Iranian diplomat, Hezbollah chief India asked to put Chabahar discuss Mideast developments 2 rail link on fast track 4

Number 5712 ● Wednesday August 23, 2017 ● Shahrivar 1, 1396 ● Zihijjah 1, 1438 ● Price 5,000 Rials ● 12 Pages ● www.irandailyonline.ir Iran: World Bank Salehi: Iran can resume 20% approves €1b to electrify rail network The World Bank has agreed to provide €1 billion ($1.18 enrichment in five days if needed billion) to electrify the rail network in Iran, the head of the Iran’s regional railway authority said on Tuesday. Dozens reported dead in 3 “AEOI’s main priority US-led strikes on Raqqa is to preserve JCPOA, but not at any cost”

ran is capable of resuming the en- richment of uranium to the 20-per- Icent level at its Fordow facility within a maximum of five days if need be, the head of the Atomic Energy Or- ganization of Iran (AEOI) said. Iran thrashes Turkey 11 Ali Akbar Salehi made the comments ISNA in an exclusive interview with IRIB “The World Bank has approved to provide one billion in FIVB U23 world meet News Agency on Tuesday, IRNA re- euros as finance for the electrification of the railway ... ported. that starts in Garmsar in Semnan Province and continues Salehi said President Hassan Rou- to the city of Gorgan in Golestan Province,” Yusef Ger- hani’s recent warning that Iran would anpasha was quoted as saying by IRNA. accelerate its nuclear activities to an Russia and Iran signed an agreement worth €1.2 bil- advanced level “within hours” if the US lion in November 2015 to electrify the Garmsar to Inche returned to a policy of sanctions had not Burun route in Iran. been an “empty warning.” Continued on Page 4 Salehi said all highe-ranking Iranian officials, including President Rouhani, had been briefed on the technical capa- bilities of the AEOI to be able to make Spain attack suspects Farhadi begins filming informed decisions, Press TV reported. 12 The warning made by the president, he ‘Everybody Knows’ said, had been based on data provided by in court for questioning with Bardem, Cruz in Spain the AEOI, including about the organiza- tion’s preparedness for contingencies. Continued on Page 2 Barcelona terror suspect shot dead MEHR NEWS AGENCY As the dust settled over five days of angst in Spain after Iraqi forces retake the country, the Interfax News Agency cit- deadly terror attacks, the four remaining alleged mem- Trump vows continued fight ed an unnamed Russian Foreign Ministry bers of a terror cell that carried out the carnage arrived in two districts of source as saying on Tuesday. a Madrid court on Tuesday for questioning. in Afghanistan; reversing stance Spanish police shot dead Barcelona terror suspect Daesh bastion Relations with Pakistan Younes Abouyaaqoub on Monday in a dramatic end to President Donald Trump cleared the way United States and would continue its fight- a massive manhunt for the Moroccan national, AFP re- Iraqi forces on Tuesday recaptured from the for the deployment of thousands more US ing as long as American troops remained in Trump also indicated that single-minded ported. Daesh group the first two districts of terrorist troops to Afghanistan Monday, backtrack- the country. approach would extend to US relations bastion Tal Afar, as the Pentagon chief visited ing from his promise to rapidly end Amer- “If America doesn’t withdraw its troops with troubled ally Pakistan, which consecu- Baghdad in a show of support. ica’s longest war, while pillorying ally Pa- from Afghanistan, soon Afghanistan will tive US administrations have criticized for The United Nations said thousands of civil- kistan for offering safe haven to “agents of become another graveyard for this super- links with the Taliban and for harboring ians have fled Tal Afar in the two days since the chaos.” power in the 21st century,” Zabiullah Mu- leading terrorists – like Osama bin Laden. start of the broad offensive against Daesh, AFP In his first formal address to the nation as jahid, a spokesman for the Taliban in Af- “We have been paying Pakistan billions reported. commander-in-chief, Trump discarded his ghanistan, said in a statement. and billions of dollars at the same time they In remarks before meeting in Baghdad with previous criticism of the 16-year-old war as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani wel- are housing the very terrorists that we are Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, US Defense a waste of time and money, fighting,” he said, warning Secretary James Mattis said he wanted to keep admitting things looked dif- that vital aid could be cut. the spotlight on eradicating the terrorists. ferent from “behind the desk That will have to change “Right now our focus is on defeating ISIS in the Oval Office,” AFP re- and that will change im- (Daesh) inside Iraq, restoring Iraqi sovereignty ported. mediately.” EPA and territorial integrity,” said the Pentagon “My instinct was to pull Ahead of the speech Pa- The Moroccan was the last on-the-run member of a chief. Iraqi troops routed Daesh in Mosul in July out,” Trump said as he spoke kistan’s military brushed 12-man cell suspected of plotting last week’s vehicle after a grueling nine-month fight for Iraq’s sec- of his frustration with a war off speculation that Trump attacks in Barcelona and the seaside resort of Cambrils ond city. They launched the offensive on Sun- that has killed thousands of could signal a stronger that left 15 dead and more than 100 injured. day to recapture Tal Afar, once a key Daesh sup- US troops and cost US tax- line against Islamabad, Four men were detained, and the rest were killed, ei- ply hub between Mosul – around 70 kilometers payers trillions of dollars. insisting the country has ther by police or in an explosion believed to have been (45 miles) to the east – and the Syrian border. But following months of done all it can to tackle accidentally detonated by the suspects themselves in The terrorists inside Tal Afar, estimated to deliberation, Trump said he militancy. their bomb factory in the seaside town of Alcanar. number around 1,000, responded with artillery had concluded “the conse- “Let it come,” army On Tuesday under heavy security, police vans carry- fire Tuesday as the Iraqi forces massed outside quences of a rapid exit are spokesman Major General ing the suspects entered the National Court, which deals the city. both predictable and unac- Asif Ghafoor told report- with terrorism cases, where a judge was to decide what – Army, police and units of the Hashed al- ceptable” leaving a “vacu- ers, referring to Trump’s if any – charges to press against the four men who alleg- Shaabi paramilitary coalition later took “full um” that terrorists “would decision. “Even if it edly formed part of the cell. These include Driss Ouka- control” of Al-Kifah and Al-Nur districts in Tal instantly fill.” comes... Pakistan shall do bir, 27, the older brother of Moussa who was killed by Afar, the Hashed said. While Trump refused to whatever is best in the na- police in Cambrils on Friday morning after going on a The Iraqi forces had encircled the city despite offer detailed troop numbers, tional interest.” car rampage with four others. what Hashed spokesman Ahmed al-Assadi de- senior White House officials Mohamed Aallaa, Mohamed Houli Chemlal, who was scribed as “intense” fighting. He said the fight- said he had already author- AP Talks with Taliban injured in the explosion in Alcanar, and Salh El Karib ing for the city would likely last weeks. ized his defense secretary to deploy up to comed the Trump strategy saying it would were also in court. Police gave their ages as 21, 28 and The International Organization for Migration 3,900 more troops to Afghanistan. expand the training mission for Afghan Trump for the first time also left the door 34 but did not say who was what age. said its teams were “responding to thousands of He warned that the approach would now forces, which includes building its fledg- open to an eventual political deal with the Four days after the van rampage on the tourist- civilians fleeing Tal Afar since the launch of the be more pragmatic than idealistic. Security ling air force and doubling the size of the Taliban. packed Las Ramblas Boulevard, police on Monday military campaign”. assistance to Afghanistan was “not a blank Afghan Special Fforces. “Someday, after an effective military gunned down the 22-year-old Abouyaaqoub in the Since Friday, more than 3,000 people had ar- check” he said, warning he would not send “I am grateful to President Trump and effort, perhaps it will be possible to have village about 60 kilometers (40 miles) west of Bar- rived at two IOM emergency sites, many with just the military to “construct democracies in the American people for this affirmation of a political settlement that includes ele- celona, after receiving multiple tip-offs. In total, the clothes on their back, said the UN agency. faraway lands or create democracies in our support ... for our joint struggle to rid the ments of the Taliban in Afghanistan,” he 15 people died in the attacks including Pau Perez, a The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said it had own image.” region from the threat of terrorism,” Ghani said. 34-year-old man found stabbed to death outside Bar- received some 9,000 people at the Hamman Al “We are not nation building again. We said in a statement. “But nobody knows if or when that will celona on Friday after Abouyaaqoub hijacked his car Alil transit center in the past week, and it was are killing terrorists.” The United States’ NATO allies also ever happen,” he added, before vowing that to make a getaway. preparing to accommodate nearly 30,000 more. The US has grown increasingly weary of on Tuesday welcomed Trump’s decision “America will continue its support for the Investigators seeking to unravel the terror cell had Mattis declined to make any predictions on the conflict that began in October 2001 as a with the alliance’s Secretary General Jens Afghan government and military