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NATION cooperation with Iran ECONOMY oil and gas sectors SOCIETY green economy ART& CULTURE “1“1979979 Revolution”

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Iran’s Alizadeh books Olympic quota place 11 12 Pages Price 10,000 Rials 37th year No.12531 Monday APRIL 18, 2016 Farvardin 30, 1395 Rajab 10, 1437 Soil erosion costs EU and Tehran discuss mechanisms Iran $56 billion annually: official for nuclear cooperation: Salehi EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW POLITICAL TEHRAN — Ali Akbar industry. ca Mogherini, whose team of seven com- ventures. By Parvin Telli deskSalehi, chief of Atomic Salehi let slip the news after a meeting missioners was the biggest to visit Tehran The official expressed hope for expe- TEHRAN — Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said with the European Energy Union Com- in more than a decade. ditious and comprehensive ties in differ- Soil erosion in Iran is so high that it is costing in a press conference on Sunday that missioner Miguel Arias Canete. During the talks, the two sides ex- ent nuclear industries “which can start in the country $56 billion every year, says Mohammad Dar- Iran and the European Union have held The talks were held during the visit to changed ideas on future cooperation the Fordow site particularly in the labora- vish, an official at the Department of Environment. positive talks for cooperation in nuclear Tehran by EU foreign policy Chief Federi- mechanisms, including starting nuclear tory sector.” 2 On average, soil erosion in Iran is three times more than other Asian countries, and it is one of the highest in the world, Darvish tells the Tehran Times in an exclusive inter- view. Darvish, known as Iran’s green gladiator, also says Security is Iran has “lost 18 million oak trees in Zagros Mountains”. Darvish who is in charge of education and environ- common concern mental contribution is not satisfied with the number of NGOs active in protecting environment in a country as of armed forces big as Iran with about 78 million population. and diplomats: What comes below is the text of the interview with Darvish who has been working hard to raise public aware- Rouhani ness about human-caused environmental threats: What is your evaluation of the current status of POLITICAL TEHRAN — environment in Iran? Pres- deskident Rouhani said A: The current condition of Iran’s environment could on Sunday that a mighty Iran does be studied in terms of five fields: soil, water, biodiversity, not pose any threat to the region, weather and a newly added field which is people’s contri- noting that the country’s diplomats butionstions to protect the environmentenvironment.. and armed forces are both concerned TheThe estimated ppricerice foforr about national security. eachch ton of soil is now $28.$28. Rouhani made the remarks in a Twoo bbillionillion ttonsons ooff sosoilil aarere speech on the occasion of National erodedded in Iran evereveryy yyear,ear, Army Day, an annual event held to costingting the countrycountry $$5656 mark Army Day named by the late billionon annually. SorrSorryy Imam Khomeini back in 1980. to sasayy that, on aver- “A mighty Iran militarily, political- age,e, soil erosion in Iran ly, and economically won’t mount a is threehree timestimes ththatat of threat to neighbors and other Islamic

Asiaa andand oneone ooff ththee Samadi Faraj countries. The strength of other Islamic highesthest figuresfigures on countries is ours and vice versa,” the the globe.globe. president remarked. See page 2 IRNA/ SSeeee papagege 1100

Neurological specialist center Iran, EU set the roadmap for cooperation PERSPECTIVE to open in 6 months: Samii By Mahmood Khaghani Iran and the European Union issued a posted on eeas.europa.eu website: ta Bulc (Transport), Carlos Moedas Oil expert SOCIETY TEHRAN — Professor Majid Samii has said joint statement in Tehran on Saturday On 16 April 2016, the EU High (Research, Science and Innovation), deska neurological specialist center being fund- setting the roadmap for cooperation. Representative and Vice-President Karmenu Vella (Environment, Mar- ed by him will be open in six months, the IRIB reported. The statement was released by Irani- of the European Commission (HRVP) itime Affairs and Fisheries) and Ti- Addressing the 5th symposium of an Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Federica Mogherini met Iranian bor Navracsics (Education, Culture, ECO-Caspian World Federation of Neurosurgery Zarif and EU foreign policy chief Fed- Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Youth and Sport). They met with in Tehran on Sunday, Samii said the erica Mogherini who visited Iran along Zarif in Tehran. European Commis- their Iranian counterparts. energy transition center will be four times the Inter- with seven European commissioners. sion representatives present includ- The two sides taking stock of their national Neuroscience Institute in The roadmap for cooperation fol- ed EU Commissioners Elzbieta Bi- long standing relations, based upon through gas Hannover, Germany, in terms of the lows conclusion of the landmark nuclear enkowska (Internal Market, Industry, mutual respect and interests, reiterated number of people that it could serve deal between Iran and great powers in Entrepreneurship and SMEs), Arias their intention to develop a broad and ormer Director of Energy, Miner- at a time. July 215. The deal went into effect on Cañete (Climate Action and Energy), comprehensive agenda for bilateral co- Fals and Environment-ECO Secre- January 16, 2016. Christos Stylianides (Humanitarian operation. tariat Following is the text of the statement Aid and Crisis Management), Viole- 9 The oil price slide since mid-2014 has severely constrained economic Wedding loans more growth and investment in the Eco- U.S. will regret if it fails to honor JCPOA: senior MP nomic Cooperation Organization than tripled (ECO) & Caspian region. Despite this, POLITICAL TEHRAN – The Ma- havior,” Alaeddin Boroujerdi told, Tasnim regional governments nevertheless SOCIETY TEHRAN — Majlis approved a bill on Sun- deskjlis National Security reported on Sunday. expect an improved market climate desk day, based on which wedding loans will be and Foreign Policy Committee chairman Boroujerdi added that the U.S. has & are continuing to draw down their more than tripled to 100 million rials (nearly $2,800) for each has said that Washington will regret if it no choice but honoring its obligations significant currency reserves in order of the spouses, IRIB reported. does not fulfill its commitments under under the JCPOA. to keep their economies and projects Wedding loan which used to be 30 million rials (nearly the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, In July 2015, Iran and the 5+1 group afloat. $850) for each of the spouses has now risen by more than commonly called the nuclear deal. (the United States, Britain, France, China The Republics of Azerbaijan, Ka- three times. Additionally, the 3-year payback period has now “If the U.S. does not meet its com- and Russia plus Germany) finalized the zakhstan and Turkmenistan have suf- increased to 4 years. mitments towards Iran, we will take text of the JCPOA in Vienna which went fered significantly, according to energy The law states that in order to support young couples and actions that the U.S. will regret its be- into effect in January 2016. economics analysts. Petroleum pro- encourage marriage all banks are due to give top priority to ducers and exporters all seem to be the wedding loans so that by the end of each month less than on the same boat around the world as 50,000 applicants remain in the waiting lists for the loans. CCCACD holds first meeting with envoys from 13 states they face revenue shortfalls and eco- Meanwhile, the central bank has been tasked with mon- The center for promoting was held in Tehran. festival will be held from nomic crisis. itoring the implementation of the law. Violation of the law is cultural cooperation be- Reza Mirkarimi, secre- April 20 to April 25 in Char- International Oil Companies (IOCs) punishable by a fine levied by the central bank. tween Asian nations, officially tary of the 34th Fajr Inter- sou Cineplex. This year in the & National Oil Companies (NOCs) called CCCACD, held its first national Film Festival, told Eastern Panorama Section have had no option other than to cut meeting on Thursday in Teh- the participants that the (Eastern Vista), 12 foreign billions of dollars in spending and in- Rosneft interested ran with embassy represent- event is Iran’s largest annual films from Afghanistan, Pa- vestment programs. This has caused in Iran projects: Russian atives from 13 countries. film festival. kistan, china, India, Turkey, thousands in the industry to lose their The representatives, ei- Mirkarimi said it is an the Fajr festival has played a Japan, Tajikistan, and three jobs and forced many contractors to energy minister ther cultural councilor or event that celebrates cultural vital role in development of Iranian films will be screened. declare bankruptcy. deputy head of mission, were exchange, displays creative the Iranian cinema, he said, The Asian films in the Cine- In the meantime, the Sau- Russian oil producer Rosneft is interested in oil and gas pro- from Afghanistan, China, Ja- achievements of highly ac- adding every year, veteran ma Salvation section will also di Arabian government’s brutal jects in Iran, the RIA news agency quoted Russian energy pan, Indonesia, Malaysia, claimed cineastes and pays directors and new filmmak- be judged. The section will message for high-cost petrole- minister Alexander Novak as saying on Saturday. Russia, the Republic of Ko- tribute to highly qualified ers devotedly present their grant one award to the best um producers & exporters such It is too early to talk about any concrete plans as Iran has rea, India, Tajikistan, the Phil- local and international films. works to the festival. film as judged by the panel as ECO-Caspian region is: “...Get not yet presented an investment contract, Novak said. ippines, Turkey, and Vietnam Since its establishment, The 34th edition of the of juries. out of Markets...” He further added, “Iran should announce its conditions for No one can predict with any cer- foreign companies’ participation in Iran oil and gas contracts”. tainty when and how this long-stand- Rosneft is an integrated oil company majority owned by “Oblivion Season” star crowned best at Tiburon festival ing market volatility will come to an the Government of Russia. It is Russia’s leading extraction and end and some observers believe that refinement corporation and the world’s largest publicly trad- CULTURE TEHRAN — Sareh dark past turns out not to be as easy as instability is actually in the interests of ed petroleum company. deskBayat won the award it had seemed beforehand. market participants such as traders Before anti-Iran sanctions imposed on Iran, some Russian for best actress at the 10th Tiburon In- The award for best actor went to and exchanges. oil and gas companies like Lukoil and Gazprom had been ternational Film Festival for her role in János Kulka from Hungary for his role in Whether or not the markets enter active in Iran’s Oil and gas fields’ plans since 2010. Iranian director Abbas Rafei’s “Oblivion “Demimonde” by director Attila Szász. a period of stability, this fall in prices During sanction era, under the pressure of West and the Season”, the organizers announced on “Demimonde” won the award for not only leads to reduced income for U.S. Russian companies had to suspend their participation. Friday. best film at the festival, which is ded- regional producers but also to com- Iran and Russia have highest level of political cooperation She portrays Fariba, an ex-prostitute icated to screening independent fea- petition for a limited pool of available and aim to enhance ties in the field of economy. who starts a new life by marrying her Sareh Bayat acts in a scene from “Oblivion ture and short films from around the capital funding. (Source: Reuters) lover but leaving the shadow of her Season”. world. 9 I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y NATION 2 AAPRILPRIL 118,8, 20162016 http://www.tehrantimes.com/international

MEDIA MONITOR EU and Tehran discuss mechanisms Terror plot foiled in western Iran for nuclear cooperation: Salehi

1 day, where in southern France, scientists TEHRAN — A terror plot was foiled in western Prior to the signing of the JCPOA, For- and researchers from 35 countries are Iran, Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi an- dow was a uranium enrichment facility. collaborating to build the world’s largest FARS nounced on Sunday. However, based on the agreement, the tokamak. A terrorist who planned to commit a suicide site was to be converted into a nuclear, Tokamak is a magnetic fusion device attack was arrested by intelligence forces, Fars physics and technology center for inter- that has been designed to prove the quoted Alavi as saying.He accused “certain regional national collaboration, including in the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale and countries” of being responsible for the plot. form of scientific joint partnership. carbon-free source of energy based on Iraqi Sunni coalition “Nuclear cooperation between Iran the same principle that powers our Sun and the European Union falls under and stars. hails Iran’s support chapter three of the JCPOA,” Salehi was A highlight in Salehi’s remarks was quoted as saying. that the visiting EU officials and Iranian The JCPOA says “the EU and E3+3 counterparts also discussed setting up countries and Iran, in the framework of an advanced nuclear center, which can TEHRAN — An Iraqi political coalition, comprised of the JCPOA, will cooperate, as appropri- offer services not only to Iran but to the major Sunni blocs, has expressed gratitude to Iran for ate, in the field of peaceful uses of nucle- neighboring countries. He declined to helping Iraqi leaders to weather a political crisis that ar energy and engage in mutually deter- comment further. has gripped the Arab country’s parliament. mined civil nuclear cooperation projects Iran and six global powers struck a deal, The Unity for Reform coalition announced in as detailed in dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Annex III, including through IAEA in- Action, in July, 2015, ending a decade-long TASNIM a statement on Sunday that its leader, Usama al-Nujaifi, had held a meeting with Iranian Am- volvement.” impasse over Iran’s nuclear program. bassador to Baghdad Hassan Danaeifar, Tasnim According to a recent blueprint doc- Under the deal, Iran scaled down its reported. ument announced by Iranian Foreign and scientific ties, including civil nuclear collaboration can develop into other pro- nuclear activities in exchange for relief in According the statement, the Iraqi politician Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and cooperation. jects particularly ITER. international sanctions against the county also emphasized the necessity for maintaining Mogherini, the two sides agreed on a sig- The AEOI chief was very optimistic in ITER project is one of the most am- as of 2003, where Iran’s nuclear dossier “legitimacy of the political processes”, partner- nificant expansion in economic, energy, his remarks, hoping that Iran-EU nuclear bitious energy projects in the world to- was studied in the UN Security Council. ship in decision making and a balance of power in Iraq. Rouhani says Iran welcomes close ties with Balkan states Majlis to pursue murder of Afghan POLITICAL TEHRAN — President Hassan Rou- Tomislav Nikolic in Tehran. minor deskhani said on Sunday that Iran wel- Rouhani also said that spread of violence and ter- comes expansion of ties with the European countries rorism is a serious problem to the world. including those in the Balkan region. Devine religions, especially Islam, are against terrorism, he TEHRAN — The murder of a six-year old Afghan “Tehran and Belgrade can use existing capacities to said, calling for international unity in fight against terrorism. girl in Varamin, south of Tehran, has saddened expand cooperation and serve the two nations’ inter- The Serbia president said that Iran’s resistance against the Iranians and the Majlis will pursue the case to ests,” he said during a meeting with Serbian President sanctions and success in the nuclear talks demonstrate

