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16 Pages Price 20,000 Rials 1.00 EURO 4.00 AED 39th year No.13274 Monday DECEMBER 10, 2018 Azar 19, 1397 Rabi’ Al thani 2, 1440 We need stronger Iraq welcomes Iranian Iranian fighters win Iranian Youth Cinema region not strongmen, participation in two gold medals at WKF Society to review

Zarif tweets 2 renovation projects 4 Karate 1-Series A 15 Spanish short films 16

Iran, Russia call for supporting See page 16 private sectors in sanctions era ECONOMY TEHRAN — Head of discussed the necessary arrangements for deskIran Chamber of Com- the holding of the Iran-Russia business merce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture forum. (ICCIMA) and president of Chamber of Emphasizing the important role of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Iran-Russia business forum in consoli- Federation stressed the need for supporting dating the economic relations between the two countries’ private sectors in the the two countries, Sergey Katyrin said, sanctions era. “We are planning the next event to be As reported by the portal of ICCIMA, held with a maximum presence from during the meeting which was held in the Iranian side, including the private Tehran on Saturday, the two sides also sector.” 4

Tehran insists it backs inter-Yemeni dialogue POLITICS TEHRAN — The The remarks came after it was deskForeign Ministry reportedly claimed that Iran had on Sunday reiterated the long-held sought to send a high-level official position by Tehran that Iran supports to the Yemen peace talks. inter-Yemeni talks without any foreign Qassemi said Iran fully and interference. transparently supports the UN role Ministry spokesman Bahram Qas- in pursuing a political strategy as semi said the current talks in Sweden the only way to settle the Yemeni are “Yemeni-Yemeni”. crisis. 2

Paris: Trump must not interfere “Salvation” in French politics The French government on Sunday urged told LCI television. the United States President Donald Trump “I say this to Donald Trump and the not to interfere in French politics after French president says it too: leave our Mohammad Moheimani named best novel at the U.S. president posted tweets about nation be.” the protests rocking the country and Trump had on Saturday posted two attacked the Paris climate agreement. tweets referring to the “yellow vest” an- “We do not take domestic American ti-government protests that have swept politics into account and we want that France since mid-November and sparked Tehran Times/ Tehran Times/ Jalal awards to be reciprocated,” Jean-Yves Le Drian rioting in Paris. 13 ARTICLE Qatar withdrawal from OPEC may increase Iran’s production share: Zaccara REPORT Hanif Ghaffari By Payman Yazdani professor in Qatar University. Is there any relation between Qatar’s Fatemeh Salehi Political analyst TEHRAN — Dr. Luciano Zaccara says Qatar ‘s Here is the full text of the interview: decision and the Saudi policy in the organ- Mehr News Agency withdrawal from OPEC may increase the quota What are the reasons behind Qatar’s deci- ization? journalist (of power and production) that OPEC may al- sion to withdraw from OPEC? Is it a politically A: The timing of the decision, just few days locate to Iran, which is not in line with the US and economically right decision? before the 9th December PGCC Riyadh summit, Will there be policy towards Iran. A: Qatar is only producing 600,000 barrels seems to show the decision is somehow related Fragile alliance in Qatari Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi per day, but it is the first exporter of LNG. to the current diplomatic rift between the two another referendum announced recently that his country will with- Economically speaking it will not affect Qatar’s states and the fact that Qatar’s influence in the the Persian Gulf draw from the Organization of the Petroleum income coming from oil export, neither the decision making process of the organization is over Brexit? Exporting Countries (OPEC). overall OPEC production, since altogether it very limited. Mainly controlled by Saudi Ara- Cooperation Council The decision to quit the bloc of 15 oil-producing is producing 32.5 million barrels daily. At this bia with the required consensus with Iran and rexit continues to be an implicit term countries that account for a significant percent- point it seems logical for Qatar to focus on gas Iraq, but also with non-OPEC members such as atari Energy Minister Saad al-Kaa- in the Britain’s political equations. age of the world’s oil production was confirmed production and marketing, moreover having Russia, remaining within OPEC seems now not bi announced a few days ago that BComplicating the process of the Brit- by Qatar Petroleum, the state oil company, last in mind Doha is hosting the GECF and shares very in line with the general foreign policy and QQatar intended to leave the Or- ish withdrawal from the European Union Monday. one of the biggest gas fields with Iran, without economic goals of Qatari government. However, ganization of the Petroleum Exporting is a joint measure taken by the British To know more about the issue we reached having any constraints on their oil production remaining in OPEC did not prove to be harmful Countries (OPEC) starting from January government and European authorities. out to Dr. Luciano Zaccara, research assistant from the OPEC cartel. for Qatar either. 7 1, 2019. This news has fomented world- At the same time, the British government, wide reactions. with its widespread negative propaganda However, Qatari officials said the decision against the Brexit, is seeking to re-arrange was quite technical and was divorced from a referendum. In other words, the Euro- China summons U.S. ambassador over Huawei arrest political analysis. But it is clear that Qatar’s China summoned the United States ambas- nologies Co Ltd’s [HWT.UL] chief financial hearing after nearly six hours of arguments pean authorities are trying to direct the withdrawal from OPEC in the wake of the sador on “unday to protest the “extremely officer, calling the case “extremely nasty”. and counter-arguments, and the hearing public opinion about the Brexit. continuing Doha crisis with the Arab states bad” arrest of telecom giant Huawei’s chief Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s global chief was adjourned until Monday. Recently, some western news sourc- of the Persian Gulf and the allegations of financial officer in Canada and demand financial officer, was arrested in Canada on In a short statement, China’s Foreign es are speaking of an issue called “re- Qatar’s possible withdrawal from the Persian that the United States drop its extradition Dec. 1 and faces extradition to the United Ministry said that Vice Foreign Minister peating the Brexit referendum”, and Gulf Cooperation Council strongly suggests request. States, which alleges that she covered up Le Yucheng had issued the warning to name it as a possible option! An option that Doha’s goals and motivations are more “The Chinese side firmly opposes this her company’s links to a firm that tried to release Meng to Canada’s ambassador that had been previously denied by than just “technical”. and strongly urges the United States to at- sell equipment to Iran despite sanctions. in Beijing, summoning him to lodge a British authorities, including Theresa The Deputy Prime Minister of Foreign tach great importance to China’s solemn The executive is also the daughter of the “strong protest”. May, the Prime Minister of the country. Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman and just position,” the foreign ministry said founder of Huawei. Canada’s arrest of Meng at the request of According to the France news agency, al-Thani, delivering a speech at a meeting in a statement after Vice Foreign Minister If extradited to the United States, Meng the United States while she was changing regarding the increasing doubt about of the Council on Foreign Relations in Le Yucheng called in Ambassador Terry would face charges of conspiracy to defraud plane in Vancouver was a serious breach of the British Prime New York on Friday, said that what is Branstad. multiple financial institutions, a Canadian her lawful rights, Le said. Minister’s efforts to conclude an agree- happening in the PGCC is unfortunate China also warned Canada on Saturday court heard on Friday, with a maximum The move “ignored the law, was unreason- ment with the United Europe, the possi- because it has been one of the most stable that there would be severe consequences if sentence of 30 years for each charge. able” and was in its very nature “extremely bility of holding a second referendum on organizations in the Middle East. When it did not immediately release Huawei Tech- No decision was reached at the extradition nasty”, he added. 13 Brexit has multiplied. the Qatar blockade began, perceptions This source has also announced that of the PGCC Council changed and it be- there are major obstacles on the way of came clear that this council had become confirming this agreement between Theresa ineffective. May and European leaders, which has in He added: “I do not want to be pessi- turn intensified this trend. The existence mistic, but I do not believe that the PGCC of legal complexities in this agreement can play its role again in the future. We made its implementation difficult for both Migratory hope that this council will once again serve sides. Meanwhile, it is possible that the as a strong and successful organization members of the parliament will vote in in the Arab world, but I am not confident favor of Theresa May’s decision. birds winter that we can move forward in the current Although it seems that Theresa May situation.” is trying to convince legislators to give a The PGCC has not taken any effective positive vote to this agreement, but not in Karun steps since the Persian Gulf crisis and only members of the Labor Party, but also has become an organization like OPEC some members of the Conservative Party in recent years. The shared aspect of both are opposing it. The MPs argue that the River organizations is the presence of Saudi Ara- Brexit is basically contrary to the interests bia and its efforts to guide the goals and Migratory birds have winged their ways of the UK. priorities of OPEC and the PGCC on the to Karun River, southwestern province of Meanwhile, supporters of the “People’s basis of its own interests. Khuzestan, once again this year. Vote” campaign, who are now very active Qatari’s withdrawal from OPEC has The area is hosting various bird species in England, believe that the parliament’s triggered a massive wave of social net- including large white-headed gulls, her- negative vote will pave the way for a new works calling for similar action regarding Mehdi Pedramkhoo ons, and cormorants every year with the referendum on the Brexit. This issue is no the PGCC. If a major crisis within an or- onset of cold seasons. The birds normally way contrary to the demands of Theresa ganization between the Persian Gulf Arab will stay until late April. May and the Conservative Party, but it’s states, such as the Qatari crisis, has failed to Over the past few years low precipita- secretly supported by them. The negative force the PGCC to take any action, no other tion amounts and long-term drought spells propaganda of the Theresa May’s gov- incident can do so. It appears that staying

Tehran Times/ Tehran Times/ have resulted in decreased population of ernment against the Bexit since 2016 is in the PGCC looks like a waste of time and migratory birds. known to everyone. 7 energy. 7 I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y POLITICS DECEMBER 10, 2018 MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS Supreme Court Iranian Navy plans to stage upholds death verdict against drills in Indian Ocean Baqeri Darmani POLITICS TEHRAN — Iranian In February 2017, naval forces held a POLITICS TEHRAN — Iranian Judiciary spokesman desknaval forces plan to large-scale maneuver, codenamed Velayat deskGholam Hossein Mohseni Eje’i announced stage a large-scale drill in the Indian 95, north of the Indian Ocean. on Sunday that the Supreme Court has confirmed the death Ocean to boost and put on display the The exercises were held in an area of 2 sentence against Hamid Baqeri-Darmani for bribery and country’s military prowess, according million square kilometers, spanning the fraud which was issued in a lower court. to a senior commander. Strait of Hormuz, the Sea of Oman, north In October, the Judiciary announced that Baqeri-Darmani The maneuver will be held this winter of the Indian Ocean and the Bab-el-Man- and Vahid Mazloumin, a mogul known as the lord of gold within the perimeters of Iran’s southern deb Strait. coins in Iran, had been sentenced to death. Mazloumin was territorial waters and high seas, Deputy Surface and subsea vessels and naval executed in November. Navy Commander for Coordination Rear helicopters were deployed in operational Speaking at a press conference, Mohseni Eje’i also said Admiral Hamzeh Ali Kaviani told IRNA formations to carry out missions across the special courts for economic crimes have handed down on Saturday. the waters. prison sentences to a number of individuals for disrupting The commander added that the Navy’s The drill also involved special forces the economy, ISNA reported. state-of-the-art equipment, including two stationed across the Makran coastal strip Ghadir-class submarines that recently joined on the Sea of Oman to rehearse defending Raisi criticizes the naval fleet, will take part in the drill. territorial waters. The two Ghadir-class submarines, ca- Advanced radars, sonar systems and government’s pable of launching subsurface-to-surface homegrown chaff dispensing systems, used missiles, torpedoes and mines, joined the to distract radar-guided missiles, were also economic fleet on November 29. being tested in the drill. The Ghadir-class submarines are de- In recent years, Iran has made major performance signed to cruise within the shallow waters breakthroughs in its defense sector. It has POLITICS TEHRAN — Ebrahim Raisi, the cus- of the Persian Gulf to ensure peace and attained self-sufficiency in producing im- desktodian of the holy shrine of Imam Reza security of maritime borders. portant military equipment and hardware. (AS), on Sunday criticized the Rouhani administration’s Kaviani further said that various de- The Iranian Navy successfully test-fires Nour cruise missile in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has also conducted major military economic performance. stroyers, including Sahand, would also southern Iran, on January 29, 2016. (Photo by ISNA) drills to enhance the defense capabilities of “Not all of our problems are the result of foreign sanctions take part in the Navy’s military exercise. its armed forces and to test modern military … There would have been fewer problems if there were less On December 2, Iran launched its most The vessel has a flight deck for heli- The Sahand is the third of Mowj-class tactics and state-of-the-art army equipment. mismanagement,” he said. advanced military destroyer, Sahand, which copters, torpedo launchers, anti-aircraft frigates built by Iran after the Jamaran and The Islamic Republic maintains that Raisi, who was President Rouhani’s leading contender has radar-evading stealth properties and and anti-ship guns, surface-to-surface and the Damavand, but its enhanced operational its military might poses no threat to other in the 2017 presidential election, further criticized the ad- can sustain voyages lasting five months surface-to-air missiles and electronic war- capabilities and size make it twice stronger countries, stating that its defense doctrine ministration for seeking political solutions to the country’s without resupply. fare capabilities. in terms of offensive and defensive features. is merely based on deterrence. economic problems, Mehr reported “We believe that political solutions are not suitable for economic problems,” he added. JCPOA cannot protect Iran’s interests: France, Germany agree to host payment ex-nuclear negotiator channel to Iran We need POLITICS TEHRAN — Iran’s By staff and agency stronger region deskformer chief nuclear France and Germany have agreed to negotiator Saeed Jalili said on Sunday host the special vehicle purpose (SPV), not strongmen, the 2015 nuclear deal, also known as a special payment channel created by Zarif tweets the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Europe as part of its efforts to keep (JCPOA), is not an agreement that can trade flowing with Iran in defiance of POLITICS TEHRAN — A stronger region, rather protect Iran’s interests, Mehr reported. U.S. sanctions. deskthan strongmen, is needed by regional “Barjam (Persian acronym for the According to ISNA, the German mag- countries, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif JCPOA) is not a strong structure as some azine Wirtschaftswoche has reported it said on Sunday. had claimed,” said Jalili, an outspoken has been agreed that the related company “Our region has had far too many strongmen who have critic of the JCPOA, which was clinched be located in France and its director to only caused war & misery. What we need is a stronger RE- under his 2013 presidential election the Iranian nation is further restricted be chosen from Germany. place as a major financial center hosting GION rather than strongmen,” Zarif tweeted. rival, Hassan Rouhani. day by day. The Wall Street Journal reported in many international investment funds. “For this we need dialogue, respect for international law, He said the Europeans, despite be- He added, “It is because of Trump’s November that British officials were also Iran and the European side have been inclusion, security networking, economic cooperation, and ing present at the nuclear negotiations, stupidity that he uses this tool (sanc- mulling over joining France and Ger- discussing ways to conduct non-dollar more people-to-people contact,” he added. failed to condemn U.S. withdrawal tions) yet again.” many in order to rescue the European trade in order to offset the U.S. sanctions. The foreign minister also retweeted part of President from the deal back in May. Jalili also criticized the idea of entering attempt to circumvent the sanctions and President Donald Trump withdrew Rouhani’s message to the Regional Parliament Speakers’ “The Europeans are seeking to salvage new rounds of negotiations with the U.S., salvage the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran the U.S. unilaterally from the JCPOA Conference in Tehran on Saturday, in which he called for Barjam at the expense of the Iranian saying, “Today, certain individuals want following the U.S. withdrawal in May. in May and ordered sanctions against multilateral efforts for a stronger region. nation, but this dream will not come to set aside the ideals while spouting fic- The move comes after Luxembourg Iran. The first round of sanctions went true,” Jalili remarked. tional and romantic slogans. For instance and Austria, under the U.S. pressure, into force on August 6 and the second ‘Basij has Criticizing Washington’s sanctions they say if you continue negotiations with refused to host the SPV, with Luxembourg round, which targets Iran’s oil exports against Iran, the former negotiator said America, Trump will grant you significant officials being warned that hosting the and banks, were snapped back on No- reduced the U.S. knows that its options to counter concessions.” mechanism could damage the country’s vember 4. sanctions effects’ Javad Larijani says Iran is greatest democracy in West Asia POLITICS TEHRAN — The chief of Imam Hossein POLITICS TEHRAN — Mohammad Javad system with democratic mechanisms can be established He also said that the Zionist regime of Israel and deskCadet College said on Sunday that the im- deskLarijani, secretary of the High based on Islamic jurisprudence,” he said during a meet- the Western countries that support it have engineered pact of U.S. sanctions on Iran has been reduced due to efforts Council for Human Rights in Iran, said on Sun- ing in Kerman. comprehensive plots against Iran. by the Basij Organization. day that his country is the “greatest democracy” The human rights chief said it is the people who “One of them is economic plot and the other is por- Brigadier General Ali Fazli made the remarks at the Basij in West Asia. appoint officials in Iran, which is a great achievement traying the system as inefficient. We should know the Forces’ Knowledge and Research Exhibition in Tehran. “The Islamic Revolution of Iran showed that a civil that the West is frightened by. enemies’ plots and their language.” “If Basij was not involved, the sanctions would be ef- fective, but with the involvement, mindset and thinking of Basij, the sanctions have had minimal impact,” General 10 suspects arrested over Chabahar attack Fazli said, Mehr reported. The general added that by strengthening the valuable Key agent identified outlook of Basij, the different stages of sanctions can be POLITICS overcome. TEHRAN — Police Chief Rahmdel Bameri, governor of Sis- clear in the past, such crimes won’t go deskHossein Ashtari said on tan-Baluchestan province, said on unpunished: In 2010, our security services Sunday that 10 suspects related to the Thursday a bomb-filled vehicle was intercepted & captured extremists en route Parliament terrorist attack in Chabahar, a port city used to target the police station by the from UAE. Mark my words: Iran WILL Research Center in southeastern Iran, have been arrested. suicide attacker. bring terrorists & their masters to justice,” Ashtari said that there are other suspects “Police stopped the explosive-laden car Zarif tweeted hours after the attack. to review retirees’ who will be arrested in “another time”. and started firing at the driver ... who then Key agent identified In the suicide terrorist attack on the set off the explosion near the police head- On Sunday, the deputy interior minister recruitment ban police station in Chabahar on Thursday quarters in Chabahar,” Bameri explained. for security and law enforcement said that POLITICS TEHRAN — The Parliament Research morning two policemen were martyred. Ansar al-Furqan claimed responsibility Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad the key agent of the terrorist attack had deskCenter plans to hold meetings this week to At least 43 individuals were also injured for the attack. Zarif said that the terrorists behind the been identified. review the law on prohibition of the employment of retirees. during the attack. 10 of the injured were General Ashtari said the suicide attack suicide attack and their masters will defi- Hossein Zolfaqari, who was speak- Kazem Jalali, chairman of the research center, said on police forces and others were ordinary was “unsuccessful”, praising “vigilance” nitely face punishment. ing to the Iran Labor News Agency, said Sunday that the law will be discussed with executive and people. Women and children were also by police for preventing an attack with “Foreign-backed terrorists kill & wound authorities are fast upon pursuing such supervisory bodies so that a clever decision can be made in among the injured. high casualties. innocents in Chabahar. As we’ve made cases because they not only threaten the revision process, Mehr reported. Prohibiting employment of retirees is intended to involve the younger generations in top state jobs and provide job Tehran insists it backs inter-Yemeni dialogue opportunities for others. 1 “Iran’s position has been and is announced while framework of national and inter-Yemeni dialogue to end In April 2015, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Earlier this month, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah the U.S. adopts unilateral, biased, destructive, and unbal- the war in their country. Javad Zarif submitted a letter to then UN Secretary-Gen- Ali Khamenei said the law will “break the closed management anced policy which led to an inhumane and destructive UN-brokered peace talks between the warring parties in eral Ban Ki-moon outlining a four-point peace plan for circle”, but also suggested that it should be revised. war against the Yemeni people and one of the worst human Yemen’s conflict began on Thursday in Sweden. Yemen. The plan called for an immediate ceasefire and end disasters,” Qassemi stated. The Saudi-led war in Yemen started in March 2015 as of all foreign military attacks, humanitarian assistance, a He noted that Iran hopes the Yemenis would adopt an attempt to crush the Houthi movement in the country resumption of broad national dialogue, and “establishment MP underlines an independent and peace-seeking approach within the and restore former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. of an inclusive national unity government.” importance of NGOs, UN envoy hails Iran’s anti-corruption campaign associations The representative of the United Nations The ambassador further said Iran is a confront economic corruption and called Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in signatory to the UN convention and supports for “swift and just” legal action against fi- POLITICS TEHRAN — The NGOs and associations Iran has praised the country’s progress in the international campaign on corruption. nancial crimes. deskshould be empowered so that they produce campaign against crimes and corruption. Fedulov went on to say that the con- Earlier, the Leader described “outright skilled personnel who form the backbone of the country’s In a speech at the Tehran Chamber of vention has been approved by the Iranian and unequivocal” treatment of economic administration, vice chairman of the Majlis Social Committee Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agricul- parliament, which proves that Tehran is corruption as one of the Judiciary’s major suggested on Sunday. ture (TCCIMA), Alexander Fedulov said resolved to combat corruption. duties, stressing that confronting economic “Worldwide experience shows that the existence of strong this year the UNODC celebrated the 15th Since late August, the Iranian Judiciary corrupts must be decisive and effective. associations, NGOs and parties is necessary for a country, anniversary of the adoption of the United has begun to hold public trials of individuals The Leader urged the Judiciary to as they can nurture [competent] personnel,” ISNA quoted Nations Convention against Corruption, involved in major economic corruption cases. fully inform people about its measures Mohammad Reza Badamchi as saying. Tasnim reported on Sunday. The names of defendants were made to tackle economic corruption, saying Underlying the need to find ways to boost the private He added that the office is worried public after Leader of the Islamic Revolution the judicial system should let people sector, Badamchi added that individuals should be nurtured about the effect of corruption on citizens Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei permitted realize the authenticity of its anti-cor- in their workplace to become flexible in order to become of countries around the world because it Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Lar- ruption measures and turn the threats entrepreneurs in the future. has targeted the security of the nations. ijani to take special measures in order to into opportunities. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y DECEMBER 10, 2018 INTERNATIONAL Turkey rejected U.S. call to discontinue efforts Palestinians mark Intifada with Russia and Iran to end war in Syria with call for ‘armed struggle’ Turkey rejected a United States call to wants him sent home. discontinue efforts with Russia and Iran Separately, the U.S. prosecutors are still to end the war in Syria and called on its investigating Trump’s former national se- Western allies to instead support the pro- curity adviser, Michael Flynn, on his secret cess as the region’s best chance at quelling lobbying efforts on behalf of Turkey, according the violence. to news reports this week that cited court The debate over the so-called Astana peace documents filed by Robert Mueller, the U.S. process, named for the Kazakh capital where special counsel investigating links between leaders from Russia, Iran and Turkey first met Russia and the U.S. President Donald Trump’s to tackle the imbroglio, comes ahead of a visit campaign and business. Mueller recommend- to Ankara by James Jeffrey, Washington’s ed Flynn receive little or no prison time for special envoy on Syria, to discuss a slate of his cooperation in that probe. the U.S.-Turkish divisions over Syria. Flynn was hired by clients with ties to On Monday, Jeffrey called the Astana pro- the Turkish government in 2016 to persuade cess “rather strange” and a “stalemate” for the U.S. officials to expel Fethullah Gulen, a its failure to make progress on a establishing Muslim cleric who has lived in Pennsylvania a constitutional committee for Syria. “The for two decades and who Turkey accuses of U.S. view is, ‘Let’s pull the plug on Astana,’” masterminding the abortive coup. Investiga- he said at a briefing in Washington. tors found that Flynn had lied about working Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has marked the 31st But Turkey has embraced the initiative, as a foreign agent for Turkey and being paid anniversary of the first Intifada with pledges to continue the especially since its Western allies have all $530,000 for his trouble. “armed struggle” and rebuked Arab leaders for seeking to nor- stepped back from a robust peace effort for Trump and Erdogan talked for about an malize ties with Israel. Syria. Ankara enjoys warm ties with Moscow hour at last week’s G20 meeting, where they “Armed struggle is a strategic option to safeguard the Pal- and Tehran, despite their backing of President discussed Syria as well as the Halkbank case, estinian cause and restore Palestinian national rights,” Hamas Bashar al-Assad, while Turkey is the main according to the Turkish leader. said in a statement issued on Saturday. supporter of opposition fighters who have Cavusoglu said Trump also raised the The first Intifada broke out in 1987 after four young Palestinians sought to topple him. issue of the U.S.-led F-35 program with Er- were killed by Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint in Gaza as well as the On Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Min- dogan, telling him he wants to deliver the shooting death of a 17-year-old boy during an unarmed protest. ister Mevlut Cavusoglu described Jeffrey’s fighter jets to Turkey “without any problems,” Intifada is an Arabic word that literally translates to “shaking remarks as “very unfortunate.” “If we can despite a report that said Turkey could be off.” It has been used to refer to legitimate means of resistance still talk about a political settlement, it is barred from the program if it goes ahead with against oppression across the Middle East for decades. In the due to the Astana process,” he told reporters the acquisition of a Russian missile defense Arab-Israeli conflict, it means a concerted Palestinian effort to at a news conference in Brussels after a The main focus of Jeffrey’s meetings, YPG to withdraw from the length of its border system. Bloomberg News cited a summary of shake off Israeli occupation and gain independence. NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organiza- expected to be held on Friday, is to dis- and has flushed out Kurdish fighters from the Pentagon’s report sent to Congress that In its statement on Saturday, Hamas said “resistance is a legit- tion) meeting. “Rather than marginalizing cuss the “road map” for the Syrian town other areas in Syria, including the western said Turkey should be given “a real alternative imate right guaranteed by international laws and conventions.” this process or attempting to come up with of Manbij, Cavusoglu said. Washington province of Afrin where thousands of people that would encourage [it] to walk away from It said 31 years after the eruption of the uprising, which is also alternative platforms with small groups agreed in May to the plan that foresees were killed or displaced. a damaging S-400 acquisition.” known as the stone Intifada, Palestinians are still in need of unity, … we ought to be looking at what we can the removal of the Kurdish People’s Pro- Policy over Syria is part of a web of disa- “Congress has made some interventions, partnership, and the reconstruction of their national project. do within the [Astana process] and how tection Units (YPG/Yekîneyên Parastina greements between Ankara and Washington but this is a very comprehensive project and The second Intifada began in 2000 and was known as the to accelerate it.” Gel) from the town, but Turkey is frus- that plunged relations between the NATO allies Turkey is one of the key actors. It is not easy al-Aqsa Intifada. It was sparked by former Israeli prime minister Cavusoglu said the Astana process is not trated with the slow pace. to their worst in decades. The atmosphere to just cancel this process; there are economic Ariel Sharon’s visit to the al-Aqsa Mosque complex. aimed at replacing United Nations-backed The YPG has proven itself as the U.S.- has improved since October, when Turkey and legal dimensions [that will] impact on The anniversary comes amid worldwide outrage over the negotiations dubbed the Geneva process. Yet led coalition’s most effective ground force freed an American pastor after convicting our relations. Therefore, no problems are United States relocation of its embassy to al-Quds (Jerusalem) it has largely overshadowed those efforts and against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant him of having links to a military coup plot foreseen,” Cavusoglu said. from Tel Aviv and the recognition of the city as the so-called sidelined the United States, putting Russia (ISIL/Daesh) terrorists, but has ties with the that failed to overthrow President Recep Turkey has spent more than $1.25 billion capital of Israel. in the driver’s seat on Syria. At a handful of armed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK/Partiya Tayyip Erdogan in 2016. on the program, the world’s most expensive Israel annexed East al-Quds in the 1967 Six Day war in a move summits, the three countries’ leaders have Karkerên Kurdistanê), which has waged a However, a handful of other U.S. citizens weapons project, since 2002 and is a pro- never internationally recognized. The occupying regime claims agreed to de-escalation zones, although As- three-decade insurgency in Turkey at a cost remain in custody, as do two Turkish consular ducer of critical parts for the jets. But its the entire city as its capital. Palestinians also want it as the capital sad’s forces have since retaken all but Idlib of 40,000 lives. workers at the U.S. missions, on terror-re- insistence on buying Russia’s S-400 system, of their future state. province, Syria’s last major rebel strong- Turkish and the United States troops be- lated charges. Turkey is also nervous about which is designed to shoot down the U.S. Control of the highly sensitive city remains one of the major hold where some three million people are gan joint patrols in Manbij last month even a looming fine from the U.S. Treasury for planes, may disqualify it from acquiring the stumbling blocks in any Israeli-Palestinian deal. sheltering from the war. as Turkey shelled YPG targets east of the Eu- its state-run Halkbank, accused of helping jets. The United States is worried that Russia On Saturday, Hamas seized the occasion to repeat its rejection Some observers believe it is only a matter phrates River, threatening a confrontation Iran bypass sanctions. A bank executive is will obtain sensitive F-35 technology if Turkey of the U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for “peace” in the of time before the same fate befalls Idlib, with the 2,000 Special Forces the United serving a 32-month sentence in the United uses both systems. Middle East, billed as the “deal of the century”. however. States keeps in the region. Turkey wants the States for his role in the scheme and Turkey (Source: al-monitor) The plan, the movement said, is aimed at “liquidating the Palestinian cause and undermining the rights of the Palestinians.” Hamas also lashed out at Arab states for their attempts to nor- malize relations with Israel, saying such efforts “are doomed U.S. wants to continue support for Saudi-led to failure.” “Our people will stand against those who are promoting nor- malization regardless of the sacrifices,” it said. The House of Saud regime is at the heart of the new push to coalition in Yemen forge normal relations with Israel, with reports of exchange of The United States wants to continue support to the House expected to discuss the war. visits by Arab and Israeli ministers and politicians becoming a of Saud regime-led coalition in Yemen’s war and will remain U.S. behind humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen regular feature. engaged in efforts to militancy in the state, a State Depart- Meantime, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman says the In the occupied West Bank, the ruling Fatah faction of Pal- ment official said on Sunday. United States is behind the ongoing humanitarian catastro- estinian Authority (PA) chief Mahmoud Abbas also vowed to Since the Oct 2. murder of Washington Post columnist phe in Yemen by providing arms and financial support for “continue the struggle to end all forms of Israeli occupation,” Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate, the the aggressor states, which have been wreaking havoc in even though it did not specify its nature. U.S. administration has come under pressure at home over the war-torn country. The Palestinians, Fatah said, will pursue their struggle with the nearly four-year-old conflict. “The United States has caused one of the biggest human “greater determination until the right of return for refugees is The Senate last month voted to advance a resolution to catastrophes in Yemen, as admitted by international organi- achieved, as well as the right to self-determination and the es- end the U.S. military support, which includes arms sales and zations, through providing financial and political support and tablishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state intelligence sharing, for the Western-backed Sunni Muslim giving weapons to the aggressor forces,” Bahram Qassemi on the 1967 borders with East al-Quds as its capital.” coalition that intervened in 2015 against the Ansarullah said in a statement on Sunday. Fatah also voiced full support for Abbas in his rejection of (Houthi) movement to restore the internationally recog- Rejecting allegations that Iran has requested to send a the “deal of the century” and Trump’s decision to recognize al- nized government. delegation to the ongoing Yemen talks in Stockholm, Swe- Quds (Jerusalem) as Israel’s “capital” and move the U.S. embassy “There are pressures in our system ... to either withdraw den, the Iranian spokesman said, “Since the beginning of there from Tel Aviv. from the conflict or discontinue our support of the coalition, the crisis in Yemen, the Islamic Republic has emphasized (Source: Press TV) which we are strongly opposed to on the administration the need for Yemeni-Yemeni talks away from any foreign side,” said Timothy Lenderking, Deputy Assistant Secretary intervention and the ongoing talks in Stockholm are of a for Arabian Affairs. Yemeni-Yemeni nature.” “We do believe that the support for the coalition is necessary. A round of talks between delegations from Yemen’s It sends a wrong message if we discontinue our support,” he Ansarullah movement and the country’s former Saudi re- Putin tells Netanyahu of need told a security forum in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). gime-backed government opened in the Swedish town of for ‘strict’ stability in Mideast The United States last month halted U.S. refueling of Rimbo on Thursday under the auspices of the UN in an effort aircraft from the coalition, which has been blamed for air as Sweden hosts the first United Nations-led peace talks in to find a political solution to the Yemen conflict and end a strikes that have killed thousands of civilians in Yemen. two years between the warring parties and as Persian Gulf devastating Riyadh-led war on the country. Russian President Vladimir Putin has reminded Israeli The U.S. official’s reassurances of continued support comes Arab leaders hold an annual summit in Riyadh on Sunday, (Source: agencies) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the need to main- tain stability following the recent Israeli operations near the Lebanese border. Speaking over the phone, Putin and Netanyahu discussed the Hezbollah: No spot in Israel safe from our missiles Israeli operations, the Kremlin said in a statement on Sunday. “The president of Russia stressed the importance of ensuring Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general says into the occupied territory. stability in the region,” the statement said. there is no spot across Israel outside the Intelligence and transport minister Israel Ties between Damascus and Tel Aviv have been strained since range of the Lebanese resistance movement’s Katz said on Friday that Israeli forces may Russia’s delivery of the S-300 missile defense system to Syria missiles. need to go into Lebanon to deal with the following the September downing of a Russian spy aircraft during “There is not a single point in the occu- alleged tunnels. an Israeli airstrike. pied territories out of reach of Hezbollah’s Israel has waged two wars against Lebanon Russia has blamed Israel for the incident, which killed 15 missiles,” Sheikh Naim Qassem told Teh- in 2000 and 2006. It was forced to withdraw Russian crew members. The Defense Ministry has said Israeli ran-based al-Vefagh newspaper in remarks on both occasions in the face of Hezbollah’s jets used the Russian plane as cover to attack Syria. published on Sunday. resistance, despite inflicting severe damage In their late Saturday talks held at the initiative of Netanyahu, Israel has launched a series of operations on Lebanon’s infrastructure. Putin told him that Israel must improve its military coordination along the Lebanese border, and an Israeli Qassem also said the Palestinian resist- with Russia, the Kremlin said. minister has hinted at possible incursion into ance has made Israel face a “new equation.” The Russian leader also emphasized the importance of the Lebanon in order to destroy what the regime Last month, a botched Israeli intelligence upcoming talks between their military experts to examine the claims Hezbollah tunnels. operation in the Gaza Strip unleashed brief circumstances of the September incident. An Israeli incursion into Lebanon would skirmishes after which Tel Aviv accepted a Israel has recently deployed additional troops along Lebanon’s likely spark a major confrontation with Hez- ceasefire after about 500 rockets were fired border under the pretext of “cutting off” Hezbollah tunnels near bollah. The Lebanese resistance movement from the besieged territory at Israeli in a the occupied territories. has warned that Israel would “regret” invad- matter of several hours. Netanyahu has boasted that the Israeli operation was “only a ing Lebanon. Qassem further said the situation on the small piece of the big picture” of what he called efforts to ensure “The Zionists cannot tolerate such a high ground in Syria is improving day by day, its security. level of threats in confrontation with Hez- where victories achieved by the Syrian Army The operation has drawn rebuke and ridiculous even from bollah, which is why they have no motive and its allies are quite visible now. Israeli leaders, with opposition leader Tzipi Livni criticizing Ne- for entering another war with Lebanon,” Lebanon since 2006. Israel to even consider launching a war against He said a political solution has to be found tanyahu for overdramatizing the campaign “for political gain.” Qassem said. “Even when they threaten they say, ‘If Lebanon,” he said. to the crisis but the United States is preventing Intelligence and transport minister Israel Katz said on Friday He said the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah attacks us’ they will react, because Last week, Israel launched “Operation it through its military operations in the coun- that Israeli forces may need to go into Lebanon to deal with the has built such a deterrence which has pre- the rules of engagement created in Lebanon Northern Shield” to uncover and destroy try and supporting certain militant groups. alleged tunnels. vented Israel from taking any action against by Hezbollah have made it very difficult for what it claimed tunnels dug by Hezbollah (Source: Press TV) (Source: Press TV) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 4 ECONOMY DECEMBER 10, 2018

