WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y

16 Pages Price 20,000 Rials 1.00 EURO 4.00 AED 39th year No.13343 Monday MARCH 4, 2019 Esfand 13, 1397 Jumada Al thani 26, 1440 IRGC Navy develops ‘Karabakh conflict Wrestlers win two gold “You Will Return to anti-laser weapon should not affect ties with medals at UWW Dan Isfahan” published 2 Armenia, Azerbaijan’ 2 Kolov-Nikola Petrov 15 in Italian 16

Iran, Switzerland ink MOU to enhance agricultural co-op TEHRAN — and Switzerland signed Office for Agriculture (FOAG) Bernard a memorandum of understanding (MOU) Lehmann. Missile program is on Sunday for mutual cooperation in agri- Under this MOU, Iran and Switzerland cultural research, education and extension, will develop agricultural cooperation in IRIB reported. the areas of research and technology, edu- The MOU was signed by Head of Iran’s cation, extension, preservation of genetic Agricultural Research, Education and Ex- resources, monitoring of agricultural in- tension Organization (AREEO) Kazem puts and the production of vaccines and non-negotiable Khavazi and Swiss Director of the Federal pesticides. 4

See page 2 Majlis bans serving as MP more than three terms in a row TEHRAN - Iran’s parliament approved liament more than 12 consecutive years. on Sunday a bill according to which MPs According to the bill, Ali Larijani, Ali will not be allowed to run for parliament Motahari, , Alaed- after three terms in a row. din Boroujerdi, Nader Ghazipour and To become law, the bill should be con- Javad Karimi Ghodoosi are among the firmed by the Guardian Council. If endorsed, MPs who cannot run for parliament in the MPs will not be allowed to be in par- the next elections.

U.S.-led coalition bombs Syrian town with white phosphorus munitions The U.S.-led military coalition, which is the volatile province. purportedly fighting the Daesh Takfiri The U.S.-led coalition and the so- terrorist group in Syria, has used white called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), phosphorus munitions in a bombing which is supported by Washington, raid against an area in Syria’s east- claim that they are fighting against the ern province of Dayr al-Zawr, local Daesh militants in the Arab country media say. and that Baghouz, which is the last Syria’s official news agency SANA, pocket of territory controlled by rem- citing local sources, reported on Sat- nants of the terror group, is constantly

Amin Jalali urday that U.S.-led military aircraft under their fire and expected to be conducted a bombing attack with liberated soon. white phosphorus munitions on the The flashpoint town is located in the IRNA/ farmlands of the town of Baghouz in eastern Euphrates River region. 13

EDITORIAL Abbas likely to visit Syria soon, senior Palestinian official says PERSPECTIVE Mohammad Ghaderi A senior Palestinian predicted that Palestinian Several Palestinian officials attended the open- visit Syria since the war broke out. Heshmatollah Rahnama Tehran Times editor-in-chief Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will visit ing of the Palestine TV office including Ahmad, Later that month, the United Arab Emirates Latin American expert @ghaderi62 Syria in the near future. a member of both the Fatah Central Committee reopened its embassy in Damascus, some seven The PA president has not visited Syria or met and Palestine Liberation Organization’s Execu- years after shuttering it. Syrian President Bashar Assad since war broke tive Committee; the PA’s Jenin Governor Akram In October, Assad told a little-known Kuwaiti MBS’s bloody out in the country in 2011. Rajoub; and PLO Executive Committee member newspaper that Syria had reached a “major un- Humanitarian “The visit of the President Mahmoud Abbas Wasel Abu Yousef. derstanding” with Arab states. He did not name present for Pakistan is possible at any time… I believe [it] will happen Abu Yousef told The Times of Israel in a phone those countries in the interview, which was his assistance or soon, if God wills it,” Azzam al-Ahmad told al- call earlier this week that he and Ahmad traveled first with a Gulf paper since the war erupted, he two neighboring states India and Watan, a pro-Syrian government newspaper, at to Damascus by car via Jordan. but he said Arab and Western delegations had military intervention Pakistan, both with nuclear bombs, the opening of a new office for Palestine TV, the In mid-December, Sudanese President Omar begun visiting Syria to prepare for the reopening in Haiti Tare at loggerheads again. The inten- official PA channel, in Damascus. al-Bashir became the first Arab head of state to of diplomatic and other missions. 13 sification of the clashes between the two sides can turn the Indian subcontinent uring eighteenth century, into a military battle ground for a very created a powerful export economy long time. Dbased upon slavery in Haiti. In 1730, The crisis between the two states seem Saudi Arabia is said to have tortured an American citizen the population of the Caribbean country pretty complex. The terrorist attack in A dual citizen of Saudi Arabia and the United was shocked with electricity in what appears as a crackdown on corruption, Fitaihi, 54, remains was about 83 thousand and in 1789 there Indian-administered Kashmir and the States had been imprisoned in the Ritz Carlton in to have been a single session of torture that imprisoned without any public charges or trial. were more than 500 thousand people, retaliation of Islamabad against Delhi Riyadh for about a week when he heard a knock lasted about an hour. About 200 prominent Saudis were detained with of whom 450 thousand were slaves. Due triggered a new stage of the confrontation on his door. His tormentors whipped his back so severely him, and he is one of dozens who remain in prison. to massive mortality and low birth rates between the two nuclear-armed countries. Guards dragged Walid Fitaihi, a Har- that he could not sleep on it for days, his friend Friends and families of others detained have among the slaves, France saved one million Then India carried out an air strike in vard-trained physician, to another room, ac- said, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid also described episodes of torture. At least 17 de- slave from Africa to Haiti between 1750 Pakistan, and in return Islamabad shot cording to a friend who took down the prisoner’s reprisals. The doctor had described the physical tainees were hospitalized soon after the crackdown and 1789 to maintain their populations. down two Indian fighter jets. detailed account of his treatment. Fitaihi told abuse, in general terms, to his relatives as well, for injuries sustained while in custody, according In 1789, Haiti produced three quarters There are a few points in the friend he was slapped, blindfolded, stripped a person close to them said. to a doctor at the hospital and an American official of the world’s sugar. these conflicts to pay heed to: to his underwear and bound to a chair. He Detained in November 2017 in what was billed monitoring the crackdown. 13 Haiti became independent after a series First, the initial terrorist attack in Indi- of devastating wars in 1804. The great pow- an-controlled part of Kashmir resembled ers did not recognize this Independence. the kinds Saudis intelligence services would In 1825, something strange happened. normally execute. Normalization of ties with Israel contradicts Islamic teachings: Houthi France recognized Haitian franchises The ties between terrorist, and Takfiri The leader of Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah move- ing military aggression against Yemen. Their “There can be no normalization and relations for 150 million francs and 50 percent groups in Pakistan with the House of Saud, ment has vehemently condemned attempts by a hostility toward Yemen is intensely reflected with the Israeli enemy unless at the expense of reduction in customs duties on French and Wahabis is quite clear. Saudi Arabia’s number of Arab states and Persian Gulf kingdoms in their media reports. The administration of the Palestinian cause and recognition of (Tel goods. The proposal was accompanied Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman who to normalize diplomatic relations with the Israeli (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu Aviv regime’s) occupation.” by the French and British Navy’s naval recently travelled to Islamabad, is in dire regime, stressing that such efforts are in blatant is complicit in this onslaught.” The Ansarullah leader further pointed out blockade threat. Haiti was forced to borrow need to cause security crisis to the Indian contradiction to teachings of Islam. He added, “The scandalous Warsaw Confer- that normalization of relations with the Tel 30 million francs from France for the first subcontinent. The Saudis believe under Delivering a televised speech broadcast ence -- an international gathering organized by Aviv regime will pave the way for Americans payment. Eventually, the country paid off intense security climate, they can practice live from the Yemeni capital Sana’a on Sun- Washington in the Polish capital on February 13- and Israelis to advance their projects in the the entire loan in 1893. more political maneuvers in Pakistan. day afternoon, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said, 14 -- was, in fact, a declaration of normalization Middle East region. Trade relations between the United Second, the tension steered and pushed “The Israeli regime is a partner to the ongo- and partnership with Israel. (Source: Press TV) States and Haiti date back to the late by the Saudis in the Indian subcontinent, eighteenth century when Haiti was still not only has been welcomed by the White the French colony. Haiti became inde- House and the U.S. intelligence services, pendent in 1804. Former U.S. President but has made Washington more deter- Thomas Jefferson said: “The freedom of mined to get the “chronic crisis” going Iran’s best slaves in Haiti is a bad example. The U.S. in that geographical zone. government recognized Haitian govern- In a more comprehensive glance, MBS, cultural ment after the U.S. abolished slavery.” under influence of the administra- The U.S. occupied Haiti for the first tion, is executing a bloody mission that time in 1915 which lasted for 19 years. , Trump’s son-in-law, and studies During this period Haiti turned into a other U.S. politicians have defined for him. sugar factory, under the control of New For the Saudis authorities who have been honored York banking, which resulted in massive the initiator of crime, violence, and terror in poverty of Haitians. the Muslim community, the life of Muslims TEHRAN — Iran has awarded the top In April 2003, Aristide called for a re- in the subcontinent is worth nothing. seven cultural studies carried out by Ira- fund of French-backed compensation from Third, the Pakistanis will have to spend nian researchers over the past three years Haiti, with an estimated value of $22 billion, billions of dollars to regain the security of Haghdoust Majid at the 15th Festival of Cultural Research but President Chirac refused to repay it. their country when Islamabad accepted of the Year. The first elected president of the popular $20 billion of so called “aid” from MBS. This edition of the festival was held in Jean Betrand Aristide in Haiti was over- Thus, Pakistani politicians who Tehran on Sunday after a three-year hia- thrown in 2004 with a coup supported by are aware of the foul play and role of tus, and winners received their awards from the international community in accordance Riyadh and Washington between New Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance with the interests of France and backed by Tehran Times/ Tehran Times/ Delhi and Pakistan should take heed to Seyyed Abbas Salehi. 16 America. The military coup led the country neutralize the deception of the actors Scholar Morteza Farhadi (R) accepts his award during the 15th Festival of Cultural Research of the Year. to an unprecedented economic, political in the region. 13 and humanitarian crisis. 7 I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y POLITICS MARCH 4, 2019 MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS Rezaee: Leader’s IRGC Navy develops roadmap basis for macro-policies anti-laser weapon POLITICS TEHRAN — , secretary of POLITICS TEHRAN — Islamic Tangsiri also said his forces may receive deskthe Expediency Council, says Leader of the deskRevolution Guards Corps anti-ship ballistic missiles, like the Persian Islamic Revolution Ayatollah ’s roadmap for (IRGC) Navy chief Alireza Tangsiri has Gulf missile, from the IRGC Air Force, future will be regarded as a basis for Iran’s macro-policies. said his forces have developed a weapon and are planning to use a more advanced “The Leader of the Revolution’s statement will be re- that is able to beat the United States’ an- version of those missiles. garded as a solid foundation for determining the country’s ti-drone laser system. In remarks in January, Tangsiri an- macro-policies,” Rezaee said, Mehr reported on Sunday. In an interview with Tasnim published nounced plans to produce submarines and In a statement after the 40th anniversary of the Islamic on Sunday, Rear Admiral Tangsiri said the unveil its technological achievements in Revolution, the Leader asked the youth to take “the second IRGC Navy has successfully developed the this respect “in the future”. great step” for the progress of the revolution. He also insisted weapon, which is now available. “[Progress] in the area of submarines on “justice and campaign against corruption” and pushed He declared plans to equip the IRGC is one of our needs which we should pur- for promotion of science and research; economy; spirituality Navy with new submarines, saying the sue,” he stated. and ethics; independence, freedom, and national dignity; force is after producing midget subma- Asked about the navy’s preparedness, foreign relations; and lifestyle. rines that would be more advanced than he said, “We are fully prepared and ob- the Qadir submarines, and are like the serve all the moves by our extra-regional Fateh or Persian Gulf submarines, which enemies.” ‘Karabakh conflict are being manufactured by the Defense Leader of the Islamic Revolution Aya- should not affect Ministry. tollah Ali Khamenei has urged the Armed The commander emphasized that the Forces to upgrade their military capabilities ties with Armenia, new submarines should be equipped with and preparedness. torpedoes and subsurface-to-surface cruise “Enhance your abilities and prepara- Azerbaijan’ missiles. tions so much as you can so that the enemies POLITICS TEHRAN — Tehran says it does not want The navy’s industrial centers are man- of Iran do not even dare to threaten this deskits relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan ufacturing patrol and missile-launching great nation,” Ayatollah Khamenei said to be affected by the Karabakh conflict, IRNA reported. vessels, as well as heavy military ships, He added the IRGC Navy will build a missiles and torpedoes and capable of car- during a meeting with a group of navy Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on the admiral remarked. 65-meter-long watercraft equipped with rying helicopters. commanders and officials in November. Sunday the conflict should be resolved based on international regulations and through dialogue. “Iran continues to follow its principled and rational pol- icies with this regard,” he added. Zarif highlights necessity of joining FATF Pointing to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s POLITICS TEHRAN — Iranian Foreign Minister it “expects Iran to proceed swiftly in the reform path”, ac- visit to Tehran, Qassemi said, “As I’ve repeatedly said the deskMohammad Javad Zarif said on Sunday cording to Reuters. stance of the Islamic Republic of Iran toward its neighbors that it is essential to approve the bills to join the Financial One of the actions Iran is required to take to appease is clear and transparent.” Action Task Force (FATF). the FATF is joining the United Nations Convention against “[Our] neighbors are the top priority of Iran’s foreign Mehrdad Lahouti, the spokesman of the Majlis Inde- Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), which is also called policy,” he added. pendent Velayee faction, said that during a meeting of the the Palermo Convention, a 2000 United Nations-sponsored faction with the foreign minister, Zarif expressed hope that multilateral treaty against transnational organized crime. the Expediency Council would approve bill to join the FATF. The other action is to ratify the CFT (the convention Envoy meets Zarif said on February 24 that the Expediency Council combatting financing of terrorism). Omani minister to should decide on the FATF based on the “realities”. On October 7, 2018, the Majlis (parliament) voted in “Our friends should decide based on realities. So far, favor of the CFT. However, the oversight Guardian Council discuss economic they have said that nothing will happen but they are now rejected the bill by finding 22 faults with it. seeing the situation,” Zarif remarked. To become a law, the Guardian Council should vet the co-op The Paris-based FATF watchdog announced on February bill for compliance with the Constitution. POLITICS TEHRAN — The Iranian Ambassador to 22 that Iran has until June to fix its anti-money laundering February to complete an action plan of reforms that would In cases when the parliament and the Guardian Council deskMuscat, Mohammadreza Nouri-Shahroudi, and terrorism financing rules or face increased international bring it in line with global norms, or face consequences. disagree on a bill, the issue is referred to the Expediency has held a meeting with Omani Finance Minister Darwish bin scrutiny of its banks. The FATF concluded at its February 22 meeting that Council for final arbitration. The bill is now under study by Ismail bin Ali Al Balushi to discuss ways to develop economic In October 2018, the global watchdog had given Iran until “there are still items not completed” and said in a statement the Expediency Council. cooperation and increase the volume of trade ties between Tehran and Muscat, ISNA reported on Sunday. According to ISNA, the volume of trade between Iran and Oman in the first ten months of the current Iranian fiscal Diplomat: Backing anti-Iran sanctions will harm Islamic world solidarity year exceeded $1 billion, experiencing a 60-percent growth POLITICS TEHRAN — Addressing of sanctions against Iran. ber states spared no effort to distract the compared to the same period last year. deskthe OIC Council of Foreign The Iranian diplomat also stressed the organization’s attention from the rights of the Ministers in Abu Dhabi, a senior Iranian central role of the Palestinian issue, saying Palestinian people to other irrelevant issues. diplomat said supporting the United States’ it should be a priority of the OIC. He also said that terrorism and extrem- Three border anti-Iran sanctions breaches solidarity among Dehqani said the organization should not ism have been defeated in many cases, guards killed in Muslims, IRNA reported on Sunday. let any new development distract the attention noting that Iran was proud of its role in Gholam-Hossein Dehqani, deputy foreign of the Islamic world from its most important achieving this goal. flash floods in minister for legal and international affairs, and enduring issue which is Palestine. However, he warned, the anti-human Tak- said the Organization of Islamic Cooperation According to ISNA, Dehqani aso described firi ideology is still alive and is busy poisoning Mirjaveh (OIC) was initially established to promote the relocation of U.S. embassy from Tel-Aviv youths’ minds all over the Islamic world. solidarity among Islamic countries. POLITICS TEHRAN — Three Iranian border guards to al-Quds as part of U.S. conspiracy under Dehqani also regretted that some mem- deskhave been killed after flash floods hit the The entire world have denounced Don- the title of “Deal of the Century”. ber states are using the OIC as an instru- city of Mirjaveh in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan-Bal- ald Trump’s sanctions against Iran. Only On December 6, 2017, U.S. President ment to serve their own foreign policy, uchestan, Tasnim reported on Sunday. the two Muslim states of Saudi Arabia and ordered relocation of the rather than treating it as an independent The guards, Sergeant Mohammad Nouri, Private Ali the United Arab Emirates along with Israel U.S. diplomatic mission from Tel Aviv international body. Khalvaki, Private Mojtaba Yazdan Panah, were killed after have backed the U.S. withdrawal from to al-Quds. Such acts will result in undermining the they got trapped in floodwaters while performing patrol duty, the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposition Dehqani regretted that certain OIC mem- OIC’s credibility, Dehqani underlined. deputy provincial governor Mohammad Hadi Marashi said. Marashi said the first soldier found himself trapped in floodwaters while was on his post duties. “Another soldier who witnessed the incident entered the Iran reiterates missile program is non-negotiable water to save the first one, but could not make it himself POLITICS TEHRAN — , secretary On February 13, a car laden with explosives hit a Shamkhani warns of uprising by ‘humiliated citizens’ either,” he continued. “Unfortunately, the same happened deskof the Supreme National Security Coun- bus of soldiers on Zahedan-Khash road in the border Elsewhere in his remarks, Shamkhani said U.S. allies for the third soldier.” cil, reiterated Iran’s long-held position on Sunday, saying province of Sistan-Balouchestan killing 27 and injuring in the Middle East risk an uprising by their “humiliated Tehran decides about its missile program based on its the remaining 13. citizens” if they continue to rely on Washington. interests and the issue is “non-negotiable”. Shamkhani said, “The Pakistani government is obligated “Trump and even his underlings ridicule and humili- Assad’s Tehran “We take decision about range, precision, speed and to guard security at borders and prevent the entrance of ate Saudi Arabia and the (United Arab) Emirates day and destruction power of our missiles based on our interests anti-revolution forces [to Iran]. We definitely do what is night, saying that you’re nothing without us and cannot visit shows and threats and this process is not negotiable,” he told essential to protect border areas.” last a day without America’s support,” Shamkhani noted. reporters on the sidelines of a conference held at the Na- ‘Four years of crimes against Yemen have Back in October, Trump said Saudi Arabia and its Iranian status: tional Library of Iran. proven unsuccessful’ 83-year-old King Salman “might not be there for two envoy Iran has repeatedly said that its missile program is During his remarks, Shamkhani said that the U.S. pol- weeks” without U.S. military support. The comments deterrent and defensive. icies are on the wane. were mostly shrugged off by Riyadh. POLITICS TEHRAN — The Syrian Ambassador to Shamkhani said in January that it is not part of Iran’s He said that the regional front - which consists of Iran, “Our prediction about America’s allies in the region deskBeirut, Ali Abdel Karim Ali, said on Sunday defense doctrine to extend the range of its missiles from Russia, Syria and Hezbollah - which seeks stability has is that if they continue the policy of relying on Islam’s the recent visit of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Tehran the current 2000 kilometers. gained upper hand over the coalition which seeks insta- enemies, they will face the uprising of their humiliated sent a message to the world that Iran is a top priority for , the commander of the Islamic bility and this shows that the U.S. policies are on the wane. citizens,” said Shamkhani. Syria and will play an important role in the country’s future. Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), said in June 2018 that The top security official also said four years of unprece- Iran’s relations with its Persian Gulf neighbors have soured The message of -Assad’s visit to Iran was quite clear, he the range of Iranian missiles is 2000 kilometers and the dented attacks against Yemen have ended in failure. in recent years and tensions escalated last month when the said, IRNA reported. country does not need to extend it. “The U.S., Saudi Arabia, the Zionist regime of Israel Islamic Republic accused Riyadh and Abu Dhabi of being The most important message of the visit was to highlight ‘Iran is in Syria upon Damascus request’ and the European countries’ crimes, brutality and bom- complicit in a suicide bombing that killed 27 Iranian troops. the deep and strong bonds of friendship and brotherhood Shamkhani also said that Iran’s military presence in bardment to occupy Yemen and capture the people of the The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps blasted the “trai- between the two countries and also to show the nation’s Syria is upon a request by Damascus to provide the country country have been unsuccessful.” torous governments of Saudi Arabia and (the) Emirates” gratitude to Iran for assisting Syria in the fight against ter- with advisory help against militants. The Saudi-UAE coalition, which receives arms and in- and said Iran will no longer tolerate their “hidden support rorism until overcoming the crisis. “We will stay in Syria as long as the Syrian government telligence from the West, invaded Yemen in March 2015 for anti-Islam thugs and Takfiri groups.” wants us to stay,” the security chief added. to restore the government of Mansour al-Hadi who had The February 13 bombing targeted a busload of Guards ‘We will take revenge for Zahedan-Khash attack’ been toppled by the Ansarullah movement months earlier. in the volatile southeastern province of Sistan-Baluch- ‘U.S. not to Shamkhani also said that Iran take revenge for the ter- However, the coalition has failed to achieve the least istan and was claimed by Jaish al-Adl, a Pakistan-based triumph in its rorist Zahedan-Khash attack. victory against the resistance movement. terrorist group. economic war on Iran’ Bushehr nuclear power plant being overhauled POLITICS TEHRAN — Deputy Chair of U.S.-China POLITICS TEHRAN — The He specified that the plant will resume the previous Iranian year (March 2017-March deskPartnership Foundation believes Wash- deskBushehr nuclear power supplying electricity to the national grid in 2018), more than 90 percent of which was ington could never win its economic war against Tehran as plant in southern Iran has been shut down late April or early May. supplied to the national grid. Iran enjoys huge potential to fight the war. for an overhaul operation after generating The official noted that a third of the In September 2013, Iran took tempo- In an interview with IRNA published on Sunday, John electricity for 298 days, according to the head plant’s fuel packs will be replaced during rary control of the Russian made nuclear Milligan-Whyte said the U.S. measures against other coun- manager of the power plant. the outage period and the periodic repair power plant. tries such as China and Iran, which comes in the form of Hossein Ghaffari, talking to the Islamic and maintenance operations and safety Russia has agreed to provide the power economic pressure on them, are wrong. Republic of Iran Broadcasting on Sunday, measures will be carried out. plant’s fuel for 10 years, with the supply deal Such moves cannot be interpreted as peaceful, he said. said the power plant is undergoing periodic Ghaffari had announced in January that committing Tehran to returning the spent fuel. The U.S. pressure on Iran cannot be expected to last long maintenance and fuel reloading, and will the Bushehr nuclear plant had supplied previous eight months. The Bushehr plant became officially op- and succeed since Iran is a very powerful country with a be reconnected to the national grid in a around 5.5 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) He said the plant generated a record erational and was connected to national grid civilization much older than the U.S., he stated. couple of weeks. of electricity to the national grid over the amount of 7.4 billion kWh of electricity in in September 2011. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y MARCH 4, 2019 INTERNATIONAL Moscow encourages Ankara to fulfill S. Korea, U.S. end memorandum on Idlib: Lavrov springtime military drills to Russia is calling on Turkey to meet its com- mented,” he noted. back diplomacy mitments under a joint memorandum on In general, after a number of success- de-escalation in Syria’s Idlib, Russian Foreign ful operations by the government forces South Korea and the U.S. are eliminating their massive springtime Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the support of Russian Aerospace military drills and replacing them with smaller exercises in what with the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on Defense Forces the situation in Syria on they call an effort to support diplomacy aimed at resolving the Sunday. the ground has significantly stabilized, North Korean nuclear crisis. “Certain hotbeds of terrorist presence re- Lavrov said. The decision announced by both countries Sunday came after main in the country. First of all, this concerns The ISIL (terror group, outlawed in Russia) President Donald Trump complained about the cost of joint drills the Idlib de-escalation zone, where most as an organization pretending to be a quasi even as his high-stakes second summit with North Korean leader territory is controlled by militants from the state has been destroyed, but a lot needs to Kim Jong Un in Vietnam collapsed last week. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (one of names be done to neutralize sleeper cells of radical The drills’ cancellation is an olive branch to North Korea, of Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization armed groups, he noted. which has viewed them as an invasion rehearsal. But it will likely outlawed in Russia) carrying out provoc- On September 17, 2018 in Sochi Russian raise worries about how the allies will maintain their readiness ative raids against civilians, Russian and President Vladimir Putin and Turkish leader in the event that military tensions erupt again in the wake of the Syrian military,” Lavrov recalled. “Against Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed on by October failed nuclear summit. this background, it is necessary to continue 15 to create a 15-20 km deep demilitarized The Pentagon said in a release the U.S. and South Korean efficiently fighting against terrorism. We zone in Idlib along the contact line between defense chiefs decided to conclude the Key Resolve and Foal encourage our Turkish partners to meet the Syrian government forces and the armed Eagle series of exercises. It said the allies agreed to maintain their commitments under the September opposition. However, Ankara asked to give firm military readiness through newly designed command post 17, 2018 memorandum on stabilizing the it extra time and delay the start of joint pa- exercises and revised field training programs. situation in Idlib.” terrorist presence under the pretext of ob- ing the creation of a demilitarized zone and trolling in Idlib due to its inability to guar- Acting U.S. Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan and South Russia’s top diplomat underlined the serving the ceasefire reached with Turkey. the withdrawal of all radicals and military antee security. Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo “made clear that importance to prevent a further growth in “So far, the document’s provisions envisag- hardware from it have not been fully imple- (Source: TASS) the alliance decision to adapt our training program reflected our desire to reduce tension and support our diplomatic efforts to achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a final, fully verified manner,” the statement said. Seoul’s Defense Ministry released a similar statement. UK likely to be forced into Brexit delay if May’s deal rejected Jeong expressed his regrets at the lack of agreement at the Trump-Kim summit but still hopes that Washington and Pyongyang Britain is likely to be forced into delaying its March 29 ‘’The withdrawal agreement cannot be renegotiated,” Ma- would continue negotiations, the South Korean statement said. exit from the European Union if parliament rejects Prime cron said after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in The new training, dubbed “Dong Maeng,” which means “alli- Minister Theresa May’s deal later this month, junior justice Paris, last week. ance” in English, starts Monday through March 12. It will focus minister Rory Stewart told Sky News on Sunday. “If the British need more time, we could consider an on “strategic operational and tactical aspects of general military May has promised to bring a revised deal back to par- extension request only if it is justified by a new choice of the operations on the Korean Peninsula,” South Korea’s military and liament by March 12, and if legislators reject it they will be British, but we would in no way accept an extension without a the U.S.-South Korean combined forces command said in a joint given an opportunity to vote to leave without a deal or to clear perspective on the objective being pursued,” he added. statement. According to U.S. officials, the new training will be done in extend the Article 50 negotiating period. Divorce package smaller drills, tabletop exercises and simulations, and it will involve “I think we would have to be forced into an extension of With just 26 days until Britain is due to leave the 28-mem- smaller units, such as battalions and companies rather than massive Article 50,” Stewart said when asked which option he would ber EU, May is making last-ditch efforts to win concessions formations involving thousands of troops, as they had in the past. choose if May’s deal is rejected. “There doesn’t seem to be from the bloc on the divorce package, brokered after months Officials said the Pentagon will focus on smaller exercises parliamentary majority for ‘no deal’.” of arduous negotiations between London and Brussels. and mission essential tasks, which include the ability to inte- Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar also told Cabinet The EU has ruled out reopening the withdrawal agreement, grate airstrikes and the use of other weapons systems, drones, colleagues that a delay of Britain’s exit date from the EU though both sides are looking at a possible legal addendum surveillance assets, logistics and communications. is “very likely”, Ireland’s Sunday Independent quoted an to reassure MPs who worry the controversial Irish border Last November, a month before he resigned as defense secre- unnamed minister as saying. backstop clause could keep Britain trapped in the EU’s orbit when he met Sunday with May on the sidelines of an EU-Arab tary, Jim Mattis disclosed that the U.S. and South Korea would “The Taoiseach (prime minister) has privately said to us for years to come. summit in Egypt. scale back and tone down the spring exercises. He said the aim that it is very likely there will be an extension until June,” The mechanism would guarantee no re-establishment “I believe in the situation we are in, an extension would was to avoid setting back diplomacy over North Korea’s nuclear the minister was quoted as saying. of a hard border on the island of Ireland in the event that be a rational solution but Prime Minister May still believes weapons. He described it as a reorganization of the exercises, However, any extension to the article 50 negotiating post-Brexit trade negotiations between the UK and the EU she’s able to avoid this scenario,” Tusk told a closing summit not an end to maneuvers on the peninsula. period will have to be requested by the UK and can only prove unsuccessful. press conference. Trump has long complained about the cost of military drills be implemented with the unanimous agreement of the 28 European Council President Donald Tusk said last week May has repeatedly ruled out delaying Brexit, arguing with South Korea. European members. on Monday the EU was open to Britain postponing its exit it would not solve the ongoing impasse shrouding British After his second summit with Kim ended without any agree- French president Emmanuel Macron has insisted it will from the bloc beyond March 29, adding he had discussed politics. ment in Hanoi on Thursday, Trump spoke again about the cost only accept a delay with a good reason for it. the “legal and procedural context of a potential extension” (Source: al Jazeera) of annual military drills. “It’s a very, very expensive thing and we do have to think about that, too,” Trump told reporters. Following his first summit Kim in Singapore last June, Trump caught many in the U.S. and South Korea by surprise by sus- pending the allies’ summertime military drills. He called joint Pakistan continues partial opening of airspace amid India crisis drills “very provocative” and “massively expensive.” The U.S and South Korea also have since suspended a few Pakistan has continued a limited opening of Kashmir between India and Pakistan, other smaller joint drills. Trump has also pushed South Korea of its airspace for commercial flights, after police said. to increase its financial contribution for the cost of the 28,500 closing it earlier this week at the height of The children’s father was critically wound- U.S. troops stationed in the country as deterrence against North tensions with neighboring India that saw ed and has been admitted to hospital. Korea. He previously threatened to withdraw troops from South both countries carry out air raids inside each In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, a man Korea and Japan if they refused to pay more. other’s territories for the first time since the and a boy were killed by Indian shelling in (Source: AP) 1971 war. Nakiyal, said Nasrullah Khan, a hospital of- Pakistan’s civil aviation authority said on ficial. Khan said a man was also wounded Sunday it was allowing restricted operations in the Tatta Pani area. at the Allama Iqbal international airport in The Pakistani army said in a statement the eastern city of Lahore. that two of its soldiers were killed in Naki- Record Australian heat This comes after partial operations at yal in an “exchange of fire while targeting Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar and the capital, Indian posts undertaking firing on civilian brings fire to a scorched land Islamabad, resumed on Friday. population”. Other airports in Gilgit Baltistan, Pun- Separately, a police official in Rawalakot, Firefighters battled 25 blazes across the Australian state of Victoria jab province and the interior Sindh region speaking to Al Jazeera on condition of ano- on Sunday as a record-breaking heatwave delivered the hottest remained closed on Sunday. nymity, said that a man had been wounded start to March on record for the southern third of the country. The travel restrictions are expected to be and three homes destroyed in the Indian The continent is prone to deadly blazes thanks to its combination lifted on Monday at 1pm local time (08:00 shelling overnight. of remote terrain, high summer temperatures and flammable GMT), according to the country’s civil avi- Also in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, eucalyptus bush. ation authority. on Tuesday inside northeast Pakistan’s on Wednesday and detained its pilot, Wing government official Umar Azam said the Indian A severe four-day heatwave has brought fire weather across International and domestic air travel in Balakot on what New Delhi called camps Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who troops with heavy weapons “indiscriminately the southern parts of Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria the region has been widely disrupted, with belonging to Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM/ was returned to India on Friday night in a targeted border villagers” along the LoC. and Tasmania over the weekend. several airports in Pakistan and India shut, The Army of Muhammad), the armed ter- “peace gesture”. Rebel groups have been fighting Indian The south-eastern state of Victoria was the worst hit, with more flights rerouted and suspended, amid fears rorist group which claimed the Pulwama Hours after Abhinandan’s release, firing rule since 1989 and demand that Kashmir than 2,000 firefighters, water-bombing aircraft and volunteers of a major military escalation between the suicide bombing. Islamabad denied any resumed on Saturday, with at least seven be united either under Pakistani rule or as battling blazes on Sunday. South Asian nations. such camps existed. people, including five civilians and two sol- an independent country. A cool change was forecast for late on Sunday but an associated On February 14, a suicide attack killed Al Jazeera visited the site of the Indian raids diers, killed on either side of the disputed Anti-India sentiment runs deep in the wind change would bring danger for firefighters. at least 40 Indian paramilitary troops in and found that bombs hit a forest and a field Kashmir border. region, and most people support the rebels’ “It’s a dangerous time, putting it bluntly,” Victoria’s Emergency the Indian-administered Kashmir town of in a remote area in northern Pakistan’s town Two siblings and their mother died after a cause against the Indian rule while also par- Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said in a televised Pulwama, triggering the current standoff of Jaba, about 100km away from Islamabad. shell fired by Pakistani soldiers hit their home ticipating in civilian street protests against emergency briefing on Sunday. between the two nuclear powers. Pakistan retaliated to the Indian air at- in Poonch region near the Line of Control Indian control. “Not just for communities but for firefighters.” Indian warplanes carried out air raids tacks by shooting down a MiG-21 fighter jet (LoC) that divides the Himalayan territory (Source: Al Jazeera) In 2009, the worst bushfires on record destroyed thousands of homes in Victoria, killing 173 people and injuring 414 on a day the media dubbed “Black Saturday”. The largest fire in Bunyip State Park was sparked by multiple U.S. House panel launches probe into possible obstruction by Trump lightning strikes on Friday. Rural townships were evacuated with no reported injuries The head of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee said on Nadler said. “It’s our job to protect the rule of law.” That investigation was subsequently taken over by Spe- or deaths, but three homes and several properties had been Sunday the panel would seek documents from more than 60 “It’s very clear that the president obstructed justice,” cial Counsel Robert Mueller, who is expected to deliver his destroyed by noon on Sunday. people and entities as part of a probe into possible obstruction Nadler said. He said it was too soon to consider whether findings to the U.S. attorney general within weeks. Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said the heatwave, defined of justice and abuse of power by President Donald Trump. impeachment should be pursued, however. Nadler also cited what he called Trump’s attempts to as three consecutive days and nights of above-average temper- Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler told ABC’s “This “Before you impeach somebody, you have to persuade intimidate witnesses in the investigation. atures, had broken more than a century of records. Week” the panel wanted to get documents from the Depart- the American public that it ought to happen,” he said. The White House, the Justice Department and the Trump “It’s broken heat records for March in four states along the ment of Justice, the president’s son Donald Trump Jr. and As evidence of obstruction, Nadler cited Trump’s firing Organization did not immediately respond to requests for southern coastline,” meteorologist Dean Narramore told Reuters Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, of former FBI Director James Comey, who at the time was comment. Nadler said the committee on Monday would by telephone on Sunday. among others. leading an investigation into Russia’s alleged interference release the list of people and organizations it would be re- Temperatures in Tasmania, Australia’s southernmost state, “We are going to initiate investigations into abuses of in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and possible collusion questing documents from. reached 39.1 degrees Celsius (102°F) on Saturday, the hottest power, into corruption ... and into obstruction of justice,” between Trump’s campaign and Moscow. (Source: Reuters) in 131 years of records, Narramore said. Australia’s hottest summer on record is causing several in- dustries to wilt, including the $4.4 billion wine industry with grape yields set to drop to the lowest in years. In call with Pakistan’s Khan, UK’s May urges action on terrorist groups Drought has also damaged the winter wheat crop and is ex- British Prime Minister Theresa May em- a suicide car bombing that killed at least 40 the call with Khan. pected to drag the wool clip to a record low. phasized the importance of Pakistan taking Indian paramilitary police in Indian-con- “The leaders discussed the need to address The Pacific nation had its third warmest year on record in action against all terrorist groups in a call trolled Kashmir. India accusing Pakistan of the causes of this conflict. The prime minis- 2018, a year marked by severe drought in parts of the country with Prime Minister Imran Khan Sunday, harbouring the Jaish-e Mohammad group ter emphasized the importance of Pakistan and a prolonged bushfire season. May’s office said. behind the attack, which Islamabad denied. taking action against all terrorist groups, in Australia continued the trend into 2019 with its hottest Jan- India and Pakistan came to the brink of “She welcomed his commitment to reduc- support of global efforts to combat terrorism.” uary on record. war this week as tensions escalated following ing tensions with India,” May’s office said of (Source: Daily Star) (Source: Reuters) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 4 ECONOMY MARCH 4, 2019

