Iran to unveil Iran’s car output to Foreign tourists Tehran Metro 2512new laboratory 4 reach 1.35m in current to explore Iran by exhibit to showcase

NATION centrifuges ECONOMY calendar year: official & HISTORY HERITAGE luxury train ART& CULTURE photoss of Finland

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12 Pages Price 10,000 Rials 37th year No.12522 Wednesday APRIL 7, 2016 Farvardin 19, 1395 Jumada Al Thani 28, 1437 28 countries Yemen’s to host Iranian Leader says backs any Ansarullah exhibits calls truce in in current action to solve problems war-stricken calendar year POLITICAL TEHRAN – Leader action to resolve the people’s prob- ing the people’s problems,” he said its efforts to implement the resist- regions desk ECONOMY of the Islamic Revo- lems. during a meeting with a group of ance economy’s policies and high- TEHRAN — 28 Yemeni forces have killed scores of desk lution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei “I seriously support any useful and senior government, judicial, and par- lighted the importance of unity countries will host said on Wednesday that he earnestly essential action in line with maintain- liamentary officials. among officials to implement such Saudi mercenaries in the war-hit coun- exclusive Iranian exhibitions in the supports any “useful and essential” ing the national interests and resolv- He thanked the government for policies. try’s northern province of al-Jawf, local current Iranian calendar year which reports say. started on March 20, the Trade Pro- See page 2 According to a report on Yemen’s motion Organization of Iran an- al-Masirah news website, the rocket hit nounced. a building belonging to Saudi merce- Iraq with running nine Iranian fairs naries late on Tuesday and killed 70 of and Oman with holding five exhibi- them. At least 100 others were injured tions are among the top destinations in the attack, it said. for Iranian companies to showcase Local sources said the death toll their products and services, the INSA may increase as the position was tar- news agency reported on Wednes- geted while the mercenaries were dis- day. tributing arms and munitions among The countries that have already themselves. granted license for Iranian exhibitions The House of Saud regime war- include Oman, Malaysia, India, South planes bombed an area in al-Zabab Korea, Russia, Qatar, Indonesia, The region in southern Yemen and the United Arab Emirates, China, Lebanon, Hayran city in the northwestern prov- Algeria, Turkey, Afghanistan, Uzbeki- ince of Hajjah, al-Masirah reported stan, Azerbaijan, Tunisia, Hong Kong, without saying if there were any casu- Armenia, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, France, alties. South Africa, Serbia, Turkmenistan, Ta- Meanwhile, Saudi state television jikistan, Sudan, Egypt and Pakistan. said that three people were killed in Meanwhile, Iran will host 60 foreign shelling by Yemeni forces on the king- exhibitions in the current Iranian cal- dom’s southern province of Jizan. endar year, 22 of which are projected The report said the shelling hap- to open during the spring. pened around 5 p.m. on Tuesday and Iran has set a target of $77.5 billion the child died at a local hospital. in non-oil exports for the current year, The attacks came despite a cease- according to Mojtaba Khosrotaj, the fire announced by both Ansarullah Iranian deputy industry, mining, and (Houthi) movement and Saudi officials. trade minister. khamenei.ir 9

ARTICLE Rouhani urges Azeri and Armenian presidents to exercise restraint ARTICLE By Seyed Hossein Mousavian By Serge R. Nakouzi POLITICAL Former Iranian nuclear TEHRAN — On Wednesday, Azerbaijan and Armenia, the Iranian president re- The FAO Representative negotiator deskPresident Hassan Rouhani made marked. to Iran and to ECO telephone calls to his Armenian and Azeri counter- “The region is already facing great crises and parts, urging them to show restraint in the conflict terrorists and their supporters are always seeking Saudi Arabia and Iran over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. to spread the crises to the entire region. In such Beating diabetes by Rouhani told Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and condition further tension and class can prepare must work together Serzh Sargsyan to fully respect the ceasefire an- the situation for their intention,” the president ex- promoting healthy nounced by two countries. plained. he Middle East is facing a total The Iranian president expressed sadness over Exchange of fire between Azerbaijan and Ar- diets in Iran Tcollapse. An ideology of terror the loss of lives in the exchange of fire in border between the two neighboring and friendly coun- menia broke out on April 2. Dozens of servicemen oday (7th of April) marks the is spreading, and dysfunction- clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan. tries through political dialogue.” from both sides have been killed and some more World Health Day for 2016 and al Arab governments do not offer “The Islamic Republic of Iran is very sad over Rouhani urged his Azeri and Armenian presi- injured. T constituted an opportunity to their people dignified alternatives to military and non-military people in the two neigh- dent to use all their efforts to make sure that the While each of the two countries have been raise global awareness on Diabetes, extremism. The decay is embedded boring and friendly countries,” Rouhani noted. ceasefire is fully “monitored.” pointing the finger at each other, accusing each of the focused theme for this year, and in two smoldering crises: the conflict The president added that Iran is ready to use all Resumption of clashes will not be in the interest war-mongering, the international community have its impact on millions of lives around between Israel and the Palestinians, his efforts “for a peaceful settlement of differences of all regional countries, especially the Republic of invited the two sides to exercise restraint. which has made millions refugees and the globe. contributed to regional instability for According to the World Health decades; and the conflict between Illegally built hotel along Jajrood River to be demolished Organization (WHO), diabetes, Saudi Arabia, a leading Sunni power, is a non-communicable disease and Iran, a leading Shia power, which SOCIETY TEHRAN — A committee in transport as well as Judiciary, has voted for the de- owner built a thirteen and a five story buildings, (NCD) that affects mostly people has entangled civil war and sectarian- deskTehran has reached a verdict to struction of the hotel, but the owner can appeal IRNA reported. in low- and middle-income coun- ism in the region. destroy a hotel built illegally near Jajrood River in against the verdict. The hotel not only has occupied the river side but tries. The collapse of the Middle East is northern Tehran, an official at Tehran governor Near Jajrood River a hotel has been built with also it will pose environmental threat in the future We presently live in a world where dangerous for Europe, since the ide- general’s office said on Wednesday. a construction license for a hotel-restaurant in- as its swage will pour into Jajrood and from there hundreds of millions suffer from dis- ology of terror does not know borders Hassan Karimi said the committee, consisting of cluding a seven story and a three story blocks. to Latian dam which is one of the main suppliers of eases caused by excessive or un- and millions are fleeing the collapse. the representatives from ministries of interior and But after obtaining the construction license, the potable water for Tehranis. balanced diets. More than half the Therefore, there is an urgent need world’s disease burden can be at- to provide a mechanism for region- tributed to hunger, unbalanced en- al cooperation, which re-establishes Cyprus: opportunities after Iran deal ergy intake or vitamin and mineral regional security. The United Nations deficiencies – and developing na- has sufficient instruments available to The changes to sanctions on Iran and for business cooperation within the the tourism sector are also expected. proliferation and summarized some tions are quickly joining the ranks of defuse the conflict in Palestine. In the what they mean for the business com- Iranian market. Noting that Iran offers tremendous of the major changes in Iran’s sanc- countries dealing with severe health Persian Gulf, on the other hand, a re- munity were analyzed during a dinner He noted that beyond opportunities in opportunities for businesses and that tions regime brought about by the issues at both ends of the nutritional gional security system must be created organized in Nicosia by the Cyprus domestic exports of certain products, such already a number of European coun- Iran deal. spectrum. that is modeled after the Organization Chamber of Commerce and Industry as agricultural products and pharmaceu- tries have made agreements with The US Ambassador reiterated Sec- High energy intake, poor die- for Security and Co-operation in Eu- and the American Chamber of Com- ticals, the professional services industry is Iran, he urged the Cypriot business retary of State John Kerry’s message tary habits and faulty metabolism rope (OSCE) and the integration Eu- merce in Cyprus, in the presence of expected to have the primary role. world to see how they can improve that the US in no way intends to stand lead to an entirely different set rope has experienced since the end of Minister of Commerce, Industry, Tour- In this context, he added, the gov- the trade relations with Iran. in the way of legitimate businesses of problems. Obesity and chron- World War II. ism and Energy, Yiorgos Lakkotrypis ernment proceeded recently with the In her speech, the U.S. Ambassador dealings with Iran. She pointed out that ic diseases such as heart disease, The vessel that can initiate this pro- and the U.S. Ambassador in Nicosia, signing of a double taxation avoid- spoke about the recent changes to Iran’s we are in the early days of significant diabetes and hypertension are cess already exists: the five permanent Kathleen Doherty. In his speech, Lak- ance regime between Cyprus and sanctions policy and what those changes changes in sanctions and many com- quickly becoming a social and members of the UN Security Council kotrypis said that the Cyprus business Iran and a number of ministerial vis- mean for businesses in Cyprus. panies are in the very early exploratory economic burden in developing plus Germany (P5+1), the grouping community reacted to the changes its already took place by Ministers of She said the Iran deal represents phase of learning what sanctions relief countries. Recent evidence also that diplomatically resolved the Iran to sanctions to Iran by conducting Transport, Agriculture and himself. a huge diplomatic accomplishment means for them. suggests that susceptibility to nuclear dispute through negotiations. fact-finding missions to identify areas He also said that opportunities in and a significant achievement of non (Source: financialmirror.com) these diseases may be linked to The foreign ministers of the P5+1 could undernutrition during pregnancy negotiate with the foreign ministers of and early childhood. Iran, the six countries of the [Persian] Militants continue shelling Kurdish area in Syria’s Aleppo: monitor While the specific health con- “Gulf Cooperation Council” (GCC), and sequences vary, both the under- Iraq on a new security architecture for A monitoring group says Takfi- and other terrorist groups continued militant attacks on the same neigh- weight and the overweight share the Persian Gulf. ri militants continue to shell a their attacks against Sheikh Maqsud borhood. high levels of sickness and disabili- One of their first decisions should be Kurdish area in the city of Alep- neighborhood on Wednesday. “A major shelling attack on Tues- ty, shortened life spans and dimin- to reinstate the security pact between po in northern Syria, in a bla- The observatory’s head, Rami Ab- day has left 18 civilians dead, includ- ished productivity. The result is that Saudi Arabia and Iran, which had been tant violation of a shaky cease- del Rahman, said the Takfiri militants ing three children and two women, developing nations, their resources operative until 2005. This was an agree- fire agreement. aim to capture the neighborhood, a pregnant one and an elderly one,” already stretched to the limit, must ment that demonstrated that good, The so-called Syrian Observa- which overlooks areas controlled by the Observatory said, adding that 70 now cope increasingly with serious tory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the Damascus government, in order people, including 30 children, were health issues at both ends of the nu- neighborly relations between Saudi Ara- Wednesday’s attacks come a day bia and Iran are possible. that militants affiliated with Ahrar to have “a launching pad for attacks” also injured in the assault. tritional spectrum. al-Sham, an al-Qaeda-linked group, on government troops. after some 18 civilians were killed in (Source: agencies) 9 9 I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y NATION 2 AAPRILPRIL 77,, 22016016 http://www.tehrantimes.com/international

MEDIA MONITOR Iran to unveil new laboratory centrifuges UN resolution does POLITICAL TEHRAN — Iran will unveil new labo- finalized in July 2015. not ban Su-30 deskratory centrifuge machines on April 8, Although the document limits Iran’s nuclear activities, fighter jet sales to when Iranians will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of it allows the country to enter international nuclear coop- the National Day of Nuclear Technology on April 8, ISNA eration to develop its nuclear-related technologies and Iran: Russia news agency reported on Wednesday. know-how. TEHRAN — Russia has rejected a U.S. claim that The report said the centrifuge machines will be put to This is the first time from then that Iran has an- the sales of Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets to Iran were use in the health industry, including vaccine production. nounced it will introduce new centrifuge machines. prohibited under a United Nation Security Council The machines had been ordered by the Health Min- Salehi, a nuclear physicist, said under its nuclear pro- resolution. Head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s istry and built by experts at the Atomic Energy Organi- gram, Iran has built so far more than 6 generations of Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Con- zation of Iran (AEOI). centrifuge machines, the last one of which is “the IR8 trol, Mikhail Ulyanov, dismissed U.S. Department Whether the country puts on display more items on which is 24 times more powerful than the first gener- of State Undersecretary for Political Affairs Thomas the day is not clear yet. ation.” PRESSTV Shannon’s claims that Washington would use its veto Iran began to decommission uranium enrichment “Such is the status of our nuclear program now,” Ali power in the Security Council to block the possible centrifuges as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Akbar Salehi, AEOI chief told the Tehran Times in a re- sales of the fighter jets to Iran, Press TV reported Action (JCPOA), which the country and world powers cent interview. on Wednesday. “Such deliveries are not prohibited, they are allowed, and this follows from the text of the resolution,” the Interfax news agency quoted him as saying. Leader says backs any action to solve problems 1 He added that the activities of ies’ actions that are contrary to the re- to implement the resistance economy. ‘Unity needed among official’ Iranian delegation state bodies should be monitored to see sistance economy should be prevented,” ‘U.S. cannot be trusted’ He also said, “The Islamic Republic of to meet Saudi if they are following the resistance econ- the Leader stated. Elsewhere in his remarks, the Lead- Iran has always enjoyed the privilege of omy’s policies. He said that the executive bodies are er said that the U.S. cannot be trusted, national unity, but along with the national hajj minister next “In this monitoring, the bodies that capable of implementing the resistance noting that Iran should rely on its own unity, there should be unity and solidari- week are moving within the framework of economy’s policies and the parliament capacities. ty among the officials and this unity does should help the government in this re- He attached great importance to do- TEHRAN these policies [the resistance economy’s not contradict differences in views.” — The head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage policies] should be strengthened, the spect. mestic production, saying special empha- The Leader also urged officials to Organization on Wednesday told Tasnim that Saudi bodies that are indifferent should be Ayatollah Khamenei also said domestic sis should be put on production in indus- pursue “fundamental and revolutionary officials have invited Iran for talks on new agree- guided to the main path, and the bod- capacities should be employed in order trial sector and agriculture. goals”. ments for the upcoming Hajj. “Based on the Saudi invitation, an Iranian del- egation will hold a meeting on April 14 with the country’s Hajj minister,” Saeed Ohadi said. Israel blocking nuclear-weapons free Mideast: Iran TASNIM Expressing hope that a final decision is made in POLITICAL TEHRAN — An Iranian diplomat said on Article 6 of Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),” Dehqani the meeting, Ohadi said the outcome of the talks deskon Tuesday that Israel is preventing a regretted. will be made public in due time. Middle East free of nuclear weapons. He said the current complicated situation has resulted “The meeting on April 14 will be held after Saudi “The Zionist regime is the only obstacle to achieve from lack of “political will” and this evil “doctrine” that Arabia’s 3-month delay in signing of a memorandum this goal,” Gholam-Hossein Dehqani, the deputy per- equals nuclear weapons to security. of understanding,” he said, giving assurance that the manent representative of Iran to the UN, told a General A “comprehensive strategy” should be adopted in or- appropriate decision will be made in the meeting. Assembly meeting. der to have a world without nuclear weapons, the dip- Dehqani also said Iran is “deeply concerned” about lomat added. Rouhani did not the lack of progress for a global nuclear disarmament. He also slammed some countries’ double standards write to “No significant progress has been made in fulfilling in adopting policies toward nuclear weapons disarma- Kuwait king: govt. nuclear weapons disarmament’s commitments based ment. spokesman TEHRAN — The Iranian government spokesman AEOI chief says Rouhani’s sensitivity to JCPOA justified has denied reports that President Hassan Rouhani POLITICAL TEHRAN — Ali Akbar president tried hard to clinch the deal. contract in home, the AEOI head stated has recently wrote a letter to Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh deskSalehi, the vice-pres- “Possibly, the JCPOA and nuclear ne- that criticism is good as far as it does not Sabah IV Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. ident and director of the Atomic Ener- gotiations are open to question at some translate into national divergence. “I do not deny that some countries have tried gy Organization of Iran (AEOI), has said points. And even from a legal standpoint, “Some critical views are merely politi- to mediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia, but President Rouhani’s sensitivity to the Joint the other side may turn out to misinter- cally motivated and we can’t help it. There our policy against Saudi Arabia is generally clear,” Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is pret some points, but the document has are also some who yield to reasoning.” Mohammad Baqer Nobakht said, the president.ir