as they homed in on the small border town of Ripoll at the foot the battle. hunt for the 9/11 attackers has turned into a Stoltenberg saying in a statement: “NATO confront the Taliban in the field.” of the Pyrenees Mountains in northeastern Spain. “ISIS’s days are certainly numbered, but it’s vexed effort to keep Afghanistan’s divided remains fully committed to Afghanistan In 2010, the United States had upwards The suspected terrorists had been preparing bombs for not over yet and it’s not going to be over any- and corruption-hindered democracy alive and I am looking forward to discussing of 100,000 US military personnel deployed “one or more attacks in Barcelona,” Catalan police chief time soon,” he said. amid a brutal Taliban insurgency. the way ahead with (Defense) Secretary to Afghanistan. Today that figure is around Josep Lluis Trapero said Sunday, revealing that 120 gas Iraqi forces had “fought like the dickens in (James) Mattis and our allies and interna- 8,400 US troops and the situation is as canisters and traces of TATP components – a homemade Mosul, (it) cost them over 6,000 wounded, Taliban’s reaction tional partners.” deadly as ever. explosive that is a Daesh terrorist group hallmark’s – somewhere over 1,200 killed,” he noted. However, Russia does not believe that More than 2,500 Afghan police and had been found at their bomb factory. Yet that comeback restored the confidence of The terrorist group later vowed it would the Trump’s strategy on Afghanistan will troops have been killed already this The suspected terrorists used a vehicle to smash into the Iraqi forces after their shock loss of Mosul to make the country “a graveyard” for the lead to any significant positive changes in year. crowds on Barcelona’s Las Ramblas Boulevard, killing Daesh in 2014. 13 people and injuring more than 100. Aug. 23, 2017 Aoun to visit Iran President Michel Aoun of Lebanon is to visit Iran, Lebanese television 2 Channel Al Mayadeen announced. National

Soldier dies in armed attack Iranian diplomat, Hezbollah chief on government office Gunmen attacked a government building in a small town in southeastern Iran, killing a soldier serving in the police. Two unknown gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire at the discuss Mideast developments local county office building in Pishin, a small town located in Sarbaz County in the southeastern province of Sistan-Bal- ranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African uchestan on Tuesday morning, General Mohammad Qanbari, Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari held talks with Secre- the provincial police commander, told Tasnim News Agency. Itary General of the Lebanese resistance movement, Hezbollah, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah. During a meeting in Beirut on Tuesday, Jaberi Ansari and Nasrallah exchanged views about the latest politi- cal developments in the Middle East and the situation in the region, particularly the Syrian and Lebanese issues, Press TV reported. Iranian Ambassador to Beirut Mohammad Fat’hali was also present in the meeting. Jaberi Ansari, who arrived in Beirut on Monday for a three-day visit, held talks with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and For- eign Minister Gebran Bassil. He said the trip aims to express Iran’s support for na- namehnews.ir tional unity in Lebanon and the country’s fight against A soldier serving in the police was killed in the attack, the the Israeli regime and Takfiri terrorists. commander added, saying the assailants fled the scene. The Iranian diplomat is visiting Beirut after the Leba- Located in southeastern Iran, the large province of Sistan- nese army chief General Joseph Aoun announced the Baluchestan borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, and has a long start of the operation, dubbed Jaroud Dawn, on Saturday coastline by the Sea of Oman. against Daesh terrorists in eastern parts of the country The desert province grapples with underdeveloped infra- along the border with Syria. structure and transit of illicit drugs. Separately on Saturday, the Hezbollah resistance movement said that it had started a joint operation with the Syrian army inside Syrian territory, according to al- Iran envoy: Tehran, Damascus Manar TV station. Last month, Hezbollah concluded a joint counter- standing together in all fields terrorism campaign with the Syrian army at Lebanon’s IRNA highlands of Arsal. lic of Iran supports this coexistence,” he said in a meet- Iran’s envoy to Syria Javad Torkabadi said the Islamic Repub- The terrorists of the al-Nusra Front group, recently re- Meanwhile, Jaberi Ansari also said on Tuesday that ing with Sheikh Naeem Hassan, the spiritual leader of lic and Syria are standing together in all fields, including the naming itself Fateh al-Sham, withdrew from Arsal fol- Lebanon is the symbol of resistance against the Israeli the Druze community in Lebanon. economic sector. lowing a series of consecutive defeats that forced them regime and Takfiri terrorism. The Iranian diplomat hailed the consensus among Torkabadi made the remarks Monday night in a joint meet- to agree to a ceasefire deal. “Lebanon symbolizes coexistence among different Is- Lebanese religious and political leaders and said the ing of Iran-Syria investors and businessmen, IRNA wrote. lamic and Christian sects and ethnicities…and the mes- Druze played a positive role in forming national un- ‘Lebanon, symbol of resistance against Zionists, sage of my trip to Lebanon and meetings with Lebanese derstanding and establishing political and social sta- terrorists’ political and religious leaders is that the Islamic Repub- bility. Ayatollah Khamenei Navy commander: appoints new military Iran to stage wargames in Makran commanders Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Ha- southern fleet and off Makran coasts in the bibollah Sayyari announced that his forces next few days,” Rear Admiral Sayyari said, will stage drills in the country’s southeastern addressing a ceremony in the northern port Makran seashore in the near future. city of Bandar Anzali on Tuesday, Fars News Agency reported. In July, the Iranian Navy staged naval exercises in the Caspian IRNA Sea. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 59th Interna- The naval drills code-named tional Exhibition of Damascus. ‘Sustainable Security and Power’ Iranian businessmen’s participation in Damascus exhibition were held in five separate phases is a big step in activating economic relations between the two in an area covering 88,000 square countries, Torkabadi said. kilometers in the Caspian Sea. The 59th International Exhibition of Damascus was held In relevant remarks in June, with the attendance of over 1,500 companies from 43 coun- Rear Admiral Sayyari announced tries. that over two dozen naval exer- MEHR NEWS AGENCY cises have been planned to be held New second-in-command for the Iranian Armed Forces’ chief of staff, by the end of the current Iranian Major General Ataollah Salehi (R), and the new commander of Iran’s Army year (ending March 20, 2018). Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi “We will hold a total of 25 na- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei val drills in the current year,” he appointed a new commander for the Iranian Army and second-in- said. command for the Iranian Armed Forces’ chief of staff. Rear Admiral Sayyari empha- Mohammad Ali Rajabi In a decree on Monday, Ayatollah Khamenei appointed Major General sized that the naval exercises will Ataollah Salehi as new second-in-command for the Iranian Armed Forc- be held in the Persian Gulf and es’ chief of staff upon a proposal by Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Caspian Sea, and they will ulti- Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri, Press TV wrote. mately lead to the massive Velay- The Leader said the appointment was made in view of Salehi’s past at-96 naval drills. record and valuable work experience. Sayyari noted the navy’s mili- Ayatollah Khamenei thanked great efforts by Major General tary equipment is state-of-the-art, Abdolrahim Mousavi who previously held the post. manufactured by Iranian experts, In another decree, the Leader named Mousavi, who was promoted saying, “For example, the domes- Food from the rank of brigadier general to major general, as the new com- tically-built Damavand destroyer mander of Iran’s Army given his commitment, competency and ex- has come successfully on stream perience. in northern Iran and is currently Cholera Ayatollah Khamenei thanked Salehi, who previously held the post, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari being used in the high seas. Our treatment for his loyal services to the Islamic Republic during his tenure. “The strategic navy annually stages numer- objective is to train experts who can carry out New second-in-command for the Iranian Armed Forces’ chief of ous specialized drills, over 25 wargames, in the navy’s critical missions, especially in the staff, Major General Ataollah Salehi (R), and the new commander of different fields, and therefore, the specialized high seas, to bring the country great honor Iran’s Army Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi electronic warfare drills will be held by the and security,” he added. Nuclear chief: Iran can resume 20% ... From Page 1 charge of monitoring the technical implementation of the against Iran would be followed by Iran’s upgrading of its JCPOA, has invariably certified Iran’s commitment to its nuclear activities to advanced levels “not within months Iran has applied certain limits to its nuclear program obligations under the accord. and weeks, but in a matter of hours and days.” under a deal it reached with six other countries in 2015. Therefore, the Trump administration claims of an Iran warns that it can restore conditions that existed in Salehi said the changes made to the Fordow enrich- Iranian violation are generally believed to merely stem its nuclear