STOCK MARKET ‘2600 industrial, service and tourism TEDPIX 164443.1 IFX 2081.98 units operating in Iranian free zones’ Sources: tse.ir, Ifb.ir ECONOMY TEHRAN – Some 2600 Administration (IRICA), customs offices deskindustrial, service and were set up in three free trade zones over tourism units are operational in Iran’s the past months.” CURRENCIES free trade zones, ILNA reported quoting Establishment of free trade zones in USD 42,000 rials Secretary of Iran’s Free Zones High Council Iran dates back to Iranian calendar year Morteza Bank. 1368 (March 1989- March 1990) following EUR 47,765 rials Making the remarks in a summit on the fall in the country’s oil income in GBP 54,427 rials strategies for developing services, products the preceding year which prompted the and exports held in Tehran, the official said government to promote the non-oil exports. AED 11,437 rials 1.3 quadrillion rials (over $30.95 billion) The first two free trade zones of Iran Source: cbi.ir of investment have been made in Iran’s were established in the south of country. free zones over the past five years. The first one was Kish Free Trade Zone Emphasizing the strategic and established in 1368 on Kish Island in geographic advantages of the country’s the Persian Gulf and the second one was free trade zones, Bank said that the most Qeshm Free Trade Zone established the COMMODITIES important factor in decreasing investment year after on Qeshm Island in the Strait Brent $65.07/b risk is the ease of access to raw materials of Hormuz. WTI $55.80/b since this could significantly reduce the Some five other free trade zones have cost of production. been also established in the country since OPEC Basket $65.28/b He further noted that half a million jobs then, including Chabahar in southeastern have been created in the country’s free Sistan-Baluchestan Province, Arvand in Gold $1,294.45/oz zones and $6 billion foreign investment southwestern Khuzestan Province, Anzali Silver $15.27/oz has been attracted in various areas. in northern Gilan Province, Aras in East- Free zones play some significant role in that customs offices will be established in year (March 20, 2019). Azarbaijan Province and Maku in West- Platinium $836.25 oz development of the country, Bank noted. all seven free trade zones of the country He said, “Through good cooperation Azarbaijan Province, both in the northwest In early May, the official announced by the end of current Iranian calendar of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs of the country. Sources: oilprice.com, Moneymetals.com NEWS IN BRIEF Local chambers of commerce board members elected Copper cathode ECONOMY TEHRAN — In the Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture The elections for Tehran Chamber of production up deskninth election of Iran’s 34 (ICCIMA), businessmen who are members Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture chambers of commerce, which was held on of the local chambers of commerce and who (TCCIMA) was the most important of all as 13% in 11 months Saturday, the board members of the chambers received their business cards more than 18 there were more candidates for this chamber, were elected. months ago elected through electronic vote that is 159 people vying for 40 seats up for The elections were held at the headquarters 535 individuals out of 1547 candidates. grabs. There are 60 seats at the chamber, 20 of local chambers of commerce across the There were 657 candidates from the of which are not elected as they are proposed ECONOMY TEHRAN— Production of copper cathode country except for Tehran Chamber of commercial sector, that is 42.4% of all by the government. desk in Iran during the eleven months from March Commerce, whose election was held at Laleh candidates, 461 people from the industrial The election at ICCIMA, which is called 21, 2018 to February 19, 2019 rose 13 percent compared to the Hotel in the Iranian capital. sector, 268 business people from agriculture as the private sector parliament in Iran, is set same period of time in the previous year, IRNA reported citing a As reported by the portal of Iran Chamber of well as 161 individuals from the mining sector. to be held in three months. report released by Iranian Mines and Mining Industry Develop- ment and Renovation Company (IMIDRO). As IMIDRO reported, 223,000 tons of copper cathode were produced during the mentioned eleven-month period of this year. Armenia able to transfer Iran gas to Europe Also, as previously reported by the Ministry of Industry, Mining Armenia is capable of becoming a bridge for transferring made, it is a very difficult issue to handle in economic and Trade, production of copper cathode in Iran during the first Iran gas to other countries, including Europe. terms. Therefore, it is unlikely to transfer large volumes of half of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-September According to Armenian Media ‘Panorama’, an expert in gas to the European Union through Armenia,” he noted. 22, 2018) rose 70 percent compared to the first half of the past energy and international security field Armen Manvelyan Armenian premier Nikol Pashinyan arrived in the year, IRIB reported. said “Iranian gas supplies to Georgia via Armenia is Iranian capital on Wednesday (February 27). Hitting the production amount of 115,000 tons, copper cathode highly possible, especially when such an attempt was In Tehran, he met and conferred with Supreme stood among the products with the highest increase of produc- made during the tenure of former PM Hovik Abrahamyan, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali tion during the six-month period of this year. when a small amount of Iranian gas was exported to Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani on various Georgia through Armenia by a private company’. bilateral issues. “Technically such a deal is also possible since the Earlier, Pashinyan underlined the importance of Iran, Switzerland ink MOU maximum capacity of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline energy for Yerevan, saying Armenia is ready to play its stands at 2.3 billion cubic meters a year, but it uses only “Transiting gas through several territories requires role in transiting gas. to enhance agricultural co-op 15 percent of its capacity,” he added. long-term negotiations; even if a political decision is (Source: IRNA) 1 Speaking in the signing ceremony, Khavazi mentioned Switzerland’s advanced technology and knowledge in agricultural science, saying “Switzerland is one of the leading countries in the field of agricultural sciences and has great experience in Platforms 13B, 13D operational China’s currency becomes key issue conservation and improvement of plant species, and we plan to at South Pars phase 13 in U.S. trade talks use their experience in this fields.” “The Swiss side is also keen to benefit from Iranian research Two platforms at Phase 13 of the giant South U.S. officials have said any trade deal with nearly US$650 billion in 2016. and scientific institutes experiences in some areas.” He added. Pars gas field have become ready for opera- China will include a provision to prevent Can Beijing control the currency? tion within four days, the manager of SP13 manipulation of the exchange rate to help The PBOC actively intervened in cur- development project has said. exporters but Beijing’s currency regime rency markets in 2015-2016 to counteract Payam Motamed said the two platforms reflects a complex reality. this depreciation, using its massive foreign became ready for production immediately U.S. President Donald Trump, who reserves to buy yuan. Capital flight slowed after hook-up and startup. has accused the Asian giant of artificially as the RMB stabilized. “This is a new record in Iran’s offshore undervaluing its currency for competitive Analysts say more recent weakening of industry,” he said. purposes, last week said “we have a deal” RMB is not due to manipulation but is the After the inauguration of ten SP phases with China on the currency. result of China’s economic slowdown, the since President Hassan Rouhani took office And White House economic adviser trade war, and rising US interest rates that in 2013, the second round of SP develop- production from this supergiant reservoir. Larry Kudlow on Thursday (Feb. 28) said push up the value of the dollar against all ment trend has started for developing the The SP13 output has increased in the shortest the draft documents would prohibit cur- currencies as investors search for higher Head of Iran’s Agricultural Research, Education and Extension remaining phases. possible time with the assistance of Iranian rency manipulation and oblige authorities yields. Organization (AREEO) Kazem Khavazi (2nd R) and Swiss Director Mohammad Meshkinfam, CEO of Pars contractors and technicians throughout the in Beijing “to report any interventions in But amid renewed optimism on the of the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) Bernard Lehmann Oil and Gas Company (POGC), has put the stages of manufacturing, installation and the market.” progress of trade negotiations with Wash- exchanging signed agreement documents in Tehran on Sunday South Pars rich gas production capacity at startup of oil and gas projects. But at the center of the issue is a paradox: ington, the yuan has rebounded by almost According to the official, Iranian agriculture sector has a great net- 600 mcm/d. In the offshore sector of SP13 located in China does not necessarily want a weak 3 percent since early January. work of research institutions in which many scholars in various fields “Except for SP11, the border blocks of the northwestern part of the gas field, 38 currency, and the downward pressure on China certainly can use its colossal of agriculture science and biotechnology are conducting research and this field shared [with neighboring Qatar] offshore wells have been drilled. the yuan is in large part caused by US eco- foreign reserves - $3.1 trillion at the end developing new methods. are operational,” he said, adding that the By sending the sour gas obtained from nomic conditions, like rising interest rates. of January - to intervene if it chooses to “This knowledge can be provided to developed countries in order sour gas production capacity in developing the two platforms of SP13 to the onshore Is the Yuan undervalued? prop up the RMB. to exchange experience.” Khavazi said. phases of this field (SP13, SP14, SP22-24) refinery via a 32-inch pipe for processing, The yuan or renminbi (RMB) is not And after the experience in 2015 and In the past forty years, Iran has witnessed a remarkable improve- would increase by next March. a variety of products including sweet gas, freely convertible and the government 2016, anxious to halt the yuan’s plummet, ment in the agriculture industry and billions of dollars’ worth of devel- Motamed said the two platforms started ethane, propane, butane, gas condensate limits its movement against the U.S. dollar the PBOC had drastically tightened capital opment, research and educational projects have been implemented work thanks to efforts made by the contrac- and sulfur products would be produced. to a two percent range on either side of controls to keep funds from flooding out across the country. tors including SADRA and Tesco. 4th Sweetening Train a central parity rate which the People’s of the country. The country has inked several agreements with European countries “The flares of the two platforms were Furthermore, in coincidence with the Bank of China sets each day to reflect Does China want a weak Yuan? for cooperation in the agricultural sector among which Germany, Finland, switched on after the end of construction startup of the fourth train of gas sweeten- market trends. A weakened yuan makes Chinese ex- Serbia, the Netherlands, Turkey, Latvia and can be mentioned. and installation operations, the activation ing and injection into national grid, the That managed float system limits vola- ports cheaper and more competitive and of all F&G safety systems and the opening SP13 treatment facility has become ready tility: the currency has remained confined can therefore partly offset the impact of of the first wells,” he added. to sweeten gas in four processing units at in the last five years between 6.2 and 6.8 U.S. tariffs. March is going to be a huge Motamed said delivery of gas to the on- a nominal capacity of 2 bcf/d. yuan to the dollar, a historically high level, But economists dispute the Trump ad- shore refinery will start when an offshore Achieving full gas sweetening capacity compared to 8.28 fixed rate in the 2000s. ministration’s claim that Beijing has been month for the world economy pipeline becomes ready to transmit gas. at SP13 treatment facility has materialized While the RMB strengthened 6.3 percent keeping the currency artificially weak and The simultaneous startup of two major after the startup of the fourth, which is also in 2017, it depreciated by 5.7 percent last in fact say it has been making an effort to March is shaping up as pivotal for the world economy. The coming gas platforms in the Persian Gulf by Ira- the last, train of sweetening at this phase. year, falling to its lowest level in a decade, keep it from falling too much. weeks are set to offer clarity on a U.S.-China trade deal, Britain’s fate nian contractors is unprecedented in Iran’s At this sweetening train, 6 mcm/d of rich which was enough to spur speculation Bei- And since August, the PBOC said it within the EU and any signs that China’s economy is turning around. offshore industry. Until recently, Iranian gas is being processed before being fed into jing was putting its foot on the currency would use a “counter-cyclical factor” to At the same time, U.S. President Donald Trump is mulling a report contractors were not able to carry out such the national network. scale again. calculate the daily exchange rate range, a that may lead him to place tariffs on European and Japanese cars, sophisticated operations without foreign Motamed said each of the four processing But the International Monetary Fund move said to keep the RMB relatively stable. while the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and Bank of Japan help. However, they are now skilled enough units would sweeten 500 mcf/d of gas for has said the RMB is not undervalued, and That makes economists question the will decide policy. to install and launch such facilities without injection into national trunkline. in a July report said it was “broadly stable Trump administration’s demands, even The U.S. is eyeing a summit as soon as mid-March between Trump having to hire foreign experts. The four trains are currently operational against the basket of currencies ... and though they acknowledge that China’s and his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, with White House Motamed said the startup of 13B and 13D by receiving sour gas from SP6 to SP8. Half broadly in line with fundamentals.” intervention from 2002-2010 helped to economic adviser Larry Kudlow hailing a potentially “historic deal.” If platforms would lead to the production of of these processing units, including the first Even the U.S. Treasury has regularly drive up the U.S. trade deficit. an agreement is reached, the relief may be short-lived if Britain crashes 1 bcf/d (28 mcm/d) of rich gas from SP13. and the second trains, are expected to receive acknowledged in a semi-annual report, Adam Posen, head of the Washington- out of the EU on March 29 without a divorce deal, compounding a Platforms 13B and 13D were loaded 1 bcf/d offshore gas of SP13 to be processed most recently in October, that Beijing is based Peterson Institute for International broader slowdown across the region. out from Bushehr Yard of Iran Offshore for injection into gas grid. not manipulating its currency. Economics, cautioned the Trump team March is also the month for China’s annual National People’s Con- Industrial Park and were installed under Production and injection of sweet gas from Beijing, however, shook the markets against using 1950s era strategies to solve gress, when the rubber-stamp parliament will sign off on the govern- suitable weather conditions. the fourth sweetening train of SP13 treatment in August 2015 with a one-time devalua- modern trade issues, which tariffs and ex- ment’s economic plan for the year. The centerpiece announcement will According to Motamed, the operation facility is taking place at a time the first train of tion that weakened the yuan by about five change rates are less able to deal with. be the annual growth target. Some economists expect China to set a of the two platforms ahead of schedule in- sulfur recovery unit of this phase has become percent in a week. Insisting on “a market-determined lower growth target of either about 6 percent, or from 6 to 6.5 percent dicates the seriousness of the Oil Ministry operational by supplying 6 tons per hour of The decision led to massive capital flight exchange rate for China ... sounds nice -- down from around 6.5 percent for the past two years. and National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) acid gas to the reaction furnace. out of China, which exacerbated the cur- but is nuts,” Posen told AFP. (Source: Bloomberg) in operating SP gas projects and boosting (Source: Shana) rency’s decline. Outflows amounted to (Source: Channel News Asia) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y MARCH 4, 2019 ENERGY 5

