Saudi Arabia ‘a cause Zanganeh Over 1.8m tourists visit Alexander Sokurov, 2512of division’ in Islamic 4 won’t attend Doha Iran’s UNESCO-registered Andrew Lau to attend

NATION world: Iranian MP ECONOMY oil freeze talks & HISTORY HERITAGE sites during Noruz ART& CULTURE Fajrajr IIntl.ntl. FilFilmm FFestival

WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y Indian expert: PM Modi bound to visit Iran sooner than later 2

12 Pages Price 10,000 Rials 37th year No.12529 Saturday APRIL 16, 2016 Farvardin 28, 1395 Rajab 8, 1437 Iran, Unprecedented Netherlands Rouhani urges OIC to iron out rainfalls cause ink 10 flood in 11 economic divisions through dialogue provinces POLITICAL TEHRAN — President Has- world, IRNA reported. Rouhani remarked in a speech to the leaders desk SOCIETY TEHRAN — 11 san Rouhani has urged OIC “Dialogue and interaction are the starting of Islamic nations convening in Istanbul on desk MOUs nations to stick to dialogue and diplomacy as point for understanding woes and contem- Thursday. provinces in Iran have been struck by flood due to un- ECONOMY TEHRAN — Dutch solutions to all problems inflicting the Islamic porary political issues and resolving them,” 2 desk precedented rainfalls over the past Deputy Foreign Min- days. ister for Economic Affairs Martin Van Drastic addition of water to the den Berg and Iranian Deputy Finance Persepolis downs Esteghlal in Iran Professional League rivers after years of drought and and Economic Affairs Minister, who is water scarcity have resulted in also the president of the Organization See page 11 overflow of the rivers in different for Investment, Economic, and Tech- provinces, Alireza Da’emi, deputy nical Assistance of Iran, Mohammad energy minister for planning, said Khazaei, signed 10 agreements in var- on Thursday. ious economic fields in a meeting in Years of drought have made it Tehran, IRNA reported on Wednesday. possible for illegal constructions in The signed contracts seek to im- riversides and now massive damag- prove future bilateral cooperation in es occurred due to overflow of rivers, energy, finance, banking and insur- Da’emi explained. ance, as well as transportation, health “It must be shocking and difficult and water management besides fi- to believe if I tell you that 8,000 cu- nalizing economic agreements and bic meters of water has entered Dez exchanging experiences and data in Dam (in Khuzestan province) last night different fields. (Wednesday night), while normally this Reviewing the latest situation for amount fluctuates between 60 to 600 economic cooperation in the joint cubic meters,” he stated. meeting, Van den Berg referred to the Meanwhile, Rescue and Relief existing investment opportunities and Chief Nasser Charkhsaz explained capacities in Iran and underlined ex- that many cities in Ilam, Khuz- pansion of bilateral cooperation. estan, and Lorestan provinces have Trade exchange level between the suffered considerable damages two countries stood at $650 million in caused by inundation. the past Iranian calendar year of 1394 Three are dead in Ilam province (ended on March 19, 2016), while Iran’s and a 21-year-old woman is missing, imports of the European country was Mohammad Babaei Charkhsaz said, adding in all eleven more than $600 million and exports to provinces 2,300 persons received re- that destination was around $40 million.

IRNA/ lief services. 9 10

Russia shows Iran bent on strengthening ties with neighbors: Rouhani PERSPECTIVE green light to By Ali Kushki POLITICAL TEHRAN — Iran and great powers. Iranian products deskPresident Has- Iran’s agreement with the 5+1 Tehran Times journalist san Rouhani said on Thursday that group (the five permanent mem- to substitute Iran is determined to expand rela- bers of the UN Security Council Turkish goods tions with different countries espe- plus Germany) restored Iranians’ The least Rouhani cially its neighbors. right to enjoy peaceful nuclear MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The creation Iran has always sought to help technology, he added. and his team could of the so-called “green corridors” in Rus- establish stability and peace in the Rouhani highlighted the im- sia for agricultural products from Iran world particularly in the Middle East portance of using opportunities do in OIC summit is aimed primarily at substituting sanc- region, he said during a meeting created after the nuclear deal to tioned Turkish products, Russian Deputy with Iranian residents in Turkey. strengthen economy. ven as there were hopes for a Agriculture Minister Sergei Levin said. “Today, Iran is a stable and safe Iran and the 5+1 finalized the Ere-unity of Islamic nations in the Levin announced the planning of country in the region and there make efforts in line with the coun- Elsewhere, Rouhani noted na- text of the nuclear deal, officially 13th Organization of Islamic Co- “green corridors” for agricultural prod- are good investment opportuni- try’s development and progress. tional unity, guidelines set by the known as the Joint Comprehensive operation (OIC) summit in Istanbul, the ucts from Iran in the Republic of Dag- ties that can be used in the best The president also said expan- Supreme Leader, and capable ne- Plan of Action (JCPOA), in Vienna Saudi regime already took a major jab estan in March. possible way,” he said. sion of Iran-Turkey ties is in the in- gotiators contributed to the con- on July 14, 2015, which went into at the process by including anti-Iran “After the adoption by the Govern- He urged all the Iranians to terest of both countries. clusion of nuclear talks between effect in January, 2016. and anti-Hezbollah articles in the final ment of Russia of sanctions on the im- document of the summit. port of agricultural products from the The articles come as a condemna- Republic of Turkey, the country’s Iran, Russia study educational cooperation tion of attacks on Saudis’ diplomat- ic posts in Tehran and Mashhad and [Russia’s] Ministry of Agriculture is SOCIETY TEHRAN — In a meeting ported. surprisingly Tehran’s backing of terror- actively working on the replacement deskin Moscow on Wednesday Nikonov said both countries’ relations are ism and meddling in the Middle East of these products, first of all, by goods Iranian Education Minister Ali-Asghar Fani and now evolving and therefore a development of countries’ affairs! from Iran. It is this, in the first place, Chairman of the Education Committee of State educational ties and cooperation is of primary Saudis have been claiming Iran that the order to create a ‘green cor- Duma Vyacheslav Nikonov discussed ways for importance for Russia. He further voiced Du- threatens unity and solidarity among ridor’ is linked to,” Levin said as quot- educational cooperation. ma’s support for such cooperation. Islamic nations. ed by the press service of the head As Iran and Russia are strengthening ties it is Fani arrived in Moscow on Tuesday to take However, evidence shows other- of Russia’s North Caucasus Republic essential for both countries’ educational bodies part in an international exhibition on education. wise. A comparative analysis of where of Dagestan. to expand relations as well, Fani said. According to the Iranian embassy in Mos- Saudi Arabia and Iran stand in the Relations between Moscow and An- Fani called for joint competitions between cow, the minister was also scheduled to meet picture should makes it clear how Sau- kara deteriorated following the down- students of both countries, saying it will help Russian Minister of Science and Education Dmi- dis’ claims against Iran are a complete ing of a Russian Su-24 attack aircraft strengthen relations, Tasnim news agency re- Vyacheslav Nikonov Ali-Asghar Fani tri Livanov. over Syria by a Turkish jet on November farce. 24, 2015. In December, Russia introduced While Iran has been defending the a set of economic measures against Tur- Iranian stage artists to commemorate Syrian people and its legitimate gov- key in response to the incident. ernment against barbarian fighters Russia’s trade turnover with Iran 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s passing from the outbreak of war in 2011, Saudi amounts to $700-800 million. Arabia has been feeding these barbar- ARTTEHRAN — pert Qotbeddin Sadeqi, who is gan Performing Arts Insti- ians logistically and financially. deskIranian thespi- also a prominent actor, is the tute. Even Saudis’ friends have acknowl- S. Korea’s Iran ans, stage artists and literti will secretary of the meeting, the In addition, some literati edged this. German Vice Chancellor come together at the Tehran Tehran Independent Theater who have translated works by Sigmar Gabriel, for instance, asked crude imports surge Independent Theater on April announced in a press release Shakespeare into Persian and Saudi Arabia to cut money flowing to over 80% y/y in 23 to commemorate the 400th on Thursday. several artists who have been the Wahhabis which are among most anniversary of the death of the Some short performances involved in projects concern- extremist groups in the world. March English dramatist, William Shake- have been arranged for the ing Shakespeare’s works in their Saudi Arabia continues to insist on speare. meeting, which is also being careers will deliver speeches in toppling the legitimate government South Korea’s imports of Irani- Director and theater ex- supported by the Tamasha- the program. in Syria which still has representative an crude oil surged 81 percent in in the United Nations. Saudis even March from the same month a year threatened to deploy Saudi Army in earlier in the wake of sanctions be- EU visit to Iran designed to reassure banks the country once. ing lifted targeting Tehran’s nuclear The same story holds true in Iraq. program, customs data showed on A high-level EU delegation will visit Iran to reas- It forms part of a detente following Iran’s im- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also visit- Iran, regardless of a notorious history Friday. sure international banks on doing business with plementation of the nuclear non-proliferation ed Paris and Rome in January. He signed com- of the Baathist regime and what they Seoul brought 1,032,938 tons of Ira- the Islamic Republic. deal. mercial accords worth up to €15 billion on the did to the Iranian people, has been nian crude oil last month, or 244,240 EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi visited French leg of the trip. providing advisory and logistical sup- barrels per day (bpd), compared with will lead a delegation on Saturday and Sunday Iran earlier this week with a group of 60 busi- A senior EU official said on Wednesday that the port to Iraq in order to counter ISIS 570,338 tons imported a year ago, the (16-17 April), which will also include seven EU ness chiefs to sign a series of deals in the oil, sheer number of commissioners “is to give a coher- and keep the territorial integrity of the data showed. commissioners dealing primarily with energy, gas and transport sectors worth at least €7 bil- ent and unified message” of re-engagement. Islamic nation. 9 trade and industry. lion. 9 9 I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y NATION 2 AAPRILPRIL 116,6, 20162016 http://www.tehrantimes.com/international

MEDIA MONITOR Rouhani urges OIC to iron out Resistance economy obviate sanctions: Ayatollah Jannati divisions through dialogue

TEHRAN — The interim Friday prayer leader of Teh- 1 conflicts. ran has said resistance economy is the remedy to the He said ever since the OIC presidency Second, Islamic nations should bear

YJC entire ill of Iran because it obviates both the need for was handed over to the Islamic Republic in mind that sustainable security and sci- submission and vulnerability against sanctions. of Iran in Tehran to the time it proposed entific progress of OIC members should Resistance economy wants to stand up against the idea of a “world against violence and be considered the security, progress, and the West including the U.S., Ayatollah Ahmad Jan- extremism (WAVE)” to the UN General development of the Islamic world. And fi- nati said as quoted by the YJC. Assembly, Iran has been insisting on this nally, the Zionist regime must be remem- Achieving resistance economy needs a “revolu- pivotal point. bered as the main source of violence and tionary morale”, he stressed, adding if there wer- The OIC summit comes at a time extremism. en’t the revolutionary-minded people, the country that Iraq and Syria have made key gains Rouhani also stated that Iran has would have gone to ruins. against Takfiri groups in recent months. avoided any tension and instability in the Also, reportedly ceasefire is taking hold region through its transparent regional Zarif warns Saudis in Yemen. and international policy, seeking uni- to take lessons from Also, Rouhani said, “It is a reality that ty and solidarity among Islamic nations, the decline of the Islamic civilization start- making it a priority “to boost ties with Is- Tariq Aziz ed as great Islamic powers entered futile lamic countries”. conflicts with each other in lieu of syner- A highlight in Rouhani’s address was TEHRAN — gy, paving the way for foreign invasion.” Iran’s readiness to iron out differenc- The Iranian foreign minister on Wednes- “No message which would fuel di- es with other countries through Islamic day advised Saudi authorities to take lessons from the vision in the Islamic community should brotherhood and good neighborliness. destiny of Saddam Hussein’s foreign minister Tariq Aziz. come out of the conference which bears “Iran is also ready to clarify ambiguities Mohammad Javad Zarif was responding to ef- the name of unity and any divisive moves and differences through consultation and Syrian government. provided secure shelter for Kuwaitis and forts by Saudi Arabia to include articles against MEHR are certainly invalid as the organization constructive interaction.” Quite relevant to this, President Rou- Iraqis and rushed to help the Iraqi gov- Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah in the OIC’s final and Islamic nations have no consensus The remarks were a clear reference to hani hinted at political severance be- ernment and nation when the country statement, Mehr reported. on it and it is antithetical to the philoso- Saudi Arabia, which severed all its politi- tween Tehran and Riyadh, saying, “It is was attacked by Takfiri groups, the presi- Zarif condemned the move as damaging the phy of the organization.” cal ties with Iran after Riyadh’s diplomatic clear that neither Iran is Saudi Arabia’s dent added. soul of the Islamic solidarity and as a venture which Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani posts in Iran were attacked, a move which problem nor is Saudi Arabia Iran’s. Rather While all participating leaders in the would serve Zionist interests in the region. highlighted that Islam has been once was strongly denounced by Iranian offi- the main problem is ignorance, bias, and summit were unanimous in their calling “Time has passed when Iran was indifferent to more under increasing political, eco- cials. aggression.” for unity and solidarity among Islamic na- Saddam Hussein’s anti-Iranian resolutions in the or- nomic, cultural, and ideological, and the- Also, Iran has been at loggerheads This is not the first time Iran is offering tions, there were moves in the gathering ganization (OIC) which also had won the favor of ological attacks “but in a different way, with regional countries, including Saudi a cessation of hostilities among neigh- questioning this. Persian Gulf (Arab) countries. Saudi officials should this time Islam against Islam and religion Arabia and Turkey, over the future of the boring countries to restore peace and The most important of this was the learn lessons from the history and avoid going in against religion.” instability in the region. inclusion of four anti-Iran and -Hezbol- the same path,” he stressed. “This time Islam To depict a better future for the Islam- “Islamic Republic of Iran has always lah articles in the final declaration of the Iran to register ic world, Rouhani drew the attention of (is) against Islam been a supporter of Islamic countries and summit. leaders of Islamic nations to three key ax- and religion against Muslims against invasion, threat, occupa- As a sign of objection, President Rou- Afghan refugees ioms: As the first of these, OIC members religion,” Rouhani tion and terrorism and continues to be so.” hani and Foreign Affairs Minister Moham- need to remain committed to dialogue Iran was the first country to condemn mad Javad Zarif refused to attend the fi- and diplomatic tools as solution to all laments. Saddam Hossein’s invasion of Kuwait and nal episode of the gathering.