STOCK MARKET Renewable TEDPIX 166891.2 IFX 1838.6 Sources: tse.ir, Ifb.ir power purchase CURRENCIES prices to rise 40% USD 42,000 rials EUR 47,532 rials GBP 53,564 rials in peak periods AED 11,380 rials ENERGY TEHRAN — Seyed Mo- Sadeqzadeh noted that over 80 percent of Source: iribnews.ir deskhammad Sadeqzadeh, the country’s solar and wind electricity output head of Iran’s Renewable Energy and Energy is generated during the mentioned six months. Efficiency Organization (known as SATBA), Earlier in August, Sadeqzadeh said that the said the Energy Ministry is going to increase country’s total capacity of generating electric- the guaranteed purchase prices for renewable ity from renewable resources will reach 1100 COMMODITIES electricity generation during the year’s first megawatts (MW) by the end of the current WTI $52.61/b six months when the consumption is higher. Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2019). Brent $61.57/b According to the official there are over Overall, in the next five years, Iran is aim- 85,000 big scale renewable power plants ing for a 5,000 MW increase in renewable OPEC Basket $58.79/b and more than 2000 small scale ones are capacity to meet growing domestic demand Gold $1,249.65/oz currently active across the country, IRIB and expand its presence in the regional elec- reported on Sunday. tricity market. Silver $14.68/oz Platinium $798.80/oz Iraq welcomes Iranian participation in renovation projects Sources: oilprice.com, Moneymetals.com ECONOMY TEHRAN— In a meeting Iranian companies in renovation projects of Iranian Ambassador to Baghdad Iraj deskwith the Secretary of in Iraq, IRNA reported on Sunday. Masjedi. the Committee of Expanding Economic During the meeting held in the Iraqi Heading a delegation, Danaieefar NEWS IN BRIEF Relations with Iraq and Syria Hassan capital, the two sides discussed the present made a three-day-trip to Iraq to confer Danaieefar, Iraqi Minister of Construction status quo of mutual economic relations, on bilateral ties with Iraqi officials such as Shasta’s new and Housing Bengin Rikani voiced his including the possible ways for paying Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and managing country’s tendency for cooperation of Iranian companies’ arrears, in the presence Iraqi Transport Minister Abdullah Luaibi. director appointed Switzerland plays for time in stock market standoff with EU In its game of brinkmanship with the European Union, a referendum. Calling one requires the signatures of ECONOMY TEHRAN- Mohammad Rezvanifar was Switzerland is playing for time. 50,000 adult citizens in the country of 8 million. deskappointed as the new managing director Bern didn’t say yes to a hotly contested agreement Switzerland’s equivalence status for its exchanges of Iran’s Social Security Investment Company (SSIC, also with Brussels on Friday, taking the gamble that its under the EU’s MiFiD II rules, which allows banks and known by its Persian acronym Shasta), Tasnim news agency equity market won’t get cut off from EU investors. The brokers within the 28-country bloc to trade there, runs reported on Sunday. government didn’t say no either, announcing a national out on Dec. 31. Rezvanifar, who was previously the managing director of debate on the draft of the treaty instead. For the Swiss general public “the question of wages is Tamin Pharmaceutical Investment Company (TPICO), one of That shifts the focus to Dec. 11, when the European much more central” than the stock market “side show,” the subsidiaries of Shasta, replaced Morteza Lotfi, the previous Commission is due to discuss the matter. Switzerland said Cedric Wermuth, a member of the Social Democrats managing director of Shasta. and the EU are battling over a “framework” agreement in parliament’s lower house. Brussels had to be aware Shasta is the investment arm of Iran’s Social Security Or- to supplant the amalgamation of 120 treaties that now that bids to pressure the Swiss into agreeing to the accord ganization (SSO). govern relations. The EU has made clinching an accord a “won’t have a positive impact.” prerequisite for further recognition of the Swiss bourse Punching above its weight under MiFiD II. The pact is politically unpopular in Switzerland is home to Europe’s fourth-largest stock Stock market Switzerland. market. “The country is very divided; and I wonder whether of EU law, and it has run into an unholy alliance of Elmar Brok, a member of the European Parliament, index rises 73% implicitly what they’re saying is ‘look, you’re going to opposition within Switzerland: The euro-skeptic said he couldn’t understand Switzerland’s objections to since March have difficulty getting this through the people and we’ll nationalists oppose it on the grounds that it impinges the labor-market provisions. He threatened reprisals in demonstrate this by going to consultation,’ ” said Clive on their country’s independence, while labor unions areas including “energy and the stock market,” according Church, professor emeritus of European studies at the fear it will erode high local wages. to the SonntagsBlick newspaper. University of Kent. “Then the EU will know where it Worker association Travail.Suisse reacted to the To prevent its bourses from suffering a plunge in volume ECONOMY TEHRAN— Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE)’s stands.” government’s announcement by comparing the treaty’s once equivalence expires, Bern has found a loophole that it deskmain index (TEDPIX) has increased 73.3 Framework details hollowing out of labor market protections to an Emmentaler hopes will guarantee trading remains in Switzerland. The percent since the beginning of current Iranian calendar year For its part, the EU, which is dealing with Brexit, is cheese with lots of holes. The nationalist Swiss People’s move met with wide approval in Switzerland, including (March 21, 2018), Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday. in no mood to grant Bern any concessions. The bloc has Party said it was dismayed that the government hadn’t from the association of multinational corporations, whose As reported, the value of trades at TSE in the previous urged a “swift” consultation period. rejected the draft treaty out of hand. members including stock-exchange heavyweights Roche, calendar week (ended on Friday) has also risen 1.7 percent. Battle ahead Even if Bern manages to clinch an agreement with Nestle and Novartis. Presence of new shareholders at TSE rose 40 percent in The new treaty would affect how Bern adopts elements Brussels, the framework treaty can be torpedoed via (Source: Bloomberg) the past Iranian calendar year 1396 (ended on March 20, 2018), compared to its preceding year, as the former head of TSE, Hassan Qalibaf-Asl, has previously announced. Bruised Euro-Zone economy Deflation threat returns to haunt Chinese stumbles on after its 2018 beating economy as risks from U.S. trade war linger Dairy products China suffered another economic blow on prices drop 9% Sunday with the return of the deflation threat, a day after it reported slower than expected growth in exports and imports. A fall in both consumer and producer price indexes was a result of weakness in ECONOMY TEHRAN— According to the secretary of demand from both Chinese consumers deskIran Dairy Industries Society, the prices of and investors and reflected their reluc- milk and other dairy products experience a decrease of nine tance to spend as confidence in future percent since Sunday, IRNA reported. growth is undermined by the trade war In an interview with IRNA, Reza Bakeri announced that with the US. the drop has been decided by market adjustment committee The figures add the challenge faced on the way to protect consumers’ rights and all the affiliated by the Chinese leadership in keeping organizations and producing factories are required to act upon economic growth on track ahead of the the decision. annual central economic work confer- ence, where policies for next year will index, a leading indicator of economic be determined. growth, showed activity in China’s vast Last month the consumer price index manufacturing sector stalled in Novem- Iran, Russia call for The euro-zone economy is down but not out halt its bond-buying program, a key step fell 0.3 per cent from October while the ber for the first time in over two years after a year battered by freezing weather, toward removing its crisis-era stimulus. producer price index dropped 0.2 per as new orders shrank. supporting private sectors trade wars, budget disputes and car trouble. Policy makers will meet Thursday, when cent – the first month-on-month fall in The country’s exports decelerated The exuberance of 2017 -- when the bloc new economic projections will reveal to seven months – due to the steep fall in rapidly last month, although China’s in sanctions era enjoyed a brief “euroboom” -- has given way what extent they see the current bout of the price of crude oil and coal, according trade surplus with the US widened to a 1 According to the official, oil and gas, agriculture, food, to slowing momentum and an onslaught of downbeat data dragging on. to data released by the National Bureau record level, the Chinese customs ad- transportation and logistics are among the most important areas bad news. Germany’s supposed powerhouse Traders have already adjusted their of Statistics on Sunday. ministration said on Saturday. of cooperation which could be discussed during this year’s an- economy contracted over the summer, and pricing and now see no interest-rate increase On a yearly basis, China’s PPI rose The Chinese government has been nual business forum. Italy is not only shrinking but also reviving at all next year. only 2.7 per cent in November, the lowest trying to shore up confidence in the memories of the regional debt crisis. European Other central banks are also shifting reading in two years, while China’s CPI country’s economic prospects since the automakers are wondering if they’re next to gear. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome in November rose 2.2 per cent from a summer and shifted its policy priority be targeted by U.S. import tariffs. Powell has turned slightly more dovish year earlier, the lowest in four months, from cutting debt to bolstering growth. Hanging in there recently, casting doubt on the pace of the official statistics showed. However, signs of stress continue to Euro-zone growth is slowing but it’s still U.S. rate increases next year. The Bank of Analysts said deflationary pressure mushroom in the economy. just above its average. England is on hold as it -- and the U.K. was set to continue as economic activi- Economic data from the first three Purchasing managers surveys show the -- await Brexit. ties to weaken. quarters of the year has suggested that as deterioration continuing. Italy is close to ECB policy makers have kept a cautiously Jiang Chao, an analyst with Haitong many as 19 provinces have fallen behind a triple-dip recession, and its benchmark upbeat tone, saying growth has returned to Securities, wrote in a note before the their annual GDP targets and many lo- stock index has dropped 12 percent in six a more sustainable pace and citing positives Sunday data was released that China’s cal governments are scrambling to spur PPI would drop to zero in December investment so that they can meet their President of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian months. The Stoxx Europe 600 is down 10 such as falling unemployment, wage growth and fall further into negative territory growth targets for 2018. Federation Sergey Katyrin (L) met with Gholam-Hossein Shafeie percent. The S&P 500’s decline is half that. that is starting to pick up, and solid domestic in 2019, officially putting China in a The Chinese government has expressed (R), the head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines That’s all left economists wondering how demand. They note that sentiment indicators deflationary zone. its concerns about unemployment and and Agriculture (ICCIMA), in Tehran on Saturday. bad things can get. Barring a shock though, are still above their long-term averages. the answer for most is that the signs point The bloc’s Achilles heel is that it’s The return of deflation risks, which promised to give cash subsidies – in the Further in the meeting, ICCIMA Head Gholam-Hossein Shafeie to continued -- if low-level -- expansion. relatively highly exposed to foreign trade, so often associated with a contraction in eco- form of a partial refund of unemployment mentioned the importance of the Iran-Russia business forum in The outside chance of a slump has global turbulence that hurts exports can be nomic activities, provides fresh evidence insurance payments – to employers if creating a platform for dialogue between Iranian and Russian increased but “growth is likely to remain more damaging. China, the world’s second- that China’s US$12 trillion economy is they do not cut their labour force. traders, saying, “In the current situation, a new environment decent,” said Bert Colijn, an economist at biggest economy and a key destination heading into trouble, even though China China’s economic growth also slowed is provided for communication between Iranian and Russian ING. “Are we getting toward the end of the for euro-zone exports, is in the throes of a and US have agreed a 90-day truce in to 6.5 per cent in the third quarter of businessmen, therefore both Russian and Iranian Chambers cycle? The end, no. But more late-cycle.” slowdown, with third-quarter momentum the trade war during which they will try this year from 6.7 per cent in the second of Commerce are required to pave the way for development of That’s still inconvenient for the the weakest in almost a decade. to resolve their differences. quarter of this year. economic cooperation.” European Central Bank as it prepares to (Source: Bloomberg) The official purchasing managers (Source: South China Morning Post) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y DECEMBER 10, 2018 ENERGY 5