Oil market loosing hope If oil breaks this level, it’s a straight shot back to the for a price rally in 2019 December lows According to a Reuters survey, analysts and expectations. Oil prices could fall to the low $40s if they can’t hold above traders have grown more pessimistic over The data sent a strong message to a market the critical $52 level, and several factors are raising the risk the prospects for a significant price rally this that has been looking for direction, said Phil of that occurring, John Kilduff told CNBC on Thursday. year, global fuel consumption is expected to Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group in From slowing global growth, especially in Asia, to Saudi dip this year in the face of a broad economic Chicago. Arabia’s push for deeper production cuts, to rising tensions slowdown. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) between India and Pakistan, various global triggers are putting Considering the reasons for ups and downs futures fell $1.42, or 2.5 percent, to settle at pressure on crude oil prices, the Again Capital founding partner of the oil prices last week could testify to the fact $55.80 per barrel while global benchmark said on “Futures Now.” that the prices don’t seem to be able to reach Brent crude futures for May settled $1.24, or Despite these triggers, oil is currently having its best start to levels higher than their current $65 ceiling. 1.9 percent, lower at $65.07 a barrel. to a year ever since commodity watchers began recording its Oil market experienced a high volatility On the other hand, as reported by Reuters, price data in 1983. The commodity, which slipped by over level this week, starting with a steep fall early China’s February factory activity fell for a third 2 percent Friday, fell as low as $42.36 amid a marketwide in the week to posting a new high later on month as the world’s second-largest economy sell-off in December 2018. and then once again a three percent fall in continued to struggle with weak export orders, “The real critical center for crude oil is Asia and Asian the weekend. a private survey showed on Friday. demand, and the economic data out of Asia has been quite Earlier last week, President Trump tweet- “The weakness is also being felt across the poor,” Kilduff said. “And I’m not certain that even striking ed: “Oil prices getting too high. OPEC, please wider region. South Korea’s exports contracted a trade deal with China is going to improve that country’s relax and take it easy. World cannot take a at their steepest pace in nearly three years fortunes.” price hike - fragile!” in February as demand from China cooled As for India and Pakistan’s nuclear conflict, Kilduff said Brent crude dropped 2.5 percent immedi- further.” Reuters reported. that “any kind of conflagration in Asia, whether it be limited ately after Trump’s tweet, and was on course that OPEC and its partners were “taking it easy”. ments and the lack of new developments in The weak economic data for the world’s to India and Pakistan or spread to any degree to the region, to close near $65 a barrel by the afternoon. He asserted that current analysis indicated U.S.-China trade relations and increased U.S. top two economies compounded worries that would harm the economic activity there and that would only Although major oil producers didn’t seem OPEC and its allies, known as OPEC+, may production, Saudi energy minister’s remarks demand is falling globally and despite all the hasten the demand crisis that you could see here for oil prices to be much threatened by what the president need to extend their agreement to curb output along with the drops in OPEC output once efforts done by the Organization of Petroleum in the near future.” was tweeting, the market, however, clearly until the end of 2019. again helped the prices to partially gain their Exporting Countries, and the cuts due to the Kilduff, whose firm specializes in alternative investments concluded that Trump was serious about his OPEC pumped 30.68 million barrels per day momentum. U.S. sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, oil traders such as energy derivatives, added that Saudi Arabia’s “tough wish for prices to moderate. (bpd) in February, down 300,000 bpd from However, on Friday the U.S. ISM manufac- doesn’t seem to be feeling much enthusiastic stance” on decreasing its output could “unravel” the bullish In response to Trump’s tweet, Saudi Energy January and the lowest OPEC total since 2015. turing activity index in February sank to the about the months to come. thesis for crude. His bull case for the commodity states that Minister Khalid Al-Falih said on Wednesday Despite negative factors like Trump’s com- lowest since November 2016, and was below (Source: staff & agencies) if U.S. West Texas Intermediate, or WTI, crude oil futures can break above $58 a barrel, they could run to the mid-$60s. But all of these global factors are eroding the rally’s durability, and if the world’s top oil producers don’t work together to UK 2018 oil output at 1.09 mil bpd, up Oil slump catches funds off guard in offset the United States’ record crude production, it could longest bull run since 2012 spell trouble for prices, the market-watcher warned. 9%, due to newly producing fields U.S. dollar strength can also weigh on crude prices, but the Federal Reserve’s pledge to be patient with its interest rate hikes has made that less of a risk, said Kilduff, who is a CNBC contributor. “The United States is going to remain an island of prosperity here,” he explained. “We’re going to have the only central bank that is just maybe doing nothing, as opposed to some of the other ones that are going to have to be more aggressive. Again, look at the Chinese central bank. I don’t know if they’re in full panic mode or not, but they are doing everything in their power to stimulate their economy including record loan issuances, which don’t always work out well in the longer term. So I think the dollar is going to actually remain attractive, which should help me out a bit, but, again, we’re in a tough spot here. ” Oil prices fell Friday despite a Reuters survey showing that OPEC lowered its production output in the first two months of 2019. Brent crude futures, the international benchmark, traded in the $65 to $67 range, and WTI crude futures hovered around the $55 and $56 levels. UK oil output last year rose by 9 percent, Barra and Harris fields, which feed the Oil’s sudden slump seems to have caught op- Countries curbed output to offset a global (Source: CNBC) or 90,000 bpd, to 1.09 million bpd, as Western Isles Floating Production Storage timists by surprise. Hedge funds increased supply glut, while U.S. sanctions isolated North Sea fields recently brought on stream and Offloading vessel and are operated by wagers on rising Brent crude prices for an major suppliers Iran and Venezuela. Yet an helped spur the recovery of recent years, South Korea’s Dana Petroleum. eighth straight week, the longest streak since uneven economic outlook, record-smashing the Department for Business, Energy and The production increase was especially 2012, according to ICE Futures Europe American production and worries about the Iraq’s total oil exports Industrial Strategy said Thursday. pronounced in the last quarter as a leak data for the seven days through Feb. 26. U.S.-China trade war have cast a shadow average 3.620m bpd in BEIS said OPEC cuts had again boosted in the Forties pipeline a year earlier shut But the enthusiasm has proved to be over sentiment. UK oil exports, by 16 percent year on year down production for several weeks. misplaced, at least for now. The interna- “It’s sort of really push-pull in the short February -Oil Ministry to 36.94 million mt, as production from UK oil production stands at just over a tional benchmark posted a weekly loss term between some fairly constructive bull- newly producing fields was mainly exported, third of its 1999 peak, BEIS said. for the first time since early February as ish set-up on the supply side but really Iraq’s oil exports averaged 3.620 million barrels per day (bpd) and UK refiners’ use of indigenous crude Part of the production increase reflected President Donald Trump warned OPEC to overshadowed by questions on the demand in February, down slightly from the previous month, the oil hit a low of 5.3 million mt (110,000 bpd). investments approved before the oil “take it easy” in cutting supplies and U.S. side,” said Tamar Essner, director for energy ministry said in a statement on Friday. UK crude production was up 11 percent price collapse of 2014, but also tax cuts economic data fell short of expectations. and utilities at Nasdaq Corporate Solutions Iraq exported 3.649 million bpd of crude oil in January. at 984,000 bpd, and production of natural implemented by the government in the Brent lost 3.1 percent for the week, after in . “At the same time, you also Exports from Iraq’s southern Basra ports stood at 3.54 gas liquids was down 4% at 105,000 bpd. wake of the collapse, as well as a regulatory rising 25 percent to start the year. have Trump doing everything to push for million bpd, the ministry said, down from 3.556 million bpd New production sources included overhaul. Crude has rallied this year as Russia and lower oil prices.” in January. Catcher, operated by Premier Oil, and the (Source: Financial Times) the Organization of Petroleum Exporting (Source: Bloomberg) Shipments from Iraq’s northern Kirkuk oilfields to the Turkish port of Ceyhan fell to 63,000 bpd, from 75,000 bpd in January, the statement said. The average sale price in February was $60.834 per barrel, generating around $6,167,815,000 in revenue, the ministry said. BP: renewables to become largest source of power by 2040 Iraq is producing below its maximum capacity of nearly Renewable energy will be the fastest-growing renewables in the EU power market is set to jump by 10 million bpd, plateauing around 108 million energy consumption. BP revised up its renewable 5 million bpd in line with an agreement between OPEC and source of energy in the world through 2040, pen- to more than 50 percent by 2040, according to BP. bpd in the 2030s. energy estimated by 9 percent, while it revised other exporters such as Russia to curtail global supply in order etrating the energy system “more quickly than The global share of coal, on the other hand, Despite the forecast that peak oil demand down by 7 percent the expected Chinese energy to support prices. any fuel in history” to become the largest source will drop significantly and will be surpassed by could come in the 2030s, BP noted that under consumption, “reflecting the pace at which Chi- (Source: Reuters) of power by 2040, oil and gas supermajor BP said renewables as the primary source of energy in all scenarios oil will continue to play a signifi- na is adjusting to a more sustainable pattern of in its annual BP Energy Outlook on Thursday. the power sector by 2040, BP said. cant role in the global energy system by 2040. economic growth.” Renewables are expected to account for some Oil demand will rise during the first half of Moreover, “significant levels of investment are “Renewables and natural gas together account Kazakhstan plans to cut oil two-thirds of the rise in power generation globally, the outlook to 2040, but at a much slower pace required for there to be sufficient supplies of oil for the great majority of the growth in primary and their share in the global power sector will than in the past, “before plateauing in the 2030s,” to meet demand in 2040,” BP said, adding that energy. In our evolving transition scenario, 85% exports by 2% in 2019 grow to around 30 percent by 2040, up from the oil and gas major said. “In all scenarios, trillions of dollars of investment of new energy is lower carbon,” Spencer Dale, around 10 percent now. The European Union Global demand for liquid fuels—including in oil is needed.” BP group chief economist, said, commenting on Kazakhstan plans to cut its oil exports by around 2 percent (EU) will continue to lead among the regions in crude oil and condensates, natural gas liquids Compared to last year’s outlook, BP’s largest the outlook to 2040. this year to 71 million tons, its energy ministry told Reuters, terms of renewables penetration. The share of (NGLs), and other liquids—is expected to increase revisions were in renewable energy and in China’s (Source: oilprice.com) mainly at the expense of China, amid a production decline. This is down from 72.5 million tons Kazakhstan exported overseas in 2018. The world’s next great LNG project According to Shell, global demand for LNG will grow by 11 Obskoye gas field would improve the project’s profitability percent in 2019. Primarily, it will be consumers in China and as more gas can be exported over a more extended period. India that will drive the expanding LNG industry. In the con- Recently, the consortium has been awarding preliminary text of increasing demand, risks are emerging on the supply contracts worth billion to subcontractors for the construction side that could negatively impact the transition to cleaner of the facility. Among these companies are Saipem and Re- sources of energy. These supply fears are driving 2019 to be naissance Heavy Industries who have signed a $2.5 billion a record year for LNG projects across the globe. agreement to supply the engineering, materials, construction, Historically, Russia has produced and exported massive towing, and installation of several platforms. According to volumes of gas to Europe through pipeline infrastructure built Alexander Fridman, a senior member of Novatek’s board, during the Cold War. However, since the Ukraine conflict, “Arctic LNG 2 will utilize new technological solutions and an awareness of Europe’s overdependence on Russia has employ domestic manufacturers. The supply contract envis- become prevalent within the EU. As a result of this anti-Rus- ages new prospects for localizing the compressor equipment sian sentiment, Moscow’s reliance on European customers fabrication for the LNG industry, which is consistent with has become a security issue for the country. Diversification, our strategic aim of creating and developing an LNG Centre therefore, has become increasingly important for energy se- of Excellence in Russia.” Kazakhstan plans to reduce its own output to 89.5 million curity in the country. In order to achieve this diversification, an agreement concerning Arctic LNG 2 where the French Also, Siemens has joined the ranks of potential suppliers. tons in 2019 from 90.3 million tons last year, due in part to Russia is aiming to create a domestic LNG sector that can company will take a working interest of 10 percent in the The German engineering firm was also involved during the planned maintenance shutdowns at its three largest oil fields. rival the biggest producers in the Middle East and Australia. project. Furthermore, Total also has an overall stake of 19 Yamal project. The contract includes three feed gas compres- Its key exporting route is the Caspian Pipeline from western Novatek’s Yamal LNG facility was finished in December percent in Novatek itself. sors and six boil-off gas compressors. The equipment will be Kazakhstan to the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk. Supplies 2017, completed both within budget and on time despite the Originally, Arctic LNG 2 was planned to be based around manufactured locally to create domestic knowhow to support via that route are set to remain broadly unchanged this year. extreme environment in the Arctic region. For Russia to be- the Utrenneye gas field. However, Novatek recently discovered an independent Russian LNG sector. Kazakhstan will slash its exports to China via the Atasu- come an LNG superpower, significant expansion of capacity a significant deposit of gas in the near vicinity of the facili- Although the FID has not been made yet, the ever-increas- Alashankou pipeline to 0.5 million tons from 1.38 million is required. Novatek, therefore, has been planning for another ty called the North Obskoye gas field which was the largest ing ecosystem of subcontractors increases the likelihood of tons in 2018, the energy ministry said. project in the Arctic region called Arctic LNG 2. discovery in the world in 2018. The original deposit contains an announcement. Also, interest from global investors such It will also completely halt supplying Russia’s Orenburg French energy giant Total is Novatek’s partner in the Yamal two billion cubic meters of natural gas and 100 million tons of as Korean KOGAS and Saudi Aramco’s intention to buy 30 refinery. Last year oil supplies there from Kazakhstan stood LNG facility and owns 20 percent of the shares. The decision natural gas liquids while the most recent discovery adds the percent of the multi-billion facility boosts the likeliness that at almost 0.5 million tons. has been made to continue the successful cooperation into equivalent of another 960 million barrels of oil. The North the project will materialize. (Source: oilprice.com) (Source: Reuters) ساعت: 17:00 امضاء صفحه آرا: ساعت: امضاء مسئول صفحه: ساعت: امضاء ادیتور: ساعت: امضاء سردبیر:

I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 6 INTERNATIONAL MARCH 4, 2019 Jared and the Saudi Crown Prince go nuclear? Delaying Brexit: time to take There are too many unanswered questions about the White House’s role part in the EU elections in advancing Saudi ambitions

For two long years, Theresa May always insisted that Britain will By Nicholas Kristof have us over a barrel: If we don’t help them leave the European Union on 29 March. So determined has she with nuclear technology, someone else will. been to deliver Brexit by this self-imposed deadline that she has Jared Kushner slipped quietly into Saudi That misunderstands the U.S.-Saudi rela- even had the date written into law. Arabia this week for a meeting with Crown tionship. The Saudis depend on us for their This week, she made an uncharacteristic bow to political reality Prince Mohammed bin Salman, so the ques- security, and the blunt truth is that we hold and accepted that it may not happen after all. This was a piv- tion I’m trying to get the White House to all the cards in this relationship, not them. otal concession and a watershed moment in Britain’s argument answer is this: Did they discuss American Why on earth would America put Prince about Brexit. help for a Saudi nuclear program? Mohammed on a path to acquiring nuclear May’s statement on Tuesday should be read with care. It was Of all the harebrained and unscrupulous weapons? He is already arguably the most hedged with conditions. She continues to pursue her original dealings of the Trump administration in the destabilizing leader in an unstable region, for timetable. Her own deal – possibly slightly tweaked from the ver- last two years, one of the most shocking is a he has invaded Yemen, kidnapped Lebanon’s sion that MPs threw out in January – would have to be defeated Trump plan to sell nuclear reactors to Saudi prime minister, started a feud with Qatar, and, on 12 March for any delay to Brexit to be triggered. Parliament Arabia that could be used to make nuclear according to American intelligence officials, would also have to vote – again – against leaving the EU with weapons. ordered the murder of the Washington Post no deal. If both these things happen, and both currently appear Even as President Trump is trying to de- columnist . likely, the government will then put forward a motion to MPs nuclearize North Korea and Iran, he may be The prince has also imprisoned and brutally for “a short limited extension” to the article 50 process. May helping to nuclearize Saudi Arabia. This is tortured women’s rights activists, including made it clear that she will oppose any extension beyond the abominable policy tainted by a gargantuan one who I’m hoping will win the Nobel Peace end of June 2019. conflict of interest involving Kushner. Prize, Loujain al-Hathloul. As Representa- The prime minister’s willingness to allow an extension Kushner’s family real estate business had tive Brad Sherman, a California Democrat, is a welcome development. It had to be forced out of her by been teetering because of a disastrously over- has noted, “A country that can’t be trusted some equally welcome tough action by a group of cabinet priced acquisition he made of a particular with a bone saw shouldn’t be trusted with ministers. But the terms in which she might approach any Manhattan property called 666 Fifth Avenue, nuclear weapons.” extension of article 50 remain unrealistic. She needs to be but last August a company called Brookfield As Representative Brad Sherman, a California The White House won’t clarify whether much clearer – with herself and the country – what she would Asset Management rescued the Kushners by Democrat, has noted, “A country that can’t be Kushner discussed the nuclear issue when use the extension for. taking a 99-year lease of the troubled prop- he met Prince Muhammed a few days ago, Based on what she said this week, she appears to hope she can erty — and paying the whole sum of about trusted with a bone saw shouldn’t be trusted but Senator Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Demo- use an extension to get yet another variant of her existing deal $1.1 billion up front. with nuclear weapons.” crat, told me, “I’d be surprised if it didn’t over the line. But there is very little negotiating space for that. Alarm bells should go off: Brookfield also come up.” Along with Senators Ed Markey, The EU is not willing to change the withdrawal agreement. Her owns Westinghouse Electric, the nuclear officials included Michael Flynn, Trump’s standard way for rogue countries to divert a Democrat, and Rand Paul, hardline leavers are not services business trying to sell reactors to national security adviser, and they initially fuel for secret nuclear weapons programs, a Kentucky Republican, Merkley has intro- willing to bend the knee Theresa May Saudi Arabia. developed a “plan for 40 nuclear power plants” and the Saudi resistance to safeguards against duced a resolution to oppose the transfer of and accept it. If she sticks Saudi swamp, meet American swamp. in Saudi Arabia, according to a report from proliferation bolsters suspicions that the real nuclear technology that would allow Saudi to the strategy of making envisages only a It may be conflicts like these, along with the House Oversight and Reform Committee. goal is warheads. Arabia to create nuclear weapons. meaningless tweaks to short delay. But even murkier ones, that led American intel- The plan is now to start with just a couple Trump may be vigilant (destructively so) There’s another element of Trump’s Saudi her deal to make it ac- any extension of ligence officials to refuse a top-secret security of plants. about Iran’s nuclear plants, but in the Saudi policy that is simply repulsive: the fawning ceptable to hardline leav- clearance for Kushner. The Times reported As recently as Feb. 12, Trump met in the case his response seems to be: There’s money courtship of a foreign prince who has created in ers, we could arrive at the article 50 raises Thursday that Trump overruled them to grant White House with backers of the project and to be made! When Israeli Prime Minister Yemen the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, end of June in exactly big issues that Kushner the clearance. was supportive, Reuters reported. Benjamin Netanyahu raised objections to the murdered a journalist and tortured women’s the same mess as now. This nuclear reactor mess began around These are civilian nuclear power plants, transfer last year, Axios reported, “Trump rights activists. The White House genuflections May therefore needs to would take months the time of Trump’s election, when a group and Saudi Arabia claims it wants them for and his advisers told Netanyahu that, if the are such that Prince Mohammed had a point recognize another truth. to sort out. of retired U.S. national security officials put electricity. But the Saudis insist on producing U.S. does not sell the Saudis nuclear reactors, when, according to The Intercept, he bragged A delay will not mean together a plan to enrich themselves by selling their own nuclear fuel, rather than buying other countries like Russia or France will.” that he had Kushner in his “pocket.” business as usual. It will mean a rethink. This is why the agriculture nuclear power plants to Saudi Arabia. The it more cheaply abroad. Producing fuel is a Trump seems to believe that the Saudis (Source: NYT) minister, George Eustice, resigned over the issue on Thursday. Such a rethink could take several different forms. She could try for a softer Brexit deal, perhaps involving customs and single market alignment along European Free Trade Association terms. She could commit to lock Britain into Iraqis divided over continued presence of American forces a customs union. By Hamdi Malik On Feb. 19, the security agency responded to Zubeidi’s She could offer an early general election in return for votes statement from the day before that there is “an American plan for a changed deal; or accept a second referendum in exchange As the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group appears to be to produce a new generation of ISIS.” In an interview with for support for her deal in the way that Labour appears to be losing its last stronghold in Syria, but ISIS cells are crop- NAS Press News Agency, Counter Terrorism Service spokes- contemplating. She could embark on a deliberative democratic ping up in Iraq, controversy is growing about Iraq’s need man Sabaha al-Naaman Sabaha al-Naaman said Zubeidi’s exercise to seek out public consensus. for foreign forces, especially U.S. ones. One politician even statements are “mere speculation.” Any of these, or any combination, would involve reaching accused the United States of plotting to foster an ISIS revival. “U.S. forces in the Ain Assad Air Base [in Anbar] have [only out to different interests and large changes of approach. That Some 50 Iraqi parliament members submitted a request this] mission: to support and train Iraqi security services, process necessitates new thinking. May is not a natural new to the parliament speaker Feb. 19 to discuss and review the and aid intelligence [services] in monitoring ISIS move- thinker. But there is no alternative to trying. Her existing Brexit 2008 Strategic Framework Agreement between Iraq and the ment. Their withdrawal from the country will happen by a policy has failed. It will have to be replaced by a better policy that United States, which allows the presence of U.S. forces in decision from the Iraqi government when it deems it right,” commands wider support. This will need time. Not unlimited Iraq. Iraqi parties have escalated their rhetoric against the Naaman added. time. But probably more than three months, especially if the U.S. presence since U.S. President Donald Trump’s state- Hussein Allawi, a national security professor at Nahrain outcome is ultimately to be put to the voters in an election or ments Feb. 3 on the role his forces play in watching Iran’s University, told Al-Monitor he agrees with Naaman. another referendum. All this suggests an extension of at least moves in the region. “The U.S. advisory presence is now needed during the six months, and maybe more. The lesson of the current impasse Joey Hood, charge d’affaires of the U.S. mission in Iraq, stabilization and peace phase. Our forces need to build ca- is precisely that we cannot again let the clock prevent Britain told the media Feb. 19 that the U.S. military presence in Iraq Despite some Iraqis’ pacity, increase combat capabilities and improve security from sorting Brexit out. involves only around 5,200 advisers and trainers, and no and intelligence partnerships,” he said. May told MPs this week that no extension can go be- actual combat troops. opposition to a U.S. military Military experts aren’t the only ones calling for a U.S. pres- yond June because that would mean the UK taking part But some Iraqis claim there are more U.S. military personnel presence, the United States is ence at this phase. Some political parties think Iraq should in the European parliament elections in late May. That in the country than that. Jaafar al-Husseini, a spokesman for benefit from U.S. forces’ services. would be a problem if the Brexit outcome was settled. But the Iraqi paramilitary group Kata’ib Hezbollah, told Leba- trying to strengthen military Saleh al-Mutlaq, head of the Iraqi National Dialogue it isn’t – that’s the whole point. May should get her priori- non’s Al-Mayadeen news Feb. 18 that the group “is active in relations with the country’s Front, a Sunni political party, said in a Feb. 19 interview on ties straight. The elections are awkwardly timed but it is the border areas with Syria to follow up on the Americans’ leaders. Al-Hurra TV that as a result of the presence of militias and silly not to take part. The priority of getting this national movements.” He said, “There are 31 U.S. bases” and 34,000 the fragile security situation, the exit of U.S. forces is not a emergency resolved properly is worth the price of having U.S. service members in Iraq. Kata’ib Hezbollah is among figures, including Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who priority for the Iraqi state. British MEPs in place while it is being sorted. the Shiite groups most opposed to the U.S. presence in Iraq also is the commander in chief of the Iraqi armed forces. All the calls demanding a U.S. withdrawal are com- Election campaigning may even be useful at a dark time. Britain and has close ties to Lebanon’s Hezbollah. The prime minister’s office issued a statement the same ing from political blocs, he said, adding, “It is in their in- is in the midst of a deep national argument about future relations Hood denied the presence of any American bases in Iraq, day saying both sides discussed “cooperation in the war terests to keep the status quo so they [can] continue to loot with Europe. Why not open that argument to the people? For stressing that U.S. forces returned to the country in 2014 against the terrorist ISIS, and [military] training,” which the wealth of the country.” once, the European elections might actually be about Europe. at the request of Iraq’s federal government after the ISIS indicates the United States is determined to keep its military In a serious development, some parties have stepped Britain should certainly make clear that, if Brexit is agreed, our took over part of the nation; he said the U.S. military will presence in the country. up their rhetoric against those who don’t support a U.S. MEPs would withdraw. In the meantime, Britain loses nothing leave immediately upon the Iraqi government’s request. Earlier, acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Michael withdrawal. by taking part. Let’s vote. He also said video footage that was used to back up claims Shanahan visited Baghdad on Feb. 12 and met with Abdul In a clear threat, parliament member Talib Salim of Al- (Source: The Guardian) that large numbers of U.S. troops had been coming to Iraq Mahdi to discuss military cooperation. Sadiqoun Bloc of the League of the Righteous on Feb. 16 was more than a decade old. The United States seems to have no intention of leaving criticized those calling for the U.S. to remain in Iraq, calling However, a BBC Persian correspondent reported Feb. 13 Iraq in the near future. According to press reports, U.S. them “traitors and slaves for the dollar.” that the headquarters of U.S.-Iraqi joint forces in the Iraqi forces have recently expanded their presence in some areas Meanwhile, Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the Sairoon border town of Qaim was only flying the U.S. flag, whereas of Iraq, including in Anbar province bordering Syria, such coalition — which won the most seats in the last parliamen- EU-Turkey trade compact it had only flown the Iraqi flag before. She reported that no as in Qaim. tary elections — complicated matters further when he called Iraqi troops were in sight. The United States is well aware of the extent of differences for a new law to schedule the simultaneous withdrawal of could benefit Syrian refugees Despite some Iraqis’ opposition to a U.S. military presence, among Iraqi authorities about the U.S. future in Iraq, which Turkish and American forces from Iraq. the United States is trying to strengthen military relations gives U.S. forces the leeway to plan to stay in the country. This proposal, however, seems to be a long shot, giv- with the country’s leaders. High-level U.S. delegations have Recently, former Interior Minister Baqir al-Zubeidi, who en the deep differences in the Iraqi parliament. Many Sunni By Jessica Brandt&Kemal Kirisci traveled to Baghdad to discuss the role of U.S. forces in Iraq. belongs to the Islamic Supreme Council political party, and and Kurdish members, and even some Shiites, don’t support Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of the U.S. Central Com- the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service have been airing their a U.S. withdrawal. mand, arrived Feb. 17 in Iraq and met with senior Iraqi military disagreements in the media. (Source: Al Monitor) The UN’s Global Compact on Refugees, adopted late last year, floats the possibility of trade arrangements that incentivize local businesses to hire refugee labor. A trade deal between the EU and Turkey that grants access to European markets for agricul- tural goods produced in Turkey with a threshold level of Syrian Coalition continues to take a “horrific toll” on children labor could prove beneficial for both parties — and for millions of displaced Syrians. Henrietta Ford, Executive Director of The war’s horrific toll on children con- came the day before a high-level pledging Eight years into the Syria crisis, the conflict shows no sign the United Nations Children’s Fund tinues despite the agreement reached event for Yemen, held in Geneva, which of ending. More than 3.5 million people have sought safety in (UNICEF), said that Yemen’s brutal by parties to this war late last year in raised $26 billion to support Yemenis Turkey, which now hosts more refugees than any other country war by coalition continues to take a Stockholm and despite the humanitarian facing a crisis described by UN chief in the world. The likelihood that they will be able to return home “horrific toll” on children. funding commitments made this past António Guterres as an “overwhelm- in the near future is low. In Yemen, children can no longer safely week at the pledging conference in Geneva. ing humanitarian calamity.” Turkey already has a customs union with Europe, but it cov- do the things that all children love to Talks and conferences have so far done Mr. Cappelaere also noted that gen- ers only manufactured goods. Expanding the arrangement to do like go to school or spend time with little to change the reality for children on erosity and aid will not, on their own, cover agricultural products could open up new opportunities their friends outside. The war can reach the ground. Only a comprehensive peace bring an end to children’s suffering in for refugees to join the workforce. Agreements between the EU them wherever they are, even in their agreement can give Yemeni children the Yemen, and called on warring parties to and two other refugee-hosting countries, Jordan and Lebanon, own homes. reprieve from violence and war that they “put an end to violence in potshots and could prove useful (if imperfect) models for how to engage the Two days ago, five children playing need and deserve. across all of Yemen, protect civilians, private sector in such an endeavor. at home were killed in an attack on the Last Monday, Geert Cappelaere, keep children out of harm’s way and al- How Turkey fares at integrating newcomers will bear signifi- Tahita district, south of Hudaydah. UNICEF Regional Director for the Mid- low humanitarian deliveries to children cantly on the wellbeing of millions of people and the trajectory “Each day, eight children are killed dle East and North Africa, said that the and their families wherever they are in of consequential migration flows. or injured across 31 active conflict zones “mind-boggling violence” in Yemen “has the country.” (Source:axios.com) in the country. not spared a single child.” His comments (Source: Yemen Press) ساعت: امضاء صفحه آرا: ساعت: امضاء مسئول صفحه: ساعت: امضاء ادیتور: ساعت: امضاء سردبیر:

I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y MARCH 4, 2019 ANALYSIS & INTERVIEW 7 Davidson: Trump goes denial, delay mode about Humanitarian assistance or MBS involvement in Khashoggi’s murder military intervention in Haiti TEHRAN (FNA) — Lawrence Davidson, complicity in Khashoggi’s murder has to do Professor of History, says to have the Sau- with the facts that Khashoggi was a U.S. res- 1 Subsequently, high political instability, a massive in- di Crown prince “personally be a murder- ident working for a well-known U.S. news- stitutional fragility (mainly caused by foreign intervention er caught red handed killing an American paper. Also the murder was executed in an through humanitarian assistance), and the structural crisis of resident is really inconvenient” for the U.S. amazingly brutal and sloppy way. Further- poverty (affecting 80% of the population) continued, while the president. more, the whole affair quickly became public humanitarian assistance and aid were delivered to intervene in Speaking in an exclusive interview with knowledge. Echoing the disbelief and horror the country’s affairs. The passage of time indicates that the U.S. FNA, Lawrence Davidson said, “When Trump of their constituents was done by most of the imperialist government has taken advantage of the situation of took office he said that human rights would Senators, who, remember, don’t know much the affluent nations of the Caribbean to expand its military occu- no longer be a guiding principle of policy.” U.S. foreign policy history, but do know the pation spectrum. The strategies applied by U.S. forces to control Commenting on the U.S. foreign pol- mythology that says we are the good guys. and occupy the Port-au-Prince airport were through holding the icy, the American professor said “above If the affair had been handled quietly and entry of food, water and medical services. the U.S.’s claim to be supportive of human with discretion you might not have gotten The late Hugo Chavez in Anzan emphasized that imperialism rights is largely for public consumption”, this reaction in the Senate. However, as it shamelessly lies on the bodies of the Haitian who are under the and “the U.S. has a more profound record stands, the Senate has no real power over rubble of earthquakes and are crying. They took control of the of destroying other nations’ governments Trump’s behavior toward the Saudis and I airport (Puerto Princesa) and will arrive at the Presidential Palace.” and economies for the sake of the private doubt their outrage will make any difference. In turn, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega emphasized that profit of U.S. corporations.” The investigation into the murder of “The United States has deployed the nation’s plight and deployed Lawrence Davidson is a retired professor Jamal Khashoggi is reportedly being taken its military forces to control the military command of the Puerto of history from West Chester University in to the United Nations. In case the U.S. ve- Princesa airport, alarming.” Similarly, Uruguayan defense minister Pennsylvania. In his academic researches, toes any binding resolution against Saudi Luis Rosadilla called the situation in Haiti “deeply disturbing” he has focused on American foreign relations foundational when it comes to the defense (part of U.S. mythology) rather than practice Arabia, what message Will Trump send to and said, “This Latin American country does not need weapons, with the Middle East. industries and some of the banks. That gives when it comes to foreign policy. The U.S. other nations? Do you believe if Washington but needs medical equipment, food and water.” Below is the full text of the interview: the Saudis leverage over the U.S. economy has a more profound record of destroying can play the role of a watchdog for sanctity This peaceful peacekeeping mission since 2004 has sponsored Ankara has shared the audio recording and the president. other nations’ governments and economies of human rights any longer? more than 7,000 peacekeepers, 2,000 policemen and 1,000 ci- of Khashoggi’s last moments with Wash- Therefore, the short answer is we have for the sake of the private profit of U.S. cor- A: When Trump took office he said that vilian personnel to prevent a civil war. 16,000 U.S. soldiers and ington, indicating the involvement of Saudi a very important ally of longstanding, with porations than in the support of democracy human rights would no longer be a guiding military ships are currently stationed in the country to prevent Crown Prince’s top aide and CIA saying that leverage over the U.S. economy in areas of and the human rights of other people. Iran principle of policy. And it has not been. In mass exodus. The deployment of troops in the name of human- MBS has issued the order for Khashoggi’s defense and security, the leader of whom has been a victim of this fact. So, those who any case, as suggested above the U.S.’s claim itarian assistance to this country is an example of an attack and murder. Why does Trump insist MBS was president Trump personally likes. To have bemoan that Trump is not representative of to be supportive of human rights is largely intervention in this country, and before it imposed dictatorship, not involved in Khashoggi’s murder? the guy personally be a murderer caught red American values simply mistake their coun- for public consumption and not very real in the Maquilas plunderous policy, commercial agreements and A: Trump has a good personal relation- handed killing an American resident is really tries mythology (we are out there supporting practice. This has been the case for a very Haitian militias placed Haiti among the poorest countries. ship with Mohammed Bin Salman. The Saudi inconvenient. So President Trump goes into democracy and development) for its history. long time prior to Trump. This being the A report from Haiti by Simon Bruno’s independent corre- prince is the kind of personality that appeals denial and delay mode. U.S. Senators have passed a resolu- case, the U.S. hardly qualifies as a “watch- spondent at that time read, “There are currently no government in to Trump — a guy who supposedly gets things Unlike majority of the heads of the tion blaming Mohammed Bin Salman for dog” of other people’s rights. Thus, the veto Haiti, the decision maker is the United States through the United done, even if he is ruthless in doing so. Other states, Trump says he stands by Mohammed Khashoggi’s murder, saying he was complicit will be used to protect the Saudis just as it Nations ... I believe that Haiti’s biggest problem is the United friends of Trump along these lines are the Bin Salman. Does that lay bare Trump dis- in the killing. Do you believe this move can has been used to protect Israel. The U.S. Nations.” Several reports from Oxfam stated that restructuring “presidents” of Egypt and the Philippines. regard for U.S. values? change Trump’s administration’s policy lobbies representing both of these foreign is very slow in the country. On the other hand, the Saudis have tril- A: The truth is that the values you speak of toward Saudi Arabia? powers of infinitely are stronger than those The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti reported a lions of dollars invested in the U.S. that are have always been more important in theory A: The U.S. Senate’s outrage over MBS’s representing human rights. huge social gap between millions of poor people and said small, domestic and foreign minorities benefit from Haiti. Two years after the devastating earthquake of 2010, 519,000 Haitians lived in 758 camps and tents in the Puerto Príncipe coun- tryside and worse than that was the outbreak of cholera, which is believed to infect citizens through polluted water which came EU feels emotional hatred toward Trump: Russian analyst from one of the United Nations Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). TEHRAN (Tasnim) — A political commentator based The Trump administration’s foreign policies are Water pollution killed thousands of people in Haiti. in Moscow highlighted reasons behind some differences of also slammed by top U.S. officials. Recently, Speaker of the About 10,000 people were killed that year, and more than 18 opinion between the European Union and U.S. President U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi described the percent of the victims died in the 2015 cholera outbreak. Donald Trump’s administration, saying EU leaders feel “an administration’s general approach toward Iran, including According to the Associated Press, for every dollar, the U.S. emotional hatred” toward the president personally. Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, as benefited 33 cents of the initial disaster assistance, amounted “There is an emotional hatred, disdain of the EU and “completely wrong”. Do you believe other U.S. officials would to $379 million that it provided for Haiti. other liberal globalists towards Trump personally,” Dmitry cooperate with the Trump administration in implementing Out of anger, citizens have taken to the streets to voice an ob- Babich said in an interview with the Tasnim News Agency. its policies? jection to the U.S. and they demand a change in the government. “The moves of the EU aimed at ‘protecting’ European A: Nancy Pelosi hates Iran no less than Trump, she just However, Trump supports the incumbent government and urges companies, that deal with Iran, from American sanctions uses every opportunity to criticize him. The hatred towards the citizens to keep calm. – these moves are not serious, they did not have any effect Iran and Russia (is common among U.S. officials)– this is and they won’t have it,” he added. the point where the globalists (Pelosi, Obama, Clinton, etc.) Dmitry Babich, born in Moscow, has been an active agree with American nationalists (Trump and Bolton). Only journalist for over 25 years, focusing on Russian politics. the American people can change the U.S. policy towards ‘Iran asked to help Saudis leave Graduating from Moscow State University, Babich has had A: I don’t believe in a “conflict” between the U.S. and the Iran, not the American elite. a successful career in Russian journalism. He has previously EU over the policy towards Iran. There is an emotional hatred, The White House made a massive blunder after Yemen without losing face’ been a senior correspondent at the Komsomolskaya Pravda disdain of the EU and other liberal globalists towards Trump claiming European leaders applauded when Vice President daily, RIA Novosti, and Russia Profile magazine. Between personally. The reasons for that hatred are emotional. The Mike Pence dropped Trump’s name in a speech. Pence was TEHRAN (IFP) — A leading Iranian journalist says Saudi Arabia 1999 and 2003, Babich was a foreign editor at The Moscow liberal-globalist establishment in the Democratic Party of speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany has asked Iran to pave the way for Riyadh’s honourable exit from News before returning to Russia Profile in 2009 as acting the U.S. and in the European capitals was 99 percent sure when he passed on Trump’s regards to the dignitaries gath- Yemen which has been the target of Saudis air raids since 2015. editor-in-chief. His core areas of focus include Russia’s modern that Hillary would win in 2016, and they can’t forgive Trump ered. The 59-year-old paused for several moments, waiting Hossein Shariatmadari, the Editor-in-Chief of Iranian daily political history, international relations. Babich is currently for their deceived expectations. for a response, but the crowd remained silent. Do not you Kayhan, in a recent speech claimed the Saudis have asked Iran working as a political analyst at Sputnik International and So, on Iran, when Trump makes moves against Iran, think that it is another sign of the strained transatlantic to help them end the Yemen crisis without losing more face. is a frequent guest on BBC, Al Jazeera, CNN commenting this establishment does not really object. The moves of the relations? How do you predict the European countries’ He said Saudi Arabia was expected to take full control of Yemen on international affairs and history. EU aimed at “protecting” European companies, that deal future reactions to the conflicting policies adopted by the in just three days but it is now four years into the conflict and The following is the full text of the interview: with Iran, from American sanctions – these moves are not Trump administration? Saudis are still desperately seeking to occupy Yemen. Tensions have grown in recent months between serious, they did not have any effect and they won’t have A: Again, don’t confuse the EU’s hatred towards Trump “Since the beginning of the war in Yemen, the Saudis have the U.S. and its closest allies in the EU over various issues, it. The EU strongly objects only to those actions of Trump with kindness towards other countries, with peace, opposition done nothing but brutally massacring Yemeni civilians,” he was including Iran, which was underlined at a recent U.S.-backed which could really contribute to peace – such as his decision to U.S. imperialism, etc. It is just the hatred of the globalists quoted as saying by IRNA. conference on the Middle East in Poland that was largely to withdraw American troops from Syria. The American and in the EU and the U.S. towards Trump personally, nothing Elsewhere in his remarks, Shariatmadari referred to efforts by sidestepped by many European governments. What do you EU globalists blocked that decision. The Warsaw confer- more. The fact that Trump is bad does not mean that the certain circles to imply that the ghost of war is hovering over the think about U.S. President Donald Trump’s foreign policy ence was a disgrace and it shows the real face of the liberal EU and its ally Obama are good. It is one evil hating another Iranian nation and said this is part of enemies’ trick to disappoint that has strained the transatlantic relations? establishment in both the EU and the U.S. one – for an emotional reason. Iranian people but to no avail. He also said the Islamic Republic is now standing at its highest level of progress and added enemies will withhold no animosity towards Iran to stop its development. Elsewhere, the Iranian journalist underlined that the enemies’ Why U.S. interests are more important than Bahraini lives plot to highlight the gap between Iran and its ideal point is a trick to disappoint the nation and said the Islamic Republic has already TEHRAN (FNA) — Bahrain’s main oppo- human rights. The United States has the made significant progress compared with the pre-Revolution sition group, the al-Wefaq National Islamic means to use its leverage, since Bahrain is era but it should continue its efforts to bridge further the gap. Society, has censured the recent jail terms a close ally and host of the Fifth Fleet, but He also called on Iranian revolutionary youths to remain vig- handed down to scores of people over taking it never bothers to take a stance. Britain, ilant against the enemies’ plots to portray them as a minority part in a sit-in in 2017. similarly and shamefully, avoids offering group in the Iranian society. Al-Wefaq has condemned Manama’s ju- support for peaceful protesters and those Islamic view remains influential in region diciary of convicting innocent people after behind bars. Shariatmadari then underlined that today, Islamic views are a court handed down prison terms to 167 If Bahrain has learned anything from alive in Syria as Jaish al-Watani, in Iraq as Hashd al-Shaabi, in Bahrainis for holding a sit-in in protest at the all this injustice, it is that the regime can Palestine as Hamas and in Yemen in Ansarullah. regime’s decision to revoke the citizenship arrest, torture and repress its own people The journalist also referred to the anti-Iran Warsaw conference of prominent Shia Muslim cleric Sheikh Isa and countries like the United States and held recently and added the conference was held with the aim of Qassim almost two years ago. Britain will continue to look the other way. creating a psychological war against the Islamic Republic but “after The movement has called on the inter- It can flout international human rights law its closure, the enemies declared that the conference was focused national community to wake up and take and get away with anything too. on the Middle East. This was a big lie by the arrogant powers.” note of the human rights violation unfolding Using mentality of exceptionalism as a Elsewhere, he said Niki Haley, the former US envoy to the in Bahrain. The defendants convicted have free-floating abstraction from reality, as well, United Nations once announced after her resignation that she received sentences ranging from one to 10 the United States and Britain consider their had been tasked with portraying Trump as a crazy man to coerce years behind bars. They were charged with own interests more important than the lives Iran and other US enemies in the world into accepting Wash- rioting and taking part in an illegal gathering. of Bahraini protesters. These tricksters are ington’s hegemony. On May 23, 2017, the Al Khalifah regime abandoning human rights at a time when Revolution’s second phase to overcome challenges forces raided the village of Diraz, which had Islamic Enlightenment Institution founded As is, in Bahrain there are no consequences things are worsening in Bahrain and will Shariatmadari then referred to the domestic challenges that been under a military siege for almost a year, by Sheikh Qassim as well as the opposition and accountability for killing and imprisoning only continue to deteriorate. the Islamic Republic is facing and said leader of the Islamic Rev- and stormed into the home of Sheikh Isa al-Risala Islamic Association. the dissent. The regime has been emboldened Trump officials claim the U.S. is a “moral olution has already offered some clues to remove all the domestic Qassim, putting the cleric under house arrest. Into the argument, the anti-regime protest- thanks to President Donald Trump, who has beacon.” For that, they need to define them- problems. The ailing cleric has since left the country ers never took up arms. They are peacefully made it clear to Bahrain that “there won’t be selves in deeds not only by what they are for “The roadmap set forth by the wise leader Ayatollah Khamenei is to receive medical treatment. During the demanding that the un-elected Al Khalifah strain with this administration.” The United but by what they are against in Bahrain. In now available and we should follow it not to get misled,” he noted. crackdown, regime forces killed at least regime relinquish power and allow a just and States is in a position to help end these human the present instance, what they are against The journalist underlined that the Iranian nation will never five demonstrators, wounded dozens and elected system representing all Bahrainis to rights violations, but instead it chooses to in Bahrain is its long-suffering citizens. fall victim to the nasty deceptions of the enemies. arrested over 280 people. be established. stay silent, to keep its Fifth Fleet naval base, Let’s get real: It’s a fantasy to think Amer- “Over the past forty years, Iranians have managed to free What’s sad in all this is that the regime’s This is yet to be the case, as Al Khalifah and to sell its weapons. ican officials would ever find themselves crit- themselves of the enemies’ domination and choose their own justice system instead of trying those who regime receives diplomatic impunity from Washington also always sends its Secre- icizing the Al Khalifah regime over murder, fate,” he said. He cited Islam as a religion with anti-oppression killed innocent protesters, unarmed citizens the United States and its European allies. tary of State Michael Pompeo to Bahrain to torture, and cruel treatment of its people, inclinations and said Iran by relying on Islamic teachings is chal- and shot them with live rounds alive in cold They even allow the kingdom to use wealth praise the “strategic partnership between much less hold them to account. The U.S. lenging the international domination. blood has done the opposite. It has impris- to whitewash its legacy of abuses, human the two countries”. He never bothers to government, which has enthusiastically sup- Shariatmadari said today’s domestic problems are deeply oned many protesters, stripped the cleric rights violations, and silences those who try make any mention of unjust court cases and ported the regime’s war crimes over the years, rooted in the penetration of American and liberalist teachings of his citizenship, and later dissolved the to draw attention to this pattern. verdicts for protesters or raise the issue of will never allow it to happen. into the Iranian society. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 8 ADVERTISEMENTS MARCH 4, 2019

Apt in Dezashib Duplex Villa in Pasdaran Whole Building in Jordan Duplex Villa in Zafaranieh brand new, 175 sq.m, 3Bdrs. 550 sq.m land, 630 sq.m built up, 4 3 floors, 500 sq.m land, totally 560 sq.m, 4 Bdrs., unfurn unfurn, spj, gym, elevator Bdrs., unfurn, outdoor swimming 650 sq.m built up, swimming pool swimming pool, Jaccuzi gathering room, roof top pool $7000 Storage, parking spot storage, parking spot, $3000 renovated, parking spot Suitable for $6000 Ms.Sara: 09128103207 Ms.Sara: 09128103207 Embassies, International companies Mr.Shayan: 09128440156 & Guesthouses Apt in Fereshteh Triplex Villa in Velenjak Mr.Shayan: 09128440156 Apt in Elahieh 80 sq.m, 2 Bdrs., furn 1250 sq.m land, 1000 sq.m built 3th floor, 170 sq.m, 3 Bdrs. spj, parking spot, $1000 up, unfurn, terrace Office in North Shirazi fully furn , equipped kitchens Mr.Shayan: 09128440156 outdoor swimming pool administrative office license beautiful yard, nice view renovated, parking spot brand new, 6 floors, 6 apts $1350 Apt in Zafaranieh Mr.Shayan: 09128440156 each apt 120 sq.m flat Ms.Sara: 09128103207 350 sq.m, 4 Bdrs., furn 5 parking spots, $12000 spj, parking spot, $4000 Duplex Villa in Fereshteh Ms.Sara: 09128103207 Apartment in Dezashib Ms.Sara: 09128103207 800 sq.m land, 600 sq.m built up, 4 3th floor, 100 sq.m, 2 Bdrs. Bdrs., unfurn, renovated Whole Building in Mahmoodieh furn, balcony, storage, parking Apt in Jordan parking spot, yard, $5500 spot, good access to subway th 5 floors, each floor one apt each 2 floor 210 sq.m, 3 Bdrs. Ms.Sara: 09128103207 Holder of apt 170 sq.m with 3 Bdrs. $1300 furn, yard, parking spot unfurn, spj, 8 parking spots Mr.Shayan: 09128440156 Mr.Shayan: 09128440156 Duplex Villa in ISO 9001:2008 storage, elevator Shariti-Mirdamad Mr.Shayan: 09128440156 Apt in Fereshteh Apt in Elahieh 290 sq.m, 4 Bdrs., unfurn balcony, ISO 10004:2012 185 sq.m, 2 master room with one th 3 floor, 170 sq.m, 2 Bdrs. renovated, fire place Office in Vanak Square room, furn, spj fully furn , equipped kitchens Storage, parking spot ISO 10002:2014 administrative office license parking spot yard, nice view, $1350 Mr.Shayan: 09128440156 From Oxford Cert Universal almost new, 6 floors, 6 apts $1700 Ms.Sara: 09128103207 1000 sq.m flat, 4 lines elevator Ms.Sara: 09128103207 Villa in North Kamranieh roof top, cafe shop Apt in Qeytarieh duplex, 750 sq.m land, 500 sq.m Apt in Evin 10 parking spots 3th floor, 150 sq.m, 3 Bdrs. built up, unfurn 90 sq.m, 2 Bdrs., nice & clean furn, furn, equipped kitchen terrace, servant quarter, renovated $40 per sq.m equipped kitchen renovated, storage parking spot, 2 parking spots Ms.Sara: 09128103207 parking spot $600 Ms.Sara: 09128103207 $900 Ms.Sara: 09128103207 Whole building Mr.Shayan: 09128440156 Triplex Villa in Niavaran in Jordan - Valiasr Apt in Vanak 800 sq.m land, 550 sq.m built up, administrative office license Apt in Mirdamad 5 th floor, 170 sq.m sauna, outdoor pool 7 floors, 1800 sq.m totally 6th floor, 86 sq.m, 2 Bdrs., fully 3 Bdrs., furn, balcony parking spot renovated, elevator furn, elevator, parking spot spj, parking spot, $2000 Price Negotiable 42 parking spots $800 Mr.Shayan: 09128440156 Mr.Shayan: 09128440156 Ms.Sara: 09128103207 Mr.Shayan: 09128440156