PRESIDENT well-justified, ISNA news agency reported been drafted so coherently that prevents Participating in the meeting were reported. on Wednesday. any likely problem,” the official noted. Abbas Araqchi, deputy foreign minister A day earlier, Nobakht had told reporters, “We will After more than a decades-long im- Salehi maintained that Iran will react for legal and international affairs, Majid notify the media the minute any dialogue plays out.” passe with the West over its nuclear pro- appropriately to a loose commitment to Takht Ravanchi, deputy foreign minister gram, Iran and the 5+1 countries signed in exchange for sanctions relief. the JCPOA, as emphasized by the Su- for European and American affairs, and Zarif visits Baku the JCPOA in July 2015, under which Iran Speaking to a gathering of Foreign preme Leader. Hossein Jaber Ansari, Foreign Ministry agreed to scale down its nuclear program Ministry officials, Salehi noted that the Referring to the criticism leveled at the spokesman. Rouhani says resistance economy is dependent on ‘solidarity’ TEHRAN — Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif left for Baku, Azerbaijan, on Wednesday. POLITICAL TEHRAN — President Hassan Rou- edge-based economy is an important part of the re- neurs and businessmen would be more active in the He is slated to take part in the first tripartite deskhani has said that his government will sistance economy and that “important steps” have been post-JCPOA atmosphere. meeting of Iranian, Russian and Azeri foreign continue taking “practical” steps for “implementation of taken to boost a knowledge-based economy. Iran and the 5+1 group - the United States, Brit- ministers due to be held in Baku on Thursday, the resistance economy policies with more power” but He also urged the Supreme Council of Cultural Rev- ain, France, China and Russia plus Germany - finalized YJC the YJC reported. the success of the move is dependent on “solidarity”. olution to play its part in implementing the resistance the text of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in Talking in a meeting of the Supreme Council of Cul- economy. Vienna on July 14, 2015. The deal went into effect in Iran launches tural Revolution on Tuesday, Rouhani also said knowl- The president also expressed hope that entrepre- January, 2016. octogen explosives plant Abe eyes visiting Iran Defensive capability and negotiation go in August hand in hand: ex-vice president TEHRAN — A factory for manufacturing HMX POLITICAL (octogen) explosives was inaugurated at the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is seeking TEHRAN — Former Defense Industries Organization of the Defense to visit Iran in August to hold talks with President deskvice president Mo- Ministry in Tehran on Wednesday. Hassan Rouhani, a government source said. hammad Reza Aref has said defensive capability and negotiation go hand in FARS Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan, address- Abe envisions the first visit by a Jap- ing the inaugural ceremony, announced plans to anese prime minister to Iran since Takeo hand, Tasnim news agency reported boost the penetration and destructive power of Fukuda went there in 1978 as further on Wednesday. missile payloads along with the much improved boosting economic cooperation with the Aref, a reform-minded politician who precision-striking capability, Fars reported. country rich with oil and gas resources, led the race for parliamentary seats in according to the source. Tehran on February 26, said, “Iran is He is also eyeing exchanging opinions open to dialogue and this is not sepa- Guardian Council with Rouhani over Islamic State militants and rate from defensive capabilities.” approves polls in civil war in Syria, the source said. “For negotiations to come to bear Abe hopes to travel to Iran shortly be- results we need a strong background, four more fore or after attending the sixth Tokyo Inter- part of which is defensive capability; constituencies national Conference on African Develop- ment pact in February aimed at helping Jap- this has been always among our pri- of Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Raf- anese firms do business in the resource-rich sanjani, the chairman of the Assembly TEHRAN ment, or TICAD VI, to be held in late August orities since the revolution era.” — The Guardian Council has ratified the in Kenya, the source said. country amid intensifying foreign competi- Referring to the Supreme Leader’s of Experts. polling results in four more constituencies, leaving The Japanese government is studying tion for its market access. stance on boosting the country’s de- Ayatollah Rafsanjani, however, dis- only one to be done. the feasibility of Abe also visiting Saudi Ara- The signing came after Tokyo lifted sanc- fensive clout, the Stanford-educated missed the message. The four includes Pakdasht, Dehloran, Boyer-Ah- bia, another major oil producer, according tions on Iran over its nuclear program in academician stressed that military de- Also, Supreme Leader Ayatollah MEHR mad, and Kahnooj, Mehr reported on Wednesday. to the source. January following confirmation by a UN nu- terrence is high on the agenda. Ali Khamenei had criticized those Abe told Rouhani of his hope to visit Iran clear watchdog that Tehran had implement- Aref’s words are a broad hint at who think “the world of tomorrow when they met in New York in September ed measures promised under a landmark “the world of tomorrow is a world is a world of discourse, not missiles,” Cavusoglu praises on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly. deal it struck with six major powers last July. of discourse, not missiles” tweet on declaring it “treasonous” if uttered Ramsar meeting Japan and Iran signed a bilateral invest- (Source: Japan Today) March 23, ascribed to the media team knowingly. as helpful

TEHRAN — The Turkish foreign minister has Indian FM to visit Iran praised Tuesday’s meeting with his Iranian and By staff and agency strategically important West Asian nation, the Livemint The last joint commission meeting took place in Azerbaijani counterparts in the Iranian city of website reported on Wednesday. New Delhi in December, 2015. Ramsar as helpful. ndian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj is scheduled to Swaraj will co-chair a meeting of the India-Iran Joint Prior to her visit, Indian Oil Minister Dharmendra Speaking to Anadolu Agency on Tuesday, Mev- Ivisit Iran on April 16. Commission that will review bilateral relations with Iran’s Pradhan will also be in Iran, aiming to scale up oil and lut Chavusoglu said the trilateral regional coopera- Her trip is aimed at re-energizing ties with Tehran Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Ali Tayyebnia, gas trade and investment in Iran’s energy sector as well

ANADOLU tion is regarded as highly precious by Ankara. following the lifting of international sanctions on the two people familiar with the developments said. as downstream industries like fertilizers and steel. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y

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McCain: War against ISIL turning NEWS Obama on ISIL: ‘we will into Vietnam defeat them’ The fight against the Islamic State in Iraq This is unacceptable.” United States President Barack Obama is underscored that and the Levant (ISIL/Daesh) risks turning McCain specifically wanted answers to destroying the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ into another Vietnam War if the admin- a slew of questions related to how many Daesh) terrorist group is his top priority. istration only gradually increases troops troops are in Iraq and Syria and what the He said: it remains a difficult fight, but is expressing confi- levels and other capabilities, Sen. John plans are for retaking Mosul, Iraq, and dence in victory. Obama went on to say the group continues McCain (R-Ariz.) warned on Tuesday. Raqqa, Syria, from ISIL. to lose ground in its strongholds in Iraq and Syria, and is “As a young military officer, I bore wit- The Pentagon has recently come un- being squeezed financially, adding “We are going to squeeze ness to the failed policy of gradual esca- der fire after acknowledging the number them and we will defeat them.” lation that ultimately led to our nation’s of troops on the ground in Iraq is higher Obama commented at a White House meeting on Tues- defeat in the Vietnam War,” McCain wrote than the administration’s authorized cap day with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the combatant com- in a letter to Defense Secretary Ash of 3,870. manders. He said they’ll be reviewing defense strategies and Carter. “Now as chairman of the Senate The issue emerged after a Marine was the spending to carry them out. Armed Services Committee, I fear this killed in Iraq. He was part of a company (Source: AP) administration’s grudging incremental- quietly deployed to northern Iraq that ism in the war against the Islamic State was not counted in the caps because it (ISIL) risks another slow, grinding failure was there on a temporary basis. for our nation.” Pentagon officials have also said McCain, a frequent critic of the Oba- they’re drafting recommendations U.S. military suicides ma administration’s foreign policy, said for the president to send more remain high for 7th year he worries military commanders are troops to Iraq to help the Iraqis re- not making recommendations based on take Mosul. The Pentagon reported on Friday that 265 active-duty ser- what they think they need to win. McCain asked how many military vice members killed themselves last year, continuing a trend “My conversations with military com- and civilian personnel were in Iraq as of of unusually high suicide rates that have plagued the U.S. manders both on the ground and in the March 31, including those not counted military for at least seven years. military presence is required to stop and Pentagon have led me to the disturbing, by the official cap. He also wanted to McCain asked about Libya, too. He The number of suicides among troops was 145 in 2001 roll back its advances on the continent?” yet unavoidable conclusion that they know how many personnel were in Syria wanted to know how many military and began a steady increase until more than doubling to 321 he added. have been reduced from considering as of the same date. and civilian personnel were there as of in 2012, the worst year in recent history for service members what it will take to win to what they will McCain also asked how long it would March 31 and how many may be need- killing themselves. McCain asked for answers in an un- be allowed to do by this administration,” take to retake Mosul and Raqqa with ed to fight the growing ISIL presence The suicide rate for the Army that year was nearly 30 su- classified form, with a classified adden- he wrote. “And it will be the men and those levels and how many personnel there. icides per 100,000 soldiers, well above the national rate of women serving in our military and our are needed to retake both cities by the “As ISIL metastasizes and gains al- dum if necessary, within two weeks. (Source: The Hill) 12.5 per 100,000 for 2012. national security that will pay the price. end of the year. legiances throughout Africa, what U.S. Military suicides dropped 20% the year after that, and then held roughly steady at numbers significantly higher than during the early 2000s. The 265 suicides last year compares Bahraini forces attack protesters after Militants offered peace in return for with 273 in 2014 and 254 in 2013. By contrast, from 2001 through 2007, suicides never exceeded 197. teenager’s funeral concessions to Israel: Syria mufti “Suicide prevention remains a top priority, and the De- Bahraini regime forces have clashed Rights organizations, including the Syria’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Ahmad militant groups operating in Syria to go partment will continue its efforts to reduce deaths by suicide with demonstrators holding a rally to European Centre for Democracy and Badreddin Hassoun says Damascus to Palestine to fight the Tel Aviv regime among its service members,” said Marine Lt. Col. Hermes denounce the death of a 17-year-old Human Rights, have demanded an im- has been repeatedly offered a deal instead. Gabrielle, a Pentagon spokeswoman. “Reducing suicide risk teenager who succumbed to injuries mediate and impartial investigation into according to which the militants Referring to Takfiris, Hassoun said entails creating a climate that encourages service members he sustained in a police chase. Abdulghani’s death, saying the injuries would cease their hostilities against “40,000 Muslims from Europe are fight- to seek help, reducing access to lethal means and broaden- Protesters on Tuesday took to the had been inflicted during his arrest. the government if it made conces- ing in Syria. Why do none of them go ing communication and awareness to service members and streets in the town of Shahrakan, lo- On Sunday, the Bahrain Center for sions to Israel. to fight in Palestine?” their families.” cated on the outskirts of Manama, to Human Rights (BCHR) condemned the Since the outbreak of the for- Critics say European governments Among efforts by the military to combat suicide was a condemn the killing of Ali Abdulghani, ruling House of Khalifah regime for its eign-backed militancy five years ago, are to blame for their lax control over $5 million, long-term study by the Army that eventually who died of his wounds in a hospital policy of impunity for the abusers of the Syrian government has been re- the past years on the movement of produced algorithms for predicting what group of sol- in the capital four days after he was human rights in the country. ceiving offers to make a tit-for-tat their nationals into Syria and Iraq. They diers is most likely to commit suicide. The Department of reportedly overrun by a police vehicle. The rights group has documented deal to end the crisis, Hassoun said say militants would pose serious huge Veterans Affairs has embraced the science and will soon The demonstrators blocked a road with acquittal or reduction in the sentences in an interview with the Lebanese al- security threats to Europe when they launch a pilot program for helping its therapists concen- a large waste drum which they set ablaze of security forces involved in the tor- Mayadeen TV channel. returned home. trate efforts on those veterans with strong self-destructive and hurled stones at security forces. Police ture or killing of activists. Since 2011, “we have been re- Those fears have come true after tendencies. used tear gas to disperse the protesters. The center expressed outrage at ceiving unofficial offers to make a terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels The increase in suicide in the military was driven largely by According to witnesses and a report what it called the courts’ “blatant pro- deal that would end it: ‘If you an- killed nearly 160 people. the Army, where suicides rose sharply from 45 in 2001 to 165 from the Bahrain Institute for Rights and tection for abusers” while “human nounce you would end hostilities A new report by the Hague-based in 2012. The Army reported 120 suicides last year, the same Democracy (BIRD), police on March 31 rights defenders and protesters receive against Israel and if you expel the International Center for Counter-Ter- as in 2013 and down from 124 in 2014. (Source: USA TODAY) stormed a property belonging to the vic- harsher sentences” for practicing their Palestinian resistance from your rorism said French, Germans and Brit- tim’s aunt while Abdulghani was present. right to free expression. territory and cut your relations ons make up the highest number of Abdulghani fled the scene as the police The BCHR further called on the with Hezbollah, we would stop foreign militants from European coun- attempted to arrest him. Bahraini regime to comply with inter- fighting against you.” tries in the ranks of armed groups in Later in the day, he was seen and national human rights standards and to The grand mufti lashed out at mil- Syria. Calls mount for immediate photographed while lying on the ground end the systematic torture of detainees. itant groups fighting against the Da- On Monday, French Prime Min- “with blood spilt from a serious head in- It also urged Manama to halt the mascus government, saying they serve ister Manuel Valls said adherents to release of Nigerian cleric jury”. The victim was then transferred to impunity of security forces and de- the joint Israeli-Western bid to ruin the radical Saudi-backed Salafi ide- the Bahrain Defense Forces Hospital. manded that human rights violators be Syria. ology have gained the upper hand A Nigerian human rights lawyer has called for the immediate Bahrain’s Interior Ministry has made brought to justice regardless of their “While previously it was France and in France as they push to attract and unconditional release of senior Shia cleric and leader of no comment about the incident yet. position or connections. Britain who divided Sham (Greater followers. the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), Sheikh Ibrahim al- Bahrain’s main opposition group, Bahrain has been the scene of an- Syria) according to ‘political borders’, Salafism is often equated with Zakzaky. al-Wefaq, has described the circum- ti-government protests since a popu- those who hit Sham today are Mus- Wahhabism, the radical ideology In a Tuesday letter to the director general of the Depart- stances surrounding Abdulghani’s lar uprising erupted in the Persian Gulf lims who lost their mind and decided dominating Saudi Arabia and free- ment of State Services (DSS), Femi Falana said that Zakzaky death as “vague.” kingdom in early 2011. to prevent it from becoming a starting ly preached by clerics in the Arab and his wife Zeenat should be freed from “illegal detention” Prominent opposition figures, including More than one hundred people have point for the liberation of al-Quds (Je- country. within 24 hours. senior member of al-Wafaq Seyyed Jamil been killed in the demonstrations while rusalem),” Hassoun stated. Wahhabism is also the ideology of Zakzaky and his wife have been in detention since De- Kazim, issued a message, saying the teen- hundreds more, including notable oppo- The senior Muslim cleric said the the Islamic State in Iraq and the Le- cember last year. ager died as a result of the government’s sition figures, have been put behind bars foreign-sponsored Takfiri groups who vant (ISIL/Daesh) terrorist group, which The clergyman is said to have been charged with insistence on using security measures for their involvement in the uprising. are killing Muslims in the name of God claimed responsibility for last year’s “criminal conspiracy and inciting public disturbanc- against political demands by the public. The House of Khalifah regime has ig- “do not understand that they serve the deadly terrorist attacks in the French es.” Kazim urged the government to nored international calls for political reform. interests of Israel.” capital. Falana said “even though our clients have not been told heed popular calls for change. (Source: Press TV) He further called on those who join (Source: Press TV) that they breached any law, they have been denied access to their lawyers, personal physicians, and family members for over three months.” “Our clients were only permitted to meet with us last U.S. among world leaders in death penalty Friday after several requests made by us had been turned down without any legal basis,” he added. With 28 killings in 2015, the United States is the only Amnesty said. Falana further noted that Zakzaky had lost his left eye due country in the Americas and among OSCE (Organiza- The report also mentioned the case of the 74-year- to the brutal attacks during his arrest, and that the doctors tion for Security and Cooperation in Europe) members old Cecil Clayton, who was diagnosed with dementia “are currently battling to save the right” eye. to be on the list of top executioners published by Am- and a psychotic disorder, but was executed in Missouri The Islamic Human Rights Commission also called for the nesty International. in March. immediate and unconditional release of Zakzaky. At least 1,634 people were put to death in 25 coun- In August the governor of North Carolina The London-based NGO slammed the persecution of tries in 2015, Amnesty International said. signed into law House Bill 774, aimed at the resump- Sheikh Zakzaky and his Islamic Movement in Nigeria as an The U.S., it appears, had more executions than tion of executions in the state. The law allows for the affront to all civilized and democratic values. Iraq last year – 28 in six states: Texas (13), Missouri participation of medical professionals other than a It also urged the Nigerian government to bring to justice (6), Georgia (5), Florida (2), Oklahoma (1) and Vir- physician in executions, against ethical codes relevant all those responsible for the unprovoked attacks on Zakzaky ginia (1). to the profession, the report said, adding that it also and his supporters. Last year, at least 2,851 people were under sentence allows the authorities to keep confidential any identi- On December 12, 2015, Nigerian soldiers attacked of death in America, including 746 in California, 389 in fying information of any person or entity involved in Shia Muslims attending a ceremony at a religious center Florida, 250 in Texas, 185 in Alabama and 181 in Pennsyl- the manufacture, preparation or supply of drugs used in the city of Zaria, accusing them of blocking the con- vania, according to the report. for lethal injection. Legislators in Texas also voted in voy of the army’s chief of staff and attempting to assas- “While the 2015 figure was the lowest number favor of a law to allow for secrecy on the providers of sinate him. of executions recorded in a single year since 1991, “The USA continued to use the death penalty in ways chemicals, Amnesty said. The following day, Nigerian forces raided the the decrease was in part linked to legal challeng- that contravene international law and standards, includ- Pre-trial proceedings against six detainees at Sheikh Zakzaky’s home and arrested him after re- es that resulted in the revision of lethal injection ing on people with mental and intellectual disabilities,” the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo, Cuba, did portedly killing those attempting to protect him, in- protocols or problems faced by states in obtaining Amnesty said in its annual report on the use of capital not go unnoticed. The U.S. government intends cluding one of IMN’s senior leaders and its spokes- lethal injection chemicals,” the human rights watch- punishment. to seek the death penalty if convicted for all six man. dog explained. Amnesty cited the case of Warren Hill, who was men, five of whom were charged with plotting the Both incidents led to the deaths of hundreds of mem- Thirty-two U.S. states still retain the death sen- executed by the state of Georgia despite the fact that 9/11 attacks. bers of the religious community, including three of the cleric’s tence. Texas carried out almost half of all execu- all experts who had assessed him, including those “Proceedings before the military commission do sons. Human rights organizations have urged a full investiga- tions in 2015. provided by the state, agreed that he had an intel- not meet international fair trial standards and the tion into the deadly assaults. The state of Virginia carried out its first execution lectual disability. “His execution amounted to the ar- imposition of the death penalty in their cases would According to Islamic Human Rights Commission, the since 2013, while two states – Arizona and Ohio – had bitrary deprivation of life in violation of Article 6 of constitute arbitrary deprivation of life,” Amnesty Nigerian military secretly buried hundreds of bodies in the to put executions on hold because of issues concerning the ICCPR [the International Covenant on Civil and stressed in the report. graves after storming Zakzaky’s house. lethal injections. Political Rights], to which the USA is a state party,” (Source: RT) (Source: Press TV) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 4 ECONOMY AAPRILPRIL 77,, 22016016 http://www.tehrantimes.com/economy