ANA the country’s “cultural power.” the point of punishing those who are responsi- The Serbian president said ble, MP Hossein Naqavi Hosseini said on Sunday, Nikolic was referring to the nuclear deal between Iran ANA reported. that Iran’s resistance against and the 5+1 group, the United States, Britain, France, Iran has long been hosting Afghans, realizing sanctions and success in the China and Russia plus Germany, which went into effect their pains, and the Iranian judiciary system will act nuclear talks demonstrate the in January, 2016. the same way it would if an Iranian national were Nikolic also said Serbia is interested in expanding ties involved, he added. country’s “cultural power”. with Iran. A few days ago, a 17-year-old Iranian boy kid- napped Setayesh Qoreishi and horribly murdered the Afghan girl after raping her. Security is common concern of armed forces and diplomats: Rouhani The murderer was soon arrested by the police and confessed to his heinous crime. 1 Leader, is an army belonging to the entire es both pursue the same goal: national ed the rights of the Iranian nation in Every year, Iran’s armed forces hold pa- nation of Iran not to a particular faction security, stability, and development.” the international arena and managed Iran hopes to rades across the country to mark National or group. Nor is it sectarian.” He added soft and hard powers to abolish unfair resolutions passed launch Sahand Army Day. This year the event fell on April 17. According to Rouhani, not only the stand side by side as this is not a against the country… Due to this, now destroyer within During this year’s version, Iran showed Army but also all other armed forces should contradiction in terms. “While armed our enemies attest that defense and off parts of its new long-awaited Russian avoid being involved in factional disputes forces are tasked with defending the missile capabilities are not relevant to months S-300 missile defense system. as it potentially means “the falling of the country, diplomatic tools are used to the JCPOA and the 2231 resolution.” TEHRAN — The commander of the Iranian Navy The president also stated that Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” watch the rights of the Iranian nation.” ‘Naivety and short-sightedness has expressed hope that the homemade Sahand strength of the Islamic Republic has a Common concern Rouhani’s statements were a clear ref- are features of those denying hard destroyer will be unveiled by the end of current Ira- purely deterrent function, saying that Also, in his address, Rouhani highlight- erence to rounds of nuclear negotiations power and soft power’ nian year (March 2017). Iran will respond based on “threat ed that national security, stability, and de- with the six global powers over Iran’s nu- The president also chided those who against threat” policy, cutting the velopment as common concerns of the clear program. deny the necessity of hard power and FARS Speaking on the sidelines of Army Day on Sunday, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said the “hands of aggressors.” country’s diplomats and armed forces. Rouhani, who also presides over the soft power, branding them respectively as navy is currently making several other destroy- He added thanks to the Army keep- “We all pursue the same goal and Supreme National Security Council, “naive and short-sighted.” ers, Fars reported. He also said that the navy’s patrol ing the country secure, there has been a likewise, our diplomacy and armed forc- further noted, “Our diplomats defend- “Those who say we need no hard in international waters is aimed at protecting Iranian flurry of visits to Iran to strike economic, power are naive and those rejecting soft tankers and ships. scientific, and technological ventures. power are short-sighted.” “Had it not been for the mighty army, The president added despite differences it would have been impossible to achieve the goal remains the same: safeguarding Foreign Ministry has this,” Rouhani noted. the people’s rights and national might. sent JCPOA report ’Army beyond factional disputes’ No division among nation, gov- to Majlis: diplomat Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani ernment, and armed forces stressed that the Iranian Army does not Calling the Army “popular,” Rouhani belong to a particular “group or faction.” said, “The enemy should bear in mind TEHRAN — A diplomat has said that Foreign Min- “The Army of the Islamic Republic of that there is no schism among our nation, ister Mohammad Javad Zarif on April 14 provided Iran, according to Imam’s decree and “Mighty Iran does not pose any threat to the government, and Armed forces. We are the Majlis with a report on the implementation of the will, and (also) tactfulness of the Supreme region,” president says. all fingers of the same hand.” JCPOA as it is required to do in 3-monthly intervals. The Foreign Ministry is ready to answer to Majlis ICANA according to established timetables so that the JCPOA Zarif welcomes India’s call for defense cooperation with Iran will be implemented as best as possible, Hassan Qa- shqavi, the deputy foreign minister for parliamentary POLITICAL TEHRAN — Iranian Foreign Affairs The two ministers exchanged views on other affairs, said on Sunday, according to ICANA. deskMinister Mohammad Javad Zarif held subjects of common concern. Among these were talks in Tehran with his Indian counterpart Sushma Swa- the fate of Iranian prisoners in Iran, visa issuing, and Aref: Too soon raj on Sunday. exchanges in economy, culture, science, and edu- The two sides exchanged ideas on a range of issues, cation. to talk of Majlis inter alia, the possibility of defense cooperation. The Indian minister also held sessions with President speakership The Indian foreign minister hailed the ties between Hassan Rouhani and Ali Akbar Velayati, the top aide to Tehran and New Delhi as progressive, calling for interac- the Supreme Leader. tion in areas of defense and security. Swaraj arrived in Iran on Saturday for a two-day visit TEHRAN — Lawmaker-elect Mohammad Reza Zarif welcomed the initiative, saying this could help to boost ties with a focus on raising India’s oil imports Aref believes it is too soon to talk about who establish peace and stability in the region. and enhancing trade with Iran which has opened several should be speaker in the next Majlis, Aref’s Indian and Iran have developed indigenous defense tech- lucrative sectors after sanctions against it were lifted un- public relations director Alireza Khamesian told ISNA nologies, particularly when it comes to missile capabilities. der a historic nuclear deal. ISNA on Sunday. Aref has held no negotiation about the issue in his New Year meetings, Khamesian said. Zarif welcomes India’s call for defense cooperationeration withwith IranIran

Elections held in POLITICAL TEHRAN — Ali Akbar between the two countries are developing,” Sunday, President Hassan Rouhaniouhani said SSwarajwaraj said India is seek- ‘secure rather than deskVelayati, a senior foreign he said during a meeting with Indian Foreign expansion of relations betweenn Iran and inging ties with Iran based on policy adviser to the Supreme Leader, said Minister Sushma Swaraj in Tehran. India will benefit the entire region.on. a win-win game.game. security atmosphere’: on Sunday that Tehran is happy that its re- Velayati, a former foreign minister, said Rouhani said the history of friendlyriendly re- official lationship with India is on the rise. that Iran attaches great importance to rela- lations has laid the basis for increas-ncreas- TEHRAN — Head of the Interior Ministry elections Velayati also said since the Islamic Rev- tions with India. ing ties. headquarters has said the recent Majlis and Assem- olution in 1979 Iran has been focusing on Cultural affinities between the two coun- The president said cooperationon bly of Experts elections were held in a ‘secure rather cooperation with Non-Aligned Movement tries can have positive effects on the friend- for development of Chabahar portrt member states. ly relations, added Velayati. will open a new chapter in Iran-In--

ILNA than security atmosphere’. Mohammad Hossein Moqimi also underlined “Since the beginning of the Islamic Revo- For her part, the Indian foreign minister dia ties. that unlike previous elections, this year’s was free of lution, Iran has always focused on coopera- called for expansion of relations with Iran. The president also called ethnic clashes, ILNA reported on Sunday. tion with Non-Aligned [NAM] states especial- ‘Ties with India will benefit region’ for consultation in countering ly India and we are very happy the relations In a separate meeting with Swaraj on terrorism. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y

http://www.tehrantimes.com/international AAPRILPRIL 118,8, 22016016 INTERNATIONAL 3

Yemen’s warring sides signal NEWS Syria’s ruling coalition optimism for Kuwait peace talks wins majority of Syrian parliamentary seats Yemen’s warring parties are sending skyrocket in the Persian Gulf region’s conciliatory signals ahead of UN-backed poorest country. Syria’s ruling Ba’ath Party and its allies have won the major- talks starting on Monday, in a rare sign of An unprecedented calm achieved be- ity of the votes in the recent parliamentary elections in the mutual willingness to end a year-old con- tween the two main antagonists begin- country, official results show. flict that has caused one of the world’s ning in March suggests that exhaustion The Syrian elec- worst humanitarian crises. over costs and casualties may be mount- toral commission an- A deal may help defuse tensions be- ing. The Houthis agreed with Saudi Ara- nounced late Saturday tween regional powerhouses Iran and bia to reduce attacks on the kingdom that the National Uni- Saudi Arabia, who are allied to oppos- in exchange for a halt to Saudi-led air ty coalition, compris- ing sides in Yemen and whose rivalry has strikes on Sana’a, and the two sides car- ing the ruling party helped fuel wars and political struggles ried out a prisoner exchange. and its allies, had won across the volatile Middle East. “This represents the best opportunity 200 of the 250 seats at Air strikes and heavy combat persist in to end the war since it started - real pro- the People’s Assembly many parts of the country, while armed gress has been made,” said Adam Baron, (Majlis al-Sha’ab). forces who could yet play a spoiling role a visiting fellow at the European Council “Out of 8,834,994 loom throughout Yemen’s tangled polit- on Foreign Relations. eligible voters, more ical scene. Spoilers than five million cast Police said they foiled two car bomb The fate of Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yem- their votes,” commis- attacks in the southern port of Aden on en’s president of 33 years who was oust- sion head Hisham al- Sunday. In one case a policeman died ed by “Arab Spring” protests in 2012, Sha’ar was quoted as when a car exploded after police opened Aden, told state news agency Saba. allies joined the war on March 26 of last remains unclear and could complicate saying. The figure was fire on it rushing at a checkpoint at high Mohammed Abdul-Salam, spokes- year to back Yemen’s government after transition plans. equal to 57.56 percent. speed. man for the Houthi movement which it was pushed into exile by the Houthis. While Saleh’s party will take part in About 3,500 candidates took part in the elections. A to- But the recent rhetoric of the main controls the capital Sana’a appeared UN talks in June and December the talks, the former leader has refused tal of 7,300 polling stations were set up in government-con- combatants has been unusually mild. conciliatory in an interview with Kuwaiti failed to end the war that has killed to depart Yemen’s political scene. The trolled areas across the country. In the capital, Damascus, “We are ready for a political transition newspaper al-Rai on Saturday. about 6,200 people, about half of them spread of al-Qaeda and ISIL in the south alone, there were about 1,500 polling centers in addition to which excludes no one ... The world now “There should be a consensus author- civilians. The war has allowed al-Qaeda also makes it more difficult to resolve the 540 polling stations for people from the provinces of Dayr looks to the Kuwait consultations as a ity during a definite transitional phase to fighters to seize territory and opened conflict. al-Zawr, al-Raqqah, Idlib, Aleppo, and Dara’a, where for- landmark of peace for Yemenis, and we decide every political dispute,” he was a path for ISIL terrorists to gain a foot- “There are a slew of potential spoilers. eign-backed militants have certain parts under their control. will give everything we can to alleviate quoted as saying. “Iran does not have hold. The past year has seen a proliferation of The vote is the second parliamentary ballot since the be- the suffering of the people,” Foreign Min- any role in our sovereign decisions and A partial naval blockade imposed warlords whose power is tied to the con- ginning of the war in 2011. The last parliamentarian elections ister Abdel Malek al-Mekhlafi, from the we are not tools in anyone’s hands.” by the Arab coalition has caused food flict continuing,” added Baron. were held in 2012. Saudi-backed government now based in Saudi Arabia and its Persian Gulf Arab shortages and prices for necessities to (Source: Reuters) Parliament members are elected for a four-year term. The foreign-backed opposition in Syria had boycotted the recent and the last elections. Ethiopia: South Sudanese gunmen kill U.S. sends nine Yemeni Guantanamo Western countries and the United Nations (UN) have said they do not recognize the election results, claiming that the pre- 140 civilians inmates to Saudi Arabia vailing militancy across the country does not allow fair elections. Meanwhile, Syria’s government and foreign-backed op- position are in Geneva this week for UN-backed peace talks to put an end to the violence that had gripped the country since 2011. A truce, brokered by the US and Russia, went into effect across Syria on February 27. It does not apply to ter- rorist groups such as Daesh(ISIL) and al-Qaeda’s Syria branch al-Nusra Front, however. The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria has left over 470,000 people dead since its inception in March 2011, ac- cording to a February report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research. A foreign-based monitoring group, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, says, however, that 270,000 have been killed in the conflict. Syrian forces have managed to liberate many militant-held areas over the past few months. Gunmen from South Sudan have killed at refugees from South Sudan who fled The United States has transferred fear that the instability there would (Source: SANA) least 140 civilians, including women and conflict in the world’s youngest nation. nine Yemeni men to Saudi Arabia enable them to resume the “militant children, in a raid in Ethiopia’s Gambela The attackers had no relation to from the United States military prison activities” that landed them at Guan- region, according to the Ethiopian gov- South Sudan’s army or rebel forces at Guantanamo, including an inmate tanamo in the first place. ernment. who fought the government in Juba who had been on a hunger strike The most prominent of the trans- Getachew Reda, Ethiopia’s in a civil war that has killed tens of since 2007, U.S. officials said. fers was Tariq Ba Odah, a 37-year-old Iraqis protest as political communications minister said on thousands of people, a statement The transfer marked the largest Yemeni whom the military had been Saturday that Friday’s attack had from the government communica- group of prisoners shipped out of the force-feeding daily since he went deadlock deepens been carried out by members of tions office said. naval base in Cuba since President on a hunger strike in 2007. His legal South Sudan’s Murle tribe. David Shinn, a professor of Interna- Barack Obama rolled out his plan to team said he was down to 34kg, los- Protesters have taken to the streets in Baghdad to demand a He added that Ethiopian forces have tional Relations at George Washington shut the controversial detention cen- ing about half of his body weight. new government, after the Iraqi parliament cancelled its third killed 60 of the assailants and may cross University and former United States tre there before he leaves office. Ba Odah’s lawyer, Omar Farah, session in a week to discuss political reforms. into neighboring South Sudan to pursue ambassador to Ethiopia, said the re- “The United States is grateful to said the U.S. government had “played Saturday’s session was scrapped because “parliament them. gion has a long history of ethnic con- the government of the Kingdom of Russian roulette” with his client’s life couldn’t be secured” by security forces, said a statement from “They haven’t crossed the border [yet], flict originating on both sides of the Saudi Arabia for its humanitarian and that his transfer “ends one of the the office of the speaker, Salim al-Jabouri, whose position is but they will if that’s what it takes,” he told Ethiopia-South Sudan border. gesture and willingness to support most appalling chapters in Guantan- under threat as some legislators are seeking to replace him. Al Jazeera. “The border is porous and movement ongoing U.S. efforts to close the amo’s sordid history”. The political crisis centers on divisions over a plan by The minister, who said the latest attack, back and forth between South Sudan and Guantanamo Bay detention facility,” With the latest departures, there Haider al-Abadi, the prime minister, to bring technocrats into is much larger than past skirmishes, also Ethiopia is common,” he told Al Jazeera. the Pentagon said in a statement on are now 80 prisoners at Guantana- cabinet in a bid to check corruption. said that a number of children have been “The conflict in South Sudan has Saturday. mo, most held without charge or trial On March 31, Abadi presented a list of independent pro- abducted from Ethiopia and taken into resulted in refugees moving into Ethi- The Saudis agreed, after lengthy for more than a decade, drawing in- fessionals who he hoped could free ministries from the grip South Sudan, according to an Associated opia. Rebel groups can also move negotiations, to take the nine Yem- ternational condemnation. of dominant political groups. Press news agency report. across Gambela region. It is not sur- enis for resettlement and put them The transfers took place as Oba- But under pressure from leading politicians, he drafted a The attack happened in Gambe- prising there are occasional local out- through a government-run rehabili- ma prepared to visit Saudi Arabia second list this week based on party links. la’s Jakawa area which straddles the breaks of violence in this area.” tation program that seeks to reinte- on Wednesday and Thursday for a The modified list, which Abadi had planned to present for Ethiopian-South Sudanese border, in South Sudanese officials were not grate them into society. summit with the Gulf Cooperation a vote, prompted a sit-in by MPs who say it will allow corrup- a region that alongside a neighbor- immediately available for comment. They could not be sent back to Council. tion to continue to flourish. ing province hosts more than 284,000 (Source: Al Jazeera) their homeland because U.S. officials (Source: agencies) Al Jazeera’s Jane Arraf, reporting from Baghdad, said if the reforms are actually put in place, it will be the most significant development in Iraqi politics since 2003. Power distribution U.S. Air Force plane intercepted by Russian jet in ‘unsafe’ manner: Pentagon The dissenting MPs, who accuse the speaker, Jabouri, of blocking reforms, said they would meet on Monday to elect A United States Air Force reconnaissance plane was gerous this is and our hope is that this will never be a new assembly leader. intercepted by a Russian SU-27 jet in an “unsafe and repeated,” he said. The protesters include followers of influential Shia cleric unprofessional” manner while in international airspace The Russian maneuvers began Monday while the Muqtada al-Sadr, who on Saturday issued a statement ask- over the Baltic Sea, the Pentagon said on Saturday. destroyer was located about 70 nautical miles from the ing all the ministers to immediately resign, and even Abadi’s “The U.S. aircraft was operating in international air- Russian base in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave on the Dawa party. space and at no time crossed into Russian territory,” Baltic Sea. Sadr pledged to start protests in 72 hours if the nation’s Laura Seal, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said of Thurs- One U.S. defense official called the actions of the leaders failed to vote on a technocrats’ cabinet. day’s incident. Russian planes “more aggressive than anything we’ve “If these conditions are not met then let it be known that It came shortly after Russian aircraft repeatedly seen in some time.” the people will decide,” he said in a handwritten statement. buzzed the USS Donald Cook this past week, including The destroyer’s commanding officer Charles Hamp- Earlier this week, a parliamentary session degenerated an incident on Tuesday in which a Russian Su-24 flew ton told journalists in Lithuania that “very low, very fast” into a massive brawl with shoving, shouting, and water bot- 30 feet (nine meters) above the war ship in a “simulated flybys were “inconsistent with the professional norms tles thrown. attack profile,” according to the U.S. military’s European of militaries in international waters or international air- The United Nations has called on Iraqi leaders to resolve Command. space.” the political crisis, warning that instability could jeopardize Russia has denied the actions were reckless or pro- enough to other air and sea traffic to raise serious safety But Russia countered the criticism, insisting it had ob- the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ vocative but they have been seen as exacerbating ten- concerns, and we are very concerned with any such be- served all safety regulations. Daesh) terrorist group, which still controls much of northern sions between the rival powers. havior,” the Pentagon said. The U.S. military’s European Command (EU- and western Iraq. “This unsafe and unprofessional air intercept has the On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had COM) released video showing warplanes zooming “The only party that benefits from the political divisions potential to cause serious harm and injury to all aircrews strong words about the recent warship flyby. so close past the Cook that one sailor can be heard and chaos .... is Daesh,” said the UN’s acting head of mission involved,” Seal said of the latest incident in a statement. “We condemn this kind of behavior. It is reckless. It saying: “He is below the bridge wing,” meaning the to Iraq, Gyorgy Busztin, using the Arabic acronym for ISIL. “More importantly, the unsafe and unprofessional ac- is provocative. It is dangerous. And under the rules of plane was flying lower than the highest point of The costs of the war against ISIL, along with the plunge in tions of a single pilot have the potential to unnecessarily engagement that could have been a shoot-down,” Kerry the ship. the price of oil - which accounts for 95 percent of Iraq’s reve- escalate tensions between countries.” told CNN Espanol in Miami. Ties between Russia and the West have plunged to nues - have caused an economic crisis, adding fresh urgency The U.S. aircraft in question was an RC-135 and the Kerry added: “People need to understand that this is their lowest point since the Cold War over Moscow’s to calls for reform. Pentagon said it had been flying a routine route. serious business and the United States is not going to be 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Kiev Iraqi officials predict a budget deficit of more than $30bn “There have been repeated incidents over the last intimidated on the high seas.” and its support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. this year. year where Russian military aircraft have come close “We are communicating to the Russians how dan- (Source: AFP) (Source: agencies) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 4 ECONOMY AAPRILPRIL 118,8, 22016016 http://www.tehrantimes.com/economy