OPEC coalition cuts unlikely to Geopolitical stakes are huge on this tiny island affect U.S. shale output: analysts The specter of a rumored U.S. military buildup in Cyprus that would draw a major Russian response now adds to the ongoing Greek Cypriot-Turkish conflict over the island and the oil and gas Saudi Arabia’s energy minister Khalid Al- continue to grow, even if not as rapidly as the riches it promises. Falih said Friday that U.S. oil and natural dramatic surge seen in 2018,” Bordoff said. Ever since the massive hydrocarbon discovery in Cyprus’ exclusive gas producers were “breathing a sigh of ICE February Brent was trading just below economic zone (EEZ) in 2011 by American company Noble Energy relief” over the planned production cut $62/b Friday afternoon, up about $1.90 from the island has been the center of a geopolitical game that doesn’t announced Friday, but analysts expect that Thursday’s settlement. The contract traded stop with rife tensions between Turkey and the Greek Cypriots. the agreement will have little impact on as high as $63.73/b Friday morning on news And now this game is drawing nearer to its climax, with much U.S. shale output. of the OPEC coalition’s cut agreement. at stake. “I just think there’s a lot of uncertainty and The decision by OPEC, Russia and other Cyprus--an island in the eastern part of the Mediterranean this is a pretty small cut,” Amy Myers Jaffe, allies to cut production comes as U.S. oil Sea—is divided into the Greek-dominated Republic of Cyprus director of the Council on Foreign Relations’ production continues to shatter all-time in the south and the Turkish-controlled north. Since 2004, the energy security and climate program, told records. Republic of Cyprus has been a member of the European Union, S&P Global Platts Friday. U.S. oil production averaged nearly 11.6 and the northern ‘entity’ remains recognized solely by Turkey. “I believe there will be little change in million b/d in November, a roughly 1.5 million But it is the EEZ—the exclusive economic zone—where this U.S. production as a result of the announced b/d increase from November 2017, according geopolitical game of chess is being played out. cuts,” said Rene Santos, an analyst with Platts to estimates by the U.S. Energy Information Generally, Turkey doesn’t accept the jurisdiction of Cyprus over Analytics. Administration. EIA expects U.S. oil output the EEZ, and particularly the process of bidding on and award- Growth of U.S. shale production, the only to exceed 12 million b/d by April, a nearly 3 ing concession for offshore oil and gas drilling. Every attempt by domestic output which can react relatively fast million b/d increase in just two years. Nicosia to invite international companies to explore offshore has to price changes, may be capped because of The increase is largely being fueled by been met with a strong reaction from Turkey, which is constantly takeaway constraints in the Permian unlikely growth in the Permian, where output is looking for geopolitical leverage in this battle. to be relieved until late 2019, Santos said. about the stock market, the looming U.S.- adviser to Barack Obama and founding expected to average nearly 3.7 million b/d From the Turkish perspective, the Greek Cypriots persist “in In addition, there are too many questions China trade dispute and an ongoing currency director of Columbia University’s Center on in December, according to the EIA. ignoring the equal and inalienable rights and interests of the Turkish about the agreement, particularly compliance crisis in emerging markets, Myers Jaffe said. Global Energy Policy, said the 1.2 million b/d On Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey Cypriot side on natural resources of the island”. and duration, to significantly boost U.S. oil “The OPEC cut is only going to gain production cut will likely keep oil prices within released an assessment that claimed the Indeed, everything in correlation with oil and gas on Cyprus output, he added. momentum if the negative aspects of those the current range and prevent a dramatic Wolfcamp shale and Bone Spring formation, has a specific political weight and is highly sensitive. The agreement by OPEC and its allies, other features do not assert themselves,” decline. two of the Permian Basin’s fastest growing Fiona Mullen, Director of Sapienta Economics in Nicosia, told led by Russia, to cut 1.2 million b/d in oil she said. “I don’t think OPEC has the will “The outlook for U.S. shale production oil and natural gas plays, have an estimated Oilprice.com that even though Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots output starting January may be a relative to make the kind of cuts we’d need to make is much brighter, with oil prices in the $60s mean of 46.3 billion barrels of oil and 281 “argue that a Greek Cypriot-only government should not be rec- non-factor for U.S. producers, who are basing if we saw a real recession.” than the $50s or below, so today’s decision Tcf of gas. ognized because the Republic of Cyprus constitution provides their output decisions more on pessimism But Jason Bordoff, a former energy policy to prop up the price will help shale output (Source: Platts) for power-sharing, over time UN resolutions and other case law have favored the Greek Cypriots,” which form the internationally recognized government. Pakistan loses a great deal as crucial Mexico to cancel Feb. auctions for oil, “More generally, you hear countries like the U.S. supporting the Republic of Cyprus’ right to explore and exploit its hydrocar- LNG shipment cancelled gas blocks including 1st shale areas bons--but they always add that it should be equitably shared in the context of a solution to the Cyprus problem,” Mullen said. The Pakistan LNG Limited has cancelled Mexico’s energy secretary Rocio Nahle said Amid the verbal war between Cyprus and Turkey, and mari- a crucial shipment of the liquefied petro- on Saturday that President Andres Manuel time maneuverings that suggests it could go beyond verbal at any leum gas (LNG) that will not only cause Lopez Obrador’s newly installed administration time—U.S. oil major ExxonMobil has started drilling an exploration a shortage of gas during winter – to the would cancel two February bidding rounds well offshore Cyprus in the EEZ. benefit of furnace oil mafia – but will also for oil and gas blocks, including Mexico’s first Launched two weeks ago, tensions are at a new high. And cause a loss of Rs12 billion to the national shale areas on offer. everyone from Israel, Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, the United exchequer. Lopez Obrador, who took office on Dec. States and all of Europe—and beyond—have a keen interest in According to sources in the Petroleum 1, has sharply criticized the landmark energy what happens next. Ministry, the Pakistan Petroleum Limited opening enacted by his predecessor, Presi- At question most immediately is Block 10, of which Exxon is the (PPL) told the Pakistan LNG Limited that dent Enrique Pena Nieto, whose government operator with partner Qatar Petroleum. The partners were awarded the LNG is not needed for now and a new planned the February auctions. the exploration license in December 2016, as a part of the country’s shipment should be sent in June 2019. Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) The new president previously said he would cluding the lucrative Eagle Rock formation in third licensing round. As expected, Turkey has sharply protested The canceled shipment carried 130,000 does not need the LNG shipment right now. suspend future oil auctions pending a review of Texas just across Mexico’s northern border. against the move, accusing foreign companies of contributing to metric ton LNG. According to the ministry, the SNGPL the more than 100 contracts already awarded, Nahle did not address auctions for part- the destabilization of the region. The source said this cancellation of LNG needed two vessels of LNG due to require- but has not detailed what would become of nership rights for seven onshore joint venture “This is a breaking point. Everyone should know that we will shipment will result in a loss of Rs12billion ment of industries in the winter. When the auctions slated for February. contracts with national oil company Pemex, not yield even an inch of our rights and interests at sea,” Turkish as the LNG will become expensive in June the Petroleum Ministry was contacted for Mexico’s oil industry is struggling to stem which are also scheduled for February. media quoted Binali Yildirim, the speaker of Turkey’s Grand Na- and delivery fee will also increase. Due its official response on the LNG shipment a long-running crude output decline, posing Under Mexican law, the independent oil tional Assembly, as saying. to this delayed arrival, the LNG terminal cancellation, it said it was unaware of the one of the biggest challenges for Lopez Ob- regulator known as the National Hydrocar- Turkish accusations were met with a response from Washington company will have to pay $1 per MMBTU development. rador’s six-year term. He has yet to disclose bons Commission (CNH) runs the auctions that was less than desirable, even if it did mention sharing. capacity charges. While addressing media a few days ago, a full plan for the sector. and supervises contracts. The commission When Exxon started drilling two weeks ago, U.S. Assistant The sources said the cancelled LNG the minister for petroleum has said the Nahle told reporters at an event in the state did not immediately respond to a request Secretary of State for Energy Resources Francis Fannon said “we vessel was supposed to be received by domestic users are the first priority for gas of Chiapas on Saturday that two bidding rounds for comment. certainly were happy to see U.S. company involvement and con- Pakistan at 11.38 percent. However, now provision in winters and the power plants would be canceled. Together they would have Lopez Obrador’s energy initiatives have so tinued opportunities here... we reiterated the U.S. long-standing the supplying company has sold that ves- come next. Mixed LNG is being supplied to auctioned off 46 oil and gas blocks, including far focused on reducing fuel prices by building position of recognizing Cyprus’ rights to develop its resource wealth sel at 17 percent in the European market. domestic users in areas of Punjab. In the the first shale areas in Mexico to be offered to a new refinery in his home state of Tabasco, in its EEZ... we believe that resource wealth should be shared They said cancellation of shipment will current situation, RLNG will be supplied private and foreign oil companies. where he is expected to announce details of with all communities on the island equitably in the context of a create an LNG shortage for industries in to the industries. The dense rock has been successfully tapped the project on Sunday. comprehensive settlement.” beginning of 2019. The PPL said the Sui (Source: tribune.com.pk) over the past decade in the United States, in- (Source: Reuters) Despite some recent showdowns on the sea, with Cypriots carefully watching Turkish seismic vessels that Ankara claims the Greeks have been “harassing”, Mullen doesn’t believe that Storm hits Carolinas and officials warn of potential widespread power outages Turkey will try to halt Exxon’s drilling—for now. “It looks as though Turkey will not try to disrupt Exxon’s, partly A winter storm brought snowfall and where you are,” Cooper said in a statement. populous city, was expected to also receive International, a major regional hub in North because it’s Exxon and partly because Block 10 is not in the area freezing rain to North and South Carolina The effects of the storm, including 5 inches (13 cm) of snow before the storm Carolina. claimed by Turkey as its continental shelf and not in the areas that on Saturday, creating hazardous conditions power outages, could last for days in North ends. A mix of snow and sleet fell in upstate the Turkish Cypriots have licensed. However, Turkey has said several on roads and threatening to leave hundreds Carolina, with the state’s mountainous Snow was forecast for Virginia’s southern region of South Carolina on Saturday times that it will not allow production of hydrocarbons. So, if the of thousands of people without power, western region expected to be particularly region beginning early on Sunday, including evening, Taylor said. Cyprus problem remains unresolved, and we reach production officials said. hard hit by snow, officials said. up to 6 inches (15 cm) in the Lynchburg area. The South Carolina Emergency stage, this is the point of maximum risk of an offshore conflict...” The snowfall began on Saturday evening About 500,000 electricity customers Virginia Governor Ralph Northam Management Division warned motorists Mullen told Oilprice.com. and was expected to last until early Monday could lose power in North Carolina and South declared an emergency for the state on to drive carefully on bridges, overpasses Earlier in November, Ankara announced its own oil and gas in some areas, with up to 18 inches (46 Carolina, a Duke Energy spokeswoman said Saturday, warning of potential power and remote roadways, which could quickly plans in areas licensed by the Turkish Cypriots to Turkish Petro- cm) forecast for North Carolina’s Mount on Twitter. outages and snarled transportation. freeze over. leum. It’s in Ankara interest to allow Exxon’s exploration to find Mitchell, the National Weather Service said. By Saturday evening, the storm had The storm could affect airports, including Icy rain also threatened to cover roads what it will find because any luck here will assist Turkey in its own North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, dumped 5 inches (13 cm) of snow on Asheville and Raleigh-Durham International with ice in the mountains of northeast exploration efforts. who declared a state of emergency on Friday, Hendersonville, a North Carolina city in North Carolina, Lynchburg and Roanoke Georgia, officials said. Nor is Exxon the only player in this intricate game. Two other told residents to finish stockpiling food about 100 miles (160 km) west of Charlotte, in Virginia and Greenville-Spartanburg The storm formed earlier this week off the oil majors—French Total SA and Italy Eni—have announced a and avoid unnecessary travel. meteorologist Zack Taylor of the federal International, South Carolina. American Texas coast and moved east, lashing parts joint bid to explore offshore Cyprus in Block 7—despite warnings “This weekend isn’t the time to head Weather Prediction Center said by phone. Airlines said it would waive change fees for of Arkansas and Tennessee with icy rain. from Turkey over claims to this area. out to see the winter wonderland. Stay safe Charlotte, North Carolina’s most people booked through Charlotte Douglas (Source: Reuters) Block 7 activities—if the November 26 exploration permit is approved by the Cypriot Energy Ministry—will be a much bigger bone of contention with Turkey. Are Russia’s natural gas goals too ambitious? From the Turkish standpoint, Block 7 “remains within the outer limits of Turkey’s continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean”. This kind of development is often lost amid talk of higher sian state-owned gas giant Gazprom, best known for its “The reckless behavior of Greece -- supported by European news grabbing global oil markets headlines, particularly geopolitically charged pipeline gas to Europe, currently states -- acting together with the Greek Cypriot administration as Russia, now a major part of the so-called OPEC+ group, around 25 European nations import gas from the compa- is a danger and above all a threat to themselves. We will use our with Saudi Arabia, is essentially calling the shots in global ny, and Tokyo-based conglomerate Mitsui & Co. inked a rights under international law and conventions to the end. And oil markets. However, make no mistake, Moscow’s (albeit memorandum of understanding (MOU) on LNG develop- we are determined to put in their place anyone who wants to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin’s) ambitions aren’t just ment. Currently, Japan is the global LNG import leader, us. Profiteering is wrong. Profiteering in international relations is focused on oil markets or geopolitical developments in the importing some 83.83 million tons in 2017, paying around much worse,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned. Middle East and Europe, they are also in natural gas markets, $35.6 billion for imports of the super-cooled fuel last year, These, according to the Greek Foreign Ministry, are “Turkish both piped gas into Europe and liquefied natural gas (LNG) a rise of 19.3 percent year-on-year. provocations” that will “undermine regional stability at a critical production and exports, particularly to the Asia-Pacific re- Large scale LNG realities juncture […]”. gion which represents 72 percent of global LNG demand. Earlier this week, Yamal LNG, a joint venture-owned From an economic point of view, the stakes are enormous in Moreover, that figure is set to increase to 75 percent integrated LNG project in northern Russia, announced it Cyprus’ EEZ. There are studies and research that confirm im- as China continues to ramp up its LNG procurement to had offloaded its one-hundredth cargo of LNG, less than a pressive hydrocarbon potential here, but everyone’s still waiting help meet Beijing’s mandate that natural gas make up year since the project’s first shipment in December 2017. for the “vein of gold” to be revealed. So a lot is riding on Exxon. at least 10 percent of the country’s energy mix for power Yamal’s third LNG train, production facility, became oper- According to Mullen, the jury is still out, but “back in 2016, generation to help fight rampant air pollution, particularly ational in late November, while the nameplate capacity of the government mentioned that it could earn $500-$600m per in the country’s major urban centers. broke that Russia’s largest non-state natural gas producer all three trains is 5.5 mtpa, for a total liquefaction capacity year from Aphrodite, which is around 4-4.5 tcf. This would be Several years ago, Putin said that Russia aimed to be Novatek will start producing LNG on the shore of the Baltic of an impressive 16.5 mtpa. Yamal LNG shareholders are equivalent to around 10 percent of annual government revenue”. the largest LNG producer in the world, an unlikely pos- Sea in February. Novatek (50.1 percent), France’s Total (20 percent), and “Aphrodite gas is still stuck in the ground because the price sibility at the time and still not likely given that current Small-scale LNG ambitions China’s CNPC (20 percent) and Silk Road Fund (9.9 percent). is not right for the companies, so at the moment this is all hypo- LNG production leader Qatar will ramp up its liquefaction Novatek and Russia-based Gazprombank are planning Russia currently operates two LNG projects but has thetical. There are high hopes in Cyprus that Block 10 will yield a capacity from a current 77 million tons per annum (mtpa) to build an LNG plant and terminal in the Baltic Sea port numerous other, some massive, projects under review big find,” Mullen added. to an impressive and hard to beat 100 mtpa within the of Vysotsk with a capacity of 660,000 tons of LNG per or trying to get partners on board. While its certain that Still stuck in the ground or not, what makes Aphrodite so next five or six years. annum. The plant’s capacity could be expanded to 800,000 Russia will not be able to muster 100 mtpa of liquefaction mouth-watering is its location—very close to Israel’s Leviathan However, this reality seems to be lost on Russia who is tons in 2021. “There is an ambitious task of launching the capacity in the foreseeable future to challenge Qatar, what gas field, the discovery of which was a game-changer for Israel. still pushing ahead with LNG development, likely realizing operations of the project and loading the first cargo of is unclear is whether or not Russia will seek to politicize According to the US Geological Survey, an estimated 122 trillion the geopolitical leverage that not only pipped natural gas liquefied natural gas in February 2019,” the contractor, its LNG exports to achieve geopolitical advantage as it has cubic feet of recoverable natural gas lie, along with 1.7 billion barrels and crude oil exports bring, but also LNG, both large scale Atomtekhenergo, said in a statement. done with oil and mostly pipeline gas into Europe. of recoverable oil under the Levant Basin seabed. and small-scale projects. Fast forward to yesterday, news The disclosure also comes just a few months after Rus- (Source: oilprice.com) (Source: oilprice.com) 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 DECEMBER 10, 2018 The wooing of Kushner: How the Macron has succeeded only in uniting his country against Saudis got a friend in the White House him By D. Kirkpatrick & Hubbard& and the Israelis were developing high hopes Landler& Mazzetti for Prince Mohammed because of his hawkish By Jonathan Miller views toward Iran and his general iconoclasm Senior American officials were worried. Since (he would later make several statements, like the early months of the Trump administra- affirming the Israeli “right” to land, that were Paris is not burning. Or, only a little bit is burning this evening. tion, Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in- notably more sympathetic to the Israeli position President Emmanuel Macron flooded the zone with twice as law and Middle East adviser, had been having than those of other Saudi leaders.) many police as last week. Then, there was the dawn roundup of private, informal conversations with Prince Within weeks of Trump’s move into the hundreds of known troublemakers. Kettling the gilets jaunes in Mohammed bin Salman, the favorite son of White House, Kushner had embraced the delega- the Champs Elysée was a good way of preventing them from get- Saudi Arabia’s king. tion’s proposal for the president to visit Riyadh, ting up to mischief on the side streets. And there were armored Given Kushner’s political inexperience, the convinced by then that the alliance with Saudi personnel carriers parked at the Arc de Triomphe, should anyone private exchanges could make him susceptible Arabia would be crucial in his plans for the doubt the government’s determination. to Saudi manipulation, said three former sen- region, according to a person who discussed it Macron may claim to have won this round but, like Pyrrhus, ior American officials. In an effort to tighten with Kushner and a second person familiar with one other such victory would utterly undo him. Whatever he says practices at the White House, a new chief of his plans. The secretary of state at the time, Rex when he breaks his silence tomorrow, the optics remain terrible. staff tried to reimpose longstanding procedures W. Tillerson, opposed the idea. It would link Shops have been looted. Cars are still burning. The television stipulating that National Security Council staff the administration too closely to Riyadh, these images have been terrible. Motorways are closed and now the members should participate in all calls with people said, giving up flexibility and leverage. farmers are angry again. If in Paris the absolute scale of destruc- foreign leaders. Trump initially saw little benefit either, accord- tion was less than before, and the number of gilets fewer, Macron But even with the restrictions in place, ing to a person involved in his deliberations. has nevertheless met his, Waterloo. Kushner, 37, and Prince Mohammed, 33, But by the time of the inauguration Kushner The tragedy of this is that Macron’s analysis of what ails France kept chatting, according to three former White was already arguing that under the influence of is spot on. This is a country that is 20 years late enacting essential House officials and two others briefed by the Prince Mohammed, Saudi Arabia could play a structural reforms. But Macron has been incapable of explaining Saudi royal court. In fact, they said, the two pivotal role in advancing a Middle East peace his project for national renewal. He is almost autistically discon- men were on a first-name basis, calling each man said that “Jared has always meticulously al-Falih, installed by the prince as minister of deal, according to three people familiar with nected from voters. He was elected only because the French are other Jared and Mohammed in text messages followed protocols and guidelines regarding energy and chairman of the state oil company, his thinking. That would be the president’s revolted by Marine Le Pen. He won only 20 per cent of the votes and phone calls. the relationship with MBS and all of the other according to executives who met with them legacy, Kushner argued, according to a person in the first round. Voters have never really warmed to him and The exchanges continued even after the foreign officials with whom he interacts.” and a person who was briefed on the meet- involved in the discussions. now actively detest him. Oct. 2 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi White House officials declined to explain ings. Aiban did not respond to a request for It was around the time of the White House Macron will not resign. That’s what prime ministers are for, journalist who was ambushed and dismem- those protocols and guidelines, and declined comment, and Falih could not be reached for visit in March 2017 that senior officials in the and Macron is not thought to have warm thoughts about his. bered by Saudi agents, according to two former to comment on Kushner’s one-on-one com- comment. The delegation made special note of State Department and the Pentagon began to Nineteen months into his five-year term, he still commands an senior American officials and the two people munications with Prince Mohammed since what it characterized as Kushner’s ignorance worry about the one-on-one communications enormous majority in the National Assembly and the reins of briefed by the Saudis. As the killing set off a the killing of Khashoggi. Their connection, of Saudi Arabia. between Prince Mohammed — who is known executive power. His forthcoming caning in European elections firestorm around the world and American intel- though, has been pivotal since the start of the “Kushner made clear his lack of familiarity to favor the online messaging service What- won’t change this, but will further degrade his authority in Europe. ligence agencies concluded that it was ordered Trump administration. with the history of Saudi-American relations and sApp — and Kushner. “There was a risk the Ironically, to say the least, Macron rival, deputy Italian prime by Prince Mohammed, Kushner became the “The relationship between Jared Kush- he asked about its support for terrorism,” the Saudis were playing him,” one former White minister Matteo Salvini, spent the afternoon appearing before prince’s most important defender inside the ner and Mohammed bin Salman constitutes team noted in the slide presentation prepared House official said, speaking on condition of tens of thousands of adoring supporters in Rome. White House, people familiar with its internal the foundation of the Trump policy not just for Riyadh. “After the discussion, he expressed anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The quintessential non-populist, the darling of bien pen- deliberations say. Kushner’s support for Prince toward Saudi Arabia but toward the region,” his satisfaction with what was explained about Two later face-to-face encounters with Kushner sants all over the world, Macron has succeeded only in uniting Mohammed in the moment of crisis is a strik- said Martin Indyk, a fellow at the Council on the Saudi role in fighting terrorism” and what preceded key turning points in Prince Moham- his country against him. They are fed up with Macron’s grand ing demonstration of a singular bond that has Foreign Relations and a former Middle East the Saudis said was their international leader- med’s consolidation of power. pronouncements and global jet setting. They want to know why helped draw President Trump into an embrace envoy. The administration’s reliance on the ship in fighting extremism. Kushner, the Saudi Shortly after Kushner visited Riyadh with they are being taxed until the pips squeak, why their children of Saudi Arabia as one of his most important Saudis in the peace process, its support for the report said, also questioned the delegation’s the president in May 2017, Prince Mohammed can’t get good jobs, why they are stalked by speed cameras, and international allies. kingdom’s feud with Qatar, an American ally, motives, asking whether the group had always orchestrated the ouster of his older cousin, they don’t know or care what Macron is talking about when he But the ties between Kushner and Prince and its backing of the Saudi-led intervention in been interested in working with Trump. As a Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, removing him goes on about fiscal union, a European army and the benefits Mohammed did not happen on their own. Yemen, he said, all grew out of “that bromance.” candidate, Trump had promised to ban Muslim from control of the Saudi Interior Ministry and of globalization. The prince and his advisers, eager to enlist ‘You will love him’ immigrants from entering the United States replacing him as crown prince. Prince Moham- (Source: The Spectator) American support for his hawkish policies in Before the 2016 presidential race, Kushner’s and had singled out Saudi Arabia as a danger- med also announced a Saudi-led blockade of the region and for his own consolidation of most extensive exposure to the Middle East ous influence. its neighbor and rival Qatar, the host of a major power, cultivated the relationship with Kushner was through Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin “Kushner wondered about Saudi Arabia’s American air base. And days after Kushner made for more than two years, according to docu- Netanyahu was a Kushner family friend, and desire for partnership and whether it came from an unannounced visit to Riyadh in the fall of ments, emails and text messages reviewed by the Kushners had contributed heavily to Israeli opportunity or worry, and he wondered as well 2017, the crown prince summarily detained A major national security The New York Times. nonprofits supporting Jewish settlements in if it was specific to this American administration about 200 wealthy Saudis, including several A delegation of Saudis close to the prince the Palestinian territories of the West Bank. or whether it was presented to Hillary Clinton of his royal cousins, in a Ritz-Carlton hotel in shakeup: Nauert in —and visited the United States as early as the month But the Arab rulers of the oil-rich Persian Gulf (for example: women driving),” read another Riyadh. After each play for power, President Trump was elected, the documents show, and mainly figured in Kushner’s life as investors slide, next to a photograph of Kushner. But Trump publicly praised Prince Mohammed. Kelly out? brought back a report identifying Kushner as a in American real estate, the Kushner family Kushner was clear about his own priorities, the One former White House official argued crucial focal point in the courtship of the new business. report said. “The Israeli-Palestinian conflict that Kushner’s personal ties to Prince Mo- administration. He brought to the job scant So Tom Barrack, a Lebanese-American real was among the most important issues to draw hammed had sometimes been an asset. At By Curt Mills knowledge about the region, a transactional estate investor with close ties to both Trump Kushner’s attention,” the delegation reported, one point, for example, the Saudi-led coali- mind-set and an intense focus on reaching a and the Persian Gulf rulers, set out during the and therefore the best way to win him over. tion fighting in Yemen had blocked a critical deal with the Palestinians that met Israel’s campaign to introduce Kushner to his associ- “The Palestinian issue first: there is still port, cutting off humanitarian and medical The Trump administration is heading for its second major na- demands, the delegation noted. ates as a useful ally. no clear plan for the American administra- supplies. The national security adviser at tional security shuffle of the year. Even then, before the inauguration, the “You will love him and he agrees with our tion toward the Middle East,” the delegation the time, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, suggested President Donald Trump has settled on Heather Nauert, the Saudis were trying to position themselves agenda!” Barrack wrote in May 2016 in an wrote, “except that the central interest is finding that Kushner call Prince Mohammed to ad- Fox & Friends alumnus and current State Department spokes- as essential allies who could help the Trump email to the Emirati ambassador in Washing- a historic solution to support the stability of dress the issue, the official said, and General man, as his appointment to the United Nations in New York. administration fulfill its campaign pledges. In ton, Youssef Otaiba. Otaiba soon positioned Israel and solve the Israeli-Palestinian con- McMaster believed Kushner’s intercession He confirmed the appointment to reporters in Washington addition to offering to help resolve the dis- himself as an informal adviser on the region flict.” To cultivate ties with the Trump team, had helped persuade the Saudis to loosen on Friday; the choice will have to be approved by the Senate. pute between Israel and the Palestinians, the to Kushner. “Thanks to you, I am in constant the Saudis had prepared a long list of initiatives the restrictions. White House officials also It’s not clear as of this writing whether she would serve in the Saudis offered hundreds of billions of dollars contact with Jared and that has been extremely that they said would help Trump deliver for say that Kushner has formal conversations cabinet, as did her predecessor, Nikki R. Haley. Secretary of in deals to buy American weapons and invest helpful,” Otaiba wrote to Barrack in the first his supporters. with many other leaders in the region. And State Mike Pompeo and Ambassador John Bolton, national in American infrastructure. Trump later an- months after Trump took office. Seizing on. Trump’s campaign vows for previous administrations have also had close security advisor, are said to favor a return of the position to nounced versions of some of these items with The Emirati ambassador was also eagerly the “extreme vetting” of immigrants, the ties to the Saudi government. its pre-Haley form: reporting exclusively to Foggy Bottom. great fanfare when he made his first foreign promoting Prince Mohammed. Since the prince’s Saudi delegation proposed “establishing Since the uproar over Khashoggi’s killing, But Nauert’s ascension means the president has passed on trip: to an Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh, the aging father had taken the throne in 2015, the an intelligence and data” exchange “to help the Trump administration has acknowledged John James, the defeated Michigan Senate candidate, failed to Saudi capital. The Saudis had extended that Emiratis were betting heavily on the prince as the American administration carry out its only one conversation between Kushner and court Dina Powell (the job is “Dina’s if she wants it,” a veteran invitation during the delegation’s November their preferred contender in the succession strategy of investigating those requesting Prince Mohammed: an Oct. 10 telephone call Republican operative close to the White House told me) and 2016 visit. struggles within the Saudi royal family.“MBS is residency (extreme vetting),” according to joined by John R. Bolton, the national security decided to keep his point man on Europe, Ambassador Ric “The inner circle is predominantly deal mak- incredibly impressive,” Otaiba wrote Barrack an Arabic version of a presentation for the adviser. The Americans “asked for more details Grenell , in Berlin . ers who lack familiarity with political customs in June 2016, as they tried to arrange meetings Trump team. And the delegation pledged and for the Saudi government to be transparent Added, however, to the brewing intrigue around 1600 Penn- and deep institutions, and they support Jared between the prince and the Trump campaign. “high-level coordination with the new Ameri- in the investigation process,” the White House sylvania is word of a more comprehensive administration staff Kushner,” the Saudi delegation wrote of the The month after the American election, the can administration” to help with “defeating said in a statement. shakeup. Perhaps impacted by the national moment brought incoming administration in a slide presenta- de facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates — extremist thought.” Several of the Saudi pro- But American officials and a Saudi briefed on by the death of President George H.W. Bush, Trump also tion obtained by the Lebanese newspaper Al Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed of Abu posals were evidently welcomed. on their conversations said that Kushner and nominated William Barr, who served the forty-first president, Akhbar, which provided it to The Times. Sev- Dhabi — delivered a similar message when One was a “joint center to fight the ideol- Prince Mohammed have continued to chat in- as his attorney general on Friday. eral Americans who spoke with the delegation he made an unannounced trip to New York ogy of extremism and terrorism.” President formally. According to the Saudi, Kushner has But the coup de grace could be the exodus of White House confirmed the slide presentation’s accounts for a meeting with Kushner and others about Trump helped inaugurate a Saudi version of offered the crown prince advice about how to Chief of Staff John Kelly, as early as Friday, as both CNN and of the discussions. The courtship of Kushner the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.While the center on his trip to Riyadh the following weather the storm, urging him to resolve his Bloomberg News have reported. A source close to the White appears to have worked. speaking with Kushner, the Emirati prince also May. Another Saudi proposal outlined what conflicts around the region and avoid further House tells me the leading candidate to replace General Kelly Only a few months after Trump moved recommended Prince Mohammed of Saudi the Trump administration later called “an Arab embarrassments. remains Nicholas Ayers, the vice president’s ambitious chief of into the White House, Kushner was inquir- Arabia as a promising young leader, according NATO.” In their presentation, the Saudis de- Few of the Saudi promises have amounted staff. Others favor Mick Mulvaney, the libertarian-leaning budget ing about the Saudi royal succession process to a person familiar with their conversations. scribed it as an Islamic military coalition of to much. The effectiveness of the counterterror- point man friendly to foreign policy restrainers . and whether the United States could influence Kushner seemed impressed. The meeting tens of thousands of troops “ready when the ism center in Riyadh remains doubtful. After Kelly’s departure, not confirmed, would be a watershed — it, raising fears among senior officials that he had been arranged in part by Rick Gerson, a president-elect wishes to deploy them.” offering $50 billion in new weapons contracts, and Rubicon crossed. Trump, a deep admirer of the military sought to help Prince Mohammed, who was hedge fund manager who was close to Kush- Other initiatives appeared timed to Trump’s the Saudis have signed only letters of interest or from his school days, has hesitated to part ways with the four- not yet the crown prince, vault ahead in the ner and to the Emirati crown prince. After the first term in office, like proposals to spend $50 intent without any firm deals. After proposing star generals in his midst—Defense Secretary James Mattis and line for the throne, two former senior White encounter, Gerson sent a message to the Emi- billion over four years on American defense to marshal up to $100 billion in investments Kelly. Internally, the two are seen as linked. Accordingly, Kelly’s House officials said. American diplomats and rati crown prince about his success in winning contracts, to increase Saudi investment in the in American infrastructure, the Saudis have exodus could be viewed as a green light for a Mattis departure. intelligence officials feared that the Trump ad- over Kushner. “I promise you this will be the United States to $200 billion over four years, announced an investment of only $20 billion. Another source close to the White House says Mattis plans to ministration might be seen as playing favorites start of a special and historic relationship,” and to invest, with other Persian Gulf states, Inside the White House, Kushner has con- stick around at least through April. in the delicate internal politics of the Saudi Gerson wrote, in a text message. On the eve of up to $100 billion in American infrastructure. tinued to argue that the president needs to stand If there is indeed a major shakeup, it would be the second royal family, the officials said. the inauguration, Gerson wrote to the Emirati And the delegation urged Trump to come to by Prince Mohammed because he remains es- major national security shuffle of the calendar year. Trump By March, Kushner helped usher Prince crown prince again. “You have a true friend in Saudi Arabia himself to “launch the initiatives sential to the administration’s broader Middle convulsed his administration earlier this year with the ap- Mohammed into a formal lunch with Trump the White House,” Gerson wrote, recounting as part of a historic welcome celebration.” East strategy, according to people familiar with pointments of the hawkish duo of Michael R. Pompeo and in a state dining room at the White House, a visit with Kushner before Kushner departed It is unclear how the delegation’s slide-show the deliberations. John R. Bolton at State and the National Security Council. capitalizing on a last minute cancellation by for Washington. presentation to and about the Trump team Whether Prince Mohammed can fulfill that But the latest moves could potentially be broader than were Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany because The emails with Ambassador Otaiba and the were obtained by the Al Akhbar newspaper, role, however, remains to be seen. His initial the major shifts earlier this year at State and on the NSC. of a snowstorm. Bending protocol, Kushner text messages with Gerson were provided to which is sympathetic to the Lebanese movement approaches to the Palestinians were rejected This administration views immigration concerns as a matter arranged for Prince Mohammed, often re- The Times by people critical of Emirati foreign Hezbollah and Iran, an enemy of Saudi Arabia. by their leaders, and their resistance stiffened of national security . Barr will be expected by border hawks ferred to by his initials as MBS, to receive the policies and authenticated by others with direct Several Americans identified in the pres- after the Trump administration recognized Je- , upset by the ouster of Jeff Sessions, to keep the heat up kind of treatment usually reserved for heads knowledge of their contents. Gerson declined entation acknowledged meeting with the del- rusalem as Israel’s capital without waiting for on Trump’s signature issue. This contingent also seeks the of state, with photographs and news media to comment and the Emirati embassy did not egation and confirmed broad outlines of the a negotiated agreement on the city’s status. dismissal of Kelly’s protege, Kirstjen Nielsen, the homeland coverage, according to a person involved in respond to requests for comment. discussions. The Times provided the documents Now the prince’s father, King Salman, 82, security secretary. The immigration hardliners favor one of the arrangements. It appears to have been the ‘lack of familiarity’ with history and the names of delegation members to an who is still the official head of state, has appeared two vanquished political candidates as a replacement—Lou first face-to-face meeting between Kushner Top aides to Saudi Arabia’s Prince Moham- official of the Saudi Embassy in Washington, to resist Kushner’s Middle East peace plans as Barletta, the defeated Pennsylvania senate aspirant, or Kris and the prince, but Kushner raised eyebrows med also met with Kushner on a trip to New who declined to comment. well. “The Palestinian issue will remain our Kobach, who was defeated in his bid for Kansas governor. by telling others in the White House that he York in November 2016, after the election. A Saudi role in Mideast peace primary issue,” the king declared in a speech The danger for the hawks, however, is that the president, first and Prince Mohammed had already spoken The Saudi team included Musaad al-Aiban, Israel had long argued to American dip- last month, “until the Palestinian people receive and foremost a fan of political winners, could pass on both. several times before, two people at the event a cabinet minister involved in economic lomats that Saudi Arabia’s influence in the all of their legal rights.” (Source: The National Interest) recalled. In a statement, a White House spokes- planning and national security, and Khaled region made it essential to any peace deal, (Source: The NYT) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y DECEMBER 10, 2018 ANALYSIS & INTERVIEW 7 Qatar withdraw from OPEC may increase The effects of U.S. sanctions Iran’s production share: Zaccara on Iran’s natural gas projects By Omid Shokri Kalehsar 1 will not suffer from neither situations. This Any relation between Trump’s an- is not necessarily harmful for U.S. interest Iran holds the second largest natural gas reserves in the ti-OPEC policies and Doha decision? in the region, but it may increase the quota world. Despite this advantage, the country controls less A: It is clear that Trump is worried about (of power and production) that OPEC may than one percent of the world’s natural gas market. Nev- the oil price ramping up, as he tweeted, and allocate to Iran, which is not in line with the ertheless, Iran is the third largest gas producer and, over that he prefers a united OPEC that can prevent U.S. policy towards Iran. the past few years, has focused on increasing its share of the control of oil prices, but I cannot see that Will this decision affect China’s One the global gas market. By the end of 2017, according to the Doha decision has been affected by the U.S. road-One belt project? National Iranian Gas Company, Iran was producing 800 policy on the matter. A: As far as the price is not going up, China million cubic meters per day. Iran’s short-term intention How do you see the future of the 60 will not suffer economically speaking. Neither is to increase the volume of gas available for export by 365 years old organization? from the political point of view, since China million cubic meters per day by 2021. A: The OPEC has been very important in has been reluctant of getting dragged in the some periods of its history, and certainly it many regional confrontations that affect the will remain as an important production cartel region. The Chinese government has cordial of a very limited energy resource worldwide relations with all the governments, including for the next 30 to 50 years. However, their Iran, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and neither efficiency in controlling the prices, and mak- the Saudi-Qatari crisis nor the Saudi-Iranian ing the states members to comply with the confrontation have forced China to choose established quotas has been very limited in sides and to cut ties or reduce imports from the last 20 years. With extra-OPEC mem- any of the three producers. That said, the bers being very influential in the short and China project is a long term project that long term, depending on the success of the includes many countries and aspects that shell oil production, the OPEC capacity of sure such as Saudi Arabia and UAE to to have a very limited impact neither in the seems will not be affected by this politically having a determining role on oil price will be cut Iran’s oil export to zero, will Doha Iranian production nor in the oil price. Qa- driven decisions that will have very limited significantly reduced in the coming decades. withdrawal from OPEC affect the U.S. tar withdrawing from OPEC does not mean economic impact on the oil market nor on the At the present moment which Iran goals toward Iran? the country will withdraw from the market links that China had built with the different is under U.S. and its regional allies’ pres- A: Sanctions against Iran so far proved either, meaning that probably the oil market state actors along the road-belt.