NEWS Iran’s car output to reach 1.35m in India exploring modalities of $6.5b oil payments to Iran current calendar year: official The Reserve Bank of India is holding discussions with Tehran on modalities of payment of reported dues of $6.5 billion for ECONOMY TEHRAN — Iran is scheduled to pro- oil imports, Governor Raghuram Rajan said. deskduce 1.35 million of cars by the end of “We are discussing with them (Iran) the way they want to the current calendar year of 1395 (which ends on March be paid and certainly, we will work with them on when and 20, 2017), Deputy Minister of Industry, Mining and Trade how we pay them. I don’t think it will happen as a lump sum. Mohsen Salehinia announced. It is going to be staggered,” Rajan said. As Salehinia underlined, the government seeks to im- He, however, did not disclose the quantum of payments prove the quality as well as the quantity of the domesti- to be made to Iran. cally produced cars on the way to boost their exports, the In August 2015, a central government official had said RBI IRIB reported on Wednesday. will be assisting Indian refiners to clear over $6.5 billion of “Iran has commenced cooperation with foreign part- past dues they owe to Iran for crude oil purchases. ners in auto sector,” he added, “One of Iranian giant auto- The central bank, which previously facilitated payment of makers has signed joint venture with one of the foreign oil import bill to Iran, had agreed to help in creating the pay- eminent car-producers and the executive officials of the ment channels to clear the past dues. agreement have been assigned.” The then finance secretary Rajiv Mehrishi had led a four The deputy minister also noted that the cooperatively member delegation to Tehran in July 2015 to discuss modali- produced cars will be unveiled and presented to the do- ties of clearing the dues. mestic market in the last two months of the current Iranian After the U.S. and western powers in 2011 blocked pay- Year (February-March, 2017). ment channels due to sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program, Iranian carmakers manufactured 878,644 vehicles in RBI had facilitated oil payments to Iran via Turkey. the first 11 months of the past Iranian calendar year of Iran and six world powers last year sealed an accord to 1394 (March 21, 2015- February 19, 2016). curb the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program in return for end- The automobile industry, the biggest non-oil sector of ing sanctions. The lifting of sanctions is expected to open up the Iranian economy, constituting around 10 percent of banking channels for Tehran. gross domestic product (GDP), boomed over the decade India is keen that repayment of dues since February 2013 ending in 2011 due to government support and the dearth hitting the sale of 1,055,400 cars in 2015, according to a According to the report, the amount of passenger should be done in a staggered manner so as to avoid a run of international competitors in the domestic market. recent report of the International Organization of Motor cars sold in Iran in 2015 accounted for 1.59 percent of the on the rupee. Iran ranked 13th in the world sales of passenger cars, Vehicle Manufacturers. world’s total sale. Since February 2013, Indian refiners like Essar Oil and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals (MRPL) have been paying 45 percent of payment dues on purchase of crude oil from Iran in rupees through Uco Bank, Kolkata. The remain- U.S.-Iran trade doubles in Jan.-Feb. 2016 ECONOMY ing has been accumulating, pending finalization of a pay- TEHRAN — The vol- According to the recent statistics re- mented 102 percent increase, compared between Iran and P5+1, known as the Joint desk ment mechanism. ume of trade between leased by the U.S. Department of Com- to the same time in the year before when Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), They had last year paid nearly $3 billion in six installments Iran and the U.S. in the first two months merce, Washington’s exports to Tehran the number was a bit more than $16.7 mil- came into practice in mid-January and through a limited payment channel following start of nuclear of 2016 hit $46.2 million and registered augmented 47 percent during the said lion. anti-Iranian financial embargo started to talks between the West and Iran. The outstanding has since a 54-percent growth, compared to the time and surpassed $44.1 million. The Islamic Republic’s total exports to get annulled. climbed to over $6.5 billion. same period in the preceding year, Tasnim The country exported $33.9 million of the U.S. was around $2.1 million in the past Iran had no export to the U.S. in Janu- Essar Oil owes $3.34 billion to Iran, MRPL $2.49 billion and news agency reported on Wednesday. goods to Iran in February, which docu- February, a while after the penned accord ary. IOC $581 million. (Source: Business Standard) Iran expects 4m bpd oil output by March 2017: Zanganeh Annual unemployment rate Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said the output, even as key player Iran continued to balk at the country's crude output would reach four million barrels plan. stands at 11% in Iran per day (bpd) by March 2017, state television reported Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Ex- on Wednesday. porting Countries (OPEC) will meet with non-OPEC ECONOMY — TEHRAN According to the latest report "In the annual budget, the amount of oil export has producers in Doha on April 17 to discuss a possible oil deskreleased by the Statistical Center of Iran, the been predicted around 2,250,000 bpd. This means our output freeze to prop up prices. unemployment rate in the last Iranian calendar year (ended on production this (Iranian) year will reach four million bpd," The Doha talks are expected to widen February's ini- March 19, 2016) stood at 11 percent. Zanganeh was quoted as saying by state TV. The Iranian tial output freeze deal by Qatar, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia The figure registers a 0.4 percent rise compared with the pre- new year started on March 20. and non-OPEC member Russia. vious year of 1393, when the rate stood at 10.6 percent. Zanganeh said Iran's oil output has increased after Iranian officials have expressed Tehran's determina- The data also indicates that 38.2 percent of population of the lifting of international sanctions in January under a tion to continue increasing its oil production and exports ages 10 and above were economically active and have been nuclear deal with six major powers. "Fortunately Iran's oil export has increased since the until it regains its pre-sanction market position. categorized either under employed or unemployed ones. Sanctions imposed on Iran in early 2012 by the United lifting of sanctions ... for 10 months since March 2016, Zanganeh said last month Iran would join oil produc- According to the released data, the number of active States and European Union over its nuclear program had Iran's average monthly oil export was around 1,350,000 tion freeze discussions after its own production reached population in Iran stands at 24,701,177, of who 2,729,092 are cut crude exports from a peak of 2.5 million bpd before bpd," Zanganeh said. four million bpd, the Students News Agency ISNA re- jobless. 2011 to just over 1 million bpd in recent years. He said Iran's oil exports surpassed 2 million bpd in ported. Unemployment rate in rural areas is 8.1 percent and in ur- Iran has rejected freezing its output at January levels, the Iranian months of Esfand and Farvardin, which ends Crude prices remain nearly 40 percent above 12-year ban areas is 12.2 percent, the statistics revealed. which OPEC secondary sources have estimated to be on April 19. lows struck in mid-February. A recent recovery has fiz- 2.93 million barrels per day, and wants to return to much Oil prices rose on Tuesday after Kuwait said it expect- zled on skepticism over the output freeze proposed by higher pre-sanctions production. ed major producers to agree later this month to freeze producers. (Source: Reuters) APBF lauds removal of non-tariff trade Bright prospects for Iran-European ‘Iran-Russia banking ties to barriers with Iran Commission air transport co-op start hopefully next month’ ECONOMY TEHRAN — Henrik states, in order to bring all existing bilat- “Relation between Russian and Iranian in January stating that it had found no As Pakistan and Iran recently decided to remove the non-tariff deskHololei, the Euro- eral air services agreements between EU banks is in the process; hopefully, with- evidence of nuclear weapons develop- barriers in bilateral trade and begin talks on a free trade agree- pean Commission’s director general for member states and a given third country in the next month it will start”, said Mo- ment in Iran since 2009. ment (FTA), the All Pakistan Business Forum (APBF) has ex- mobility and transport, said the ground in line with EU law. hammad Hazzar, the chief of Bank Melli “We have to restart our correspond- pressed its appreciation for this valuable initiative. is prepared for the commission to ex- Security of Iran’s aviation industry and Iran (BMI) Russian Branch Mir Business ent relationships with big banks. We have These deliberations were aimed at strengthening the busi- pand its collaboration with Iran, espe- the condition of Iranian aviation com- Bank. started this process now. Hopefully this ness relations and optimize the trade potential between the two cially in the light of removal of sanc- panies were also discussed during the BMI, the Islamic Republic’s national relationship will be reestablished in a friendly countries, through facilitation at the borders. Both the tions on the country. meeting. bank which is the largest in the Mid- short period of time,” Hazzar told RIA neighboring states have also agreed to work on issuing long- Hololei, heading a delegation, met According to the aviation roadmap dle East, hopes to restore correspond- Novosti. term multiple-entry visas to businessmen and increasing direct Ali Abedzadeh, the head of Iran’s Civil depicted by Iranian Transport and Urban ence and cooperation with major Rus- According to Hazzar, BMI re- air flights to boost the trade prospects, especially encouraging Aviation Organization, in Tehran on Development Ministry, Iran should be a sian banks soon, now that the sanctions cently held negotiations with Russia’s the trade of perishable items. Tuesday when the two officials explored hub of air transportation over the next have been lifted from Tehran, the official Vneshtorgbank (VTB), Vneshekonom- Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan and Iranian Min- avenues of cooperation, the IRNA news coming years, securing a place in the noted. bank (VEB), Gazprombank and Sberbank ing, Trade and Industry Minister Reza Nematzadeh held a meet- agency reported. aviation industry of the region. Most of the large Russian banks have on the renewal of cooperation. ing and addressed the trade and investment session of the Pak- During the meeting, the two sides Transport Minister Abbas Akhoundi disconnected their relations with Iranian BMI participates in the Russia-Iranian Iran Joint Business Forum. The two ministers termed the signing discussed the possibility of signing a said in January that Iran has just 150 banks in the past few years amid West- $5-billion credit deal, which envisages of five-year Strategic Trade Cooperation Plan (2016-2021) as the horizontal air transport agreement in the operational planes out of a fleet of ern sanctions against Tehran imposed funds for Iranian projects mainly connected beginning of a new era, which would provide a great opportu- future. more than 250. He added that Teh- over fears Iran was developing nuclear with Russian exports and services. Transfers nity for the two nations to enhance economic cooperation to A horizontal agreement is an inter- ran is seeking to modernize its age- weapons. The sanctions were lifted earli- and settlements for these projects are ex- new heights. national agreement negotiated by the ing passenger plane fleet as soon as er this year, after the International Atomic pected to be done by VEB through BMI. Dastgir stated; "The proposed measures also include begin- commission on behalf of EU member possible. Energy Agency (IAEA) released a report (Source: Sputnik) ning of negotiations on FTA, holding of single country exhibi- tions in each other's country, visits of delegations, regular meet- ings of committees for joint border trade, reactivation of Joint Thailand’s Exim Bank Nokia plans to slash Mercedes-Benz posts Business Council, opening of additional international border supports trading with 1,300 jobs in Finland highest ever monthly crossing points and establishment of border markets. Various fresh avenues will be explored to enhance bilateral trade to $5 Iran sales on China billion in five years." demand Nematzadeh informed the audience, "Iran will hold a trade and investment exhibition in Pakistan in September 2016. The Exim Bank of Thailand offered financial ser- Nokia is planning to cut about 1,300 jobs Mercedes-Benz achieved its highest ever private sector of both countries should take the lead in strength- vices to support trading with Iran, becoming the in its native Finland following its acquisition of monthly sales with passenger car deliveries up 8.4 ening bilateral relations in all sectors, including agriculture, en- first Thai bank to do so following the UN Security France’s Alcatel-Lucent, the telecom network percent in March, thanks to a 26.6 percent sales gineering and the minerals sectors that offer tremendous scope. Council’s removal of sanctions on Iran in January. equipment maker said in a statement. jump in China, which offset a 6 percent drop in the Export of services such as transportation, financial, communica- Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak said Nokia started its global job cutting pro- United States, parent company Daimler said. tion, insurance and IT also promise great mutual benefits. Iran earlier Thailand and Iran’s trading value was ex- gramme on Wednesday as it targets 900 million Mercedes-Benz delivered 198,921 cars to cus- desires to participate in the privatization program of Pakistan pected to jump to US$3 billion. euros (725 million pounds) of operating cost tomers in March, and 483,487 vehicles in the first by investing in the entities, where Iran can offer its special ex- The banks’ chairman Manas Jamveha said the synergies from the Alcatel deal by 2018. quarter, the company said on Wednesday. pertise." move is in line with government policy to promote Spokesman of the company declined to give Sales of sports utility vehicles rose 44.4 percent, Majority of the issues of the traders would be resolved with exploring and penetrating new markets. Iran is a further information on how many positions the company said, while unit sales of compact cars, the implementation of TIR Convention, to which Pakistan has major market in the Middle East with high purchas- Nokia was planning to cut in other countries or including the A-Class, B-Class and GLA rose 21.9 recently acceded. Iran has also offered facilitation in Pakistan's ing power and demand for Thai goods especially globally. percent. transit trade, through Iran, to the Central Asian Republics and farm products and foods such as rice, canned and Nokia currently employs about 6,850 people Sales of the new Smart rose 34.5 percent in Russia, where the demand for Pakistani food and agricultural processed fruits, and rubber. in Finland and around 104,000 globally. March, thanks to strong demand in Italy and Great products is consistently increasing. NEWS IN BRIEF Britain, Daimler said. (Source: dailytimes.com.pk) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y http://www.tehrantimes.com AAPRILPRIL 77,, 22016016 HISTORY & HERITAGE 5