NEWS Iran’s power generation capacity India to boost investment in Iranian oil and gas sectors projected to rise 7% by March 2017 India and oil-rich Iran today decided to significantly expand en- gagement in their overall ties, particularly in boosting Indian in- ECONOMY TEHRAN — Iran's eign countries in this regard. vestment in joint ventures in oil and gas sectors in the Persian Gulf deskMinistry of Energy Last Tuesday, Deputy Energy Minister nation where foreign investors from major economic powers are plans to increase the capacity of do- Alireza Da’emi announced that Tehran rushing in to get early footholds after lifting of nuclear sanctions. mestic power plants by 5,324 mega- and Rome signed an MOU on construc- In talks between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and watts, equaling 7 percent, by the end of tion of 500 MW of renewable energy her Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, the two sides the current Iranian calendar year 1395 power plants in Iran. agreed that pending agreements such as Preferential Trade (March 20, 2017), IRNA reported on The planned projects will be complet- Agreement, Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement and Bilateral Sunday. ed in the next five years by the Italian Investment Treaty should be concluded on a priority basis to spur The figure will be achieved through investing companies, the official added. trade and investment. building a number of thermal, com- Meanwhile, Bahman Salehi, the CEO Enhancing energy cooperation and development of the bined-cycle, renewable energy, hydroe- of Iran Power and Water Equipment Chabahar port were the centerpiece of talks which was mostly lectric, combined heat and power (CHP), and Services Export Company known dominated by economic issues. and distributed generation (DG) power as SUNIR, announced last Sunday that "The talks were very successful and would give new energy to plants as well as wind farms all over the his company plans to build a wind pow- our centuries old ties with Iran. In particular, the economic part- country by the yearend. er plant as well as two thermal power nership will get considerable fillip as a result of today’s forward The Islamic Republic ranked 14th plants in Kazakhstan in 18 months. looking talks," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Vikas across the globe regarding the 74,095- “We penned a contract, at the value Swarup told PTI. MW capacity of its power plants in the of $600 million, with the Kazakh Eurasia Both sides discussed the progress on the Chabahar project previous Iranian calendar year 1394 Invest Group, in this regard,” Salahi said and agreed that the commercial contract on Chabahar as well as (March 2015-March 2016), and is on the on the sidelines of Iran-Kazakhstan Busi- the modalities for extending $150 million credit for Chabahar Port track to expand its cooperation with for- ness Council meeting in Tehran. should be signed in the "very near future". Decisions on this line of credit, as well as $400 million credit line for supply of steel rails from India have already been taken by India. Italian company to build 50 MW solar power plant on Iran’s Qeshm island Swarup said both sides discussed the energy partnership and ECONOMY TEHRAN — the head of Qeshm Free Zone Organi- Maresca, for his part, vowed that his agriculture, food and forestry policies. Iran invited greater Indian participation in its oil and gas sector. The Ital- desk zation, on the sidelines of Italian Prime company will complete this project in Businessmen and personalities from "Iran said it would be happy to participate in the refinery sector ian company of Carlo Minister Matteo Renzi’s visit to Iran. eight months. Italy’s public and private sectors were in India." Maresca S.p.A. is to build a 50-mega- Underlining the new round of bilat- Heading a 250-strong political and also accompanying Renzi in the visit. On Farzad – B oil field project, both sides took note of the watt solar power plant on the south- eral economic relations between Iran economic delegation, Renzi arrived in Representatives from Italy’s private constructive discussions held during the recent visit to Iran of Oil ern Iranian island of Qeshm due to its and Italy, Mo'meni noted that the gov- Tehran in last Tuesday, making him the sector signed several memoranda of Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. signed agreement with the Qeshm Free ernment seeks to improve the southern first Italian official in such capacity to understanding with their Iranian coun- "The Indian side welcomed the Iranian decision to keep the Zone Organization, ISNA reported on island via expanding macro-economic visit Iran since 2001. terparts, boosting ties in various sec- Farzad – B field outside the auction basket. The concerned com- Sunday. activities there and reinforcing its infra- Parts of the delegation were Italian tors including textile, oil, energy, steel, panies have been directed to complete their contractual negotia- The deal was signed between Fabio structure including construction of the ministers of infrastructure and trans- telecommunications, aviation, medi- tions in a time bound manner. Iranian side had earlier commu- Maresca, the chairman of the Italian intended solar power plant. port; economic development; and cine, and etc. nicated their gas pricing formula and expressed their desire for company, and Hamidreza Mo’meni, Indian investment in the Chabahar SEZ," he said. "In terms of connectivity, Iran said it supported India’s desire to join the Ashgabat Agreement. The two ministers reviewed the Annual car output drops 13.7% in Iran progress made in the International North South Transport Cor- ECONOMY TEHRAN — ridor. IRCON from India would be visiting Iran for discussions on 976,836 cars were The deputy minister also noted that the coopera- desk the Chabahar–Zahedan Railway link," said the spokesperson. manufactured in Iran in the past Ira- tively produced cars will be unveiled and presented On Trade and Investment, the two sides agreed that with the nian calendar year (which ended on March 19), a 13.7 to the domestic market in the last two months of the lifting of sanctions, the potential for expanding these ties was im- percent fall from the past year, the Fars news agency current Iranian Year. mense. reported on Sunday. The automobile industry, the biggest non-oil sector "They agreed that pending agreements such as Preferential It is while the country’s car production had rose of the Iranian economy, constituting around 10 per- Trade Agreement, Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement and Bi- 53.4 percent in the previous calendar year compared cent of gross domestic product (GDP), boomed over lateral Investment Treaty should be concluded on a priority basis," to its preceding year. the decade ending in 2011 due to government sup- said Swarup. Iran is scheduled to produce 1.35 million cars by port and the dearth of international competitors in (Source: PTI) the end of the current calendar year of 1395 (which the domestic market. will end on March 20, 2017), according to Deputy Min- Iran ranked 13th in the world sales of passenger ister of Industry, Mining and Trade Mohsen Salehinia. cars, hitting the sale of 1,055,400 cars in 2015, accord- As Salehinia underlined, the government seeks to ing to a recent report of the International Organiza- World worried over China's improve the quality as well as the quantity of the do- partners in auto sector,” he added, “One of Iranian gi- tion of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers. mestically produced cars on the way to boost their ant auto-makers has signed joint venture with one of According to the report, the amount of passenger economic slowdown exports, the IRIB reported on April 6. the foreign eminent car-producers and the executive cars sold in Iran in 2015 accounted for 1.59 percent of “Iran has commenced cooperation with foreign officials of the agreement have been assigned.” the world’s total sale. In a rare move, finance ministers and central bank governors of leading economies have voiced concern over the slowdown of China's economy, the world's second largest, which could pose Venezuela respects Iran’s position Week ahead economic outlook: serious challenges to the growth of the global economy. China after witnessing nearly three decades of double-digit on oil output freeze: FM monetary policy back in spotlight growth has been showing signs of slowness and India has now re- ECONOMY TEHRAN — Delcy barrels per day (bpd) in the new Ira- Monetary policy is back on the top of tion to show prices flat over the year, while placed China as the fastest growing major economy of the world. deskRodriguez, the Ven- nian year (started on March 20). the agenda this week with central bank- March price growth in Sweden moved to As a result of the economic slowdown, the Chinese economic ezuelan foreign minister, in a meet- Further in the event Zarif said, ers from the eurozone and Sweden’s Riks- 0.8 per cent year-on-year, the fastest pace model, traditionally based on manufacturing, investments and ex- ing with her Iranian counterpart, Mo- “Tehran has always maintained good bank due to meet on Thursday to decide in three years, and a sign that the negative ports, is currently transitioning towards a model focused on do- hammad Javad Zarif, said her country relations with Caracas,” adding, “We interest rates. rates imposed by the Riksbank at least are mestic consumption, services and innovation. respects Iran’s claim for its share of are ready to further enhance mutu- There is an update on eurozone having the desired inflation stoking effect. "This rebalancing, which is being implemented in a resolute global crude oil market, the Fras al relations within the framework of banking activity in the first quarter of the Manuel Ortiz-Olave, of Monex Eu- manner, inevitably affects China's economic partners, even if it is news agency reported on Sunday. common interests.” year with the ECB’s Bank Lending Survey. rope, said: “Sweden’s recent economic re- still too early to determine its precise impact. Yet, in any event, In the meeting, which was held Rodriguez also noted, “We are Wednesday sees an update for the UK la- covery has been impressive, and the latest we will have to be ready to accompany these development," the on Saturday in Tehran, the Venezue- prepared to boost our cooperation in bour market, with new data on earnings inflation data could prove a boost for the French Finance Minister Michel Sapin said in his address to the lan minister stated, “In talks between pharmaceutical, mining and banking and unemployment, and on Friday the Riksbank in next week’s meeting.” IMF yesterday. Caracas and members of OPEC (Or- areas and also opening credit lines, in Purchasing Managers’ Indices for the eu- No new policy action will come from Wolfgang Schauble, the German Finance Minister attributed ganization of the Petroleum Export- this new era of relations between the rozone in April are published. either central bank on Thursday, however global economic slowdown to the Chinese slowdown. ing Countries), we have always rec- two countries”. There is an update on eurozone given that eurozone inflation expectations "This slowdown is related to the necessary ongoing transition ognized Iran's right to return its oil It is worth mentioning that on banking activity in the first quarter of the have retreated since the ECB’s additional of the Chinese economy, to lower commodity prices, to earlier production ceiling to the previous Friday, Iran's Oil Ministry announced year with the ECB’s Bank Lending Survey. easing was announced last month. It is exaggerations and domestic shortcomings in some countries, like figure”. that its head Bijan Zanganeh would Wednesday sees an update for the UK la- likely to reiterate that its arsenal is not ex- insufficient structural reforms," he said. Zarif, for his part, noted that the skip the meeting of oil producers on bour market, with new data on earnings hausted and that further easing is still an British Chancellor of Exchequer George Osborne underscored imposed sanctions against Iran over freezing global oil outputs in the Qa- and unemployment, and on Friday the option. Conversely, the tone at the Riks- the shared interest of the international community in supporting its nuclear program have caused tari capital of Doha in Sunday. Purchasing Managers’ Indices for the eu- bank will be less dovish than that previ- China as it grapples to enhance the resilience of banks and cor- problems for the country in the oil Meanwhile, Venezuelan Minister rozone in April are published. ously voiced with the option of further QE porates and ensure the sustainability of local government finances sector, saying that “Tehran currently of Petroleum and Mines Eulogio del Positive news was delivered for both likely to be talked down unless any dete- and credit. seeks to revive its previous capacities”. Pino also told reporters that Vene- the ECB and Riksbank on inflation last rioration in the outlook for growth and "Structural measures such as state-owned enterprise and fi- Iran has maintained that it is tar- zuela respects Iran's position regard- week. The eurozone rate for March was inflation arises. nancial sector reforms and steps to reduce excess capacity will geting the production of four million ing the proposals to freeze oil output. revised up from an initial estimate of defla- (Source: Financial Times) support China's economic transition," said U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew. China's economy grew 6.7 percent in the first quarter of 2016, Volkswagen increases GM to recall more Canada Gov., the slowest in seven years, to reach 15.9 trillion yuan (USD 2.4 tril- than 1m pickups to Bombardier still far lion), the government said last week. discounts after The growth further narrowed from the previous quarter's 6.8 emissions scandal fix seat belts apart in aid talks percent, which was already the lowest quarterly rate in seven years. The Chinese economy logged 6.9 percent last year, the lowest in over two-and-a-half decades. In 2014, China's GDP grew by Volkswagen AG is offering bigger discounts in General Motors is recalling more than a million Canada’s Liberal government and Bombardier Inc 7.3 percent. its home market to try to lure back customers after Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks are still not close to reaching a deal on aid for the Signs of weaker-than-expected Chinese growth, volatility the automaker admitted using software to allow worldwide because the seat belts may not hold the struggling manufacturer, making an agreement before of the Chinese renminbi and persistent capital outflows has led diesel vehicles to cheat emissions tests. driver in a crash. its annual meeting this month unlikely, according to to growing anxiety in the financial markets--despite plenty and Germany’s Automobilwoche said Volkswagen The company says it covers certain 2014 and 2015 well-placed sources. strong buffers that emerging market and developing countries was trying to boost the used car trade by rais- model 1500 pickups. A steel cable that connects the The stock increased 0.14% or $0.01 on April 15, hit- (EMDC) have accumulated in recent years, said Alexandre Tom- ing discounts to up to 1,681 euros ($1,896.17) in belts to the trucks can bend when the driver sits in the ting $7.11. Bombardier, Inc. has declined 13.83% since bini, Governor, Central Bank of Brazil. April and May to win over buyers from alternative seats. Over time it can wear and separate, and if that September 10, 2015 and is downtrending. It has under- However, the Chinese leaders attending the annual Spring automakers. happens, the belts could come loose. performed by 20.41% the S&P500. meeting of International Monetary Fund and the World Bank A Volkswagen spokesman said current promo- GM said it found the problem by analyzing war- Bombardier Inc. is a manufacturer of transportation tried to assure the world leaders in almost every meetings tions in Germany were around the same level as ranty data, and that it has no reports of crashes or in- equipment, including business and commercial aircraft they have had in the past few days and over the weekend that competitors. Beyond that, he said discounts were juries due to the cables. The problem happens rarely and rail transportation equipment and systems, and is China's economy continues to be strong and there is no cause usual measures that allowed the company to react and mainly with trucks used by businesses in which a well-known provider of related services. The com- of worry. in a flexible way to comparable offers from rivals. drivers frequently enter and exit, GM spokesman Tom pany has a market cap of $3.53 billion. (Source: Economic Times) NEWS IN BRIEF Wilkinson said. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y http://www.tehrantimes.com AAPRILPRIL 118,8, 20162016 HISTORY & HERITAGE 5