TEHRAN TIMES FOR,40-YEARS VICTORY WE HAVE 40,DAYS.

carpetiranzamin.com Iran’s Leading SPICAL. OFFER. EVRY. International Daily CARPET. ANY. SIZE 25. Advertising Dept P_SQ_M,,,6_M=150 USD,,, 12_M=300,,USD,, $,, MONY BACK GARANTY PLEASE. VISIT OUR. WEB. ,,,WWW,CARPETIRANZAMIN,COM,,, We Never Forget. You Have the Right to Choose GIFT88876342

Tel: The Tehran Times new pocket- 021 - 430 51 450 sized glossary is now available on the market. The reader-friendly is a rich source of the most common journalistic terminology collected by the daily’s retired staff. It can benefit a wide range of tastes from students to professional Apt. in Elahieh journalists. Persian equivalents have Brand new, high security been given for all entries, including luxury, 170 sq.m, best idioms and expressions. The glossary also includes example sentences for location, 3bdrs, fully furn. entries the authors thought it would be a bit difficult to learn. Only 1700$ per month For more information contact: Mr. Feri 09126586642 Tel:021 - 430 51 450 [email protected] ساعت: امضاء صفحه آرا: ساعت: امضاء مسئول صفحه: ساعت: امضاء ادیتور:ADVERTISEMENTS ساعت: امضاء سردبیر:

II NN TT EE RR NN AA TT II OO NN AA LL DD AA II LL YY MARCH 4,4, 20192019 HEALTHADVERTISEMENT 99 How music therapy affects the brain in autism Clues to brain differences New research suggests that music therapy improves social communication in ASD between males and females By Katherine K.M. Stavropoulos, Ph.D. What does this mean? What is the takeaway from this study? I think there are How male sex steroids play a key I recently read a fascinating research paper about music a few important messages here: therapy for children with ASD. There have been a few papers Music interventions can improve social communication in role in understanding behavioral about the effects of music intervention in ASD, and most school age children with ASD. Music interventions and music report positive changes in emotional engagement and social therapy have long been seen as an “alternative” therapy, and development communication. However, this recent paper is the first to have not been readily accepted by the scientific community. report how the brain might be affected by music intervention. This research supports music intervention as a promising Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine How the study was designed way to improve social communication in ASD. Hopefully have discovered a mechanism for how androgens -- male sex Sharda and colleagues compared a music intervention this type of work leads to increased availability of music steroids -- sculpt brain development. The research, conducted to a non-music control intervention in school-aged (6-12) intervention providers, insurance coverage, and more by Margaret M. McCarthy, Ph.D., who Chairs the Department children with ASD. 26 children participated in the music research funding for this topic so more research can be of Pharmacology, could ultimately help researchers understand intervention, and 25 different children participated in the conducted. behavioral development differences between males and females. non-music intervention. Music intervention doesn’t only improve behavior--it The research, published in Neuron, discovered a mechanism Both interventions met weekly for 45 minutes, and were also affects the strength of connections between brain are- for how androgens, male sex steroids, sculpt the brains of male conducted for 8-12 weeks. Before and after both interventions, as, and those connection changes are related to behavioral rats to produce behavioral differences, such as more aggression researchers measured behaviors (such as social communi- improvements in social communication. and rougher play behavior. “We already knew that the brains of cation, verbal communication, and family quality of life/ social responsiveness, and family quality of life for children This is exciting, because it points to why music in- males and females are different and that testosterone produced parental stress), and brain activity using rsfMRI. fMRI allows in the music intervention vs. the control intervention. Neu- tervention might be working. For example: decreases during the second trimester in humans and late gestation in researchers to measure levels of brain activity in various roscience results were equally promising. For children in in connections between auditory and visual brain areas rodents contributes to the differences but we did not know how parts of the brain. In this study, researchers measured the the music intervention, there were increased connections might be helping with sensory sensitivity in ASD, which testosterone has these effects” said Dr. McCarthy. connection and communication between different areas of between brain areas responsible for auditory processing may lead to improvements in social skills. It is possible Jonathan Van Ryzin, PhD, a Postdoctoral Fellow, was lead the brain. The “rs” in rsfMRI stands for “resting state”, and and subcortical motor areas. For children in the music in- that sensory sensitivity gets in the way of social commu- author on this research conducted in Dr. McCarthy’s lab. means that brain activity was measured while children laid tervention, there were also decreased connections between nication in ASD. Imagine that you are trying to speak to A key contributor to the differences in play behavior between in the scanner passively (e.g. while “resting”). auditory and visual processing areas. someone, but their voice is incredibly loud, high pitched, males and females is a sex-based difference in the number of Why the interest in communication/connection between Brain and behavior and grating. On top of that, the lights in the room are newborn cells in the part of the brain called the amygdala, which brain areas? Because there is a long history of neuroscience The most exciting part of the neuroscience findings is hurting your eyes, and there is a constant ambulance-type controls emotions and social behaviors. The research showed findings to suggest that differences in connections between that differences in brain activity were related to improve- wailing outside. How strong would your social commu- that males have fewer of these newborn cells, because they are areas of the brain is a hallmark of ASD. Some findings sug- ments in behavioral measures. For example, strength of nication skills be in that situation? My guess is that your actively eliminated by immune cells. gest that brain areas are *overly* connected in ASD, while the connection between auditory and motor areas after was social communication skills would decrease due to all the In females, the newborn cells differentiated into a type of glial others suggest that the connection between different brain significantly related to improvements in social communica- sensory over-stimulation. This might be the case in ASD. cell, the most abundant type of cell in the central nervous system. areas *aren’t strong enough* in ASD. These differences in tion. That is, children who had the biggest increases in brain It is possible that if we can help with sensory symptoms, In males however, testosterone increased signaling at receptors connectivity are thought to be partially responsible for dif- connection between auditory and motor areas also had the social skills will improve. in the brain which bind endocannabinoids, causing immune cells ficulties in verbal and social communication observed in biggest behavioral improvements in response intervention. I am enthusiastic about music intervention as a new avenue to be activated. The endocannabinoids prompted the immune ASD, and may also play a role in sensory sensitivity. Similarly, children who had decreased connections between to help children with ASD, and I look forward to reading cells to effectively eliminate the newborn cells in males. Females The results auditory and visual brain areas showed more improvements more about it and contributing to future research efforts! rats in the study were unaffected, suggesting that the activation Behaviorally, improvements were seen in communication, in social communication. (Source: Psychology Today) of the immune cells by the increased endocannabinoids in males was necessary for cell elimination. In this respect, this research shows that cannabis use, which stimulates endocannabinoids in the brain and nervous system, could impact brain develop- ment of the fetus and this impact could differ between male and Has fast food become worse for our health in the past 30 years? female fetuses. Filled with empty calories and ultra-pro- Moreover, according to a study conducted become more healthful overall, despite the Jack in the Box, KFC, Long John Silver’s, This study provides a mechanism for sex-based differences cessed, fast food may increase the risk of by University of Connecticut researchers in addition of some arguably more wholesome McDonald’s, and Wendy’s. in social behaviors and suggests that differences in androgen obesity and cancer. While fast-food chains 2018, around 74 percent of parents purchase choices. In the study paper — which appears in and endocannabinoid signaling may contribute to individual have ostensibly been trying to offer more unhealthful foods for their children in fast- The researchers analyzed the variety, por- the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition differences in brain development and thus behavioral differences healthful options, a new study finds that food restaurants. tion size, and nutrition of entrées, sides, and and Dietetics — the investigators explain among people. the health impact of their menus has not This, the investigators noted, is despite desserts offered by 10 of the most popular their focus, noting that, “These restaurants “These discoveries into brain development are critical as we improved — to the contrary, in fact. the fact that, from 2013 onward, some of the fast-food chains in the U.S. over a period were chosen because the nutritional in- work to tackle brain disorders as early in life as possible, even Data from the Centers for Disease Con- most popular fast-food chains committed of roughly 3 decades, based on the menus formation on the key nutritional variables in pregnancy,” said UMSOM Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, trol and Prevention (CDC) indicate that, to offering more healthful options in their they made available at three points in time: of portion size, energy, and sodium were MBA, who is also the Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, between 2013 and 2016, 36.6 percent of children’s menus. in 1986, 1991, and 2016. available for each of the 3 years being University of Maryland, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers adults in the United States ate fast food Now, a new study suggests that most The team analyzed menus from: Arby’s, analyzed.” Distinguished Professor. on any given day. fast-food restaurant menus have not, in fact, Burger King, Carl’s Jr., Dairy Queen, Hardee’s, (Source: Medical News Today) (Source: Science Daily)

SATISFACTION TASHRIFAT INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE AGENCY GUARANTEED

FOR: APARTMENT VILLA OFFICE EMBASSY/COMPANY Jordan Elahiyeh From 50 to 8000 sq.m available Farmaniyeh, 4 Bdrs,fully 4-storey building,1000 sq.m, Triplex-800 sq.m built up,1000 With all facilities in different furn,260sq.m,spj,$3000 all facilities,$10000 sq.m land,Semi-furn,7 areas Jordan Elahiyeh Chenaran Bdrs,spj,$9000 Mr. Shahin Zaferaniyeh Fantastic 4 Bdrs,500 Sq.m, for Nobody does it better 100 sq.m,3 Triplex villa,800 sq.m,built those seeking the best rooms,parking,brand new up,1000 sq.m land,12 Zaferaniyeh rooms,$8500 3rd fl.,$1700 Darous Duplex, 4 Bdrs,unfurn,350 09121081212 2Bdrs,fully furn,3rd fl.,brand Since: 1987 Niavaran new,100 sqm,lobby sq.m,spj,$8000 Valiasre Triplex villa,2000 sq.m sq.m brand new, all land,600 sq.m built up ,spj,all 150 مالکین محرتم امالک مسکونی و اداری شام را 1600 facilities,$15000 facilities,5th fl.,$2300 جهت اجاره به خارجی نیازمندیم Niavaran Zaferaniyeh-Yekta, Apartment-villa 2000 sq.m land,green Darous Tel: Vozara French-style garden,500 sq.m built up 22723121 Duplex villa,600 sq.m built 3Bdrs,fully furn 360 sq.m.sp, [email protected] 250 sq.m,all facilities up,1000 sq.m land ,all area,indoor spj,4Bdrs,fully EURO 5000 8th fl.,,$4000 facilities,$8000 furn,triplex,$15000 Valiasre-Bagheferdos We give service with a Other areas: 3 Bdrs,fully furn,brand Mirdamad-Naft Farmaniyeh new,5th fl., 150 sq.m ,indoor Darous difference…We care! 120 sq.m,6th fl., $1700 Aghdasiyeh spj,$1900 1000 sq.m land,400 sq.m built Long & Short term rentals Shahrak Gharb Shariati-Pasdaran up area, flat.4 Bdrs,spj.$7000 vanak Mirdamad-Naft Valiasre Purchase Properties shariati 3 Bdrs.fully furn,5th fl.,200 Tajrish sq.m, $ 2000 pasdaran Jordan Jordan Close to Paladium Shopping FURNISHED - UNFURNISHED shahrak gharb Vanak center 850 sq.m land,500 sq.m Arjantin saadatabad 3Bdrs,180 sq.m,fully built up,5 Bdrs,spj,furn/ Villa-Apartment-Office- Zafar… unfurn,duplex,$7000 4000-3000-5000-4000-1000 furn,lobby,sp,garden,$2000 Building sq.m,full,reasonable price nice cases ready to move in. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 10 TECHNOLOGY MARCH 4, 2019

Oil money destroys White hat hackers to gather at innovation: VP TECHNOLOGY TEHRAN — Universities which are provided Tehran cybersecurity conference deskwith government budget and oil money can- not be innovative, the vice president for science and technology TECHNOLOGY TEHRAN — White hat viduals working and programming in Sourena Sattari said, IRNA reported on Saturday. deskhackers will participate FORTRAN. Due to oil economy, we prefer import to production and this in a conference which will be held on In 1998, Dan Farmer developed one economic favoritism destroys all cultural and intellectual infra- March 7 in Tehran on recent achieve- of the first, if not the first, vulnerability structures, he said. ments in cybersecurity, IRNA reported scanners. Named COPS (Computer Oracle Governments which rely on Saturday. and Password System), it was designed on underground resources are A white hat hacker is a computer to scan for security vulnerabilities in one mostly based on bureaucrat- security specialist who use their skills part of a Unix operating system. ic systems, which have more to improve security by exposing vul- After that, with ideas to enforce eth- managers than personnel and nerabilities before malicious hackers, ical hacking and its tactics in assessing that makes them inefficient, known as black hat hackers, can detect system security, Farmer and Wietse Ven- he lamented. and exploit them. ema developed another security scanner He pointed to state-run re- The event will be held by an Iranian SATAN (Security Administrator Tool for search centers which do not independent research company which Analyzing Networks). have any significant achieve- studies the web/binary analysis, exploit They gathered up all the tools they ments, saying “Today Iran pro- development, stegano/crypt analysis, had used to collect information during duces 97 percent of medicine forensics and SE. their work, packaged them in a single, for domestic market which is There is no roadmap for those who easy-to-use application, and gave it away mostly met by knowledge-based want to be active in different fields of to anyone who chose to download it. This companies,” he said. cybersecurity in Iran, the company’s application has caused many, especially Over 40 percent of knowledge-based companies in Iran are director Amir Rasouli said. law enforcement specialists, to believe active in the field of health, he announced. Hence, the idea of holding conference that hackers will use it maliciously to Actually knowledge-based ecosystem is very important, in was formed in order to gather cybersecu- break into computers. which all the members should pursue one goal, he said. rity activists to share their knowledge and The conference provides an opportunity Despite the bad word of mouth that He said that the government should support startups and experience with each other, he explained. for sharing the latest achievement on has followed hackers since their early knowledge-based companies created by young entrepreneurs Cyber intrusion and cyber security are days, many companies, and even gov- more than state-run centers. considered as a kind of science, which cybersecurity in different fields of artificial ernments, have placed increasing im- During past two years, 80 knowledge-based companies are one should learn about, he explained. intelligence, internet of thing, smart city, portance on the many advantages and formed in the field of stem cells, he said. The conference aims to provide an benefits of investing in someone highly Sattari named supply chain management in health services appropriate space for sharing the latest and technological infrastructure. skilled in penetrating systems and find- as another important issue which knowledge-based companies achievement and technological research the issues, which have some weakness this term to describe an action where ing weaknesses, providing them with should focus on in coming years in Iran. on cybersecurity in different fields of in their algorithm and encryption. someone deliberately tries to penetrate valuable insights. Digital healthcare is another field which should be promoted artificial intelligence, internet of thing, White hats, the ethical hackers and test a system for any vulnerabilities. Today, companies are actively engaged and the first accelerator centers are already established, he said. smart city, and technological infrastruc- The term “ethical hacking” when it The term “hacker” was coined in the in finding individuals who can perform ture, he explained. was introduced in 1995 by former IBM 1960s at MIT’s artificial intelligence labs, ethical hacking of their systems in order He pointed to credit cards as one of Vice President John Patrick. He used referring to a specialized group of indi- to upgrade overall security. Tehran museum celebrating periodic table of chemical Smart system for multimodal Govt. providing infrastructure for elements year transport projected industrialization of robotic science

TECHNOLOGY TEHRAN — The Iranian National Museum deskof Science and Technology is celebrating the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements (IYPT2019) by holding an educational event from March 2 to 7.

Entitled “Jadvaleev”, the name of the event is inspired TECHNOLOGY TEHRAN — The “Development of transportation is TECHNOLOGY TEHRAN — The during natural disasters like earth- from the Persian word ‘Jadval’ which means ‘table’ in rhyme desksecretariat of the Ira- now based on technology worldwide deskgovernment is pro- quakes. with ‘Mendeleev’. nian Aviation Technology Development and we try our best to use these facil- viding infrastructure for robotic sci- The robotics is a combination of The event is organized in nine different stations for visitors of Headquarters plans to provide a smart ities in Iran’s transportation system ence in order to use it in the industry mechanics, software, electronics, the museum including basic elements of the universe, elements system for multimodal transportation in the near future,” he said. sector, deputy information and com- telecommunication, chemistry and in the earth’s crust, chemical elements of the human body, scales, in the near future, the secretary of the He said that Iran would benefit from munication technology (ICT) minister biology, he said. molecular model toys and games, bingo game, element games, headquarters Manouchehr Manteqi international experience and capabili- for innovation said. AUTCUP 2019 is being held from pantomime and periodic table of chemical elements. said on Saturday, Mehr reported. ties for development of transportation Nasrollah Jahangard made the re- March 2 to 4 at Tehran’s Amirkabir The Periodic Table of Chemical Elements is one of the most This would be possible through with the support of young experts and marks during the opening ceremony of University of Technology. significant achievements in science, capturing the essence not transport integration through air, entrepreneurs. Amirkabir International Robotic and A total of 542 teams from Russia, only of chemistry, but also of physics and biology. land and water, he explained. According to a report released by the Artificial Intelligence Contest (AUTCUP Australia, Taiwan, China, Germany, The year 1869 is considered as the year of discovery of the Manteqi called the rail transport Europe Industry News in early March 2019), IRNA reported on Saturday. South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Italy, Can- Periodic System by Dmitri Mendeleev. The year 2019 will be the as the most economic, safe and secure 2019, smart transportation market will Jahangard said that robotic science ada, Indonesia, Turkey, Afghanistan, 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements among different modes of transpor- flourish and reach $236.06 billion by is very beneficial in mining industry, Lithuania and Iran are competing at and has therefore been proclaimed the “International Year of tation. 2024. water and traffic management, and the event. the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements (IYPT2019)” by the United Nations General Assembly and UNESCO. Iran to provide network between knowledge-based companies, startups Infrared drones spot koalas TECHNOLOGY TEHRAN — The vice presidency he added. deskfor science and technology plans for The demands of industry is the priority for the vice better than people networking between knowledge-based companies presidency to establish the societies and they run by and startups, the deputy director for innovation the private sector, he explained. Although aerial drones have already been used to count wild and commercialization announced, IRNA reported Due to agreements signed between the vice pres- animals such as seals, doing so isn’t that difficult, as the creatures on Sunday. idency and the Institute of Standards and Industrial typically lie right out in the open. Now, however, Australian sci- Payman Salehi said that the societies established at Research of Iran, the societies can issue certificate of entists have successfully used the aircraft to count koalas that are the vice presidency’s office for knowledge, industry and conformity for the products as well, he said. hidden in amongst the leaves and branches of eucalyptus trees. market cooperation are facilitating the networking. Salehi announced that the societies can introduce Led by Dr. Grant Hamilton, a team from the Queensland The societies, which are active in their specialized the knowledge-based companies for participation at University of Technology started by equipping drones with fields, should connect startups, knowledge-based the international events by the vice presidency as well. infrared cameras. companies active in their fields and connect them to The societies at the office for knowledge, industry Each of those drones was then flown in a “lawnmower” pat- big industries, he said. and market cooperation are active in different fields tern, going in successive back-and-forth rows over an area of In this way, they can increase efficiency and solve of laboratory equipment, precious stone and jewelry, forest in which GPS-tagged koalas were present. The flights were technological challenges by boosting cooperation, hand-woven carpet and aromatic plants. conducted in the early morning during colder months, when the temperature difference between the koalas’ bodies and the surrounding environment would be the highest. After each flight, a custom algorithm was used to analyze the drone’s video footage, identifying the number and location of A robotic hand that gives sixth sense back to users koala-specific heat signatures. The accuracy of the system was A next-generation bionic hand that Not surprisingly, one of the biggest muscle function in the patient’s stump tactile feedback simultaneously and subsequently assessed by cross-referencing the animals’ GPS allows amputees to regain their pro- challenges for amputees is losing pro- to electro-mechanical movement in a in real time,” explains Micera. “The coordinates with the locations identified by the drone. It turned prioception is the culmination of ten prioceptive ability. No matter how so- bionic device. While myoelectric de- brain has no problem combining this out to be significantly better than what is typically managed by years of robotics research. phisticated prostheses are, without the vices are revolutionary in the dexterity information, and patients can process ground-based surveys. We know all know about the five underlying ability to know where they and control they afford amputees, the both types in real time with excellent “On average, an expert koala spotter is going to get about 70 senses, but our ability to move through are in space they’ll always seem kludgy. lines of communication only work in results.” percent of koalas in a particular area,” says Hamilton. “We, on the world is highly dependent on an Researchers at Swiss university EPFL one direction, from the human to the The device takes some training to use. average, get around 86 percent. That’s a substantial increase often overlooked sixth sense. It’s called appear to have solved the problem with device. The EPFL device adds a crucial Patients gradually learn how to trans- in accuracy that we need to help protect threatened species.” proprioception, and it’s our brain’s a bionic hand that gives amputees a sensory component to the circuit. late electrical pulses transmitted from What’s more, utilizing drones is reportedly much quicker ability to know where our limbs are “very subtle, close-to-natural sense of The findings presented in the arti- the hand to electrodes in the stump. and thus cheaper than using traditional spotters. According to in space without visual cues. touch” and reproduces the feeling of cle are a result of more than a decade But the brain is a wonderfully adap- Hamilton, in two hours, a single koala-spotting drone can survey It’s hard to account for just how vi- proprioception. Presented in an article of research led by Professor Silvestro tive instrument, and with exposure it an area that would take a person all day to cover. That said, he tal proprioception is to the techniques in the journal Science Robotics, the Micera of NCCR, a robotics research learns to automatically translate the believes that using a combination of drones and people on the we’ve evolved to interact with the world. device stimulates nerves in the ampu- consortium in Switzerland, and Paolo sensations into familiar sensory input. ground, as dictated by the situation, will be the best way to proceed. Moving our limbs into position to block tee’s stump in order to provide senso- maria Rossini, director of neuroscience The result is highly accurate sensing. The scientists are now planning on covering larger areas a ball about to hit our face requires ry feedback in real time. This enables at the A. Gemelli University Polyclinic In the published results, two patients with the drones, and on adapting the algorithm to identify fast reaction times. If we had to locate patients to determine an item’s shape, in Rome. were able to determine size and shapes the heat signatures of other species that they wish to track, our hand in space using visual cues to size, and consistency just by feeling it. “Our study shows that sensory substi- of objects using touch with higher than such as invasive deer. estimate the proper trajectory, we’d be It’s a huge improvement on current tution based on intraneural stimulation 75 percent accuracy. (Source: newatlas.com) left with a bloody nose. myoelectric devices, which translate can deliver both position feedback and (Source: zdnet.com) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y MARCH 4, 2019 SCIENCE 11