Five things I learned while A CLOSER LOOK Henry Ford facts that have travelling in Iran almost nothing to do with cars Today marks the death anniversary of the American industrialist By Leon McCarron and the founder of the Ford Motor Company Henry Ford. He was born on July 30, 1863 to William Ford & Mary What’s it really like to visit Iran? Adventure Litogot on a wealthy Dearborn farm in Greenfield Township, and first-time Iran visitor Leon McCarron Wayne County, Michigan. reveals some of the surprises in store... On April 7, 1947, Henry Ford died of a cerebral hemorrhage, Iran is enormous at the age of 83, near his Dearborn estate, in Fair Lane, Michi- Iran is huge. I hadn’t quite appreciated that gan. He and his wife Clara are buried in the Ford Cemetery. until I went there. It’s almost seven times larger In honor of the inventor hitting the century-and-a-half than the UK; nearly as big as Alaska. Inevitably mark, here are some lesser-known facts about one of the this means there is a lot more to it than just the most recognizable names in the automobile industry. dry, arid desert you might imagine. From the When he a young man, Ford repaired watches for his friends and extreme north to south, and east to west, Iran’s family—and he made his own tools to do it. He used a filed shingle nail as climate and geography changes dramatically. a screwdriver and a corset stay as tweezers. I began my journey along the Karun – the Ford became Chief Engineer of the Edision Illuminating longest river in the country – in the southwest, Company’s main plant in 1893, and was on-call 24 hours a at 3,500 meters in -15C and knee-deep in snow day to keep Detroit’s electricity running. He left the position with jagged peaks all around. It looked more like 6 years later—with Edison’s encouragement to work on his the Alps than the Middle East. plans for a gasoline automobile. The people are just as diverse as the land- In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson convinced Ford to scapes too; only just over half of the population run for a seat on the Senate as a Democrat. Ford obliged, is native Farsi speakers. There are seven major sending a letter to the President saying, “If they want to elect ethnic minorities. In short, it’s a country full of me let them do so, but I won’t make a penny’s investment.” surprises. He didn’t spend a cent campaigning and still only lost by The welcome is warm 4500 votes. It’s easy to get a negative impression of Iran Long before Colonial Williamsburg, Ford tried to turn from the media, and to worry that western tour- Sudbury, Massachusetts’ Wayside Inn—where Longfellow ists may not always be warmly welcomed. I’m penned Tales of a Wayside Inn—into a living museum of happy to report that I detected zero animosity American history. He purchased the Inn, and 3000 surround- towards the West – most people I met were ing acres, in 1923, and built eight buildings on it including a excited to see foreigners, and keen to show us working grist mill. around. Some Iranians we met disagreed with British adventurers Tom Allen and Leon McCarron set out to follow Iran’s longest river Karun in 2015 (Photo: Tom Allen/Leon McCarron) In 1926, Henry Ford bought the Redstone School British and American governments... but then House in Sterling, Massachusetts. Ford claimed the school we all do that at times. turally sensitive when there. We followed basic role as the buyer is to absolutely insist on pay- country anywhere in the world. Whenever any- house was the one mentioned in nursery rhyme “Mary It’s a bit of a taboo to talk about politics, and self-imposed guidelines, like not taking any pho- ing. It may take two or three goes, but eventually thing went wrong, an Iranian inevitably turned Had a Little Lamb,” and moved the building to his property in general we stayed clear of the topic. Instead, tos of people without permission (a good rule to your money is accepted. up to save the day. in Sudbury. during my time there, I found a population that adhere to anyway!) and being cautious about This, oddly, is the norm, and it’s quite en- Our closest shave with disaster came Ford backed up his claims that the school house was were overwhelming young (nearly 60% at best approaching women in the street if we needed dearing. The complication comes when you when I capsized my kayak on the Karun and the real deal by publishing a book: “The Story of Mary and estimate), ambitious and well-educated, with to ask for help – this can be frowned upon in travel independently in remote places as we lost my paddle. It could have been cata- Her Little Lamb and Ford Ideals”. Ford converted the build- none of the prejudices that are sometimes as- certain areas. did, where quite often people really do want strophic for our hopes of finishing the trip. ing, which was being used for storage, back into a proper sociated with the country. Even if you do overstep a boundary, howev- to give you things for free (food, drink, ac- Instead, the very first person we met in the school: Classes were taught at the Redstone School House Rural areas are more conservative than cities er, the worst that is likely to happen is someone commodation.) Your role then is to initially closest town immediately decided our prob- until 1951. In cities like Tehran and Isfahan, the cultural will take you aside and tell you what’s happened refuse, and to do so enough times until it feels lem was his too. He chucked some customers During a 1928 interview with the Detroit Times’ divide between Iran and much of the rest of the – the Iranian desire to please and be hospitable right to accept. If it sounds weird, it is, a bit, out of his taxi, closed business for the day and George Sylvester Viereck, Ford expanded on his religious world doesn’t feel all that great at times – there will almost certainly override any offence caused. but it’s good fun too and important to un- drove us off into the mountains in search of a thoughts, owing his strokes of brilliance to a “Master is a bustling, vibrant and liberal buzz to life there. Ta’arof derstand. new paddle. Mind”: “Somewhere is a Master Mind sending brain wave In rural areas however, it felt much more con- This is Iran’s unique and (at first) bewilder- People are awesome Improbably, he found one – and we returned messages to us. There is a Great Spirit. I never did anything servative. ing etiquette system. When you attempt to buy The landscapes are beautiful, the history triumphantly to his house where a mad and mem- by my own volition. I was pushed by invisible forces within Tom Allen (my filming partner) and I trav- something, the vendor will generally tell you is breathtaking. The greatest thing about Iran, orable night was spent eating kebabs and listening and without me.” elled deep into the Zagros Mountains on foot it’s free – they will accept no money under any however, is the people. Hospitality is an intrinsic to his stories of adventures in the hills. Using wood scraps from his plants, Ford found he and by kayak, and were extra careful to be cul- circumstances. They don’t really mean it – your part of the culture. I’ve never been to a friendlier (Source: wanderlust.co.uk) could make charcoal briquettes. When Ford’s brother-in-law E.G. Kingsford brokered the site selection for Ford’s charcoal manufacturing plant, Ford named the company Kingsford Charcoal in his honor. Iran, Qashqai tribe: Jajim weaving During World War I, Ford tried his hand in the aviation business and started the Ford Airplane Company. The U.S. Jajim or Jajem means a “Thick cloth” like “palas” and also passed through warps and beaten by a comb, to be Centennial of Flight Commission recognized Ford as a pio- a kind of two-sides carpet, which is thinner than Palas. pressed. Warps make images of Jajim. Wefts are not neer of aviation in 2002, but the Ford Airplane Division shut Jajim is woven with colorful and fine threads of wool or seem very much. down in 1933 due to lackluster sales. mixture of silk and wool. It is a hand weave with no fluff Common Jajims (Chahar-Koub) are like light and dark In Aldous Huxley’s dystopian society of “Brave New and its two surfaces could be used. It is a tribal weaving checkered in different colors. Motifs could be stripped, World”, the world dates its years as Annum Fordum, or “Year and used as a coverlet or protector from coldness. square, checkered, toothed, plain and parallel lines, and of Our Ford”. Huxley’s characters also use Henry’s name as Before coming of quilt and blanket, Jajim has been generally all motifs are along warps. “Our Ford” instead of “Our Lord.” the only coverlet of tribesmen. Although it is rough and In “Qashqai” tribe, Jajim is also woven as needle lace (called (Source: mentalfloss.com) coarse, it will become fine and delicate by continuous “Rend”) and its motifs are the same as kilim. These Jajim are use very soon. mostly common in “ Kashkouli” and “Dareshori” tribes. Weaving of Jajim is simpler than kilim and more com- Common Jajims could also be woven in two pieces or mon, as well. A common Jajim with 2.5 meter length and more. It means, that a narrow stripe with 5 meter length 2 meter width could be woven in less than a month by and 1.5 meter width, is woven; then divided into 2 pieces. ON THIS DAY two weavers, otherwise rug that has millions of knots or These 2 pieces are sown together side by side. Salvage Scholars’ estimate of Jesus’ crucifixion by Roman troops in 30 kilim that has tens of motifs in several colors. in between hides the sown points. Jerusalem There are fine Jajims woven in tribes, which have 3 to These Jajim are called “Double Width” and could be Prague U, 1st university in central Europe, formed by Charles 4 mm thickness. These Jajims are used for decoration. woven ever by a weaver. If weavers are more than one 1348 Jajim, like kilim, is woven on horizontal loom. Accord- it is better to be woven in single width. Today it is woven IV ing to the pattern, which weaver has in mind, colorful with the width of 20 to 30 cm; mostly five parts sown warps with certain space have been prepared, on loom. together, made Jajim. 1724 Johann S Bach’s “John Passion” premieres in Leipzig Hand spun and fine wefts, prepared by tribe women, (Source: caroun.com) 1888 Start of Sherlock Holmes adventure “Yellow Face” (BG)

PICTURE OF THE DAY IRNA/Seyed Kazem Yusefi 1st brain tumor operation under local anesthetic performed 1923 by Dr K Winfield Ney Foreign tourists 1st 2 NAZI anti-Jewish laws, bars Jews from legal & public 1933 service to explore Iran In India, Mahatma Gandhi suspended his campaign of civil 1934 by luxury train disobedience 1940 1st black to appear on U.S. stamp (Booker T. Washington) TOURISM TEHRAN – The Golden Eagle deskDanube Express luxury train, Adolf Hitler & Benito Mussolini met for an Axis conference 1943 carrying 74 tourists from the U.S., the Netherlands, in Salzburg Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Australia, ar- rived in the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz on 1946 Syria’s independence from France is officially recognised. Tuesday. The tourists paid visits to Azarbaijan Museum, Blue Mosque, and Grand Bazaar and left the city 1948 World Health Organization forms by UN on Wednesday. U.S. President Eisenhower in news conference first to voice Tourists flew from Istanbul to Tabriz and get on 1954 the train, which had crossed the Turkey-Iran border fear of a “domino-effect” of communism in Indo-China empty due to ongoing unrests in Turkish cities. During their eight-day trip, they will sojourn in 1969 The Internet’s symbolic birth date: publication of RFC 1. the cities of Kashan, Isfahan, Shiraz, Yazd, Mash- had, and Tehran and then they will leave Iran by 1980 Jimmy Carter breaks relations with Iran during hostage crisis plane for Budapest. It is the fourth time that the train has entered Oldest human skeleton, aged 80,000 years, discovered in 1983 Iran since 2014. The Golden Eagle Danube Express Egypt is the first European luxury train allowed into both Turkey and Iran. 2001 Mars Odyssey is launched. The train comprises 13 lavishly-decorated wood-paneled 1950s carriages and berths for U.S. troops capture Baghdad; Saddam Hussein’s regime falls 2003 about 70 guests and set off from Budapest. two days later. The train passed Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, 15 people, including 9 children, are killed by an air strike on and Turkey before reaching Iran. 2013 Aleppo by the Syrian Air Force I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y

6 INTERNATIONAL AAPRILPRIL 77,, 22016016 http://www.tehrantimes.com/international Nagorno-Karabakh: Contested narratives By Murad Gassanly audiences. gion was inhabited by both commu- tire Azerbaijani population was driven It is important, therefore, for in- nities for centuries, going back into out in a campaign of ethnic cleans- he recent outbreak of hostilities ternational media outlets to ensure antiquity. ing, marked by massacres, such as the Tbetween Armenia and Azerbai- that their coverage reflects a con- As the great Armenian historian one that occurred at the Azeri town of jan in Nagorno-Karabakh seems tested nature of various narratives Ronald G Suny argues, nationalist nar- Khojaly in February 1992. to have caught the international com- that are being put forward by both ratives of both sides obscure a com- Some 25 percent of the Karabakh munity by surprise, with experts and parties. mon Karabakh heritage in what is a population (40,000 people, including commentators struggling to explain History is arguably the most impor- shared homeland. members of my family) was forced to the causes and possible consequences tant battlefield in this information war. It is essential, therefore, that the flee. By the time ceasefire was signed of the ongoing clashes. For the Armenian side it is essential to international media coverage reflects in 1994, a further 600,000 Azerbaijanis Meanwhile, international media minimize Azerbaijan’s historical claim the contested and complex nature were forcibly expelled from the seven coverage of the conflict is also prov- on Karabakh (meaning Black Garden of these competing historical para- regions around Nagorno-Karabakh, ing to be problematic, and far from in Azeri language). digms, and avoids presenting any one which Armenians occupied in 1993- impartial. Hence, the claim lies on the insist- perspective as the definitive universal 1994. It is often difficult to convey the ence that the region was incorporated truth. For Azerbaijan, the Karabakh con- complexity of this long-standing re- into Azerbaijan as late as the 1920s by Another striking feature of cur- Armenian soldiers gather at their positions in Martakert Province. flict is first and foremost about these gional conflict - with deep historical the Soviet authorities. rent debates around the Karabakh people, and the right of return of Kara- roots and a challenging geopolitical Roots of conflict conflict is an almost total omission while Azerbaijanis were expelled from was accompanied by pogroms and bakh Azerbaijani community and refu- context, and taking place in a relatively For Azerbaijanis the roots of the from the discussions of more than a Armenia. violence. In Nagorno-Karabakh, as gees from other occupied regions is a remote corner of Europe, in the Cau- conflict go back to the mass resettle- million refugees and internally dis- This forced population exchange Armenian forces advanced, the en- non-negotiable redline. casus. ment of Armenians from Ottoman and placed people. This is a view shared by the interna- As the result, hostilities on the Persian empires in Karabakh in the first As the conflict began with unilateral It is essential, therefore, that the international tional community. In 1993 the United ground spill over into what can only half of the 19th century, following the demand for secession from the Ar- media coverage reflects the contested and Nations Security Council passed four be described as an information war, Russian imperial conquest of South menian community of Nagorno-Kara- complex nature of these competing historical separate resolutions demanding Ar- with both sides making claims and Caucasus. bakh, in the early stages of the conflict paradigms, and avoids presenting any one menian withdrawal from the occupied counterclaims, seeking to influence the Yet, as historians argue, there is (between 1988 and 1990) ethnic Arme- territories. way the conflict is presented to global overwhelming evidence that the re- nians were expelled from Azerbaijan, perspective as the definitive universal truth. 9

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www.tehrantimes.com I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y AAPRILPRIL 77,, 22016016 http://www.tehrantimes.com/economy WORLD ECONOMY 7

Oil bounce fuels Asia energy NEWS Britain's Atom Bank kicks off mobile banking shares; yen near 1 1/2-year high operations