TEHRAN — The Iranian president has said that Tehran is seeking to register Afghan refugees, ILNA reported on Friday. No meeting with Saudis in Turkey, Iran says Speaking to Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah POLITICAL TEHRAN — Iranian Deputy Foreign The two-day 13th Session of the Islamic Sum- ILNA Abdullah in Istanbul on the sidelines of the OIC deskMinister Abbas Araqchi on Thursday mit Conference started in Turkish city of Istanbul on meeting, Hassan Rouhani said Iran does not have dismissed claims that the Iranian delegation has met Thursday. any plan to deport the illegal refugees. with any Saudi official in Istanbul, the venue of OIC Araqchi also said that the general atmosphere in the summit. OIC did not show unity at the current time. Kremlin denies “There was no meeting between us and the Sau- The OIC has failed to bring unity to its member states Putin-Soleimani di delegation at any level: Neither at the level of and adopt an “unbiased” position, he said. experts, minister, or president,” he said in a televised He expressed regret over the fact that some OIC meeting interview. members only seek to fulfill their own interests at the He added, “And nor was planning for that and the behest of Islamic unity. news of all the president’s meetings have been published Araqchi said that the body has always suffered from TEHRAN — Russian President Vladimir Putin has and there were no meeting other than these [which have “internal weakness”, noting it has been under the dom- is not going to meet Iran’s Major General Qasem been publicized].” ination of certain countries which bribe other countries Soleimani, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said “wrong policies” which should be reformed in order for He said that the Saudi government has adopted through their oil money. on Friday, according to Sputnik. the two countries restore a normal relationship. Fox News had earlier reported that Soleimani had arrived in Moscow to meet with Putin, citing President lauds Oman’s position toward regional developments

SPUTNIK sources in the U.S. reconnaissance services. POLITICAL TEHRAN — Iranian importance to Oman’s status and also Rouhani said that problems in the re- Indian expert: PM deskPresident Hassan Rou- praised Oman’s position toward develop- gion should be solved through dialogue Modi bound to visit hani said on Thursday that Iran is deter- ments in the region. and without any foreign intervention. Iran sooner than mined to expand relations with Oman The Omani official said that there is no “All the regional countries should stand in various areas and called for a speedy impediment to expand ties between the together in fight again terrorism, extrem- later implementation of bilateral agreements. two countries. ism and violence as a global and regional TEHRAN — A distinguished Indian columnist believes “Friendly and positive relations be- The Iranian president also met with threat,” Rouhani in a separate meeting that the Indian Prime Minister Naredra Modi has visited a tween the two countries can help estab- Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah during with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev. number of countries in the Persian Gulf region and now lish peace and stability in the region [the which expressed hope that cooperation Aliyev called Iran a close and friendly he is bound to visit Iran as soon as possible. Mideast region] given the strategic status between the two countries would be ex- neighbor. IRNA In an exclusive interview with IRNA on Friday, Mr. they have,” Rouhani said during a meet- panded. Rouhani also met with President of S. Venkat Narayan, president of the Foreign Corre- ing with Chairman of the State Council of Rouhani said that expansion of He said that cooperation in fighting Senegal Macky Sall, Indonesian President spondents’ Club (FCC) of South Asia, also said External Oman Yahya bin Mahfoudh al- Manthri Iran-Brunei relations can play an “effective terrorism and extremism should be ex- Joko Widodo, Chief Executive of the Is- Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s trip to Iran is to try to on the sidelines of 13th Session of the Is- role” to bring Iran closer to the Associa- panded in order to present a real image lamic Republic of Afghanistan Abdullah further consolidate the ties between India and Iran by lamic Summit Conference in the Turkish tion of Southeast Asian Nations. of Islam to the world. Abdullah and Algerian Parliament Speak- seeking to increase oil and gas imports from Iran at city of Istanbul. The Sultan called for expansion of ties ‘Regional problems should be er Abdul Qadir bin Saleh on the sidelines competitive rates and to expand bilateral trade. Rouhani said that Iran attaches great in various spheres. resolved through dialogue’ of the OIC summit. Commander: Iran closely monitoring Defense Minister Dehqan to meet Russian counterpart: embassy Takfiri terrorists Iranian Defense Minister Hosein Dehqan plans to meet The relationship between Russia and Iran is on the with counterparts from five other countries who will be rise now, according to Iran’s Ambassador to Russia Me- TEHRAN — The commander of Iran’s Army among participants in the International Security Con- hdi Sana. Ground Force says a close watch being kept on the ference, sources from the Iranian Embassy told TASS on “Currently the bilateral relationship is on the rise,” he Takfiri terrorists across the region, stressing that the Friday. said, adding that Iran “welcomes its further development threats will be countered far away from the coun- “The Iranian minister will have a bilateral meeting with and strengthening.” try’s borders. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu,” the embassy According to Mehdi Sana, the rising ties between Teh- said, noting that other bilateral meetings were planned ran and Moscow “is demonstrated by regular meetings TASNIM Iran’s military strategy for dealing with the Takfiri terrorists is to destroy them outside the borders, but without specifying who exactly the Iranian minister of foreign ministers, who have recently met 10 times.” before they even take the time to approach the will meet with. (Source: TASS) frontiers, Ahmad Reza Pourdastan said in an ad- dress to worshippers in Tehran, according to Tasnim. Airbus to deliver Saudi Arabia ‘a cause of division’ in Islamic world: MP POLITICAL TEHRAN — Alaeddin Iran and Hezbollah for backing what it international regulations,” Boroujerdi was havior is akin to the Zionist regime’s bru- first batch of deskBoroujerdi, chairman of calls terrorism as well as blaming Iran for quoted as saying. tal character that slaughters defenseless planes to Iran the Majlis National Security and Foreign the attacks on Saudi diplomatic posts in According to Abbas Araqchi, deputy people of Gaza and Palestine.” soon Policy Committee, has said Saudi Arabia Tehran and Mashhad in public mobs. foreign minister, the draft declaration was The MP pitied the OIC basing their de- TEHRAN — has turned into “a cause of division” in the Divisive voices from the Islamic sum- prepared during an expert-level meet- cision-making upon the draft, which is a Airbus is to deliver the first batch of Islamic world, ISNA reported on Friday. mit are in direct contradiction to the sum- ing of the organization in the Saudi port blemish in the organization’s prestige. planes to Iran over the next months, Airbus Chief The remarks are a clear reference to mit’s focus on unity and solidarity among city of Jeddah in February, 2015, in which Other senior Iranian officials includ- Executive Officer Fabrice Bregier has said in a meet- the inclusion of four anti-Iran and -Hez- Islamic nations. Iranian officials could not attend as they ing Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad ing with Transport Minister Abbas Akhondi. bollah articles in the final declaration of “The language of the final draft reso- were denied visas by Riyadh. Zarif and his deputy Abbas Araqchi have “We hope to see soon the Iran Air logo on the the 13th Organization of Islamic Cooper- lution in the 13th Organization of Islamic Boroujerdi called condemnation of condemned the Saudis’ move, calling it IRIB new Airbus planes,” Bregier said, IRIB reported on ation summit held April 14-15 in Istanbul, Cooperation is invalid and illogical and in Iran in the OIC document a distrac- destructive. Thursday.“We expect the delivery of the first batch Tu r k e y. doing so, Saudi Arabia has gone much tor which was aimed at diverting public Also, President Rouhani and Zarif re- of planes to Iran over the next month once the U.S. Saudi-backed articles in the docu- beyond meddling in domestic affairs of opinion from Saudis’ meddling in Yemen, fused to attend the final session of the grants export licenses,” he added. ment, so has been revealed, condemn Islamic countries and this is against all Bahrain, and Syria. “Saudis’ inhuman be- summit as a sign of objection. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y

http://www.tehrantimes.com/international AAPRILPRIL 116,6, 22016016 INTERNATIONAL 3

Abadi urges calm after NEWS Brazil court rejects parliament storm bid to halt Rousseff’s Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has with the planned reforms. impeachment called on lawmakers to exercise self-re- The reforms, he said, are only part of straint amid political tensions at the par- a wider reform plan aimed eliminating A majority of Brazil’s Supreme Court have rejected a last-ditch liament which have delayed a vote on his corruption at state institutions and ad- attempt by President Dilma Rousseff to halt an impeachment cabinet reshuffle. dressing the country’s economic woes. process against her in advance of a vote in Congress. Abadi warned on Thursday that divi- The parliament voted on March 28 to Justices denied a re- sions in the parliament would hinder his give Abadi a three-day deadline to pres- quest on Thursday for efforts to implement reform plans. ent his new government or face a vote of an injunction against The Iraqi parliament has witnessed no-confidence. proceedings that Bra- a tumultuous week amid a political rift The premier met the deadline and zil’s attorney general - which has thrice prevented a vote on the presented a list of nominees. But he has the government lawyer list of new ministers. faced stiff resistance from some parties - called “Kafkaesque” On Thursday, the parliament cancelled seeking to maintain their influence in the and said amounted to a vote on the cabinet overhaul and voted administration. denying Rousseff the to unseat speaker Salim al-Jabouri and Most of those on Abadi’s list were opportunity to defend his deputies. Lawmakers also appointed later substituted with new names on a herself. Adnan al-Janabi, a senior tribal leader, as second list distributed among lawmak- Brazil’s lower house the acting head of the parliament. ers on Tuesday, triggering a storm and of Congress is due to Jabouri dismissed the session as un- prompting some MPs to launch at a sit-in vote on Sunday on constitutional because he and the pre- at the floor. sending Rousseff to tri- mier were not present and the vote had He warned that a political crisis engulf- ations to free our cities and villages (from On Wednesday, a fistfight erupt- al in the Senate. failed to reach the required quorum. ing the country could hamper the war Daesh),” Abadi said in a statement issued ed in the parliament hall, forcing the The move could Prime Minister Abadi said the row at against Daesh militants. late on Thursday. prime minister to say he would make push Brazil from polit- the parliament is against the spirit of re- “The conflict has crippled parliament He called on all political parties to re- changes to the disputed names on ical paralysis into a chaotic power vacuum by ending the 13- forms, which undermines Iraq’s unity in ... and could obstruct the work of the main calm and pave the way for dialog the new list. year rule of Rousseff’s Workers’ Party. the face of its security challenges. government, impacting the heroic oper- to help the government move forward (Source: Press TV) Earlier on Thursday, Jose Eduardo Cardozo, the attorney general, asked the top court for an injunction to suspend Sunday’s lower house vote until the full court can rule on what he called procedural flaws in the impeachment process. Kerry: Shooting down Russia jets ‘would Erdogan announces Istanbul-based Reporting from Brazil’s capital Brasilia, Al Jazeera’s Latin have been justified’ anti-terror ‘Islamic Interpol’ America Editor Lucia Newman said: “The top court decided in a split vote. Two judges agreed with the attorney general that the president had been denied due process. “Now nothing can stop the impeachment vote from tak- ing place. In a few hours, the lower house will begin debating charges against the president. The debate will go on for at least 48 hours. The voting will start on Sunday afternoon. That’s prime time in Brazil.” Rousseff, already struggling with Brazil’s worst economic crisis in decades and a historic corruption scandal, has lost support within her governing coalition. She faces the growing likelihood of defeat in the lower house vote, which would send her impeachment to the Sen- ate for trial on charges of breaking budget laws. If the Senate accepts her impeachment, Rousseff would be suspended and replaced by Vice President Michel Tem- er as soon as early May pending a trial that could last six months. The U.S. military would have been At one point the jets were so close, Turkey is trying to unite the Islamic ed. “We should be uniting. Out of the “The country’s most popular entertainment show has within its rights to shoot down Rus- about 9m (30ft), that they created world and lead it in the fight against conflicts, the tyranny, only Muslims been cancelled in order to broadcast the proceedings,” Al sian aircraft that flew close to one of its wakes in the water around the ship. terror with a new Istanbul-based police suffer,” Erdogan said, as quoted by Jazeera’s Newsman said. warships in the Baltic Sea, Secretary of The ship was sailing close to a Rus- force tasked with tackling extremism in the Daily Sabah. “By Sunday night, we should know whether or not the State John Kerry says. sian navy base, Russia’s defense min- the region. At the same time, Ankara Turkey under the leadership of lower house has agreed to recommend the impeachment Two Russian jets flew within meters of istry said. has called for “liberation” of “occupied” Erdogan has long been accused by to the Senate, which will ultimately be in charge of the im- the ship on Monday, U.S. officials said. “After spotting the ship, Russian pi- Islamic lands. international observers of trying peachment.” Russia’s defense ministry said the lots turned away from it in full compli- Turkish President Recep Tayyip to resurrect the former glory of the Rousseff, a former leftist guerrilla, had not been expect- Su-24 fighter jets “turned away in ob- ance with safety measures. Erdogan has announced the Or- Ottoman Empire. At the same time ed to resort to the Supreme Court until after Sunday’s vote. servance of all safety measures” after “All flights of the Russian aircraft are ganization of Islamic Cooperation Ankara has been accused by many Cardozo’s request to the court was seen as a sign her gov- observing the USS Donald Cook. in strict compliance with international (OIC) has accepted his proposal international entities of inadequately ernment now expects defeat. Kerry criticized the gesture and said rules of the use of air space above neu- to create a multinational police addressing the global terror threat, Rousseff’s opponents are just nine votes short of victory in contact had been made with Moscow. tral waters.” center based in Istanbul to battle with even Russian President Pu- the lower house, with 333 politicians backing impeachment, “We condemn this kind of behavior,” The commander of the Donald international terrorism. The new tin saying on Thursday that “Turkey’s 124 opposed and 56 undecided or declining to respond, ac- he told the Miami Herald and CNN Es- Cook described the flights as a “simu- structure is to be called the OIC current leadership does not fight rad- cording to a survey by the Estado de S Paulo newspaper. panol in a joint interview. lated attack”. Center for Police Cooperation and icals as much as it collaborates with Several of the top court justices recently said that they “It is reckless. It is provocative. It The passes were “unsafe, potentially Coordination. them.” do not think the court should interfere with the legislature’s is dangerous. And under the rules of provocative” and “could have caused “It would be helpful to establish a While the details of the new Islam- jurisdiction in the impeachment battle. (Source: Al Jazeera) engagement, that could have been a an accident,” officials said in a release. structure among member states that ic anti-terror police force yet to be shoot-down.” The actions of the Russian jets will strengthen and institutionalize made public, Turkish Prime Minister He added that the US “is not going may have violated a 1970s agreement cooperation against terror and other Ahmet Davutoglu is already calling to be intimidated on the high seas” and meant to prevent dangerous incidents crimes,” he said, during a speech at the to “liberate all Islamic lands under that a message had been conveyed to at sea, but it is not clear whether the US two-day OIC summit, as over 30 heads occupation.” ISIL names two senior Russia over the danger of such a ges- is going to protest. of states from Islamic countries gath- “We need a common stance for ture. A Russian helicopter taking pictures ered in Istanbul. the liberation of all the Islamic lands British Conservative The chill between Putin & Obama also passed by the ship seven times. The aim, according to Erdo- that are under occupation, espe- politicians on chilling Individual Nato members’ rules of The Donald Cook was conducting gan, is to fight ISIL in Iraq, Syria cially Palestine,” said Davutoglu at engagement should clearly outline what deck landing drills with an allied military and Libya and Boko Haram and the summit, as quoted by Hurriyet ‘kill list’ of Western are defined as “actions that might be helicopter when the jets made their pass- Al Shabaab in Africa, as “all these Daily. Under the Turkish PM’s plan, construed as provocative”, according to es, according to a statement from the terror organizations oppress and the “liberation” of Muslims besides CRUSADERS the organization’s own guidelines. United States European Command. harm all Muslims.” Palestine should also take place in Applying those rules of engage- The U.S. suspended flight opera- Seeking the lead role in uniting Crimea and the disputed Nagorno- The ISIL terrorist group has named two senior British politi- ment “requires commanders at all lev- tions from the ship until the Russian jets some 1.7 billion Muslims under Anka- Karabakh region. cians on an apparent ‘kill list’ of Muslims in the West. els to exercise considerable judgment”, left the area. ra’s command, Erdogan urged the IOC “The most important indicator Business Secretary Sajid Javid and Baroness Sayeeda War- Nato says. The next day, a Russian KA-27 heli- delegates at the summit to overcome which would show the effectiveness of si are identified as targets on the list because they are ‘overt Kerry did not specify why the U.S. copter flew circles at low altitude around internal differences in Islam. the OIC is protecting Muslim minorities crusaders’. Navy did not fire at the jets. the ship, followed by more jet passes. “I believe the greatest challenge and liberating occupied lands such as The pair are criticized by the terrorist group for ‘directly’ The two Russian jets flew over the The aircraft did not respond to safe- we need to surmount is sectarianism. Palestine, Karabakh and Crimea,” Davu- involving ‘themselves in politics ‘ and ‘enforcing laws of the U.S. destroyer almost a dozen times, ty warnings in English or Russian. My religion is not that of Sunnis, of toglu said. kufr (non-believers).’ American officials said. (Source: BBC) Shias. My religion is Islam,” he stat- (Source: RT) They are named alongside several American Muslims, in- cluding presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s long-time aid, Huma Abedin. The chilling list - which describes the targets as ‘politically Saudi minister says Najib funds were donation active apostates’ - was published in the latest edition of ISIL’s propaganda magazine, Dabiq. Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has said funds found in ine donation with nothing expected in return. We are A paragraph in the magazine reads: “One must not over- Malaysian PM Najib Razak’s personal account were a also fully aware that the attorney general of Malaysia look the overt crusaders, those who don’t even wear the donation, say Malaysian state media. has thoroughly investigated the matter and found no clock of da’wah, but instead directly involve themselves in Last year, the Wall Street Journal accused Najib of wrongdoing,” he said. politics and enforcing the laws of kufr.” corruption, claiming that the $681m (£478m) had come “So, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed,” It goes on to list examples of ‘crusaders’, including Javid, from troubled state fund 1MDB. Mr Jubeir said, after a meeting with Mr Najib on the Baroness Warsi. Abedin and US Republican Keith Ellison. Najib has faced repeated calls to step down as prime sidelines of the summit. The extremist group states that those ‘who are caught minister but has been cleared of wrongdoing. The fund has been dogged by allegations of corrup- before they repent’ shall suffer a ‘painful - and fatal - pun- He said the Saudi statement confirmed what he had tion. ishment’. always maintained. Last week, a Malaysian parliamentary enquiry Mr. Javid, born in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, has been ------Malaysia PM in the clear? found its entire board 1MDB had been acted irresponsi- Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills since The 1MDB fund was set up by Mr Najib in 2009 to bly, and called for an investigation into the former chief, May 2015. pay for major new economic and social developments although it did not implicate Najib. Last summer, the politician declared that British Mus- in Malaysia. A Swiss investigation into 1MDB was opened last lims who refuse to condemn extremist attacks like the Last July, Malaysia’s then-Attorney General Abdul family to the prime minister’s private bank account. year, citing “suspected corruption of public foreign of- Tunisia massacre are ‘taking’ children ‘to the door’ of Gani Patail linked the $681m in Mr Najib’s account to ’The matter is closed’ ficials, dishonest management of public interests and terrorists. companies and bodies which had ties to 1MDB. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, speaking to re- money laundering”. Baroness Warsi, born in Dewsbury, West Riding of York- Mr Patail was replaced, and, after an investigation, porters at a summit in Istanbul, confirmed this, accord- Regulators in the U.S. and Hong Kong are also re- shire, is the former chair of the Conservative party. his successor cleared Mr Najib of corruption, saying that ing to Malaysian state news agency Bernama. ported to be investigating 1MDB. She was the first ever female Muslim to attend Cabinet. (Source: Daily Mirror) the money was a personal donation by the Saudi royal “We are aware of the donation and it is a genu- (Source: BBC) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 4 ECONOMY AAPRILPRIL 116,6, 22016016 http://www.tehrantimes.com/economy