industry before the nuclear deal if Washington ment facility under that deal had been calculated so as to from the administration’s dissatisfaction with the deal, continues to violate the agreement. enable a return to the 20-percent enrichment within five dressed to look like the detection of violations in Iran’s Salehi said that the AEOI’s main priority was to “pre- days. That, he said, was one of the strengths of the deal, contractual behavior. serve the JCPOA, but not at any cost.” which is officially titled the Joint Comprehensive Plan of The JCPOA was negotiated under Trump’s predeces- He said Iran will remain committed to its end of the Action (JCPOA). sor, Barack Obama, whose every major policy achieve- bargain as long as the opposite side lives up to its. He said the warning to quickly resume 20-percent en- ment the new US president has attempted to undo. Since The JCPOA was concluded between Iran and the P5+1 richment “carries many messages in technical and pro- before taking office, Trump has threatened to rip up the countries — namely the US, Russia, China, France, Brit- fessional terms, and the opposite side understands that deal. ain, and Germany. It took effect in January 2016. message.” The administration of US President Donald Iran has said that any US non-performance would be The deal was later endorsed by a United Nations Se- Trump has been claiming that Iran is violating the spirit met with due counteraction. curity Council resolution. In return for the limits to the of the JCPOA. In his most recent warning, the Iranian president said Iranian nuclear program, the Islamic Republic had all But the United Nations nuclear agency, which is in the US’s return to the policy of sanctions and pressure nuclear-related sanctions against it terminated. Aug. 23, 2017 Quake in Ischia Island An earthquake on one of Italy’s most scenic islands on Monday night left two people dead, injuring dozens, while three children, trapped for hours 3 under rubble, have been rescued. International

Remains of some US sailors found Dozens reported dead in US-led strikes on Raqqa The remains of a number US sailors have been found in sealed compartments aboard the USS John S. McCain, the command- ozens of civilians have died the deaths of 624 civilians in its strikes in er of the US Pacific Fleet said. in two days of intense US-led Syria and Iraq since 2014, but rights groups Admiral Scott Swift also said at a news conference in Singa- Dstrikes on Raqqa, a monitor said say the number is much higher. pore on Tuesday that Malaysian officials have found one body Tuesday. The SDF’s Arab and Kurdish armed that has not yet been identified, AAP reported. At least 250 US-led coalition strikes have groups broke into Raqqa in early June after The focus of the search for 10 US sailors missing after a col- hit the Syrian city and the surrounding area spending months chipping away at Daesh- lision between the USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker in in the last week, a coalition spokesman told held territory in the surrounding province. Southeast Asian waters shifted on Tuesday to the damaged de- AFP, as the US-backed Syrian Democratic Asked about the escalating civilian tolls stroyer’s flooded compartments. Forces press an offensive in the Daesh-held in recent days, SDF spokesman Talal Sello The collision on Monday tore a gaping hole in the McCain’s city. told AFP his forces were striving to avoid left rear hull and flooded adjacent compartments including On Monday, US-led airstrikes killed at casualties. crew berths and machinery and communication rooms. Five least 42 civilians in several neighborhoods “One of the major reasons for the slow sailors were injured. in Raqqa under Daesh control, according to progress in the Raqqa fight is the preserv- the Britain-based so-called Syrian Observa- ing of civilian lives and avoiding massive tory for Human Rights monitor. losses among them,” Sello said. Nineteen children and 12 women were He blamed Daesh for using civilians as among the dead. “human shields.” That takes to 167 the number of civilians “We have opened up safe routes for ci- killed in coalition strikes since August 14, vilians to cross securely towards areas after the observatory said at least 27 were controlled by our forces, who are rescuing killed on Sunday. civilians almost daily and transferring them The SDF has so far took just under 60 to safe places.” percent of Raqqa, monitors say, leaving Tens of thousands of people have fled terrorists from the Daesh group in control Raqqa city, with the United Nations esti- AP of about 10 square kilometers (four square DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP mating that up to 25,000 civilians remain The damaged port aft hull of USS John S. McCain, left, is seen while miles) in the heart of the city. A US-led coalition has been hitting Raqqa with airstrikes. trapped inside with dwindling food and fuel docked next to USS America at Singapore's Changi naval base on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017 in Singapore. But as clashes approach central Raqqa, supplies. The UN’s humanitarian pointman monitors and activists have reported scores There are buildings full of civilians who investigated. for Syria, Jan Egeland, has said Daesh-held “The divers were able to locate some remains in those sealed killed in intensifying coalition bombard- are trying to get away from the front lines.” He said the coalition had stepped up its territory in Raqqa city is now “the worst compartments during their search today,” Swift said. ment of the city. “The tolls are high because The coalition says avoiding civilian casu- strikes in Raqqa since a popular forces place” in the war-torn country. “We will continue the search and rescue operations until the the airstrikes are hitting neighborhoods in alties is its “highest priority.” successfully ousted Daesh from Mosul in Civilians, including women and children, probability of discovering sailors is exhausted.” the city center that are densely packed with Coalition spokesman Colonel Ryan Dil- neighboring Iraq. must dodge sniper fire, Daesh-laid mines, It was the second major collision in two months involving civilians,” Observatory director Rami Ab- lon told AFP that the latest allegations of ci- The coalition, which operates in both and coalition bombardment to make it out the Pacific-based 7th Fleet and the Navy has ordered a broad del Rahman said. vilian deaths would be taken seriously and countries, earlier this month acknowledged alive. investigation into its performance and readiness. Seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship col- lided in waters off Japan. There were two lesser-known incidents in the first half of Top US commander calls for diplomacy in North Korea tensions the year. In January, the USS Antietam guided missile cruis- er ran aground near Yokosuka base, the home port of the 7th The head of the US military’s Pacific He later backed away from the plan, North Korea tested ballistic missiles described Harris and his colleagues as Fleet, and in May another cruiser, the USS Lake Champlain Command on Tuesday stressed the im- but tens of thousands of South Korean at an unprecedented rate during 2016. “brass hats of the US imperialist ag- from the Navy’s 3rd Fleet, had a minor collision with a South portance of diplomacy, rather than a and US troops this week began an an- The country has been under UN sanc- gressor forces, who would be directly Korean fishing boat. “While each of these four incidents is preemptive military strike, to address nual war game hated by Pyongyang. tions since 2006 over its nuclear and in charge of preemptive strike at the unique, they cannot be viewed in isolation,” Swift said. North Korea’s growing missile activi- To tackle the North’s menaces, “the ballistic missile tests. DPRK (North Korea) and war of ag- He said the Navy would conduct an investigation “to find ties. most important starting point is the dip- It says it needs such weapons to de- gression”. out if there is a common cause ... and if so, how do we solve Tensions rose after the North last lomatic starting point,” said Admiral fend itself against US aggression. Any attempt to do so would have that.” month tested two intercontinental bal- Harry Harris, who is in South Korea The allies say the largely computer- “catastrophic consequences”, it added. Earlier on Tuesday, the 7th Fleet said the sea search by air- listic missiles (ICBM) that appeared to inspect the Ulchi Freedom Guardian simulated UFG drills are purely defen- Solving the current tensions was craft and ships from the US, Singapore and Malaysian navies to bring much of the US within range, (UFG) exercises. sive in nature, but Pyongyang views ultimately up to North Korean leader would continue east of Singapore where the McCain and the with President Donald Trump warning The decades-old defense alliance them as a highly provocative rehearsal Kim Jong-un, said US Forces Korea tanker collided. that Washington could rain “fire and between Seoul and Washington “repre- for invasion and every year threatens commander Vincent Brooks, warning Admiral John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, on fury” on Pyongyang, AFP reported. sents a very strong military back-up to strong military counteraction. that an all-out military confrontation Monday ordered a pause in 7th Fleet operations for the next The North’s leader Kim Jong-un then our diplomats who should take the front In a statement carried by the official on the peninsula would be “beyond few days to allow commanders to get together with leaders, threatened to fire a salvo of missiles to- line,” Harris told reporters at a US air- Korean Central News Agency Tues- very dangerous and deadly” for both sailors and command officials and identify any immediate wards the US Pacific territory of Guam. base at Osan, south of Seoul. day, a North Korean Army spokesman Koreas. steps that need to be taken to ensure safety.