World wildlife day 2019: The 15 biggest Astronomers detect a hiding black hole threats to the world’s oceans Astronomers have detected a stealthy black hole from its effects on an interstellar gas cloud. This intermediate mass black hole is For the first time, the UN’s World Wildlife warmer waters impact almost every aspect one of over 100 million quiet black holes expected to be lurking Day is highlighting threats to marine life. The of ocean welfare, from coral bleaching to fish in our Galaxy. theme of World Wildlife Day 2019 on March migration patterns and even alter oceanic These results provide a new method to search for other hidden 3, is ‘Life below water: for people and planet’. currents. black holes and help us understand the growth and evolution The title is a nod to the UN’s Sustainable Carbon footprint of black holes. Development Goal 14 – Life below water, What you can do: While minding your Black holes are objects with such strong gravity that everything, which focuses on protecting marine species. carbon footprint can help, big changes need including light, is sucked in and cannot escape. Because black “Oceans regulate our climate, produce half to happen on a government level for this huge holes do not emit light, astronomers must infer their existence the oxygen we breathe, provide nourishment issue to change. Support local politicians from the effects their gravity produces in other objects. for (more than) 3 billion people, and absorb who advocate for laws that protect the envi- Black holes range in mass from about 5 times the mass of 30 percent of carbon dioxide released into the ronment. The Sustainable Politician Project the Sun to supermassive black holes millions of times the mass atmosphere and fully 90 percent of the heat helps explain the eco-friendly credentials (or of the sun. from climate change,” said Abdoulaye Mar lack thereof) of each state representative. Astronomers think that small black holes merge and gradually Dieye, UN Assistant Secretary-General, in Greenpeace estimates that 12.7 million grow into large ones, but no one had ever found an intermediate November when the theme was announced. tons of plastic ends up in the sea every year. mass black hole, hundreds or thousands of times the mass of UN World Wildlife Day was established Plastic garbage, like bottles and bags, is often the sun. in 2013, with the first event taking place in mistaken for food by sea creatures and eaten. A research team led by Shunya Takekawa at the National 2015. Its mission is to “celebrate and raise This can block the airways of the animal Astronomical Observatory of Japan noticed HCN-0.009-0.044, a awareness of the world’s wild fauna and flora.” or even strangle them. Plastic is toxic for gas cloud moving strangely near the center of the Galaxy 25,000 Activities, film screenings and art contests these animals, clogging their stomachs so light-years away from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius. are taking place across the world to draw they can’t ingest real food. And it’s not just They used ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter attention to this year’s theme, including an coastal areas that are affected — even in the Array) to perform high resolution observations of the cloud and event at UN Headquarters in New York. fishing covered a bigger area than global land environments have long been known, 6.8-mile-deep Mariana Trench, a recent study found that it is swirling around an invisible massive object. Oceans cover 71 percent of the Earth’s agriculture. public awareness about the precarious state found all marine life had plastic in their guts. Takekawa explains, “Detailed kinematic analyses revealed that surface and make up more than 99 percent of This massive disruption to ocean ecosys- of the ocean are a more recent revelation, What you can do: It’s not easy to cut un- an enormous mass, 30,000 times that of the sun, was concentrated the planet’s livable habitat, but scientists say tems can be caused by such diverse threats thanks in part to cultural phenomena like necessary plastic from our lives — but it’s in a region much smaller than our Solar System. they’re in serious trouble. The first systematic as overfishing, agricultural chemical offspill the BBC’s Blue Planet series. by no means impossible. Supermarkets are This and the lack of any observed object at that location strongly analysis of marine wilderness, published in and global warming driving up sea tempera- The ocean has absorbed 80 percent of big sinners when it comes to excess plastic suggests an intermediate-mass black hole. the journal Current Biology in 2018, found tures. While threats to rainforests and other human-produced carbon dioxide. These waste, so try and only buy vegetables and By analyzing other anomalous clouds, we hope to expose other that the ocean has been extensively altered fruit which are sold loose, and bring your quiet black holes.” due to human activity, with only 13 percent The ocean has absorbed 80 percent of human- own reusable bag. Invest in a canteen so you (Source: sciencedaily.com) left undisturbed. don’t have to waste plastic (and money) on World’s oceans produced carbon dioxide. These warmer bottled water. Try and spend a week notic- The news followed the revelation that waters impact almost every aspect of ocean ing what unnecessary plastic you consume over half the world’s oceans are being in- welfare, from coral bleaching to fish migration without thinking, like drinking straws and SpaceX successfully launches dustrially fished. A 2018 study, published in disposable razors. the journal Science, found that commercial patterns and even alter oceanic currents. (Source: Newsweek) Crew Dragon with test dummy SpaceX has successfully launched the Crew Dragon, and it is currently on the way to the ISS. Elon Musk says that they might Scientists discover how surfaces may have Tree rings tell climate stories that fly people aboard it by summer if things go according to plan. On Saturday, the Crew Dragon capsule was launched for the helped early life on Earth begin technology can’t, team finds first time. It lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center, sitting atop SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The Crew Dragon is made to carry On early Earth, a series of spontaneous Satellite imagery, carbon dioxide meas- humans, but for the test launch it only carried a sensor-equipped events needed to happen in order for life urements, and computer models all help dummy called Ripley, named in honor of the Alien movies. as we know it to begin. One of those phe- scientists understand how climate and car- The capsule is expected to reach the International Space Sta- nomena is the formation of compartments bon dynamics are changing in the world’s tion (ISS) and dock with it autonomously for the first time. It is enclosed by lipid membranes. New research forests. But the technology powering these scheduled to return back to Earth on March 8 when it will splash by Irep Gözen, Elif Koksal, and colleagues high-tech data only stretches back about down off the coast of Florida. at the University of Oslo reveals, for the first thirty years, limiting our picture of long- The unmanned test flight time, how these vesicles can self-assemble term change. is intended to demonstrate on surfaces without external input. A new study in Nature Communica- SpaceX’s ability to safely and The team discovered the most tions by scientists from the Harvard Forest, reliably carry astronauts to and straight-forward and plausible explana- Columbia University, ETH Zürich, and from the ISS. tion so far with the simplest assumptions. elsewhere shows how information revealed The data gathered from this “We were actually trying to do another Fatty molecules could have easily existed by a new method of analyzing tree rings Ring Laboratory of Columbia University’s test launch will determined experiment and this came as a discovery,” in the previological era, as confirmed by matches the story told by more high-tech Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, and whether it is ready to carry said Gözen. The “formation of lipid tubes the results of their successful synthesis equipment over the short-term. Because co-author of the new study. The “stable people aboard in July. and the emergence of thousands of vesicles performed in possible primitive Earth trees are long-lived, looking back in their isotopes measured in tree rings are highly The achieved feats was happening spontaneously when we conditions, together with their traces found rings with this new approach may add sensitive to tracking moisture.” In 2012, SpaceX made his- left lipids on a silicon dioxide surface.” in fossils and meteorites. Intriguingly, decades or even centuries to our under- The team says the full power of this tory when the Dragon became The lipids in their experiment were sim- silicon dioxide was recently detected on standing of carbon storage and climate new method would rely on an expanded the first commercial spacecraft ilar to those in bacteria membranes and Mars by the Curiosity Rover. change in forests. network of tree ring research. “When we to deliver cargo to the ISS. Be- have water-loving heads and water-avoiding Another puzzle in life’s beginnings is how To test whether tree rings are a good put tree ring data to work in historical fore then, such feats were only tails. Because of these water-preferring proxy for satellite and other data, the sci- climate models, we find that the models genetic material got inside of protocells. It achieved through the efforts of two governments. That said, the properties, they spontaneously organize entists examined ring samples from two are more powerful when more species are is not known whether the compartments Dragon was always intended to carry humans as well, and that with their tails facing inward and their widespread tree species -- tulip poplar included,” says Neil Pederson, a Senior formed around the already-existing lengthy is where the Crew Dragon comes in. heads facing out. (Liriodendron tulipifera) and northern Ecologist at Harvard Forest and co-author genetic chains such as RNA, or if the small The Crew Dragon is a fully autonomous aircraft that can be On the silicon dioxide surface, the li- red oak (Quercus rubra) - growing in three of the new study. “I suspect this might also building blocks somehow found their way controlled both by the on-board crew as well as SpaceX’s mission pids became sheets, with layers of these climatically different regions of the east- be the case when we use models to look inside these tiny bubbles and made the control in California. organized lipids. Due to the stickiness of ern U.S. forward, to future forest productivity and chains inside. Gözen and colleagues added Because it was designed to carry humans, it has an advanced the surface, at some points the two layers By analyzing the carbon and oxygen carbon storage.” a light-emitting organic molecule similar emergency escape system that will allow the crew to safely escape separate, and the top layer bulges out, cre- molecules (stable isotopes) stored in the The Harvard Forest, founded in 1907 should anything go wrong. It also has an Environmental Control ating tubes and then round balls as they in size to nucleotides, the genetic building rings, they could compare the trees’ own and located in Petersham, Mass., is Har- and Life Support System that makes for a comfortable and safe gain more lipids. The entire process is fully blocks, to the surrounding of the bubbles. picture of forest productivity to estimates vard University’s outdoor laboratory and ride for the crew members, and its displays will provide real time autonomous. Such molecules which were too big to diffuse derived from satellites. They found strong classroom for ecology and conservation, information on the state of the spacecraft. The surface creating protocells through the wall of the bubble, could get agreement each year, and over time. and a Long-Term Ecological Research That said, the Crew Dragon is also designed to be an enjoyable A gentle flow from the movement of inside without compromising the protocells. The biggest changes (LTER) site funded by the National Sci- ride, which is why it also has three windows, from where the crew liquid can then cause these vesicles to de- They speculate it gets through transient The tree rings also revealed that the ence Foundation. members can catch a glimpse of space on board. tach from the surface creating protocells, defects or pores in the protocell wall. biggest changes in annual forest growth Its 4,000-acre property is one of the (Source: techtimes.com) like those believed to be a stepping-stone “Our research may explain, for the were linked to moisture availability, re- oldest and most intensively studied re- to the origin of life. first time, the details of self-directed gardless of climate. “Our method showed search forests in the U.S. In addition to It is conceivable that something similar transition from weakly organized lipids that the productivity of a forest can be studying New England landscapes, research happened on early Earth. Silicone diox- on solid surfaces to protocells with secluded estimated using information from just scientists at the Forest study ecosystems Physicists are rethinking a ide, or silica, is one of the most abundant internal contents,” Gözen said. five trees,” says Laia Andreu Hayles, an around the U.S. and the globe. minerals on the earth’s surface. (Source: phys.org) Associate Research Professor at the Tree- (Source: eurekalert.org) fundamental quantum law to help us understand reality

Deep in the heart of physics there’s a lucky guess. It was an in- credibly good guess, one that remains solid in the face of time Koala-spotting drones proves a flying success, scientists suggest and experiment, and is now a fundamental principle in quantum The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) re- Hamilton said. “We, on average, get around 86 per mechanics. searchers have developed an innovative method for cent. That’s a substantial increase in accuracy that we It’s called the Born rule, and while it’s used for predictions, detecting koala populations using drones and infrared need to help protect threatened species. nobody truly understands how it works. But a bold new attempt imaging that is more reliable and less invasive than Another advantage of animal detection by drone is to rewrite it could be the break we’ve been looking for to finally traditional animal population monitoring techniques. that it is quicker, and cheaper, than covering the same understand it in full. In the study, published in Nature journal Scientif- area with human spotters. University College London physicists Lluís Masanes and Thomas ic Reports, the researchers detail the technique that “We cover in a couple of hours what it would take Galley have teamed up with Markus Müller from the Austrian Academy involves an algorithm for locating the koalas using a human all day to do,” Dr. Hamilton said. of Sciences to find a new way to describe this basic law of physics. drones that can detect heat signatures. Determining koala population They’re not the first to look for deeper truths to this most mind-bog- The technique has great potential to improve man- But Dr. Hamilton said the high accuracy rate of the gling of quantum principles. And, let’s be honest, they won’t be the agement of koala populations and other threatened drone detection did not mean other means of deter- last. But if there is a solution to be found, it’ll probably require a species as well as being used to detect invasive species. mining koala population, such as by human spotters unique approach like theirs. Dr. Grant Hamilton, from QUT’s School of Earth, or dogs, were no longer necessary. It’s become a cliché to say quantum mechanics is weird. What Environmental and Biological Sciences, co-authored “There’s no point talking about it that way, because with cats that are at once alive and dead and particles teleporting the study with Ph.D. student Evangeline Corcoran and there are places that people can’t go and there are information across space and time, we’re used to seeing the basement Dr. Simon Denman from QUT, and John Hanger and ing for seals on a beach or animals on the savannah. places that drones cant’ go,” he said. of physics as a magic show. Bree Wilson from Endeavour Veterinary Ecology. “This is not just somebody counting animals with Thinking about any one of these approaches as a Big names like Schrödinger, Heisenberg, and Einstein tend to Dr. Hamilton said the researchers were able to a drone, we’ve managed to do it in a very complex silver bullet tends to make people complacent - they get the glory, but it’s the German physicist and mathematician Max correlate the detection of koalas from the air using environment.” think the problem has been solved, so let’s move on. Born who truly deserves the credit for the monumental headache ground surveys of tracked radio-collared koalas in To maximize the effectiveness of the technique, Koalas are facing extinction in large areas, and so are that quantum mechanics delivers. Petrie, Queensland. the researchers carried out their aerial sweeps of the many other species and there is no silver bullet. To understand his contribution, we only need to look at the hot Eucalyptus trees area at early morning during colder months, when Following the success of the study, Dr. Hamilton said mess physicists found themselves in the early 1920s. The structure of The system uses infrared imaging to detect the heat difference between the body heat of the koalas and the researchers were looking to expand the area where the atom had recently been revealed to consist of a dense, positively signals of the koala despite the canopy coverage of the the background was likely to be greatest. they had studied koala populations, and would use the charged nucleus surrounded by smaller negatively charged particles. eucalyptus trees. Because the researchers were able to confirm the drone system in other parts of Brisbane, south-east Why the whole system didn’t collapse was the Big Question “Nobody else has really managed to get good results location of the koalas detected by the drones with the Queensland and northern New South Wales. being kicked around, until the French physicist Louis de Broglie anywhere in the world in a habitat this complex and in location of the koalas determined by their GPS tags, the And the target would also be expanded, with the came up with an audacious suggestion – just as light waves had a these kinds of numbers,” Dr. Hamilton said. researchers were able to rate the accuracy of the system. algorithm being adapted so the technology could be particle nature, those negative electrons could remain aloft if they Other animal population detection systems by drones “On average, an expert koala spotter is going to get used to detect invasive species such as deer. were also wave-like. have been used in fairly simple scenarios such as look- about 70 per cent of koalas in a particular area,” Dr. (Source: natureworldnews.com) (Source: sciencealert.com) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 12 SOCIETY MARCH 4, 2019

World Wildlife Day to raise Qanat, a solution to awareness of world’s wild animals and plants

Each year, March 3 celebrates and raises awareness of the water scarcity? world’s wild animals and plants. World Wildlife Day is a United Nations initiative that By Bakhtiari result in 40 percent increase in renewable coincides with the anniversary of the signing of the Con- water resources. vention on International Trade in Endangered Species For many years, the country has been Shahram Karimi, an expert, said in (CITES), an international agreement between governments suffering from droughts and lack of water a press release that although revival of to regulate global trade in wild animals and plants to en- resources; wetlands, rivers, lakes and qanats can be considered as one of the sure that their survival does open drains have dried up gradually. solutions to the current water shortage not become threatened by While experts believe that the current condition, one tenth of the country’s to- such trade. water scarcity is due to poor water man- tal water supply have been provided by Thousands of species are agement policies, do qanats give us the 36,000 qanats. internationally traded and right policy? So, qanats can compensate for the used by people in their daily Over the centuries, qanats have served shortages to some extents, but we need lives for food, health care, as the main supplier of fresh water in arid to focus on water resources management housing, tourist souvenirs, regions of Iran, as provided the oppor- and promoting the culture of consuming cosmetics or fashion. With tunity for people to live in extremely dry an adequate amount of water, he added. 183 contracting parties, 182 zones (even in deserts), and thus helped He further highlighted that in a coun- countries and the European harmonize the population distribution try like Iran being haunted by recurrent Union, CITES is one of the across the country. droughts over a long time, considering world’s most powerful tools The ancient qanat system of tapping the ancient sustainable system is signif- for wildlife conservation alluvial aquifers at the heads of valleys icant and valuable. through the regulation of and conducting the water along under- Qanats can come efficient to contain trade. ground tunnels by gravity, often over water scarcity due to relatively low cost, CITES regulates international trade in over 36,000 many kilometers, first appeared in Iran, low evaporation rates and not requir- species of plants and animals, including their products which was then spread to other Middle ing technology knowledge, moreover, and derivatives, to ensure their survival in the wild with Eastern countries, China, India, Japan, they proved sustainable being used in benefits for the livelihoods of local people and the global North Africa, Spain and from there to perpetuity without posing any damages environment. Latin America. to the environment, despite new water World Wildlife Day is celebrated under a different theme Employing this ancient water supply transfer projects, which not only puts each year. This year the theme is ‘Life below water: for system may reveal and highlight some the environment in danger but brings people and planet’. benefits to contain water shortage in the country heavy economic burden. Oceans regulate our climate, produce half the oxygen the country. Qanat use encourages water reuse we breathe, provide nourishment for 3 billion people, and Throughout the arid regions of Iran, about 36,300 qanats have been identified In the Iranian calendar year 1383 at different sections along the linear absorb 30 percent of carbon dioxide released into the at- agricultural and permanent settlements in Iran, which have been saturated with (March 2004-March 2005), qanats ca- system and can only drain water from mosphere and 90 percent of the heat from climate change. are supported by subsurface water or water for over 2,000 years. pacity have been 10 times more than a naturally recharged aquifer; there is To ensure that oceans and marine species are preserved fresh water resources withdrawal, while Now that water shortage is highlighted Zayandeh-rud river, he said, implying no need to pump water from an aquifer and protected, nature-based solutions that bring together qanats representing the system include as one of the leading issues facing the that what precisely caused the ancient or draw down the water table reducing public, private and civil society partners need to be repli- rest areas for workers, water reservoirs country, expert believes that focusing water supply system to gradually run the capacity of an aquifer to retain water. cated and scaled-up. and watermills. on issues of water management in the down includes dried up rivers and wet- Moreover, they do not contribute to Ireland ratified CITES in January 2002 and the con- The traditional communal manage- past and questions of sustainability are lands, illegal construction of dams and the compaction of aquifers and resulting vention entered into force here on 8 April 2002. Globally, ment system still in place allows equita- paramount. wells, excessive underground water surface subsidence and soil compaction over 36,000 plant and animal species are accorded varying ble and sustainable water sharing and Ehsan Akhani, an expert active in qanat withdrawal. as many pumped technologies have done. degrees of protection by the CITES convention. Regulations distribution, which provide exceptional field, told IRNA that in the past qanats He went on to highlight that at least So, the social and economic systems that implementing CITES in the European Union list the species testimony to cultural traditions and civ- was a tool to determine the amount of over 70 percent of qanats can be restored have maintained qanats for many cen- relevant to this part of the world and the EU experience ilizations in desert areas with an arid agricultural lands in an area, while today to survive the country from water scarcity, turies are aided by the social contracts of illegal trading in endangered wildlife. climate. lands are used for agricultural purposes however, water consumption patterns and structures required to keep qanats Irish laws follow the EU Regulations and lay out the terms According to the Ministry of Energy, despite severe water shortage in an area. must be changed properly, which can healthy. and conditions for possession, use and trade in protect- ed species that are both native to Ireland and non-native species listed under CITES. Trade in marine species such as exotic seahorses, colour- IRCS’s next year budget rises by $48m ful corals and tropical seashells is monitored by customs officials and wildlife officers to ensure that the survival of SOCIETY TEHRAN — The Iranian Red Crescent Forouzesh as saying on Sunday. desk these beautiful and often endangered life forms does not Society (IRCS) has received a budget Considering the numerous incidents occurring in the become threatened by tourists unwittingly buying them rise of 2 trillion rials (nearly $48 million) within the country, as well as the necessity to develop and equip as souvenirs while on their holidays abroad and bringing framework of the budget bill approved for the next cal- the Red Crescent Society fleet, the next year’s budget them home. endar year (starting on March 21), deputy head of the raised by 2 trillion rials (nearly $48 million), he stated. Wildlife is best enjoyed and left in the wild where it IRCS has said. “It is scheduled to promote and strengthen air emer- belongs. “The IRCS received a total budget of 5 trillion rials gency fleet to provide better medical services,” he added. (Source: The Independent) (nearly $120 million) over the current Iranian calen- He went on to conclude that fortunately, the budget dar year, which will increase to 7 trillion rials (around allocated to the IRCS has been approved by the Majlis LEARN ENGLISH $166 million) for the next year,” YJC quoted Rouhollah (Iranian Parliament). Cheese Lovers $4m budget allocated to promote non-motorized transport A: Hello everyone my name is Laurie and I want to welcome ENVIRONMENT TEHRAN — A total noted, ISNA reported on Sunday. you to this course. We will learn all about one of the oldest yet deskbudget of 170 billion rials Tehran third development plan is a five- most delicious foods on this planet; cheese! Let’s get started! (around $4 million) has been allocated to year program from the next Iranian calendar A: Cheese is usually categorized into four types: soft, semi- soft promote bike lanes across the capital city year 1398 to the year 1402 (March 2023- March semi-hard and hard. The designation refers to the amount of of Tehran, encouraging the residents to 2024), through which the Municipality is moisture in the cheese, which directly affects itstexture . ride bicycles. supposed to develop the city’s infrastructure Making cheese is an ancient practice, dating back thousands The budget has been approved within as well as promoting the culture of using bikes of years, and the home cheese maker can usually find recipes the framework of the budget bill for the rather than private cars among the citizens. for cheese that falls into any of the four categories. next Iranian calendar year (starting on She went on to say that some 170 billion A: Soft cheese includes cottage cheese, cream cheese, ricot- March 21), Sakineh Ashrafi, deputy mayor rials (about $4 million) have been proposed ta, brie, bleu, Roquefort, mozzarella, muenster and similar of Tehran for planning, urban development in the budget bill to strengthen non-mo- cheeses. These cheeses generally pair well with fruit or meats, and council affairs has said. torized transport system, 131 billion rials or can be used as breakfast cheeses in an omelet nor as pasta One of the main issues taken into consider- (nearly $3.2 million) of which will be allo- fillings. They are usually mildly flavored and very high ation through the next year’s budget bill, was cated to building and equipping bike lanes in moisture. development of non-motorized transportation, and the rest will be spent on reconstruction A: American, Colby, co-jack and similar cheeses are in the which focuses on active transportation and and renovation of passages. semi-soft category. These are slightly stronger in flavor and human powered transportation including To encourage the private sector and the cover a wide range of uses. Co-jack cheese, a blend of Colby walking and bicycling, she explained. cooperative sector to invest on establishing, and Monterrey jack is one of the most popular. This allows According to Tehran third development equipping and developing bicycle-based trans- the sharper flavor of Colby to be combined with the milder plan, biking as a green transport has been portation systems, some funds and loans will jack cheese, and also melts better than plain Colby. Grilled taken into consideration in order to mitigate be granted to the organizations to take step cheese sandwiches often use American cheese, and Mexican traffic congestion and air pollution, she further toward this goal, she highlighted. cheeses such as Asadero and Queso Fresco are becoming more popular. A: Hard cheeses include Parmesan, Romano, Asiago, Swiss, Gruyere and others. Parmesan and Romano are most familiar ENGLISH IN USE as the grated powder used to top spaghetti, but they are also used as accompaniments for fruit, nuts and other appetizer items. LEARN NEWS TRANSLATION Swiss is a popular sandwich cheese and melts well, unlike some other hard cheeses. Key vocabulary تکمیل پ روژههای عمرانی تهران نیازمند 12 هزار cheese: solid product made from milk ‘$3b needed to complete Tehran moisture: a small quantity of water urban development projects’ میلیارد تومان بودجه texture: the way something feels pair: to match something A total of 120 trillion rials (nearly $3 billion) is needed to complete رئیــس شــورای شــهر تهــران عنــوان کــرد کــه بــرای تکمیــل پروژههــای عمرانــی شــهر mild: soft, not strong flavor:the way something tastes urban development projects in Tehran, said Mohsen Hashemi, تهــران بــه غیــر از متــرو هشــت تــا 12هــزار میلیــارد تومــان اعتبــار الزم اســت. .melt: to become liquid Tehran city council chairman بــه گــزارش ایســنا، محســن هاشــمی اظهــار داشــت: پروژههــای کوچــک و بزرگــی در Supplementary vocabulary Various projects are underway in the capital, which requires blue: a type of cheese تهــران در حــال اجراســت کــه مجموعــا بــرای تکمیــل آنهــا بــه غیــر از متــرو نیازمنــد ,mature: fully aged some 120 trillion rials (nearly $3 trillion) to be completed هشــت تــا 12 هــزار میلیــارد تومــان اعتبــار هســتیم. .organism: a form of life besides the subway, he stated, ISNA reported on Saturday