Oil rebounded amid optimism a deal will be struck to Atom Bank said on Wednesday it had been given the green light freeze output, spurring gains in Asian energy shares. The from regulators to launch its mobile app to iPhone and iPad users yen held near a 1 1/2-year high, while U.S. index futures in the latest phase in its bid to become Britain's first digital-only rose and Treasuries retreated. lender. U.S. crude climbed a second day, jumping more than The so-called challenger bank, which is partly backed by Span- 2 percent after Kuwait indicated producers could reach an ish lender BBVA, received its full licence from the Bank of England agreement to arrest output even if Iran doesn’t join in. A in June and plans to provide fixed savings, current accounts, debit gauge of Asian energy producers rose for the first time and credit cards by the end of the year. this month, while the Malaysian ringgit led a rebound in Additionally, the branch-free bank will offer overdrafts and in- emerging-market currencies. Copper advanced along with stant access savings and residential mortgages, all serviced via its tin. mobile app, which will also be available to Android users. Investors remain cautious in the wake of last month’s Led by Chief Executive Mark Mullen, Atom will target small and optimism, with International Monetary Fund chief Chris- mid-cap businesses by offering secured lending through a num- tine Lagarde highlighting risks to the global economy. ber of specialist business intermediaries. More detail on the Federal Reserve’s dovish stance could "We believe we have built a bank in record time, and we're be forthcoming Wednesday, with minutes of their March not planning to stop here," said Atom's founder and chairman gathering due. U.S. political uncertainty was heightened as Anthony Thomson. Texas Senator Ted Cruz beat Donald Trump in Wisconsin’s Atom was launched in April 2014 and employs 160 permanent Republican presidential primary on Tuesday, and Bernie staff. In November it sold a 29.5 percent stake to BBVA for 45 Sanders claimed a victory over Hillary Clinton in the Dem- million pounds. (Source: NYtimes) ocratic contest. Pfizer Inc. decided to scrap a planned $160 billion merger with Allergan Plc, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. “It’s been a bit volatile the last few days, but emerging German industry output markets are quite resilient, ” said Soichiro Monji, chief strat- egist at Tokyo-based Daiwa SB Investments Ltd. in Tokyo. falls less than expected “At the start of the year, the argument wasn’t that Japan in February itself was bad. Rather, because emerging markets are bad, Oil continues to exert influence over global financial ing to be reached.” Japan and the U.S. will be dragged down too. That type of markets, with Kuwait claiming a deal on output can be West Texas Intermediate crude for May delivery jumped German industrial output fell less than expected in February after thinking was quite prevalent then, but as emerging markets reached without Iran when major suppliers meet April 17. 2.6 percent in New York to $36.82 a barrel, while Brent jumping in January, data showed on Wednesday, in a sign that the are proving to be resilient, that kind of logic is breaking Saudi Arabia spurred a selloff in oil earlier this week by crude for June delivery rose 1.9 percent to $38.58 a barrel. sector is likely to give Europe's largest economy a modest push in down.” questioning its own involvement in the freeze should Iran Gold retreated 0.2 percent in the spot market, while the first quarter of 2016. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index was down 0.1 percent as of not take part. copper added 0.3 percent, climbing for a second day. Output edged down 0.5 percent on the month, data from the 2:21 p.m. Tokyo time, while the energy sub-gauge rose 0.8 “Oil is going to be very volatile in the lead up to the Tin rose 0.1 percent. The yen was little changed at 110.29 Economy Ministry showed. That was well above the mid-range percent, its first gain since March 31. The Topix slid 0.4 per- meeting,” Angus Nicholson, a market analyst at IG Ltd. in per dollar, after climbing as high as 109.95 on Tuesday, its forecast in a Reuters poll for a 1.8 percent decline. cent. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index advanced 0.3 percent Melbourne, said by phone, referring to the mid-April talks strongest level since October 2014. Australia’s dollar rose The energy sector as well as factories that make consumer and the Kospi index in Seoul added 0.5 percent. on the freeze. “It’s so uncertain as to whether a deal is go- 0.2 percent, gaining for the first time this week, and the goods and investment products reported particularly weak out- The Shanghai Composite index was down 0.2 percent Canadian currency strengthened 0.1 percent. put figures while construction companies posted strong gains. while the Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong advanced 0.1 Oil continues to exert A gauge of Asian currencies advanced, snapping three The January reading was revised downward to an increase of percent. Taiwanese equities slid 1.6 percent as markets in influence over global days of declines, with the Malaysian ringgit rising 0.3 per- 2.3 percent after an initially reported hike of 3.3 percent. Taipei opened after two days of public holidays. financial markets, with cent and the Thai baht appreciating 0.2 percent. "Overall, the industrial sector got off to a relatively good start in Futures on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index were up Treasuries retreated, with the 10-year yield increasing 2016 although seasonal factors led to shifts in production and the 0.3 percent following a 1 percent drop in the U.S. bench- Kuwait claiming a deal one basis point to 1.73 percent. Japanese similar-maturity construction sector benefited from the mild winter," the Economy mark last session. The index capped its biggest two-day on output can be reached notes were up 1/2 a basis point to minus 0.065 percent. Ministry said in a statement. slump since Feb. 9. The S&P 500 hadn’t moved more than without Iran when major South Korean bonds were yielding 1.79 percent after reach- The manufacturing and construction sectors are expected to 1 percent in either direction over the previous 15 sessions, a ing a record-low 1.77 percent on Monday. post solid gains in the first quarter, the ministry added. trend not seen since March 2015. suppliers meet April 17. (Source: Bloomberg) (Source: NYtimes)

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8 MED & SCI AAPRILPRIL 77,, 22016016 http://www.tehrantimes.com

NEWS IN BRIEF Zika mystery deepens with evidence Lab researchers contribute to improvements to X-ray laser of nerve cell infections Campus researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Labo- ratory are contributing key components to a project that will Top Zika investigators now believe that the School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor improve the world’s brightest X-ray laser. birth defect microcephaly and the paralyz- College of Medicine. The project, called LCLS-II, is a joint effort of several laborato- ing Guillain-Barre syndrome may be just The Zika outbreak was first de- ries across the nation, including the Stanford Linear Accelerator the most obvious maladies caused by the tected in Brazil last year and is spread- Center, or SLAC, and Berkeley Lab. LCLS-II involves adding a mosquito-borne virus. ing through the Americas. It has been second X-ray laser beam to the existing Linac Coherent Light Fueling that suspicion are recent discov- linked to thousands of suspected cases Source, or LCLS, a free-elec- eries of serious brain and spinal cord infec- of microcephaly, a typically rare birth tron X-ray laser at SLAC. tions - including encephalitis, meningitis defect marked by unusually small head In addition to helping with and myelitis - in people exposed to Zika. size, signaling a problem with brain de- the design of the X-ray la- Evidence that Zika's damage may be velopment. Evidence linking Zika to mi- ser, researchers at Berkeley more varied and widespread than initially crocephaly prompted the World Health Lab are also contributing two believed adds pressure on affected coun- Organization to declare a global health main components of the pro- tries to control mosquitoes and prepare emergency in February. ject: the injector source and to provide intensive - and, in some cases, The suspicion that Zika acts directly on the undulators. According to lifelong - care to more patients. The newly nerve cells began with autopsies on abort- Erik Wallen, the UC Berke- suspected disorders can cause paralysis ed and stillborn fetuses showing the virus ley team leader for magnetic and permanent disability - a clinical out- replicating in brain tissues. In addition to field measurement, one-third look that adds urgency to vaccine develop- microcephaly, researchers reported find- of the project’s 55 undulators ment efforts. ing other abnormalities linked with Zika in- will be assembled by campus Scientists are of two minds about why Researchers have reported finding other abnormalities cluding fetal deaths, placental insufficiency, researchers. these new maladies have come into view. linked with Zika including fetal deaths, placental fetal growth retardation and injury to the The injector source houses The first is that, as the virus is spreading central nervous system. tightly packed electrons in the device, and once the electrons insufficiency, fetal growth retardation and injury to the through such large populations, it is reveal- Doctors also are worried that Zika expo- from the injector source are accelerated through the machine, central nervous system. ing aspects of Zika that went unnoticed in sure in utero may have hidden effects, such they are sent to the undulators, which produce the X-rays, ac- earlier outbreaks in remote and sparsely dence that the virus has evolved. quences of this virus turning from the as behavioral problems or learning disabili- cording to John Corlett, the project’s senior team leader at populated areas. The second is that the Pandemic strain African strain to a pandemic strain," said ties that are not apparent at birth. Berkeley Lab. newly detected disorders are more evi- "What we're seeing are the conse- Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National (Source: Reuters) Wallen noted that the researchers working on LCLS-II are building a second laser in order to create shorter pulses of X- rays at higher intensities. Because the new accelerator and un- dulator will increase the repetition rate of the X-rays, the inten- sity of the X-rays will also increase. There's even more scientific proof bilingual kids are smarter Whereas the existing LCLS laser operates at approximately 100 hertz, the new one will operate at approximately 1 mega- But a new study shows that children as young as 11 months sounds that reflected both English and Spanish languages. "Our results underscore the notion that not only are hertz — a repetition rate that is 10,000 times higher, Corlett said. are capable of learning two languages, and moreover, Unsurprisingly, researchers found that while children very young children capable of learning multiple lan- John Galayda, the project director at SLAC, said the repetition of those who do show more brain activity in areas that are raised with a single language in the household were able guages, but that early childhood is the optimum time pulses will increase to 1 million times per second, compared to responsible for problem-solving, attention redirection and to process only English sounds, babies raised with two lan- for them to begin," the study's lead author, University of the current 120 pulses per second. other important functions. guages were naturally able to process both English and Washington research scientist Naja Ferjan Ramirez, said (Source: dailycal.org) Researchers at the University of Washington's Insti- Spanish sounds. in a statement. tute for Learning and Brain Sciences tested a crop of 16 Bilingual babies "Our results suggest that before they even start talking, 11-month-old babies, half of whom were raised with solely Higher-functioning brains: Especially interesting is a babies raised in bilingual households are getting practice English speakers; the other half grew up with both Spanish finding that bilingual babies had more activity in their pre- at tasks related to executive function," said Ramirez. "This and English in their respective households. frontal and orbitofrontal cortexes. These areas of the brain suggests that bilingualism shapes not only language devel- How to create opioids for The children were then nestled inside a brain-imaging are associated with executive functions like personality, opment, but also cognitive development more generally." the masses helmet, where they listened to a series of "da" and "ta" decision-making and other complex cognitive tasks. (Source: Mic)

It is an aroma you would normally find wafting around a bakery, or from a cellar of a home-brew enthusiast. Carbon farming is a zero-risk strategy Opening the blood-brain barrier to At Stanford University, however, the yeast emanating this odor isn't being used to create food or drink, but instead engi- for curbing climate change deliver drugs for brain diseases neered to create powerful new medicines. Now that 195 nations, including the U.S., The American bioengineer pioneering this research is Christi- Cornell researchers have discovered a have agreed to ambitious greenhouse na Smolke and she's transforming the field of drug development way to open one of the major barriers to gas emission reductions to slow the pace by creating new opioid drugs from the humble baker's yeast. the brain, called the blood brain barrier of climate change, the question everyone Smolke's technique is anticipated to make opioid drugs within (BBB), which prevents the entry of thera- is asking is: How will we actually meet our three to five days. She's confident her method will lead to drug pies to treat brain disorders, such as Alz- targets set for 2035? advances for other conditions, such as cancer. heimer’s disease. Given past performance, many don't Smolke and her team have set up Antheia - a company cre- The finding also has implications think we will get there without so-called ated to commercialize their research and provide medicines to for treating all chemotherapy-resistant "geoengineering" solutions, such as blast- all who need them. cancers. ing sulfur dioxide or other particles into Poppies have been used for medicinal purposes for centuries For a century now, a major challenge the atmosphere to shade the planet and by ancient civilizations all over the world. Today, they are the in the treatment of diseases of the brain compensate for the warming effect of primary source for many painkillers. has been discovering how to safely de- greenhouse gases. Clever, eh? Maybe Poppies have been used for medicinal purposes for centuries liver drugs across the BBB. The BBB is not. Some recent modeling studies show gas, carbon dioxide. doctoral associate in Bynoe’s lab, is the by ancient civilizations all over the world. Today, they are the composed of a layer of specialized cells, these seemingly easy fixes could backfire Over the past century soils worldwide paper’s first author. primary source for many painkillers. called endothelial cells, which line the in catastrophic ways, such as disrupting have been degraded due to expansion of Chemotherapy drugs Current opioid production methods involve harvesting sap brain’s blood vessels and safeguard the the Indian monsoon season and com- agriculture and poor soil management. The researchers were able to deliver from poppies and processing them to produce opioid drugs, brain from unwanted substances. These pletely drying out the Sahel of Africa. Today, there is a revolution in agriculture chemotherapy drugs into the brains of which takes one year. cells also selectively allow entry of mol- Another risk is atmospheric chemical that recognizes the importance of build- mice, as well as large molecules, like an Poppy farms face many challenges both from the perspective ecules needed for brain function, such as reactions that deplete the ozone layer. ing "healthy" soils by replacing the or- antibody that binds to Alzheimer’s dis- of trying to grow crops reliably each year and the movement of amino acids, oxygen, glucose and water. Do we really want to run global-scale ex- ganic matter that has been lost over time. ease plaques, according to the paper. narcotic materials across borders. Cornell researchers report that an periments for 20 or 30 years and see what One way to do this is to use carbon- and To test whether this drug delivery sys- The results of Smolke's work are a testament to her tenacity FDA-approved drug called Lexiscan, happens? nutrient-rich organic sources of fertilizers tem has application to the human BBB, according to Kate Thodey, a strain engineer who has worked on which is used in heart imaging, activates Carbon-rich soil such as manure or compost rather than the lab engineered a BBB model using the project for the past six years and watched Smolke refuse to receptors – called adenosine receptors – There is another way, one that is ze- synthetic chemical fertilizers. Another is human primary brain endothelial cells. believe it would not be possible. that are expressed on these BBB cells. ro-risk and builds on something farmers to include carbon- and nutrient-rich crops They observed that Lexiscan opened the (Source: CNN) “We can open the BBB for a brief around the world are already motivated like legumes (e.g., peas, beans) in rota- window of time, long enough to deliver engineered BBB in a manner similar to its to do: manage soils so that a maximum tions, and plant winter cover crops that therapies to the brain, but not too long so actions in mice. amount of the carbon dioxide plants pull contribute additional organic matter in as to harm the brain. We hope in the fu- Bynoe and Kim discovered that a out of the air via photosynthesis remains the off-season. ture, this will be used to treat many types protein called P-glycoprotein is highly Pluto may have tipped on the farm as carbon-rich soil organic We've also discovered that reduc- of neurological disorders,” said Margaret expressed on brain endothelial cells and over when Charon matter. "Carbon farming," as it is some- ing the amount of plowing and tilling of Bynoe, associate professor in the Depart- blocks the entry of most drugs deliv- times called, is Mother Nature's own geo- the soil ("conservation tillage") slows the ment of Microbiology and Immunology in ered to the brain. Lexiscan acts on one tugged at its heart engineering, relying on fundamental bio- microbial breakdown of organic matter Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine. of the adenosine receptors expressed logical processes to capture carbon and that leads to carbon dioxide emissions Bynoe is senior author of the study ap- on BBB endothelial cells specifically ac- Sometimes you’ve just got to follow your heart, even if it means sequester it in the soil, carbon that would from soils. pearing April 4 in The Journal of Clinical tivating them. moving heaven and Pluto. The dwarf planet’s iconic heart, infor- otherwise be in the air as the greenhouse (Source: The Hill) Investigation. Do-Geun Kim, now a post- (Source: Neuroscience News) mally known as Tombaugh Regio, was one of the biggest sur- prises in the first images beamed back by NASA’s New Horizons probe last July. Now a more detailed look at the spacecraft’s data suggests the heart is so heavy it may actually have tipped Pluto on to its side. Giant mammoth skull discovered by bulldozer operator The west side of the heart, Sputnik Planum, is thought to be A bulldozer operator at a sand pit in northwestern Okla- of the animal could be anywhere." the remnants of a large crater that has been filled in with nitro- homa got quite a surprise this month when he spotted a The exact age gen ice. The plain is unmarked by craters, suggesting it must be huge skull that belonged to a Columbian mammoth. Though the scientists have not pinpointed an exact age less than 10 million years old. These giants were plentiful across the plains of Oklaho- for the skull, they know it’s more than 11,000 years old — Researchers have noticed that the center of this crater lies ma during the Pleistocene epoch, which lasted from about the period when mammoths and other megafauna went very close to the tidal axis – an imaginary line linking Pluto to its 1.8 million to 11,700 years ago, said Leland Bement of the extinct at the end of the Pleistocene. largest moon, Charon. The two worlds are tidally locked, mean- Oklahoma Archaeological Survey. Scientists have put forth several reasons for the ex- ing they always show the same face to each other as they rotate. The discovery was not unheard of, as the Survey typi- tinctions, ranging from rapid climate warming to ice age It would be a bit of a coincidence for these two features to cally receives about three "mammoth-sighting" calls a year, human hunters. Others have suggested a perfect storm line up so well, but at the Lunar and Planetary Science confer- Bement said. That made it now less exciting, though. "Ar- of culprits. One group of dwarf mammoths is thought ence last month in The Woodlands, Texas, two teams offered a chaeological fieldwork is always exciting. You never know to have survived in the Arctic, on Wrangel Island, until potential explanation. what you are going to find," Bement told Live Science in The skull had been deposited on the sandbar of a river about 3,700 years ago. If Sputnik Planum is denser than Pluto is on average, Cha- an email. channel, the archaeologists said. So far, the archaeologists Like other Columbian mammoths (Mammuthus colum- ron’s tug on it will be proportionally greater, swiveling the entire He added, "When it comes to mammoth finds, we are have unearthed the animal's skull with a single tooth in bi), this one was not the cold-adapted type and preferred world. “Charon is going to try to pull it into the tidal axis – that always on the lookout for the next one that has projectile place; apparently, another tooth had been removed from more temperate stomping grounds in southern and central just happens to be where you would minimize the energy,” says points or stone tools associated with it to indicate that the skull during the clearing of the sand. North America. The woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primi- James Keane of the University of Tuscon, Arizona, who led one the animal was killed and butchered. We have so few of "We don't know the cause of death. There is no sign that genius), the kind portrayed in the "Ice Age" movies, would of the teams. these sites across North America and only one so far in people killed or butchered it," Bement told Live Science in have called the chilly tundra home. (Source: New Scientist) Oklahoma." an email. "Its skull was washed around in the river. The rest (Source: Live Science) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y http://www.tehrantimes.com/international APRIL 7, 2016 WORLD IN FOCUS 9

