-- ABRAR-E EQTESADI "Bahrain Invests $80m in Iran's IT Sector" Chairman of Shiraz Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines Abolfazl Sharif has said that Bahrain has invested 80 million dollars for the development of Shiraz Special Electronic Economic Zone, stressing that several Persian Gulf states as well as Belgium have also taken similar measures in the zone. -- AFTAB-E YAZD "Iran Carried Out No Exploration in Arash Oilfield Since 2000" Mahmoud Mohaddess, director of exploration department of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), has said that Iran has carried out no exploration project in the Arash oilfield since March 2000. -- HAMSHAHRI "AIDCO Signs Major Deal With Russia's UAZ For Export of Auto Parts" Iran's Automotive Industry Development Company (AIDCO) has announced that it has inked a major contract worth 20 million euros with Russia's UAZ (Ulyanovsky Avtmobilny Zavod) for the export of automobile parts to Russia. -- IRAN "Foreign Investment in Iran at $800m in Six Months" Iran has attracted over 800 million dollars worth of foreign investment in 17 development projects over a period of six months starting March 21, and this indicates a growth of above 200 million dollars compared to a similar period last year. -- IRAN NEWS "Iran to Tender 51 New Oil Exploration Blocks" The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) will hold international tender for 51 new exploratory oil blocks in different parts of the country. Mahmoud Mohaddess, director of NIOC exploration department, has said that the announcement of tender on 16 of the total 51 blocks, chosen on the basis of consumption needs and proximity to oil processing facilities, will be made in about two weeks. -- JAVAN “Iran’s Exports of Fruits, Vegetables Over $28m in Six Months” Iran has exported as much as 152,000 tons of fruits and vegetables totally worth 28.6 million dollars over a period of six months starting March 21. This indicates an increase of 34.8 percent compared to a similar period last year. -- JOMHOURI-YE ESLAMI “Interest in Buying Ships From Abroad Growing” An expert of the Ministry of Industries and Mines has said that the seven-month delay in approving a Majlis bill on supporting Iran’s marine industries has made Iranian customers of ships show a growing interest in buying ships from foreign enterprises. -- KAYHAN “Iran Builds Its First Ultra-light Unmanned Plane” The aviation experts of Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology have succeeded in building Iran’s first ultra-light unmanned reconnaissance plane named Sabokbal that weighs 1.3 kg. Sabokbal, which can fly at an altitude of 6,000 feet, is 1.75 meters long at body and 4.5 meters at wings. -- KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL "Iranian Saffron Gives Kashmir Producers Sleepless Nights" With saffron from Iran making its way into Indian markets, producers of the world's most precious spice in troubled Indian-administered Kashmir are worried about their future. The Himalayan territory's saffron is famed as the finest, but even local consumers are turning to Iranian imports as Kashmiri produce sinks in quantity -- and hence rises in price -- due to a decade and a half of war. -- SIASAT-E ROOZ "70 percent of Iran's Area Likely to Contain Oil, Gas Reserves" Mahmoud Mohaddess, director of exploration department of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), has said that Iran has a chance to hit new hydrocarbon reserves in 10 major oil and gas fields over 1.1 million square kilometers in area -- some 70 percent of the country. -- TOSSE'EH "Iran, Japan Agree Over Development of Azadegan Oilfield" A member of Majlis Energy Commission Issa-Qoli Ahmadi-Niya has said that a Japanese delegation that arrived in Tehran last Saturday has conducted successful talks with Iranian officials over the development of oil projects in the Islamic Republic, including the Azadegan oilfield. AA/IS End MNA