the 8,400 that were already there. They be- until there was a broader policy in place. Afghanistan was discussed. But now he Angry Trump grilled his lieved the influx would help the Afghan Army Mr. Bannon, meanwhile, continued to play became centrally involved, warning Mr. stabilize a fast-deteriorating security situation disrupter. As the administration tried to flesh Trump’s aides that they needed to develop in the country. out the policy, he recruited two outside busi- solid answers to his questions about how to generals about troop increase, The debate got little public attention. Af- nessmen — Erik D. Prince, a founder of the measure success there. ghanistan had faded from the headlines, and private security firm Blackwater Worldwide, By then, the options for dealing with Af- the White House was grappling with a cascade and Stephen A. Feinberg, co-founder of Cer- ghanistan had narrowed to three: pull out, pour then gave in of other news, from the investigation of Mr. berus Capital Management — who proposed in more troops or shift to a covert counterter- Trump’s ties to Russia to the nuclear standoff plans to substitute private military contractors rorism strategy led by the C.I.A. Mr. Bannon President Trump’s skepticism about America’s Afghanistan, Mr. Trump scarcely mentioned it with North Korea. for American troops. Both men owned com- had been a prime advocate of the covert ap- involvement in Afghanistan was no secret on the campaign trail. But there were already dissonant voices. panies that supply contractors and would have proach. But the C.I.A. director, Mike Pompeo, to his staff. But his top national security offi- But he had long opposed the war, in keeping Stephen K. Bannon, Mr. Trump’s former chief profited from such a policy. was hesitant to throw the agency into the war cials were still taken aback at a meeting in the with his general aversion to American military strategist, worried that the generals were lead- On a Saturday morning in early July, Mr. full-scale, according to one official, because of Situation Room on July 19, when an angry Mr. entanglements. As a private citizen, he repeat- ing the president down the same path as Mr. Bannon visited Mr. Mattis at his office in the its difficult history there. Trump began ripping apart their latest propos- edly called on Mr. Obama to withdraw the Obama, who felt boxed in by his generals in Pentagon to lobby him on the unorthodox The generals kept pushing for more troops, al to send thousands of additional American troops. 2009, his first year in office, when he agreed concept. Mr. Mattis listened politely, officials but Mr. Trump insisted on knowing why the troops to the country. to send 30,000 additional troops. Mr. Bannon said, but dismissed it. Although Mr. Bannon other two options were deemed not feasible. “We’re losing,” the president declared, ac- The Antiwar Tweets questioned why an additional 4,000 troops continued to share his views privately with On Aug. 10, the president summoned his team cording to a person who was in the room. The would fix the situation. Mr. Trump, he became marginalized from the to his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., where he plan, he complained, was vague and open-end- “It is time to get out of Afghanistan,” Mr. “For 16 years, from neocons to progressives process even before he left the White House on was on a less-than-tranquil vacation. ed, with no definition of victory. “What does Trump wrote on Twitter on Feb. 27, 2012, a to Obama’s people, they all thought they were Friday. The generals told the president that a com- success look like?” he asked. period when he was beginning to think about making great decisions,” Mr. Bannon said, ac- plete pullout would leave Afghanistan in dan- The day before that meeting, Mr. Trump running for president. “We are building roads cording to a person in the room. “Why are we The Final Debates ger of becoming another haven for the Islamic had invited four soldiers who had served in and schools for people that hate us. It is not in any smarter than they are?’’ State, as happened in Iraq. And Mr. Pompeo’s Afghanistan to the White House for lunch. His our national interests.” At a meeting of the National Security Coun- But other new figures emerged after the reservations about a major role for the C.I.A. exchanges with these enlisted men, an official That summer, he ratcheted up his calls after a cil’s principals committee, he clashed with contentious July 19 meeting. Vice President undercut the counterrrorism strategy. said, left him sober about the prospects for series of attacks by Afghan soldiers on Ameri- General McMaster, who had taken the lead in Mike Pence, not General McMaster, chaired a General McMaster continued tweaking the turning around a war that has dragged on for can troops. “Why are we continuing to train developing the policy. Their relationship dete- principals meeting on Afghanistan the follow- plan, which now had benchmarks for reducing nearly 16 years. He showed up the next day de- these Afghanis who then shoot our soldiers in riorated, and Mr. Bannon became General Mc- ing week. Mr. Pence’s views were not sharply corruption in the Afghan government and for termined to ask hard questions. the back?” he wrote on Aug. 21, 2012. “Af- Master’s biggest in-house nemesis. different than those of General McMaster. But pressing Pakistan to wipe out terrorist sanctu- On Monday night, Mr. Trump finally put for- ghanistan is a complete waste. Time to come the general’s relationship with Mr. Trump had aries on its border with Afghanistan. ward a broader strategy for Afghanistan, one home!” A Truck Bomb in Kabul become difficult, with the president bridling at Last Friday, he and the rest of the national that would require thousands more American The next year, Mr. Trump went so far as to what some describe as his aide’s didactic style. security team flew to Camp David for what troops but place more conditions on the Afghan embrace Mr. Obama in his decision to pull out In late May, a truck bomb exploded in the Mr. Pence, officials said, understood where turned out to be a decisive meeting. Mr. Trump government. His decision, several officials American troops. Afghan capital, Kabul, killing more than 150 Mr. Trump was coming from and tried to in- signed off on the strategy, and the team posed said, was less a change of heart than a weary “I agree with Pres. Obama on Afghanistan,” people and raising doubts about the survival terpret the president to the National Security for a grim-faced group portrait with the presi- acceptance of the case, made during three Mr. Trump wrote on Jan. 14, 2013. “We should of the government of President Ashraf Ghani. Council staff. dent. Back in Washington, Mr. Bannon had months of intense White House debate by the have a speedy withdrawal. Why should we Alarmed, Mr. Mattis and General McMaster Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson also vacated his office and was returning to his old military leaders who dominate his war cabinet. keep wasting our money — rebuild the U.S.!” intensified their push for Mr. Trump to sign off became more vocal, having objected to the employer, the right-wing website Breitbart In the end, these officials said, Mr. Trump ac- But once in the White House, Mr. Trump on a troop increase. lack of a diplomatic component in the initial News. cepted the logic that a “big military” approach populated his cabinet with people who had a But the broader policy was still skeletal. It proposal from General McMaster. His posi- On Monday, a few hours before Mr. Trump was needed to prevent Afghanistan from again long history in Afghanistan. His defense sec- lacked any strategy for dealing with neighbor- tion was complicated by the fact that the State was to speak, Breitbart published an inter- becoming a launching pad for terrorism against retary, Jim Mattis, is a retired Marine Corps ing Pakistan, where many of the terrorist sanc- Department had just dismantled the office of view with Mr. Prince, in which he criticized the United States. Persuaded there were no oth- general who lost troops in fierce combat there tuaries lay. Still, Mr. Trump authorized Mr. its special representative for Afghanistan and the president for not being more receptive to er options, Mr. Trump became the third Ameri- early in the war. His national security adviser, Mattis to send up to 4,000 additional troops — Pakistan. his proposal for mercenaries. “The presiden- can president to send young men and women Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, ran an anti-corrup- a decision the Pentagon announced in a cryp- By early August, the White House chief cy by its nature lives in a bubble,” Mr. Prince into the longest war in American history. tion task force that worked with the Afghan tic late-afternoon news release on June 14 that of staff, Reince Priebus, had been forced said. “When you fill it with former general His journey to that decision was starkly dif- government. played down its significance and suggested it out and replaced by John F. Kelly, another officers, you’re going to get that stream of ferent than that of his predecessor, President This spring, Mr. Mattis and General Mc- was a stopgap measure. White House officials retired Marine general. As the secretary of advice.” Barack Obama. Unlike Mr. Obama, who ran Master began drafting a plan to send upward of said nothing publicly about the decision, and homeland security, Mr. Kelly had attended The above article was taken from the New for office promising to turn around the war in 4,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, beyond Mr. Mattis said he would not send any troops National Security Council meetings where York Times. Aug. 23, 2017 Oil exports Iran’s crude oil and condensate exports are expected to hit 2.37 million 4 barrels per day in August 2017, Reuters reported. Domestic Economy