Exporting natural gas takes a back seat in terms of priorities to more immediate economic considera- Will there be another referendum over Brexit? tions like boosting investment into oil fields, satisfying 1 After the British citizens voted to leave the Euro- why it should be put to a People’s Vote”, that’s how the domestic consumption, and expanding gas-based in- pean Union in 2016, the two Labor and Conservative parties campaign’s supporters define their goal. dustries. Iran has 50 independent gas fields, of which (as UK’s two traditional parties) tried their best to change Proponents of this campaign believe that the parlia- currently only 23 are developed and producing. Iran’s the general vote on this issue. The active role played by ment’s negative vote to May’s plan is the best opportunity largest gas field at South Pars, with reserves of 14 people like former British Prime Minister Tony Blair can to hold another referendum. On the other hand, Theresa trillion cubic meters, accounts for around 40 percent well indicate the dissatisfaction among British authorities May doesn’t intend to violate the people’s vote in the 2016 of the country’s gas reserves. In 2017, Iran produced over the Brexit. referendum explicitly, so she tries to appear to be opposed 130 billion cubic meters of natural gas from this field. Supporters of the People’s Vote campaign are cur- to a new referendum, but she set the game in a way that it Iran plans to complete Phase 11 in the next two years rently trying to convince the public for holding a new will eventually lead to the UK’s remain as part of the Eu- so that it can produce about 180 billion cubic meters referendum on Brexit. “The People’s Vote campaign ropean Union. of natural gas annually. But based on estimates from seeks to ensure that the government’s Brexit deal is Labor Party officials led by Jeremy Corbin have also the Ministry of Oil, South Pars will experience a sig- put before the country in a public vote so that we can agreed to vote again on the Brexit, and have officially backed nificant drop in pressure, known as the “dew point,” decide if a decision that will affect our lives for gen- this issue. The fact that Britain’s two rival parties have come probably around 2023. erations makes the country better or worse off. Good to an agreement on holding a new referendum has provided In 2015, after the signing of the nuclear agreement, deal or bad deal, it’s definitely a big deal - and that’s the ground for its ultimate realization. Iranian officials repeated calls for an injection of around $100 billion in foreign investment into the country’s oil, gas, and petrochemical sector. Most of Iran’s oil wells have entered the second half of their lives. With 8 percent of oil production dropping automatically year on year, Iran A Long Time Coming: Saudi-Made Famine in Yemen desperately needs technology and capital from foreign countries just to stabilize its oil production. The U.S. ban TEHRAN (FNA) — The world needs en ISIL and Al-Qaeda. This makes the on companies engaging in dollar deals with Iran, however, to act now because according to a US government complicit in Saudi war means that large financial institutions risk heavy fines from new report by the World Food Pro- crimes, as they are deliberately targeting the Treasury Department, thus hampering any progress gram, Yemeni civilians are enduring hospitals and clinics in Yemen. This ap- in Iran’s ability to gain such investments through formal a famine. palling trend disrespects the neutrality and legal restrictions. The agency plans to designate sever- of health facilities. Iran signed major agreements with foreign companies al besieged cities as areas of famine as 5- According to the UN Human in the natural gas sector, including contracts for the de- well, because of lack of available food for Rights Office, the indiscriminate velopment of the 11th phase of the South Pars field with roughly 73,000 inhabitants in the areas. bombing campaign has killed and both French and Chinese partners designed to increase the According to the UN body, Yemen, which wounded thousands of civilians. The production capacity of the field by 56 million cubic meters is in the midst of a Saudi-led war and spiralling civilian death toll and hu- per day. After the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal, blockade, is the site of some of the worst manitarian crisis has brought inter- however, the French company Total abandoned the con- humanitarian conditions on Earth. More national shock and condemnation, tract, and China National Petroleum Corporation officials than 3.3 million in the area are facing so much so that Washington has stated that only they would remain in Iran’s natural gas food shortages that do not fall under been forced to react. In the words sector. However, Chinese companies do not have a good extreme famine conditions. Millions of some US officials, “The White record in Iran’s oil industry. For instance, several Chinese are without enough to eat, clean water House has been increasingly frus- companies have delayed work in the Azadegan Fields for to drink, and other basics like health trated as it is starting to see the no good reason. Also, Chinese firms with interests in the care as well. war as de facto support for Saudi United States or in U.S.-funded projects may be reluctant This comes at a time when US Sen- war crimes.” Regardless of the tired to invest in Iran. ators have voted to move a resolution tropes and doublespeak, they have According to Mohammad Hassan Adeli, former sec- to the full Senate floor that would end facilitated the conflict and are hence retary general of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, US support for the Saudi-let military responsible for the bloodshed and sanctions are one of the main reasons for Iran’s failure in aggression in Yemen, which has been mass starvation. its gas export policy. However, other factors include the criticized as unduly dangerous to civil- It is evident that the Saudis cannot long process of achieving consensus on big decisions in ians and re-examined by lawmakers on airstrikes and blockade, and allow the United States and its NATO should win this unwinnable war. The ongoing Iran and a prevailing opinion among Iranian policy makers Capitol Hill following Saudi Arabia’s ad- international humanitarian aid into also end their support for the Saudi blockade and escalation is a humiliat- that gas should only be consumed domestically or turned mission of involvement in the killing of the famine-hit areas, including the aggression. ing attempt by the Saudis to save face. into petrochemical products. Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post port city of Hodeida. The Saudis must 3- The ongoing famine and soaring The world can’t be blinded to this shock Iran has plans to increase its export of natural gas to columnist at Saudi consulate in Istanbul suspend their belief in the possibil- civilian death toll has brought even and terror. The Saudis must be forced other countries. For instance, Iran and Pakistan began on October 2. ity of a single military victory in more to the side of ending Western to stop the bombing raids and allow the work on a pipeline in March 2013 that would send 1.5 This also comes at a time when rep- battle-hardened Yemen to win the support for the conflict. Several EU world to see what they have done to the million cubic meters per day natural gas to Pakistan. resentatives of Yemeni warring factions upper-hand in talks. That will never countries have halted arms sales to Yemeni people and their hopes for peace. However, US sanctions against Iran may force Pakistan have gone to Sweden to discuss ceasefire happen. They should also stop blaming Saudi Arabia. There is negotiation un- The world community should discount to seek a less controversial alternative. Iran is also eyeing and peace. They want to end the conflict Iran for their defeat as Iran has no derway within the US Congress for a the Saudi lobbyists and censure all war the European market. But gas exports to Europe face which has killed thousands, displaced presence in Yemen and has always series of combined deals, including a makers and profiteers who masquerade two major problems. Firstly, traditionally, Russia has millions, created the worst cholera ep- maintained that there is no military non-binding resolution saying Saudi as providers of security for the region dominated this market and Iran cannot hope to play as idemic, and brought about 14 million solution to the protracted conflict. Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman and beyond. large a role as Russia in supplying gas to Europe. Second, Yemenis to the brink of starvation. Des- 2- The political consultations are is complicit in the grisly murder of The United Nations should create in order to export Iranian gas via pipeline to Europe, perate to escape the Saudi-made famine, the first step toward putting Yemen on Washington Post Khashoggi. They an international commission of inquiry Iran must secure transit through several intermediary to be reunited with their loved ones, and the path to peace. The country needs a should do the next best thing: Vote to investigate the Saudi violations countries. to save the future of their children, the solution for its famine right now. The for ending the Saudi-led war on Yemen. of international law as well. This Given recent developments in the energy market—not negotiators are picking through the scat- international civil society is united in 4- The Trump administration refuses should include the US for taking part to mention the sanctions imposed by the Trump govern- tered signs of hope that this unnecessary the desire to end this conflict. Many to tamp down the panic-mongering and in the naval blockade, assisting the ment—attracting foreign capital and technology to the conflict might end. UN member states have demonstrated cheap political theater of “Iran presence Saudi coalition, supplying weapons, Iranian energy industry, especially the natural gas industry, That could happen if: their full cooperation with the ongoing in Yemen”, supplies the Saudis with intelligence and in-flight refuelling carries none of the optimism of previous years. 1- The world community supports political process. The Saudi war was weapons with which to flatten Yeme- of fighter jets and widening the man- Foreign private companies have enough financial the ongoing peace talks, forces Sau- never authorized by the United Na- ni neighbourhoods and kill civilians, made famine. No one should be let resources to make a splash in the Iranian market. But di Arabia and its allies to end their tions. It is illegal, all the reason why generate more refugees, and strength- off the hook. attracting foreign investment requires a suitable legal framework and an efficient and fast decision process, as well as political stability. In addition, Iran needs to revise its foreign policy and solve its issues with neighbors as well as the West. With neither foreign Fragile alliance in the Gulf Cooperation Council technology nor capital, Iran will not be able to pro- 1 The notable issue is that Qatar not only does not repeatedly has aimed to solve the Persian Gulf crisis duce more oil and gas to export to neighbors, let alone take the position and role of the Persian Gulf Cooperation and called on the alliance of these countries against export to the EU. Council very seriously, but other Arab countries have also Iran. The U.S. has been attempting to create an al- At present, major natural gas producers such as Russia noticed the intangible presence of the organization in the liance, a so-called “Arab NATO”, against Tehran’s and the United States have made huge investments in international arena. regional influence. their own natural gas sectors. If these major natural gas While the king of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdul Aziz, The U.S. did not make any move against Saudi Arabia producers control the regional and world gas markets, invited the Qatari emir to attend a coming meeting, it is for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, but it did apparently set Iran is likely to struggle to find importers. Boosting Iran’s not yet known whether Qatar’s Emir intends to participate. a deadline for the resolution of the matter. share of the market from one percent to 10 percent, as Qatar could easily be planning to exit the PGCC. The Arab countries set up the PGCC originally believing the government would like to do, is possible only with In any case, it can be predicted that the withdrawal that they could achieve a cultural, political, and social unity, foreign investment, which requires a reduction of political of Qatar from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council but eventually, like the Arab League, it became a fragile risk in the country and an effort to eliminate tension with after leaving OPEC will prompt anger and dissatisfac- alliance due to differences in views and positions on a va- neighboring countries. tion with the U.S. because the Trump administration riety of issues. (Source: Lobelog) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 8 ADVERTISEMENTS DECEMBER 10, 2018

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Iranian incubator manufactures What are the treatments for obesity?