NEWS Zanganeh won’t attend Doha oil freeze talks Armenia, Russia, Iran ECONOMY TEHRAN — Iranian multi-lateral meetings and has briefed and Georgia sign road deskOil Minister Bijan all of them that the Islamic Republic Namdar Zanganeh will not take part does not plan to sign Doha’s meeting map to build North-South in the oil producers’ summit Sunday agreement,” the IRNA news agency in Doha, Qatar, due to some pre- quoted Ne’matollahi as saying. Energy Corridor planned programs, said the oil min- Iran’s OPEC Governor Hossein Ka- YEREVAN (Arka) — istry’s public relations director Akbar zempour-Ardebili will represent the Energy ministers of Armenia, Russia, Iran, Ne’matollahi. country to this meeting, Ne’matollahi and the deputy energy minister of Georgia signed on Wednes- Members from OPEC and other noted. day in Yerevan the "road map" for building the North-South En- main oil producers are due to gather He emphasized that Iran will hail ergy Corridor. together to discuss stabilizing oil pric- and back the meeting’s decisions on Armenia’s deputy energy minister Areg Galstyan said after es by freezing production, the event the way to re-stabilize the interna- the signing ceremony the "road map" formalizes the steps and has been called by some analysts as tional oil market. the programs that will be implemented until 2019, when the en- “the most important meeting of the Tehran has said it wouldn’t freeze ergy corridor is supposed to be launched. last three decades.” oil production until the country According to him, when the construction of power transmis- “Zanganeh has previously dis- reached a pre-sanctions output level sion lines between Armenia and Iran as well as Armenia and cussed Iran’s positions with the meet- of four million barrels per day from Georgia is over it will enable parallel operation of power systems ing’s ministers in previous bilateral and the current 2.8 million barrels. of the four countries, as they operated in Soviet times. Areg Galstyan said the South-North Energy Corridor will be used primarily for seasonal electricity swaps through third coun- tries. According to him, after the full launch of the corridor its Over 400 firms to attend Tehran RAILEXPO 2016 capacity will reach about 1,000 MW. ECONOMY TEHRAN — Over 100 partment at the Railways of the Islamic Re- Poland, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, viding after-sales, maintenance and insur- With the Iranian funding, He said, Armenia and Iran are deskforeign companies and public of Iran (RIRI). the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting ance services also showcase their own building a power transmission line. With the funding from Ger- 300 local ones would attend Iran’s 4th RAILEXPO 2016, the largest of its kind (IRIB) quoted Sokri as saying. products. man KfW bank another power transmission line is being built International Exhibition of Rail Transpor- across the Middle East, would host compa- The exhibition displays rail industry and Concurrently, the 1st International Oil, between Armenia and Georgia. tation, Related Industries & Equipment, nies from several countries including Ger- services in urban, suburban and freight Rail & Ports Conference of Iran, jointly or- The meeting of energy ministers as well as the chief executive dubbed RAILEXPO 2016, which will be held many, England, Switzerland, France, Italy, sectors, including different types of wag- ganized by the RIRI and the International of a leading Russian electric utility in this format was held in the in Tehran from May 15 to 18, said Sadegh Turkey, China, Finland, Bangladesh, Bel- ons, electric and diesel locomotives, freight Union of Railways (UIC), will run on May 15 Armenian capital in late December 2015. The Armenian govern- Sokri, the director of Public Relations De- gium, Russia, Ukraine, Australia, Sweden, cars and spare parts while companies pro- and 16 in Tehran. ment said after that meeting that Armenia, Russia, Georgia and Iran would build a common energy market after the construc- tion of two new power transmission lines connecting Armenia with Georgia and Iran. Iran offers historic opportunities for global automotive industry The lifting of international sanctions lev- the market. The increase in economic ac- cited computing. ment grow by 66% per annum until 2020 elled at Iran, as well as a number of demo- tivity, coupled with a decrease in inflation, The state of the Iranian automotive mar- in a best case scenario – from 7,000 sales graphic, normative and economic condi- bodes well for corporates seeking access ket is volatile, find the consultants. Since in 2015 to more than 90,000 by 2020. Turkey’s Arkas signs deal tions within the Iranian economy, are good to Iran’s market. 2011 the number of car sales has decreased According to Philipp Grosse Kleimann, news for international automotive players The country’s demographic profile too dramatically, falling 53% from 1.5 million to Partner at Roland Berger and study co- with Iran’s IRISL seeking to supply vehicles to the country’s is changing, as its still growing populace 0.7 million in 2013. The market has picked author, the time is right for global automo- 79 million people. begin to age. Given the relative youth of up only slightly in recent years, averaging tive players to make their mark in Iran. “A Arkas Holding has said it signed a memorandum of understand- At start of 2016 Iran reached an agree- the largest segment of the population, 0.9 million between the start of 2014 and historic opportunity”. Yet while the overall ing with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) to ment with world major powers that saw many, while entering middle and late age, the end of 2015. The coming five years will market profile for the country is positive, establish a Turkey-based joint venture to offer maritime trans- many of the sanctions affecting its markets will need to purchase a range of essential see the market accelerate and grow strong- a number of factors will need to be taken portation and logistics services across the Mediterranean Sea. lifted. The move has seen global corpo- and non-essential goods – including cars. ly at 16% per annum, to hit between 1.4 mil- into careful consideration by corporates Arkas Chairman Lucien Arkas, and IRISL Executive Board rates swarming around the opportunities When asked how good, in terms of lion and 1.8 million car sales by 2020. seeking to provide for the country’s de- Chairman Mohammad Saeedi attended the signing ceremony, of accessing the country’s more than 79 quality, Iranians believe the goods of for- The Iranian middle class, which has mand for foreign cars. “Economic success which was held in IRISL’s head office in Tehran, announced the million potential customers. eign companies from a number of differ- grown significantly over the past decades in Iran cannot be taken for granted”, he Izmir-based Arkas in a written statement on April 12. Iran’s economy is stabilizing with long ent countries are, 87% consider German to around 30% of the population, may says. “The Iranian tax system is extremely “The relationship between Turkey and Iran, who have been term projected growth to be sustained at goods favorable, 85% US products and be of particular interest to the premium complicated with a high degree of state neighboring countries for centuries, progresses day by day. I be- around 4% until at least 2017. Inflation too 80% Japanese products. In terms of the international automotive industry. The regulation. Additionally western compa- lieve that the partnership agreement we have made with IRISL has seen a drop to around 16%, where it kinds of goods Iranian respondents are preference for imported vehicles, mixed nies are faced with a 5,000 year old culture Group will support and also make a significant contribution to will be sustained for the time being until, most interested in, 49% said car/motor, with sufficient funds to acquire premium which is largely unknown outside of Iran.” the developing trade between the two countries. The associate for instance, cheaper foreign goods enter 40% said personal electronics and 38% propositions will see the premium seg- (Source: Consultancy.uk) company, which will be founded within the scope of the agree- ment, will function as a bridge between Iran and nearby coun- ISNA tries by using the transport infrastructure of Arkas,” said Arkas. PICTURE OF THE DAY Abdolvahed Mirzazadeh Arkas currently operates in many different fields, including, Iran looks to shift agency services, ship operations, port operations, logistics ser- vices that integrate sea, land, rail and air transportation as main funding needs to fields and bunkering, automotive, insurance services, informa- tion systems and tourism. (Source: Hurriyet Daily News) capital markets Iran's government plans to shift part of its borrowing from local corporate investors Iran ends free oil shipping to the capital markets, a move that could stimulate trading in debt securities and to India, decides to charge help the economy recover from years of discounted fee economic sanctions. The sanctions, imposed over Iran's Iran, no longer under sanctions, has ended free shipping of crude nuclear program, prompted government oil to India and has terminated a three-year old system of getting to borrow heavily from local firms and paid for half of the oil dues in rupees. banks, many of which are linked to the The Persian Gulf nation is now insisting on being paid in Euros state through shareholdings and mana- for the oil it sells to Indian refiners. It also wants refiners like Es- gerial influence. sar Oil and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MPRL) to In the wake of the lifting of sanctions clear nearly $6.5 billion of past dues in Euros, officials said. in January, the government is laying plans Iran had in November 2013 offered free delivery of crude oil to offer a range of debt instruments in to Indian refiners as Western sanctions decreased its exports. With the markets, where they could be bought shipping lines refusing to transport Iranian crude for fear of being by institutional and individual investors, sanctioned, Iran used its shipping line for the delivery and did not rather than placing debt directly with charge for transportation. banks and corporations. "National Iranian Oil Company has written to Indian firms say- At present, Iran's banking sector pro- ing it will no longer be shipping oil for free," an official said. vides around 95 percent of all financing, "It will continue to ship the oil in its tankers but will charge a with only a tiny portion sourced from the discounted tariff," he said. debt capital markets, said Navid Kalhor, The transportation fee will for now be less than half it takes to equity research analyst at Agah Group, a ferry oil from Iran. Tehran-based investment firm. (Source: Business Standard) First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri (C) and National Petrochemical Company’s Managing Director Marziyeh Shahdaei (L) "The banking sector is out of money listening to Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh (R) explaining about a plastic raw material in the 10th International Exhibition of and out of capital, so the government is looking to reduce its reliance on the sec- Plastic, Rubber, Machinery and Equipment of Iran, dubbed Iran Plast 2016, running from April 13 to 17 at the Tehran Permanent tor. It now needs to seek the capital mar- Italtel signs MOU to International Fairgrounds kets." (Source: Reuters) modernize Iran telecom Chinese economy Not just China: Japan, Volkswagen Europe network shows signs of debt- South Korea push quarterly market The Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI) has entered into fueled recovery cheap steel as world share hits five-year a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Italtel, a leading reels low Italian telecommunications company in Network Functions Vir- tualization (NFV), managed services and all-IP communication, which will develop and modernize TCI’s telecom network. China posted its slowest economic growth since As the world reels from a flood of cheap Chinese Volkswagen AG’s European first-quarter mar- The MoU was signed during an official Italian Government 2009 but a surge of new debt appears to be fueling steel, other countries including Japan and South Ko- ket share reached a five-year low as auto buyers mission to Iran led by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. a recovery in factory activity, investment and house- rea are selling products overseas at prices as much as snubbed the German carmaker’s efforts to resolve Italtel CEO Stefano Pileri said: “The MOU signed today rep- hold spending in the world’s second largest economy. a third lower than in their home markets. its emissions-cheating scandal and turned to mod- resents a fundamental step forward in the cooperation between That’s good news in the near-term, economists The underpricing by the world’s second and third els from BMW AG, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and Italy and Iran and we are proud to be part of this important say, but many worry it marks a return to the old biggest steel exporting countries underscores the Daimler AG. project. Telecommunications and ICT represent an accelerator playbook used during the financial crisis, when Bei- pressure facing steelmakers around the globe as the Volkswagen’s brands, including mass-market for the development of many other areas and the economy in jing hand-cranked its economy out of a slowdown industry grapples with chronic oversupply and slug- Skoda and up-market Audi, accounted for 23.4 per- general”. through massive stimulus, rather than structural re- gish demand. cent of new registrations in the three months ended Having built up a wealth of experience in building and trans- form. India’s Tata Steel has blamed a flood of cheap steel March versus 24.4 percent a year earlier. That was forming complex networks of a large number of international Official data on Friday showed China’s gross do- imports for a decision to pull out of Britain, putting Volkswagen’s worst showing for the period since operators, Italtel currently operates in the EMEA and LatAm mestic product grew at an annual rate of 6.7 percent 15,000 jobs at risk, while one of Australia’s only two 2011. Industrywide demand in the region rose 5.7 markets, addressing large enterprises, public administration and in the first quarter of the year, easing slightly from 6.8 steelmakers, Arrium Ltd has been placed in adminis- percent to 1.74 million cars in March, the 31st con- percent in the fourth quarter as expected. tration, a form of bankruptcy. secutive month of growth, and jumped 8.1 percent in

service providers as a market leader in digital transformation. NEWS IN BRIEF (Source: Business Review Middle East) the quarter to 3.93 million. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y http://www.tehrantimes.com AAPRILPRIL 116,6, 20162016 HISTORY & HERITAGE 5