SPECIAL NEWS Domestic Economy Desk India asked to put Joint chambers of commerce planned with Italy, Switzerland, Tajikistan Chabahar rail link on fast track ran has sought a firm commitment The ground is paved for setting up joint chambers of com- from New Delhi that the construc- merce between Iran and three Asian and European countries, Ition of the $1.6-billion rail link from a trade official said. Chabahar Port will be taken up expedi- Head of Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines tiously, two people aware of the develop- and Agriculture (TCCIMA), Gholamhossein Shafei, said that ment said. groundwork has been laid for establishing joint chambers of India has promised to remove hurdles commerce between Iran and Italy, Switzerland and Tajikistan, to fast track the project, which will con- Tasnim News Agency reported. nect the port on the southern coast of the He added that forming joint commerce chambers is on TC- Persian Gulf nation to the eastern city of CIMA’s agenda to develop trade relations with other coun- Zahedan close to the border with Afghani- tries. “Those involved in domestic private sector are expected stan, livemint.com reported. to play a significant role in the process.” The issue came up for discussion dur- The TCCIMA head expressed regret that currently, there is ing a visit by India’s Minister for Road a turbulence in the demand and supply market, which high- Transport, Highways and Shipping Ni- lights the need for special attention to exports and doubling tin Gadkari to Iran for the swearing-in efforts to improve the condition. ceremony of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, the two people said, requesting anonymity. Official: Iran exporters “The minister has ordered to take up the matter with IRCON (IRCON International eying Russian market Ltd., the state-run company to which the contact was given) on priority and sort out Iranian businessmen are considering ways to boost exports to the matter,” an Indian government official, Russia, said a deputy trade minister. one of the two cited above said. According to Fars News Agency, Mojtaba Khosrotaj told India plans to develop the Chabahar business representatives of state-run and private sectors, “To Port, which would give it access to land- attain the goal, Iranian exporters should closely examine the locked Afghanistan and energy-rich Cen- Russian market to facilitate the exports of their products to tral Asia through its Jawaharlal Nehru and that country.” Kandla ports on the west coast, circum- During the meeting, Khosrotaj and the Iranian businessmen venting Pakistan. also examined ways to reach a preferential tariff deal with But the agreement to build the 500-km Eurasia comprising Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus rail link lapsed in April. IRNA and Armenia, reduce tariffs as well as prepare the grounds for In May 2016, India and Iran inked 12 agreements northern Europe. China’s ZPMC has won a contract to supply cranes free trade with these countries. including one for India’s IRCON to build the 500-km China on its part is pushing for its ambitious ‘One to the Chabahar Port, The Hindu Business Line report- In late July, Iran’s Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanaei and railway line as part of a transit corridor to Afghani- Belt One Road’ initiative aimed at connecting around ed on. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov underlined stan. 60 countries across Asia, Africa and Europe. Chabahar port, located in the Oman Sea near Iran’s the need to increase trade between Tehran and Moscow. The agreements were signed in the presence of Prime “There has to be fast movement on the commitments border with Pakistan, is less than 100km from Paki- In a meeting in Moscow, Sanaei and Morgulov also ex- Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Iran. made. This time there is push from the top. If we don’t stan’s Chinese-constructed port of Gwadar — part of plored ways to bolster and reinvigorate Iran-Russia coopera- “They complained that the agreement had lapsed and sustain the momentum, the opportunity will not wait a project to open up an energy and trade corridor from tion. IRCON hasn’t informed if it has managed to arrange for us,” Roy added. Oman Sea to western China. The two sides discussed a range of other issues, including for the funds for the rail project. The Indian del- implementation of agreements reached between Tehran and egation sought time and assured the Iranian gov- Moscow during President Hassan Rouhani’s visit to Russia in ernment about India’s commitment,” the second late March. official cited above said. Morgulov voiced his satisfaction with the development of India has already built a 218-km road link con- all-out relations between Iran and Russia, and called for the necting Delaram with Zaranj in Afghanistan, implementing the letters of the agreements and defining new which is adjacent to the border with Iran. economic projects to broaden bilateral ties. The Chabahar Port, located in Iran’s southeast- Sanaei pointed to the exchange of high-ranking delegations ern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, will also pro- between the two countries in recent months, and said that the mote India’s strategic interests in the Oman Sea heads of states of the two countries are determined to develop and Strait of Hormuz. relations in all areas. Experts say procedural issues should be re- He also referred to a statistical growth in bilateral economy solved fast by India to leverage the opportunity and trade ties between Iran and Russia, and hoped to see a sig- that Iran offers. nificant rise in trade between the two countries by yearend. “There is a positive movement. The Indian government is very focused on its intent to move forward on Chabahar Port which is a stra- Mouteh four-month gold output tegic project and forms an integral part of the International North-South Transport Corridor tops 135 kilograms (INSTC). We will have to sort out the procedural issues Domestic Economy Desk and sustain the momentum,” said Meena Sin- gh Roy, a research fellow at New Delhi-based Production at Mouteh Gold Complex in Isfahan Province Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses amounted to 136 kilograms in the four months from March 21 (IDSA). to July 22, reported Iranian Mines and Mining Industries De- Chabahar can be leveraged by India for the IN- velopment and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO). STC which will connect the Indian Ocean and the According to the report, production in this period indicated Persian Gulf with the Caspian Sea through Iran a growth of 48 percent compared to the figure for the same and then onwards to St. Petersburg in Russia and four-month period last year, which was 92 kilograms, imidro. gov.ir reported. The gold com- plex produced 36 Iran: World Bank kilograms of gold during June 22- approves €1b to July 22, indicating a rise of 44 percent against the output electrify rail network for the previous year, which was 25 From Page 1 kilograms. The complex is Geranpasha said implementation of the Ira- implementing gold nian-Russian contract will start soon after the extraction projects World Bank’s decision, and may take three years including enrich- to finish. ment of low-grade The train line would connect north-central imidro.gov.ir ores, treatment of Iran to the northeastern border with Turkmeni- tailings and renovation of technology to reduce power pollu- stan. tion as well as quality improvement. The agreement between Russian Railways and Mouteh, located in the city of Barkhar-e Meimeh, is esti- the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (RAI) en- mated to produce over 300 kilograms of gold each year. visages constructing power stations and overhead Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade figures showed Iran power lines along the Garmsar-Sari-Gorgan-Inche has 15 gold mines, of which 12 are operational while three are Burun route in Iran. inactive. The train line, among the first in Iran with a his- Gold exploration is underway in most provinces, including tory of 80 years, extends to Turkmenistan and Ka- East Azarbaijan, West Azarbaijan, Kurdestan, Kerman, Kho- zakhstan and links the Central Asia to the Persian rasan Razavi, South Khorasan, Isfahan, Yazd, Markazi, Qom, Gulf and beyond. Hamedan and Zanjan. The project will cover 32 stations and 95 tun- Iran’s National Geology and Mineral Exploration Organiza- nels, 7 traction substations, 11 section pillars, 6 tion put Iran’s total proven and probable gold reserves at 320 duty posts of the contact station and power supply tons. The provinces of Tehran, Isfahan, Khorasan Razavi and administration building. According to preliminary East Azarbaijan are top gold producing hubs. estimates, the project will be implemented in 36 months. Aug. 23, 2017 Iraq oil pricing Iraq has informed its customers that it plans to switch its price benchmark 5 for Basra crude in Asia to DME Oman futures from January. TSE & Global Economy China has more room to tackle debt