1 On Monday, Saudi Foreign sion to Ansarullah demands. The group Minister Adel al-Jubeir said that a del- had long maintained that any talks must egation of Ansarullah was in the Arab Yemen’s Ansarullah calls be held with the Saudis as their main ad- kingdom to hold peace discussions. versary in the war, and not with Hadi. JUMP An Ansarullah spokesman, Moham- truce in war-stricken regions Elsewhere, Ansarullah movement has med Abdulsalam, said on Tuesday that a announced a ceasefire in several bor- Nagorno-Karabakh: ceasefire was reached with Saudi Arabia der regions with Saudi Arabia in a bid to Contested narratives to halt operations in a number of Yemeni pave the way for upcoming political talks provinces. among Yemeni groups. 6 He said the truce would pave the way The movement’s spokesman, Mo- Effective control for peace talks between Ansarullah and hammed Abdulsalam, said on Tuesday Last year the European Court of Human Rights con- former fugitive president Abd Rabbuh that as a “first step”, the truce would halt firmed that the Republic of Armenia “exercised effective Mansur Hadi’s loyalists. military operations in a number of Yem- control over Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding ter- Last month, the United Nations spe- eni provinces, including the Midi border ritories”. cial envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh area in the northwestern Hajjah province. And in a statement on Sunday, the President of the Parlia- Ahmed, announced that the former gov- Saudi Arabia has been waging a war mentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Pedro Agramunt ernment and the Ansarullah movement on Yemen since late March 2015 in a bid called for the “withdrawal of all Armenian armed troops from had agreed to halt hostilities on April 10 to return Hadi to power. Nearly 9,400 occupied Azerbaijani territories in compliance with UN Secu- ahead of a new round of peace talks to Yemenis, including 4,000 women and rity Council resolutions”. be held in Kuwait on April 18. children, have lost their lives in the deadly Paradoxically, none of these facts seem to be reflected in The House of Saud regime is un- military campaign. media coverage of the current fighting. der growing pressure as its protracted Yemenis, in return, have been carrying One glaringly obvious fact is that the breakdown of war has ground into a no-win situation. out retaliatory attacks on the Saudi forces the ceasefire regime is a direct result of the failure of the In February, Saudi military spokesman “static war” against its southern neighbor. around the world over rising civilian deployed in the country as well as targets international mediation effort, led by the so-called Or- Brigadier General Ahmed Asiri acknowl- Riyadh is also coming under an un- casualties and destruction in Yemen. inside Saudi Arabia. ganization for Security Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) edged that the kingdom was stuck in a precedented chorus of criticism from Negotiations suggest Riyadh’s submis- (Source: Press TV) Minsk Group, co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France. The Minsk Group experience is marked by 20 years of failure and ineptitude, and it is now widely Beating diabetes by promoting healthy diets in Iran seen as defunct. For Azerbaijan full implementation of the UN Security 1 Malnutrition, in all its forms, including under- and agricultural products, and improving the standards partners to act effectively. nutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, overweight and of living and conditions of rural populations constitute According to the information published by the Ira- Council resolutions is of utmost priority. obesity, not only affects people’s health and wellbeing the fundamental pillars of FAO’s constitution. nian Diabetes Society, the country is equally confront- Yet, after two decades of fruitless talks, it is increasingly by impacting negatively on human physical and cog- In this endeavour, since its founding, FAO has been ed by the challenges of diabetes, as approximately clear that Armenia has no incentive to make the necessary nitive development, compromising the immune sys- acknowledged as a global authoritative body that pro- 12% of the adult population is affected by and suffer concessions to start a real peace process in accordance with tem, increasing susceptibility to communicable and vides a neutral forum for all nations to negotiate agree- from different types of this non-communicable dis- those resolutions. (Source: Aljazeera) non-communicable diseases, restricting the attainment ments and debate policy on defeating hunger in the ease. of human potential and reducing productivity, but also world as well as a source of knowledge for strengthen- At the country level, FAO is seeking to forge a poses a high burden in the form of negative social and ing agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices to secure closer collaboration between key stakeholders to economic consequences to individuals, families, com- sustainable agricultural and rural development. address the challenges. In this endeavor, the Organ- EU outlines options for munities and States. FAO’s strategy and vision for nutrition seeks to im- ization pursuing joint programmes with WHO, the Different forms of malnutrition as part of food inse- prove diets and raise levels of nutrition of low-income, Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Jihad-e Agricul- change to asylum system curity co-exist within most countries; while dietary risk resource poor, food insecure, socially excluded and eco- ture to promote a concerted effort towards securing affects all socio-economic groups, large inequalities ex- nomically marginalized, most nutritionally vulnerable enhanced nutrition and healthy diets, strengthened The European Union executive made proposals on Wednes- ist in nutritional status, exposure to risk and adequacy of households in gender-sensitive and sustainable ways. food quality and safety for the nation in line with the day to reform EU asylum rules in response to the chaotic dietary energy and nutrient intake, between and within The purpose of the strategy is to reposition and pri- recommendations that emanated from the Second arrival of over a million migrants and refugees last year that countries. oritize FAO’s work in nutrition and to reinforce its lead- International Conference that was held at the Organi- has strained the bloc’s cohesion. However, ensuring food security for all is at the heart ership role in bringing stakeholders together, in gener- zation’s headquarters in Rome in 2014. I believe that a Reflecting divisions among member states, the European of FAO’s mandate, its programmes and activities. Rais- ating and communicating knowledge to build political multidisciplinary approach and inter-sectoral collab- Commission offered options for amending what is known as ing levels of nutrition, securing improvements in the ef- commitment and guide actions, and in strengthening oration in this process is essential if we are to “beat” the Dublin rules, under which people claim asylum in the first ficiency of the production and distribution of all food capacities of governments and other implementing diabetes definitively in Iran. EU state they enter. That system has left Greece and Italy unable and unwilling to offer asylum to all arrivals and seen many trekking north, prompting border closures that threat- en the EU’s hallmark Schengen system of passport free travel Saudi Arabia and Iran must work together within Europe. 1 I myself was involved in ne- and economics. revolution. Their relations were even bet- lam, Mecca and Medina, but an ideology gotiating rapprochement between Teh- After that, I negotiated with then-Sau- ter than in the time of the Shah in some of terror led by ISIS, which has its origin ran and Riyadh and making this security di Interior Minister Nayef bin Abdulaziz respects. in Wahhabi Islam—which should not be pact a reality. In mid-1996, then-Iranian Al Saud on security issues. Then I brought More than a decade later, we should equated with mainstream Sunni Islam. President Hashemi Rafsanjani instructed the package to King Fahd, who agreed, take up fostering this cooperation again. The stability and integrity of Saudi Arabia me in his penultimate year to hold talks and in Tehran to Supreme Leader [Rev- In Iran, the conditions are favorable. As and other neighboring Arab countries of with the Saudi government. Prince Tur- olutionsführer] Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 1996, Ayatollah Khamenei and Rou- Iran in the Persian Gulf is an indispen- ki al Faisal coordinated my first meeting and President Rafsanjani, who agreed hani, who is president today, are leading sable part of Iran’s security and stability. with then-Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah also. Later, Hassan Rouhani, the then sec- Iran. In Saudi Arabia, a similar approach Therefore, Saudi Arabia should have an in Casablanca, Morocco. A short while retary of the National Security Council, as pursued by then-Crown Prince Abdul- interest in cooperating with Iran. It is the after, I negotiated with Crown Prince travelled to Jeddah to sign the Security lah is needed. He had negotiated flexibly, time for Riyadh and Tehran to cooperate Abdallah in his private palace in Jeddah, Pact with Prince Nayef, the then-interior based on principles and not on maximal- on the establishment of a regional secu- Saudi Arabia. In open, frank, and sincere minister. Immediately, the pact was filled ist positions. rity structure in the Persian Gulf, focusing discussions, we reviewed all bilateral is- with life, and a Joint Security Commit- The stability that would be created by on issues of common interest, fighting A first option is to create a “corrective fairness mechanism” sues that had been between us. We re- tee was set up. As a result, Saudi Ara- the revival of this agreement from 1996 together against common threats, and that would relocate asylum seekers from frontline states to fused to quarrel, rather we wanted to bia and Iran experienced from 1996 to would be in the interests of Saudi Ara- saving the Middle East from a total col- elsewhere in the bloc - a method now being employed on an find solutions. We managed to agree to a 2005, when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was bia. The fact is that it is not Iran or Shia lapse. The way forward should be based ad hoc basis. A second is to create a new system that would comprehensive bilateral package for co- elected president, the best era in their Muslims who threaten Saudi Arabia and on cooperation, not confrontation. ignore where people arrived in the EU and send them around operation in the fields of politics, security, bilateral relations since the 1979 Iranian claim ownership of the holy places of Is- (Source: Frankfurter Allgemeine) the bloc according to a “permanent distribution key”. Longer term, the Commission also proposes centralizing the entire asylum process within EU institutions, rather than basing it on national laws - though this is very unlikely to find Libya unity govt. cements control after rival cedes power much support among member states for the time being. Libya’s United Nations-backed unity government moved Italy hails ‘encouraging’ moves UN offers ‘all support needed’ “The current system is not sustainable,” the European to cement control over the country’s finances and institu- The Tripoli-based administration had said it was step- “We want to show that the UN and the international Commission’s First Vice-President Frans Timmermans said in tions on Wednesday after the rival administration in Tripoli ping aside in the national interest. community support Prime Minister Sarraj and members of presenting the proposal. ceded power in a boost to efforts to end years of chaos. “We inform you that we are ceasing the activities en- the presidency council,” Kobler told AFP. “We need a sustainable system for the future, based on The concession late on Tuesday by the militia-backed ad- trusted to us as an executive power,” it said in a statement. He said the UN was ready to provide “all the support common rules, a fairer sharing of responsibility, and safe legal ministration that had controlled Tripoli since 2014 was a major The statement, bearing the logo of the so-called Na- needed” towards an “immediate and peaceful handover channels for those who need protection to get it in the EU.” about-turn for a body that had made every effort to block the tional Salvation Government headed by Khalifa Ghweil, of power”. Germany, which took in a million people last year who arrival of prime minister-designate Fayez al-Sarraj. said the unrecognized Tripoli prime minister, his deputy The unity government was formed under a power-sharing mostly arrived initially in Greece, wants to stick to the main It came after UN envoy Martin Kobler held talks with Sarraj premiers and cabinet ministers were all stepping aside. deal agreed by some lawmakers in December. Dublin principle of first point of entry but have a perma- at the naval base where he has established his headquarters It said the Tripoli authorities took the decision to quit be- The new administration had in recent days been broad- nent relocation scheme in place for asylum-seekers. Italy since his arrival under escort by sea last Wednesday. cause they were determined to “preserve the higher interests ening its support, winning the backing of the Libyan In- has pushed for the abolition of the first-country rule alto- The international community has pleaded with Libya’s of the country and prevent bloodshed and divisions.” vestment Authority, the National Oil Corporation and the gether. warring sides to stand behind the unity government, which Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said recent de- Central Bank. Britain, which will vote in a referendum in June on it sees as vital to tackling an extremist expansion and ram- velopments were “encouraging” in moving towards a “unit- Mattia Toaldo, a policy fellow at the European Council whether to quit the bloc, does not take part in most EU pant people smuggling in the North African state. ed, stable and secure Libya”. on Foreign Relations, said Kobler’s visit was a clear signal asylum policies. The Government of National Accord (GNA) has yet to “I hope that the spirit of compromise prevails on all that the GNA was putting down roots in the capital. With no compromise yet in sight, the Commission has secure a similar concession from another rival administra- parties involved,” he said in a statement, offering the full “Kobler’s visit to Tripoli, after the many times he was re- shied away from presenting concrete legal proposals and in- tion based in the far eastern town of Tobruk, which has long support of Italy, the former colonial power in Libya, to the fused landing and access... shows the degree of control of stead laid out various options for future changes. claimed international legitimacy because it was appointed new government. Tripoli by the GNA,” Toaldo said. However, the proposals rule out maintaining the status by the parliament elected in the last polls in 2014. The UN Libya envoy, in Tripoli on his first visit since Sar- An adviser to Kobler said the UN envoy discussed with Sarraj quo, despite some governments not wishing to see any In a directive published on its official Facebook page on raj’s arrival, hailed the announcement as “good news” but “ways to support the action” of the unity government. change in a system under which they take in very few ref- Wednesday, the GNA ordered all government “ministries added that “deeds must follow words”. Western governments are deeply concerned that Lib- ugees. and institutions and committees” to respect its authority Kobler praised the “courage and determination” of the ya’s disarray has allowed ISIL terrorist group to gain an im- Different asylum rules in EU states have also encouraged and use its logo. unity government, whose growing authority has raised portant foothold in the country, but have said a foreign chaotic flows of potential refugees within the EU as they It also ordered the Central Bank and the Audit Bureau hopes it will be able to restore some stability in Libya, which intervention can only take place at the request of a unity trekked from the frontline countries to Germany, Sweden and to freeze all state accounts immediately, except for salary has been plagued by chaos since Muammar Gaddafi’s 2011 government. other states whose laws, or economic prosperity, offer them payments to government employees. overthrow. (Source: AFP) the most beneficial conditions. The Commission outlined legal changes to harmonize asylum rules in EU states to prevent that in the future. It BMI Chairman & CEO meets IMIDRO to inaugurate floated an idea to introduce legal punishment for irregular with members of HKCC new steel projects movements by non-Europeans between countries in the bloc and proposed a stronger mandate for the European Asylum ECONOMY TEHRAN — Dr. Ab- the two countries. He also mentioned ECONOMY TEHRAN — New end of the current Iranian year, in a Support Office. desk desk dolnaser Hemmati, the re-opening of the BMI Hong Kong steel projects will be meeting with employees of IMIDRO In another plan likely to draw mixed response from EU The chairman of Bank Melli Iran (BMI) branch and getting the relevant licenses inaugurated in May 2016, Chairman of and its subsidiaries, Mehdi Karbasian states, the Commission said the bloc needed a long-term met with Andrew Wales, Hong Kong regarding Melli Bank PLC London in the the board of Iranian Mines & Mining said. resettlement scheme to bring in people into Europe directly Chamber of Commerce director for near future. Andrew wales, for his part, Industries Development & Renovation Referring to the exploration of new from crisis zones to create an alternative to the current cha- Asia-Africa committee, a number of the mentioned Iran and china’s development (IMIDRO) announced. mines for these projects, Karbasian em- otic and dangerous routes. members as well as some Chinese mul- programs and said this meeting could According to the report of public phasized the need for attracting foreign Separately, the Commission also rolled out on Wednes- tinational company representatives. pave the way for the expansion of cooper- relations of IMIDRO, seven provincial investment. IMIDRO started new explo- day a number of technical proposals to strengthen the bloc’s In this meeting, referring to the im- ation with BMI in the near future. The offi- steel projects and two sponge iron ration projects in an area of 250 thou- external borders in an attempt to tackle both the migrant portance of post-sanctions era, Dr. Hem- cials in this meeting believed mutual trade production projects will be inaugu- sand kilometers and spent over $33 influx and security threats following deadly attacks in Paris mati emphasized the significant role relations could not happen without the rated in May 2016 and also three million in exploration sector last year, he and Brussels. of BMI in economic relations between cooperation of the two countries’ banks. projects will be inaugurated by the added. (Source: Reuters) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 10 SOCIETY AAPRILPRIL 77,, 22016016 http://www.tehrantimes.com/society