World Crafts Council to mull over CLOSE-UP The smartest travel hacks designating two Iranian cities you’ll ever need TOURISM TEHRAN – Inter- shops. They will also meet some profes- Here are some travel desknational experts will sors at the Carpet Faculty of Tabriz Islamic tips that will make your study the designation of Iran’s Mash- Art University. next adventure a little had and Lalejin cities as global craft They will also go to Kandovan and bit easier. cities during the 7th Executive Board Osku villages in East Azarbaijan Province When booking Meeting of the World Crafts Coun- and will travel to Isfahan and Kashan cities flights and hotels online cil - Asia Pacific Region (WCC-APR), on April 30 and May 1. enable private brows- which will be held from April 27 to 30 On the sidelines of the event, a ing. Travel sites often in Tabriz. meeting titled “Peace and Creativity in track your visits and will Mashhad and Lalejin have respective- Handicraft” will be held. Iran’s Cultural raise the price simply ly applied for the titles of global city of Heritage, Tourism and Handicraft Or- because you’ve visited pottery, and ceramic and precious gem- ganization (CHTHO) Director Masoud before. stones, in 2016. Soltanifar, the CHTHO deputy director Travel sites often Last year, WCC declared Isfahan and for handicraft Bahman Namvar-Motlaq track your visits and will Tabriz as the global cities of handicraft and WCC officials will make speech dur- raise the price simply and carpet weaving. ing the meeting. because you’ve visited The participants will pay visit to Tabriz An exhibition of carpets of East before. carpet Bazaar and carpet weaving work- Azarbaijan Province will be also held. Last year, WCC declared Tabriz as the global city carpet weaving. reddit.com Place a dryer sheet in your suitcase to keep your clothes smelling fresh and to reduce static. Over 1.8m tourists visit Iran’s UNESCO- To reduce wrinkling in folded clothes, use tissue paper. Save space by rolling clothes instead of folding. registered sites during Noruz Pill containers make great organizers for jewelry. Glass cases are perfect for chargers and cables. TOURISM TEHRAN – Dur- bottom of the list. Put underwear and socks in shoes to save space. desking Noruz holidays The Iran’s UNESCO-registered sites Use straws to carry travel-size portions of products like (March 20-April 1), some 1.845 million earned over 177 thousand dollars by shampoo, conditioner, SPF, and others. tourists paid visit to 19 historic sites in visitors during Noruz, the Mehr news A binder clip will protect the head of shaving razors. Iran registered on UNESCO’s list of agency reported on Thursday. Fold your soap in a wash cloth. World Heritage. Bam citadel, Shiraz’s Eram Gar- Wrap your shoes in a shower cap. Persepolis, the ancient capital of the den, Tehran’s Golestan Palace, Shi- Wrap headphones around a binder clip to prevent Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BC), was raz’s Pasargadae, Isfahan’s Chehel them from tangling. the most-visited place during Noruz Sotun Garden, Kermanshah’s Bis- Keep hair clips handy in Tic Tac containers. holidays. Gonbad-e Qabus, a 1006-AD toun, Susa, and Zanjan’s Soltanieh Use belts to line collars to keep them crispy. decagon baked-brick-built tower in dome are amongst Iran’s UNESCO- Refill travel-size containers instead of buying new each northern Golestan Province, was at the registered sites. time. Use a pen spring to protect chargers from bending and breaking. Use Google Maps offline by typing “OK Maps” and the Persian Express: All aboard the new Iran-bound luxury train visible area will save for future access. The private travel company Golden Eagle Luxury Trains After that, tourists will go to the Iranian shrine city of understandably costs a bundle. Save an empty plastic water bottle and refill it after Limited is due to open its new route from Moscow to Mashhad, from where they will be delivered to the cities The price tag of the cheapest ticket for the Moscow- passing security instead of buying water at the airport. Tehran on November 10, according to information pub- of Mahan, Ryan, Yazd, Isfahan and Shiraz. This three-day Tehran train, including the cost of food and excursions, When reserving seats for two people, choose the aisle lished on the company’s website. trip will end with a stop in the Iranian capital Tehran. stands at almost $21,000. and window seats. If no one takes the middle seat, then you Foreign tourists will be able to start their journey from At least five such trips are expected within the Persia As for Golden Eagle Luxury Trains Limited, it is the get the full row, and if someone does, then just ask to switch Moscow, where they will arrive by plane in order to take and Silk Road program between 2016 and 2017, which world’s leading operator of luxury rail trips to Central seats so you can sit next to your partner. part in the 18-day Persia and Silk Road tour. will additionally see tourists coming to Moscow from Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Russia. Earlier If you forget your wall plug, you can charge devices Two days later, the company’s train will leave Moscow Tehran. this month, a Golden Eagle train with 42 Americans and through the USB slot on a TV. for Kazakhstan’s Baikonur and Uzbekistan’s cities of Tash- Going by train from Russia to Iran is believed to be Europeans on board arrived in the Iranian ancient city Use the camera in your phone. kent, Samarkand and Bukhara as well as Ashgabat and one of the most unusual and exciting ways to travel of Isfahan. Get WiFi passwords by checking comments on Four- Merv in Turkmenistan located in Central Asia. across Central Asia and the Middle East, something that (Source: Sputnik) Square. Bring a power strip and be a hero for other travelers. On the last day of your trip to a foreign country, collect all of your loose change and give it to the homeless. Qasr Prison Musuem: A question of memory (Source: lifebuzz.com) The gray haired guy stopped at a prison cell Brigadier Dargahi the chief of police who and smiled: “And this was my cell.” He said was put in Qasr prison exactly two days af- and then kept the smile as if he was brows- ter he had participated in the opening cer- ing his memories. He would explore the place emony of the jail with Reza Shah. IN THE NEWS several times a day with visitors and tell them Afterward, more than 800 prisoners the untold stories of his prison time. As one of would be locked up each time and some Canada excludes ‘suicide the hundreds political prisoners of pre revolu- were killed there, among them many big tion era, he was now a tour guide at the Qasr names like Teymurtash, Bozorg Alawi, the tourists’ from other prison museum in which he had spent some heads of Bakhtiari tribe, and Farrokhi Yaz- countries years of his arrest. di, famous Iranian revolutionary poet and The story of this museum has had politician who was then murdered there by Canada proposed Thursday legalizing assisted suicide for pa- so much up and down, dependent to air injection. Even Lawrence of Arabia had tients with “grievous and irremediable” medical conditions, but the different utilization of the place. The been held in Qasr for a very short time. would limit the law to Canadian citizens to diminish the likeli- journey from a beautiful garden on the With the increase of the political sup- hood having so-called suicide tourists travel north of the border. old road to Shemiran, then built in it a which the inmates would be welcomed palace into a modern jail for the opposi- pression during the second Pahlavi, the The proposal, backed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, luxurious Qajar style palace which at last by torture and assassination, Qasr prison tions. The prison was founded with 192 plan for a separated political prison was put would allow physicians to aid seriously ill adults who wish to converted to a dreadful political prison, is the least reminder of a palace. cells. And can’t you guess who was the first in order and kept then and there the new end their lives without risking prosecution. Canada’s Supreme has put a very ironic name on it. Qasr in After Reza Shah Pahlavi took over the prisoner. There is a famous proverb in Per- wave of oppositions against Pahlavi’s rule Court last year eliminated rules that had barred doctors from Persian language means palace. As one throne and founded judicial court, he de- sian that says: “Never dig a well for others, among them Ayatullah Khomeini, Ayatullah helping patients die, and Mr. Trudeau’s administration was of the oldest political prisons in Iran in cided to turn the remaining of the Qajar in which you may fall.” The first captive was Khamenei, Navab Safawi, Morteza Motah- subsequently allowed to propose a legislative solution, which hari, Ayatullah Taleqani and many others. It was unveiled Thursday. was the first prison which was liberated by These Celebrities changed our lives forever, but left too soon. PICTURE OF THE DAY ISNA/Received the revolutionaries and the political prison- “This is a difficult & deeply personal issue, and our gov- ers were welcomed by their families and ernment has carefully studied how best to support those in other people with joy and tears. As I was great suffering,” Mr. Trudeau tweeted. listening to the tour guide, stories of Qasr Health Minister Jane Philpott called it an “historic day for prison so reminded me of the book I just our country.” read, “My life for Lebanon”, story of Soha “This law will have an impact on patients, their families and Bechara who was held in Khiam, an infa- their health care providers,” she said. mous prison under Israeli occupation of the The legislation must be reviewed Canada’s House and south Lebanon. Senate before it is brought to a vote. Qasr prison is no longer a prison. It is Before officials even announced the proposal, however, a now open to public as a museum. Photos senior government official told The Associated Press on con- of many political prisoners, women and dition of anonymity that non-Canadians would be excluded, men are framed on the wall at the en- reducing the odds of transforming the country becoming a trance. The cells and the corridors have destination for individuals seeking to die with dignity. been kept as they were in the past; The Although assisted suicide is currently legal in five U.S. woman jail, the small solitary jail and the states, the majority of Americans reside in places where doc- cell for those who would be kept for one tors risk punishment if they’re caught enabling a patient’s night before their execution, same with death. When California begins to allow assisted suicide this the second Pahlavi’s political prison and June, 51 million Americans, or roughly one in six, will live in a the yard behind it. In Qasr museum I state where doctors can legally help patients end their lives. could touch the stories that I have only Albania, Colombia, Germany, Japan and Switzerland have heard of and never experienced my- alllegalized assisted suicide, and studies suggest Canadian self because I am from the generation authorities have good reason to believe the proposed legis- who was born after the revolution. The lation could prompt a surge in “suicide tourism.” A 2014 paper beautiful garden decorated with modern published in the journal Law, Ethics and Medicine concluded and thought provoking artworks and the that more than 600 foreigners traveled to Switzerland be- restaurant makes Qasr museum a pleas- tween 2008 and 2012 to make use of the European nation’s ant place to visit. But above all, the mu- aid-in-dying laws, including upwards of 200 annual “suicide seum is a reminder. Reminder of all the tourists.” Khiam and Qasr political prisons around “In the UK, at least, ‘going to Switzerland’ has become a the world and reminder of the ideals that euphemism for (assisted suicide),” wrote experts at the In- those prisoners sacrificed their life for. stitute of Legal Medicine in Zurich, who authored the study. As Soha Bechara said in her book, this is Roughly 77 percent of Canadians favor legalizing assisted Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi visits the National Museum of Iran during his sojourn in Tehran on Wednesday evening above all a question of memory. suicide, according to a poll published in August. (Source: Dream of Iran) (Source: Washington Times) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y

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Islamic summit must not fail COMMENT GOP nomination process 101: Candidates’ the Ummah’s expectations remedial edition By Derek T. Muller