Obesity can happen for a number of reasons, including diet, a amblyopia therapy device sedentary lifestyle, genetic factors, a health condition, or the use of certain medications. A number of treatment options can help HEALTH TEHRAN — An Iranian so they often see double. people to achieve and maintain a suitable weight. deskincubator at Iran Univer- All children should be tested before they Carrying excess weight can increase the risk of a number of sity of Medical Sciences has manufactured are school-age. health problems. Losing weight can be frustrating and difficult, a device for treatment of amblyopia, also How to treat amblyopia but even losing just 5–10 percent of body weight can bring sig- known as lazy eye, IRNA news agency re- The most common method is to force nificant health benefits, according to the Centers for Disease ported on Saturday. your child’s brain to start using the weak eye. Control and Prevention (CDC). Amblyopia is a vision development disorder First, the doctor will correct any underlying 1. Dietary changes in which an eye fails to achieve normal visual problems in that eye, like nearsightedness, Replacing high-fat foods with more fruits and vegetables can acuity, even with prescription eyeglasses or farsightedness, or astigmatism. Most kids help a person to lose weight. contact lenses. with amblyopia also need glasses to help their One reason why excess weight and fat accumulate is when a The newly developed limited edition device eyes focus. If a cataract is blocking light from person consumes more calories than they use. Over time, this can perfectly help in shortening the treatment her eye, the doctor may recommend surgery can lead to weight gain. course, Mehdi Zare Bidaki, the project manager to remove it. Some types of food are more likely to lead to weight gain. of the amblyopia therapy device, said. Then he’ll give her a patch to wear over Some processed foods contain additives, such as high-fructose Typically amblyopia becomes much harder her strong eye. At first, she’ll have a hard corn syrup. This can cause changes in the body that result in to treat after about 7-9 years of age, however, the time seeing with just the weak eye. But it’s additional weight gain. device is capable of treating people with lazy eye important that she wear the patch. Her vision Reducing the intake of processed, refined, and ready-made food aging above 7 or even 50 years, Zare Bidaki added. will get better, though it might take weeks or that is high in sugar and fat, while increasing the consumption The device has been manufactured for months for that to happen. Follow the doctor’s of whole grains and other high-fiber foods — such as fresh fruits the first time in Iran, he said, adding that instructions carefully and bring your child and vegetables — can help a person to lose weight. the device will be also effective in treatment in for scheduled visits so the doctor can see One advantage of a high-fiber diet is that the body feels full of strabismus [crossed eyes] or some other how the treatment is working. more quickly, making it less tempting to eat more. Whole grains apparent eye misalignment, as well as age-re- After the doctor says her vision is back to help a person to feel full for longer, because they release their lated eye diseases. normal, she won’t have to wear the patch all energy more slowly. Currently it takes one to two years for lazy the time. But sometimes when kids go back Fiber and whole grains can also help to reduce the risk of a eyes to be treated, though it might take even to using both eyes, they lose some vision number of conditions related to metabolic syndrome. longer depending on the type and severity Currently it takes one to two years for lazy in the weak eye. If that happens, she might Metabolic syndrome is a condition that involves a num- of the disease, he said, stating that using have to wear the patch again. eyes to be treated, though it might take ber of health problems, including type 2 diabetes, high blood amblyopia therapy device patients can be In mild cases of amblyopia, the doctor pressure, and cardiovascular problems. It is more common in treated after receiving 10 to 17 therapy ses- even longer depending on the type and might suggest using an eye drop called at- people with obesity. sions, each taking 20 minutes. severity of the disease. But using amblyopia ropine. It blurs the strong eye so your child A doctor or dietitian can help to suggest a strategy and possibly While treatment were believed to on work won’t need to wear a patch. therapy device patients can be treated after a suitable weight-loss program. with children aging under 7 now everyone If strabismus prevents her eyes from mov- Avoid crash-dieting can receive therapy, he highlighted. receiving 10 to 17 therapy sessions, each ing together like they should, your doctor Trying to lose weight quickly by crash-dieting carries the Elsewhere in his remarks Zare Bidaki taking 20 minutes. might recommend surgery on her eye muscles. following risks: mentioned vision screening tests run by With early diagnosis and treatment, most New health problems may develop. Iran’s Welfare Organization which resulted Causes of amblyopia the blurry one. If this goes on for months or children will gain vision. Amblyopia becomes Vitamin deficiencies can occur. in decreasing the disease incidence from 2 Amblyopia commonly starts when one years in a young child, vision in the blurry much harder to treat after about 7-9 years of age, It is more difficult to achieve healthy weight loss. percent to 0.2 percent nationwide. eye has much better focus than the other. eye will get worse. so make sure your child gets eye exams early on. In some cases, a doctor may suggest that a person with severe According to All about Vision, amblyopia Sometimes, one is more farsighted or has Sometimes a child’s eyes don’t line up Particularly if lazy eye is detected early in obesity should follow a very low-calorie liquid diet. A health pro- begins during infancy and early childhood. lots of astigmatism, but the other doesn’t, like they should. One could turn in or out. life and promptly treated, reduced vision can fessional should monitor this strategy to ensure that the person In most cases, only one eye is affected. But in according to WebMD. The doctor will call this strabismus, and it be avoided. But if left untreated, lazy eye can remains safe while following the diet. some cases, reduced visual acuity can occur When your child’s brain gets both a blur- can also lead to amblyopia. Kids who have it cause severe visual disability in the affected 2. Physical activity in both eyes. ry image and a clear one, it starts to ignore can’t focus their eyes together on an image, eye, including legal blindness. Climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator can be good exercise. While the body does burn some calories even when a person A new blood test could help diagnose Vitamin D deficiency increases is just sitting or sleeping, for most people, the more active they schizophrenia risk are, the more calories the body will burn. Alzheimer’s However, this can take time. To lose one pound of fat, a person needs to burn 3,500 calories. Good ways to start getting active include: walking briskly, swimming, using the stairs instead of the elevator, getting off the bus or train one stop earlier and walking the rest of the way Doing chores such as gardening, housework, or walking the dog all contribute. The CDC suggest doing 60–90 minutes of moderately intense activity most days of the week. People who are not used to exercising or who find it difficult to be active due to health or mobility problems should speak to a health professional about how to exercise and how to get started. A person who is not in the habit of exercising should not start with too strenuous an activity, as this could pose a health risk. 3. Weight-loss medications A doctor will sometimes prescribe medication, such as orlastat (Xenical) to help a person lose weight. However, they usually only do this if: dietary changes and exercise have not resulted in weight loss and the person’s weight poses a significant risk to their health. The National Institutes of Health note that people should use Doctors may find it hard to diagnose plasma (a blood component) and cerebro- Some research suggests a link between ed vitamin D levels in blood samples from medication alongside a reduced-calorie diet. Orlastat does not Alzheimer’s disease before the obvious spinal fluid from two sets of participants low vitamin D levels and a person’s risk babies born in Denmark in 1981–2000. replace lifestyle changes. symptoms set in, and many of the current (65 in the first group and 86 in the other). of developing schizophrenia. New evidence All of these eventually developed schizo- Side effects include gastrointestinal symptoms, such as fatty tests for it are expensive and complicated. One group of samples came from volun- indicates that this notion may be correct. phrenia in early adulthood. stool and increased or decreased defecation. Some people have However, researchers recently devised teers enrolled in the Harvard Aging Brain A new study has investigated the link Prof. McGrath and his team compared reported unwanted effects on the respiratory system, muscles a blood test that could accurately detect Study, and some who had participated in between low vitamin D levels and schiz- these samples with additional ones from and joints, headaches, and others. this condition. research at the Institute of Neurology in ophrenia risk. schizophrenia-free individuals whom sci- From 1997 to 2010, doctors were able to prescribe sibutramine, Recent research aimed to develop an London, United Kingdom. According to the National Institute of entists had matched by date of birth and too, but the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accurate blood test to diagnose Alzheimer’s. The second group came from volunteers Mental Health, schizophrenia is one of the biological sex to those in the initial cohort. withdrew approval in 2010, due to concerns about serious ad- According to the Alzheimer’s Association, recruited by specialists at the Shiley-Marcos leading causes of disability worldwide. The team discovered that those born verse effects. the condition will affect an estimated 5.7 mil- Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Symptoms such as hallucinations, with a vitamin D deficiency had a 44 4. Surgery lion people in the United States by 2050. the University of California, San Diego. delusions, and cognitive problems percent higher risk of developing schiz- Weight loss, or bariatric, surgery involves removing or changing Despite this, there are few ways of The team assessed five tests for tau characterize schizophrenia. ophrenia later in life. Also, this deficiency a part of a person’s stomach or small intestine so that they do accurately diagnosing Alzheimer’s dis- molecules, looking to see which would be So far, however, researchers have been in newborns could account for about 8 not consume as much food or absorb as many calories as before. ease early on. most effective. In the end, the scientists unable to find out exactly what causes percent of all schizophrenia diagnoses in This can help an individual to lose weight and also reduce the These include MRI and CT scans, which settled on a test that they called “the NT1 this condition. Denmark, the authors suggest. risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and other aspects of help doctors rule out other conditions that assay,” which demonstrated both sensitivity That being said, they have identified “We hypothesized,” explains Prof. metabolic syndrome that can occur with obesity. might cause similar symptoms. and specificity, meaning that it was able some likely risk factors — such as the McGrath, “that low vitamin D levels in Surgery can either make the stomach smaller, or it can bypass Another way of diagnosing Alzheimer’s is to accurately detect Alzheimer’s. presence of certain sets of genes, or ex- pregnant women due to a lack of sun part of the digestive system. by collecting cerebrospinal fluid and looking “A blood test for Alzheimer’s disease,” posure to some viruses. exposure during winter months might Gastric sleeve or gastric band for biomarkers of the disease. This is the claims study author Dominic Walsh, “could Due to older research suggesting that underlie this risk, and [we] investigated The surgeon uses a gastric sleeve or a gastric band to make most accurate test for this neurodegenera- be administered easily and repeatedly, with schizophrenia might be more prevalent the association between vitamin D defi- the stomach smaller. tive condition, but it is costly and invasive. patients going to their primary care office in regions with less sun, some scientists ciency and risk of schizophrenia.” After the operation, a person cannot consume more than about For all these reasons, researchers from rather than having to go into [the] hospital.” have hypothesized that vitamin D deficiency Preventing vitamin D deficiency in one cup of food during each sitting. This significantly reduces Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, “Ultimately, a blood-based test could may also be a risk factor for this condition. women who are pregnant, he says, may food intake. MA, have been developing a blood test for replace cerebrospinal fluid testing and/or A recent study led by teams from Aarhus therefore also prevent childrens’ later risk Gastric bypass Alzheimer’s that aims to be accurate, more brain imaging,” he suggests, adding, “Our University in Denmark and the University of schizophrenia. The procedure enables food to bypass parts of the digestive cost-effective, and less unpleasant. new test has the potential to do just that.” of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, has According to Prof. McGrath, “As the system, specifically the first part of the mid-section of the small In the study paper, which appears in “Our test will need further validation found that newborn babies with low vita- developing fetus is totally reliant on mother’s intestine. It may also reduce the size of the stomach. the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, the in many more people, but if it performs min D levels are more at risk of developing vitamin D stores, our findings suggest that This is generally more effective than restrictive procedures, researchers explain that the test may be as in the initial two cohorts, it would be a schizophrenia later on. ensuring pregnant women have adequate but there is a higher risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies, as able to detect biomarkers of Alzheim- transformative breakthrough.” “Much of the attention in schizophrenia levels of vitamin D may result in the pre- the body can no longer absorb as many nutrients. er’s disease before the appearance of The researchers stress that while they research has been focused on modifiable vention of some schizophrenia cases in a A doctor may recommend surgery for a person who has a obvious symptoms. verified the test in blood samples from factors early in life with the goal of reducing manner comparable [with] the role [that] body mass index of 40 or above, or lower than 40 if they have Test may be ‘a transformative two different cohorts, they will need to the burden of this disease,” says lead study folate supplementation has played in the other health issues. breakthrough’ conduct further trials with larger groups author Prof. John McGrath. prevention of spina bifida.” Surgeons often do bariatric surgery as a laparoscopic, or key- One mark of Alzheimer’s and other types of participants to fully establish the effec- “Previous research identified an in- In the future, the researchers aim to hole procedure. of dementia in the brain is the formation tiveness of the test. creased risk of schizophrenia associated organize a clinical trial assessing whether or 5. Hormonal treatment of toxic plaques, some of which appear Also, they now aim to learn more about with being born in winter or spring and not administering vitamin D supplements to Hormonal treatment might one day help people with obesity. due to a buildup of tau proteins. how tau protein levels change as the con- living in a high-latitude country, such women who are pregnant could effectively Scientists who published a study in 2014 noted that part of the suc- Tau proteins are made of related mole- dition progresses, compared with their as Denmark.” protect their children from exposure to cess of bariatric surgery may be the impact it has on gut hormones. cules with somewhat different properties. levels before Alzheimer’s symptoms set in. In the study paper, which appears in neurodevelopmental conditions. Harnessing these hormones could lead to novel, non-surgical In the new study, the researchers started by “We’ve made our data and the tools the journal Scientific Reports, the au- “The next step is to conduct randomized options. devising a method to identify the specific needed to perform our test widely available thors report that vitamin D deficiency clinical trials of vitamin D supplements in The researchers suggest that combining certain hormones subset of tau molecules that appear at high because we want other research groups to in newborn babies may be responsible pregnant women who are vitamin D deficient, might provide an effective therapy. levels in Alzheimer’s disease. put this to test. It’s important for others for approximately 8 percent of all schiz- in order to examine the impact on child brain 6. Browning white fat cells The researchers came up with ways of to validate our findings so that we can be ophrenia cases in Denmark. development and risk of neurodevelopmental Humans and other mammals contain two types of fat cell: detecting different types of tau molecules certain this test will work across different A 44 percent increase in risk [conditions] such as autism and schizophre- Brown-fat cells burn calories and produce heat. in both blood and cerebrospinal fluid, and populations,” notes Walsh. The new study assessed the data of 2,602 nia,” says Prof. McGrath. White-fat cells store calories. they tested these methods in samples of (Source: flipboard.com) people in Denmark. The researchers analyz- (Source: Medical News Today) (Source: Medical News Today) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 10 TECHNOLOGY DECEMBER 10, 2018

Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, ‘Plans underway to develop Turkey to spend $2m on regional startup center TECHNOLOGY TEHRAN — Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia and Tur- digital transformation’ deskkey are to invest $500,000 each on establishing a regional startup center, Iran’s information and communication TECHNOLOGY TEHRAN — The Infor- E-government not a claim desk technology (ICT) minister has said. mation and Communica- The ICT ministry is providing infrastruc- Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi called the center as a place for tion Technology Ministry (ICT) has several tures for e-government and it is not a claim, exchanging information and technology in the field of technology plans for developing digital transformation, Azari Jahromi said. for young generation, Tasnim reported on Friday. ICT Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi Today people can register for smart cards said on Saturday, IRNA reported. for purchasing gasoline with three clicks, An appropriate ecosystem in information he said. technology paves the way for digital trans- Iran started issuing smart cards for pur- formation, he explained. chasing gasoline on December 3 through The IT industry is one of the infrastruc- “Mobile Government” - the first phase of tures for development of industry in the e-government services project which came field of ICT, he said. on stream in May. Azari Jahromi said that there is a great Through the project, the gasoline smart capacity for using Internet of Things cards, which were used for rationing fuel (IoT) in Iran. in past years, is now connected to the bank The ICT ministry is providing an ecosys- cards for easy payment. tem for urban services in the near future. The government save 3.3 trillion rials “We have also discussed the role of (some $78.5m) through issuing the smart digital transformation during meetings card by the Mobile Government, he said. with the health minister Hassan Qazizadeh He said that the ministry plans to stop Hashemi,” he explained. issuing paper bill for different services in Iranian experts have a great knowledge in space technology, The IoT capacities for digital transfor- culture as another part of ecosystem. course of four years. near future. which can lead to wealth creation in the region, he explained. mation in water and electricity industry Smart irrigation is a great method to It covers smart irrigation and pest control The Mobile Government aims to facilitate Iran has already invested over five billion dollars to develop are finalized, he said. deal with water shortage and environmental via space technology. some government services, reduce unneces- ICT infrastructures, however, other countries should also coop- In July, the ICT ministry and the Min- problems, he said. Iran is heading to development of digital sary expenses and ease traffic jam, which is erate in this field, he said. istry of Energy signed an agreement to According to an agreement signed by the economy and the University of Tehran is the main cause of air pollution in big cities. With remote sensing satellite, a country can predict sand and boost job creation and improve efficiency ICT ministry and the Ministry of Agricul- responsible for research in this field, he said. It is based on the National Information dust storm and flood, however, its manufacturing is costly, he said. in the field of water and electricity through ture in July, it was projected that at least The ICT ministry holds about 50 work- Network, an ongoing project to develop a “However, using these satellites jointly by regional countries technological advancement. 20 percent of the agricultural economy to shops in different provinces in recent year secure and stable infrastructure network can be beneficial,” he said. He named digital transformation in agri- be linked with the digital economy over the to introduce digital economy, he said. in the country. He also extolled startups active in the field of agriculture, which helped water saving and pesticide. With replacement of traditional methods, Iranian startups Govt. supports startups in cultural AI, robotics an alternative for oil save 35 percent of water resources and 300 thousand dollars in pesticide industry, he explained. spheres: official income: academic The four countries discussed the issue on the sidelines of Bakutel 2018, which was held from December 4 to 7 at the Baku Expo Center.

Tech that will (probably) die in 2019

It’s that time of year again, folks. Let’s make some wild prognostications about the tech industry and play grim reaper for the devices and tech trends we don’t expect to make it to 2020. There are plenty of reasons tech becomes obsolete. The tech world operates just like the natural one: weeding out the TECHNOLOGY TEHRAN — The of cultural issues, he said. TECHNOLOGY TEHRAN — Iran’s to promoting industry and increasing ex- chaff through cold, unsentimental natural selection. Buying deskgovernment supports The industrial park for science, soft deskachievements in Arti- port, he explained. habits, user behavior, societal trends, and the forward march startups which are using hi-tech in cul- technology and culture in Tehran also ficial Intelligence (AI) and robotics have Over 250 teams from 16 countries in- of technological innovation always leave a heap of failed tural and social areas, an official with attracts more cultural companies active the capacities to replace the country’s oil cluding Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, Japan, or outdated products, companies, and trends in the dust. the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs in the field of innovative industry, the exports in the future, the chairman of the South Korea and China participated in the said, IRNA reported on Saturday. head of the park Mohammad Hossein Iranian national RoboCup committee an- competition and the 9th Joint Conference on Amir Hossein Al-e Es’haq said that Imani Khoshkhu announced in late nounced, IRNA reported on Friday. Artificial Intelligence and Robotics is going these startups improve innovation October. Morteza Mousakhani made the remarks to be held today on the sidelines of the event. and entrepreneurship among young The park also aims to attract start- on the sidelines of the RoboCup Asia Pacific RCAP is a super-regional headquarter generation. ups active in the field of culture and (RCAP) 2018 competition, which was held representing the RoboCup Federation co- The cooperation of state-run or- manifest that the culture section can at the Persian Gulf island of Kish from ordinating RoboCup activities in the Asia ganization with startups and private be productive and there is no need for December 5 to 10. Pacific region. RCAP headquarters is located sector has a crucial role in facilitation financial support in this section. The improvement of AI technology leads in Singapore. Blockchain: What’s it good for? Absolutely nothing, report finds In a joint report for the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research Among those five Hype Cycles is the Trough of Disillusion- strategic initiative, and disappointment is inevitable “when and Learning (MERL) Technology conference this fall, re- ment, when interest wanes as pilots and proofs-of-concepts the hoped-for miracles fail to materialize. searchers who studied 43 blockchain use cases came to the fail to deliver and technology providers either work out the “It’s not realistic to expect a solid cost model or definitive conclusion that all underdelivered on claims. kinks and improve the technology to the satisfaction of users, benefits statement because it’s simply too early for that,” Bennett First, let’s take a look at how last year’s predictions turned out: And, when they reached out to several blockchain providers or ultimately fail and die out. said via email. “To assemble real evidence, we need to have a Essential Phone. Ugh. Essential isn’t dead, but it’s on about project results, the silence was deafening. “Not one was Enterprise blockchain technology that’s centrally adminis- number of fully operationalized, scaled-out deployments running life support. The high-end modular smartphone didn’t sell willing to share data,” the researchers said in their blog post. tered like a traditional database yet still part of a peer-to-peer for at least a couple of years. And we’re simply not there yet.” well, which prompted the company to lay off staff and refocus In their research, Christine Murphy, a social researcher architecture that immutably stores encrypted transactions Just as there are many projects that exist only in white on a new product in October. Of course, that was before the at Social Solutions International and John Burg and Jean is headed into the Trough of Disillusionment, Litan said. paper or conference presentation format – where language New York Times investigative report into Google’s han- Paul Pétraud, fellows at the U.S. Agency for International “Blockchain winter has come,” Litan said. is all about the “could have” potential – “equally, there are dling of sexual harassers, including Android and Essential Development, found a proliferation of press releases, white Earlier this year, a Gartner CIO survey revealed on av- many initiatives that are going forward because it’s clear to the founder Andy Rubin. And yet, Essential still announced a papers and persuasively written articles touting the many erage that only 3.3% of companies worldwide had actually participants that the benefits are achievable,” Bennett added. $149 headphone dongle last month. It’s time for Essential attributes of the distributed ledger technology (DLT). deployed blockchain in a production environment. For example, Walmart has for the past two years been piloting and Andy Rubin to go away. “However, we found no documentation or evidence of In a blog post, Litan listed eight hurdles needed for a produce supply chain powered by IBM’s blockchain service. Initial Coin Offerings. ICOs haven’t died, but as regu- the results blockchain was purported to have achieved in blockchain to advance and meet the goals stated by tech- The pilot has been so successful, Walmart recently presented its latory agencies like the SEC have cracked down on scams these claims. We also did not find lessons learned or practical nology providers hawking it as a cure-all for virtually any suppliers with an edict: get your product data into the system and fraudsters and the crypto market as a whole has taken a insights, as are available for other technologies in develop- international, transactional network need - from fee-less, by September, 2019 so it can be tracked from farm to store. nosedive, there are a lot less new, exorbitantly priced ICOs ment,” the researchers reported. cross-border payments to supply chain tracking. After piloting a blockchain-based supply chain tracking popping up than there were a year ago. “Despite all the hype about how blockchain will bring A Gartner survey of CIOs last spring revealed only 1% system, the retailers are telling suppliers to get their product Apple iPods. Nope, you can still buy an iPod touch. As unheralded transparency to processes and operations in had blockchain deployed in production environments; that data into the system so they can begin tracking produce from for any hope of buying a standalone Apple music player low-trust environments, the industry is itself opaque. From number has grown to 3.3% today, according to Gartner Dis- farm to store. The deadline: September 2019. that’s as compact and durable as my beloved iPod nano, this, we determined the lack of evidence supporting value tinguished Analyst Avivah Litan. Fintech software provider MonetaGo deployed the first we’re all out of luck. claims of blockchain in the international development space The challenges include a more efficient consensus algo- Hyperledger Fabric production blockchain for financial Anything Competing With Amazon. Well this one was a is a critical gap for potential adopters,” they added. rithm, a more scalable design – including the ability to move institutions to gain financing approval. The network has bit broad. Amazon has bought its way into everything from Blockchain pilots and proofs-of-concept, however, are the bulk of data “off chain” to a separate database – and been live since March and is used by the licensed Trade grocery stores and entertainment to pharmaceuticals, on not without value, the researchers noted; in the end, the real data confidentiality through zero knowledge proofs (ZKP), a Receivables Exchanges in India. top of expanding its dominant e-commerce empire. But the value of blockchain deployments may not be technology cryptography technology that allows a user to prove funds, “The network boasts 100% uptime and is scalable to meet corporate overlord isn’t infallible. Amazon recently shuttered itself, “but rather as an impetus to question what we do, assets or identifying information exist without revealing the the rapidly growing needs of the Indian market,” MonetaGo its Amazon Restaurants food delivery service in the UK. why we do it, and how we could do it better.” information behind it. CEO Jesse Chenard said via email. “Once frauds, fuzzy matches, Snapchat Spectacles. Somehow...no! Not only did Snap The scathing evaluation of blockchain by the research “Until such time that these hurdles are surmounted, most and operational errors are accounted for, the return on invest- release a version two of Snapchat Spectacles, but there are trio was backed to some extent by industry analysts, who permissioned blockchain projects will remain in development ment is approximately 631.46. Understandably, this number rumors of a version three. said the marketing hype around it has created unrealistic or POC mode,” Litan said. “More importantly, they will not is extremely high due to preferred pricing for early network Sony A-Mount. Nope, still kickin’. expectations, especially as enterprise use is not yet fully baked. support the key blockchain tenet of decentralization, so under participants. At scale, MonetaGo anticipates the ROI to be 45. Pentax. Still alive and well, and releasing new cameras. Avivah Litan, a Gartner vice president and distinguished those circumstances, these projects are likely much better That means for every dollar spent on the blockchain technology, Prisma. It still exists, but in the eyes of consumers, it’s analyst, said while the report’s findings came as no surprise to off using proven legacy database technology.” companies can expect to make about 45 dollars back.” long since passed into the app heap of history. If you disagree her, it lacked balance. The researchers did not bother to ask Industry groups and vendors are working to overcome those The Linux Foundation, which oversees the Hyperledger and still use Prisma, feel free to sound off in the comments. why projects had not delivered on goals, such as improving hurdles. For example, Ernst & Young has created a public block- Foundation, pointed to other successful pilots, such as block- Manual Vacuums. Okay, so we didn’t all throw out transactional efficiency, transparency and privacy, she said. chain prototype it plans to launch in 2019 that lets companies chain supply chain deployments by the diamond industry. our vacuums in the past year. But the robovac revolution “Back in early 2018, we’d already said... 99% of enterprise use ZKPs to complete business transactions confidentially. The TrustChain blockchain network will track and authen- is coming… projects are dead end; 99% don’t need the technology; they The Hyperledger Foundation and the Enterprise Ethereum ticate diamonds, precious metals and jewelry at all stages Skype for Business /Wunderlist. Yep, these are gone don’t get out of the lab. They’re a result of CEOs fear of missing Alliance (EEA) – the two largest open-source blockchain of the global supply chain, from the mine to the retailer. and replaced by Microsoft Teams and Microsoft To-Do, out – the FOMO phenomenon,” Litan said. “Having said all consortiums – have teamed up to tackle performance issues, “We recently concluded a perception survey on devel- respectively. that, it’s a very valuable technology. People started trying to including developing “Layer 2” architectures for offloading opers and financial decision makers at large companies MoviePass. On death’s doorstep. We’re re-upping our use it before it was ready for prime time. That’s true in the data from blockchains to aid scalability. using or considering blockchain. Almost 90% of the 376 death prediction this year. cryptocurrency world and in the enterprise blockchain world.” Ninety percent of goods in global trade are carried by respondents who responded to the online survey in August The Internet. This one was symbolic, okay. The in- Gartner gauges the maturation of new technology through the ocean shipping industry each year. A new blockchain and September expect moderate to high growth in business ternet is still alive and as terrible a place as ever, but de- a “Hype Cycle,” a graphic-based lifecycle that follows five solution from IBM and Maersk will help manage and track blockchain over the next two years,” a spokesperson for the spite an ongoing fight to restore it, net neutrality is most phases: from the Technology Trigger, when proof-of-con- the paper trail of tens of millions of shipping containers Linux Foundation said via email. “A similar majority see decidedly dead. cept stories and media interest emerges, to the Plateau of across the world by digitizing the supply chain process. business blockchain as a core technology of the future that Now, to this year’s predictions. Productivity, when mainstream adoption occurs – if the Martha Bennett, a principal analyst for Forrester Re- will enable new business models to emerge.” (Source: pcmag.com) technology is more than niche. search, noted any blockchain or “DLT” project is a long-term (Source: computerworld.com) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y DECEMBER 10, 2018 SCIENCE 11

Research team finds 2018 global Scientists discover new molecular insights of spider silk