PREFIX/SUFFIX PHRASAL VERB IDIOM Without water, “chiro-, cheiro-” Move along Take your courage in

everything Meaning: hand Meaning: if a process or situation is moving along, both hands For example: Much of the day in the life of a it continues and makes progress withers chiropractor is spent seeing patients. For example: Construction of the bridge is moving Explanation: to make yourself do something very brave along. For example: When I saw the child in the burning house, I took my courage in both hands and ran inside. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y MARCH 4, 2019 WORLD IN FOCUS 13 U.S.-led coalition bombs Syrian town with Abbas likely to visit Syria white phosphorus munitions soon, senior Palestinian 1 government which surrendered its entire official says The U.S.-led coalition has been conduct- chemical stockpile in 2013. ing airstrikes against what are said to be The chemical weapons watchdog, how- 1 Unlike many of his Arab counterparts, Abbas has not Daesh targets inside Syria since September ever, did not assign blame for the incident staked out a stnace on the civil war since it began, Ziad Iyad, 2014 without any authorization from the on a Douma suburb last year. a professor of political science at Al-Quds University in East Damascus government or a UN mandate. The Douma attack occurred at a time Jerusalem, said in a phone call. Washington has long been providing the when the Syrian army was about to win the “Abbas never took a clear position on the crisis because he SDF -- a predominantly Kurdish alliance of battle against the foreign-backed militants did not want Palestinian refugees in Syria to pay a price for his militants -- with arms and militants, calling there. Witnesses said at least 43 people were comments,” Iyad said. “He did not want Syria to carry out reprisals them a key partner in the purported fight killed in the incident. against Palestinian refugees for something he says.” against Daesh. However, Western states were There are hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees in The so-called U.S. coalition has in several quick to blame Damascus for the at- Syria who live in 12 refugee camps, according to the United Na- occasions used internationally banned white tack, which the Syrian government tions Relief and Works Agency. phosphorous against various positions in strongly rejected. In the past year, he has met with at least three Syrian officials the Arab country, particularly in Dayr al- One week after the suspected gas attack, during trips abroad. Zawr province, drawing condemnations the U.S., Britain and France launched a On a trip to Latin America in May 2018, Abbas met the Syr- from Damascus. coordinated missile strike against sites ian ambassadors to Venezuela and Cuba, Khalil Bitar and Idris On November 5 last year the U.S.-led and research facilities near Damascus Mayya, respectively. warplanes used white phosphorus bombs and Homs. On a trip to Russia in July 2018, he also met Syrian Ambas- against Hajin, located some 110 kilometers Syria and its allies, including Russia and sador to Moscow Riyad Haddad. east of the provincial capital city of Dayr Iran, saw the attack as a bid to prop up ter- (Source: agencies) al-Zawr, Sana reported. rorists, faulting the invaders for ignoring On October 13, SANA also reported that In June 2017, Human Rights Watch in a report that chlorine was likely used in Syria’s repeated requests for an international the U.S.-led coalition had dropped interna- (HRW) warned that the U.S.-led coalition a suspected gas attack in Syria’s Douma in probe into the incident. tionally-banned white phosphorus bombs on was deploying white phosphorous bombs April 2018. Since March 2011, the Arab country has MBS’s bloody present for Hajin. On September 8, two F-15 warplanes in both Iraq and Syria. The use of chlorine by foreign-backed been gripped by a militancy that has largely Pakistan of the U.S. Air Force targeted the same Syr- On Friday, the Organization for the Pro- terrorists is a long-known fact, while nerve wound down. ian town with white phosphorous bombs. hibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said agents are usually attributed to the Syrian (Source: Press TV) 1 The main prerequisite for Islamabad to realize such goal can be to break ties with Riyadh. Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan and other Pakistani officials should realize that the ongoing tension between Islamabad and New Delhi won’t be the Israel bans senior Muslim clerics from entering al-Aqsa Mosque last bloody fire exchange in the region but the beginning of the end By staff & agencies U.S. to go ahead with merger of al-Quds of a conflict, if they don’t not stand up against the House of Saud. Israeli officials have banned two high-ranking Palestinian missions in anti-Palestine move Therefore, there is only one way to prevent the escalation of Muslim clerics from entering al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Meantime, the U.S. is expected to implement a decision security crisis in the Indian subcontinent i.e. to ban the name al-Quds (Jerusalem) amid an escalation of acts of violence to merge its consulate general in al-Quds (Jerusalem) with of Saudi Arabia and the U.S. in Pakistan’s foreign policy and by Israeli forces and settlers against Palestinian people. an embassy it has opened in the city, effectively stripping security relations. Firas al-Dibs, spokesperson for the Islamic Waqf (Endow- Palestinians of American consular services. ment) organization, which manages the compound’s affairs, A U.S. State Department official, who was speaking on said Israeli authorities delivered an order to Waqf Council condition of anonymity, told AFP that the move was “ex- chairman Sheikh Abdul-Athim Salhab on Sunday, banning pected to take place on March 4.” Saudi Arabia is said to have him from entry to the sacred site for 40 consecutive days. The merger was announced last October, when the U.S. tortured an American citizen Salhab had previously been banned for an entire week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that it was meant following his release from Israeli custody last week. to improve “efficiency and effectiveness” and did not con- 1 A military officer who had been detained died with a Dibs noted that Sheikh Najeh Bkerat, the deputy direc- stitute a change in Washington’s policy. Pompeo also said twisted neck and other signs of abuse on his body, according to tor of Muslim Endowments and al-Aqsa Affairs, was also that a new Palestinian affairs unit would be established a person who saw it. Women’s rights advocates jailed in Saudi banned from al-Aqsa Mosque for four months. inside the U.S. al-Quds embassy. Arabia have said they were also tortured, including by electrical Along with other top Waqf officials, Salhab was detained The U.S. consulate in al-Quds (Jerusalem) has been al-Abbasi was forced to demolish his house, a third-floor shocks, according to their relatives and rights groups. by Israeli forces as a result of playing an important role acting independently as a de facto embassy to the Pales- apartment in a three-story residential building in Ra’s al- in the reopening of the al-Rahma Gate (Gate of Mercy) tinians since the Oslo accords of the 1990s. Its closure now Amud neighborhood on Saturday morning. prayer area. would mean that Palestinian affairs would come under the It added that the demolition was carried out upon an Prayer area of the al-Rahma Gate was closed on Febru- direction of the U.S. ambassador to Israel David Friedman order by the Israeli municipality of the city that claimed ary 25 upon an order by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin inside the embassy building — which became a major cause the building lacked a construction license, which was im- Netanyahu. of Palestinian anger when it was opened in May 2018. possible to obtain from the Israeli regime. Israel had closed the gate that leads to the prayer space Earlier, in December 2017, the U.S. recognized al-Quds Abbasi told Ma’an that he had been summoned by the in al-Aqsa Mosque since 2003 in the face of the Second (Jerusalem) as the Israeli “capital,” sparking global con- municipality of the city and was ordered to demolish his Intifada (uprising) against the regime’s occupation. demnation. own house or else the municipality would fine him for The Waqf council, however, decided on February 22 Following those moves, Palestinian President Mahmoud demolition costs. to re-open the prayer space at the Bab al-Rahma Gate in Abbas declared that Palestinians would no longer accept the He further said that he had chosen to demolish his defiance of Israel’s 16-year-old ban. Hundreds of worshi- U.S. as a mediator to resolve the conflict with Israel because house himself in a bid to minimize damage on two other pers, led by the Grand Mufti of al-Quds (Jerusalem) Sheikh Washington was “completely biased” towards Tel Aviv. apartments and other families living in the building. He Mohammad Hussein, entered the area for the first time Palestinians also consider Friedman as biased in favor said his 70-square-meter apartment was built a year ago. since 2003 for Friday prayers. of the Israeli regime. Palestinians living in occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds Angered by the move, Tel Aviv launched an arrest cam- Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation are regularly forced to demolish their own houses upon But Fitaihi’s American citizenship means that his mistreat- paign against Palestinians. Organization (PLO), denounced the U.S. merger decision orders by the Israeli municipality of the city to avoid paying ment, which has not been previously reported, may now pose a The arrests drew criticisms from Palestinians and Jor- in October last year, saying it represented “the final nail exorbitant demolition fees to the municipality. special threat to Saudi relations with Washington. The Trump dan, which is the custodian of the holy sites in occupied in the coffin of the U.S. administration’s role in the peace Furthermore, Israeli authorities frequently demolish administration is already struggling to quell a bipartisan back- al-Quds (Jerusalem). industry.” Palestinian buildings and structures in the so-called Area C, lash against the kingdom over the killing last fall of the Saudi The Islamic Waqf organizations and Palestinian insti- “The decision of the United States to end the consulate’s with Bedouin and herding communities being particularly dissident Jamal Khashoggi, a Virginia resident and Washington tutions have insisted on keeping the Bab al-Rahma prayer existence… has nothing to do with efficiency, but a lot with vulnerable to that practice. Post columnist who was executed and dismembered by a team of area open for Muslim worship. the desire to please the ideologized American team, which Area C, which is under full Israeli control, makes Saudi agents in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul. Palestinians have repeatedly warned of Israeli attempts is primed to dismantle the foundations of the international up more than 60 percent of the entire occupied West This past week, Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law to change the status quo of the al-Aqsa compound, the third system and U.S. foreign policy in order to reward Israel for Bank. Eighty-eight percent of the area lies in the stra- and Middle East adviser, met for the first time since the killing holiest site in Islam. its violations and crimes,” he said in a statement. tegic Jordan Valley, which comprises a third of the with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler The occupied Palestinian territories have witnessed new Under Trump, the U.S. administration has taken several West Bank. of the kingdom. American intelligence agencies have concluded tensions ever since the United States President Donald Trump hostile measures against the Palestinian people, among Since 1967, the Israeli regime has been enforcing the that the crown prince ordered Khashoggi’s killing. announced his decision on December 6, 2017 to recognize them a change of policy on al-Quds (Jerusalem). draconian policy of demolishing the houses of Palestin- The Trump administration, meanwhile, has defied a con- al-Quds (Jerusalem) as Israel’s capital and relocate the Israel occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem) during the ians it deems to be behind fatal attacks against Israeli gressional deadline to report about who was responsible for the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the occupied city. Six-Day War in 1967 and later annexed it in a move not settlers. The practice, however, was temporarily halted killing. Instead, Trump has equivocated about whether Prince On December 21, 2017, the United Nations General As- recognized by the international community. from 2005 to 2014, with the exception of 2009, when Mohammed might have authorized it, even as he has extolled the sembly (UNGA) overwhelmingly voted in favor of a reso- Israel lays claim to the whole city, but Palestinians view scores of homes were sealed and razed in East al-Quds value of Saudi Arabian oil sales and defense contracts. lution that calls on the U.S. to withdraw its controversial its eastern sector as the capital of their future sovereign state. (Jerusalem). American friends of Fitaihi are stepping up a campaign to recognition of al-Quds (Jerusalem) as Israeli “capital.” Israel forces Palestinian man to demolish About 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 illegal settlements press Washington to take up his case. They say the Trump admin- In an attempt to prevent the passing of the resolution, own house in E. al-Quds built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian istration’s public silence about his incarceration is at odds with Trump threatened reprisals against countries that backed Elsewhere, Israeli authorities have forced a Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem). Trump’s repeated boasts about his successful efforts to extricate the measure, which had earlier faced a U.S. veto at the man to demolish his own house in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) The UNSC has condemned Israel’s settlement activities American citizens held abroad. United Nations Security Council (UNSC). as the occupying regime is continuing with its land expro- in the occupied territories in several resolutions. Trump counted 20 this past week, including at least one dual Israel, however, rejected the world body’s resolution priation and settlement expansion policies in the occupied Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future national. while thanking Trump for his decision to move the U.S. Palestinian territories irrespective of international outcry. independent Palestinian state with East al-Quds (Jerusa- Aya Hijazi, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Egypt, was invited to embassy to al-Quds (Jerusalem). The Palestinian Ma’an news agency reported that Hussam lem) as its capital. the White House after her release from jail in Cairo. “Not making Walid Fitaihi a priority will send a message that America isn’t really first,” she said. “Financial deals and petroleum are.” In Yemen, war can reach children wherever they are: UN Howard M. Cooper, a lawyer for Fitaihi, said in a letter to the The United Nations’ children’s agency says wherever they are, even in their own homes.” ber of its allies have been waging a war on “Children did not start the war in Yem- State Department in January that he had indicated to his wife the war in Yemen continues to take a “horrific “Each day, eight children are killed or Yemen for the past five years to restore the en, but they are paying the highest price,” and family that “he is in fear for his life, that he cannot take his toll” on children despite a partial ceasefire injured across 31 active conflict zones in the former regime, which resigned and fled the Guterres said. “Some 360,000 children are situation any longer, and that he desires all possible help.” A between the parties to the conflict. country,” she said, adding that “talks and country amid popular discontent. suffering from severe acute malnutrition, State Department representative declined to comment on the UNICEF (United Nations International conferences have so far done little to change The World Health Organization (WHO) says fighting for their lives every day. And one case, citing privacy considerations. Children’s Emergency Fund) released a state- the reality for children on the ground.” some 10,000 people have been killed since the credible report put the number of children The Saudi regime officials have denied any mistreatment of ment on Saturday, three days after violence “Only a comprehensive peace agreement coalition launched the war, but rights groups under 5 who have died of starvation at more detainees. A spokesman for the Saudi Embassy in Washington killed five children in the Tahita District in can give Yemeni children the reprieve from put the death toll at five times higher. than 80,000.” said the kingdom has signed the convention against torture and the western province of Hudaydah, which violence and war that they need and de- The Saudi regime-led invaders have And last Monday, Geert Cappelaere, prohibits its use. has been subject to a ceasefire. serve,” she said. also blockaded Yemen, causing widespread UNICEF’s regional director for the Mid- “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia takes any and all allegations The body’s Executive Director Henrietta An agreement on a ceasefire in Hudaydah famine. On Tuesday, United Nations Sec- dle East and North Africa, said that the of ill treatment of defendants awaiting trial or prisoners serving Fore said, “In Yemen, children can no longer was reached in Sweden late last year between retary-General Antonio Guterres said tens “mind-boggling violence” in Yemen had their sentences very seriously,” the spokesman said. safely do the things that all children love to Yemen’s Saudi-backed former regime and the of thousands of children under the age of affected every child in the country one way Fitaihi got his American citizenship while studying and prac- do, like go to school or spend time with their country’s Ansarullah (Houthi) movement. five had died of starvation ever since the or another. ticing medicine in the United States, where one of his sons lives. friends outside. The war can reach them The House of Saud regime and a num- warfare started. (Source: Press TV) After returning to Saudi Arabia, he founded a private hospital in and became well known as a motivational speaker. The reason for his detention is unclear. But the friend who relayed Fitaihi’s account of his treatment said that he was ques- Venezuela’s Guaido to ‘return home soon’, risking arrest tioned primarily about a relative by marriage who had also been Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido whom he denounces as an illegitimate usurper. told a news conference in the coastal town of territory,” Guaido wrote on Twitter. detained, Adel Fakeih, a former top aide to the crown prince. has said he would return home after a visit He had visited Brazil, Argentina and Par- Salinas alongside Ecuadorean President Lenin His return opens the possibility that Fitaihi believed his interrogators were seeking evidence against to Ecuador and called for new protests next aguay after leaving Venezuela last week for Moreno. Guaido did not say when exactly or how Venezuelan authorities will arrest him. Fakeih, the friend said. week against President Nicolas Maduro, whose Colombia to coordinate efforts there to send he would return to Venezuela. He is expected The Supreme Court had imposed a travel Announcing the end of its corruption purge at the end of government had banned him from travelling humanitarian aid into his country, though to leave Ecuador at 09:30am local time (14:30 ban on him after he invoked the country’s January, Saudi Arabia said that 64 people were still being held abroad. Guaido has spent the past few days troops loyal to Maduro blocked a convoy of GMT) on Sunday, according to the Ecuadorean constitution on January 23 to assume an for prosecution on new or pre-existing criminal charges. His touring between Latin American countries aid trucks and turned them back. government’s schedule for his visit. interim presidency, which most Western friends say they believe Fitaihi is among them. to muster support for his campaign to form a “As for the next steps for Venezuelans, I an- “I announce my return to the country and nations now recognize as legitimate. (Source: New York Times) transition government and overthrow Maduro, nounce my return home from Ecuador,” Guaido I call for mobilizations in all the national (Source: agencies) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 14 WORLD SPORTS MARCH 4, 2019 The main victims of Real Madrid’s Man City’s De Bruyne set for spell out with hamstring problem two Clasico disasters

Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne faces a spell on the Barcelona inflicted a second damaging El have done him no favours. sidelines after picking up a hamstring injury in Saturday’s 1-0 Clasico defeat in four days on arch-rival Real Solari Premier League win at Bournemouth, manager Pep Guardiola said. Madrid with a 1-0 victory in the Santiago After two toothless displays against Bar- De Bruyne was substituted in the first half of the game with Bernabeu stadium Saturday. celona, there is very little to suggest that the his replacement Riyad Mahrez scoring the winner to help the Still smarting from the 3-0 reverse Argentine will remain in the dugout at Ma- champions take a two-point lead over Liverpool, who are in action Wednesday in the second leg of the Copa drid next season. The defeat against Girona at Everton on Sunday. del Rey semifinal, Real was unable to sal- knocked his reputation but his team’s inability Defender John Stones was also taken off but the England vage pride in the La Liga clash and to make to break down an average Barcelona looks international’s problem is not as serious. matters worse Barca has edged ahead in the to have decided his future for him. “Kevin will be out for a while with a muscular problem - ham- all-time list of wins for matches between the Benzema string. John I think is more precaution. We didn’t take a risk, two sides. Despite coming into the two Clasicos in we’ll see tomorrow,” Guardiola told the British media. Barca has also gone 10 points clear of good form, Benzema provided very little in De Bruyne was one of the standout performers for City last Atletico Madrid, which plays Sunday, and the way of an attacking threat for Los Blancos. season with 12 goals and 21 assists in all competitions but he has 12 clear of Real in what is turning into a one- The team’s reliance on the Frenchman scoring struggled with knee injuries in the current campaign, making team title race in Spain. the goals was underlined as they couldn’t find 14 league appearances. Victory completed the league double for a way past Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Guardiola suggested City’s busy schedule, as they compete Barca over Real, with a 5-1 thumping in the Casemiro for trophies in four competitions, has not helped. earlier fixture leading to the sacking of Los Solari mentioned Marcos Llorente’s name “I think we’ve played 25 games in 93 days, one every three Blancos boss Julen Lopetegui after a sorry multiple times in his press conferences this days, so it’s a physiological issue,” the Spaniard added. “The start to the current campaign. week and it seems like he misses him. Ca- body is not able to recover so sometimes the muscle says ‘hello, Form has improved under Santiago semiro’s display in the Copa del Rey wasn’t that’s enough’. Solari, but the only realistic chance of great and there was no improvement in the “We don’t give players time to recover. We play a game, then silverware for Real is another successful range. Schuster after the former Madrid boss criti- league fixture either. Luka Modric had to do after, when they are not recovered, we play another game. There defense of the Champions League crown, Barcelona left the Santiago Bernabeu cised his compatriot’s displays. His current far more defensive work that he is used to is only a short amount of time and it is very demanding. But languishing a distant third in the La Liga with a victory for the second time in a week coach has fired warning shots of his own, in order to compensate for the Brazilian’s everybody’s committed and we’ll wait for Kevin to come back.” standings. on Saturday night, much to the frustration too, suggesting that he’s considering using failings. City have 71 points from 29 games in the league. Both sides had chances before Ivan Rakitic of Real Madrid. the youngsters in Kroos’ place. It looks like Dani Ceballos and Marcelo (Source: Mirror) put the visitor ahead in the 26th minute, The performances of the Madrid play- Bale have fallen behind youngsters Fede Val- playing a one-two with Sergi Roberto before ers were below-par and some of the senior The club’s record signing is enduring verde and Sergio Reguilon respectively, lifting the ball over the onrushing Thibaut members of Santiago Solari’s squad have his worst spell at the Santiago Bernabeu. with neither coming off the bench in either Courtois for a delightful opener. taken the blame, including the coach himself. Bale came on from the bench in the Copa of the two games against Barcelona. As for It turned out to be the only goal of the Kroos del Rey, before being whistled when he was Mariano Diaz, he was left out of Solari’s game, an effort worthy of teammate Lionel The German has been far from his best substituted in the league. Since Cristiano squad all together on Saturday and watched Beckham salutes LA Galaxy Messi and the Argentine maestro went close in the last two matches and his lack of pace Ronaldo’s departure, the Welshman has from the stands as his team fell short in to adding a second, while Real’s Ballon d’Or has transmitted to his team’s style of play. been unable to become Madrid’s star player front of goal. and Los Angeles as statue winner Luka Modric headed over from close Kroos took to social media to belittle Bernd and his poor performance on Saturday will (Source: Marca) unveiled

David Beckham called his former team LA Galaxy his “family” and thanked Los Angeles for embracing him at the unveiling of Kyrgios beats Zverev to win Acapulco ICC assures members of robust his statue before the Major League Soccer club’s season-opener ATP crown security at World Cup on Saturday. The statue, a first for an MLS player, honours the former England captain who was the first big European name to join the league, boosting its popularity and paving the way for other global stars to make the leap. Beckham won back-to-back championships in 2011 and 2012 during his six years and 98 appearances with the Galaxy. “Our city, our home,” Beckham said outside the Galaxy’s home stadium, the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, before their opener against the Chicago Fire. “From day one when my family arrived in this city, we felt at home and for that we will be forever grateful. “When I talk about LA Galaxy and when I talk about LA, I talk about it as family because it is a big family.” The statue unveiling came a day after Beckham helped open a soccer field for underprivileged youth in downtown Los Angeles. “Taking care of the next generation of soccer stars in this country is really important and we did it in a community that really needed support and a safe environment for children,” add- ed 43-year-old Beckham, his parents and wife Victoria among the audience. Former Galaxy team mate Robbie Keane paid tribute to Beck- Australian Nick Kyrgios capped a scin- more than nine hours on court over his The International Cricket Council has as- The attack, the worst in the troubled ham as a loyal friend and family man. tillating run in Acapulco with a 6-3, 6-4 four prior matches but needed just an hour sured its members of a tight security plan area, was claimed by Pakistan-based mili- “The David Beckham the public know is a global superstar victory over world number three Alexander and a half to dispatch Zverev. for this year’s World Cup in England after tants and further soured relations between and icon throughout the world,” said Keane. Zverev Saturday to claim his first ATP title “You know, I lack on the physical side the Indian cricket board sought guarantees the bitter nuclear-armed rivals, prompting “But the one I know is even better.” in more than a year. a little bit,” Kyrgios admitted with a smile. from the governing body following a sui- calls within India for the country to sever Retired NBA star Kobe Bryant also gave a video-taped tribute Kyrgios defeated three top-10 players “But today I served well and just played cide-bomb attack in Kashmir last month. all sporting ties with Pakistan. to the former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder on the way to the title, saving three match the clutch points pretty well.” The BCCI had expressed concern about The BCCI had urged the cricket commu- Beckham, the owner of expansion side Inter Miami CF, which points in a second-round victory over sec- Indeed it was Zverev whose nerves security during the World Cup in a letter nity to ostracise Pakistan in their letter to the is set to join the MLS in 2020. ond-ranked Rafael Nadal -- owner of 17 were frayed after Kyrgios broke him at to the ICC after last month’s attack in the ICC. India are scheduled to play their World “He was the first truly big name to come to the states and titles -- and beating No. 9 John love in the fourth game of the opening disputed region that killed 40 Indian par- Cup match against Pakistan in Manchester really draw attention to the sport,” said the former Los Angeles Isner in the semis. set then held for a 4-1 lead, prompting amilitary troops. “As you would expect for on June 16. The governing body was also Lakers forward. He also beat three-time Grand Slam the German to smash his racquet in a global sporting event, the ICC, in part- apprised of concerns from the World An- (Source: Reuters) winner Stan Wawrinka in the quarter-fi- frustration. nership with the ECB (England and Wales ti-Doping Agency (WADA) regarding the nals of a drama-filled week that saw him Kyrgios broke again to open the second Cricket Board) has a robust security plan BCCI’s reluctance to come under the ambit shake off hostile crowds, illness, injuries set, but double-faulted on break point in in place for the men’s Cricket World Cup,” of India’s national anti-doping body. and moments of malaise -- not to mention the next game. ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said “The Board unanimously acknowledged a post-match scolding from Nadal. He broke Zverev again in the fifth game following board meetings in Dubai. its desire to remain WADA compliant and Handball rules among those His win over Zverev was a remarkably and held with confidence the rest of the “We work closely with the authorities in committed to working in partnership with changed by Ifab for next straightforward affair. way to capture his first title since Brisbane our host countries to ensure that the safety the BCCI, WADA and the India NADA to “I just chucked in a lot of drop shots, in January of 2018. of players, officials and fans is a priority. resolve the outstanding issues as a matter season tried to keep him guessing, that’s all you While Kyrgios had come to embrace “Should those authorities raise the threat of urgency,” the ICC statement said. can do,” said Kyrgios, a former world the role of tournament villain in which level of the event based on intelligence, we Former India leg-spinner Anil Kumble number 13 who has slipped to 72nd in pro-Nadal fans had cast him, Zverev said will of course uplift our security commitment was reappointed as the head of the ICC Goals scored or created with the use of an accidental handball the world. fans should appreciate what they had seen as appropriate. “We will continue to work Cricket Committee while restrictions im- will not stand from next season onwards, the International FA “He’s super-fit, so he’s going to grind from him. “Really, he’s the one who deserves with the ECB and our members throughout posed on Sri Lanka for alleged government Board (Ifab) have confirmed. you down so I tried to keep the points short to win it,” Zverev said. the build up to and during the tournament interference in its administration were lifted. The changes mean that a free-kick will be awarded when a when I could,” added Kyrgios, who spent (Source: AFP) to keep everyone abreast of the situation.” (Source: Reuters) goal or clear chance occurs from a handball. Ifab technical director David Elleray explained the changes at their AGM in Aberdeen. “Deliberate handball remains an offence,” Elleray stressed. “In the past we’ve managed to improve the laws by focusing Federer wins 100th ATP title in Dubai with victory over Tsitsipas on outcome rather than intent. “What we are looking at particularly in attacking situations A tremendous two weeks of in Dubai ended with “You can imagine today sitting with 100 how much dis- is where the player gets a clear unfair advantage by gaining pos- hitting a special milestone by capturing the belief there is in between what happened then and now.” session or control of the ball, as a result of it making contact with 100th title of his career. Federer also recalled his first visit to the Dubai event in their hand or arm.” The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium was buzzing be- 2002. He lost in the second round to Rainer Schuettler and The changes mean gaining control or possession and then fore the match even started, with tickets oversold and not was accused of tanking by the tournament director, who scoring as a consequence of handling the ball will not be al- an empty seat in the house, all in anticipation of Federer’s tried to withhold his prize money. The ATP intervened and lowed - neither will a goal scored directly from handling the historic moment. defended Federer. ball, regardless of intent. He is just the second man, behind Jimmy Connors (who “I played frustrated the last couple of games in the match Another change to the laws of the game means that if the has 109), to have won 100 or more titles. against Rainer Schuettler because I was young and crazy. player’s arms extend beyond a “natural silhouette”, handball Here’s a look back at the men’s event in Dubai and the I was so fed up with my game. I just started to go for big will be given, even if it is perceived as accidental. things learned from an eventful week. shots. Tournament director wasn’t happy with what he saw,” Elleray says this is an effort to put an end to defenders placing During his press conference, Federer reflected on his said Federer. their arms behind their backs in fear of giving away a free-kick. journey to 100 titles and went way back to the time before “Anyway, he withheld everything. But the tour said, ‘No “We’ve changed it to say the body has a certain silhouette,” he captured his first trophy in Milan in 2001. In his early chance you can do this. Roger tried, so it’s all good’. Then I said Elleray. “If the arms are extended beyond that silhouette days on tour, Federer actually feared he would not fulfil came back the next year, wanted to prove a point. I ended then the body is being made unnaturally bigger, with the purpose his potential and that he would end up being the guy with good friend Marc Rosset in Marseille. I cried my eyes out. up going for three in a row, so… That’s what happens some- of it being a bigger barrier to the opponent or the ball. “endless talent and no titles”. He told me, ‘Don’t worry about it, you’ll win some more’. times. You have to learn it the hard way.” “Players should be allowed to have their arms by their side “I think title number one, it was a special one for me,” I’m like, ‘It’s easy for you to say’. At the very same place where he experienced all that because it’s their natural silhouette.” said the 37-year-old Swiss following his 6-4, 6-4 win over “When I came to Milan in 2001, I was able to beat Kaf- back in 2002, Federer ended up lifting his 100th title. It’s In other changes approved by Ifab, substitutes will have to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Dubai on Saturday. elnikov along the way, beat Julien Boutter in the final. I funny how things transpire sometimes. leave the pitch at the nearest goalline or touchline instead of “I’m not kidding if I tell you I hoped I was going to not go think I had match points in the second set, lost the second, It also shows how anyone can change their attitude if walking to their technical area in a bid to stop time wasting. down as a player never to win a tournament because I lost went into the third. I was so relieved I was not going to be they want to. (Source: BBC) my first two quite dramatically, 7-6 in the third against my that guy who was going to be endless talent with no titles. (Source: ESPN) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y MARCH 4, 2019 SPORTS 15