FOOD FOR THOUGHT 1,331 multiple births reported during Noruz holidays in Iran 40,945 births registered SOCIETY TEHRAN — Within the 13-day Noruz holi- deskdays (March 20-April 1), 1,331 multiple births, including 628 twins and 25 triplets were reported nationwide, an official with the Civil Registration Organization said. The most multiple births happened in Tehran with 217 infants, including 107 twins and one triplet, Fars News Agency quoted Ali-Akbar Mahzoon as saying. He went on to say that, 40,945 births were registered during the same period. Tehran, Khorasan Razavi, and Khuzestan provinces with 5,074, 4,092, and 3,129 births held the first three places over A good head and a good heart are always a formidable other provinces in Iran respectively, he added. combination. Nelson Mandela The official also noted that 10,470 deaths occurred over the same period and provinces of Tehran with 1,688 and Khorasan Razavi with 900 deaths had the highest death rates in this period in the country. LEARN ENGLISH Dealing With Corrupt Three sisters drowned in irrigation pool in Kerman Officials SOCIETY TEHRAN — Three 5, 9, and 12 year- him Mohammadi said, Mehr News Agency reported on deskold sisters were drowned in an irrigation Wednesday. Vera: I can’t believe that Stan has been arrested. I know that he on the up-and-up accused in- pool in Jiroft, southeastern Kerman province, chief of the Sadly all three of them died at the scene and their bod- wasn’t always , but he’s being of disaster management and emergency response of the ies were transferred to the forensics to decide the exact fluence peddling and taking bribes. kickbacks Jiroft University of Medical Sciences said. time and cause of death, Mohammadi added. Keigo: Stan has been getting for years. Everybody The incident took place on Tuesday evening and a He further warned the public not to swim in irrigation knew that if you wanted to get what you wanted from this de- medical team was at the scene as soon as possible, Ebra- pools and canals in summer to avoid such events. partment, you had to grease Stan’s palms. There isn’t a more corrupt official than Stan. Vera: But he was always so nice to me. Keigo: That was part of the problem. He was always good to his friends and family. That’s why he’s also known for his nepo- Scarborough’s West Heslerton village: Yours for £20 million tism and cronyism. He gave friends and family plum jobs with good old boy network Estate agents dealing with the sale of an entire stressed, it would be an open sale available to developers and investors as, in many re- Miss Dawnay’s sister, Verena Elliott, said big salaries. He had an entire . English village say they have been inundated to all potential buyers. spects, time has stood still in West Heslerton.” “we all loved it and it would be very hard to Vera: Do you really think he’ll go to jail? On second thought with inquiries despite the £20 million price tag. “We’ve had an incredible amount of inter- “There are now endless possibilities - be it find a village with more loyal and lovely peo- Keigo: I’m sure of it. , if he can find a judge West Heslerton, near Scarborough, North est already,” Mr. Watson said. to convert buildings, develop possible plots ple living in it. There is a real sense of com- who’s on the take and is as corrupt as he is, he has a fighting chance Yorkshire, has been put up for sale - including “My phone’s been ringing off the hook. and commercial opportunities - but I know munity which is hard to find these days.” . its 21-bedroom mansion, 43 houses, a pub, We’ve had about 50 requests for details al- that in an ideal world Miss Dawnay’s family “There are generations and generations (Source: eslpod.com) Words & phrases a range of other buildings and more than ready.” Mr. Watson - who went to the village would really like to see the estate carry on in of families who have lived in estate houses. on the up-and-up: 2,000 acres of farmland. primary school - said: “It’s a once-in-a-gener- a similar vein.” There was a time when nobody ever seemed if a person or business is on the up and up, The village has been owned by the same ation opportunity.” Miss Dawnay inherited the estate in 1964. to move away.” they are honest and do things legally accuse: family for generations but a decision has fi- He said “she was very kind and the prop- It has been in her family for 150 years. Mrs. Elliott’s daughter Bridget still lives in to say that you believe someone is guilty of a crime or nally been taken to sell following the death of erty rents are, and have always been, very But she moved out of West Heslerton the village and has been the shepherd on the of doing something bad influence peddling: Eve Dawnay, the last owner, five years ago, at low. This has helped keep a vibrant village Hall 30 years ago and it has not been lived- estate. She said “I can’t say strongly enough, the use of position or political influence on the age of 84. community with a mixed group of ages and in since. The hall is the centerpiece of the though, what the village and the people who someone's behalf in exchange for money or favors bribe: Miss Dawnay’s benevolent management of there are obviously a lot of people hoping £20 million offer which also includes Miss have lived there meant to my family.” money or a gift that you illegally give someone to per- West Heslerton has meant very little has changed that somebody with a similar benevolent na- Dawnay’s purpose-built four-bedroom home “The loyalty of those villagers has been suade them to do something for you kickback: among the rented cottages for 50 years. ture will come along to take over the estate.” and even the village petrol station and more tremendous.” money that someone pays secretly and dishonestly in Tom Watson, director of Cundalls, the es- “It would be perfect for somebody want- than 100 acres of woodland. “It will be strange to return and not be return for someone's help; bribe grease someone’s palms: tate agents handling the sale, explained that ing to build up and leave a legacy. The estate Mr. Watson wondered whether the sale able to just wander around like I always have; to give someone money in a secret a sale was the best option given that Miss has been very much untouched in the past would boost lottery ticket sales in the area. that it will belong to somebody else.” or dishonest way in order to persuade them to do something corrupt: Dawnay had no single heir. 50 years and is now a blank canvas, ready to He said “this really will be a dream pur- “But times have changed. Especially when using your power in a dishonest or illegal way in order He said that the family would like sell be shaped for the next generation.” chase for somebody and it will be interesting it comes to farming, and it will be lovely to to get an advantage for yourself nepotism: to someone who shared her philosophy “Of course, there can be no denying that to see how the new owners manage the es- see new life breathed into the estate.” the practice of unfairly giving the best jobs to mem- towards the people of the village. But, he the estate is also going to be very attractive tate going forward”. (Source: Daily Mail) bers of your family when you are in a position of power cronyism: the practice of unfairly giving the best jobs to your friends when you are in a position of power - used to show IN FOCUS IRNA/ Bahman Zarei disapproval plum job: a good job etc. that other people wish they had good old boy network: referring to someone who engages in cronyism among men who have known each other for a long period of time jail: a place where criminals are kept as part of their punishment, or where people who have been charged with a crime are kept before they are judged in a law court; prison on the second thought: used to say that you have changed your mind about something on the take: to be willing to do something wrong in return for money have a fighting chance: a small but real possibility that you might do or achieve something

QUIZ OF THE DAY 136) We have _____ days to do the homework. a) little b) any c) several (Quiz No. 135 answer: c)

PHRASAL VERB Rub out

Meaning: erase For example: Write it in pencil so that you can rub it out.

ENGLISH PROVERB Once again water flowed through Tafeh waterfall located in Bisotun preserved area, Kermanshah province, after 15 years. Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know LEARN NEWS TRANSLATION ﺍﺻﺎﺑﺖ ﺗﺮﻛﺶ ﺧﻤﭙﺎﺭﻩ ﺑﻪ ﺧﺎﻧﻪ ﻯ ﺭﻭﺳﺘﺎﻳﻰ Explanation: t’s better to deal with someone difficult but Stray mortar shell hits Iran’s rural house familiar than change and risk dealing with somebody worse ﺻﺒﺢ ﺭﻭﺯ ﺳﻪ ﺷﻨﺒﻪ ﺗﺮﻛﺶ ﺧﻤﭙﺎﺭﻩ ﺍﻯ ﺑﻪ ﺧﺎﻧﻪ ﻯ ﺭﻭﺳﺘﺎﻳﻰ ﺩﺭ ﺣﻮﻣﻪ ﻯ ﺷﻬﺮﺳﺘﺎﻥ ﺧﺪﺍﺁﻓﺮﻳﻦ ﺍﺻﺎﺑﺖ ﻛﺮﺩ ﻭ ﺑﻪ A stray mortar shell hit a rural house in suburbs of Khoda Afarin town in East ﮔﻔﺘﻪ ﻯ ﻣﻌﺎﻭﻥ ﺳﻴﺎﺳﻰ ﻭ ﺍﻣﻨﻴﺘﻰ ﺍﺳﺘﺎﻧﺪﺍﺭ ﺁﺫﺭﺑﺎﻳﺠﺎﻥ ﺷﺮﻗﻰ ﺍﻳﻦ ﺣﺎﺩﺛﻪ ﻫﻴﭻﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﺗﻠﻔﺎﺕ ﺟﺎﻧﻰﺍﻯ ﻧﺪﺍﺷﺘﻪ ﺍﺳﺖ. -Azerbaijan province on Tuesday morning, leaving no casualties, the deputy gov ﺩﺭ ﮔﻔﺖ ﻭ ﮔﻮ ﺑﺎ ﺍﻳﺮﻧﺎ ﺳﻌﻴﺪ ﺷﺒﺴﺘﺮﻯ ﮔﻔﺖ: ﻳﻚ ﮔﻠﻮﻟﻪ ﺗﻮپ ﺑﻪ ﺣﻴﺎﻁ ﻳﻜﻰ ﺍﺯ ﺧﺎﻧﻪﻫﺎﻯ ﺭﻭﺳﺘﺎﻳﻰ ﺍﺻﺎﺑﺖ .ernor-general for political and security affairs of East Azarbaijan province has said Without The mortar shell which hit the yard of the rural house also shattered windows of ﻛﺮﺩ ﻛﻪ ﺑﺮ ﺍﺛﺮ ﺍﻳﻦ ﺣﺎﺩﺛﻪ ﺷﻴﺸﻪﻫﺎﻯ ﺧﺎﻧﻪﻫﺎﻯ ﻣﺠﺎﻭﺭ ﻧﻴﺰ ﺷﻜﺴﺖ. .the nearby buildings, Saeed Shabestari told IRNA on Tuesday ﻭﻯ ﮔﻔﺖ: ﺍﻳﻦ ﺧﻤﭙﺎﺭﻩ ﺩﺭ ﺟﺮﻳﺎﻥ ﺩﺭﮔﻴﺮﻯ ﺑﻴﻦ ﺍﺭﻣﻨﺴﺘﺎﻥ ﻭ ﺟﻤﻬﻮﺭﻯ ﺁﺫﺭﺑﺎﻳﺠﺎﻥ ﺑﺮ ﺳﺮ ﻣﻨﻄﻘﻪ ﻯ ﻗﺮﻩ earth no He said the shell was fired during military clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan ﺑﺎﻍ ﺷﻠﻴﻚ ﺷﺪﻩ ﺍﺳﺖ. .birth! over the disputed region of Karabakh I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y