Spider silk belongs to the toughest fibers in nature and has astounding CO2 emissions tick up again properties. Scientists have now discovered new molecular details For a young student, report-card season cause of the weather — higher-than-normal of self-assembly of a spider silk fiber protein. can be an exciting, stressful, or even de- heating demand in the winter and cooling This is a schematic scheme of a spidroin consisting of an as- pressing time of year. The annual tally of demand in the summer. Don’t expect that sembled C-terminal domain (cyan), the unfolded central domain the world’s climate-changing greenhouse bounce to continue next year. (white line) and the N-terminal domains (green). gas emissions is a little like that — but with Total and per capita emissions over They are lightweight, almost invisible, highly extensible and a lot more on the line than a B in language time, through 2017. The solid line shows strong, and of course biodegradable: the threads spiders use to arts. And unfortunately, 2018’s tally once emissions from within nations, while the build their webs. In fact, spider silk belongs to the toughest fibers again brings us short of a passing mark. dotted line shows emissions due to their in nature. Based on its low weight it even supersedes high-tech This annual project is the work of a large consumption of goods. threads like Kevlar or Carbon. Its unique combination of strength and extensibility renders it in particular attractive for industry. group of carbon-cycle scientists that up- Strong growth Whether in aviation industry, textile industry, or medicine -- po- dates the books to be as accurate a record Emissions from the 28 European Union tential applications of this magnificent material are manifold. as possible. The scientists also project the nations (which still includes the UK) are Material scientists have long sought to reproduce the fiber in final tally for the current year based on all projected to decline 0.7 percent, roughly the laboratory, but with limited success. Today, it is possible to the available data at the time of publication. maintaining a long-term trend. Emissions manufacture artificial spider silk of similar properties as the pro- Last year, for example, the projection for in rapidly developing India, on the other totype, but the molecular-level structural details responsible for 2017 was a global CO2-emissions increase of hand, are projected to rise 6.3 percent (range material properties await to be disclosed. Now, scientists from the 2 percent, with error bars spanning 0.8–3.0 4.3–8.3 percent) thanks to strong growth Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) delivered new percent. This year’s update to the dataset in coal and oil use. insights. Dr. Hannes Neuweiler, lecturer at the Institute of Bio- puts the actual number at 1.6 percent. Inter- China, too, is seeing a significant uptick technology and Biophysics at the JMU, is in charge of this project. estingly, China’s emissions were projected and is projected to grow by 4.7 percent (range The “silk fibers consist of protein building blocks, so-called to grow 3.5 percent (range 0.7–5.4 percent), 2–7.4 percent) this year. While the strongest The global total is projected to increase clining for about a decade, look to bounce spidroins, which are assembled by spiders within their spinning but they appear to have ended up just 1.5 growth there is in natural gas use (up almost by around 2.7 percent over last year. Even up about 2.5 percent in 2018. gland,” explains Neuweiler. The terminal ends of building blocks percent higher. Still, that brought an end 18 percent), coal use also went up 4.5 percent U.S. emissions, which have been slowly de- However, that seems to be primarily be- take special roles in this process. The two ends of a spidroin are to a brief stretch when China’s emissions despite a trend away from that fuel. terminated by an N- and a C-terminal domain. had actually declined from a 2013 peak. In the absence of a crystal ball, it’s The domains at both ends connect protein building blocks. In Greenhouse gas emissions Projections for 2018 signal that a renewed tempting to over-interpret the numbers the present study, Neuweiler and colleagues took a close look at the Projections for 2018 signal that a renewed from any individual year and extrapolate growth of global greenhouse gas emissions C-terminal domain. The C-terminal domain connects two spidroins growth of global greenhouse gas emissions into the future. through formation of an intertwined structure that resembles a is underway. is underway (Source: arstechnica.com) molecular clamp. (Source: Science Daily) In Antarctica, scientists enter an extreme How do animals breathe Fluoride used in toothpaste state of ‘psychological hibernation’ underwater? could be key to longer Some of the world’s most important science Hundreds of millions of years ago, very, is conducted in one of its most inhospitable, very distant ancestors of humans — and of battery life hostile places. But not without a cost, new all land animals with backbones and four research reveals. limbs — had this water-breathing ability, Researchers have found a new way of making batteries last longer A new long-term analysis of researchers but it was lost after the first air-breathing than the usual lithium ions by using fluoride present in toothpaste. stationed in Antarctica sheds new light on a creatures began living on land full time. A team of chemists from California Institute of Technology psychological phenomenon very few of us As it happens, there’s plenty of dissolved (Caltech), Jet Propulsion Laboratory or JPL, as well as Honda ever have to experience: a unique coping oxygen in most of the planet’s seas, lakes Research Institute and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, mechanism, triggered when people are and rivers, though our air-breathing lungs experimented on the anion or the negatively charged form of flu- confined in isolation within a dark and simply can’t process it. But the world’s water oride to make batteries. extreme physical environment for several dwellers have evolved several other methods Robert Grubbs, Victor and Elizabeth Atkins Professor of Chem- months at a time. for accessing oxygen in water, experts told istry at Caltech, said that fluoride batteries can last up to eight times People could also be susceptible in other (PANAS) and the Utrecht Coping List (UCL). Live Science. through grooves in other structures called longer than the typical lithium-ion batteries used today. Fluoride’s exceptional kinds of prolonged confinement, The winter months Some animals such as jellyfish absorb the tube feet, invertebrate zoologist Christopher higher density contributes to the battery’s better lifespan. researchers think, like during months-long What Smith and fellow researchers found oxygen in water directly through their skin. Mah, a researcher with the Smithsonian “Fluoride-based battery electrodes can store more ions per site missions travelling to (or stationed on) Mars, was that the participants’ sleep quality and A gastrovascular cavity inside their bodies National Museum of Natural History in than typical lithium-ion electrodes, which means that this technol- for example. emotional state both suffered during the serves a dual purpose: digesting food, and Washington, D.C., told Live Science. ogy has the capability to be much more energy dense,” said Brett “Our findings could reflect a form of largely indoors confinement of the winter moving oxygen and carbon dioxide around, Specialized adaptation for Savoie, a professor of chemical engineering at Purdue University. psychological hibernation,” explains one months, both of which began to recover when Rebecca Helm, an assistant professor at breathing The researchers said that manufacturing this type of battery is of the researchers behind the new study, the summer brought warmer, brighter weather the University of North Carolina, Asheville, Some types of shallow-water sea challenging since fluoride is naturally corrosive and reactive. Instead psychologist Nathan Smith from the conditions. told Live Science. cucumbers, however, have a different type of producing rechargeable fluoride batteries on solid components, University of Manchester in the UK. “Perhaps the most striking result from Forms of microbial life of specialized adaptation for breathing: a the team used liquid components. The result is the first of its kind Uncontrollable conditions this study was the reduction in all of observed In fact, Earth’s earliest forms of microbial respiratory “tree” structure located in the to work at room temperature. “Previous research has suggested that this coping strategies during the midwinter period,” life that used oxygen obtained it the same body cavity near the anus. As the cucumber’s To do this, fluoride ions are dissolved into a liquid electrolyte is a protective mechanism against chronic the authors explain in their paper. way as jellies do — through diffusion. rectal opening sucks water into its body, the similar to the process of making lithium-ion batteries. The molecule stress, which makes sense – if conditions are “This pattern contradicts the idea that This form of respiration likely appeared respiratory tree extracts oxygen and expels responsible in dissolving fluoride ions is called bis (2,2,2-trifluo- uncontrollable, but you know that at some emotional strategies and avoidance take around 2.8 billion years ago, “sometime carbon dioxide. roethyl)ether or BTFE. point in the future things will get better, you over from more active strategies in situations after cyanobacteria started pumping oxygen In fish, gills have proved to be a successful “For a battery that lasts longer, you need to move a greater num- may choose to reduce coping efforts in order involving chronic stressors.” into the atmosphere,” according to ocean system for respiration, using a network ber of charges,” said Simon Jones, co-author and a chemist at JPL. to preserve energy.” In other words, the researchers had scientist Juli Berwald. of blood vessels to draw in oxygen from “Moving multiply charged metal cations is difficult, but a similar To gain a better understanding of how expected active forms of behavior during “Because they only have an outer cell layer flowing water and diffuse it through gill result can be achieved by moving several singly charged anions, winter-over syndrome presents itself, the winter (such as problem-solving abilities) and an inner cell layer and their insides are membranes, according to the Northeast which travel with comparative ease.” Smith’s team studied the psychological to decline, but passive forms (emotions like jelly and don’t have cells, they don’t need as Fisheries Science Center. Another challenge is figuring out how to make the batteries work well-being of two crews of research staff denial and depression) to increase. much oxygen as animals that have actual Across most fish, gills have the “same at varying voltages. They found that fluoride’s anion is compatible based at Antarctica’s Concordia Station, run But that’s now what happened. In the tissues on the inside,” Berwald told Live basic blueprint,” Solomon David, an assistant with high-voltage power. (Source: Tech Times) jointly by France and Italy, and located on study, these passive forms of coping also Science in an email. professor with the Department of Biological the Antarctica Plateau in East Antarctica. seemed to decline in response to the extreme “It’s much slower than using a circulatory Sciences at Nicholls State University in The 27 participants – who were stationed confinement, resulting in a general indifference system to bring oxygen to far reaches of the Louisiana, told Live Science. Probe headed for Mercury at the facility in two separate groups for and emotional flatness. body. That probably means that there’s a limit “They’re made to have this countercurrent roughly 10 months at a time, including While the pseudo-hibernation comes with on how big jellyfish can grow,” Berwald added. exchange of gas — pull oxygen out and release fires most powerful ion the dark winter months – had their sleep its share of negative symptoms, the researchers Breathing through oxygen diffusion waste,” David said. When fish gape their quality measured via a sleep diary they filled speculate it may have some positives, offering over the body surface is also found in mouths, they create a current of water drive ever built in throughout the experiment. a way of dealing with the harshness and stress echinoderms — a group of marine animals flowing over their gills. Reddish, highly The BepiColombo Mercury probe is a joint mission between the They were also gauged on their emotional of long periods of confinement with little or that includes starfish, sea stars, sea urchins vascularized tissue sucks out oxygen and European Space Agency (ESA) and Japanese Aerospace Exploration health and coping strategies, via two no stimulation, and likening it to the ability to and sea cucumbers. expels carbon dioxide, “kind of like capillaries Agency (JAXA). The probe is intended to study Mercury’s magnetic psychometric questionnaires: respectively, ‘switch off’ mentally from work stress. Sea stars absorb oxygen as water flows in our alveoli,” he said. field, magnetosphere, interior, and surface structures. It consists the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Source: sciencealert.com) over bumps on their skin called papulae, and (Source: Live Science) of two vehicles — the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetosphere Orbiter (MMO). Repeated complaints to the ESA about this missing information Researchers develop method to transfer entire 2D circuits to any smooth surface have resulted in our emails being blocked. What if a sensor sensing a thing could be part electromagnetic wave that rides the surface and a dielectric (insulator) on top, and all of It also packs the most powerful set of ion engines we’ve ever built of the thing itself? Rice University engineers of the fiber - and accurately detected the flow these have to be transferred intact. into a spacecraft. Last week, scientists successfully tested those believe they have a two-dimensional solution of information inside. Raw 2D materials are often moved with a thrusters in space for the first time, in preparation for a mid-De- to do just that. Hindering the signal flow layer of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), cember burn that will put the spacecraft on its Mercury trajectory. Rice engineers led by materials scientists The benefit is that these sensors can now more commonly known as Plexiglas, on top, Pulickel Ajayan and Jun Lou have developed be imbedded into such fibers where they can and the Rice researchers make use of that a method to make atom-flat sensors that monitor performance without adding weight technique. But they needed a robust bottom seamlessly integrate with devices to report or hindering the signal flow. layer that would not only keep the circuit on what they perceive. “This paper proposes several interesting intact during the move but could also be Electronically active 2D materials have possibilities for applying 2D devices in real removed before attaching the device to its been the subject of much research since the applications,” Lou said. “For example, optical target. (The PMMA is also removed when introduction of graphene in 2004. Even though fibers at the bottom of the ocean are thousands the circuit reaches its destination.) they are often touted for their strength, they’re of miles long, and if there’s a problem, it’s The ideal solution was difficult to move to where they’re needed hard to know where it occurred. If you have polydimethylglutarimide (PMGI), which without destroying them. these sensors at different locations, you can can be used as a device fabrication platform The Ajayan and Lou groups, along with sense the damage to the fiber.” and easily etched away before transfer to the lab of Rice engineer Jacob Robinson, have Lou said labs have gotten good at the target. “We’ve spent quite some time to a new way to keep the materials and their making a 10-nanometer-thick indium selenide transferring the growing roster of 2D materials develop this sacrificial layer,” Lou said. PMGI At first glance, the actual performance of the “most powerful ion associated circuitry, including electrodes, photodetector with gold electrodes and placing from one surface to another, but the addition of appears to work for any 2D material, as the drive ever built” may seem modest. The Mercury Transfer Module intact as they’re moved to curved or other it onto an optical fiber. Because it was so electrodes and other components complicates researchers experimented successfully with (aka the engine and support framework for the first two probes) smooth surfaces. close, the near-field sensor effectively coupled the process. “Think about a transistor,” he molybdenum diselenide and other materials uses four QinetiQ T6 ion thrusters capable of providing a maximum The Rice team tested the concept by with an evanescent field - the oscillating said. “It has source, drain and gate electrodes as well. (Source: eurekalert.org) combined thrust of 290mN. One Newton is the amount of force required to give a 1kg mass an acceleration of one meter per second per second. 290mN attached to the bottom of a spacecraft may not sound like much, but this is the genius of ion drive propulsion. CBI Governor calls for banks to support industrial production units Unlike chemical rockets, which provide vastly more thrust over Head of Coordinating Council of State-Owned Banks He pointed to the recent remarks of the Central Bank essary, adding, “in this regard, banks of the country much smaller periods of time, ion thrusters provide a small amount of and CEO of Bank Melli Iran (BMI)Dr. Hosseinzadeh of Bank and said, “background of reform of the banking burden heavy responsibility and should play a leading thrust for a very long period of time. “Electric propulsion technology said that the Governor of Central Bank of Iran (CBI) system of the country should not be weakened.” role in spurring production and generating employment.” is very novel and extremely delicate,” explains Elsa Montagnon, Abdolnaser Hemmati has called for all banks of the Recently, Governor of Central Bank of Iran 9CBI) In the end, CEO of Bank Melli Iran (BMI) once again Spacecraft Operations Manager for BepiColombo. Either approach country to support industrial and production units of called for paying due attention of the banks on the way called on all banks in the country to roll up their sleeves can work to achieve Mercury orbit, but Mercury is actually one of the country especially at the current condition that the of provision of working capital in the industrial and in order to materialize most economic objectives of in- the more difficult planets in the solar system to achieve a stable orbit country faces with US sanctions, the Public Relations production units of the country, he maintained. dustrial and production units, the Public Relations Dept. around in the first place. Mercury is moving around the sun at an Dept. of the bank reported. He reiterated that revising banking system is nec- of the bank concluded. orbital velocity of 47.87km/s, compared with Earth’s 29.78km/s. (Source: extremetech.com) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 12 SOCIETY DECEMBER 10, 2018

$400m needed for insurance Agricultural water use fallen by of villagers, nomads: minister

SOCIETY TEHRAN — The minister of labor, coop- desk 40% in Lake Urmia basin eratives and social welfare has called on the ENVIRONMENT TEHRAN — Implemen- stated that all the related organizations Planning and Budget Organization to allocate a total budget desk of 17 trillion rials (about $400 million) for insurance coverage tation of the Lake Urmia such as the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of the villagers and nomads in the next Iranian calendar year restoration programs applying sustainable of Agriculture and the residents are well (starting March 21, 2019), Fars reported on Sunday. agricultural techniques and water-saving collaborating in this manner, which is measures, has led to 35-40 percent drop unique in the country. in agricultural water consumption in the Speaking about the importance of train- catchment basin of the Lake, head of the ing on how to consume an adequate amount Conservation of Iranian Wetlands Project of water in the industrial, agricultural and (CIWP) has said. public sectors, Abesht highlighted that In addition to water consumed in ag- according to the Tarbiat Modarres Univer- ricultural lands, the amount of chemical sity, agricultural production in the target inputs contaminating groundwater and farms increased up to 20 percent. wetlands has also decreased by 40-50 The establishment of NGOs contribut- percent and even 100 percent in some ing to water-saving activities, along with areas, IRNA quoted Abolfazl Abesht as the protection of endangered species and saying on Sunday. ecosystems are among the other objectives The 4th phase of joint cooperation of the project, he concluded. between Iran’s Department of Envi- The lake, shared between West Azarbai- In a letter to Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the head of the ronment, UNDP, and Japan for Lake jan and East Azarbaijan provinces, used to Plan and Budget Organization, Mohammad Shariatmadari, Urmia restoration was a continuation be the largest salt-water lake in the Mid- pointed to a 1.7 million rural and nomad households covered of three-year attempt to revive the lake dle East. However, it started to shrink in by insurance, while a 3.2 million households are not being through engaging local community 1990s. The drastic decrease of the lake under any insurance coverage. and farmers by applying sustainable water level over the past 20 years has “This would make these families vulnerable as they are not agricultural techniques with Japanese seriously affected the lake’s wildlife and of Iran and Japan along with the United of the project is to elicit people’s participa- provided with any life or income protection insurance, and pen- government making a contribution of human ecology. Nations signed into effect a project exten- tion for the revitalization of Lake Urmia, sion,” Shariatmadari lamented. $1 million, he explained. The volume of water which measured sion (the second phase) in March 2015 so that the local community are involved To address the shortcoming the minister requested a budget In the first phase of the project the at 30 billion cubic meters dramatically which added another $1 million to the in planning, decision making and imple- amounting to 17 trillion rials (about $400 million) to cover all Japanese government had contributed decreased to half a billion cubic meters combined effort. mentation of the programs. the villagers and the nomads within the framework of the budget $1 million to the UNDP for Lake Urmia. in 2013 and again rose to 2.5 billion cu- The third phase of Contribution to Lake Pointing to the project which increas- bill for the upcoming fiscal year. In March 2014 the Japanese government bic meters in 2017 and accordingly lake provided the first grant to UNDP. The con- Urmia Restoration document was signed es the technical capacity of farmers, he surface area of 5,000 square kilometers tribution was implemented as a component on April 6, 2016 and Japan has allocated said that the project costing a low price, in 1997 shrunk to one tenth of that to 500 of UNDP’s ongoing Conservation of Iranian another $1 million to the project. has not imposed heavy financial burden square kilometers in 2013. Welfare Organization to create Wetlands Project, a plan in which UNDP The program is currently being im- on the farmers, as it employed simple As per the data published on Iran En- is partnering with Iran’s Department of plemented in 11 cities and 130 villages in methods, including, changing planting vironment and Wildlife Watch website on 50,000 jobs by March 2020 Environment. the Lake Urmia basin, which is involved patterns or reducing chemical inputs in April 8, the lake is stretching over some Building on the first phase which pi- by more than 10,000 farmers and locals, the agricultural lands. 2,200 square kilometers and the volume SOCIETY loted successful water-saving measures Abesht stated. Referring to cross-sectoral cooperation of water is measured at some 2 billion TEHRAN — Over 50,000 job opportunities He went on to note that the main goal as another achievement of the project, he deskwill be generated by the Welfare Organization to restore Lake Urmia, the governments cubic meters. for the individuals under the Organization’s coverage in the next Iranian calendar year (March 2019-March 2020). Skilled persons with disabilities will be the priority to fill the IBTO joins campaign to help Zainab Seabird populations have dropped 70% positions to be created next year, said the Organization’s direc- with rarest blood type as fishing industry competes for food tor, Anoushirvan Mohseni Bandpey, Mehr reported on Sunday. Many plans and programs for launching businesses have been implemented this year for over 47,000 financially struggling individuals covered by the Welfare Organization, one third of whom have been persons with disabilities, he stated. He went on to highlight that the employers who hire the ones under the organization’s coverage and disabled people will be offered facilities such as exemption from paying em- ployee’s insurance premium, covering parts of their payroll, low-interest loans, and etc. “We will pay the employee’s insurance premium who is em- ployed by a company to encourage employers to give the people with disabilities the opportunity to have a job,” he added. “We have also devised special programs for the next year, in addition to employment, which is to prevent births with disabilities, divorce and increase premarital mandatory ge- netic tests,” he concluded. LEARN ENGLISH SOCIETY TEHRAN — Iran’s ily, other blood centers and the American The world’s seabirds are being pushed to the 57 millions of tons over the study period, deskBlood Transfusion Or- Rare Donor Program (ARDP) to help find brink of extinction by the fishing industry while annual fishery catches increased Just in Time Strategy ganization (IBTO) has joined the global a match for her and so far three matching which is competing with them for food, a from 59 to 65 millions of tons over the campaign to help two-year-old Zainab donors have been found, including one ARDP new study has warned. same period. A: I called this meeting today in order to discuss our Mughal who needs ongoing transfusion of tracked down near London and two from Populations have dropped by up to “Our research shows, that despite the manufacturing plan. As I’m sure you’re all aware, with the one of the rarest blood types, ISNA news the United States. 70 percent since the middle of the 20th decline of the world seabird community credit crunch, and the global financial crisis, we’reobligated agency reported on Sunday. In order to fulfill her blood needs her century, experts said. between 1970-1989 and 1990-2010, com- to look for more cost efficient ways of producing our goods. Zainab, who lives in Tallahassee in Flor- family must find between 7 to 10 donors. This is partly due to habitat destruction petition with fisheries remained sustained,” We don’t want to have to be looking at redundancies. ida, has been diagnosed with high-risk neu- Those who thinks they could be a match and pollution, but the new research led by said the study’s lead author Dr Aurore Pon- So, we’ve outlined a brief plan to implement the just- roblastoma, according to the Independent. for Zainab or wants to help is urged to visit the University of Aberdeen, has revealed chon from the University of Aberdeen. “This in-time philosophy. However, her blood type is so rare that www.oneblood.org/zainab. that pressure from fishing has played a competition was even enhanced in almost B: We have two basic points that we want to focus on. First only three matching donors have been found Neuroblastoma is a cancer that develops major role in this decline. half the oceans. of all, we want to reduce our lead time. so far as her blood is missing a common from immature nerve cells found in several Scientists compared two time periods – “This enhanced competition, in ad- C: Why would want to do that? I think this is not an area antigen called “Indian B”. areas of the body. It most commonly arises 1970 to 1989 and 1990 to 2010 – to assess the dition to other factors such as pollution, that really needs to be worked on. Most people carry the antigen in their in and around the adrenal glands, which degree of competition seabirds faced for prey predation by invasive species on chicks, the B: Well, we want to reduce production and delivery lead blood cells and unfortunately her parents have similar origins to nerve cells and sit species such as anchovy, mackerel and squid. destruction and changes in their habitat times for better overall efficiency. and family members are not match for her. atop the kidneys. However, neuroblasto- The team then estimated the annual by human activities and environmental A: Right, production lead times can be reduced by moving Only people who can be a possible a ma can also develop in other areas of the consumption of those prey species for changes caused by climate change, puts work stations closer together, reducing queue length, match for Zainab are those whose parents abdomen and in the chest, neck and near nearly 300 varieties of seabird, based on seabirds at risk, making them the most like for example, reducing the number of jobs waiting are 100 percent Iranian, Pakistani or Indian the spine, where groups of nerve cells exist. population counts and models threatened bird group.” to be processed at a given machine, and improving the and whose blood types are either “A” or “O”. Neuroblastoma most commonly af- This was then compared to annual She added: “This study calls for an im- coordination and cooperation between successive processes. Moreover, of these people only 4 percent fects children age 5 or younger, though catches by fishing boats as contained in proved management of the world’s fisheries Delivery lead times can be reduced through close cooperation will be missing the Indian B antigen. it may rarely occur in older children. In the Sea Around Us world database. to alleviate competition pressure on seabird with suppliers, possibly by inducing suppliers to locate closer Not-for-profit organization OneBlood most cases of neuroblastoma, a cause is The scientists found that the total annual populations.” to the factory or working with a faster shipping company. has been working closely with Zainab’s fam- never identified. seabird consumption decreased from 70 to (Source: The Independent) C: I see, that makes sense. B: The second point is that we want to require supplier quality assurance and implement a zero defects quality program. We currently have far too many errors that lead to ENGLISH IN USE defective items and therefore, they must be eliminated. A quality control at the source program must be implemented LEARN NEWS TRANSLATION to give workers the personal responsibility for the quality of the work they do, and the authority to stop production when something goes wrong. $2.7b allocated to job creation in 120 هزار میلیارد ریال تسهیالت اشتغال به C: I’m with you on this one. It’s essential that we reduce these errors; we’ve got to force our suppliers to reduce their mistakes. rural areas روستائیان پرداخت شد A: Exactly. Well, let’s look at how we’re going to put this plan into action. First... (fade out) A total fund of 120 trillion rials (nearly $2.7 billion) has been earmarked for سرپرســت وزارت تعــاون، کار و رفــاه اجتماعــی گفــت:120 هــزار میلیــارد ریــال Key vocabulary granting job creation loans to the people in rural areas nationwide, labor تســهیالت اشــتغالزایی امســال در اختیــار متقاضیــان روســتایی قــرار گرفــت . obligate: make a person do something because it is the right thing to do ministry’s caretaker has said. بــه گــزارش ایرنــا، انوشــیروان محســنی بندپــی در گفــت و گــو بــا خبرنــگاران cost efficient: cheap, not expensive “Measures taken to boost job creation in rural areas, including providing افــزود: ایجــاد اشــتغال روســتایی و اعطــای تســهیالت شــغل پایــدار بــه روســتاییان، ,redundancy: the ending of workers’ employment facilities and generating sustainable jobs have been efficient to some extent implement; lay off خوشــبختانه تاکنــون موثــر واقــع شــده زیــرا شــاهد افزایــش جمعیــت روســتاهای implement: put a plan into action as rural population in some provinces of the country is on the rise,” IRNA برخــی مناطــق کشــور هســتیم. .lead time: the time between the beginning of a process quoted Anooshirvan Mohseni Bandpei as saying on Friday and its end efficiency:the ability to produce something more quickly work station: an area where a person works and does his job given: used to refer to a specific time, place or thing PREFIX/SUFFIX PHRASAL VERB IDIOM defect: a mistake or error that makes something not perfect defective: having a mistake or error that makes something “-nomy, -nomic, Live off somebody/ On cloud nine not perfect Supplementary vocabulary -nomical, -nomically” something Explanation: to be very happy because something inventory: supply of goods stored in a place wonderful has happened carrying cost: the cost of holding inventory Meaning: laws or knowledge Meaning: to get your income or food from a supply For example: When the boss announced my promo- warehouse: large building where products or goods are stored For example: They discuss how to meet up with of money or from another person tion, I was on cloud nine. stock: the supply of goods for sale, or available other astronomy enthusiasts. For example: Mom used to live off the interest from bottleneck: something that slows a process down her savings. ساعت: 19:40 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 DECEMBER 10, 2018 WORLD IN FOCUS 13