By Erlan Idrissov onald Trump has complained that the Republican primary Dprocess is a “rigged, disgusting, dirty system” that deprives people of the chance to vote for their preferred presidential can- didate. He accuses the Republican Party of stealing delegates from him. azakhstan foreign minister calls for unity Complex voting system Kin tackling Islamic world issues. If he thinks this system is complex, Trump should look to the When the Organization of Islamic Co- Grand Old Party (GOP)’s past primary elections. Now, those were operation (OIC) held its highest-level meet- complicated! ing last week, there was sadly no shortage As recently as 2012, for example, some states used a three- of serious challenges to discuss. Indeed, step voting process that often yielded two opposing outcomes. the unusually tight security we can expect But the Republican National Committee (RNC) worked with state around the summit in Istanbul - a city that parties to streamline and standardize the 2016 election to mini- has been the victim of recent terrorist out- mize confusing results. rages - itself underlines the severe threat to Some complexity remains because each of the 50 states can stability and safety of member states and set its own rules. As the founding fathers devised, U.S. presiden- their citizens. tial elections are not national races. Rather, they occur state by There were, of course, plenty of prob- state, which inevitably creates some complexity. But there are lems to address when the OIC heads of state clear and now simpler rules. Candidates just need to read them. last convened in Cairo three years ago. The This year, for the first time, the Republican National Lawyers summit expressed its deep concern over the Association is helping presidential candidates get on the bal- continuing tragedy of Palestine, the threat lot in every state. In earlier elections, individual candidates were posed by violent extremism and the rise of responsible for finding out each state’s requirements, and then Islamophobia. But today, the horizon seems had to meet 50 different deadlines. In the 2012 presidential race, even darker. for example, Texas Governor Rick Perry and four other candi- We are no nearer to the two-state solu- It is now crucial that no time is wasted perity across the Islamic community. This will tional conference next month to bring reli- dates did not secure enough signatures to gain ballot access in tion, which is the only way to address the in dismantling the sanctions regime. Iran's deny the extremists the despair they need to gious and political leaders together to agree Virginia, a critical state with 49 delegates. hopes and rights of the Palestinian people. re-entry into the global economy is a boost recruit our young people. upon new steps to stop faith from being hi- The GOP lawyers group has given every candidate its Ballot Hopes that all-out civil war in Syria could to the entire region. Hunger is also a powerful recruiter for jacked by criminals. Access Initiative booklet, which explains the rules in each state. be avoided have been dashed as the coun- The general ceasefire in Syria, agreed the extremists. The new Islamic organization Nuclear weapons The national party is trying to help all candidates save both time try has plunged into chaos and barbarity and upon with the involvement of Russia and the for Food Security, set up at our initiative and There is an urgent need, as well, to pre- and money. millions have been forced to flee their homes. U.S., and ISIL's forced retreat, are also the first based in our capital, Astana, can play an im- vent terrorists from getting their hands on Violence in Syria tentative signs of a way out of Syria's catastro- portant role in preventing food shortages nuclear weapons, which we know they are The Republican National Committee also published an offi- cial guide last October. It explains each state’s system of selecting The violence in Syria has also helped fuel phe. across the Islamic world. It is exactly the kind actively seeking and will not hesitate to use. delegates to the Republican National Convention — which also terrorism, which is a growing threat around The Islamic and international community of cooperation we need to see across a wide We need increased cooperation on nuclear vary. The committee even changed some archaic party rules to the world. Pakistan, Turkey, Nigeria, Iraq, urgently need to work together to capitalize range of areas within the OIC and beyond. security but also bold steps to prevent the further streamline the campaigns. Belgium, France, Egypt, Ivory Coast, and Af- on these positive steps. We need to work harder as well to foster spread of these weapons. I hope the OIC will Three-step process ghanistan are just some of the countries to Humanitarian aid to the Syrian people understanding and respect between differ- throw its full weight behind the creation of Some states, for example, relied on a three-step process have already felt its deadly impact this year. and those countries that are shouldering the ent faiths and cultures. It is something upon a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Middle to select delegates. First, precinct caucuses would hold a non- The security situation in Afghanistan is highest burden of the refugee crisis must be which Kazakhstan - which prides itself on hav- East. binding straw poll, which was only a beauty contest. Second, again worsening. And far from a better un- stepped up. ing forged a tolerant society of people from What is troubling is that rather than new the caucuses would hold real elections to select delegates for a derstanding of the decent values of Islam, Twisted ideologies many different backgrounds - places huge efforts to bring our world together, we are state convention. Third, those state-convention delegates would there is growing fear and suspicion. Increased cooperation - from sharing in- importance. seeing old divisions - including within the choose the delegates for the national convention. It is why the Istanbul summit on Thursday, telligence to educating our young people - is It is why we host the Congress of Lead- Islamic community - revived and widened. Those first two elections took place on the same day, often attended, among others, by Kazakhstan's Pres- also the only way to successfully tackle terror- ers of World and Traditional Religions, which These divisions risk severely damaging all our with very different results. And only one counted. ident Nursultan Nazarbayev, is so important. ism and root out the twisted ideologies on has become an increasingly important plat- hopes of peace and progress. In Minnesota during the 2012 presidential election, for exam- No country, no matter how powerful, can which it feeds. form to promote dialogue. We need to stress Kazakhstan, since its earliest days as an ple, former Senator Rick Santorum won 45 percent of the straw- hope to tackle these problems on its own. I am sure we will again see a strong much more strongly that what unites the independent nation, has worked tirelessly to poll beauty contest, compared to Representative Ron Paul’s 27 Only by increased cooperation and promot- message from Istanbul that such attacks are great faiths, including the shared decent val- foster dialogue and cooperation. We hope percent. In the vote that mattered, far more Paul delegates were ing dialogue both within the Ummah and be- against true Islamic values and a pledge to ues which underpin them, is far greater than that if we are successful in gaining a nonper- selected to attend the state’s convention. yond can we make progress. redouble our efforts to root out this cancer anything that divides them. manent seat on the UN Security Council for Months later, when the state convention chose its national Unfortunately, a lack of trust between together. At a practical level, as well, this unity can 2017 and 2018, we can bring new impetus to delegates, Paul won 32 delegates to Santorum’s 2. Three steps, states, including some Islamic countries, is But increased economic cooperation is help counter the threat and appeal of violent the search for agreed peaceful solutions to different outcomes, much confusion. preventing the world from focusing its com- also important to help create jobs and pros- extremism. We are hosting a major interna- the world's challenges. In trying to standardize the election, the RNC told states they bined energy and effort on resolving the cur- They are certainly needed. Our world is had to eliminate the beauty contests. That would ensure only rent challenges. facing very difficult times. But through in- The summit expressed its deep concern one outcome. Voters would also no longer wonder why they It is not all bleak news: The agreement creased cooperation and by resisting those were casting votes for an election that didn’t really matter. over Iran's nuclear programme - which Ka- over the continuing tragedy of Palestine, who try to divide us, we can build a better Meanwhile, Trump is only now complaining about losing in zakhstan helped to broker by hosting two the threat posed by violent extremism and future for all our citizens. I am confident that the delegate selections of Colorado and other states. The pri- round of talks - was a historic breakthrough the Islamic summit in Istanbul will be another the rise of Islamophobia. But today, the mary rules, however, were not subject to recent last-minute and shows what can be achieved with pa- important milestone in this journey. horizon seems even darker. changes. According to the Republican National Committee, the tience and determination. (Source: al jazeera) state delegate- selection process was set by Oct. 1, 2015. So, all potential presidential candidates knew months in advance what each state’s rules would look like. There could be no “stealing” of delegates by secretive changing of rules. Staying in the EU is a leap in the dark with both legs shackled Unpleasant surprise involved in trade with the rest of the world than are other By: Roger Bootle For candidates like Trump, who seems to have not consid- EU members. ered the different rules in each state, this might be an unpleas- Outside the EU we would be free to negotiate our own ant surprise. But candidates don’t get to ignore how each state ne of the most potent arguments for staying in the trade deals, including one with China, which the EU still OEU is the uncertainty that would supposedly be un- works. Under the U.S. federalist system, each state runs elections has not managed to achieve. If we stay in, one major un- differently, including Colorado. leashed by a departure. certainty concerns how many people will arrive here to But staying in would involve increased uncertainty Colorado’s system used to be far more complicated, much work and settle, with major consequences for housing, like the one Minnesota got rid of. In 2012 in Colorado, Santorum over some important issues affecting our safety, includ- public services and infrastructure. ing whether the UK would contribute to an EU army and collected 40 percent of the nonbinding straw-poll vote, to Mitt Demographic outlook Romney’s 35 percent. The caucus attendees also selected dele- whether the EU would take over the UK’s (and France’s) I have warned before that the interests of other mem- permanent membership of the UN Security Council. gates to the state district conventions. But the results were com- bers are not necessarily the same as ours because of our pletely different. Colorado sent half its delegates to the national But when people talk of certainty and safety, they also very different demographic outlook, with the population refer to matters economic. convention as “uncommitted,” mostly leaning toward Paul. It was in many European countries set to fall and ours set to rise That is my subject today. It is true that if we were to es. confusion every step of the way. considerably. leave the EU the immediate situation post-departure is You might argue that the EU is unlikely to take a route Last August, though, Colorado simplified its voting process by Hence a one-size-fits-all migration policy will not work. more uncertain than if we remained. But that is trivial. In inimical to prosperity. But why not? eliminating the straw poll. Yet, the district-convention process that Equally, though, suppose that the EU decides against sub- practice, there would probably be little immediate differ- It decided to adopt the euro and that has been a com- Paul was able to take advantage of remained in place. (And Paul is stantial immigration into Europe, so that it has to face the ence. plete disaster. And it has introduced countless restrictions far from the first candidate who springs to mind when one thinks full economic consequences of first aging, and then fall- What the supporters of Remain are really arguing, and regulations on business that are responsible for the of an establishment insider who perpetrates dirty tricks.) ing, populations. though, is that we cannot be sure how things would de- average growth rate of its members being below that of Accordingly, on March 1, any registered Republican in Colora- If leaving the EU is a leap in the dark, then staying in is a velop over the succeeding years, including the terms of other comparable countries – even without the euro dis- do could go to a precinct caucus to choose delegates, who would leap in the dark with both legs shackled together and our our trading relationships. aster. go to the district conventions in April to select delegates for the arms tied behind our back. This is true. Yet the idea that a vote to stay means that Similarly, the EU could take radical steps to restrict or Republican National Convention. A significant number of Cruz Not only is our demographic position different, but things will stay the same is an illusion because the EU is even suppress large parts of the financial services industry, supporters attended those caucuses and chose delegates who fa- changing and the world is changing, too. In several key which is disproportionately important to us. our pension system is also radically different. Our pen- vored Cruz. Many other candidates did not think to send blocs of ways the EU could evolve, paraphrasing the words of Ja- We have opposed the imposition of the Financial sions are largely funded, whereas theirs are mainly not. supporters. So, when district conventions voted overwhelmingly pan’s emperor at the end of the World War II, “not neces- Transactions Tax and it is currently stuck in the regulato- This threatens a major crisis for them as the demands of for Cruz delegates last week, Trump was shocked, shocked by the sarily to the UK’s advantage”. ry long-grass. But if it re-emerges and we are still in the pensioners on the working population rise sharply. What outcome. Many experts had indeed projected that Trump would Most importantly, for the euro to survive, banking, fis- EU, we would have to implement it. Yes, we could vote if the EU imposes some sort of one-size-fits-all pensions win at least 7 of the available 34 delegates. Instead, he got zero. cal and political union will be needed between members. against such measures but our share of votes in the Euro- policy? But he shouldn’t have been surprised. The rules were defined The UK would be an outsider – but still inside the EU. How pean Council is only 12.6pc. And we have no capacity to In helping us to make up our minds about the institu- months ago. On top of that, they were simpler than any previous this would work is impossible to know. overrule the judgments of the European Court of Justice. tional arrangements with which we may best face an un- Colorado election. Then there is the matter of the EU’s own spending. At To all this, David Cameron’s “renegotiation” has made certain future, for all the things that we don’t know, we do Trump is now criticizing such rules as “undemocratic,” designed the moment, its budget amounts to only about 1pc of the no substantive difference. know this: we functioned perfectly well as an independent to thwart the will of the people. Granted, holding primaries rather EU’s GDP, compared to about 40pc for most European Although we cannot legally be made to join the euro, country before we joined the EU; our economic position than caucuses might be simpler. But every state, including Colo- governments’ spending as a share of their national GDP. nevertheless we could be put under enormous pressure has strengthened since then; most of the world does not rado, offers voters the opportunity to participate in the process But the EU budget has tended to rise over the years. to do so. That would not be met with much resistance belong to the EU, and does not wish to; the EU’s economic for selecting delegates to attend the Republican National Con- Moreover, given the EU’s aspiration to become some sort from large parts of the British establishment who, after all, record is poor because it has made misguided decisions. vention. of super-state, it will surely continue to rise, implying high- wanted us to join the euro in the first place. Most importantly, whatever the future throws at us, if It does take some effort to understand the U.S. federalist sys- er UK contributions. Or take trade policy. We do not know how the inter- we were outside the EU, we would have the power to re- tem. Elections take place at different times and in different ways in EU regulations national trading system will develop, nor how the EU will spond in our interests. If leaving the EU is a leap in the different states. But some rules will always govern how Americans Most importantly, we do not know how EU regulations respond. The world could turn in a protectionist direction. dark, then staying in is a leap in the dark with both legs elect their representatives. And despite Trump’s complaints, the will develop in regard to business and countless “social” is- The EU could increase external tariffs. We don’t know. shackled together and our arms tied behind our back. RNC has taken a measurable step to simplify the process in 2016. (Source: The Telegraph) sues that potentially have serious economic consequenc- What we do know, though, is that the UK is much more (Source: Reuters) 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 Space travel could be a breeze A device called NeuroLife helps paralyzed man perform simple tasks on solar wind Space travel could be on the verge of a Centrifugal force Science Daily reported that NeuroLife was discovered at Bat- revolution, as the Heliopause Electrostatic The spacecraft would rotate at a rate of telle, in partnership with the neuroscientists and physicians from Rapid Transit System Electric Sail – also one revolution per hour, and the resulting the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. The doctors known as the HERTS E-Sail – takes a step centrifugal force would gradually expand implanted a minute computer chip to Burkhart's motor cortex. closer to reality. the wires into position. This is the part of the brain that manipulates movement. He is This system, intended largely to facili- Thus equipped, the ship’s naviga- the first person to utilize the NeuroLife. tate particularly long-distance missions, tion would be controlled by varying the According to Wall Street Journal, the device is like a "neural is a technology being championed by amount of voltage running through each bypass." It picks up the brain NASA, currently under experimentation in wire, altering the electrostatic interac- signals and sends them to the Alabama and in partnership with the state tions with the protons tearing past in the computer that decodes them. university. solar wind. In a gist, the device works HERTS holds the promise of more than Tests being conducted at NASA's Mar- by allowing the user to imag- halving the time it takes for spacecraft to shall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., ine movements. For instance, enter interstellar space, and while its pri- are investigating the rate of collisions be- Burkhart can look at a com- mary goal is to speed spaceships' arrival tween these wires and protons and elec- puter screen with a visual of at the heliopause, the edge of our Solar trons, implementing the experiments in a a hand waving. By imagin- System, it could also be used to boost the plasma chamber to simulate the condi- ing the movement, his brain timeliness of missions confining themselves tions in space. signals are transferred and to our own planetary system. It currently takes decades for space- decrypted and the electrical The technology works by taking ad- craft to traverse our Solar System and stimulation is transported to vantage of solar wind, described by reach the heliopause. NASA's Voyager 1, the muscles utilizing a sleeve Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., The spacecraft would rotate at a rate of one revolution for example, which is exploring the inter- implanted with electrodes that as a "stream of energized, charged par- per hour, and the resulting centrifugal force would stellar medium, took 35 years to reach the enfold around his arm. ticles, primarily electrons and protons, gradually expand the wires into position. edge of our system. Dr. Ali Rezai, a co-author of the study and a neurosurgeon at flowing outward from the sun," reaching The research underway in Alabama has Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center said that he and his team speeds of up to 900 kilometers per sec- To make use of this energy, the spaceship cular E-Sail, each wire measuring just one yielded expectations of that journey-time of researchers are showing for the first time that a quadriplegic ond, and temperatures as high as 1 mil- would have at least 10 electrically charged millimeter in diameter but a staggering 20 being reduced to a mere 10 years. patient can improve his hand movements and level of motor lion degrees Celsius. aluminum wires radiating outwards in a cir- kilometers (more than 12 miles) in length. (Source: The Christian Science Monitor) function. Patients such as Burkhart can now perform tasks such as picking up and holding a phone, picking up a spoon, grasp- ing a bottle and pouring its contents and putting the bottle back down. He can also play the video game "Guitar Hero" and can Eat some worms? Parasites may actually help stomach and bowel diseases even swipe a credit card. (Source: Science World Report) Researchers trying to figure out how to fight unpleas- It's clearly not just bacteria at work. Researchers have ant digestive conditions such as inflammatory bowel for a few years focused on helminths, a worm-like group disease say they may have figured out how to use an of parasites. unlikely ally — worms. But studies in which people with IBD or Crohn's dis- They think they've figured out how worm - like para- ease got dosed with these helminths have had mixed No more curtains thanks sites may actually help cultivate healthy intestines, by results at best. Only a few seem to benefit. to next generation window tending to "good" bacteria and crowding out the bad Working with mice, Loke's team think they've figured technology species. out why. It might have to do with genetics. And they may have filled in one piece of the puzzle They used mice lacking a gene called NOD2, which that's been bedeviling researchers trying to do the same causes them to develop a condition resembling human IBD. Curtains and blinds may soon be a design choice as opposed as thing using the hygiene hypothesis — the idea that it's NOD2 mutations are linked with Crohn's disease in people. to a tool for privacy. Windows that can transition between clear possible to be too clean for your own good. They looked in people living in Malaysia, in rural re- and cloudy in a second may soon be a reality thanks to technology "Our findings are among the first to link parasites and gions where people are infected with worms but don't under development at Harvard University's School of Engineering. bacteria to the origin of inflammatory bowel diseases, killing off microorganisms that promote health. suffer much from irritable bowel or Crohn's disease. Windows that can change opacity or color already exist but supporting the hygiene hypothesis," P'ng Loke, at New Less developed areas "Overall, these data support our hypothesis that hel- rely on electrochemical reactions that are expensive to manufac- York University's Langone medical center, who helped People who live in less developed areas and who hap- minth infection promotes the expansion of Clostridiales ture, especially on a commercial scale. lead the research. pen to be loaded with germs and worms are far less likely communities that outcompete Bacteroidales communi- "They are all very effective, although I think ours is even more Doctors know that modern living can knock people's to have allergies, asthma and unpleasant bowel diseases ties," the team wrote. effective. But the big problem is how you create large areas, health out of whack, and it has something to do with such as Crohn's. (Source: NBC News) windows, and the cost," said Professor David Clarke, a material scientist at Harvard. The scientists have figured out a method to produce win- dows that go from clear to cloudy at the flip of a switch in a way Greenland ice sheet's sudden meltdown How did sea creatures survive the that is both cost effective and commercially viable, according to a study they published in the journal Optical Letters. catches scientists by surprise dinosaurs’ extinction? The team uses elastomer rubber coated with nanowires that adheres to glass to scatter light when voltage is applied. Monday saw the Greenland ice sheet Paleontologists have long wondered "When you apply a voltage to them relative to some back- covered in a record-breaking level of how deep sea creatures were able to ground there is an attractive force between the nanowires and melt water for this time of year, accord- survive the event that wiped out the the substrate that deforms the elastomer," said Clarke. "Elasto- ing to scientists who monitor it. dinosaurs and a new study indicates mer rubber is very soft and so the surface becomes rough, and Researchers at the Danish Meteoro- some varieties of algae and microor- it is that roughness that scatters light," Clarke added. logical Institute found that a whopping ganisms would have survived a massive Samuel Shian, an author on the study, believes scaling this 12% of the ice sheet was covered in a asteroid and acted as a food source for technology should be commercially viable because the reaction is layer of melt water that was at least 1 creatures living on the seafloor. physical rather than chemical. Current chemical-based controllable millimeter thick. Such double-digit fig- The new study is based on information windows use vacuum deposition to coat the glass, an expensive ures typically don’t emerge until May from chemical analysis of fossilized shells process that deposits layers of a material molecule by molecule. – and the day before had seen levels and seafloor organisms from the end of (Source: Reuters) of only 4%. the Cretaceous period. Study samples The numbers had some researchers were extracted from drilling cores pulled feeling “incredulous,” according to an actly what happens to the water, accord- from the ocean floor in the South Atlantic. the iconic ammonites." update posted on Polar Portal, a col- ing to an earlier Los Angeles Times story The analysis pointed to the flux, or "Our results show that despite a wave of laboration among several Danish re- on the dramatic 2012 melt. In any case, movement, of organic material from the massive and virtually instantaneous extinc- Sleeping immune cells in search institutions. even though water may eventually re- sea surface to the seafloor after an aster- tions among the plankton, some types of tumors can be 'woken up' “We had to check that our models freeze, that water brings some heat with oid impact, and indicated that slow flow photosynthesising organisms, such as algae to fight cancer were still working properly,” Peter Lan- it – which can have very problematic ef- of food was continuously being shipped and bacteria, were living in the aftermath of gen, a climate scientist with the mete- fects on the ice in the long run. to the deep ocean. the asteroid strike,” Birch added. orological institute, said in the update. “Melt water refreezing releases heat Additionally, the team found the food Many researchers have said the mass Sleeping immune cells which are already in tumors can be But their models held up. The sci- into the snow at depth, reducing the supply in the ocean was completely restored extinction of life on Earth 65 million years ‘woken up’ to fight even the most deadly cancers, scientists entists think the early start might be a amount of heating needed for melt to around 1.7 million years after the asteroid ago was brought on by an asteroid that have discovered. consequence of warm air becoming start and forming ice layers that can strike, nearly half the time of original esti- hit Mexico's Yucatαn Peninsula. In order to evade the body’s defense mechanism, can- trapped over Greenland and shedding help melt water run off the ice sheet ear- mations. This indicates marine food chains It is said that the debris from impact cer cells have learned to flick a switch in immune cells which rain along the coast. It’s a weather pat- lier with climate warming,” Jason Box of recovered quicker than previously believed. deprived Earth of life-giving light from switches them off. tern that echoes the one in 2012 that the Geological Survey of Denmark and The global catastrophe the Sun. Once the debris settled down, The switch is there to stop the body wrongly attacking harm- also precipitated (pun intended) what Greenland said in the update. The "global catastrophe that caused it resulted in greenhouse gases capturing less invaders, and is the rea- the scientists called an “extreme melt So these events might make the ice the extinction of the dinosaurs also dev- the Sun's heat and causing temperatures son that a mother can carry event,” in which almost the entire gla- even more vulnerable to climate change. astated ocean ecosystems,” study author to increase significantly. a baby – essentially a foreign cier – 95% of it – was covered in some That’s potentially troubling for the ice Heather Birch, a Cardiff University re- This era of darkness followed by rising body – without the immune amount of melted water. sheet, which according to a recent study searcher from the School of Earth and heat, referred to as the Cretaceous-Paleo- system attacking the fetus. Events are worrisome in Nature lost more than 9 trillion metric Ocean Sciences, said in a press release. gene perimeter, is considered to have oblit- Now scientists at Cancer These sorts of events are worrisome tons of ice from 1900 to 2010. “Giant marine reptiles met their end as erated nearly one half of the world's species. Research UK and University to scientists because it’s hard to track ex- (Source: The Los Angeles Times) did various types of invertebrates such as (Source: RedOrbit) College London have proven it is possible to use genetic editing to snip away the ‘off switch’ so that the immune Stuttering mice may help unravel mystery of human speech disorder system recognizes cancer again. Mice supposedly don't speak, so they can't stutter. But by Like a dispatcher directing garbage trucks, Gnptab en- that newly born mouse pups emit when separated from Researchers say it is like ‘cut- tinkering with a gene that appears to be involved in human codes a protein that helps to direct enzymes into the lyso- their mothers. Determining whether a mouse is stuttering is ting the brakes’ and allowing speech, researchers have created transgenic mice whose some — a compartment in animal cells that breaks down no easy task; as Barnes points out, it can even be difficult to immune cells to do the rest. pups produce altered vocalizations in a way that is simi- waste and recycles old cellular machinery. tell whether people are stuttering if they’re speaking a for- Dr. Sergio Quezada, Cancer Research UK scientist and co- lar to stuttering in humans. The mice could make a good Cellular waste products eign language. So the team designed a computer program lead author from University College London’s Cancer Institute, model for understanding stuttering; they could also shed Mutations to other genes in this system are known to that listens for stuttering vocalization patterns independent said: “This is an exciting discovery and means we may have a more light on how mutations in the gene, called Gnptab, lead to the buildup of cellular waste products and often re- of language. The program listens to the number of vocali- way to get around cancer’s defenses while only targeting the cause the speech disorder. sult in debilitating diseases, such as Tay-Sachs. How muta- zations per minute and the length of pauses during bouts immune cells that recognize the cancer.” Stuttering is one of the most common speech disorders tions in Gnptab causes stuttered speech remains a mystery, of vocalization. In humans, it can distinguish a person who The treatment would work by taking a biopsy of a tumor and in the world, affecting nearly one out of 100 adults in the however. stutters from a control subject 79% of the time. then identify immune cells that are already inside. Those cells are United States. But the cause of the stammering, fragment- To get to the bottom of things, neuroscientist Terra The program showed that mice with mutant copies of likely to me most effective as the fact that they are in the tumor ed speech patterns remains unclear. Several years ago, re- Barnes and her team at Washington University in St. Louis in the Gnptab gene had less frequent vocalizations and more suggests they were trying to attack it before they got switched off. searchers discovered that stutterers often have mutations Missouri produced mice with mutation in the Gnptab gene long pauses than normal mice. (Source: The Telegraph) in a gene called Gnptab. and studied whether it affected the ultrasonic vocalizations (Source: Science Magazine) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y http://www.tehrantimes.com/international APRIL 16, 2016 WORLD IN FOCUS 9