ising corporate profits are provid- ing Chinese policymakers with Rroom to do more to tackle the country’s growing debt problems without inflicting major damage on the economy. Profits are increasing even though fi- nancial conditions are tightening in some significant areas of the economy; lending rates have inched higher, regulators have clamped down against risky lending and have moved to take the heat out of the property sector, according to Reuters. The economy is also comfortably on course to meet the government’s GDP growth target this year of around 6.5 per- cent. Although it is far from certain the gov- ernment will tighten credit conditions further, some economists expect policy- makers to move that way once President Xi Jinping consolidates power at a key five-yearly Communist Party Congress later this year. Andrew Fennell, the main sovereign analyst for China at Fitch Ratings, said, “There’s more room to experiment (with tightening credit). It is the right timing and moment to do so against this backdrop of a strong growth momen- tum.” rt.comrtrt.cot com The government has made reducing China’s debt burden a priority this year in the first quarter from the same period Benchmark policy rates have been on analysis of files from the Supreme Peo- after credit soared following the global of 2016. hold for almost two years. But average ple’s Court showed there were 4,700 financial crisis. Results so far from the second-quarter lending rates edged up to 5.67 percent in bankruptcy cases between January and The International Monetary Fund earnings season suggest continued mo- June, the highest since September 2015, July this year, compared with 5,665 for warned last week that China’s credit mentum on a pick-up in global trade from 5.53 percent in March, the second- all of 2016 and 3,684 in 2015. growth was on a ‘dangerous trajectory’ and economic activity: Gansu Jiu Steel quarter policy report from the People’s Even if this signals Chinese policy- and called for ‘decisive action’. The bank expects a 54-percent first-half net profit Bank of China showed earlier this month. makers are more tolerant of companies for International Settlements said in Sep- rise, while China Coal Energy expects Total social financing (TSF), a broad being pushed into bankruptcy, analysts tember excessive credit growth was sign- net profit of 1.5-1.8 billion yuan (£384.05 measure of credit and liquidity, fell to said it also suggested they are moving aling a banking crisis in the next three million) from 616 million a year earlier. 1.22 trillion yuan in July from 1.78 tril- slowly so as not to destabilize the econ- years. For the 104 companies for which 2017 lion in June. Still, TSF grew 13.2 percent omy. But a few things are falling into place estimates are available, analysts predict a from a year earlier, suggesting authorities Still, only 12 percent of the bankrupt- to ease worries that further moves to curb 38.25-percent overall increase in net prof- do not want to hit the brakes too hard. cies were in the indebted state sector and debt would prompt an economic and fi- its, compared with 10.6 percent growth the figures pale in comparison with bank- nancial crisis. in 2016. Rising bankruptcies ruptcies in developed economies: they Thomson Reuters data of almost 1,000 Annual profits either shrank or barely were 10 times lower than in France and Shanghai-listed non-financial companies grew over 2011-2015, which contributed The government appears more toler- four times lower than in the United States showed net profits rose almost 70 percent to the rapid accumulation of debt. ant of company failures as well. A Fitch last year. Thailand tipped to score economic growth Thailand is forecast to register a 3.5 to 4.0 dduring the second quarter of this year, ac- percent growth in gross domestic product ccording to the NESDB report. throughout this year, according to a report Nevertheless, state firms’ investments issued by the National Economic and So- iincreased by 20.5 percent during the sec- cial Development Board. oond quarter, compared to 17.0 percent That may compare to a 3.2-percent dduring the first quarter. growth in Thailand’s GDP last year and The export sector earned some $56.1 an earlier prediction of a 3.3 to 3.8 per- bbillion in combined value and registered cent economic growth announced last a 8.0-percent increase during the second May, Xinhua reported. qquarter, compared to 6.8-percent rise Thailand has registered a 3.5-percent dduring the first quarter, according to the economic growth during this year’s first NNESDB report. six months or a 3.7- percent growth dur- Thailand’s export products which se- ing the second quarter alone, reported the ccured higher values included rice, rubber, NESDB, the highest in four years since rrubber products, automotive parts and ac- the first quarter of 2013. ccessories, machinery, mechanical equip- The 3.7 economic growth during this mentm and petroleum products whereas the year’s second quarter accounted for a eexport products which brought lower val- 1.3 percent increase from the first quarter uues included automobiles, air condition- which registered a 3.3 percent, reported eers and tapioca. the NESDB. The Thai exports to China, the Euro- Domestic consumption registered a ppean Union, the United States, Japan and papepaperblog.comrblogbl .comcom three percent growth during the second AASEAN have increased but those to the quarter of this year, compared to 3.2 per- accordingly during the second quarter of risen by 3.2 percent during the second Middle East and Australia have dropped. cent growth during the first quarter, re- this year. quarter, compared to 1.1 percent drop Meanwhile, the import sector account- ported the NESDB. Government expenditures have risen during the first quarter. ed for $49.5 billion in combine value and The household incomes in agricul- by 2.7 percent during the second quarter, Compared to the 3.2 percent increase registered a 4.5-percent increase in value Major Currencies tural sector as well as revenues in export compared to 0.3 percent during the first in the private investments, the govern- and 8.9-percent increase in volume dur- sector and tourist sector have increased quarter while private investments have ment investments dropped by 7.0 percent ing the second quarter. CurrencyTo USD Currency To USD

Turkish Lira 0.2855 Chinese Yuan 0.1502

Lebanon hikes South Korean consumer sentiment Euro 1.1782 UAE Dirham 0.2721 corporation tax, VAT hits 22-year high British Pound 1.2848 Kuwaiti Dinar 3.3068 Lebanese President Michel Aoun billion if it included certain pension in- South Korea’s consumer confidence has Asia-Pacific region. It covers five catego- Australian Dollar 0.7919 Iraqi Dinar 0.0008 signed off on public sector wage in- creases. hit a 22-year high for the second half of ries — economy, stock market, employ- creases and related tax hikes, the Na- The tax law raises value-added tax the year on expectations for the coun- ment, quality of life and fixed income. Japanese 100 Yen 0.0091 Saudi Riyal 0.2666 tional News Agency (NNA) said. by one percentage point to 11 percent try’s newly inaugurated government, a The number for Asia’s fourth-largest Aoun had held off ratifying the two and hikes corporation tax to 17 percent survey showed on Tuesday. economy marks the highest level since laws since parliament approved them from 15 percent. South Korea’s overall consumer con- the 78.6 recorded in 1995 and is higher last month, amid concerns from busi- Several protests have broken out this fidence for the July-December period than the regional average of 66.9. Major Commodities nesses about the impact of more taxes year over the proposed tax hikes, which stands at an average 78 on a full scale of South Korea’s score is the eight- on Lebanon’s fragile economy, Reuters are intended to fund public sector pay 100, up 46.7 points from the first half, highest among the nations, up seven wrote. rises. according to the Mastercard Index of notches from the first half. Crude Oil $47.69 Silver $16.93 The public sector pay scale law has In recent weeks, some public sec- Consumer Confidence, Yonhap wrote. It also dwarfs numbers for major econ- been under discussion for years. The tor workers have also gathered in the The latest Mastercard index is based omies in the region — 49.2 for Australia, Gold $1289.60 Platinum $980.00 government had estimated that it would streets calling for Aoun to finally sign on a survey of 9,153 people (407 45.4 for Singapore and 44.4 for Japan, the Copper $2.96 Wheat $410.50 cost around $800 million, or $1.2 the laws. South Koreans) in 18 markets in the world’s third-largest economy. Aug. 23, 2017 Blue dogs Authorities in Mumbai have shut down a manufacturing company after it was accused of dumping untreated industrial waste and dyes into a local 6 river that resulted in 11 dogs turning blue. Cultural Heritage & Environment