http://www.tehrantimes.com/sports AAPRILPRIL 66,, 22016016 SPORTS 11

I want to win both Tehran derby and league FOOTBALL Klopp the focus as title, says Persepolis coach Ivankovic Dortmund meets Liverpool in Europa League SPORTS Persepolis head coach Branko Ivank- deskovic, whose team is just two points shy Rarely has one man been the focus of such attention in the of the league leader Esteghlal, stated that he wants to win Europa League. both Tehran derby and the league title. But Juergen Klopp’s return to Borussia Dortmund as Liv- “We had a poor start in the league but we are back then I erpool manager for the first leg of the quarterfinals was al- told the media that we are one of the title contenders this sea- ways going to be an emotional affair with such a strong son. Nobody takes it serious as we had earned just four points bond between him and his former club after seven largely after six weeks but now we have not lost in the past 18 weeks successful years. and we are two points behind the table toppers,” Branko said. Klopp oversaw steady “We have very important games in front of us. Tehran progression after taking over derby against Esteghlal is such as the league final and we Dortmund in 2008 and led will try our best to win this match because nothing less the young side to back-to- than a win will not satisfy me. After a win in derby we will back Bundesliga titles by be close to win the league which is our main objective from 2012, when the club claimed the start of the season,” Branko added. its first double by humbling Former Team Melli head coach then talked about the Bayern Munich in the Ger- chance of Iran national team to qualify for the 2018 World man Cup final. A Champions Cup in Russia. League final appearance in “I think Japan and South Korea are not at the top level 2013 was as good as it got anymore while Iran team has a new generation and their after that. young squad could easily book a place in the World Cup The end, when it came in finals,” the Croatian coach added. 2015, was mourned by Dort- Ivankovic revealed that he had an offer to coach Croatia mund fans who remembered national team but decided to remain at Persepolis. only the good times, as well as Klopp’s infectious good humor “I had many offers while one of them was from Croatia and enthusiasm. Football Federation but I decided to remain at the biggest “Danke Kloppo” (Thank you Kloppo) was trending on Twitter club in Asia with millions of fans. Current Croatia national at the time. team is one of the best during the last decade and I believe Klopp is already extremely popular among Liverpool fans they are capable of winning the Euro 2016,” Branko added. and players for much the same reasons, with his passion for the game and his new club clear to all from his behavior on the touchline and in news conferences. Klopp quickly put his stamp on Liverpool through the team’s AFC Champions League: Iran’s Sepahan loses to Lokomotiv high-energy approach and fierce pressing game. Results have generally been inconsistent but are starting to improve, like SPORTS Sepahan of Iran was defeated against Loko- The Uzbek side then missed a golden opportunity to dou- they did at Dortmund, and Anfield has become something of a deskmotiv of Uzbekistan 1-0 in Group A of the ble their advantage on the hour mark when the unmarked fortress. Fans appear happy to give him time to build his own AFC Champions League at Lokomotiv Stadium on Wednesday. Timur Kapadze misdirected his header on the edge of the six team. The win left the Uzbek side in a strong position to qual- yard box after Djeparov’s corner from the left. It’s widely felt that Liverpool will be a force under Klopp, ify for the knockout stage for the first time. Sepahan finally began to show their attacking capabil- especially once he gets his own players in, and that the pair are Temurkhuja Abdukholikov scored the only goal of the ities in the final 20 minutes as the visitors searched for an a perfect fit - just like it was at Dortmund. match in the 54th minute. equaliser and Ali Karimi fired in a shot from distance on 80 Here are some things to know about Thursday’s matches: Sepahan had lost to Lokomotiv 2-0 in its home match. minutes that was well held by Nesterov. --- Sepahan’s Brazilian striker Luciano Pereira had a goal Pereira and midfielder Hossein Fazeli both had chances DORTMUND-LIVERPOOL ruled out for offside before defender Saeid Ghaedifar was to level with six minutes remaining before the Brazilian striker Of course Liverpool’s trip to Germany isn’t just about Klopp dismissed for a second bookable offence late on as Loko- was flagged offside when he finished from six yards out. - even if German broadcaster Sport1 was reportedly planning motiv completed the double over their opponents to re- And Sepahan finished the game with 10 men as Ghae- a “Kloppo Cam” focused only on the Liverpool manager for the main unbeaten in Group A. difar was sent-off in the closing stages. duration of the game. For Dortmund, the Europa League represents arguably a better chance of silverware than the Bundesliga, where it trails Iran shows interest in hosting Futsal Behrouz Ataei appointed Iran U-20 Bayern by five points despite producing the best-ever cam- paign by a second-place team. World Cup 2020 volleyball coach Dortmund also has a German Cup semifinal match to come against Hertha Berlin, but progression in Europe is a priority. SPORTS Iran has shown in- SPORTS Behrouz Ataei has Ilkay Gundogan, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Mats Hum- deskterest in hosting FIFA deskbeen named as mels took part in Tuesday’s training session and look set to Futsal World Cup in 2020. head coach of Iran U-20 volleyball return, leaving Neven Subotic the only player on Tuchel’s injury A record 13 Member Associations have team on Wednesday. list. stepped forward, spanning five Confedera- He will take charge of the Iranian Liverpool playmaker Roberto Firmino looks set to miss out tions, registering their interest in bringing the team in the 18th Asian Men’s U-20 with a hamstring injury. tournament to their country in four years’ time. Championship, which is scheduled to --- The full list features Iran, Costa Rica, take place in Koahsiung, Chinese Tai- BILBAO-SEVILLA Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Geor- pei from July 9-17. Fernando Llorente returns home to face the player who gia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Neth- The defending champion Iran has took his place in the hearts of Athletic Bilbao’s supporters. erlands, New Zealand, the United Arab been drawn in Pool B with Qatar, a Llorente joined Sevilla this season from Juventus, but the Emirates and USA. team from Central Zone and Hong Spanish striker grew up playing for Bilbao from 2005-13 before The only continent not to have a na- Kong. heading to Italy. tion in the running is South America, who Ataei was late Hossein Madani’s “I spent 17 wonderful years of my life in Bilbao,” Llorente will be seeing the competition arrive on edition of futsal’s premier competition, assistant in senior Iran volleyball team 2011 in Argentina. said. “It was always an honor to play for them. Now it is my turn their soil at Colombia 2016 – which kicks which has thus far been played on four from 2010 to 2012. Ataei has already headed Iranian to play against them, and I will give everything for the Sevilla off in September. of the six confederations, since beginning He also coached the Iranian team volleyball clubs Matin Varamin and shirt. It will certainly be a very hard match.” The 2020 tournament will be the ninth life at Netherlands 1989. in Boys’ Youth World Championship in Kalleh. Bilbao is now led by veteran striker Aritz Aduriz, who recent- ly got a call-up for Spain based on his excellent scoring form since taking over for Llorente. Jose Mourinho wants written assurance from United, Yaya Toure to stay in England The 35-year-old Aduriz leads the Europa League this sea- son with eight goals, making Bilbao the competition’s top-scor- Jose Mourinho wants a written agreement with United, this is probably more about the faction at United that does they’ll attract. ing team with 20 goals in 10 matches. Yaya Toure wants to stay in the Premier League and Man- not want Jose Mourinho to manage the club. Demba Ba tells John Terry to come to China Two-time defending champion Sevilla has struggled on the chester City get a prized youth international.It’s Wednes- Yaya Toure opts to stay in Premier League Former Chelsea and current Shanghai Shenhua striker road this season and has yet to win away from home in five day’s Paper Round. The Mirror are reporting that Yaya Toure will snub a Demba Ba has called on his former team-mate John Terry European matches. Jose Mourinho demands written promise for United job potential move to Inter Milan and potentially anywhere to make a move to China, saying that despite the 35-year- --- According to the Sun, Jose Mourinho wants a written outside of England, as he’s stated that he likes the Pre- old still competing at a top level, he’d get a “once in a life- VILLARREAL-SPARTA PRAGUE promise from Manchester United that he’ll take over from mier League and does not want to leave the country as his time” cultural experience by coming over to play for a year. With a berth in next season’s Champions League just about Louis van Gaal in the summer. The story says that while family are settled. Toure’s revelation has scuttled a potential Sven-Goran Eriksson and Luiz Felipe Scolari, the current assured, Villarreal can now focus on winning an elusive title. Mourinho has a verbal assurance the job will be his, Sir reunion with former City boss Roberto Mancini, with the managers of Shanghai SIPG and Guangzhou Evergrande A 2-1 win at Eibar on Sunday gave Villarreal control of Alex Ferguson has publicly backed current manager Van report adding he’s unwilling to take a pay cut. respectively have enquired about how open Terry would fourth place in the Spanish league with an eight-point cushion Gaal, which has the former Chelsea boss wanting his future Paper Round’s view: If Toure is unwilling to take a pay be for a move to the Asian nation. over fifth-place Celta Vigo. in writing. cut, it is unlikely that many Premier League sides will be Paper Round’s view: Terry will likely try his hardest to Villarreal has twice reached the semifinals of the Europa Paper Round’s view: These plays for power at United willing to take someone on for £220,000 a week despite get one more season out of Chelsea, despite it being an League, to go with one semifinal appearance in the Champions are starting to get tiresome. It’s probably a slap in the face no longer being at their peak. Toure and his agent will extraordinarily diminished role. But with things like these, League, and is aiming for another shot to add to its InterToto for Mourinho, who’s long claimed him and Fergie are good be learning very quickly about the absurdity of their de- you can never say never, and ultimately, money talks. trophy from 2003. friends. Judging by Van Gaal’s still quite indifferent results, mands by the limited amount of open market attention (Source: Eurosport) Playing some of the most attractive passing football in Spain, Villarreal is anchored by midfielder Bruno Soriano. At Eibar, the captain played his 364th match for Villarreal, surpass- ing Marcos Senna’s club record of 363. Fernando Alonso expects to make Formula 1 return at Chinese GP “The most important thing now is to achieve all the exciting McLaren will arrange further medical tests When asked about Alonso's chances of the weekend, rather than flying home, un- goals we have this season,” Soriano said. for Fernando Alonso ahead of the Chinese being ready, McLaren racing director Eric derlined his commitment to McLaren - which Villarreal hasn’t conceded a goal while winning all five of its Grand Prix, but believes he is confident of Boullier said: "I think he's confident. has sometimes been questioned. home matches in Europe this season. making his Formula 1 return at Shanghai. "But he's going to go through the scans. The "I never had any doubt about it. It's just Sparta, meanwhile, is undefeated in 12 Europa League Alonso was ruled out of the Bahrain GP FIA will inspect them and decide yes or no." you guys [the media]," said Boullier. matches and has won its last three away matches in the tour- last Thursday after tests conducted at the cir- Pirelli has cited Alonso as McLaren's sec- Boullier, meanwhile, has confirmed it is nament. cuit medical centre showed up a fractured rib ond driver for its Chinese GP tyre selections. investigating Button's power unit that failed --- in the wake of his crash in Australia. Alonso spent the remainder of the week- early in the race at Bahrain, with the possibil- BRAGA-SHAKHTAR With concerns over inflicting further dam- end helping the team and Vandoorne, who ity new parts may be needed going into the Braga, the only Portuguese club with a chance to win four age should he be involved in another acci- went on to qualify ahead of team-mate Jen- event in China. to something a little better then we'll be there. competitions, is unbeaten in five European home matches this dent, Alonso made way for reserve Stoffel son Button and finished 10th in the race. While McLaren has clearly made progress "The fact we are fighting for points, al- season. Vandoorne to make his debut. Boullier can appreciate Alonso was prob- this season, Vandoorne's point is the only one ready that's an improvement, and we know The northern Portuguese club still has a chance to win ti- It is hoped the additional time off the ably frustrated, but added: "It was a good to the team's name from the opening two races. where we can gain. tles in the Europa League, Portuguese Cup and the Portuguese track will be sufficient for a full recovery, but experience as well. Despite that, Boullier can see the positives. "We know we don't have the most powerful League Cup, as well as lying fourth in the domestic champi- ultimately Alonso's fate lies in the hands of "He passed on some very nice comments "Our car performance, car balance are good, PU, which is one of the reasons why we know we onship the Shanghai track doctor who will make a on the radio. They were very constructive." and the drivers were happy with the car," he added. can make some gains from where we are today." Shakhtar has yet to lose in this season’s Europa League. judgement next Thursday. Boullier also feels Alonso's service over "When both the chassis and PU converge (Source: Eurosport) (Source: Olympian) b

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NEWS Iranian cinema not colonized Tehran Metro exhibit to showcase photos of Finland by U.S. films: actor

ARTTEHRAN — Tajrish Metro Station in ARTTEHRAN — Actor desknorthern Tehran will be playing host to deskReza Kianian said on an exhibition of photos displaying the natural attrac- Wednesday that Iranian cinema is the tions of Finland. world’s sole film industry that has not Entitled “Four Seasons of Finland”, the exhibition will been colonized by U.S. cinema. open on April 8 in conjunction with a trip by members “European countries have lost their of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliament of independent cinema in the wake of Finland to Iran, Finnish Ambassador Harri Kamarainen the invasion by Hollywood,” Kianian has announced in a press release published on Tuesday. told the Persian service of ISNA. “Tajrish Metro Station is a very good atelier, which “Today, there are only a few coun- can provide a good chance for citizens to see the pho- tries like Iran, Indian and somehow tographs on show,” the ambassador said. China that enjoy their own national “This also means that all citizens must make use of cinemas,” he added. the metro station to see the works and not their per- “If Iran has maintained its national sonal automobiles,” he added. cinema against the giant Hollywood He also said that Finland has long been active in the cinema, it means that our cinema preservation of the environment and has made the de- has some unique characteristics that cision on holding the exhibit after observing Iranians’ cause international festivals to praise interest in environmental protection. it,” noted Kianian, who is also an au- The ambassador, who has long made efforts in pro- thor of several books including “Act- tecting nature, says he was overwhelmed to see Irani- ing”, “Acting Analysis” and “Spell of an’s interest in green lifestyle protection. Acting”. He said that Iranian officials have Reza Works by Finish photographers including Juha Sahl- Kianian in gren, Lasse Niskala, Minttu Saarni, Thomas Kasai and ignored the “unique characteristics” an undated Hannu Hautala will be displayed until May 4. and added, “Some of them believe photo that the allegedly bad image that Iranian films portray of Iran is the regard the positive aspects of Iranian and is the world’s sole cinema that rostami, who is currently hospitalized reason international festivals show cinema and they also disregard these has not been defeated by the U.S. with a severe gastrointestinal prob- the films.” points that our cinema has its own cinema,” Kianian stated. lem in Tehran, calling him “a pioneer NEWS IN BRIEF “None of them [Iranian officials] national and independent character, He also praised auteur Abbas Kia- of Iran’s independent cinema.” Poet, translator Hassan Najafi dies at 83 Gizella takes collection back to homeland Budapest ARTTEHRAN — Gizella Varga Sinai, ing, beautiful, full of adventure, sometimes dan- deskthe Tehran-based Hungarian art- gerous but certainly worth it! I studied the East ist, will take a collection of her paintings back to with Hungarian roots, a Hungarian wistfulness. ART TEHRAN — Poet Hassan Najafi, her homeland in Budapest. “A door was opened for me in Iran, I came to deskwho was also famous for translat- The collection will go on display in an exhi- know the life and culture of a people with a long ing Persian Islamic poems into English, died of natu- bition called “Travelogue” during the Budapest history, and through my art, I became the integral ral causes at his home in Qom on Tuesday. Spring Festival running from April 12 to May 16, part of a vigorous art scene that was in search of He also translated a selection of poems by Imam the artist told the Tehran Times via an email on new eras! Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, into Wednesday. “This exhibition is like an autobiography. It English. “When I look back on the journey I have tak- wasn’t merely an exotic journey. It wasn’t merely en, which has lasted almost half a century, I feel getting to know foreign lands and a new, magical Library of Congress to like the heroine of a tale, who has found treas- poetry – Hafez, Omar Khayyam, Ferdowsi. It was ures and is now returning to her parents’ home also a spiritual journey”, the artist added. “From West screen doc on Iranian to show them with pride,” reads part of the artist’s Gizella is married to the renowned filmmaker to East” by songwriter Abbas travelogue. Khosrow Sinai. She came to Iran about 50 years Gizella Varga Sinai Yamini-Sharif It continues, “It was a long, long journey, excit- ago. ARTTEHRAN — Iranian director PICTURE OF THE DAY Reuters/Lucas Jackson deskHooman Zarif’s documentary Cinema Guild to “Children’s Songwriter” on the life of Persian poet Abbas Yamini-Sharif will go on screen at the Afri- can Middle Eastern Reading Room of the Library distribute “Starless of Congress in Washington D.C. on April 19. Hooman Yamini-Sharif is the producer of the Dreams” in U.S., film, which also gives a brief history of children’s literature in modern Iran. Canada, Puerto Rico The screening is part of “The Persian Book Lec- ture Series”, a program which has been organized ARTTEHRAN — The New by the Roshan Institute for Persian Studies at the deskYork-Based film dis- University of Maryland and the Near East Section tributor Cinema Guild has received the of the African and Middle Eastern Division of the franchise for distribution in the U.S., Library of Congress. Canada, and Puerto Rico of “Starless Dreams”, a documentary by Mehrdad Tehran Intl. Book Fair Oskouei on juveniles in an Iranian de- tention center. motto sounds alarm The French company Dreamlab of for reading Nasrin Mirshab is the international dis- tributor of the documentary, the Persian service of ISNA reported on Wednes- ARTTEHRAN — The Tehran Inter- day. desknational Book Fair (TIBF) has “Starless Dreams” (Daybreak Dreams) chosen “Tomorrow: Too Late to Read” as the has won the Amnesty International Film motto for its 29th edition. Prize in the Generation 14plus section of Shahre Aftab, a vast, newly-constructed fair- the 66th Berlinale, in February this year. ground venue in southern Tehran, will play host Oskouei also received the True Vision to the upcoming TIBF that in prior years has been Award for his outstanding body of doc- held at the central Tehran sites of the Permanent umentary work at the 13th True/False International Fairgrounds or the Imam Khomeini Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri, USA Mosalla. in March 2016. Russia will be the guest of honor at the 29th “The Last Days of Winter” and “It’s Tehran International Book Fair, which will be held Always Late for Freedom” are two other The chair used by British author J.K. Rowling while writing “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” and “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” documentaries by Oskui to be distribut- from May 5 to 15. is shown in the window of Heritage Auctions in New York April 4, 2016. ed by the Cinema Guild. Sadi Foundation calls on developers to design Owl post, sweets and spells: Universal’s “Harry Potter” world highlights games promoting LOS ANGELES (Reuters) — Just as au- a Howler scream and then shred itself in markers embedded in the cobblestone films are embedded throughout Hog- Persian language thor J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” stories the window display. streets. smeade. Step behind the Hogwarts unmask hidden magical secrets, Univer- With the aid of an interactive wand, Remember when Ron warned Har- Express train station and there’s the in- ARTTEHRAN — ran’s Sadi Foun- sal Studios’ new “Wizarding World of purchased at Ollivanders wand store for ry to be careful about Bertie Bott’s terior of a train compartment featuring deskdation, a Tehran-based organ- Harry Potter”, opening Thursday, has also about $50, attendees can perform spells Every-Flavor Beans, which range from luggage racks and seat fabric from the ization on a mission to promote the Persian concealed little magical mysteries for fans at 11 windows throughout Hogsmeade. chocolate to boogers? Watch out for set. In Gladrags Wizardwear, Hermione’s language overseas, asked developers in a call to uncover. Just as Hermione corrects Ron’s “Win- the earwax and vomit-flavored beans at Yule Ball gown stands in a display cab- published on Wednesday to design cell-phone Blurring the lines of reality, The Owl gardium Leviosa” levitating spell, make Honeydukes sweet shop, which provides inet. Those waiting in line for the For- games, which help the promotion of the Per- Post is an actual post office where visi- sure to point the wand directly at the an assortment of treats from pumpkin bidden Journey ride will go through the sian language. tors can have their mail branded with the windows with a flick of the wrist, which pasties, chocolate frogs and the precar- Defense against the Dark Arts class- The best designs will be selected in a com- Hogsmeade stamp if they buy Hogwarts will activate a reaction in the window ious jelly beans in detailed packaging, room, featuring the actual desks that petition and the foundation will help the de- stationery. Be like Hermione and stack up display, such as spinning cake stands. just like the films. Harry, Ron and Hermione sat at during signs to be developed. on parchment paper and quills, or watch The windows can be identified by little Props from the eight “Harry Potter” the films.