Human Rights Watch has called on Tur- 10,000 people, early on April 14. The mil- key to stop firing on Syrian civilians flee- Stop shooting at Syrian civilians itants fired shots in the air and told the ing fighting and allow them to cross the residents to leave. Turkish border. The UN Refugee Agency “At dawn we heard gunshots near the JUMP asked Ankara to provide data on possible fleeing ISIL-controlled zones, camp. A short while later ISIL arrived and refugee deaths in shelling on the Syrian used a loudspeaker to tell us we all had Iran, Netherlands ink 10 border. HRW tells Turkey to leave. They said we had nothing to “As civilians flee ISIL fighters, Turkey fear and that we should all go east, into economic MOUs is responding with live ammunition in- ISIL territory. We left the camp but head- Last November, Iran and Netherlands signed an stead of compassion,” Gerry Simpson, ed north through olive groves toward the 1 MOU on bilateral cooperation in different agricultural are- senior refugee researcher at HRW, said in Turkish border,” one camp resident told as. The agreement was penned by Iran’s Agriculture Minister a statement. “The whole world is talking HRW. ”We were about 2,000 people. As we Mahmoud Hojjati and the Netherlands’ Minister of Economic about fighting ISIL, and yet those most approached the border wall we saw Turkish Affairs Henk Kamp in Tehran. at risk of becoming victims of its horrific soldiers on a hill behind the wall and they In the ceremony for signing the MOU, Hojjati expressed abuses are trapped on the wrong side of just started shooting at us. They shot at our hope that Iran’s nuclear deal with the world’s major powers will a concrete wall,” he added. feet and everyone just turned round and lead to the expansion of its trade ties with the Netherlands. A new wave of refugees has fled ran in all directions. I took my family and A new chapter has opened in the political and economic ties northern Syria for the Turkish border af- we walked to another [displaced persons] between Iran and the Netherlands after Iran’s nuclear deal. ter ISIL opened fire on communities that camp nearby, called al-Rayan. We’re afraid had sheltered them. Three people were now because ISIL is close to this camp too. killed and thousands more were uproot- But where can we go,” he added. S. Korea’s Iran crude imports ed, the Guardian reported. Europe continues to face the most se- “The border is supposed to be a ref- vere refugee crisis since World War II. Over surge over 80% y/y in March uge, but it is a barrier to push us back a million migrants arrived in the continent into hell,” Abdul Aziz Rizk, who fled the am) are now deserted. There used to be en displaced Syrians, who had been liv- in 2015. Most are from Syria, where 250,000 1 In the first three months of the year, the world’s Iqdah camp, told the Guardian. “All we around 24,000 people sheltering there, ing in camps that had been taken over by people have been killed and over 12 million fifth-largest crude importer brought 2,956,497 tons, or want to do is get out of here.” according to HRW. ISIL, or that were close to the fast-chang- displaced since the civil war broke out in 699,068 bpd, of crude from the Middle Eastern country, ver- Renewed fighting between ISIL and The human rights watchdog high- ing IS front line. All the residents said they 2011, according to UN figures. sus 1,401,138 tons in the same period in 2015, according to armed opposition groups in Northern lighted that Turkey’s border still remains wanted to get to Turkey, but the closed EU leaders and Turkey have recently the data. Aleppo has displaced at least 30,000 “firmly shut” a year after the authorities border meant they had no escape. Some agreed a plan, aimed at opening a “safe Iran, which wants to regain market share after the lifting people in the past 48 hours, HRW said. started rejecting all but the most serious- said they had stayed in camps threat- and legal” route to the EU for Syrian ref- of sanctions in January, told OPEC it raised output last month According to international aid work- ly injured Syrians. ened by ISIL because they were afraid ugees. Under the deal, sealed on March by a minor 15,000 bpd to 3.40 million bpd. ers in Turkey and heads of six of the 10 “Turkey’s closed border is forcing Syr- they wouldn’t be able to find shelter 20, Ankara is supposed to take back all The world’s biggest oil producers will meet in Doha on Sun- displaced persons camps east of Azaz ian men, women, and children to dig elsewhere. They knew other camps along migrants and refugees, including Syrians, day to discuss a proposed output freeze at January’s levels. near the Turkish border, IS advances on ditches and hide to escape the horrors the Turkish border were completely full. who cross the Aegean Sea to enter Greece Iranian oil minister Bijan Zanganeh will not attend the Wednesday and Thursday forced out at of war,” Simpson said. ”Turkey’s attempt at Others said they had returned to their illegally. In return, the EU takes in thousands meeting, but will send a representative. least half the camps’ 60,000 residents. creating a so-called safe zone is a terrible nearby home villages even though they of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey, re- Overall, South Korean imported 11.52 million tons of crude They have fled to other camps, such as joke for civilians cowering underground are still unsafe. warding Ankara with an early visa-free trav- last month, or 2.72 million bpd. The total was 4 percent high- the Bab al-Salameh on the Turkish border and desperate to escape Syria.” The head of Ikdah camp, on the Turk- el regime, advancement in EU membership er than the 11.12 million tons imported in March of 2015, the and to the nearby town of Azaz. Three of On Thursday, HRW spoke with repre- ish border, said that ISIL had taken over talks and - last but not least - more money. customs data showed. (Source: RT) the camps (Ikdah, Harameen and al-Sh- sentatives of six of the 10 camps and sev- the camp, which sheltered just under Final data for last month’s crude oil imports will be re- leased by state-run Korea National Oil Corp later this month. (Source: Reuters) EU visit to Iran designed to reassure banks North Korea missile launch 1 The official said the trip was designed to “reas- “Major banks have not been re-engaging [with dering and financing of terrorism - a law has been sure everyone that re-engaging in Iran is possible”. Iran]; it takes to time to rebuild trust and confi- passed in Iran but more needs to be done, because it’s reportedly fails She said international banks, whose services will dence.” an impediment to investors’ engagement”. be needed to underpin future foreign investment, The Belgian KBC bank, Germany’s DZ bank and Aus- With Iran sitting on huge gas reserves that the EU North Korea attempted to launch an intermediate-range bal- have been reluctant to return to Iran due to legal tria’s Erste Group are among the international financiers could tap into in order to reduce dependence on Rus- listic missile off the country’s east coast on Friday but the and reputational concerns associated with the in- that have resumed ties. But prior to the detente, U.S. sia, the official said. “Oil and gas are obvious areas of launch failed, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported. tricate web of EU and U.S. sanctions imposed in regulators had fined French bank BNP Paribas $9 billion cooperation”. recent years. for sanctions-busting. She added that the EU had also drawn up a €5 bil- “Thirty three [Iranian banks] have reconnected The EU official added that “Iran wants to join the lion plan for modernizing Iran’s civilian nuclear energy to Swift so far,” the EU official said, referring to a Bel- WTO [World Trade Organization] and we are willing to program and that it would target other opportunities in gium-based firm which handles international wire trans- play a supporting role”. Iran’s aviation and rail sectors. fers. She said she wanted more action “on money laun- (Source: euobserver.com) The least Rouhani and his team could do in OIC summit 1 Saudis, instead, have tried to misrepresent dent Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power, claiming the war on Yemen. Iran’s positive role in Iraq. In one recent case, for exam- fighting Houthis are backed by Iran. There are dozens of more evidences testifying to the ple, Saudi Ambassador to Iraq, Thamer al-Sabhan, said This is while Iran has just been protesting the Saudi fact that it is Saudi Arabia not Iran that is fueling disunity the participation of Shia militias in the fight against ISIS in the Islamic world: Execution of the prominent Shia cler- was exacerbating sectarian tensions in Iraq. In Yemen, Saudis have shown ic Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, presentation of a harsh, violent The US military detected and tracked the missile launch The Saudi ambassador was clearly referring to the utmost craziness, mounting picture of Islam, military expansionism and adventurism, at 5:33am Korea time, or 20:33GMT on Thursday, a defense Hashid Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation Front), a coalition air strikes on the innocent suppression of the democratic movement of the Bah- department spokesman said in a statement. The missile did set up in 2014 to fight ISIS, which by many accounts, has raini people, etc. With this background and considering not pose a threat to North America, it added. proven very effective in fighting back ISIS. Yemeni people. Saudi pilots the fact that Iranian officials were aware of Saudis’ at- “We call again on North Korea to refrain from actions and In reply to the incendiary remarks, Iraqi foreign min- have been training on, inter tempts to derail the summit and use it as political lever- rhetoric that further raise tensions in the region and focus istry summoned Saudi Arabia’s ambassador in Baghdad alia, hospitals and schools age against Iran, the decision made by President Rouhani instead on taking concrete steps towards fulfilling its interna- over accusations of meddling in Iraq’s domestic affairs. and his team to refuse attending the final session of the tional commitments and obligations,” the official said. Even there were some calls to announce the ambassa- over the war time in a bid to summit was the least they could do to object the move. An official at the South Korean defense ministry said dor persona non grata. restore President Abd-Rabbu The decision was quite justified as what came out of North Korea attempted a missile launch early on Friday but In Yemen, Saudis have shown utmost craziness, Mansour Hadi to power, the Islamic summit was diametrically opposed to views it appeared to have failed. The official could not confirm the mounting air strikes on the innocent Yemeni people. of Rouhani who had said, “No message which would fuel claiming the fighting Houthis type of missile. Saudi pilots have been training on, inter alia, hospitals division in the Islamic community should come out of Yonhap, citing a number of South Korean government and schools over the war time in a bid to restore Presi- are backed by Iran. the conference.” sources, reported a mobile launcher was spotted carrying up to two Musudan missiles on Thursday following North Korea’s fourth nuclear test in January and a long-range Taliban launch major push Japan earthquake forces rocket launch the next month, which led to fresh UN sanc- to retake northern Afghan city evacuation of 40,000 tions. Analysts speculated the North would fire the Musudan Hundreds of Taliban insurgents have The insurgency has gained strength missile with a design range of more than 3,000km. It is not launched an offensive to seize the north- since the withdrawal of international known to have been flight-tested previously by Pyongyang. ern Afghan city of Kunduz, which they troops from combat at the end of 2014 Some analysts said North Korea may choose to test-fire captured and held for several days last and the Taliban are stronger than at any the Musudan in the near future as it tries to build an intercon- year, provincial officials said on Friday. point since they were driven from power tinental ballistic missile designed to put the mainland United The offensive around Kunduz began by U.S.-backed forces in 2001. States within range. only days after the group announced The sound of gunfire and explosions US intelligence estimates say North Korea’s ability to reach their annual spring offensive, vowing to could be heard as far as 5 km (3 miles) the United States is low, but its capabilities will increase, mak- launch large-scale attacks using suicide from the eastern outskirts of Kunduz ing continued investment in missile defense essential. bombers and guerilla fighters to drive city, witnesses reported. Fearful res- The US, which has 28,000 troops stationed in South Korea, the Western-backed government from idents hid in their homes and many said it was aware of reports that North Korea was preparing power. shops remained closed on Friday. to test intermediate-range missiles and was closely monitor- Fighting broke out on Thursday in The highway between Kunduz and At least nine people have been killed and in a building in Mashiki, a town of about ing the Korean peninsula six districts in Kunduz province, a crucial neighboring Takhar province was also nearly 1,000 injured after a 6.2-magnitude 34,000 people near the epicentre of the Admiral Bill Gortney, the officer responsible for defending northern stronghold close to the Tajik- blocked, officials said. earthquake knocked down houses and de- quake. American airspace, told a US Senate hearing on Wednesday istan border, as well as around the pro- Imamuddin Qureshi, chief of Kun- stroyed roads in the southwestern Japan. About 16,500 households in and that he agreed with a South Korean assessment that North vincial capital, with Afghan security forc- duz’s Imam Saheb district, said several The tremor struck 11km east of Kum- around Mashiki were without electricity, Korea was capable of putting a nuclear warhead on a me- es battling militants through the night. security outposts had already fallen to amoto on Thursday, according to the US according to Kyushu Electric Power Com- dium-range missile that would reach all of South Korea and “There is heavy fighting going on but insurgents and called on the govern- Geological Survey, and strong aftershocks pany. most of Japan. the militants have failed to capture any ment in Kabul to send reinforcements continued to shake the area around the There were no irregularities at three The US and South Korea began talks on the possible de- areas and we are pushing them back,” and air support immediately. city on Friday. nuclear plants on the southern major is- ployment of a new missile-defense system, the Terminal High Kunduz police chief Mohammad Qasim Outposts were also overrun in other More than 40,000 people were evac- land of Kyushu and nearby Shikoku, the Altitude Area defense (THAAD), after the latest North Korea Jangalbagh told Reuters. districts and security forces fled to Kun- uated to schools and community centres, Nuclear Regulation Authority said. nuclear and rocket tests. Taliban fighters briefly captured Kun- duz city to regroup, Khanabad district some spending the night outside after the The plant is 130km south of Kumamo- North Korea, which regularly threatens to destroy South duz city last year in a major blow to chief Ayatullah Amiri said. first quake hit around 9:30pm local time. to. The operator restarted the reactors Korea and the US, often fires missiles during periods of ten- President Ashraf Ghani’s government. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mu- Roads cracked, houses crumbled and last year, the first two units under updated sion in the region or when it comes under pressure to curb its They also threatened to take Helmand jahid said fighters had captured out- tiles fell from the roof of Kumamoto Castle regulations. defiance and abandon its weapons programs. province in the southern heartland of posts in six districts and that three bomb in the center of the city. In March 2011, a 9.0-magnitude earth- In March, the North Korean government released a video the insurgency after overrunning sever- blasts had killed seven members of the More than 3,000 troops, police and fire- quake led to a devastating tsunami that depicting a nuclear attack on the US. The four-minute state al districts. Afghan security forces just outside Kun- fighters were dispatched to the area from killed 18,000 people along Japan’s north- media video - entitled “Last Chance” - showed a digitally With those memories still fresh, offi- duz. Those claims could not be verified around Japan, and Shinzo Abe, prime min- east coast. created scene of a missile being fired from a North Korean cials took to the airwaves to try to head immediately. ister, said more would be sent if needed. The wave struck the Fukushima nuclear submarine and wiping out the US capital off panic among the public. The brief capture of Kunduz last Sep- One of the victims in Mashiki died af- plant, causing a major radiation leakage. South Korean analysts have said North Korea may choose “We will assure our people that the tember was one of the biggest territori- ter being pulled from the rubble, and the More than 100,000 displaced people to display a show of force before a major ruling-party con- situation is under control and we will al gains made by insurgents since they other was killed in a fire. are still unable to return to their homes gress in May, where it is expected to declare itself a nuclear never allow the catastrophe that hap- were ousted from power. Footage from public broadcaster near the nuclear plant because of the power, or around the April 15 anniversary of the birth of Kim’s pened last year,” Jangalbagh said. (Source: Reuters) NHK showed firefighters tackling a blaze contamination. (Source: Al Jazeera) grandfather, Kim Il-sung. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 10 SOCIETY AAPRILPRIL 116,6, 22016016 http://www.tehrantimes.com/society

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Unprecedented rainfalls cause flood in 11 provinces