Historical sites WWorldorld hhasas mmissedissed cchancehance ttoo aavoidvoid 2.7-million-year-old ice core discovered along pulled from Antarctica Persian Gulf ddangerousangerous globalglobal warmingwarming A team of researchers from Princeton University, the Scripps Institu- Operations to determine the limits tion of Oceanography, the University of Maine and Oregon State Uni- and demarcate the precincts of the versity has drilled and retrieved a 2.7-million-year-old ice core from historic Tall-e Pir site on the shores a spot in Antarctica. The team presented their findings at this year’s of the Persian Gulf led to the iden- Goldschmidt Conference in Paris. tification of 12 areas within a ra- dius of 3km, most of which belong to the historic era. The Research Institute of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) quoted head of the exploration team Ahmad Sarkhosh, as saying in addition to the plan to determine CC0 PUBLIC DOMAIN the limits of Tall-e Pir site, inten- sive archeological investigations Until recently, scientists believed that ice core samples taken from were conducted in an area of 3km either pole had an age limit of approximately 800,000 years — this around the site, IRNA reported. was because ice at the bottom melted due to heat from inside the Earth, He pointed to the old aerial pho- according to phys.org. tos taken by the Armed Forces, But a team at Princeton discovered a few year ago that another type noting that in addition to the old of ice could hold much older ice known as blue ice. It forms on gla- photos which were taken in 1956, ciers due to snowfall which, over time, becomes compressed, squeez- the entire area under study was PLANET EARTH NASA ing out air bubbles, making the ice look blue. photographed by a drone and the But it also has another characteristic — over time, the ice at the bot- old and new images were com- he world has missed the dioxide from the air. warming to 2°C would avoid the immediate reduction of tom is pushed upwards, protecting it from melting. In this new effort, pared and evaluated to provide a chance to avoid dan- Giant biological machines the most dangerous effects, carbon dioxide emissions and the team drilled at a site called the Allan Hills, near McMurdo Station. better understanding of the area. Tgerous global warming could be created to do this by but there is increasing evi- negative emissions after 2060, Ice cores taken from glaciers present problems because they are more dif- In the first round of the probe, — unless we start geo-engi- growing vegetation which ab- dence that allowing it to go which require the use of addi- ficult to date — cores from other places are dated by counting their layers. wells were created within 15 me- neering the atmosphere by re- sorbs carbon, then burning the much above 1.5°C could lock tional mitigation technologies The older ice, it was found, could be dated by studying trace ters from each other and by obtain- moving greenhouse gases, ac- resulting biomass in power sta- in considerable sea level rise such as BECCS and direct air amounts of potassium and argon — though not as precise as layer ing archeological deposits from the cording to new research. tions that capture the emissions. for the next few centuries. capture. counting, the researchers believe it is accurate to within 100,000 years. exploratory wells, the second round Scientists used computer The researchers also said So far the world has warmed “A deep decarbonization of One of the first teams to take a core sample from the older ice drilled was conducted with gaps of 10 to 15 models to assess what needs to other techniques to remove by just under 1°C in little over the energy system and a strong to a depth of 128 meters. In this latest effort, the team drilled to 205 meters from the first row, he added. be done to restrict global warm- carbon from the atmosphere a century. reduction of final energy de- meters and found ice that was nearly twice as old. During the operation, archeo- ing to between 1.5°C and 2°C, would need to be developed. Writing in the journal Cli- mands without complementa- Ice cores are important because they contain very small air bubbles logical materials such as clay the limits adopted by the Paris Another team of researchers matic Change, researchers ry carbon dioxide removal are that are samples of atmospheric conditions. Air bubbles from 2.7 mil- artifacts and stone tools were ob- Agreement on climate change, reached similar conclusions from Switzerland said: “We not enough to realize this Paris lion years ago offer evidence of climactic conditions during the time tained, Sarkhosh said. wrote the Independent. last month, finding that geo- find that, with our modelling target.” before the ice ages began, perhaps offering clues as to why they oc- He added that the obtained clay They found that the world engineering would be required assumptions, limiting global The world would have to curred. Already, the team has found that atmospheric carbon dioxide artifacts were comparable with was likely to overshoot this to restrict warming to 1.5°C temperature to 1.5°C is only bring about a ‘complete shift’ levels were at approximately 300ppm, which is considerably lower the clay works of Tall-e Bakun in temperature but could bring but 2°C could be achieved possible when using direct air to an energy system based on than today’s 400ppm. Marvdasht and Tall-e Rigi in Fir- it back down to 1.2°C by the without it. capture (DAC). renewables, nuclear, hydro- But the team noted that the core sample represents something per- ouzabad. end of this century by using Scientists previously “In our model, attaining gen, and bio-energy with car- haps even more exciting — the possibility of finding core samples that techniques to remove carbon thought limiting global this Paris target depends on bon capture and storage. are much older, perhaps as old as five million years. Aug. 23, 2017 How Zika thrives Zika virus thrives in pregnant women by suppressing their already dampened immune systems and running roughshod over their body’s 7 natural defenses, which allows the virus to directly attack the fetus. Health

Protein powders in smoothies don’t make you bloated Lower blood pressure A nutritionist and juice shop owner made waves by claiming protein powders should never be mixed with fruits or vegetables in smoothies because it will upset your digestion, however top Harley Street nutri- tionist Rhiannon Lambert refuted the claim, explaining that everyone is different. best for seniors’ minds Many people go for a protein or seniors and particularly blacks neurology at Johns Hopkins University shake as a post- with high blood pressure, lower- in Baltimore. workout snack, Fing it may help keep their minds “Blood pressure control is very im- mixing protein sharp, a new study suggested. portant, both for reducing stroke and powder with fruit, The association between high blood heart risk, but also for reducing the risk veggies, oats, nut pressure and the risk for mental decline of dementia and cognitive impairment, butters, seeds and is well-documented, according to UPI. but we don’t yet know whether initiat- dairy to make a But the ideal systolic blood pressure ing antihypertensive therapy in older delicious healthy for older adults has been less clear-cut, adults, with the primary purpose of way to re-ener- with recommended targets ranging reducing cognitive decline, is actually gize, according from 150 mm/Hg to 120 mm/Hg. effective and safe. to independent. independent.co.uk Systolic blood pressure, the amount “And because it was an observation- co.uk. of pressure exerted by the heart as it al study, the findings do not prove that But nutritionist and juice shop owner Corina Crysler claims this pumps blood throughout the body, is lower blood pressure levels in older leaves people bloated, gassy and suffering from heartburn. the top or first number in a blood pres- adults slow thinking declines. She said it’s down to the combination of protein with fruit and vege- sure reading. “Blood pressure control in general is tables — the former is broken down by acidic digestive juices, where- Recent evidence suggested that beneficial.” as the latter two require alkaline. while people in general