Iranian wrestlers Iran beaten by Australia at AFC U-16 Women’s Championship win two gold 2019 qualifiers Australia kicked off their bid to qualify for the Finals of the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship 2019 with a 3-0 win over medals at UWW Islamic Republic of Iran in Group A while China PR sealed top spot in Group B after defeating Bangladesh 3-0 in Group B of the Qualifiers Round 2 on Sunday. The match was held at the National Stadium in Vientiane, Dan Kolov-Nikola Laos. The Iranian team will face Laos and Vietnam on Tuesday and Thursday in Group A respectively. The 2019 AFC U-16 Women’s Championship qualification Petrov tournament is a women’s under-16 football competition which decides the participating teams of the 2019 AFC U-16 Women’s Cham- SPORTS TEHRAN — Irani- tournament, defeating Ukraine’s Oleksandr pionship. deskan freestylers Hassan Khotsianivskyi 6-4 in the 125kg final match. A total of eight teams qualify to play in the final tournament Yazdani and Parviz Hadi claimed two Hadi defeated American Michael Jo- held in Thailand, four of which are decided by qualification. gold medals at the United World Wres- seph Kosoy, Chinese Zhiwei Deng, Nicho- (Source: the-afc) tling (UWW) Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov las Edward Gwiazdoski from the USA and tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria on Sunday. Hungarian Daniel Ligeti. Yazdani won the gold medal after de- Also, Reza Yazdani claimed a bronze feating Belarussian Ali Shabanau 16-5 in medal by beating Russian Igor Alekseevitch Ivorian Zie Diabate reaches the 86kg final contest. Ovsiannikov 8-4 in 97kg bronze medal agreement with Iran’s Foolad The Olympics gold medal winner defeat- match. ed Lebanese Domenic Michael, Akhmed The UWW Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov Adamovitch Magamaev from Bulgaria, tournament, which is organized by Bulgarian TASNIM — Iranian football club Foolad has reached an Kazakhstan’s Azamat Dauletbekov, Rus- Wrestling Federation, is awarding UWW agreement with Ivorian defender Zie Diabate. sian Ruslan Abdulaev and Slovakian Boris Ranking Series points which in turn will Diabate, 30, has already played in Romanian club Dinamo Makoev on his way to the final. determine the top four seeds at the 2019 Bucuresti, French clubs Dijon, Nimes and Ajaccio and Belgian Also, Hadi took Iran’s gold medal in the World Championships in Kazakhstan. teams Standard Liege and Gent. Diabete was a member of Ivory Coast U-17 and U-20 foot- ball teams. Foolad have previously completed the signing of Brazilian Mehdi Alinejad re-elected as Iran striker Luciano Pereira Mendes, Cameroonian forward Raphael Messi Bouli and Japanese midfielder Takafumi Akahoshi in the current season. wushu president The Ahvaz-based football team sit seventh in Iranian league with 25 points, 16 points adrift of leader Persepolis. SPORTS TEHRAN — Mehdi Alinejad will serve you to everyone who trusted in me in the elections,” said deska further four-year term as President of Alinejad. Iran’s Wushu Federation, following the elections which “ All eyes on the future. We want to repeat our title at was held at the Iran’s Academy Olympic on Sunday. the upcoming World Cup which will be held in Shanghai, Iran Nat’l Olympic Committee Under leadership of Alinejad, Iran won the 2018 Sanda China. We know that the Chinese team will come to the World Cup for the first ever in Hangzhou, China in October. competition to bring title back and we will also do our chief elected as member of OCA “First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank best to win that for the second time,” he added. executive board

Marco Octavio names Iran team for Kuban Spring Women U19: IRNA — Members of Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) General Assembly have selected President of National Olympic Com- 2019 AFC Beach Soccer Championship Russia 1 – 0 Iran mittee of Iran Reza Salehi Amiri as member of OCA council. The OCA executive board will be active for four years. Over the past 4 years, Kiumars Hashemi, former President of National Olympic Committee of Iran was the member of the board. The Olympic Council of Asia is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees. The current president is Sheikh Fahad Al-Sabah.

Iranian chess player wins Arab tourney gold

IRNA — An Iranian teenager, who plays for an Iraqi team, SPORTS TEHRAN — Iran na- Cup in Paraguay. SPORTS TEHRAN — Iran suf- each participant will play all opponents. won the gold medal of Arab clubs tournament in Tunisia. desktional beach soccer The AFC Beach Soccer Championship deskfered a narrow 1-0 de- Based on the results of three rounds, Aryan Gholami, who plays for the Iraqi team al-Ittisalat, team coach Marco Octavio has named his Thailand 2019 will be played in Pattaya feat to Russia at the 2019 Kuban Spring the champion and prize-winners of the won the individual gold at the tournament. The Iraqi team 12-man squad for the 2019 AFC Beach from March 9-17, 2019. Women U19 Tournament on Sunday. “Kuban Spring-2019” will be determined. ranked third in the tournament. Soccer Championship on Sunday. Squad: Abdullina scored the only goal of the Iran prepare for the AFC U19 Wom- Gholami also scored 5.5 points out of 6 and promoted its Team Melli have been drawn in Mohammad Ahmadzadeh, Mos- match just before the halftime at the en’s Championship Thailand 2019 rating by 8. Group D along with Oman and Iraq in lem Mesigar, Peyman Hosseini, Sputnik-Sport Stadium in Sochi, Russia. Qualifiers Round 2, where they have Twelve teams from Arab countries of Tunisia, Iraq, Saudi the competition. Amirhossein Akbari, Mohammadali Iran started the competition with a been drawn in Group B along with hosts Arabia, Lebanon, Algeria, Kuwait and Jordan participated The second edition of the premier Mokhtari, Hamid Behzadpour, Mo- 1-0 win over Belarus on Friday. Vietnam, two-time champions Korea in the tournament that ended on Saturday. beach soccer championship in Asia will stafa Kiani, Mohammad Mporadi, Katayoun Khosrowyar’s team will Republic and Lebanon. be an important competition as the top Ali Mirsheklari, Saeid Piramoon, face Azerbaijan on Tuesday. The Round 2 Qualifiers will be played three teams will represent the Continent Mehdi Shirmohammadi and Mo- The format for the tournament will over three matchdays from April 26 in the 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World hammad Masoumizadeh be a single group of four teams, where to 30. Special Asian Olympic Council Honor awarded to Iranian Matchday One: West Asia Preview veteran sportsman Kuala Lumpur: The group stage of the 2019 AFC Cham- Tuesday encounter in Group C. Al Duhail had seen their IRNA —The President of the Asian Olympic Council (OCA) pions League gets underway in West Asia on Monday run of nine consecutive wins ended by Persepolis, while awarded Special Honor of Competence to senior manager and Tuesday with the 16 sides in Groups A to D opening Esteghlal were eliminated at the same stage by Al Sadd. and veteran of Iran’s sport Bahram Afsharzadeh in honor of their campaigns. The Qatari champions have since strengthened their many years of valuable and consistent strives. Iraqi teams return to the AFC Champions League for the ranks with the likes of Medhi Benatia and Shoya Nakaji- first time in over a decade as Al Zawraa line-up in Group ma, while the Tehran giants snapped up striker Godwin A, while all three past winners from West Asia - Al Ain, Mensha from rivals Persepolis. Al Ittihad and Al Sadd - are present in the group stage. Al Duhail (QAT) vs Esteghlal (IRN) Group A Venue: Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha Returning to Continental football for the second year Kick-off: March 5, 18:15 UTC+3 running, UAE’s Al Wasl welcome Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr Al Ain (UAE) vs Al Hilal (KSA) in the first match of Group A on Monday. Venue: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain The Saudi side had cruised past Uzbekistan’s AGMK in Kick-off: March 5, 19:20 UTC+4 the play-off round with a 4-0 victory in Riyadh to round Group D off the quartet of Saudi teams in this year’s group stage themselves embroiled in a battle to avoid relegation Of the 16 West Asian sides participating in this sea- alongside the kingdom’s traditional powerhouses Al Hilal, from the Saudi Pro League. son’s AFC Champions League, it was Persepolis who went Al Ittihad and Al Ahli. The Jeddah-based side play hosts to Qatar’s Al Rayyan furthest last time around, losing the 2018 final 2-0 to Al Zawraa return to the AFC Champions League for the on Monday in what will be the second test for coach Jose Japan’s Kashima Antlers. first time since 2007, having competed in four editions Luis Sierra, having drawn 1-1 with city rivals Al Ahli on Branko Ivankovic’s men return to Azadi Stadium of the AFC Cup since then. They get their campaign un- his return to the club he managed last season. where the previous campaign ended in disappoint- derway with a trip to the Islamic Republic of Iran where Al Rayyan had survived an early scare to defeat IR ment. They face Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor who had to they face perennial participants Zob Ahan. Iran’s Saipa 3-1 in the play-off round to confirm an eighth overcome the reigning AFC Cup champions Air Force The Isfahan-based team had to overcome the challenge appearance in the group stage. All previous seven attempts Club in the play-off round. of Al Gharafa in the play-off round, and they did so in to reach the knockout stage ended in disappointment. A repeat of last year’s Round of 16 fixture sees Al Sadd style, coming from two goals down at half time to emerge PFC Lokomotiv (UZB) vs Al Wahda (UAE) travel to Jeddah to play Al Ahli. The Qataris had come The thirty-eighth General Assembly of the Asian Olympic 3-2 winners in Doha at the final whistle. Venue: Lokomotiv Stadium, Tashkent away from King Abdullah Sport City with a 2-1 win which Council (OCA) opened Saturday evening with the speech Al Wasl (UAE) vs Al Nassr (KSA) Kick-off: March 4, 16:00 UTC+5 ultimately helped them seal a 4-3 aggregate result and of Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, chairman of the Venue: Al Wasl Stadium, Dubai Al Ittihad (KSA) vs Al Rayyan (QAT) advance to the quarter-finals. council, with the presence of members of the Executive Kick-off: March 4, 19:20 UTC+4:00 Venue: King Abdullah Sport City, Jeddah Al Ahli, whose best Continental performance was Board of OCA and representatives of the Asian National Zob Ahan (IRN) vs Al Zawraa (IRQ) Kick-off: March 4, 20:35 UTC+3 reaching the final in 2012, return for the third time in Olympic Committees. Venue: Foolad Shahr Stadium, Isfahan Group C four years, having finished second in the Saudi Pro League. Afsharzadeh Five-time Secretary General of the National Kick-off: March 4, 19:00 UTC+3:30 Just like in Group B, this group brings a repeat of a Meanwhile, this will be Al Sadd’s sixth consecutive Con- Olympic Committee of Iran, head of the former baseball, Group B Matchday One fixture from last season. Giants Al Ain and tinental participation. weightlifting and gymnastics federations of Iran, was also PFC Lokomotiv and Al Wahda kick-off their 2019 cam- Al Hilal have been pitted in the same group again, but this Persepolis (IRN) vs Pakhtakor (UZB) the 5-time chairman of the Committee on Information and paigns exactly as they did the previous year. The Emirati time their first match-up will be in the UAE on Tuesday. Venue: Azadi Stadium, Tehran Statistics of the Asian Olympic Council, and provided valuable side will hope the result is different this time, having lost The match sees a return for coach Zoran Mamic to his Kick-off: March 5, 18:30 UTC+3:30 services to Iran and Asia. their Group B opener 5-0 in Tashkent 13 months earlier. old stomping ground, having swapped the Garden City Al Ahli (KSA) vs Al Sadd (QAT) At the ceremony, Erick Thohir, chairman of the Asian Two-time winners Al Ittihad missed out on the last for the Saudi capital in December, after he had helped Venue: King Abdullah Stadium, Jeddah Games 2018 Jakarta headquarters and Hammam former two editions of the competition but return this time Al Ain to the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup final. Kick-off: March 5, 20:15 UTC+3 President of the National Olympic Committee of Lebanon, around under difficult circumstances as they find Two 2018 quarter-finalists go face-to-face in the second (Source: the-afc) were also honored. Prayer Times Noon:12:16 Evening: 18:20 Dawn: 5:07 (tomorrow) Sunrise: 6:30 (tomorrow) MARCH 4, 2019 ART&CULTURE I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y www.tehrantimes.com Managing Director: Ali Asgari Editor-in-Chief: Mohammad Ghaderi Editorial Dept.: Fax: (+98 21) 88808214 — 88808895 Iran’s best cultural [email protected] Switchboard Operator: Tel: (+98 21) 43051000 Advertisements Dept.: Telefax: (+98 21) 43051450 Public Relations Office: Tel: (+98 21) 88805807 Subscription & Distribution Dept.: Tel: (+98 21) 43051603 www.eshterak.ir Distributor: Padideh Novin Co. studies honored Tel: 88911433 Webmaster: [email protected] 1 “A Tetragonal Pattern for Printed at: Hamshahri No. 3 - ISSN: 1017-94 the Assessment of Humanities” by Seyyed Amin Qanei and “Conceptual Tehrantimes79 Tehrantimesdaily and Local Metaphors in the Quran” by Hojjatoleslam Alireza Qaeminia No. 18, Bimeh Alley, Nejatollahi St., Tehran, Iran P.o. Box: 14155-4843 are among the books honored at the Zip Code: 1599814713 ceremony. Morteza Farhadi, a professor at Allameh Tabatabai University, received an award for “Kamarenameh”, a micro anthropological study on the town of Kamareh in Central Province. Abdolhamid Noqrekar from the Iran University of Science and Technology was also honored for his book “A Clarification on Iranian-Islamic Architecture and Urban Planning”. GUIDE TO Also among the honorees are SPIRITUAL AWAKENING “Cultural Policies in Iranian State Universities” by Fatemeh Javaheri The weakest person is he who is unable to secure a of Kharazmi University and “An friend for himself, and weaker than him is he who Assessment of Historical Sources for the during the Reign of loses his friend. King Anushiruwan” by Farzin Ghafuri, Imam Ali (AS) a member of the Academy of and Literature. “The History and Development of Book Publication in Iran” by “You Will Return to Isfahan” Abdolhossein Azarang from the Center published in Italian for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia won an award. CULTURE TEHRAN – An Italian translation of Iranian In addition, “At Brother’s Home: deskwriter Mostafa Ensafi’s novel “You Will Return Afghan Refugees in Iran” by Arash to Isfahan” has recently been published in Italy. Nasr Esfahani and “The Cultural Model Ponte33 Publications, a cultural association that publishes of Marriage and Childbearing among Scholar Abdolhossein Azarang (R) shakes hands with Tehran City Council member Ahmad Masjed-Jamei after accepting his award contemporary literature in the Persian language in Florence, is Persian-speaking Women” by Leila from Culture Minister Seyyed Abbas Salehi (2nd L) for his book “The History and Development of Book Publication in Iran” during the publisher of the book. Ardebili won honorable mentions. the 15th Festival of Cultural Research of the Year in Tehran on March 3, 2019. (Mehr/Majid Haqdoost) Translated by Italian scholar Giacomo Longhi, the book centers on Eliza, a Polish girl Countries of origin incur foreign troupes’ “Last Fiction”, “Captain Morten” who traces her grandmother back to Isfahan. Her grandma along expenses to visit Tehran theater festival competing in Tehran animation festival with a number of Polish people and children took refuge in the central Iranian city of Isfahan during World War II. Longhi has previously translated books from Persian contemporary literature. Among them are Mahsa Mohebali’s “Don’t Worry” and Mohammad Toloei’s short stories “Made in Denmark”. “You Will Return to Isfahan” Front cover of an Italian version will be unveiled on April 6 of Mostafa Ensafi’s novel “You during the Incroci di civiltà, an Will Return to Isfahan”. international festival of literature in Venice, Ponte33 announced in a post published on its Instagram. The original version of the book was published by Cheshmeh Publications in Tehran in 2016.

Niavaran center hosts A poster for the 22nd Iran International University Theater Festival. A scene from “Captain Morten and the Spider Queen” by Estonian director Kaspar Jancis. retrospective of miniature ARTTEHRAN – The 22nd A number of Iranian and foreign ARTTEHRAN – “The Last his own demons in this portrayal of Persian painter Farrokh Shayesteh deskIran International troupes are scheduled to go on stage deskFiction” by Iranian mythology that reveals human nature. University Theater Festival has during the festival. director Ashkan Rahgozar and “Captain “Captain Morten and the Spider Queen” ARTTEHRAN – A retrospective displaying works announced that universities in the As part of the festival’s program, Morten and the Spider Queen” by Estonian is about Morten, a dreamy 10-year-old boy deskby miniature painter Farrokh Shayesteh opened countries of origin must cover the travel workshops by international theater director Kaspar Jancis are the two sole who is magically shrunk down to the size at the Niavaran Cultural Center in Tehran on Friday. expenses of foreign troupes planning to scholars Dominique DuPont and Pinar feature-length movies competing in the 11th of an insect and must learn to sail his toy A collection of 200 mini-sized artworks composed of wa- participate in the event as the organizers Alev are currently underway in the Tehran International Animation Festival, boat across familiar but now dangerous tercolors and digital art have been put on view at the exhibit. could not pay for their travel due to Iranian cities of Kashan and Kerman. the organizers have announced. surroundings. Shayesteh, who is an associate professor at the Meio Uni- the adverse economic problems facing Iranian scholars Farhad “The Last Fiction” is based on a story from The 11th Tehran International Animation versity in the Japanese city of Nago, has been working on the the country. Mohandespur and Abbas Jamali will the Shahnameh, the epic masterpiece of the Festival opened at the Institute for Intellectual collection since 1979. “Due to current financial problems in also hold workshops on the sidelines Persian poet . It is about Zahak’s Development of Children and Young Adults Inspired by ancient Persian miniature painting, he has used the country, we can’t pay for the costs and of the festival. treacherous rise to the throne in in (IIDCYA) on Sunday. modern methods and techniques to link traditional painting awards in the international section,” the The 22nd Iran International Persia. The young and naive hero Afaridoun Acclaimed animated movies from across with modern art. director of the festival, Amin Mokhtari, University Theater Festival will take wants to save the kingdom and its people the world are competing in the festival, which said in a press conference on Sunday. place in Tehran from April 25 to May 4. from darkness. But he must first conquer will continue until March 7.

AI portrait joins Warhol, Basquiat and Freud at London auction LONDON (Reuters) — A computer-gen- highest prices, “Memories of Passersby I” Consisting of two screens wired to a com- portraits of non-existing people forever,” erated portrait of a face that will change and by German computer programmer Mario puter housed in a retro-looking wooden case, Klingemann, who specializes in using com- mutate forever is among the works that went Klingemann is an eye-catcher. the artwork generates a male-looking face puter code to create art, said. on display in London on Friday ahead of a “The first self-contained, generative work on one side and a female-looking one on the It has an estimated price tag of 30,000- major art auction next week. of AI (artificial intelligence) ever to appear other — images in the style of the Old Masters, 40,000 pounds — a snip compared with some While paintings by Lucian Freud, Andy on the market” produces a “never-ending but constantly and seamlessly changing. of the more traditional works among the Warhol, Jean Michel Basquiat and Roy Li- real time stream of original art”, said auction “‘Memories of Passersby’ is a machine 68 lots on offer at Sotheby’s Contemporary chtenstein are likely to fetch some of the house Sotheby’s. that I created that will keep on generating Art Auctions.

A poster for a retrospective of miniature painter Farrokh Shayesteh at the Niavaran Cultural Center in Tehran. “To Kill a Mockingbird” compromise offered to small theaters The artist believes the small artworks make visitors get much LOS ANGELES (AP) — The dozens of community and would have to evaluate the script before making a decision. closer to look at the works, helping the artworks and the visitors nonprofit theaters across the U.S. forced to abandon “I’ve heard good things about the show, I’ve heard people share the same private space. productions of “To Kill a Mockingbird” under legal threat that weren’t thrilled with some of the changes,” Miller said. The opening ceremony of the exhibition was attended by Dep- were offered an olive branch in the form of Aaron Sorkin’s “I’m not going to commit to doing something I haven’t read.” uty Culture Minister for Artistic Affairs Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini script for the Broadway version. Rudin, an Oscar-winning film producer (“No Country for and Visual Arts Office director Hadi Mozaffari. Scott Rudin, producer of the New York adaptation of Old Men”), had argued that Lee signed over to him exclusive The exhibit will be running until March 11. Harper Lee’s novel, had cited an agreement with Lee’s worldwide rights to the title of the novel and that Rudin’s estate in demanding that what he called improperly licensed current adaptation is the only version allowed to be performed. productions be shut down. Following a backlash in recent Lee died in 2016 at age 89. “The Conductor” comes to days, Rudin said the theater companies could perform the Rudin’s demand forced the scuttling of adaptations Sorkin play as long as they use his adaptation. in small venues such as the Mugford Street Players in Iranian bookstores The offer is intended to “ameliorate the hurt caused Marblehead, Massachusetts, and the Kavinoky Theatre here,” Rudin said in a statement provided Saturday to The in Buffalo, New York, as well as in Salt Lake City and a CULTURE TEHRAN – New Zealander writer Sarah Quig- Associated Press. “For these theaters, this is the version that planned United Kingdom and Ireland tour. They had deskley’s novel “The Conductor” has recently been can be offered to them, in concert with our agreement with licensed the rights for a different version, written by published in Persian by Nimaj Publications in Tehran. Harper Lee. We hope they will choose to avail themselves Christopher Sergel and licensed by the Dramatic Publishing Translated by Fatemeh Tanasan, the book is about the com- of the opportunity.” This combination photo shows Hollywood and Broadway Company, or DPC. position of prominent Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich’s Maybe, maybe not, said the artistic executive director producer Scott Rudin at The National Board of Review The all-volunteer Curtain Call Theatre in Braintree, Leningrad Symphony and its eventual performance in the be- of one of the affected theaters. Motion Pictures awards gala in New York on Jan. 11, 2011, Massachusetts, said it received a letter threatening damages sieged city in 1941, when Nazi troops march on Leningrad and “We are interested in the offer and intrigued,” said Seth left, and the cover of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”. of up to $150,000, a burdensome amount for a venue where surround it. Miller of the Grand Theatre in Salt Lake City. But Rudin has (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File) tickets for plays are $20 and $25 for musicals. The book was the highest-selling adult fiction title in New yet to respond to questions that would need to be answered At this point, he said, it’s too late to stage it during the The Grand Theatre’s estimated loss is $20,000, “a Zealand in 2011 and was well received by book readers in other first, including how long the offer is good for, Miller said play’s allotted three-week run, which was to begin March considerable sum for a community theater,” Miller said. countries. Saturday. 26. Miller said he has yet to see the Sorkin version and Options are being weighed to fill the “Mockingbird” run.