1 According to the reports, Dez- villages are flooded.” ful bridge in Khuzestan province is Moreover, Energy Minister Hamid wrecked by the flood and people are Chitchian said that since April 11 some forced to evacuate their houses and seek one billion cubic meters of water has en- refuge in neighboring cities. tered rivers in Khuzestan and more than The deputy governor general of 9 billion cubic meters of water has flowed Khuzestan province, Ahmad Sayyahi, into Dez dam which is unprecedented. also said that over the past 72 hours 120 There is now more than 3 billion cubic millimeters of rain has fallen and “we meters water in Karkheh dam, Khuzestan had to let 5,000 cubic meters of water province, and the dam has enough space out of Dez dam.” for an additional 2 billion cubic meters of Sayyahi added that so far 13 villages water so there is nothing to worry about, have been evacuated in the province. Chitchian said. Moreover, Lorestan Governor General The houses adjacent to Karun and Dez Correction does much, but encouragement does more. Houshang Bazouvand gave an account rivers are evacuated and things will get Johann Wolfgang von Goethe of the damages caused by the flood in back to normal from Friday afternoon. Lorestan, saying, “We have lost connec- He categorically denied rumors about tion with 80 villages in the area and 1,500 destruction of Dez dam due to the rain- houses in the cities and 2,000 ones in the falls, saying everything is under control. LEARN ENGLISH “8,000 cubic meters of water has entered Rescue and Relief Chief Nasser Charkhsaz Finding a House to Buy Dez Dam (in Khuzestan province) last night explained that many cities in Ilam, (Wednesday night), while normally this Khuzestan, and Lorestan provinces have I’m looking to buy a house and I want a single-family home. I have been living in a townhouse for two years and I am amount fluctuates between 60 to 600 cubic suffered considerable damages caused by tired of having common walls and very small yards. My meters,” Da’emi said. inundation. new house will have to have a lot more square footage, a large lot size, an open floor plan, great curb appeal, and lots of upgrades. My agent has been showing me fixer- uppers, while I want Fans encouraged to be eco-friendly in Tehran derby a home that’s in move-in condition. The problem is, I can’t SOCIETY TEHRAN — Eco-friendly and green be- director of Tehran’s Municipality said. shown on the scoreboards before the game starts. afford a high mortgage. I’m not holding out for a mansion, deskhaviors were propagated in the match Two slogans of “stadium is beautiful without waste” and NGOs wearing clothes and hats of distinct colors also but I want this new house to be a step up from my townhouse. between the two prominent Tehran football clubs Perspolis “don’t throw away waste, neither in stadium nor in the city” are attended the stadium and taught the audience and pro- My real estate agent tells me that I have to adjust my expec- and Esteqlal at the Azadi stadium an Friday, Mehr news printed on plastic bags which were distributed among the au- vided them with guides so as to learn how to preserve the tations. I asked him, “Do you mean I can’t have the house I agency reported. diences at all six entrances of the stadium, Hossein Ja’fari said. environment, he pointed. want?” And he said, “Of course you can. All you have to do is “This derby is an opportunity to show the world that Banners with environmental messages were hanged After the match the audience could handover their move – to Alaska!” we are no stranger to the environmental issues and that around the field and on the spaces between the bleachers trash, he said adding, “What we seek is to keep the stadium (Source: eslpod.com) Iranians are fans of environment who would do anything at as well, Ja’fari added. as tidy as possible during the match rather than collecting Words & phrases any time to prove it to the world,” the waste management He further noted that environmental messages were the garbage after the match.” single-family home: a free-standing residential building townhouse: a house in a group of houses that share one or more walls common walls: is a dividing partition between two adjoining UK airport sniffer dogs good at finding sausages, but not drugs buildings (or units) that is shared by the tenants of each resi- dence A team of sniffer dogs set up at a British air- class A drugs, those considered the most tecting goods such as drugs, tobacco, cash It said one dog trained to find smug- square footage: square footage or area is the size of a lot or port at a cost of 1.25 million pounds ($1.7 dangerous such as heroin or cocaine. and meat being illegally brought into the gled animal products had made "multiple the floor space of a building or any other piece of real estate or million) have proved adept at discovering "The deterrent effect of the detection airport by the 22 million passengers who accurate detections, but most were of small property which is calculated by multiplying the length by the small amounts of cheese and sausages but dogs was difficult to measure, but seizures use it annually. amounts of cheese or sausages, wrongly width of the structure or land being measured not so good at finding smuggled drugs, a alone represented a low return on invest- However the report found that although brought back by returning British holiday- lot size: the amount of land which is being conveyed from the report said on Thursday. ment, given 1.25 million spent on new ken- the sniffers had helped customs seize 46 kg makers and posing minimal risk to UK pub- seller to the buyer An inspection of border security at nels and the costs of operating the unit," of cigarettes and 181 kg of meat, they had lic health". open floor plan: it is the generic term used in architectural and Manchester Airport in northern England said the report by the Independent Chief uncovered no class A drugs between No- Managers are now examining how bet- interior design for any floor plan which makes use of large, open found that during a seven-month period, Inspector of Borders and Immigration. vember 2014 and June 2015 even though ter to deploy the dogs, the report said. spaces and minimizes the use of small, enclosed rooms such as the six dogs had failed to find any illegal Each dog has its own speciality in de- this was a "very high" priority. (Source: Reuters) private offices curb appeal: the visual attractiveness of a house as seen from IN FOCUS IRNA/ Mahmoud Raesi the street upgrade: the act of improving something and making it more modern, especially in order to provide a better service fixer- upper: a house in need of repairs move-in condition: a house on the market that has been fully prepared and cleaned and is ready for the new owners to move in mortgage: a legal arrangement by which you borrow money from a bank or similar organization in order to buy a house, and pay back the money over a period of years hold out for: to not accept anything less than you have asked for mansion: a very large house a step up from something: something that is better than you had before expectation: what you think or hope will happen

QUIZ OF THE DAY 140) One word is missing in the sentence below. Find this word. If you don’t know the meaning of a word, look up in the dic- tionary. (Quiz No. 139 missing word is: were/are published)

PHRASAL VERB Scrape through

Meaning: succeed with difficulty For example: How I scraped through the exam is a mystery!

ENGLISH PROVERB Spring snowfall in Shahr-e Kord, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, started on Thursday and turned the city white in the first month of spring. A burnt child dreads the fire LEARN NEWS TRANSLATION ﺍﺳﺘﻔﺎﺩﻩ ﺧﻼﻗﺎﻧﻪ ﺍﺯ ﭘﺴﻤﺎﻧﺪﻫﺎ ﺩﺭ ﺗﻬﺮﺍﻥ Explanation: a bad experience will make people stay Tehran puts non-recyclable waste into use away from certain things ﺑﻪ ﮔﺰﺍﺭﺵ ﻣﻬﺮ ﺍﺳﺘﻔﺎﺩﻩ ﺧﻼﻗﺎﻧﻪ ﺍﺯ ﭘﺴﻤﺎﻧﺪﻫﺎﻳﻰ ﻛﻪ ﻏﻴﺮﻗﺎﺑﻞ ﺑﺎﺯﻳﺎﻓﺖ ﻫﺴﺘﻨﺪ، ﻣﺎﻧﻨﺪ ﻻﺳﺘﻴﻚ ﻫﺎ ﻛﻪ ﻣﻌﻀﻞ Non-recyclable wastes such as tires which gravely threatens the environment ﺟﺪﻯ ﺑﺮﺍﻯ ﻣﺤﻴﻂ ﺯﻳﺴﺖ ﺑﻪ ﺣﺴﺎﺏ ﻣﻰﺁﻳﻨﺪ، ﻫﻨﺮﻯ ﺍﺳﺖ ﻛﻪ ﺩﺭ ﺍﻳﺎﻡ ﻧﻮﺭﻭﺯ ﺩﺭ ﺗﻬﺮﺍﻥ ﺷﺎﻫﺪ ﺁﻥ ﺑﻮﺩﻳﻢ. ,have been put in good use during Noruz holidays (March 20-April 1) in Tehran ﻳﻜﻰ ﺍﺯ ﻣﺴﺎﺋﻠﻰ ﻛﻪ ﻣﻰﺗﻮﺍﻧﺪ ﺑﻪ ﻟﺤﺎﻅ ﺑﺼﺮﻯ ﺗﺎﺛﻴﺮ ﺑﺴﻴﺎﺭﻯ ﺩﺭ ﻣﺴﺎﻓﺮﺍﻥ ﺩﺍﺷﺘﻪ ﺑﺎﺷﺪ، ﺗﺰﺋﻴﻦ ﻭ ﺯﻳﺒﺎﺳﺎﺯﻯ .Mehr reported Using innovative and modern designs will help to make street more appealing for ﺧﻴﺎﺑﺎﻥﻫﺎ ﺍﺳﺖ. ﻳﻜﻰ ﺍﺯ ﺍﻳﻦ ﻃﺮﺡﻫﺎﻯ ﻧﻮ ﻭ ﺍﻳﺪﻩﻫﺎﻯ ﺧﻼﻗﺎﻧﻪ ﻃﺮﺡ ﻻﺳﺘﻴﻚ ﻫﺎﻯ ﻓﺮﺳﻮﺩﻩ ﺑﻮﺩ ﻛﻪ ﺩﺭ ﺑﺰﺭﮔﺮﺍﻩ Without water, tourists. One of these innovative designs is the use of old and scrap tires as colorful ﻫﺎﻯ ﺗﻬﺮﺍﻥ ﺑﻪ ﺻﻮﺭﺕ ﻻﺳﺘﻴﻚ ﻫﺎﻯ ﺭﻧﮕﻰ ﻛﻪ ﺑﻪ ﺷﻜﻞ ﮔﻠﺪﺍﻥ، ﺑﺮ ِﺩﻳﻮﺍﺭ ِﺑﺮ ﺑﺰﺭﮔﺮﺍﻩ ﻧﺼﺐ ﺷﺪﻩ ﺍﺳﺖ. .vases in the highways of the metropolis of Tehran ﻧﻴﻜﻮ ﻗﺎﺳﻤﻰ، ﻃﺮﺍﺡ ﻭ ﻣﺠﺮﻯ ﺍﻳﻦ ﻃﺮﺡ ﻧﻮ ﻣﻰ ﮔﻮﻳﺪ: ﭘﻼﺳﺘﻴﻚ ﻣﻌﻀﻞ ﺟﺪﻯ ﻣﺤﻴﻂ ﺯﻳﺴﺖ ﺍﺳﺖ ﺑﻪ ﻫﻤﻴﻦ everything The executive director of this novelty, Niko Qasemi, has said that as plastics are of ﺩﻟﻴﻞ ﺑﻪ ﺍﻳﻦ ﻓﻜﺮ ﺍﻓﺘﺎﺩﻳﻢ ﺗﺎ ﺑﺘﻮﺍﻧﻴﻢ ﺍﺯ ﺍﻧﻮﺍﻉ ﻣﻮﺍﺩ ﭘﻼﺳﺘﻴﻜﻰ ﻃﻮﺭ ﺩﻳﮕﺮﻯ ﺍﺳﺘﻔﺎﺩﻩ ﻛﻨﻴﻢ. ”.great danger to the environment “we have decided to use them in other ways ﺍﻳﻦ ﻃﺮﺍﺡ ﺍﺩﺍﻣﻪ ﺩﺍﺩ: ﺍﻳﻦ ﻃﺮﺡ ﺑﺎ ﺍﺳﺘﻘﺒﺎﻝ ﮔﺮﻡ ﺷﻬﺮﻭﻧﺪﺍﻥ ﺗﻬﺮﺍﻧﻰ ﺭﻭﺑﻪ ﺭﻭ ﺷﺪ ﺿﻤﻦ ﺍﻳﻨﻜﻪ ﻣﺪﻳﺮﻋﺎﻣﻞ ﺳﺎﺯﻣﺎﻥ -withers People have warmly welcomed this new design and additionally waste manage ment organization (an organization affiliated to the municipality) helped a lot for ﭘﺴﻤﺎﻧﺪ ﻧﻴﺰ ﺑﺮﺍﻯ ﺍﺟﺮﺍﻳﻰ ﺷﺪﻥ ﺍﻳﻦ ﭘﺮﻭژﻩﻫﺎ ﺗﻼﺵ ﺑﺴﻴﺎﺭﻯ ﻛﺮﺩﻩ ﺍﺳﺖ. .the project to get off the ground, Qasemi added I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y

http://www.tehrantimes.com/sports AAPRILPRIL 116,6, 22016016 SPORTS 11

Persepolis downs Esteghlal in Iran FOOTBALL Liverpool to play Villarreal, Shakhtar meet Sevilla in Professional League Europa League semis SPORTS Persepolis football team thrashed deskEsteghlal 4-2 in a fantastic Tehran Liverpool will face Villarreal in the semifinals of the Europa derby in front of more than 95,000 fans at Tehran’s League, while holders Sevilla have been drawn against Azadi Stadium. Shakhtar Donetsk. Persepolis had a stormy start to the game as Me- Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool booked their place in the final four hdi Taremi opened the scoring for the Reds just five in dramatic fashion on Thursday evening, Dejan Lovren’s inju- minutes into the game. Taremi put the ball into the ry-time goal securing a 5-4 aggregate win over the manager’s back of the net after Esteghlal goalkeeper Mehdi former team, Borussia Dortmund. Rahmati blocked Ahmad Nourollahi long-range shot Liverpool will travel to the Estadio El Madrigal to face the outside the box. Yellow Submarine on April 28, with the return leg at Anfield sev- Taremi extended the lead thirty minutes later with en days later. The Premier League club have won the competi- a wonderful header on a brilliant cross from Farshad tion on three occasions during its incarnation as the UEFA Cup, Ahmadzadeh. in 1972-73, 1975-76 and 2000-01. Persepolis should have made it 3-0 when the refer- Villarreal have never before been beyond the semifinals, ee awarded the team a penalty but Mehdi Taremi, who reaching the stage in the 2003-04 UEFA Cup and the 2010-11 was seeking a hat trick, could not convert the penalty. Europa League. They are fourth in La Liga this season, 12 points Branko Ivankovic’s men got what they deserved in behind Real Madrid and eight clear of Celta Vigo in fifth. They the early minutes of second half. Ramin Rezaeian made seem certain for a return to the Champions League next season it 3-0 for Persepolis in the 54th minute with a header no matter what happens in the Europa League. after Rahmati blocked Ahmadzadeh cross. That is not the case for Liverpool, who find themselves eighth Esteghlal reduced the deficit in the 55th minute in the Premier League and will need to win the competition to when Jaber Ansari took advantage of Persepolis keeper return to Europe’s top table after a 12-month absence. Sosha Makani’s mistake into the six yard. Sevilla are going for a third successive Europa League title, The Reds were dangerous on counter attack and and a fifth triumph in 11 seasons having also lifted the UEFA Cup they managed to score the fourth in the 85th minute. in 2005-06 and 2006-07. Taremi took the ball in a one on one situation with Rah- Omid Ebrahimi scored from the penalty spot to make Persepolis moved to top for the first time in this Coach Unai Emery masterminded victories over Benfica in mati but he passed the ball to Mohsen Mosalman as he it 4-2 but it was too late for the Blues as they suffered a season while Esteghlal fell to third behind Esteghlal 2013-14 and Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in 2014-15 to take the trophy. put the ball into the back of the net. derby defeat which may cost them the league title. Khouzestan. They will meet Ukrainian side Shakhtar in the semis, who like Sevilla dropped down from the Champions League as third- placed teams in the group stage. They won the UEFA Cup them- Petrochimi crowned Iranian Iran to participate at ISSF World Cup selves in 2008-09. The winners of the Europa League will qualify for the playoff Basketball Super League champion with eight shooters round of the Champions League, though would be promoted direct to the group stage if the UCL winners qualify for that stage via their domestic league. The final is at St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland on Wednes- day, May 18. (Source: Soccernet)