Qatari emir shuns PGCC Armenians vote in election testing revolution’s summit in Saudi Arabia power shift Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad terrorism.” Al Thani has refused to participate in The administration of the Saudi re- Armenians began voting in an early parliamentary election the annual Persian Gulf Cooperation gime-backed and former Yemeni presi- as acting prime minister Nikol Pashinyan sought a stronger Council (PGCC) summit, which is set dent, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, Libya, mandate, having been elected by lawmakers to the post to take place in the Saudi capital city of the Maldives, Djibouti, Senegal and the in May following a peaceful revolution earlier this year. Riyadh at the weekend, and instead sent Comoros later joined the camp in ending Pashinyan came to power in the wake of weeks of mass the foreign minister to attend the event. diplomatic ties with Doha. Jordan down- protests against corruption and cronyism in the ex-Soviet “Minister of State for Foreign Affairs graded its diplomatic relations as well. republic. The former newspaper editor, who was jailed for Sultan al-Muraikhi arrived in Riyadh Qatar’s Foreign Ministry later an- fomenting unrest in 2008, represents a dramatic break to lead the delegation of Qatar to the nounced that the decision to cut diplo- from the cadre of rulers who have run Armenia since the PGCC summit,” director of information matic ties was unjustified and based on late 1990s. office at the Qatari Ministry of Foreign false claims and assumptions. He stepped down in October so Parliament could be Affairs, Ahmed al-Rumaihi, wrote in a On June 9, 2017, Qatar strongly dis- dissolved ready for the early election. post published on Twitter on Sunday. missed allegations of supporting terrorism Former high-ranking officials were sacked and some Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Sheih after the Saudi regime and its allies black- were arrested following the power change. And a court of Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifah, in re- listed dozens of individuals and entities appeal ordered the detention of former President Robert turn, criticized Qatar’s emir in a tweet purportedly associated with Doha. Kocharyan again on Friday on charges of attempting to for not attending the regional grouping’s Later that month, Saudi Arabia and overthrow the constitutional order. summit. its allies released a 13-point list of de- He was first arrested in July but freed the following “Qatar’s emir should have accepted the mands, including the closure of Al Ja- month and the case was sent to the appeals court. Kochar- fair demands (of the boycotting states) zeera television network and downgrade yan was Armenia’s second president, serving in the post and attended the summit,” Sheikh Khalid of relations with Iran, in return for the from 1998 to 2008, when mass protests erupted over a disputed election. wrote in his tweet. bin Rashid al-Zayani was going to visit crisis and solve the differences.” normalization of diplomatic relations The former ruling Republican Party, however, still dom- The official Qatar News Agency said in Doha to invite the Qatari emir to attend The report came as a surprise since with Doha. inates the current Parliament that was elected in 2017. a tweet on December 3 that the monarch the 39th annual summit of the regional the House of Saud regime, along with The document containing the de- Pashinyan has said he expects Sunday’s vote to lead to had got “an invitation from the King of grouping. the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and mands by the Saudi regime, Egypt, the a legislature that better reflects the nation’s new political Saudi Arabia” for the meeting, but it did Last month, Kuwait’s Deputy Foreign Bahrain, has been embroiled in a dip- UAE and Bahrain also asked Qatar to landscape. not say whether Sheikh Tamim would Minister Khaled al-Jarallah confirmed lomatic and trade boycott against Qatar sever all ties with the Muslim Broth- Nine parties and two blocs are taking part in the election travel to Saudi Arabia. that all six PGCC countries would be at- for a year and a half. erhood and the Lebanese Hezbollah and opinion polls suggest the My Step Alliance, which The Arabic language Al Aan online tending the annual summit of the council, The Saudi regime, the UAE, Bah- resistance movement. includes Pashinyan’s Civil Contract Party, will easily win newspaper, citing diplomatic sources, which is set to take place on December 9. rain and Egypt all cut off diplomatic Qatar rejected the demands as “un- a parliamentary majority. reported late last month that Secre- Jarallah said the summit could pres- ties with Qatar on June 5 last year, af- reasonable.” After taking office, Pashinyan promised there would be tary General of the PGCC Abdul Latif ent a “hope to resolve the [Persian] Gulf ter officially accusing it of “sponsoring (Source: Press TV) no major shifts in Armenian foreign policy and has offered assurances he will not break with Moscow. Armenia hosts a Russian military base and is a member Paris: Trump must not interfere in French politics of Russia-led military and economic alliances. Pashinyan also suggested he would stick with existing ‘Yellow vest’ protests intensify, spread to Belgium, Netherlands policies on the long-running issue of Nagorno-Karabakh. 1 “Very sad day & night in Paris. Maybe it’s time to the city, namely Arts Lois and Porte de Namur, on Saturday. A mountainous part of Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh, end the ridiculous and extremely expensive Paris Agreement Police already blocked access to the area housing Eu- is run by ethnic Armenians who declared independence and return money back to the people in the form of lower ropean institutions including the offices of the European from Baku during a conflict that broke out as the Soviet taxes?” he suggested. Commission and the European Parliament as a precau- Union crumbled in 1991. Trump had earlier posted: “The Paris Agreement isn’t tionary measure. Anti-riot officers used tear gas against Though a cease-fire was agreed in 1994, Azerbaijan and working out so well for Paris. Protests and riots all over protesters as they were trying to break the blockade and Armenia still regularly accuse each other of conducting France.” force their way through. attacks around Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Aze- “People do not want to pay large sums of money, much “A policeman was injured in the face. He was taken ri-Armenian border. to third world countries (that are questionably run), in to hospital but his life is not in danger,” Brussels police (Source: Daily Star) order to maybe protect the environment. Chanting ‘We spokeswoman Ilse Van De Keere said Want Trump!’ Love France.” Some 400 people have so far been arrested. The protests in France are not directly linked to the According to the Belgian news agency Belga, young Paris climate agreement which was signed in 2015 and has protesters blocked a highway linking Brussels to the town Trump pardon of Manafort since been abandoned by Trump, to the dismay of French of Rekkem in Flanders, located near the French border. would be ‘terrible mistake’: President Emmanuel Macron and other Western leaders. Belga said the demonstrators also put up a barricade Spurred by rising fuel prices - in part due to tax hikes near the Franco-Belgian border close to Adinkerque. The opposition politician suffered minor injuries af- Senator Rubio aimed at helping France shift to a lower-carbon econo- France’s intense protests, which degenerated into street ter being beaten with an iron rod, and the attackers were my - the “yellow vest” protests have grown into a broad clashes and vandalism throughout Paris over the weekend, reported to have been arrested shortly after the incident. The United States President Donald Trump would make a “ter- movement against Macron’s policies and governing style. broke out last month over fuel taxes aimed at financing Serbian protesters claimed that the supporters of the rible mistake” if he pardoned his former campaign Chairman Earlier this week Trump retweeted one of several posts France’s anti-pollution measures. 48-year-old president had been involved in the assault, a Paul Manafort after charges brought as a result of the federal falsely claiming that French protesters were chanting his Many influential figures in France have reportedly charge that has been denied by the government. probe into Russian election interference, Republican Senator name. been pressing President Emmanuel Macron to alleviate Opposition groups and activists in Serbia accuse the Marco Rubio said Sunday. The videos that have been used to support this claim the popular anger after witnessing the urban violence in the government of corruption, violence, and stifling press free- “I just think it would be the wrong thing to do and I think it were in fact filmed at a far-right protest in London earlier country’s capital on Saturday, when dozens of automobiles doms. They say the Serbian president has maintained an would be a huge political mistake as well,” Rubio said on CNN’s this year. were burned and businesses attacked and looted. authoritarian rule over the country. “State of the Union.” Other French politicians have also responded angrily to Thousands protest against government in Serbia Vucic’s approval ratings have slipped since he won a Manafort faces sentencing on his convictions in August Trump’s latest tweets, including a lawmaker from Macron’s Meantime, several thousands of Serbians have staged 2016 presidential vote by a landslide, but he remains the of tax and bank fraud charges. In a court filing on Friday, party who dubbed the U.S. leader “Donald the Senile”. a protest rally to denounce alleged government violence country’s most popular political leader, and his ruling co- Special Counsel Robert Mueller said Manafort lied to inves- “DON’T INSULT MY COUNTRY DOTARD,” Joachim against political opponents and the media. alition holds a majority at the 250-seat parliament. tigators about his interactions with a Russian tied to Russian Son-Forget posted, employing an antiquated insult previously The demonstrators — around 5,000 individuals by police Netherlands intelligence services. used against Trump by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. estimates — marched through the streets in the capital, Bel- In the Dutch city of Rotterdam, a few hundred pro- That filing detailed why Mueller’s office last week retracted a Brussels grade, on Saturday, demanding policy changes by President testers marched peacefully, singing and handing flowers plea agreement with Manafort. He pleaded guilty in September Elsewhere, Belgian police have fired tear gas and wa- Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party. to passers-by. to two conspiracy charges and agreed to cooperate with investi- ter canon to disperse demonstrators inspired by France’s The peaceful rally was held to condemn an assault on About 100 protesters gathered in a peaceful demonstra- gators in hopes of a lighter sentence. “yellow vests” anti-tax movement in the capital Brussels. the leader of the Serbian Left Party, Borko Stefanovic, who tion outside the Dutch parliament in The Hague. At least Trump has not ruled out a pardon for Manafort and has praised Protesters, dressed in yellow jackets that have become a was attacked by a group of men wearing black clothing in two protesters were detained in Amsterdam. him as a good man. In contrast, he has said his former longtime symbol of the protests in France, gathered in two districts of the southern city of Krusevac on November 23. (Source: agencies) “fixer” Michael Cohen, who has cooperated with federal prose- cutors, should go to jail. “I believe it’d be a terrible mistake. Pardons should be used judiciously. They’re used for cases with extraordinary circum- What do most UN ambassadors have in common? Decades of experience stances,” Rubio said on ABC’s “This Week.” Heather Nauert will be nominated by the monwealth Office in 1981 and was first posted tor-general of the ministry’s Information tably the U.S. — to work with each other. As Rubio told ABC that Trump granting a pardon to Manafort United States President Donald Trump ad- to Tokyo, after spending a period learning Department in 2009. the world is confronted with unprecedented could have unintended consequences. ministration as the next U.S. ambassador to Japanese. She had a variety of other foreign After that role, which involved talking global challenges, American commitment to “I think, in fact, that if something like that were to happen, it the United Nations, succeeding Nikki Haley. postings after that, including in Washington, frequently to the media, he was China’s am- our shared values and common solutions has could trigger a debate about whether the pardon powers should However, despite almost two years as from 1992 to 1995. bassador to Australia from 2003 to 2016 rarely been more critical,” Delattre wrote. be amended given these circumstances,” the Florida senator said. the State Department spokeswoman, Nau- She served as Britain’s Deputy Permanent and followed that with a 20-month stint as Russia — Vasily Nebenzya Mueller is investigating Russian interference in the ert struck many as an incongruous pick for Representative at the United Nations in New China’s top envoy to the United Nations in Nebenzya’s diplomatic career dates from 2016 presidential election and whether Trump’s campaign one of the top jobs in the U.S. diplomacy. York from 2006 to 2009, and from 2012 to Geneva. He took up his post in New York the Soviet days — his first postings was as colluded with Moscow to sway the election. Russia denies Unlike almost all her predecessors, Nauert 2015 she was permanent representative at in January 2018. attaché of the Soviet Union Embassy in Thai- interfering in the 2016 election and Trump has denied any does not have a significant background in the the United Nations in Geneva (between these “Ma is a rising star in the foreign service land in 1988. Over this lengthy career, he collusion occurred. Foreign Service or other government service: two stints, she also earned a master’s degree with fairly broad experience and interna- served abroad a number of times, includ- Manafort’s alleged false statements included comments Instead, she had worked as a reporter and in international strategy and diplomacy from tional exposure at a relatively young age,” ing at Russia’s Permanent Mission to the about his business dealings and contacts with a former as- anchor since 1996, mostly for Fox News. the London School of Economics). unnamed sources told the South China UN in New York. He also served as deputy sociate in Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported. Those She is best known as a former co-host on Her most recent positions were as Brit- Morning Post before he took the post. permanent representative of Russia to the statements did not appear to be central to Mueller’s Russia “Fox & Friends,” one of President Trump’s ish ambassador to Afghanistan and director France — Francois Delattre United Nations office and other international probe, but it is unclear if prosecutors plan to accuse Manafort favored television shows. general political for the foreign and common- Delattre joined the French foreign ministry organizations in Geneva. of additional lies. “We have never had anyone remotely as wealth. She took the top British job at the in 1989. He has served abroad a number of Before taking up his current position (Source: Reuters) underqualified as Heather Nauert,” Daniel United Nations in March 2018. “Diplomats times, including as French ambassador to in New York last year, Nebenzya had been Benjamin, a State Department counterterror- and observers agree she has been a robust Canada from 2008 to 2011 and as ambassador serving as deputy minister of foreign affairs ism coordinator during the Obama admin- presence since starting the job in March,” the to the United States from 2011 to 2014. He for Russia. He replaced Russia’s veteran istration, who is now at Dartmouth, wrote Guardian wrote in October. took up his position at the United Nations in diplomat Vitaly Churkin, who died after Ex-Nixon White House on Twitter. China — Ma Zhaoxu New York after leaving Washington in 2011. suffering cardiac arrest in February 2017. lawyer: Congress will have Indeed, when you compare the potential Like Nauert, Ma once served as head The French ambassador sees himself as a Before his appointment, the Moscow U.S. diplomat’s résumé to those of other top spokesman for his country’s foreign min- supporter of multilateralism. Writing in the Times noted that Nebenzya’s foreign post- to impeach Trump United Nations ambassadors from other istry. However, the Chinese diplomat had a Financial Times this year, he called on the ings characterized “a successful career in nations on the Security Council, Nauert longer history with China’s Foreign Affairs United States to work with other countries the foreign service,” adding that he “has A former White House lawyer thinks that the United States Congress stands out. Ministry, which he joined in 1987. He also in areas such as the Sahel region in Africa. specialized in diplomatic work with inter- will have soon no choice but to start impeachment proceedings Britain — Karen Pierce held high-ranking positions in Britain and “Success there and in so many other areas national organizations.” against President Donald Trump. Pierce joined Britain’s Foreign and Com- Belgium before being appointed direc- requires all Security Council members — no- (Source: Washington Post) John Dean, who served as President Richard M. Nixon’s coun- sel from 1970 to 1973 and received jail time for his role in the Watergate scandal, made the remarks this week after prosecutors sought “substantial” prison term for Michael Cohen, Trump’s China summons U.S. ambassador over Huawei arrest former personal lawyer and fixer. “I don’t know that this will forever disappear into some dark 1 “China strongly urges the Canadian side to im- Jinping to look for ways to resolve an escalating trade A Huawei spokesman said on Friday the com- mediately release the detained person, and earnestly protect war between the world’s two largest economies. pany has “every confidence that the Canadian and hole of unprosecutable presidents,” Dean, a CNN contributor, their lawful, legitimate rights, otherwise Canada must accept The news of her arrest has roiled stock markets and U.S. legal systems will reach the right conclu- said Friday on CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront.” full responsibility for the serious consequences caused.” drawn condemnation from Chinese authorities, although sion.” The company has said it complies with all “I think it will resurface in the Congress. I think what this The statement did not elaborate. Trump and his top economic advisers have played down applicable export control and sanctions laws and totality of today’s filings show that the House is going to have Meng’s arrest was on the same day that the U.S. Pres- its importance to trade talks after the two leaders agreed other regulations. little choice, the way this is going, other than to start impeach- ident Donald Trump met in Argentina with China’s Xi to a truce. (Source: Reuters) ment proceedings.” (Source: Press TV) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 14 WORLD SPORTS DECEMBER 10, 2018 Raheem Sterling says newspapers Atlanta wins MLS Cup in only second season ‘fuel racism’ in football Atlanta United won the MLS Cup in only their second season in Newspapers are helping to “fuel racism” by still going on in football,” he told BBC Sport. the competition with a 2-0 win over Portland Timbers. the ways in which they portray young black “Where is [Premier League chief exec- MLS Most Valuable Player Josef Martinez opened the scor- footballers, says Manchester City forward utive] Richard Scudamore, where is [FA ing on 39 minutes with his 35th goal of the season and Franco Raheem Sterling. chairman] Greg Clarke, where is Chelsea’s Escobar added a second after the break. It comes after Sterling, 24, faced alleged chairman [Bruce Buck] - they should have It was Atlanta boss Gerardo Martino’s final game in charge racist abuse from Chelsea fans during City’s been talking out last night and it has to dealt before he becomes head coach of Mexico. 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. with at the top. “We won it, it feels good,” he said. “If I had to choose a way Chelsea and the Metropolitan Police are “We do not have any leadership at the top of to leave somewhere, this is the best way.” investigating the allegations. the game to speak out, they rely on Kick it Out. Venezuela international Martinez broke the deadlock for the “All I have to say is have a second thought “We have already made comments about Five Stripes when he rounded Timbers goalkeeper Jeff Attinella about fair publicity and give all players an the way Raheem Sterling has been treated dif- before slotting the ball into an empty net. equal chance,” he said. ferently by the media. The print media often The Timbers, featuring former Aston Villa, Birmingham and In a post on Instagram, Sterling said he targets, not just black players, but all footballers. West Brom defender Liam Ridgewell, started the second half “had to laugh” when he heard the alleged “Raheem Sterling has received bad press strongly but were soon undone when Martinez won a free-kick racist remarks during the game because he over the last few years because of his lifestyle for Atlanta. expects “no better”. and clearly there are issues from potential Miguel Almiron’s set-piece was flicked on by Martinez into In the post, England international Sterling stories adding to prejudice and I have every the path of Escobar, who fired into the bottom corner. cites newspaper headlines about team-mates sympathy for him. “For me personally, this is up there with the top moments,” Tosin Adarabioyo and Phil Foden buying houses. “Players know if they are abused in any said Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who previously played for The headline referring to 21-year-old de- way they have to tell the referee. It was awful. Aston Villa, Hull and Middlesbrough. fender Adarabioyo - who is on loan at West All players know the referee is in charge and “You never know if you’re going to have this opportunity again.” Brom - focuses on how he spent £2.25m on message across for the young black player father, who was killed in Kingston, Jamaica. has a duty of care, and the referee can remove Atlanta - who finished second in the Eastern Conference in a property “despite having never started a and then for the young white player. That followed criticism for proposing to those people. It didn’t appear to me he told the regular season - were formed in 2014 and started playing in Premier League match”. “I think this is unacceptable, both inno- his girlfriend, purchasing clothes at high- the referee in the first place.” the MLS in 2017. By contrast, midfielder Foden, 18, “buys a cent, have not done a thing wrong but just street chain Primark, and even for buying Many players and pundits have taken to Victory is the city’s first major pro sports title since 1995 when £2m home for his mum” and is later described by the way it has been worded, this young his mother a house. social media to condemn the alleged racist the Atlanta Braves baseball team won the MLB World Series. as having “set up a future”. black kid is looked at in a bad light, which In June, he said he longer worried about abuse aimed at Sterling, with Match of the (Source: BBC) “You have two young players starting out helps fuel racism and aggressive behaviour.” criticism of his lifestyle in a piece with the Day host Gary Lineker calling it “despicable”. their careers - both play for the same team, Sterling has frequently found himself at Players’ Tribune. “Are we going to continue to allow this both have done the right thing, which is buy the centre of attention throughout his career, Lord Ouseley, the founder of anti-dis- type of racist behaviour go on?” asked former a new house for their mothers who have put most recently for a tattoo of a rifle on his leg crimination body Kick it Out, has called for Manchester United and England defender in a lot of time and love into helping them earlier this year. leaders in football to deal with racism “at Rio Ferdinand, while Match of the Day pundit Brazil’s Paqueta arrives at get where they are,” Sterling said. He later defended the tattoo, saying it had the top”. Ian Wright said “the bad old days are back”. “But look at how the newspapers get their a “deeper meaning” and referred to his late “What happened at Chelsea shows what is (Source: BBC) AC Milan ahead of record transfer: report Messi says Ballon d’Or snub was no extra Top swimmers challenge FINA with motivation lawsuit Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta has arrived in Italy ahead of completing a record transfer move to AC Milan, Italian media reported on Sunday. “I’m very happy to be here, I chose Milan because of their history,” Paqueta told journalists at the airport. The Serie A giants are reported to have agreed a 35 million euro ($40.4 million) deal with Flamengo - the club Paqueta joined as a ten-year-old - in what would be the most expensive signing of a Brazilian by an Italian club. Paqueta scored 10 goals to help Flamengo finish second in the Brazilian championship which has just ended, and bid a tearful farewell after his last game at the Maracana Stadium. “I will be eternally grateful to this club,” said the 21-year-old, who is hoping to follow in the footsteps of former Brazilian stars Kaka and Leonardo who made their names at AC Milan. Leonardo -- now AC Milan’s sporting director -- pushed through the move with Flamengo receiving 70 percent of the 35 million euros transfer fee and the remainder to be divided between the player and the Brazilian federation. Paqueta, who has two caps for Brazil and can play both mid- Lionel Messi insisted his fifth-place greeing with his placement in the Ballon Three world-class swimmers have filed a that FINA’s attention is focused on the 950 field and as a forward, is reported to have agreed a five-year deal finish in Monday’s Ballon d’Or awards d’Or rankings and the words of Brazil legend lawsuit in the United States, challenging swimmers, including two of the athletes in worth 1.5 million euro ($1.7 million) per season. was not a motivating factor behind his Pele who said the forward only has one what they allege is the monopoly world question, from 180 member federations He will be in the stands for Sunday evening’s Serie A game sensational performance in Barcelona’s foot and one skill. governing body FINA has over the control taking part in the 14th World Swimming against Torino in the San Siro and will undergo a medical early 4-0 thrashing of local rivals Espanyol in “(Pele) must not be able to see very of international competitions. Championships in Hangzhou,” FINA said. next week. La Liga on Saturday. well if he said what he said about Messi,” The lawsuit, brought on behalf of three- “FINA will nonetheless give the filings our Gennaro Gattuso’s Milan are fourth in Serie A and can pull The Argentine forward scored two Barcelona full back Jordi Alba said. times Olympic gold medallist Katinka Hosszu full attention and mount a robust defence if within a point of third-placed city rivals Inter Milan with a win masterful free kicks and created a goal “The Ballon d’Or is a lie. Leo is always the of Hungary and U.S. world champions Tom required to do so. Meanwhile in Hangzhou, against Torino. for Ousmane Dembele among highlights best in the world. It was not fair on Messi. Shields and Michael Andrew, followed the the FINA Athletes Committee will consult (Source: AFP) in a bewitching individual display. “There are a lot of campaigns coming cancellation of a new professional swimming with aquatics athletes to continue its work of Messi, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, from Madrid. If Cristiano (Ronaldo) had event scheduled for Dec. 20-21 in Turin. making sure athlete voices are clearly heard did not make the podium for the first time been in Madrid maybe the media and the “FINA’s insistence that the world’s best within FINA’s decision-making bodies. in a decade with Real Madrid midfielder fans would have wanted him to win, but swimmers may compete only on FINA’s terms “FINA remains open to proposals that Luka Modric given the trophy. he left so, well, Modric. and its efforts to enforce that rule are nakedly would enhance - rather than conflict with - Salah refuses MOTM award “No,” said Barca captain Messi to “Modric is a great player and had a great anti-competitive,” said the lawsuit which the current and planned competition calendars, Movistar when asked if he had extra season, he’s one of the best in the world trio said was filed “on behalf of elite swimmers providing further opportunities for aquatics vs. Bournemouth motivation for the game because of the but No. 1 is Messi.” around the world”. The Italian federation athletes, and ideally in a manner that benefits awards snub. Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde, who said FINA had threatened sanctions against the whole sport.” The governing body had “We all came out fired-up from the labelled the votes “absurd”, was also quick those swimmers taking part in the event, said in November the Turin meeting did not start, really focused and determined. We to praise his forward. which was put together by organizers of meet their rules requirements. “The project of knew (we had to because of) the stadium “What can I say about Leo? He shines in the International Swimming League (ISL). the Italian Swimming Federation to organize we were coming to and the opponents any game. To have him with us is infinitely The world governing body, in a statement, a swimming competition in Turin at short we were facing, they are having a great fortunate, we’re in an unrepeatable era said it had taken note of the filings in Cali- notice did not meet all the necessary FINA season.” watching a player like him,” Valverde said. fornia. “As world and Olympic champions, rulebook requirements.” Messi’s team mates praised him, disa- (Source: Reuters) the swimmers in question will understand (Source: Eurosport) Liverpool leapfrog Man City: do we have a real Premier League race? Manchester City -- Premier League champions-elect in the with 10 goals. The manner in which he took his third goal eyes of many -- now know they are in a real scrap after Liv- yesterday in particular showed a player who is back to his erpool leapfrogged them to the top of the table on a telling best after a nasty shoulder injury in the Champions League Mohamed Salah refused to accept the Man of the Match award day in the title race. final appeared to knock his confidence. after scoring a hat trick in Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Bournemouth, Both sides started Saturday unbeaten after 15 matches Liverpool are also showing the resilience of would-be instead handing it to teammate James Milner in recognition of with an impressive 25 wins between them -- but it was Pep champions -- scoring deep into injury time last week to a landmark appearance. Guardiola’s champions who blinked first. beat Everton and battling back from a goal behind against Salah netted three times at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday Mohamed Salah scored a hat-trick for Jurgen Klopp’s Burnley in midweek. afternoon to take his goal tally to 12 for the season. side as they romped to a 4-0 win at Bournemouth in the It is almost impossible to overestimate what winning the It was his second hat trick for Liverpool since arriving from early kick-off, taking them to 42 points, one clear of City. Premier League would mean to Liverpool fans. Roma last summer, but he felt Milner, who made his 500th Pre- City had the tougher task of taking on Chelsea at Stamford Last crowned champions of England in 1990 -- before mier League outing, was more worthy of the accolade. Bridge later in the day and despite dominating the first half the birth of the Premier League -- they had to stand by and “It’s not a bad way at all [to get back amongst the goals],” they ended up losing 2-0 -- their first league defeat since April. watch as Manchester United overhauled their proud record Salah told Sky Sports. “Top of the table and scored three goals City remain firm favourites to win their second consec- of 18 top-flight titles. today, clean sheet. That’s everything I can say today. utive title but their aura of invincibility has been shaken Klopp said: “The thing is that we just really want to be “My expectation is very high. But I know everyone else’s ex- and a hungry Liverpool are not in the mood to back off. -- has barely featured during this campaign because of in- as successful as possible. Nobody knows what that means, pectation for me is very high. As I said before, the most important Guardiola took pride in his team’s performance despite jury and although City have an enviable supply of creative nobody. thing, we are top of the table and we win each game. the defeat, saying he never felt they were going to match the players, it is difficult to replace a player of that standard. “This league is so difficult to play in, but 42 points I “I have to congratulate him [Milner]. It’s an amazing career. Arsenal Invincibles, who went through an entire Premier Liverpool hunger usually had in April and now it is December. That’s massive He deserves it today. He’s had an amazing career, so I hope we League season unbeaten in 2003-04. Liverpool have not been playing with the same fluency and it’s exceptional and it is all to the boys, they deserve all are going to win something together. But I will not accept.” “We are going to try to be champions,” he said. “In a as they did last season but they have added steel to their the credit for that because they really fight for each yard.” Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe said afterwards that he season like this, with a lot of games -- plus after last season game and boast a phenomenal defensive record, with just Guardiola does not think it is going to be just a two- considered Salah to be one of the best players in the world. -- everybody wants to beat us. They put in something extra. six goals conceded in 16 Premier League matches. horse race. Jurgen Klopp agreed with the sentiment and praised the for- “What is important is how we react. Even if we would The addition of centre-back Virgil van Dijk and goal- Arsenal, under new manager Unai Emery, are on a 21- ward’s honesty for staying on his feet for the second goal after have won today, it’s still only the beginning of December. keeper Alisson Becker has made an enormous difference game unbeaten run in all competitions and Tottenham are Bournemouth’s Steve Cook attempted to make a cynical foul. There are still a lot of points to play for.” at the back and at the other end of the pitch, Salah has only six points off top spot while Chelsea are still in the mix. “I think Eddie Howe is one of the best managers I ever met, For all of City’s much-vaunted squad depth, they sorely started firing again. “We are only in December,” said the City boss. “Can Liv- to be honest, so how could I say something different?” Klopp missed the injured Sergio Aguero at Stamford Bridge, mus- The Egyptian forward had a quiet start to the campaign erpool win the Premier League? Yes. Ask me if Tottenham, told his postmatch news conference. tering 14 shots but managing just four on target. by the standards of last season, in which he scored 44 goals Arsenal or Chelsea can -- yes, of course.” (Source: ESPN) Kevin De Bruyne -- last season’s club player of the year in total, but is now the Premier League’s joint-leading scorer, (Source: AFP) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y DECEMBER 10, 2018 SPORTS 15

