rials this year.
** TEHRAN TIMES
-- IRGC chief highlights enemies’ failure to isolate Iran
Major General Hossein Salami, Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), has declared that Iran has successfully thwarted efforts by its enemies to isolate the nation.
"We have emerged from the isolation scheme that our enemies pursued. Today, it is more evident than ever that Israel and the United States are recognized as the most isolated and detested countries in the world," Salami stated during a conference in Mashhad on Sunday.
-- UNESCO-listed Gonbad-e Qabus to undergo restoration
The director of the Gonbad-e Qabus World Heritage site has announced that the government has allocated part of the approved budget for combating vegetation growth on the conical dome of the 1,000-year-old brick tower.
Abdolmajid Nourtaghani stated that an amount of 230 billion rials (some $385) was required to boost the structure’s strength and carry out emergency restoration work. “Of this amount, the government approved 120 billion rials, and so far, 70 billion rials have been allocated.”
-- Oil sector’s annual growth hits 14.7%: CBI
The governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) has said the country’s oil sector grew by 14.7 percent in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19), compared to a year earlier.
Speaking at the CBI 64th general assembly on Sunday, Mohammadreza Farzin put the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the base price (fixed prices in 2016) in the mentioned year at 5.0 percent.
6125**4354
Your Comment