Manchester City draw Real Madrid, Bayern to play Atletico Madrid in UCL semis SPORTS Petrochimi Bandar beat Naft 74-55. SPORTS Iran will take part disciplines will be contested. deskImam won the Irani- The team also defeated Naft two more deskat the International The Olympic Shooting Centre, located Manchester City will take on Real Madrid for a place in the final of the an Basketball Super League after de- times with 76-72 and 83-54 scores respectively. Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World inside the Deodoro Park, one of three ven- Champions League final, while Bayern Munich face Atletico Madrid. feating Naft Abadan on Friday. On Thursday, Chemidor defeated Cup with eight participants in Rio de Ja- ue clusters for the Games, will host 15 finals Manuel Pellegrini guided City to the quarter-finals of the compe- Petrochimi defeated Naft Abadan Shahrdari Arak and finished in third place. neiro in Friday. beginning April 16 with the men’s 10m air tition for the first time this season, and then successfully saw his team four times in a row to win the title. The Iranian Basketball Super League The competition will double as a rife kicking off the race for the medals. past a much-fancied Paris St Germain side to make the final four. The Bandar Imam-based team won is a professional basketball league in Iran combined leg of the International Shoot- The competition has brought a to- City were the first team to be pulled out, learning quickly that the first match 78-71. founded in 1998. It is widely regarded as ing Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup tal of 661 athletes from 88 countries they would face Real Madrid, winners of the tournament in 2014. In the second match, Petrochimi one of the best leagues in Asia. series in which rifle, pistol and shotgun together. Atletico Madrid, who sprang the biggest surprise of the quar- ter-finals by knocking out Barcelona, take on Bayern Munich, who are in the semi-finals for a fifth successive year. The draw keeps alive the prospect of a final with both teams Beach Soccer future shines bright in Iran from the same country for the third time in four years, following Bayern Munich’s win over Borussia Dortmund in 2013 and Real Several meetings between FIFA Beach Soccer officials powerful national league with different divisions and Madrid’s victory over Atletico Madrid a year later. and Iranian Football Federation boost plans for up- great stadiums. They have supported and projected The first leg matches will take place on 26-27 April, with City coming years. women’s beach soccer, and also introduced different playing at home on Tuesday and Atleti on Wednesday. The Iranian Football Federation, with President youth categories. I really want to highlight this excellent The return fixtures will be played on May 3-4. Ali Kafashian ahead, and FIFA Beach Soccer have job”, he said. Whichever team wins the City v Real semi-final will then be the been holding some very productive meetings this Next step to work on, both Cusco and Kafashian nominal home team for the final at the San Siro in Milan on May 28. last week. In the meeting both parts agreed to keep agreed, is the organization of a top-flight international (Source: Eurosport) working together for the development of the sport in event. Iran, with such a passionate-about-football pop- the country. ulation, and its thousands of kilometers of coastal line A FIFA Beach Soccer commission, with FIFA Beach and beaches, is an ideal place to become an interna- Soccer Committee member Joan Cusco and manag- tional beach soccer hub. ers Josep Ponset and Alex Soriano, has been in Iran In this same sense, the FIFA Beach Soccer visit also Iranian Duo Nominated for for the last week, having different conversations with includes two site inspections to different places in the World’s Best Player the national football and beach soccer governing body country that could host such kind of event. First of and visiting different venues and some of the Iranian FA soccer committee. them is Kish Island, in the Persian Gulf, and the other Iranian international futsal players Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh and facilities all across the country. “Iran is a great example for all the countries in the one is Anzali, in the north of the country, home of most Mohammad Keshavarz have been nominated for the Best Player Joan Cusco congratulated and highlighted the world. They have not only built one of the strongest of the National Team players. of the World. great work developed by the Iranian FA and its beach National Teams in the world, but also developed a (Source: beachsoccer) The Iranian due helped Team Melli win the 2016 AFC Futsal Championship in Uzbekistan. Iran’s Tasisat Daryaei futsal club along with its head coach Amir Shamsaei were also nominated for the Best Zidane: Real Madrid favourites Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola: Club of the World and Best Club Coach of the World, by Futsalplanet. against Manchester City Atletico Madrid a tough UCL test Also, Mehdi Mostafaei and the Iranian national futsal team have already been nominated for the World’s Best Futsal Goal- Zinedine Zidane feels Real Madrid are Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola keeper and the Best National Team of the World, respectively. the favourites in their Champions League warned his players to beware the threat Iran’s Mohammad Nazemosharia was also nominated for the semi-final tie with Manchester City, but of Atletico Madrid in the Champions Best National Team Coach of the World. has warned the Premier League side League semifinals. Best Player of the World Nominees should not be taken lightly. Guardiola stressed that Atletico had (In strict alphabetical order - clubs indicated are related to The two sides were paired together in beaten Barcelona twice in the past three the year 2015) Friday’s draw in Nyon, while Atletico Ma- Champions League campaigns, knocking Fabricio Bastezini “Gadeia” (BRA) drid were handed a tough fixture against them out on their way to the 2014 final ADC Intelli/Orlandia (BRA) - Brazil N.T. Bayern Munich in the other tie. and defeating them in this year’s last eight. Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh (IRN) Zidane’s charges almost missed out “Barcelona have dominated in the Norilsky Nickel (RUS) - Tasisat Daryaei (IRN) - Iran N.T. on a place in the last four to Wolfsburg past few years and remain the best team Mohammad Keshavarz (IRN) in the quarter-finals, having lost 2-0 to in Europe,” he told a news conference. Giti Pasand Isfahan (IRN) - Tasisat Daryaei (IRN) - Iran N.T. the German side in the first-leg, but a “And Atletico have been the only team Leonardo da Rosa Mendonηa (BRA/KAZ) Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick in the return able to beat Barcelona twice. They know Kairat Almaty (KAZ) - Kazakhstan N.T match turned things around for the 10- said Wolfsburg were not a strong team what they have to do.” mosphere in Europe” at their Estadio Vicente Maximiliano Rescia (ARG) time European champions. and we saw what happened. Guardiola praised Atletico coach Die- Calderon, where the first leg will be played. Pescara c5 (ITA) - Argentina N.T. Although the coach feels his side “I see City as a strong opponent, just like go Simeone, describing him as one of the That theme was echoed by sporting Alex Rodrigo da Silva Merlim “Babalu” (BRA/ITA) have the upper hand, that close call has Roma and Wolfsburg were difficult rivals. finest managers on the planet. executive Matthias Sammer, who said: Alter Ego Luparense (ITA) - Sporting CP (POR) - Italy N.T. him worried ahead of the meeting with “The positive thing is that we play the “I have never played with Simeone or “It’s going to be great test. Our team also Miguel Sayago Martν “Miguelin” (ESP) City, as he insists his side must learn from return at home. It will be a balanced tie.” trained with him,” he added. “But he has a lot has a lot of experience, and players who ElPozo Murcia (ESP) - Spain N.T. their mistakes. Both sides last met in the group stages of trust in his idea, in his team. The players can set the tone. Ricardo Filipe da Silva Braga “Ricardinho” (POR) “Real Madrid are always the favourites in 2012-13, when Madrid scored two late follow him. He is one of the best in the world. “It’s going to be extreme, but that’s Movistar Inter (ESP) - Portugal N.T. and that’s no different in the semi-final goals to beat City on matchday one, while “They have reached a new level. part of our opponent, and I respect that.” Rodrigo Hardy Araϊjo (BRA) against Manchester City,” Zidane said at the game in Manchester finished 1-1. When you see them play, you think: Captain Philipp Lahm told Bayern’s of- Futsal Brasil Kirin Sorocaba (BRA)* - Brazil N.T. a media conference. The first leg of this season’s encounter ‘Wow.’ And when you want to reach the ficial website: “It’s not an easy task. They *now called Magnus Futsal “But City are a great team. I do not is scheduled to take place at the Etihad final, you have to beat one of the best are an aggressive team. It’s not for noth- Leandro Simi want to hear people say Manchester City Stadium on April 26. teams in the past five seasons.” ing that they have eliminated Barcelona.” Sport Club Corinthians Paulista (BRA) - Brazil N.T. will be an easy opponent. People also (Source: Goal) He said Atletico could boast “the best at- (Source: ESPN) (Source: Tasnim) b

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NEWS IN BRIEF Alexander Sokurov, Andrew Lau to Cannes to screen “Inversion” attend Fajr Intl. Film Festival

ARTTEHRAN — Prolific filmmakers Alex- ARTTEHRAN — Iranian director deskander Sokurov from Russia and An- deskBehnam Behzadi’s social drama drew Lau from Hong Kong are scheduled to attend the “Inversion” will compete in the Un Certain Regard 34th Fajr International Film Festival, which will open in section of the 69th Cannes Film Festival, which will be Tehran this week. held in the French city from May 11 to 22. Sokurov plans to promote his documentary “Fran- The movie starring Ali Mossafa and Sahar Dow- cofonia”, which will go on screen during the festival that latshahi is a tale of three siblings, which masterfully is Iran’s major international event in the motion picture features Tehran’s air pollution. industry. The section will also screen “After the Storm” by The 2015 film is about history of the Louvre while This Kore-Eda, “Beyond the Mountains and Hills” by Eran Paris was under occupation by Nazi Germany during combination Kolirin, “Personal Affairs” by Maha Haj and “The Stop- World War II. It also presents a meditation on the mean- photo over” by Delphine Coulin and Muriel Coulin. ing and timelessness of art. shows Lau, who has made movies in a variety of genres, Andrew Iranian Quran notably in action and crime films, is scheduled to hold a Lau (L), memorizer finishes workshop on the sidelines of the event. Alexander Apart from his native Hong Kong, Lau has made Sokurov first at Jordanian films in China, South Korea and the United States. (R) and a Sokurov and Lau are scheduled to deliver speeches logo of the contest 34th Fajr for students at the Faculty of Cinema and Theater at the International CULTURE TEHRAN — Iranian Quran mem- Tehran University of Art. Film deskorizer Sama Babai has taken first “Faust”, one of Sokurov’s series on the corrupting ef- Festival. place in the category of memorizing the entire Quran fects of power, won the Golden Lion for best film at the at the 11th Hashemite International Competition for Venice Film Festival in 2011. 40th Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards in and critics from around the globe have been invited to Memorizing the Holy Quran in the Jordanian capital The crime-thriller movie “Infernal Affairs” directed 2003. attend the Fajr festival, which will be held at Tehran’s Amman, the Persian service of IRNA reported on Fri- by Lau and Alan Mak was crowned best film at the About 150 international distributers, directors, actors Charsu Cinema Complex from April 20 to 25. day. Babai, who is visually impaired, began memorizing the Holy Quran when she was eight. It took four years Dushanbe meeting to Iran’s Puneh Nedai tapped for position for her to memorize the Quran in its entirety. commemorate poet Sadi at Asian Journalist Association Tehran gallery cancels CULTURE TEHRAN — A num- CULTURE TEHRAN —Irani- attitude towards Iran in South Korea exhibition of South deskber of Iranian and deskan journalist Puneh and historically, Koreans have held Korean artist Do-Ho Tajik literati will gather at the Tajikistan Nedai, who is also a translator of Ko- great respect for Iranian culture,” Academy Theater of Lakhuti in Du- rean literature, was selected as one she stated. Suh shanbe on April 20 to commemorate of the vice-presidents of the Asian Nedai and five other vice-pres- Journalist Association (AJA) during a idents will assist Ashraf Dali, the ARTTEHRAN — Persian poet Sadi concurrent with Iran’s Tehran’s Platform 28 meeting in Seoul on Thursday. Egyptian journalist who was ap- desk Sadi National Day. Gallery has canceled the exhibition The participating guests are sched- “It’s great that I was chosen pointed as AJA president. of works by Do-Ho Suh, the South Korean artist who uled to discuss Sadi’s role in the devel- for this position, because I hope Located in Seoul, the AJA is an is famous for his site-specific installations. opment of Persian literature in Tajik- to covey my compatriots’ peace independent international organiza- In a press release published on Thursday, the gal- istan, the Iranian cultural attaché’s office worldwide for his Bustan (The Orchard) and humanitarian message to AJA tion dedicated to the fulfillment of lery announced that technical problems are the main in Dushanbe said in a press release on and Gulistan (The Rose Garden). members along with the pro-peace truthful and impartial reporting, the reason behind the cancelation of the exhibit. Friday. In addition, the Iranian cultural at- activities the association pursues,” realization of freedom of the press The exhibit was a review of works by the artist, who Sheikh Muslih od-Din Sadi Shirazi (C. taché’s office plans to honor some lit- Nedai told the Persian service of and the advancement of journalism is best known for his intricate sculptures that defy con- 1213-1291) is one of the greatest figures erati for their Persian studies published ISNA on Friday. in close cooperation with journalists ventional notions of scale and site-specificity. of classical Persian literature, famous in 2015. “Fortunately, there is a positive of Asia. PICTURE OF THE DAY Mehr/Mohsen Noruzifard Remote Iranian cities WHAT’S IN ART GALLERIES to enjoy portable out- Painting door movie theater An exhibition of paintings by Ireland-based Iranian artist Roksana Manuchehri systems: official is currently underway at Asar Gal- lery. ARTTEHRAN — Cinema The exhibit entitled “From the deskOrganization of Iran Gold Land” runs until May 6 at the (COI) Director Hojjatollah Ayyubi has gallery, which can be found at 16 said that Iranians living in remote cities Barforushan St., off Iranshahr St. will be able to enjoy watching movies Paintings by Kiumars Kiasat with portable outdoor movie theater are on display in an exhibition at systems, which will be launched in the Sareban Gallery. near future. The showcase runs until April “An Iranian company is scheduled to 25 at the gallery located at 8 Me- produce the systems and we anticipate hmandust St., off Shahid Beheshti that they will be available in the cities be- Ave. fore July,” Ayyubi said during a meeting An exhibition of paintings by with the cultural officials in the southern Afshin Baqeri is underway at Sey- Iranian city of Bushehr on Thursday. hun Gallery. “The idea of equipping cultural com- The exhibit named “Sixth Sea- plexes across the country was initiated… son” will run until April 27 at the and now these systems will provide a gallery located at 11, 4th Alley, Vo- good opportunity for people in remote zara St. regions to watch the latest productions Multimedia of Iranian cinema,” he added. Saless Gallery is playing host to an exhibition He also mentioned that some 100 of various artworks by Kambiz theaters are under construction across Derambakhsh, Javad Atashbari, the country in different cities and asked Masud Jazani, Alireza Chalipa and the private sector to help the organi- Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani (R) watches “Muhammad (S), the Messenger of God” along with director Majid Majidi (L) during a private zation continue construction of more several other artists. screening at the Cinema Organization of Iran in Tehran on April 14, 2016. The exhibit will be running until theaters. April 27 at the gallery located at 148 Karim Khan St. New York Met Opera’s music director Painting found in French attic is $137 James Levine to retire after 40 years million Caravaggio, say experts NEW YORK (Reuters) — James Lev- months. PARIS (Reuters) — A painting found been painted in Rome in 1604-1605 Queen Kristen steals Cannes ine, the music director at New York’s With his wild hair, portly figure and in the attic of a house in southwest by Michelangelo Merisi, known as Car- spotlight from Oscar winners Metropolitan Opera for 40 years, will bespectacled face, Levine is beloved France two years ago was attributed avaggio, and is in exceptionally good retire this year for health reasons, the by musicians, singers and audiences. to the Italian master Caravaggio by conditions, Eric Turquin said, despite Roberts and Foster Met announced on Thursday. He made his Met debut in 1971, private French experts who hailed its having been forgotten in the attic for Levine, 72, who has battled Parkin- becoming music director five years discovery on Tuesday as a great event probably more than 150 years. PARIS (Reuters) — Oscar winners Julia Roberts and Jodie son’s disease and other health issues later. He has led more than 2,500 per- in the history of art. “A painter is like us he has tics, and Foster will be gracing the red carpet at next month’s Cannes in recent years, will step down at the formances, conducting more than 85 The work, which depicts Biblical you have all the tics of Caravaggio Film Festival but it is actress Kristen Stewart who grabbed end of the current 2015-16 season in different operas ranging from classical heroine Judith beheading an Assyrian in this. Not all of them, but many of the early spotlight after being dubbed “Queen of Cannes” May. He will be named music director to contemporary works. general, was found by the owners of them - enough to be sure that this is by organizers on Thursday. emeritus and will continue to work with But ill health has taken an increas- a house near Toulouse as they investi- the hand, this is the writing of this great Organizers announced Woody Allen’s “Café Society”, fea- the Met’s young talent development ing toll. In 2011, he injured his spine in gated a leak. artist,” Turquin told Reuters TV. turing Stewart, will open the 69th edition of the festival which program, the Met said in a statement. a fall and was left partially paralyzed. It could be worth 120 million euros The owners of the painting had no will run from May 11 to 22. The American actress also stars His successor at the Met, one of the After a two-year absence, he returned ($137 million), the Eric Turquin art ex- idea they had it until they went to the in French director Olivier Assayas’ “Personal Shopper”, a film most prestigious opera houses in the to conduct using a wheelchair at the pert agency said in a statement. top of the house to check a leak in the that will be vying for the Palme d’Or. world, will be named in the coming orchestra’s podium. The painting is thought to have roof, Turquin said.