IPL: Sepahan, Persepolis share Iranian fighters win two gold medals at WKF Karate 1-Series A spoils in controversial match SPORTS TEHRAN — Zabiollah Poorshab and deskMiad yari claimed two gold medals at the SPORTS TEHRAN — Sepahan equalized the match from the penalty spot. desk World Karate Federation (WKF) Karate 1-Series A event in football team and Perse- Sepahan forward Kiros Stanley and Shanghai on Sunday. polis drew 1-1 in Iran Professional League Persepolis defensive midfielder Kamal Poorshab defeated Ka- (IPL), with both teams in good form and Kamyabinia were shown the red cards zakhstan’s Igor Chikhmarev looking to extend unbeaten streaks. after involving in a bust-up in the dying 2-0 for gold at under-84kg. In the match held in Isfahan’s Nagh- moments of the match. Yari also beat Eray Sam- she Jahan Stadium, Sepahan started good Sepahan returned to top with 30 points dan of Turkey at under-60kg but after 15 minutes, the visiting team thanks to a superior goal difference over to win the gold. controlled possession and kept Sepahan Padideh. In the under-67kg category, on their toes. Persepolis are third, two points adrift Amir Mehdizadeh defeated his In the second half, Persepolis domi- of the leaders. compatriot Alireza Shirsefat nated the match once again but Sepahan “I am proud of my players because the 8-4 in the bronze medal match. midfielder Ezatolah Pourghaz’s brilliant spirit they showed against Sepahan. Both The event, part of the long-range left-footed effort opened the teams fought for the win,” Persepolis coach WKF’s second-tier circuit, is scoring in the 74th minute. Branko Ivankovic said in the post-match the season-ending competi- With one minute remaining, referee news conference. tion and the final opportunity Alireza Faghani showed the spot for Sepa- “It was like derby for Persepolis and for karatekas on the tour to han’s defender handball. I am happy we extended our unbeaten improve their ranking. Ali Alipour, Persepolis best goalscorer, run,” the Croat added. The competition has brought 1176 karatekas from 80 countries together in Shanghai, China. Nazemalsharieh, Mozafar nominated Mes Sungun nominated for the world’s for the world’s best futsal coach best futsal clu Esteghlal eye former Persepolis striker Toure

PLDC — Esteghlal football club have shown interest in signing former Persepolis striker Ibrahima Toure. The 32-year-old forward currently plays in French football club from Gazélec Ajaccio. Toure scored 60 goals in Iran Professional League from 2007 until 2011 with Paykan, Persepolis and Sepahan foot- ball teams. Esteghlal general manager Amir Hossein Fathi has trav- eled to Dubai, the UAE to negotiate with the Senegalese. Toure joined Ligue 2 side Monaco in 2012 and scored 10 goals in 17 league appearances during the second half of the 2011–12 season. The following season, he played in 35 league games and scored 18 goals, which helped Monaco win the Ligue 2 cham- pionship and promotion back to Ligue 1. Esteghlal are going to strengthen for the AFC Champions League since the team have been drawn with Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, the 2017 runner-up and two-time winner, Al Duhail SPORTS Iranian futsal coaches JAPAN N.T. SPORTS TEHRAN – Iranian Clube Esportivo e Recreativo Atlan- SC of Qatar and the UAE’s Al Ain in Group C. deskMohammad Nazemal- Carlos Raùl Chilavert Genaro (PAR) deskfutsal club Mes Sungun tico Erechim sharieh and Shahrzad Mozafar have been PARAGUAY N.T. has been nominated for the best club in Brazil nominated for the world’s best coach. Márcio Bica Coelho (BRA) the world. Leoas Da Serra Nazemalsharieh led the men’s futsal team BRAZIL Women N.T. U20 Mes Sungun, headed by Hamid Bigham (BRA) - women futsal Persepolis defender to the 2018 AFC Futsal Championship title, Luís Conceição (POR) Tabrizi, won the 2018 AFC Futsal Club while Mozafar helped the women’s team win the PORTUGAL Women N.T. A - PORTU- Championship in August after beating Magnus Futsal Ansari undergoes successful AFC Futsal Championship back-to-back title. GAL Women U18 Miguel Rodrigo’s Thai Son Nam 2-1 at Brazil Since the 2007 edition the Best Nation- Renan Franklin (BRA) Yogyakarta. Mes Sungun Varzaghan FSC knee surgery al Team Coach of the World category is BRAZIL N.T. U20 The winners of the UMBRO Futsal Iran dedicated to the memory of unforgettable Shahrzad Mozafar (IRN) Awards 2018 will be announced on Jan- Movistar Inter Fútbol Sala TASNIM — Persepolis iconic defender Mohammad An- futsal coach Dimitri Nicolaou IRAN Women N.T. uary 10. Spain sari underwent successful surgery to repair his torn ACL The Best National Team Coach in the Seyed Mohammad Nazemalsharieh (IRN) (in strict alphabetical order!) Pato Futsal on Saturday. World nominations are as follow: IRAN N.T. Associação Carlos Barbosa de Brazil He suffered an ACL injury in the last minutes of the match (in strict alphabetical order!) Hesham Saleh (EGY) Futsal Sporting Clube de Portugal against Kashima Antlers in the AFC Champions League sec- Jorge Gomes Braz (POR) EGYPT N.T. U18 Brazil Portugal ond-leg final in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium in mid-November. PORTUGAL N.T. Sergey Skorovich (RUS) Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro Thai Son Nam FC Ansari has missed the rest of the Iran professional League Bruno Garcia Formoso (ESP) RUSSIA N.T. Argentina Vietnam (IPL) season and will join his teammates from the start of the new season. The 27-year-old defender has played a key role, helping Afghanistan suspends officials after women’s soccer team abuse investigation Persepolis win back-to-back Iran Professional league titles. KABUL (Reuters) — Afghanistan’s Attorney General powerful head of the Afghan Football Federation and has suspended the head of the Afghan Football Fed- five others had been suspended but added that the in- eration after a probe into allegations of sexual abuse vestigation is still ongoing to find more details. Henk ten Cate takes charge of of members of the national women’s soccer team, a Officials representing Keram did not immediately spokesman for the attorney general said on Sunday. respond to phone calls and text messages seeking Al Wahda President Ashraf Ghani ordered an investigation comment. after Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported last week The Afghan Football Federation issued a statement, Al Wahda FSCC have appointed the widely acclaimed Henk that senior figures linked to the Afghan women’s team calling the allegations “groundless” and said it would ten Cate as head coach. alleged that some players had been molested by officials fully cooperate with any probe. The club, who announced ten Cate’s appointment on social from the soccer federation. When the allegations first surfaced, a spokesman at media, said the Dutchman will take charge of the UAE Pro Jamshid Rasouli, a spokesman for the attorney FIFA, the world soccer federation, said it had a “zero League side this coming week. general, said the officials had been suspended fol- tolerance” policy on abuse and was looking into the The former Barcelona and Chelsea assistant coach replaces lowing a recommendation from the team set up to Afghan case. Romanian Lauren?iu Reghecampf, who was relieved of his investigate the incident. Ranked as one of the most dangerous countries for position in late November. According to the Guardian, the alleged abuses women, allegations of sexual contact outside marriage Al Wahda, who are currently fifth in the UAE Pro League, took place inside the federation’s headquarters in can have deadly consequences in Afghanistan. Victims of will be hoping ten Cate can have the same effect he had on Afghanistan as well as at a training camp in Jordan and unacceptable to all Afghans”. sexual harassment are often extremely reluctant to come rivals Al Jazira with them. last February. Ghani called the allegations “shocking An Afghan official said Keramuddin Keram, the forward for fear that they will be accused of adultery. Ten Cate, 63, left Al Jazira in May after a two-and-a-half- year stint, which included steering the club to the 2015/16 President’s Cup and 2016/17 UAE Pro League title. Daei tips Asian giants for final meeting Abu Dhabi-based Al Wahda will make their 10th AFC Champions League appearance in the competition’s 2019 Ali Daei believes that the Islamic Republic been together for a long time so there is a iroz has at his disposal. “Sardar Azmoun , meanwhile, is a great edition. of Iran and Japan are the most likely con- good understanding between them.” “I think if we can reach the final then player who can play for big teams in Europe The 2007 semi-finalists are in Group B alongside Saudi tenders to reach the AFC Asian Cup UAE Iran’s FIFA World Cup display earned Alireza Jahanbakhsh will be one of our in the coming years.”Iran are one of the giants Al Ittihad, PFC Lokomotiv from Uzbekistan and one 2019 final, with the continental competition them many plaudits after the Central key players, while Saman Ghoddos is most successful teams at the AFC Asian of West Asia’s four playoff winners. now less than four weeks away. Asian side defeated Morocco and then another who could perform well at the Cup, with three titles to their name, but (Source: the-afc) The Iranian legend is the tournament’s put in excellent displays against Spain Asian Cup,” noted Daei. it has now been for than 40 years since record goalscorer, having found the back and Portugal before narrowly missing “Mehdi Taremi could finish as top scorer they were last crowned champions, after of the net 14 times over three editions, yet out on last 16 qualification. if he plays in his regular position at the winning three successive tournaments the former striker never lifted the trophy The team’s defensive solidarity stood front of our attack, but it depends on the between 1968 and 1976. Boston Celtics make franchise for his country, whose wait for the title out in particular, with some of the world’s coach’s tactics. But there are also other Daei reached the semi-finals in both stretches back to 1976. best attacking talents left frustrated, but good strikers in Asia that will challenge 1996 and 2004, but suffered the agony history over Chicago Bulls But on the back of a strong 2018 FIFA Daei also had praise for the forwards Que- for this award. of elimination on penalties both times as World Cup and with head coach Carlos Saudi Arabia and China progressed to the Queiroz having been in charge for almost final in their place. The Chicago Bulls suffered their worst ever defeat with a eight years, Daei thinks the time could “There are many reasons why we haven’t 133-77 loss to the Boston Celtics. be now for Team Melli, although it is won it in so long; for example, we should Guard Jaylen Brown came off the bench to score 23 the side from East Asia he considers as have won the tournament in 1996, but we points in what was the Celtics’ biggest margin of victory in favorites. lost to Saudi Arabia on penalties and I missed franchise history. “I think Japan are the favorites to become one of them,” admitted Daei. Celtics forward Daniel Theis made his first start of the champions but I also think our team is at a “I think our best games were in 1996 season and delivered a career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds. good level and ready to perform well and in the UAE, where we only finished third “I was real excited [to start],” said German Theis, 26. I hope we can reach the final,” said Daei. despite deserving the title. We played “I’m just trying to help the team however I can. It’s been “Japan showed at the World Cup that so well and were unlucky not to become a while since I’ve played that long, but I feel great.” they can play great football and they have champions.” The Bulls’ 56-point margin of defeat surpassed that of improved a lot. So, I think Iran and Japan, Iran will open their Group D campaign the 53 they fell to at Minnesota in November 2001, and if they don’t happen to face each other in against Yemen on January 7 before facing victory for the Celtics eclipsed their 51-point win over the earlier stages, have the highest chance to Vietnam and Iraq, who eliminated Team Philadelphia Warriors in 1962. play the final against each other. Melli on penalties at the quarter-final stage Victory also meant the Celtics stretched their winning “Our side has really progressed in the four years ago in Australia. streak to five games. past two or three years. The players have (Source: the-afc) (Source: BBC) Prayer Times Noon:11:57 Evening: 17:11 Dawn: 5:34 (tomorrow) Sunrise: 7:04 (tomorrow) DECEMBER 10, 2018 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 Reza Amirkhani’s “Salvation” named Editorial Dept.: Fax: (+98 21) 88808214 — 88808895 [email protected] Switchboard Operator: Tel: (+98 21) 43051000 Advertisements Dept.: Telefax: (+98 21) 43051450 Public Relations Office: Tel: (+98 21) 88805807 best novel at Jalal literary awards Subscription & Distribution Dept.: Tel: (+98 21) 43051603 www.eshterak.ir Distributor: Padideh Novin Co. CULTURE TEHRAN — “Salvation” Tel: 88911433 desk Webmaster: [email protected] (“Rahesh”), Reza Printed at: Rooztab - ISSN: 1017-94 Amirkhani’s novel about the consequences of urban development for a young couple No. 18, Bimeh Alley, Nejatollahi St., Tehran, Iran that live in Tehran, was picked as best P.o. Box: 14155-4843 Zip Code: 1599814713 novel at the 11th Jalal Al-e Ahmad Literary Awards on Saturday. Amirkhani received his award from Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed Abbas Salehi during a ceremony held at the National Library and Archives of Iran. He dedicated the entire 1 billion rial (about $24,000) cash prize to the GUIDE TO Danayar Research Institute, which SPIRITUAL AWAKENING provides educational services for teachers and schoolchildren in remote towns, in particular in the Sistan-Baluchestan region. Liberality is better than kinship, and a liberal The Jalal Al-e Ahmad Literary Awards, man is kinder than a relative. Iran’s most lucrative literary prize, annually selects and awards a number of books Imam Ali (AS) in different categories. Each winner is awarded a trophy and 30 Bahar Azadi gold coins worth over 1.1 billion rials (over $27,000). However, the culture ministry, which is Bands to perform for the main organizer of the awards, decided women-only audience at to present the winners the equivalent of 30 Bahar Azadi gold coins. Niavaran Cultural Center This year, the jury did not consider any winners for other categories, and ARTTEHRAN – Two all-female bands are sched- books from the nominees only received deskuled to give performances exclusively for an honorable mentions as well as one-third audience of women at Tehran’s Niavaran Cultural Center. of the 1 billion rial cash prize. Writer Reza Amirkhani (R) receives his award from Culture Minister Seyyed Abbas Salehi during the 11th Jalal Al-e Ahmad Literary A group led by Yasaman Firuzi will perform modern Iranian In the documentation section, the cash Awards at the National Library and Archives of Iran in Tehran on December 8, 2018. He won the award for his novel “Salvation”. and folk dances during the program entitled “The Days of Union” prize was shared by “Alef Laam Khomeini” (Mehr/Mohammad Moheimani) on December 13 and 14. by Hedayatollah Behbudi and “Biking to “Lion’s Wound” by Samad Taheri won collection section and “The Eloquence Beyhaqi” by Leila Seyyedqasem received the Find Shams” by Hassan Karami Qaramaleki. the honorable mention in the short story of Syntactic Structures in the History of honorable mention in the review section.

Iranian Youth Cinema Society “Revolt” praised to review Spanish short films at French filmfest

Diamonds in an undated photo. Khatereh Khoshdel, Atena Farahani, Mahin Moradi, Roya Rezaian, Maryam Kazemi and Diana Nasira are among over 35 performers of the concert. The center will also host a performance by the pop band Di- amonds on January 2, 2019. The band led by pianist Farimah Abbasi plans to perform a repertoire of their new songs in different languages including English, French, Italian, Turkish and Greek. Amitis Eivani is the singer of the band, which also features Hengameh Ghafuri on bass guitar, Rojin Edalatkhah on violin and Nasim Zebardast on drum.

A poster for Spain Short Film Evening. A scene from “Revolt” by director Kurosh Asgari. “The Skier” crowned best at ARTTEHRAN – The Iranians,” Spanish Ambassador Eduardo ARTTEHRAN – “Revolt” by One day she enters into a conflict between the deskIranian Youth Cinema López Busquets said in a press release deskIranian director Kurosh prostitute and her costumer to support her. Greece Olympia festival Society will review Spanish short films published by the society on Sunday. Asgari won the France 3 Free Short Award at “My Love My Friend”, a production on Wednesday during a program entitled “We are willing to continue our the Tous Courts Film Festival in Aix-en-Provence, between Italy and France by Adriano Valerio ARTTEHRAN – Iranian director Fereidun Najafi’s desk “Spain Short Film Evening”. cooperation with the Iranian Youth Cinema France, the organizers announced on Saturday . received the Grand Prix. “The Skier” won the best film award at the The program will be organized in Society to organize additional Spanish film The award is presented by France The special jury award went to “The Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young collaboration with the Embassy of Spain sessions in other Iranian cities such as Télévisions. Extraordinary Day” by French director People, Iran’s Art Bureau, the international distributor of the at the Film Museum of Iran. Tabriz and Shiraz,” he added. “Revolt” is about a boatwoman who makes Joanna Lurie and “How Fernando Pessoa film, announced on Sunday. “Such events are important to us, as The society has previously organized a living by carrying passengers. She encounters saved Portugal” by Eugene Green from France we can share our culture properties with film evenings for Japan, Finland and Chile. a prostitute who sometimes travels with her. won the award for best screenplay.

Bollywood, Beyonce and bling as daughter Drake and Lamar lead but women of India’s richest man set to marry shine through in Grammy nods MUMBAI (Reuters) — U.S. singer Be- LOS ANGELES (Reuters) — Rappers yonce will perform at the wedding of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake led Grammy daughter of India’s richest man, Mukesh Award nominations on Friday, but Cardi Ambani, along with Bollywood stars, and B, Lady Gaga, Brandi Carlile and American guests will be flown in on 100 chartered newcomer H.E.R helped make it a female- flights in lavish marriage celebrations. dominated line-up for the year’s top prizes A scene from Iranian director Fereidun Najafi’s “The Skier”. Isha Ambani, 27, will marry Anand in the music industry. Piramal, 33, in the financial capital of Ten-time Grammy winner Taylor The film tells the story of a boy from Kuhrang who faces prob- Mumbai on Tuesday, but the festivities Swift, Beyonce, Ariana Grande and Camila lems on his way to take a little ibex to a tribal ritual in a snowy, begin this weekend in the desert city of Cabello were among the biggest snubs in remote region in Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari Province. Udaipur, with three days of song, dance Construction workers install glass on the top categories that were dominated by Iranian short “Butterfly” by Maryam Khalilzadeh was also Drake performs during the iHeartRadio and pre-wedding rituals. exterior of Gulita, a bungalow which ac- hip-hop and R&B. screened at the festival, which was held in Pyrgos, Greece from Music Festival at the T-Mobile Arena in Wedding guests have access to an app cording to local media will be the marital Canada’s Drake, the most-streamed December 1 to 8. Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., September 23, mapping out the activities, which include home of Isha Ambani, daughter of the artist of 2018, won eight nominations, 2016. (Reuters/Steve Marcus) a private concert by Beyonce. Chairman of Reliance Industries Mukesh including album of the year for “Scorpion,” More than 100 chartered flights are Ambani, in Mumbai, India, December 7, and both song and record of the year for The Academy also expanded its landing in Udaipur’s sleepy airport, a 2018. (Reuters/Francis Mascarenhas) his single “God’s Plan.” membership and set up a diversity “Star Wars” costumes source on the spot, who declined to be Five of the expanded eight nominees task force after an uproar over the low sketchbooks seen fetching identified, told Reuters. interests in pharmaceuticals and real in the album of the year race were women number of female nominees, winners and Bollywood stars, including Priyanka estate, and according to a report in the - Cardi B’s “Invasion of Privacy,” Janelle performers on the televised ceremony large sums at auction Chopra, who got married last week, will news magazine India Today, have given Monae’s “Dirty Computer”, folk singer in January. also attend. the couple a 50,000-sq-foot (4,645-sq-m) Brandi Carlile’s “By the Way, I Forgive Six of the eight best new artist nominees LONDON (Reuters) — A sketchbook revealing early costume Indian media have speculated that sea-facing home in Mumbai. You,” country singer Kacey Musgraves’ on Friday were women, including H.E.R., designs for Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and other “Star Wars” the guest list includes former U.S. Many in India, where millions live in “Golden Hour” and newcomer H.E.R.’s Chloe x Halle, British pop star Dua Lipa, characters is expected to sell for more than 100,000 pounds President Bill Clinton, along with his dire poverty, have closely followed the self-titled “H.E.R”. and Bebe Rexha. ($130,000) at auction in London next week. wife and Democratic candidate in the preparations, including the couple’s Rapper Post Malone’s “Beerbongs & Cardi B, coming off a phenomenal The colored pencil sketches, drawn by Oscar-winning costume 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton. engagement at the luxury Villa D’Este Bentleys” and the soundtrack to hit movie year, Lady Gaga, actor Donald Glover’s designer John Mollo between 1975 and 1976, closely resemble “The event will have many visitors hotel on Italy’s Lake Como, attended “Black Panther,” which was produced by music moniker Childish Gambino, and the final designs used in the original 1977 sci-fi film “Star Wars: from abroad, so customs and immigration by more than 600 guests, and featuring Lamar, round out the album of the year field. country-pop star Maren Morris each had A New Hope” by director George Lucas that kicked off lucrative counters have been set up at the airport a private performance by singer John Lamar, the first rapper to win a Pulitzer five nominations overall. movie and television franchises. and will remain active for the next five Legend. Prize for music, Drake, Cardi B and Carlile Lady Gaga’s nominations came mostly “It is very rare to see anything (like this) come up at auction,” days,” the airport source said. Newspapers and websites have been also garnered nominations for record of from her single “Shallow” with actor- Katherine Schofield from Bonhams auction house told Reuters The source declined to say how much full of details about the ceremonies, the the year. director Bradley Cooper from their movie at a preview on Thursday. Beyonce was being paid for the concert designer jewellery and clothes, with The Recording Academy, whose “A Star is Born,” which won five Golden “To have something of this magnitude, of this scale, from the and media have not reported a figure. some of India’s top designers dressing members choose the Grammys, this year Globe nods on Thursday. estate of somebody who worked on the film and was so important The wedding will bring together two the wedding party. expanded to eight from five the number In the biggest snub, Swift, one of the to the film that he won an Academy Award for it, is really exciting.” of India’s most influential families. The wedding invitation includes of nominees in the top four categories - world’s most successful singers, was shut Props and costumes from the multi-billion dollar “Star Wars” Ambani, the chairman of Reliance necklaces and precious stones stacked record, song and album of the year, and out of the major awards, getting just one movie franchise frequently prove popular at auction. A complete Industries, has a net worth of $47 billion, in a two-tier floral box, at a cost of 300,000 best new artist - to allow a more diverse nomination in the pop category for her R2-D2 droid used in the 1977 movie sold for $2.76 million last year. Forbes magazine says. The Piramals have rupees each ($4,236), India Today said. line-up. best-selling album “Reputation.”