New frontiers in an ancient land: NEWS Azerbaijan diversifies its Iran’s emerging hospitality market tourism sector The key focus of Azerbaijan’s tourism development strategy Iran sits at the cross roads of civilizations. Islamic revolution. Other international is diversification of tourism products and get into the new, Once, the seat of the great Persian Em- brands are looking at the huge growth untapped and niche markets which could bring thousands of pire with its rich, ancient and enchanting potential in Iran. potential tourists to the new emerging destination. historical narrative, the country has al- In particular, the UAE-based hospital- The number of foreign tourists travelling to Azerbaijan has ways retained a lasting allure to the visitor. ity firm Rotana, has also signed manage- reached more than 2 million. “We do believe these figures will From the ruins of the Persian Empire in ment agreements for four hotels in Iran, be higher by the end of 2016 and in the coming years. This Persepolis in the Southern Fars Province, two in Tehran (opening in 2018) and two will help us increase the country’s tourism competitiveness in to the Mountains of Sabalan and Dama- in Mashad (opening in 2017). President the world tourism market,” says Abulfaz Garayev, Minister of vand in the north and the turquoise wa- Rouhani’s ambitious plan to attract 20 Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan. ters of the Persian Gulf to the South, this million visitors to Iran by 2025, is being “Today we can proudly say that Azerbaijan has all the nec- ancient land has never ceased to intrigue. heeded by the international investors in essary elements for a tourism destination such as hospital- With a large and young population, rela- the hospitality sector. However, the leisure ity, rich historic and cultural heritage, beautiful natural land- tively high GDP per capita, and a strategic travel to Iran is unlikely to lead the pack scape, delicious cuisine and at the same time a very favorable location, Iran has strong potential to be- save and except for emerging tour oper- geographical location. Due to the unique characteristics of come a leading, well-educated economic ators who would typically package travel the all-year round destination now we can host all types of and tourism market globally. to the key destinations within the country. tourism activities in our country,” he says. In the tourism and hospitality sector Rather it will be the regional and in- Currently, there are projects implemented for the mod- alone, the country will undoubtedly ex- ternational corporate travel that will drive ernization and expansion of the transportation networks to pect a marked growth in the inflow of the growth in the medium term. Addi- and from Azerbaijan. One of the major projects worth men- tourists / travelers in a full range of seg- tionally, Iran has the potential to be the tioning is the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad mentations – such as cultural, religious, An Iranian little girl in traditional dress welcomes a foreign tourist with a tray adorned natural “halal destination”, a feature that delivering the capability for cargo and tourist transportation medical, eco-tourism and adventure – with mirror, sweets and flowers in an undated photo (Photo: iranontrip.com) is uniquely attractive to Muslim travel- to Turkey with further tie-in potential to European railroad business tourism alone demands a great sion of airline routes to various destina- erties in the city, particularly the four and ers, and should be to potential foreign networks, he says. deal of consideration in the aftermath of tions within Iran from regional hubs like the five star hotels. The rebranding of existing investors in this sector. This is indeed a Garayev says understanding the importance of tourism the removal of sanctions. UAE led by Emirates Airlines (four full flights properties has a number of advantages significant factor given that Thomson sector, the aim of the government is to achieve the diver- Today, Iran and the capital Tehran in per day into Tehran alone), Fly Dubai and including immediate market penetration, Reuters has valued the global halal tour- sification of the economy, ensure balanced regional and particular, is home to only a handful of Air Arabia, as well as internationally, hotel market leader positioning and direct cash ism market at $140 billion in 2013 and has sustainable socio-economic development, as well as, bring locally branded hotels that have to some Average Daily Rates (ADR) – as one of the flows from an existing hotel asset. predicted it to rise to at least $238 bil- down unemployment and poverty through the tourism in- extent met the global hospitality stand- most important indicators for hotel valua- The Government and indeed the City lion by 2019. Perhaps it is no surprise that dustry. ards. By contrast, Turkey as an immedi- tion and feasibility assessments – will surely Municipalities may well be prepared to the UAE based Rotana Group’s upcoming The ministry has also formulated the draft “Strategy for ate neighboring country of similar size witness an organic growth to reach close to enter joint ventures under which they Iranian properties, 4 and 5 stars alcohol developing tourism in Azerbaijan for 2016-2025”. This docu- houses more than 20 internationally and regional standards. supply land and appropriate licenses/ free Rayhaan-branded properties will be ment reflects the current situation in Azerbaijan’s tourism 5 star branded hotels. The lack of inter- In terms of Foreign Direct Investment, consent in return for a slice of the action. in both Tehran and Mashad with the lat- sphere, its development potential and the government’s role nationally branded accommodation and the government has provided a series Iran is also a signatory to over 60 Bilat- ter destination attracting large numbers in developing tourism, he says. quality business hotels is indeed an im- of incentives through the law on foreign eral Investment Treaties (BIT) all designed of Muslim pilgrims and religious tourists. The minister says creating better infrastructure will enable the mediate market opportunity and a criti- investment in Iran named Foreign In- to encourage and protect the investment In light of the foregoing, perhaps the country to satisfy even the most demanding of travellers from cal shortcoming in the coming years and vestment Promotion and Protection Act of foreigners. best early approach for the uninitiated different parts of the world. Azerbaijan has diverse attractions beyond. (FIPPA). These incentives include a 50% It is against this backdrop that the foreign investor entering Iran’s hospitality to offer its visitors. ‘So we continuously follow the world market The current administration under Presi- full term tax reduction on income, loan French Accor Group acting as an opera- sector is to consider entering into man- trends, modernize and upgrade our services to make Azerbai- dent Rouhani is now keen to re-prioritize structure and eligibility of government tor officially signed two inaugural proper- agement agreements for the re-branding jan the ultimate tourism destination offering unparalleled variety Iran’s Travel and Tourism sector. Under Iran’s funding, property ownership rights in- ties in Tehran with owning firm Aria Zig- and operation of the existing portfolio of of travel and holiday experiences,’ he says. 2025 vision, the government has planned cluding 100% ownership in free zones, gurat Tourism Development Company of properties in major cities including Teh- Azerbaijan is a country with a unique climate. The climate for certain key structural improvements unlimited reparation of profit capital and Iran. The two properties, Novotel and Ibis ran. This will allow for an immediate, soft enables the country to organize summer and winter holidays. (through incentives) for the privatization of dividends from the country and security open their doors in October of 2016 at market entry that can be the basis for Untouched nature, mineral springs, the world’s only oil field the hotel and hospitality industry. of ownership. the site of the Tehran International Air- future de novo direct investment in the treatment – naftalan, unique ancient architecture, unique Accordingly, with a sudden tourism This presents an immediate oppor- port (IKA) being the first international development of new hotel / hospitality culture, cuisine, and more, contribute to the formation of all boom that is expected, an indication of tunity for international hotel operators hotel brands to have entered the Iranian projects in Iran. types of tourism in Azerbaijan. which is the almost exponential expan- through the rebranding of existing prop- hospitality market in 36 years post the (Source: lexology.com) (Source: ttnworldwide.com) By Increasing Capital, Bright and Rosy Future Awaits Chadormalu Mining & Industrial Co. in Current Year

asset) out of shareholders’ registered A) Compensating the expenses of (Fig.in million rials) demands and their cash investment, investments made, 2nd Stage: Increasing capital of the B) Completing and constructing company from 28,215,000 million rials development projects, to 35,000,000 rials (equal to 40 percent Investment Needed and Financing Project of current asset) out of shareholders’ registered demands and cash investment, Description of Plan: A) Compensating spending of investments 1) Compensating spending made on participating in capital increase According to the latest estimation, the remaining expenses spent for the completion of of investee companies construction operation of development projects of the company are as follows: 2) Compensating the expenses spent on purchasing capital assets, (Fig.in million rials) The Extraordinary General Assembly 3) Compensating the expenses of Chadormalu Mining &Industrial spent for the company’s expansion Company, with regard to increasing projects capital, was held at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday With due observance to the consumptions Expenditures planned for the April 12, 2016 in the presence of 92 planned in previous reports of the capital constructing completion of expansion percent of its shareholders in amphitheater increase, the expenditures considered project of Conglomerate (Pelletizing) Mfg. of the company. As headed by Dr. Asgari, for compensating the capital cost of Factory is not considered in expenditure of the meeting was also attended by the development projects is as follows: the capital increase. representative of Tehran Stock Exchange B) Completion and construction of In previous capital increase’s report, the (TSE) and legal inspector of the company. development projects amount of 12,093,800 million rials was In the same direction, Messrs. Azadi and The amount of 12,093,800 million rials planned for the construction operation of (Fig. in million rials) Ali Akbari were appointed as observer was envisioned for the construction of power plant, so that the price difference of while Mr. Mahmoud Nourian, managing power plant in previous report prepared the amount was calculated according to the director of the company, was selected as for the capital increase, so that the price latest estimation. According to the latest secretary of the meeting. difference has been calculated with the estimation, total resources remained for Amount of Capital Increase Proposed latest estimation. the completion of construction operation According to the plan presented in this In previous capital increase’s report, of project stood at 1,662,641 million rials. respect, Chadormalu Mining & Industrial the amount of 5,559,653 million rials was The expenditures spent for the Company (P.J.S) intends to increase its envisioned for the construction operation construction operation of sponge iron plan capital from 17,100,000 million rials to of sponge iron production line, so that the stood at 4,173,931 million rials by the end 35,000,000 rials (equal to 105 percent of price difference of this amount is calculated of Sept. 2014. current asset) during two stages out of according to the latest estimation. Since the amount of 5,559,653 million rials demands and dues of shareholders and Description of Capital Increase Plan was considered for the construction of plan cash income as follows: Objective of Capital Increase in the latest approved capital increase report, 1st Stage: Increasing capital of the company The main objective of Chadormalu Mining the price difference of the amount provided from 17,100,000 rials to 28,215,000 & Industrial Co. (P.J.S) for increasing in previous report has been calculated and million rials (equal to 65 percent of current capital is as follows: considered with the latest estimation. By: A. Saeidi I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y

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Is NATO worth preserving? COMMENT Donald Trump recently ignited anoth- How to cooperate against er controversy when he mused that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization terrorism? (NATO) was obsolete. He hinted that it might no longer be worth the huge The latest Brussels terror attacks have unfortunately shown the American investment. best and the worst of international cooperation. In typical Trump style, he hit a nerve, Recent terror attacks in Paris and Brussels have sadly shown but he then offered few details about the mistakes and sometimes the lack of cooperation of security the consequences of either staying in or services. leaving NATO. Indeed, the November NATO is certainly no longer aimed at attacks in Paris were planned keeping a huge Soviet land army out by a Brussels-based cell that of democratic Western Europe, as was was likely to be piloted by the envisioned in 1949. Islamic State of Iraq and the The alliance has been unwisely ex- Levant (ISIL, also known as panded from its original 12-nation ISIS terrorist group) leaders membership to include 28 countries, in Syria. But Belgium failed absorbing many of the old communist to pass information to France Warsaw Pact nations and some former about the members of that Soviet republics. NATO may have meant cell. well to offer security to these vulnerable Finger-pointing has be- new alliance members. Yet it is hard to come the name of the game: imagine Belgians and Italians dying on while the CIA director John the battlefield to keep Russian President Brennan implied that French Vladimir Putin’s forces out of Lithuania intelligence officials failed to or Estonia. act before the November attacks, the whole world has put the Today’s NATO pledges to many of onus of the March Brussels attacks on Belgium. But what is the its newer participants are about as be- real state of international cooperation on terrorism? lievable as British and French rhetorical Middle East. It is also viewed as a fat out, the Americans in, and the Germans preemptively keeping kindred Europe- 21st-century security challenges guarantees in August 1939 to protect a target for unstable (and increasingly down.” ans from killing each other. September 11 clearly revealed the existence of transnation- faraway Poland from its Nazi and Soviet nuclear) regimes. The Soviet Union has collapsed, The issue is not whether NATO is still al terrorism with worldwide terror networks. Western nations neighbors. Sometimes Europeans even add in- Germany is now in the European Un- useful, but whether the alliance can re- were left with no choice but to closely cooperate in terms of No supposedly threatened NATO sult to injury. They count on U.S. subsi- ion, and the EU has a larger population form itself before it implodes. intelligence, know-how and even, sometimes, procedures. member during the 40-year Cold War dies to help trim defense costs in order and economy that the United States. NATO must stop growing. Why offer According to the Washington Post, right after 9/11, French invoked Article 4 of the treaty, requir- to fund socialist entitlements — even as But Putin’s Russia is still nuclear and ag- guarantees to nations that it would not President Chirac advised his intelligence services to collabo- ing consultation of the entire alliance. they caricature America as an over mil- gressive. It expands anywhere it senses protect in the real world — nations that rate with the Americans “as if they were [their] own service”. Turkey has called for it four times since itarized superpower bully. weakness. Germany still earns suspicion would only become red lines for ag- And so Alliance Base was born in Paris in 2002 for the CIA 2003. Using NATO forces outside of Europe in Europe, whether because of Chan- gressive enemies that wish to humiliate and French intelligence services to analyze the transnational Western Europe has not always been productive. It was cellor Angela Merkel’s destructive im- and unwind the alliance? NATO should movement of terrorist suspects and to develop operations to The idea that Western Europe, beset helpful in Serbia, of questionable utility migration policies or the equally unwise be wary of using its forces outside of catch or spy on them. with radical terrorism and unchecked in Afghanistan, and completely disas- practice of rich German banks recklessly Europe and should instead outsource This base - which was eventually closed in 2009 - was migrations from the war-torn Middle trous in Libya. lending to bankrupt Mediterranean na- such peacekeeping to individual mem- unique in the world because instead of sharing information East, would pledge its military support Is Trump right, then, that we should tions. The European Union never man- bers acting on their own. between countries, it actually planned operations. to the agendas and feuds of Turkish let NATO die on the vine? Is the alter- aged to unite its disparate nations into Greater European military expendi- But this was an exception rather than the rule; and coop- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s in- native of a future without the alliance something cohesive and similar to the tures will not only keep the U.S. in the eration between nations on terrorism remains quite difficult creasingly Islamist and nondemocratic preferable to the present costly and individual states of America. alliance, but also protect Europeans because it must be discreet and touching on very sensitive regime is pure fantasy. flawed NATO? In sum, a powerful Russia will al- themselves, who lack the two-ocean areas such as intelligence and justice. Few NATO members meet the al- More things change ways have to be watched. A dynamic buffer of the United States. Most importantly, the cooperation must also focus on op- liance’s goal of investing 2 percent of The more things change, the more and headstrong Germany will always Constitutional nations with common erational issues such as preventing a terrorist attack by arrest- gross domestic product in defense they stay the same. Lord Ismay, NATO’s have to be integrated into some sort of traditions of freedom of the individual, ing the members of the cell in question. spending. Instead, socialist Europe ex- first secretary-general, said that the al- military alliance. And the United States self-criticism, and tolerance of dissent The rules cited obviously work much better in a bilateral pects the United States to carry most of liance was formed to “keep the Russians will always have a natural self-interest in and difference are becoming rare these cooperation rather than a multilateral one. Also some Western NATO’s fiscal and military burdens. days. Without shared military power countries avoid sharing intelligence with multilateral organi- Europe is increasingly seen as de- The issue is not whether NATO is still useful, and cooperation, Westerners can either zations such as Europol for security reasons and to avoid the fenseless against terrorism, and unable but whether the alliance can reform itself all hang together or surely we will hang risk of leaks. to stop the immigration of legions of separately. Therefore, it is much easier and safer for the United States (Source: The Washington Times) young male Muslim migrants from the before it implodes. to cooperate with France, for example, than with the European Union. Non-cooperation Moreover, a top U.S. counterterrorism official said Europe- Politics is alive and well and living in Scotland an countries can do more to screen terrorists because they don't take full advantage of tools the U.S. has offered in the fight against terrorism. The heightened involvement with the political process that happened during the The latest Brussels terror attacks have unfortunately shown the best and the worst of international cooperation. independence campaign shows no signs of abating Despite repeated inquiries by Belgium, Sweden refused to and interested in politics than anywhere else in the provide information on Mohamed Belkaid, a key ISIL terrorist By Kevin McKenna UK. It also shows that Scottish voters are the least operative who was allegedly the Brussels coordinator of the n the 18 months or so that have elapsed since convinced that Westminster works best for them and November Paris attacks and also a planner of the Brussels at- Scotland’s independence referendum, two com- that Britain’s political system needs to be improved. tacks. I The Algerian who lived in Sweden for more than 10 years peting views have emerged about what the coun- The review recalled last year’s audit, which showed try experienced during that long campaign. For those that, in the wake of the independence referendum, ended up being killed by Belgian security forces just before on the Yes side of the constitutional debate, it seemed Scots were “considerably more interested in and Salah Abdeslam's arrest. Scotland had undergone a cultural renaissance that knowledgeable about politics than in previous years Positive cases travelled well beyond the actual politics of the event. and significantly more engaged than the British pop- One positive example of intelligence sharing was that two On 18 September, the Yes side fell a few percentage ulation overall. This situation has not just been main- countries passed valuable information to Belgium - which was points short of the magic number required to make tained but has improved still further this year; knowl- sadly ignored. Turkey said it had detained and then deport- Scotland an independent country, yet it didn’t feel like edge levels in Scotland have grown a further nine ed Brahim el-Bakraoui - one of the two suicide bombers at a defeat. points and interest levels have increased by 14 points.” Brussels airport - suggesting Belgian authorities ignored a July Instead, they exhibited all the signs of victory: eu- During the referendum campaign, I had also tak- 2015 warning that he was a “foreign terrorist fighter”. phoria, achievement and a sense that they had been en the opportunity to travel down through the spine Confirming the Turkish intelligence, the FBI warned the part of something life-changing and life-affirming. nosis. This held that Scotland was becoming a dan- of England to collect the views of those whom the Netherlands six days before the Brussels attacks, which then I observed this phenomenon up and down the gerously divided country through the process of the Scottish historian Tom Devine describes as “our great forwarded the information to Belgium. country during the campaign and in places where I referendum. They seized on every example of nasti- southern neighbors”. Everyone I spoke to during Also Morocco allegedly informed Belgium of an imminent hadn’t expected to find it. In the side-room of a civic ness, fed to them by the Better Together campaign, that journey south spoke admiringly and with a de- attack among other targets against nuclear facilities one week hall in Govan, it was present in a group of 20 or so and dressed it up as yet more reason to bring in UN gree of affection of the Scots and all acknowledged before the Brussels triple suicide bombings. It might be one of women debating the idea of independence and how peacekeepers. that something rare and special was happening. “No the countries that the West should closely work with. it might affect their lives. Nothing good would ever come of the independ- matter what you decide, we wish you well,” was the Indeed, Morocco provided intelligence to France after the These women had all encountered an assortment ence referendum and the scars would take genera- common refrain. In this was a degree of respect often November Paris attacks of the whereabouts of cell leader Ab- of challenges in their lives, ranging from food and fuel tions to heal. If there had indeed been a feel-good missing in the sentiments of their political leaders. delhamid Abaaoud, which led to his killing by security forces poverty to domestic abuse and health inequality. Yet factor then it had been a shallow and wretched one In the New York Times last week, that very fine au- in St Denis before he could carry out another wave of terror they had a solid grasp of the big events unfolding and it would soon evaporate once we had all come thor and political commentator Roger Cohen wrote attacks in the French capital. around them and felt that there was a spirit abroad to our senses and got back to letting the usual power gloomily of the death of liberalism in the world today. Also, just before al-Qaeda in the Maghreb's attack in Grand in the land off which they might feed. In this place elite run the country’s affairs. “You don’t really know Cohen wrote: “Nationalism and authoritarianism, rein- Bassam, Moroccan services had warned their Ivorian col- more than any other I visited during that febrile and about these things,” they seemed to be saying, “so just forced by technology, have come together to exercise leagues of a possible imminent attack against beaches in the chaotic time I felt privileged to be witnessing part of finish up your drinks, get to your bed and let us get on new forms of control and manipulation over human Ivory Coast. the process of women feeling empowered and it was with our highly paid jobs of telling you what we think beings whose susceptibility to greed, prejudice, ig- The country that benefits the most from Morocco's exper- a very humbling experience. Like many others across you need to know.” Well, 19 months later the feeling norance, domination, subservience and fear was not, tise on counterterrorism is neighbouring Spain. In fact, their Scotland, on either side of the debate, they had found hasn’t gone away. after all, swept away by the fall of the Berlin Wall.” cooperation is so fruitful that it should be an example for oth- a voice and with it the realization that it was as elo- Last week, the Hansard Society, the independent He went on: “Such anti-rational forces are every- ers to follow, especially inside Europe. quent and meaningful as anyone else’s. charity that promotes democratic engagement, re- where these days – in Donald Trump’s America, in Regular exchange of information between the two coun- Influential voices vealed what many of us had sensed: that something Marine Le Pen’s France, in Vladimir Putin’s Russia, tries has resulted in the dismantling of many terror cells linked Another view, though, formed among several influ- positive and special did happen in Scotland at that throughout much of the Middle East, in North Korea.” either to ISIL or al-Qaeda terrorists. ential voices on the No side of the campaign. This was time and that it is still happening. He might well have included the ancient instruments Spain now counts among the Western countries that have a collection of attitudes that coalesced under the Pro- Interested in politics of control wielded by small collections of the elite and arrested the highest number of terrorists recently. Trust be- ject Fear strategy, which underpinned the approach The research in the society’s annual audit revealed privileged everywhere and of which we were given a tween the two services is such that Moroccan counterterror- of the official Better Together campaign. This dictated that Scots are significantly more knowledgeable about rare glimpse in the Panama Papers. Indeed, it’s doubt- ism officers have conducted joint operations in Spain in par- that only in manipulating and exaggerating natural ful that there has ever been a triumph of liberalism in ticular to dismantle a major cell in Barcelona in December 2015 fear of the unknown lay the No side’s best chance of Scottish Labor insisted that any age and that whatever liberalism we encountered that was reportedly planning Paris-style attacks. victory. In the current EU campaign, some of the same the independence campaign was that which we were allowed to. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel called for more co- themes can be seen in the Leave side. was a phony war that was I would suggest Cohen gets himself over to Scot- ordination between countries across Europe: something that is Scottish Labor insisted that the independence cam- land at some point in the very near future, if even just clearly not at the required level to combat terrorists. paign was a phony war that was detracting from the detracting from the real to revive his drooping spirits. There, he may find that At the same time, Belgium has no new plans for domes- real and unglamorous business of running the country and unglamorous business all is not lost and that a spirit of democratic engage- tic reforms that are crucially needed, as was exposed when on a day-to-day basis. of running the country on a ment, innocent and naive though some of it may be, the country's various security services failed to speak to each The rightwing commentariat, Scottish Labor’s new is shaking the barley. other. allies in the campaign, waded in with their own prog- day-to-day basis. (Source: The Guardian) (Source: Al Jazeera) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y

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NEWS IN BRIEF Ancient volcanoes could be key to Theatrical group brought laughter back to sick children at hospital predicting impact of climate change

Just over 200 million years ago, long be- an assistant professor at the University of By Marjan Golpira fore the demise of the dinosaurs, a cata- Utah, and Yadira Ibarra, now a postdoc- clysm killed off a significant chunk of the toral research fellow at Stanford University. TEHRAN — Despite going through serious illnesses, children planet’s animal life. The leading theory Planet biosphere at the Bahrami Children’s Hospital, got to experience a different implicates massive volcanic eruptions, Corsetti said the rise in mercury seems day, a day of joy and laughter while lying in bed, on Friday. triggered when the supercontinent of to match changes in the planet’s biosphere Thanks to the Khodkar-e Asemani theatrical group for not Pangea was ripped apart into separate during the era. As the mercury was found passing up the chance to introduce a good belly laugh back to continents. to rise in the rock samples, it matched a the lives of bedridden children even for a day. A new study co-authored by USC re- wave of animal extinctions on the planet’s searchers strengthens evidence for that surface and in its seas. The mass extinc- theory and has wider implications for how tion peaks just as the level of mercury rapid climate change can affect life on does; biodiversity begins to return once Earth. Along with lava flows, the volcanic the mercury level recedes, about 700,000 eruptions released massive amounts of years after the event began. the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, cre- The mercury, Corsetti said, serves as a ating havoc in the ecosystem. kind of fingerprint for a massive volcanic The study in Nature Communications, eruption in what’s known as the Central charts the sharp escalation of the element Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP). Es- mercury in samples of rock preserved sentially, CAMP was the spot in Pangea from the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event. where the Atlantic Ocean would later ap- It isn’t the ordinary mercury you’d find on pear after the land mass split. the surface of the planet: Isotopic data A new study co-authored by USC researchers strengthens “If that much material erupted today, suggests it can be traced to the eruptions. evidence for that theory and has wider implications for it would cover the contiguous United Frank Corsetti, a geobiologist at the how rapid climate change can affect life on Earth. States with about 400 meters of lava — USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & it was an enormous series of eruptions,” Sciences, was a co-author on the study Josh West and William Berelson; current a host of current and past graduate stu- Corsetti said. The Khodkar-e Asemani theatrical group brings smile back to along with USC professors David Bottjer, USC graduate student Joyce Yager; and dents, including Kathleen Ritterbush, now (Source: USC News) children with rare diseases in the Bahrami Children’s Hospital. With assistance of a host of five performers, Mehdi Baqeri, the head of the group, put together a small humor group for the ill chil- dren and their mothers at their bedside in the health care facility. Space hotels close as inflatable pod joined to International Space Station “Watching these kids and mothers wearing a broad smile and distracting them from their pain was a true eid for me,” Baqeri said. Floating space hotels took a giant leap towards reality carried out 70 miles from his home. Playing the guitar, performing mime, dancing to the music when the first inflatable pod was attached to the Interna- He decided to choose a career that would make him were among some of the tasks the group took up to crack tional Space Station (ISS). rich enough to one day hire the scientific expertise needed the kids up. On Saturday mission controllers at Houston used a ro- to launch his own space program. Right on. The Khodkar-e Asemani group has hit the nail right botic arm to attach the pod to the Tranquilly module on the Bigelow subsequently poured millions from his Budget on the head. Indeed, laughter is the best medicine, possessing ISS, where it will remain for two years, undergoing tests to Suites of America hotel chain and real estate ventures into priceless power of healing. make sure it is safe and can stand up to widely fluctuating funding aerospace research. temperatures, cosmic radiation and space debris. NASA administrator Charles Bolden has said that it is “We believe crews traveling to the moon, Mars, aster- likely that his modules will replace the ISS as the next major oids or other destinations could use them as habitable habitation zone in space. structures or as labs or work areas.” The "space station provides an ideal laboratory to test This new tool from MIT The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) test marks the BEAM expandable module in the harsh environment can debug a program in a the first step towards a future where large numbers of the inflat- where it will have to operate,” said Julie Robinson, NASA’s minute able pods could be joined together to form large habitations or chief scientist for the International Space Station. astro-hotels for tourists in deep space. They could even be the "BEAM has many desirable features for space habitats. structures which create the first Moon or Mars colonies. pods before, but none have ever been occupied by humans. Attaching this expandable module to the space station of- If you’ve got a minute, you’ve got enough time to find bugs in The pods where developed by Bigelow Aerospace, Space travel fers NASA the opportunity to expose it to the radiation, your Ruby on Rails-based Web application. It’s not because you’re which was founded in 1999 by American property billion- As a child Bigelow, who grew up in Las Vegas, set him- temperatures, pressures and micrometeoroid environment, necessarily oh so adept at debugging your own code (though you aire Robert Bigelow. self the goal of space travel when he developed a fascina- and measure how it holds up." may be), but rather thanks to a new tool from MIT. A new debug- The tycoon has launched prototype expandable space tion with science, after witnessing a series of atomic tests (Source: The Telegraph) ger from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology takes no more than 64 seconds to analyze any program and find its problems. By taking advantage of certain idiosyncrasies inherent to the Ruby language, the MIT system was able to find 23 unno- Decades-old study challenges advice on Pollutants in fish could disrupt your ticed security issues in 50 popular Web applications. But most saturated fat defenses to toxins impressive of all, the tool took no more than 64 seconds to analyze any single app. A four-decades-old study - recently dis- Human defense mechanisms could be This is made possible by Ruby’s reliance on defining very basic covered in a dusty basement - has raised disrupted by the presence of a class of operations in libraries. When MIT researchers rewrote those librar- new questions about longstanding di- organic pollutants in fish and other food, ies, the operations contained in those collections were forced to de- etary advice and the perils of saturated according to new research. scribe their behavior using a logical language. This, Katherine Noyes fat in the American diet. The study, published in the journal Sci- of the IDG News Service explains, “turns the Rails interpreter, which The research, known as the Minnesota ence Advances, appears to be the first to converts high-level Rails programs into machine-readable code, Coronary Experiment, was a major con- identify the mechanism by which chemi- into a static-analysis tool that describes how data flows through trolled clinical trial conducted from 1968 cals like flame retardants — present in the program.” Ultimately, researchers were left with a line-by-line to 1973, which studied the diets of more many household furniture items, like so- breakdown of how a program interprets data. than 9,000 people at state mental hospi- fas and mattresses — and the pesticide (Source: Digital Trends) tals and a nursing home. DDT block a key protein from removing During the study, which was paid for toxins from the body. P-glycoprotein, the by the National Heart, Lung and Blood protein in question, defends against tox- Institute and led by Ivan Frantz Jr of the Ramsden, a medical investigator at the ins that entered the body by transport- protein, like a sneaky patron might get Ask well: How do you die University of Minnesota Medical School, National Institutes of Health, learned ing them for removal. The new research past a bouncer in club, says Hamdoun. researchers were able to tightly regulate about the long-overlooked study. In- shows that persistent organic pollutants, But the new study shows that the pollut- from Alzheimer’s? the diets of the institutionalized study trigued, he contacted the University of known as POPs, latch onto proteins and ants actually interact with the protein and subjects. Half of those subjects were fed Minnesota in hopes of reviewing the un- prevent them from functioning. make it less effective. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that meals rich in saturated fats from milk, published data. Frantz, who died in 2009, “These environmental chemicals form But until now scientists did not under- causes dementia, destroying memory, cognitive skills, the cheese and beef. The remaining group had been a prominent scientist at the uni- intimate interactions,” says study author stand exactly how the pollutant harmed ability to care for oneself, speak and walk, said Ruth Drew, ate a diet in which much of the saturated versity, where he studied the link between Amro Hamdoun of the Scripps Institu- humans. Researchers had previously director of family and information services at the Alzhei- fat was removed and replaced with corn saturated fat and heart disease. One of tion of Oceanography at the University of thought that POPs simply slipped by the mer’s Association. oil, an unsaturated fat that is common in his closest colleagues was Ancel Keys, an California, San Diego. “But instead of being protein, like a sneaky patron might get “And since the brain affects everything, Alzheimer’s ultimately many processed foods today. influential scientist whose research in the expelled, these proteins interfere with the past a bouncer in club, says Hamdoun. affects everything,” she said, The study was intended to show that 1950s helped establish saturated fat as ability of p-glycoprotein from doing its job.” The study also shows that POP can “including the ability to swal- removing saturated fat from people's di- public health enemy, prompting the fed- Awareness about the risks of POPs is exist at risky levels in the environment. low, cough and breathe.” ets and replacing it with polyunsaturated eral government to recommend low-fat nothing new. Public health campaigners Some fish caught in the Gulf of Mexico Once patients reach the fat from vegetable oils would protect diets to the entire nation. have sought to remove POPs from the en- off the coast of Louisiana were found to advanced stages of Alzhei- them against heart disease and lower "My father definitely believed in reduc- vironment for decades, and a 2001 treaty have levels of the pollutant to could lead mer’s, they may stop eating their mortality. ing saturated fats, and I grew up that way," even committed countries to take measures to high levels of p-glycoprotein inhibitors. and become weak and sus- Clinical dietary trials said Robert Frantz, the lead researcher's son to reduce human exposure to the pollutants. “This is something that scientists and ceptible to infections, said Dr. So what was the result? Despite being and a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic. "We Pollutants harm humans policymakers will want to think about Jason Karlawish, a professor of one of the largest controlled clinical di- followed a relatively low-fat diet at home, But until now scientists did not under- very carefully,” says Hamdoun. “It’s very medicine at the University of etary trials of its kind ever conducted, the and on Sundays or special occasions, we'd stand exactly how the pollutant harmed important to make sure that those fish Pennsylvania. data were never fully analyzed. have bacon and eggs." humans. Researchers had previously don’t end up in our food supply.” Unable to swallow or cough, Several years ago, Christopher E (Source: Business Standard) thought that POPs simply slipped by the (Source: Time) they are at high risk of choking, aspirating food particles or wa- ter into the lungs and develop- ing pneumonia, which is often Sun-powered plane to resume around-the-world flight the immediate cause of death, he said. “You see a general decline in the contribution the brain The solar-powered Solar Impulse 2, which had to take aircraft, which received some much-needed attention, and that of a jumbo jet - from the sands of the United Arab makes, not just in thinking, but in maintaining the body’s ho- a break from its circumnavigation mid-way through last for the team’s dynamics, which had suffered under some Emirates, for its first short leg to neighboring Oman. year due to burned out batteries, is set to resume its major disagreements between cockpit and ground staff. The purpose of the historic effort, as explained on the meostasis,” Dr. Karlawish said. Using a feeding tube to nourish patients and hospitalizing them for infections does not signifi- epic journey. Embracing setbacks Solar Impulse website, is “to achieve something that still cantly extend life at the advanced stages of the disease and is Solar Impulse 2, the solar-powered plane seeking to cir- The “past eight months have exemplified the team spir- seems impossible today: the first round-the-world solar discouraged because it can prolong suffering with no hope of cle the globe, is expected to take to the skies again this it, embracing setbacks and seeing them as opportunities,” flight, powered only by the sun, with no fuel or polluting recovery, he said. coming week, having been grounded for nine months. write the Solar Impulse team on their blog. “After replacing emissions.” Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the United The aircraft shattered the record for a non-stop solo the batteries that overheated during the flight from Nago- Clean technology is at the very core of the team’s ethos, States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preven- flight, with pilot Andrι Borschberg staying aloft for five days ya to Hawaii, the countdown has now started for the Solar with 17,000 solar panels blanketing the wings, providing tion, but that figure may underestimate the actual number of and five nights as he traversed the Pacific Ocean between Impulse team to finish what they started, and head back to power for the plane to climb to 28,000 feet each day, then cases, Dr. Karlawish said, since some deaths may be attributed to Japan and Hawaii, but in the process about half the battery their departure point: Abu Dhabi.” drifting down to 5,000 feet during the hours of darkness, other causes like pneumonia. cells overheated. So the odyssey began in March 2015, with the 5,000 when the sun’s energy is unavailable. (Source: The NYT) The forced interruption proved invaluable, both for the pound craft lifting its enormous wingspan - equivalent to (Source: The Christian Science Monitor) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y http://www.tehrantimes.com/international APRIL 18, 2016 WORLD IN FOCUS 9

A powerful earthquake killed at least 77 what hurts the most,” he told Ecuador’s people, injured hundreds more, ravaged Powerful earthquake state television channel from Rome. “The coastal towns and sent residents fleeing material part is the least important, what for higher ground in Ecuador on Satur- is fundamental is guaranteeing human JUMP day night. kills 77 in Ecuador life.” The 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Parts of the capital were without pow- Iran, EU set the roadmap off Ecuador’s Pacific coast and was felt er or telephone service for several hours, for cooperation hundreds of miles (km) away in the cap- though the city government said that ital of Quito as well as in the large com- services were quickly restored and that 1 They welcomed the implementation day of the mercial city of Guayaquil, where rubble there were no reports of casualties in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on 16 January lay strewn in the streets and some build- city. 2016 that contributed to opening a new chapter in EU-Iran ings were cracked or partially collapsed. The government described it as the relations. The EU and Iran are fully committed to the JCPOA A bridge in the city collapsed on top worst quake in the country since 1979, and its implementation in all its aspects. It was reconfirmed of car, crushing it. when 600 people were killed and 20,000 that the continued and full implementation of the JCPOA re- The earthquake was Ecuador’s worst injured, according to the United States mains of utmost importance. in decades and officials said the death Geological Survey. toll was likely to rise even higher as res- A tsunami warning was lifted on Sat- cue teams headed into the hardest-hit urday night but coastal residents were areas. encouraged to seek higher ground in “It was terrifying, we were all scared case tides rise. and we’re still out in the streets because The OPEC (Organization of the Pe- we’re worried about aftershocks,” said troleum Exporting Countries) nation’s Guayaquil security guard Fernando Gar- oil production was not affected by the cia. “Everything is damaged.” quake but that the principal refinery A state of emergency was declared in of Esmeraldas, located near the epi- six provinces. center, had been halted as a precau- The areas worst affected include Ped- tion. ernales, which draws tourists with beach- Elsewhere, across the Pacific in Ja- es lined with palm-trees and tropical pan, a 7.3 magnitude tremor struck thatch-hut restaurants, as well as nearby Kumamoto province early on Satur- It was stated that the following shared and overarching Cojimies. day, killing at least 32 people, injuring objectives are vital for the promotion of EU-Iran relations: “There are villages that are totally about a thousand and causing wide- • Ensuring and supporting the full implementation of the devastated,” Pedernales’ mayor, Gabriel spread damage, in the second major JCPOA in order to further improve and deepen bilateral co- Alcivar, said in a radio interview. “What (12.4 miles), and was followed by 55 af- to the Vatican to coordinate the rescue quake to hit the island of Kyushu in operation; happened here in Pedernales is cata- tershocks. efforts. just over 24 hours. The first, late on • Developing cooperative relations in areas of mutual in- strophic.” President Rafael Correa declared a “Everything can be rebuilt, but lost Thursday, killed nine. (Source: Reuters) terest to benefit the economic development, human rights, The quake struck at a depth of 20 km national emergency and cut short a trip lives cannot be recovered, and that’s prosperity and well-being of the people of Iran and the EU; • Promoting regional peace, security and stability as well as peaceful settlement of regional conflicts through dialogue ECO-Caspian energy transition through gas and engagement. To facilitate the programme of cooperation as set out be- 1 In addition to the market sit- comes. littoral states to resolve existing territorial millennia. For instance, he points out that low and with a view to preparing the future opening of an uation, another item on the agenda for Such a model of an Energy Clearing water delineation issues through what he the concept of prepayment at a discount EU Delegation in Tehran, in accordance with rules and regu- the 4th ECO Energy Petroleum Minis- Union may resolve present difficulties has termed a Nondominium framework – prepay credits – is an ancient one which lations of the Islamic Republic of Iran, an EU liaison team will terial Meeting planned for the second faced by the Islamic Republic of Iran - as agreement. This name’s origins in the remains embedded (but forgotten) in the be sent to Tehran. This will contribute to strengthening the half of 2016 will probably be a new and a founder member of ECO and a mem- ancient Latin language reflect the crucial English language. relations and implement future cooperation initiatives. neutral “Market Model” or legal and ber of Caspian littoral states – through attribute of the agreement that no na- “For more than 500 years UK sover- The EU and Iran intend to cooperate in the following ar- financial framework for ECO-Caspian sanctions restricting access to dollars tion or stakeholder will have dominant eigns financed their expenditure through eas: countries. notwithstanding an outstanding agree- rights over others, but that all will rather issuing at a discount undated prepay Political Consultations As a former Director for Energy, Min- ment with 5+1 nations. have rights of veto on issues that concern credits – known as ‘stock’ – which were The two sides intend to enhance their political dialogue erals & Environment of the ECO Secre- In my view the ECO-Caspian region is them. returnable in payment of taxes. The truth through consultations at the level of the HRVP and the Iranian tariat during the last recent decade I am well placed to be a proof of concept for a Nondominium has two elements is that such ‘stock’ had nothing whatever Foreign Minister, annually. This advances the existing agree- on record as saying that energy-related collaborative energy market model which Caspian Partnership – a framework to do with the ownership ‘shares’ in joint ment to meet regularly for a High Level Dialogue at Deputy economic cooperation in the region may is complementary to previous agree- agreement within which production flows stock companies with which we are all fa- Minister/ Political Director level. Senior officials and experts take place without ECO & Caspian Sea ments and transcends negative impact would be allocated between nations and miliar today.” will meet as required to explore other fields of mutual inter- member nations being bound to the U.S. of current ideological conflicts through service providers individually. And he further added: “Not only is est in which bilateral, regional and international cooperation dollar. energy diplomacy. Caspian Clearing Union – an agree- such stock no longer traded on stock projects could be developed. A proposal for a new “market model” ECO region combines a vast eight ment within which production rights (en- exchanges, but also I find it completely Human Rights was introduced by Wimpole Internation- million square kilometres area and a ergy credit instruments) would be creat- fascinating that the phrase ‘rate of re- The two sides expressed their determination to enhance al - a UK-based consortium headed by population of 450+ million people who ed, exchanged, and settled with a mutual turn’ in fact had nothing whatever to do and promote human rights. In this context, they intend to a former director of London-based Inter- share cultural heritage and borders. guarantee. with a fixed rate of return on debt, but engage in a human rights dialogue. To this end, they would national Petroleum Exchange Mr. Chris To bring the nations together collab- This proposed “Nondominium” will actually refers to the potentially varia- welcome the exchange of visits of delegations. Cook. oratively as a United States of Energy not function as an organization but rath- ble rate over time at which these pre- (See the rest of the statement The key elements of Mr. Cook’s pro- Producers and Consumers may point er as an agreement for self organization pay credit units – issued at a discount on the Tehran Times website) posal are firstly that energy trades may the way to a resolution of the current to an agreed common purpose. The to give an absolute return - can be re- be priced in dollars without being settled global energy crisis. A first step might neutrality of governance ensures that the turned to the issuer. It follows that the in dollars and secondly that it is even be an ECO-Caspian Energy Accord with sovereignty of participating states is not issue of stock or prepay credits based U.S. elections: Ted Cruz beats possible to maintain pricing in energy it- neighbors such as the European Union compromised. upon the value of energy will essentially self as a unit of account or standard unit which would build upon initiatives dat- Back to the future create a form of new currency return- Donald Trump in Wyoming of measure for value. As Mr. Cook points ing back to 2002. To those who doubt that such struc- able either in payment for natural gas, out, it is possible to keep score of, or ac- Caspian Sea “Nondominium” tures and instruments can work, Mr. or for the equivalent energy value in Ted Cruz has won all 14 delegates at stake in the western U.S. count for, transactions in energy rather As a Senior Research Fellow at Uni- Cook points out that these concepts and electricity or other carbon fuel.” state of Wyoming, handing rival Donald Trump, who made than dollars and that to price in energy versity College London, Mr. Cook has de- instruments actually pre-date existing (See the rest of the article on the little effort to win the rural state, another loss in a series of leads to very different economic out- veloped a proposal for the Caspian Sea financial structures and instruments by Tehran Times website) defeats in Western states. Cruz is trying to prevent Trump from obtaining the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the Republican nomination at the July convention in Cleveland. His win further narrowed IKCO Exports 30 Thousand Vehicles to Intl. Markets the gap in the race for the party’s nomination. ECONOMY TEHRAN — Iran Kho- and assembling of Runna, Dena and Sor- tional markets by achieving Euro 5 and market; to gain more shares of the By continuing to make small wins, Cruz is gaining ground deskdro Industrial Group en in its sites abroad on its list of priority. Euro 6 standards, promoting its prod- market, they have established certain on the New York real estate baron, who has thus far failed to has already exported 30 thousand ve- “IKCO has already picked up one or ucts’ quality and equipping them with marketing policies including offering shift his focus on the local-level campaigning necessary to hicles of different models to the interna- more vehicles as its main items to ex- automatic gearboxes as well as diesel special services to their customers,” win delegates. tional markets since March 20, said IKCO’s port to certain markets. The selection engines. he asserted. According to a delegate count by the Associated Press Deputy CEO for Export and International has been made after evaluating the Earlier, IKCO opened Arisun pickup In line with Iran’s Automotive Indus- news agency, Trump still leads the overall delegate race with Affairs, Saeed Tafazzoli. preferences and needs of each market’s production line in Iraq. According to Taf- try Outlook 2025, Iran is set to produce 744 delegates. Cruz has 559. He also noted that in line with the new customers and the capabilities of IKCO’s azzoli, the car manufacturer is now set to three million vehicles each year, one third That means Trump must win nearly 60 percent of those policies set by IKCO’s top management rivals in those markets,” he said. establish a Soren production line in Iraq of which to be exported. In this respect remaining before the party’s political convention in July. aimed at continuing presence in the in- Tafazzoli also noted that Iran Kho- site by March 20, 2017. IKCO as the biggest carmaker in Iran and Trump has been critical of the process, calling it “rigged” ternational markets, the car manufacturer dro was putting considerable effort “Some strong rivals, most of them the Middle East, has picked up export as while speaking at a rally in Syracuse, New York. has put promotion of the national brand into gaining more shares of interna- Chinese, have already entered Iraq’s one of its main targets. He has repeatedly complained about Colorado state, which awarded all 34 of its delegates to Cruz despite not holding a popular vote. Razi Insurance, the Pipeline Coating Bank Sarmayh to Trump said his supporters are becoming increasingly an- gry with states such as Wyoming and Colorado. First in Iran to Receive Surveyed By C- SCAN Cooperate with Irtoya “They’re going nuts out there, they’re angry,” Trump said International Credit Rating In Northeast District and Miladeshahr Holding in Syracuse. “The bosses took away their vote, and I wasn’t going to ECONOMY TEHRAN — In a ceremony at- ECONOMY TEHRAN — New coating of Sem- ECONOMY TEHRAN — Mutual cooperation send big teams of people three, four months ago, have them desktended by provincial officials of desknan-Shahrood 22” pipeline was deskbetween Bank Sarmayeh, Irtoya out there.” Mashhad and a handful of senior executives and surveyed by C- SCAN, Public Relations Office of the and MiladeShahr Holding was discussed in a meet- Wyoming does not hold a primary vote. managers of Razi Insurance (RI), the East district National Iranian Oil Pipelines and Telecommunication ing with the two companies, Bank Sarmayeh office of Instead, 475 party activists convened in Casper, Wyoming on Branch of RI was inaugurated, the public relations Company ( IOPTC) reports. public relations reported. Saturday to hold a state convention and award 14 delegates. office of RI reported. The report quotes the head of Corrosion Engi- In this meeting attended by Hadadzadeh the own- Previously, 12 other delegates had been designated at In the event Dr. Younes Mazloumi, the CEO of Razi neering Unit in the District as saying: C-Scan is con- er of Irtoya company, Karimi, the CEO of MiladeShahr county-level conventions. Insurance Co. said, providing new insurance servic- ducted to coating survey of pipeline and to ensure Holding Co. and the directing board and senior man- Cruz won 10 of those, with one going to Trump and an- es and financial compensation, 24 hours after the that pipeline operation is running safely. agers of Bnak Sarmayeh, the avenues of mutual co- other being elected as “unbound”. (Source: Al Jazeera) completion of the case and making arrangements Ali Reza Talezari further stated: in this method, operation between Bank Sarmayeh and the two com- to obtain ranking in an internationally recognized in- electromagnetic currents are applied via the pipe in panies were reviewed and discussed. stitution as the first Iranian insurance company are order to pinpoint any faults in the wrap or coating, Providing credit facilities to the Irtoya sales agents Mahdi Educational and among the achievements of RI Company that we are and to detect the intensity and possible leak of the and representatives, installation of POS terminals and Cultural Center promoting proud of. currents. ATM devices in Irtoya representative agencies, open- “We hope by getting this international credit rank- He pointed out that: Corrosion Engineering ing private currency units in Irtoya and MiladeShahr Islam ing, as the first and only insurance company in Iran, Unit of the National Iranian Oil Pipelines and Holding CO., opening non-US dollar documentary RI will have a dynamic presence in the international Telecommunication Company is determined to letters of credit and a joint advertising campaign with ECONOMY Mahdi Educational and Cultural Center, lo- arenas” he added. implement the latest method to protect pipe- Irtoya are among the subject discussed in the event. deskcated in the vicinity of Jamkaran Mosque in Attended by Dr. Mazloumi, managing director lines wrap and coating as it yields early and This report further stated, “By a new managing the holy city of Qom, has held over 20,000 classes about the of RI, provincial officials of Mashhad and a handful effective return. team starting their work, Bank Sarmayeh has con- ideologies of the last Shia Imam Mahdi (AS) with the aim of of senior executives and managers of Razi Insur- According to Talezari, C-Scan operation was con- ducted a series of intensive and continuous negoti- promoting Islam among people especially youths. ance (RI), The ceremony was held in the conference ducted in 20km of Semnan-Shahrood 22” pipeline, ations with Industrialists and corporate and commer- Besides presenting different courses about Islam, the hall of Pardisan hotel and then in Mashhad branch from 265km to 285km, covering the new coating of cial companies to expand the banks fields of activities center has also held seminars with religious content across building. this route. and to attract maximum possible resources. Iran while providing accommodation for the participants. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 10 ENVIRONMENT AAPRILPRIL 118,8, 22016016 http://www.tehrantimes.com/society

IRAN’S WILDLIFE Soil erosion costs Iran $56 billion Neurergus Kaiseri (Salamander)

Everyone knows the tiger, the panda, the blue whale, but what annually: official about the other five to thirty million species estimated to inhabit our Earth? Many of these marvelous, stunning, and rare species have 1 This is while hundreds of thousands we have adopted for the development of our received little attention from the media, conservation groups, and of Iranians lost their lives during an eight-year country is not in accordance with its ecological the public. This series is an attempt to give these ‘forgotten species’ war [1980-1988 Iraq-Iran war] to safeguard conditions. some well-deserved attention. the soil, but they are now losing equal to Less- Instead of investing in soil and water, Irani- The salamander was a mythical creature before it was a real er Tunb [an island in the Persian Gulf] every ans could move towards high-tech and alter- one: the word salamander means a legendary lizard that both year only because of adopting wrong polices. native energies and take advantage of 4,700 survived-in and could extinguish fire. A creature that the Ancient As the Supreme Leader highlighted last kilometers of their maritime border or historical Greeks, including Aristotle, appeared to readily believe in. year, soil is more important than water be- Silk Road. Iran is among the five first countries No one knows how the term salamander transferred from a cause 200 to 1,000 years are required to in the world in terms of natural landscape and mythical fire-dwelling monster to the small amphibious animals form soil, but there are some ways to turn 10th for historical buildings and could easily at- it applies to today. Perhaps saline water into fresh water. tract 20 to 22 million tourists every year mak- the sight of salamanders like However, water (consumption) is also the ing revenue twice its oil industry. Lorestan newt—charcoal-black second challenge in Iran. Instead of 40 per- What is your department doing now and flame-orange—caused cent, Iranians are draining over 80 percent of to bring the ongoing environmental chal- people in the seventeenth cen- their water reservoirs, the result of which is lenges under control? Mehr tury to lend the name of myth water stress across the country. Water-level has A: Well, what we are currently pursuing to the taxa. Native to a tiny river been declining in more than 60 main plains seriously is raising a new generation with an region in the Zagros Mountains in the center of Iran. Besides, the fastest de- Instead of investing in soil and water, eco-friendly attitude who never sign any deal of Iran, the Lorestan newt Neu- sertification of the century has taken place in Iranians could move towards high-tech and or agreement that may endanger their envi- rergus kaiseri stuns everyone Lake Urmia where 480,000 hectares of the land ronment in the future. who works with it. have turned into desert within 15 years. alternative energies and take advantage of In this regard a memorandum of under- Neurergus kaiseri is the Most of the lagoons are in deplorable con- 4,700 kilometers of their maritime border or standing was signed two years ago between smallest of the Neurergus spe- dition and a total 60 percent of them, includ- historical Silk Road. Minister of Education Ali-Asghar Fani and Ms. cies, with an adult length of 10- ing Almagol, Alagol, Ajigol in Payab-e Atrak, Masumeh Ebtekar, head of the Department of 14 centimeters. Sparreboom et are left bone dry. Gomishan has receded NGOs over the past two years has increased among the richest in the world. Also, there are Environment, according to which 96,000 teach- al. (1999) describe the coloration 1.5 kilometers. The average depth of Anzali from 400 to 780, the figure is nothing com- some countries 100 percent covered in jungle ers were trained and sent to schools to expose of this species as “unique and rich in contrast, with a mosaic of black has declined from 14 meters to 0.7 meters. pared to a 70-million population. but they are among the poorest like Bangla- students indirectly to environmental activities. and white patches and orange-red dorsal stripe, legs and belly.” We have lost Gavkhouni, Arzhan, Parishan, Despite the fact that the article 50 of the desh. What is important in this regard is the The efforts are being made for elementary lev- The sexes can be differentiated by the anatomy of the cloaca, with Bakhtegan, Kaftar, Poozak, Saboori, Hamoon, constitution states future generations must attitude of the ruling body towards the man- els to help student love their environment. the male having an enlarged, rounded cloacal region, and the fe- Jaz Murian and Horolazim. We have lost 30 be provided with a flourishing social life and agement of its ecological capital. Besides, 44 environmental schools have male having a volcano-shaped cloaca. However, these differences are percent of Shadegan. Helleh lagoon is not in that the protection of environment is a pub- In Arizona, for example, people used to been founded so far in Alborz province [in clearly visible only during the breeding season. Outside of the breed- good condition too. lic duty and any activity which may damage grow corns bringing them $3,000 per hectare, northwest Tehran] to have students engaged ing season, it may be impossible to distinguish between the sexes. Besides, we have lost 18 million oak trees or pollute the environment is forbidden, the but they replaced it with wind turbine and got in environmental practices. Natural range and habitat in Zagros Mountains and they are constantly soil, water, weather, and biodiversity all are $3,500 instead. The department is also trying to raise N. kaiseri are native to the Lorestan Province of Iran, at an altitude subject to different pests such as wood-boring not in a good condition. Iran’s deserts stand first among 243 coun- awareness of parliamentarians, lawyers, art- of 750-1200 m (2400-4000 ft.). Unlike the other Neurergus, which beetle and Loranthus. And environmental challenges are posing tries on the earth for growing photovoltaic cell ists and athletes and make them conscious live in cold climates and inhabit cold mountain streams, N. kaiseri Biodiversity is not better than the other serious threats to people’s social life affecting and solar panel. But to Iranians, a desert is a of the dangers threatening the environment come from a hot dry climate. They reproduce in winter during peri- four fields where the total number of gazelle, education, increasing depression, violence and dead land due to thousand years of farming by supplying learning materials as well as ods of rain, which are followed by long periods of hot dry weather in deer, chinkara, Persian fallow deer, wild goat, even crime. culture. Today, however, lands are valued at the setting up workshops. which the animals estivate. It is estimated that water is present in their etc. has decreased below 110,000 while they Iran is moving fast towards having amount of money obtained from them and However, the department is one of the habitat for 3 months of the year or less. Unlike the other Neurergus, were 10 times more about half a century more and more deserts in the not-too- desserts are the most popular tourist destina- weakest and poorest organizations inside the N. kaiseri are reported to use ponds and vernal pools, in addition to ago. Biodiversity is bioindicator giving infor- distant future. What measures do you tions in many places. ruling system and cannot fulfill the responsi- streams. However, their wild habitat has not been well studied. mation about quality of an ecosystem where think are needed to slow this process? But let’s turn to your questions. Of course bilities put on its shoulders. Though it has had Behavior and history in captivity the animals are living. A: First of all, I need to explain that the we must take quick measures to slow the pro- the highest percent of budget increase during N. kaiseri have a reputation for being a shy, skittish species. On the other side, the level of people’s deserts are not advantage or disadvantage cess of desertification and ecological debt. President Rohuani’s government, about 30 to Their movement on land resembles that of lizards more than that contribution to protect the environment per se. There are many countries in the world The most important reason we are moving 50, the figure is still meager because its basic of typical salamanders. When aquatic, however, the animals usually is not satisfactory. Though the number of which are 100 percent desert, but they are towards ecological debt is because polices has been low. lose their flighty behavior and may even beg for food. Wild-caught adults are generally shyer than their captive-bred counterparts. The animals generally avoid light and are active in low light and at night. When terrestrial, the newts European Commission ready to assist Iran with green economy spend the day under the lower ENVIRONMENT TEHRAN — European Commission is “Our policy is to develop and implement environ- hides and at night will forage for deskready to help Iran with its green econ- mental projects and plans worldwide regardless of ge- food amongst upper hides and omy, Karmenu Vella the commissioner for environment, ographical and political boundaries,” the commissioner open spaces. They have a pref- maritime affairs and fisheries, said on Saturday. highlighted. erence for perching high and Emphasizing the need for interaction between envi- Ebtekar, for her part, said that “Iran is willing to estab- are very active soon after the ronment and economy as a means of sustainable growth lish liaison with the world in the field of green economy lights are turned out. The water and development, Vella said that “European Commission and moving towards sustainable development.” dish is used frequently and the has some strategies and plans in line with green econo- Moreover, she lamented that Iran and some parts animals are often seen taking a my which can be transferred to Iran.” of Asia, Africa, and Europe are affected by dust storms quick soak. They are very gre- He made the remarks in a meeting in Tehran with the which have undesirable and harmful effects on the econ- garious towards one another head of Iran’s Department of Environment Masoumeh omy, health, and environment. and will often be found huddled Ebtekar. Ebtekar called for adoption of effective and practical together under a single hide. During the meeting, the European official explained measures to globally unite to fight this phenomenon. Intra specific aggression is not that the post-sanctions era in Iran has set the scene for She stressed the significant role of international fi- a problem. broadening the scopes of multilateral environmental co- agement, biodiversity protection, waste management, as nance for supporting NGOs and private sector’s envi- In recent years (2005-2008) there have been illegal exports of N. operation in various areas such as preserved areas man- well as air, water, and soil pollution. ronmental projects. kaiseri from the wild into the pet trade. Given the endangered status of the species, it is likely that this distribution of wild-caught animals has had a serious impact on wild populations. Many of these wild-caught animals have died from infections within a short time after purchase. Climate change will wipe $2.5tn off global financial assets: study Current condition Climate change could cut the value of the be getting on top of this issue, and many by climate change was the biggest potential high temperatures, drought and other cli- As of 2005, the IUCN Redbook listed N. kaiseri as Critically En- world’s financial assets by $2.5tn (£1.7tn), of them are.” He said, however, that aware- threat to the global economy in 2016. mate change impacts. dangered. The Global Amphibian Assessment cites the following according to the first estimate from eco- ness in the financial sector was low. “Physical climate change impacts are a If action is taken to tackle climate change, evidence: “its extent of occurrence is less than 100 square kilome- nomic modelling. Mark Campanale of the think tank Car- systemic risk on a massive scale,” said Ben the study found the financial losses would ters, its area of occupancy is less than 10 square kilometers, its pop- In the worst case scenarios, often used bon Tracker Initiative said the actual finan- Caldecott, the director of the sustainable be reduced overall, but that other assets ulations are severely fragmented, and there is a continuing decline by regulators to check the financial health of cial losses from unchecked global warming finance program at the University of Ox- such as fossil fuel companies would lose val- in the extent and quality of its habitat, as well as a decline in the companies and economies, the losses could could be higher than estimated by the ford. “Investors can do much more to dif- ue. Scientists have shown that most of the number of mature individuals due to over harvesting for the illegal soar to $24tn, or 17 percent of the world’s financial model behind the new study. “It ferentiate between companies more or less coal, oil and gas reserves such companies pet trade”. It is believed that less than 1000 adults exist in nature. Ac- assets, and wreck the global economy. could be a lot worse. The loss of financial exposed and they can help reduce the risk own will have stay in the ground if the global cording to the Red List the population has dropped by 80 percent in The research also showed the finan- capital can be a lot higher and faster than to the global economy by supporting am- rise in temperature is to be kept under 2C. less than a decade due to collection for the pet trade. cial sense in taking action to keep climate the GDP losses [used to model the costs of bitious action on climate change.” The total stock market capitalization of fossil In light of the endangered status of these animals, it is critically change under the 2 degrees danger limit climate change in the study]. Just look at The new study, published in the peer-re- fuel companies today is about $5tn. important that the animals now in captivity be bred, and that hob- agreed by the world’s nations. In this sce- value of coal giant Peabody Energy. It was viewed journal Nature Climate Change, “There is no scenario in which the risk byists resist the temptation to buy wild-caught animals. We hope nario, the value of financial assets would worth billions just a few years ago and now found that in that scenario, the assets were to financial assets are unaffected by climate that this care sheet will help in the establishment of stable captive fall by $315bn less, even when the costs of it is worth nothing.” effectively overvalued today by $2.5tn, but change. That is just a fiction,” said Dietz. breeding groups. We encourage all breeders to participate in stud- cutting emissions are included. The Bank of England and World Bank that there was a 1% chance that the over- “There will be winners and losers.” Major in- books and to correspond with other breeders. “Our work suggests to long-term in- have warned of the risks to the global econo- valuation could be as high as $24tn. vestors such as Norway’s sovereign wealth The Lorestan Newt is a candidate for CITES listing. There is also vestors that we would be better off in a my of climate change and the G20 has asked The losses would be caused by the di- fund – the world’s biggest – have already a breeding program for the Lorestan Newt at the Sedgwick County low-carbon world,” said Prof Simon Dietz of the international Financial Stability Board to rect destruction of assets by increasingly begun selling off high-carbon stocks such Zoo. Iran is planning on starting its own breeding program. the London School of Economics, the lead investigate the issue. In January, the World extreme weather events and also by a re- as coal companies. (Source: triptopersia.com) author of the study. “Pension funds should Economic Forum said a catastrophe caused duction in earnings for those affected by (Source: The Guardian)

IN FOCUS iew.ir/ Behrad Farkhondeh ANIMALS’ STORIES Rock ramps at North Texas park help turtles exit the water

BEDFORD, Texas (AP) — Some turtles having a tough time crawling out of an updated North Texas pond can now use special exit ramps. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Thursday that the small lake at Boys Ranch Park in Bedford was lined with con- crete and has steeper embankments. The reptiles were having a tough time getting in and out of the water. City workers have installed three exit ramps made of rocks to make navigation easier for the turtles and other animals, including ducks. City spokeswoman Natalie Foster says the plan originally called for one ramp for turtles, then workers realized that wasn’t enough. Ashouradeh Island which is located at the Miankaleh Peninsula, Mazandaran province, enjoys a unique biodiversity. Miankaleh Peninsula was also registered as one of the The small turtle ramps measure about 5 feet long and 2 feet wide. UNESCO biosphere reserves in 1976. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y

http://www.tehrantimes.com/sports AAPRILPRIL 118,8, 22016016 SPORTS 11

Iranian taekwondoka Alizadeh FOOTBALL Emmanuel Petit claims France’s World Cup 98 win books Olympic quota place could have been fixed

SPORTS Kimia Alizadeh won the gold desk World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit has shocked football fans medal on Sunday in the 2016 with claims his team’s France 98 win could have been staged. Asian Qualification Tournament for Rio Olympic Following corruption revelations that have rocked FIFA Games at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Pasay and the footballing world in recent weeks Petit suggested his City in Manila, Philippines. team’s historic victory was a sham. She defeated Shaleha Fitriana Yusuf from In- In a bizarre interview broadcast online he branded his team- donesia 19-0 in the quarter-final. mates “puppets” and asked: “Was it fixed?” Alizadeh beat Neema Gurung from Nepal The decorated former Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder sealed 15-2 in the semifinal and then grabbed the his nation’s win over Brazil with the third goal at the Stade de gold medal after defeating Thailand’s Phanna- France on July 12, 1998. pa Harnsujin 3-2. But Petit, now retired, said he believes the final was the last “From the bottom of my heart, I am so hap- stage in a carefully-orches- py to win the gold medal. I am really happy trated campaign to ensure that I made the Iranian people happy as well,” their victory from behind Alizadeh said. closed doors. “My goal is to win a medal in the Olympic He said: “For the past few Games. I will do my best to accomplish my goal weeks I’ve been asking myself in the event,” she added. ‘Did we really win the World The winner and runner-up in each weight Cup?’ I ask myself that ques- category will claim an Olympic qualification tion today. Was it fixed?” spot for their respective countries. He added: “I have no A total of 98 athletes from 36 countries idea. On the pitch we gave it across Asia compete in eight Olympic weight everything. We truly gave it categories - four male and four female - during everything against our oppo- the tournament. nents, we did everything to win.” Petit is no stranger to controversy after branding Iranian brothers Noshad, Nima Alamian Eamon Zayed pays tribute to late the French “cowards” and saying the country would have been better off during German rule in a 2014 interview. in same Olympic for the first time teammate Hadi Norouzi But he cast further doubt on his team’s success after high- lighting Brazil’s opening game at the 2014 world cup. The home nation came from behind to beat Croatia 2-1 after a controversial penalty was awarded 19 minutes before the final whistle. And Petit said: “We prepared. But with everything that’s going on today, I ask myself, after seeing what happened during Brazil’s World Cup, that first game between Brazil and Croatia. “I’m sorry, but, a bit shady? Sometimes it scares me. I ask myself if I’m becoming paranoid.” France’s victory over the Brazilians in 1998 came after their talisman Ronaldo suffered a convulsive fit on the day of the final. The striker had scored four goals during the tournament, but his name was pulled from the team sheet before he was reintro- duced just 72 minutes before kick-off. The episode was shrouded in mystery – and saw the star striker play below par amid speculation over claims of an at- tempted poisoning. SPORTS Iranian brothers Nos- in this tournament, I’m so happy that I SPORTS Former Persepolis Zayed showed a No. 24 jersey dur- But Petit seemed to suggest this episode fell in with a wid- deskhad and Nima Alamian have won this match”, Noshad Alamian deskstriker Eamon Zayed ing his second goal celebration to pay er, shadowy campaign to ensure economic success through will compete in the same Olympic Games. told ITTF. “Jiang Tianyi’s style of play is paid tribute to the late Hadi Norou- tribute to his former teammate. France’s victory. It’s the first time in the table tennis events so much different to that of my previous zi after scoring for his new team Indy Zayed made a name for himself He said: “Weren’t we puppets? Haven’t we always only and two brothers will compete at the same time. opponent Sharath Kamal Achanta, who Eleven against New York Cosmos in after scoring a hat-trick in 74th Teh- solely been puppets, keeping the economy moving, and don’t Noshad Alamian defeated Hong Kong’s I lost against this morning.” the NASL match at IUPUI’s Carroll Sta- ran derby with Persepolis being re- worry about anything else. Jiang Tianyi (8-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-6, 11-4) on “The East Asians play in a much faster dium on Saturday. duced to 10-men and 2–0 behind. “Today I ask myself that question, did we really win the World Saturday and booked a place in the Olympics. tempo and with stronger strokes but I think Indy Eleven turned a potentially dis- He scored three goals in the space Cup in 1998? Myself, I believe we did. In any case us, the players, Noshad Alamiyan is presently named Jiang Tianyi has some injuries and cannot appointing defeat into a breath-taking of ten minutes to put Persepolis into we did everything for that. at no.132 on the Men’s World Rankings, move that well so he was below his best.” victory during second half stoppage a 3-2 lead. Beyond that, if there was anything else or not, I don’t Jiang Tianyi is at no.53; however it needs “To me, the Olympics is just the same time against the New York Cosmos, On 1 October 2015, Norouzi died know – but I do ask myself the question. It’s been 17 years to be taken into account that Jiang Tianyi as other tournaments”, said Noshad Ala- as Eamon Zayed’s late brace gave of heart attack in sleep at the age of since we won the World Cup, and for the last few weeks I do has been suffering from a leg injury. mian. “I always try to do my best and do the home side a 2-1 comeback win in 30. At the time of his death, he was ask myself that question.” “Every match is very important to me what I can do in any championships.” front of 9,067 fans. Persepolis’s captain. The speculation comes a day after former FIFA president Sepp Blatter was heckled during a speech on corruption in football. The talk at Basel University, in Switzerland, was delivered just four months after he was ejected from FIFA and banned from football for six years amid claims he was the ringleader Iran comes sixth at Asian Judo Championships for decades of corruption. His ban related to a £1.5million payment to UEFA president Iran came sixth in the Asian Judo Championships 2016 Gold medal went to Mongolian Dagvasuren Nyam- Michel Platini, who was also barred for six years. on Saturday. suren who defeated Nacif Elias from Lebanon in the final. On Friday it was confirmed the Frenchman’s appeal against The Iranian team won a silver and a bronze medal in Mongolia won the title with three gold and two bronze his punishment will be heard on April 29. the event held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. medals. Recent leaks of confidential offshore tax avoidance deals Alireza Khojasteh claimed a silver medal in the Japan finished in second place winning two gold med- in the Panama Papers also implicated incoming FIFA presi- -66kg after being defeated by Altansukh Dovdon from als, one silver and one bronze. dent Gianni Infantino, who has vowed to root out corruption Mongolia. Kazakhstan came third with one gold, one silver and in the beautiful game. Saeid Mollaei also took the bronze medal in the -81kg four bronze medals. Documents suggested he had signed off on a contract with weight class. (Source: Tasnim) two businessmen later accused of bribery. The pair allegedly bought Champions League football broadcasting rights, before immediately selling them on at three times the price. ‘United job is mine’ Mourinho tells friends as he lines up Higuain Infantino reportedly signed off on the 2006 deal when he was Uefa director, but has denied the claims and expressed The Special One could be bringing a spe- clubs including Juventus and Napoli. Pes- “dismay” that his “integrity is being doubted”. cial striker to United, Walcott could exit cara have made it clear the 26 year old will (Source: Mirror) Arsenal and the Foxes look for the next be sold if the club aren’t successful in their Vardy. It’s Sunday’s Paper Round. promotion to Serie A. Jose Mourinho tells friends Unit- Paper Round’s view: Most of the big ed job is his and plans to bring in Gon- Italian clubs would sign him and loan him zalo Higuain out elsewhere, but Leicester would legiti- Guardiola: Bayern don’t The Mirror are reporting that Jose mately use him. It’s clear that Lapadula is a have a player like Messi or Mourinho is telling confidants he has the late bloomer and despite it being unlikely, Manchester United job, and is also looking would hope that they have another Jamie Ronaldo to bring in Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain Vardy on the cards. for £70 million. The report has Higuain Aston Villa set to turn to David Pep Guardiola has bemoaned Bayern Munich lack of a su- internally valued by Napoli at an eye-wa- Moyes perstar in the mould of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, and tering £95 million, but believe that due to Also in the Mail, David Moyes will likely warned the team cannot afford to take their foot off the pedal. minimal time left on his contract, the fig- be the mastermind behind getting Aston Robert Lewandowski scored twice with Arturo Vidal also on ure is likely to drop. It also mentions that Villa to the top flight, as they are prepared target as a fine second-half show saw off Schalke 3-0 for the Mourinho has been telling close friends mer bidding war as Arsenal exit on cause they were prospects that Arsene to give him backing in the transfer market Bundesliga champions-elect on Saturday. and interested party Paris St. Germain, the cards Wenger picked out. Walcott has stagnat- to ensure promotion next season. Moyes But Guardiola was left far from impressed by a laboured per- that he will manage United next season. Theo Walcott being frozen out at Arse- ed, and that stagnation is the reason why is reported to be keeping his options open formance from his side overall. Paper Round’s view: It’s still a wait and nal could kick off a summer transfer battle, a lot of the squad can’t get their game to about potential offers in the summer, as And the Catalan stated that die Roten cannot delude them- see whether he gets the job - just the oth- as the England star is frustrated according the next level. Nigel Pearson and Mick McCarthy from selves into thinking they pack the individual brilliance necessary er day claims on the continent suggest- to the Sun. The report says Liverpool were Leicester City scout Pescara Ipswich Town are also being considered to single-handedly win them games on off-days. ed that the deal had died, while Sunday’s tracking Walcott closely before he signed striker Gianluca Lapadula due to their knowledge of the league. “I am not satisfied with our game. In the first half we were not Star reports that Everton are now sniffing his last contract extension, suggesting The Foxes according to the Daily Mail Paper Round’s view: If Moyes gets on the pitch. I’m sorry for our fans! You come to see 90 minutes around the Portuguese boss. there would be interest on the open mar- are scouting Serie B striker Gianluca La- the fiscal backing, that’ll go along way to full throttle,” Guardiola told reporters. As for Higuain, it would be a fine deal ket if he were to leave the Gunners. padula, who’s scored 22 times for Pescara whether they get promoted. Lots of squad “We have no player who scores 50, 60 goals like Cristiano get for United. The 28 year old is arguably Paper Round’s view: Perhaps this in the Italian second division this season. turnover or they’ll find themselves like Bol- Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. the best player in Serie A, and would likely would be the best for Arsenal. Aware that The 26 year has reportedly never played ton, Fulham and Leeds, cast adrift by bad “It is about the attitude to run and run. The difference be- adapt to the Premier League with ease. injuries haven’t helped, but too many in top-flight football, and is not only being decision making and a poor club culture. tween the first and the second half was very big.” Theo Walcott set to spark sum- players get too comfortable purely be- scouted by Tottenham, but other Serie A (Source: Eurosport) (Source: Goal) b

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NEWS IN BRIEF Iran plans to block websites Kayhan Kalhor to give concerts in Tehran offering “1979 Revolution”

ARTTEHRAN — The National Founda- desktion for Computer Games (NFCG) ARTTEHRAN — Kamancheh virtuoso desk has announced its plan to block all websites that Kayhan Kalhor plans to perform in offer “1979 Revolution”, a game prototype directed his homeland during May and June after the end of his by U.S.-based Iranian game developer Navid Khan- tours of Europe and the United States. sari based on the Islamic revolution. He will give his performances at Tehran’s Vahdat In a press release published on Saturday, NFCG Hall on May 23, 24, 30, 31 and June 1, Kalhor’s pro- Director Hassan Karimi called the game “anti-Ira- gram manager, Mohammad-Hossein Tutunchian, nian” and said the foundation has begun an op- said in a press release on Sunday. eration to gather all copies illegally distributed in Kalhor has previously performed with various shops in Tehran and other Iranian cities. ensembles and orchestras, including the New York “Khansari began to work on the game about Philharmonic, and renowned vocalists like Moham- three years ago and he had big plans for the pro- madreza Shajarian and Shahram Nazeri. ject, but when the plan faced failure after several companies refused to finance it, he scaled back the Fajr market to offer size of the game. As a result, the game does not Iranian animations have a large distributor and it has also not been well received by gamers,” he added. Karimi said that game gives incorrect informa- tion to gamers and added, “Iranians will quickly realize the hostile intentions and objectives of the ART TEHRAN – The Saba Art and developer if they see the game.” deskCulture Center is scheduled to of- He also warned Iranian families about “the neg- fer dozens of its latest animated movies at the Irani- ative effects” of the game and said, “Games like an Film Market, which will be held on the sidelines of this can poison the minds of the youth and young Screenshot the 34th Fajr International Film Festival. adults about their country by means of false and from “1979 Among the animations are “Prophets” directed distorted information, and also damage their spir- Revolution” by Salma Khorshidi, “History and Islamic Civilization” its.” by Ravanbakhsh Sadeqi, “The Balloon Fish” by Salma Afkari and “Halabama” by Salman Taheri. The lineup also includes acclaimed Iranian direc- tor Babak Nazari’s animation series “Shekarestan”, Cineastes meet with Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli which is based on Persian proverbs and anecdotes. ART A large number of international distributers from TEHRAN — A number of cineastes trust or embezzlement and fraud,” he added. desk around the globe will visit the market, which will be met with the head of Esra Interna- He also proposed that the cineastes read more of held at Tehran’s Charsu Cinema Complex from April tional Foundation for Revealed Knowledge, Ayatol- the books by the great Iranian scholars and writers 20 to 25. lah Abdollah Javadi Amoli, on Sunday. such as Attar and Rumi and use them as their source Ayatollah Javadi Amoli called cinema the joint of inspirations. Top Iranian language of the world, and said that art, especially Ayatollah Javadi Amoli also compared the West- cinema, must be a clear manifestation of truth, the ern cinema with some types of music that put the anthropologist Jaber Persian service of MNA reported on Sunday. listeners to sleep. “However, some songs make a Anasori dies at 71 He also emphasized the rich culture of the coun- person wake up and our cinema must be like the try and said that this rich culture can be transferred songs that urge those who are sleeping to wake up,” to other cultures and civilizations through the joint he explained. CULTURE TEHRAN – Prominent Iranian an- language (of cinema). Cinema Organization of Iran Director Hojjatollah deskthropologist Jaber Anasori, mostly “Today the world easily accepts most of the words Ayyubi, Managing Director of Iran’s House of Cine- famous for his lifetime of study and research on Irani- of Islam such as respecting others’ privacy. The art ma Reza Mirkarimi and filmmaker Majid Majidi were an ritual plays and ta’zeih (Iranian passion play), died has this power to influence the society and change Cineastes meet with Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli in Qom among the participants who also visited different on April 17, 2016. at a Tehran hospital on Saturday. He was 71. the society into a place where there are no lies, dis- sections of the foundation. He left behind dozens of publications, including “Anthropology and the Psychology of Arts”, “Culture PICTURE OF THE DAY Honaronline/Neshat Moini and Research” and “Study of Iranian Myths based on Works by Traditional Storytellers”. Puppet theater He is also the author of “Breeze of Memories”, which contains over 150 articles about the oral history of his hometown Ardebil located in northwestern Iran. festival to take Iranian literati eco-friendly to remember Shakespeare move ARTTEHRAN — The or- CULTURE TEHRAN – Tehran’s Book City In- deskganizers of the 14th deskstitute will bring together a num- International Festival of Students ber of Iranian literati and experts on English litera- Puppet Theater plan to encourage ture on April 23 to commemorate the 400th demise participants to collect empty plastic anniversary of the celebrated English playwright and and glass bottles of water and bev- poet, William Shakespeare. erages this year in an eco-friendly Shakespeare’s impact on the contemporary arts program. and literature will be reviewed by several experts, the In this program, they have asked institute announced in a press release on Sunday. members of participating troupes to Shideh Ahmadzadeh will deliver a speech on hand in an empty bottle in order to Shakespeare’s poetry, Amir-Ali Nojumian will receive some subsidies during the discuss the impact of Shakespeare on cinema and event, the Tehran Academy of Art, Kamran Sepehran will speak about Shakespeare’s which is the main organizer of the everlasting theatrical heritage. festival, announced on Sunday. In addition, the session will screen scenes from The academy called the decision director Greg Doran’s “In Search of Shakespeare”, a new movement to protect the en- which explores the life story of Shakespeare. vironment. In another program, Iranian thespians and stage Puppeteers from around the artists will gather at the Tehran Independent Theater An art fan visits “Iron Lady”, Iranian artist Nushin Zarnani’s new collection inspired by British director Phyllida Lloyd’s 2011 film of same title, world will come together in Tehran at the same time to commemorate Shakespeare. which is about the life of the first and only female UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, at Tehran’s Shokuh Gallery on April 16, 2016. The from May 27 to June 2 to perform a collection composed of paintings, installations and video arts will run until April 26. vast variety of plays. Tehran exhibit highlights Arbaeen religious rituals AMC sends movie theater texting idea ‘to cutting room floor’ NEW YORK (Reuters) — The media, we get feedback from you tions in the United States, was open complaining that texting would be AMC movie theater chain on Fri- almost instantaneously and as such, to making some of its theaters tex- distracting. ARTTEHRAN – An exhibition of inter- desk day ditched the idea of allowing we are constantly listening. Accord- ting and mobile device friendly to “Unless you say that you will national photographs on the theme movie-goers to text while watching ingly, just as instantaneously, this is attract more Millennials into theat- never allow texting I will never at- of Arbaeen religious rituals will open its doors to the films, saying a proposal it floated an idea that we have relegated to ers. tend one of your theaters again,” public today at the Iranian Artists Forum (IAF) in Tehran. this week has been “relegated to the cutting room floor,” Aron said in “When you tell a 22-year-old to tweeted one user, Peter Avellino, in The exhibit brings together works by 300 artists the cutting room floor.” a statement posted on Twitter. turn off the phone, don’t ruin the a response echoed by many other from Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria and Algeria, the IAF an- AMC chief executive Adam Aron “With your advice in hand, there movie, they hear please cut off your postings. nounced on Sunday. said the company, the second larg- will be NO TEXTING ALLOWED in left arm above the elbow,” Aron told Tim League, the chief exec- The works have been selected from submissions to est movie chain in the United States, any of the auditoriums at AMC The- Variety. “You can’t tell a 22-year-old utive of the Texas-based Alamo the 2nd Arbaeen Photography Awards. had listened to feedback from cus- atres. Not today, not tomorrow and to turn off their cellphone. That’s Drafthouse movie theater franchise, Winners will be announced at the IAF on April 24 tomers who were overwhelmingly not in the foreseeable future,” he not how they live their life”. also came out against the idea say- when the exhibit comes to end. opposed to the idea. added. But the suggestion caused an ing in a website posting that texting Arbaeen marks the end of the 40-day mourning “We have heard loud and clear Aron told Hollywood trade paper uproar, with many customers say- in a movie theater was disrespectful period following the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (AS) that this is a concept our audience Variety this week that AMC, which ing on social media that they would to filmmakers and “could seriously and his companions on Ashura. does not want. In this age of social operates in more than 300 loca- stop going to AMC theaters, or hurt our industry”.