benefit from Another specialist agreed that the Crysler added, “So when you mix them together, your stomach has a systolic blood pressure of 120 mm/ main.poliquingroup.com study isn’t the final word on what is the to produce both and they essentially knock each other out.” Hg or less, older adults might fare bet- best systolic blood pressure for pro- It’s important to note, however, that Crysler’s logic isn’t actually ter with a higher systolic pressure. But more pronounced in black seniors.” among whites with similar blood pres- tecting mental health in older adults. based on any scientific evidence. this latest study found that lower sys- From 1997 to 2007 Hajjar and col- sure readings, the researchers found. Dr. Byron Lee, director of the elec- Harley Street nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert explained to The Inde- tolic pressure was best for seniors. leagues collected data on nearly 1,700 Hajjar said, “The negative health ef- trophysiology laboratories and clinics pendent, “Whilst fruit can cause some digestive discomfort for some Lead researcher Dr. Ihab Hajjar, adults aged between 70 and 79 who fects of higher blood pressure are more at the University of California, San individuals owing to our gut bacteria loving fruit and the fermentation an associate professor of medicine at were being treated for high blood pres- prevalent in blacks, especially related Francisco, said, “We have to be very process, this does not apply to everyone.” Emory University School of Medicine sure and showed no signs of mental to kidney disease, stroke and cardio- careful not to read too much into this Some people may be left bloated whereas others aren’t and there are in Atlanta, said, “Lower blood pressure decline. vascular health. study. several factors at play: levels are safe and probably better in During the study period, partici- “Therefore, it is conceivable that “This is observational research and How much fruit? treating hypertensive older adults.” pants took tests of mental ability. The lowering blood pressure in this popu- there are many other observational What type of fruit? His team found that participants researchers found that scores on these lation would have a far greater impact studies that suggest it is better to have What else is in the smoothie? whose systolic blood pressure was 150 tests were linked with the patient’s sys- than other groups for the cognitive ef- a higher systolic blood pressure target What protein powder are you using? mm/Hg or higher were more likely to tolic blood pressure. fects as well.” of 150 mm/Hg to 140 mm/Hg in older Lifestyle/stress/sleep have declining mental abilities during The higher the systolic number, the The report was published online in adults. Lambert said, “It is not right to say one rule fits all and I often ad- the 10-year study period than those more test scores declined. the journal JAMA Neurology. “This study does remind us, how- vise a ratio of one piece of fruit to veg in smoothies but not because of whose systolic blood pressure was 120 Moreover, the declines in test scores Dr. Rebecca Gottesman is a pro- ever, that race may be an important bloating, simply as one piece can often be all you need for sweetness mm Hg or lower. were greater in blacks with high sys- fessor of neurology and epidemiol- factor, which could alter how we treat to offset the rest.” Hajjar added, “The effect was even tolic blood pressures than they were ogy in the division of cerebrovascular different patients in the future.” So if drinking a smoothie with a protein boost leaves you feeling fine, you keep enjoying that delicious, nutritious treat.

What is hepatitis E? Parents still failing to put Hepatitis E is caused by the practicing good food and babies to sleep on their backs hepatitis E virus — which water hygiene measures.” can infect both animals and In 2016, there were 1,243 humans. cases of hepatitis E reported, Fewer than half of US in- “While families may breastfeeding, pacifier use through each time their Infection with the vi- an increase on the previous fants always sleep on their intend to place infants on and firm crib mattresses baby went to sleep. rus can cause a range of year, with 1,213 cases re- backs, the position doctors the back to sleep and may while advising against When doctors explained symptoms and even lead to ported. recommend to avoid sleep- eventually do so, they do blankets, pillows and bed safe sleep practices, women liver failure, express.co.uk Hepatitis E can be pre- related injuries and deaths, not always follow these rec- sharing. were 40 percent less likely w rote. vented by cooking meat and a study suggested. ommendations.” For the new study, re- to report putting babies to The condition can be fa- meat products, avoiding Researchers examined In 1992, the American searchers examined survey sleep on their stomachs, tal, especially in pregnant eating raw or undercooked survey data from a nation- Academy of Pediatrics data collected from 3,297 and 50 percent less likely to women and in older people. meat and shellfish and wash- express.co.uk ally representative sample (AAP) announced that ba- mothers of infants from two put infants to sleep on their It also causes complica- ing hands before preparing of US mothers, according bies should be placed on to six months old. sides, the study also found. tions in people with sup- nausea, abdominal pain and The virus has been mainly and serving food. to reuters.com. their backs to sleep, in order Overall, 77 percent of The study wasn’t a con- pressed immune systems, loss of appetite. associated with the con- The British Liver Trust trolled experiment designed causing infection which can sumption of raw or under- said direct person to person to show whether or how ed- cause chronic inflammation How you can detect symp- cooked pork meat or offal, transmission is uncommon. ucating women about infant of the liver. tomless liver disease? but also with the wild boar Hepatitis is the phrase to sleep safety might influence However, usually the in- meat, venison and shellfish. describe inflammation of the how babies actually went to fection is mild and short- People with symptoms liver. sleep or their odds of dying term and people don’t usu- of hepatitis E are advised to There’s no vaccine for hep- It can be caused by a during the night. ally require treatment. contact their GP. atitis E number of reasons, includ- Michael Gradisar, a psy- Symptoms of hepatitis E The National Health Ser- ing the hepatitis A virus, chology researcher at Flin- include the yellowing of the vice (NHS) Choices said, NHS explained, “When the hepatitis B virus, hepa- ders University in Adelaide, skin and eyes, darkening of “The number of cases in Eu- traveling to parts of the titis C which is spread in the Australia, who wasn’t in- the urine and pale, or grey rope has increased in recent world with poor sanitation, blood and alcoholic hepa- volved in the study, said, colored stools. years and it’s now the most where epidemic hepatitis titis, which is caused by “It also doesn’t explain why Other signs including common cause of short-term E may be common, you drinking too much alcohol some parents didn’t always tiredness, fever, vomiting, (acute) hepatitis in the UK. can reduce your risk by over many years. put babies to sleep on their backs. “If we can get parents to explain their decision in Sitting could be big health risk for frail folks their own words, then we can begin to understand After years of being told that sitting too much is deadly, a The study included data from more than 3,100 adults what factors are more im- new study suggested that being sedentary for long periods who participated in a US health survey. can1love.com portant in their decision of time may not be an equal-opportunity health risk. All of the participants were aged 50 and over, and were making than following rec- For inactive middle-aged and older people with multiple followed from the mid-2000s until 2011. ommended safe sleeping health problems, being sedentary does appear to be linked The study participants’ movements were monitored with More than three in four to lower their risk for Sud- the women said they usu- practices. to an increased risk of early death, UPI reported. the help of activity trackers. mothers said they usually den Infant Death Syndrome ally put babies to sleep on “Still, the results under- The researchers said, but The researchers also used a placed their infants on their (SIDS). their backs, while about 14 score a need for better edu- sitting a lot doesn’t seem to questionnaire to figure out how backs to sleep, the survey Despite a dramatic de- percent said they typically cation. affect active people the same frail the participants were based found. crease in frequency, SIDS put babies to sleep on their “We still have a lot of way. on the number of medical prob- But just 44 percent of the still remains a leading cause sides and roughly eight per- work to do, and lives are at Olga Theou, an assistant lems they had. mothers said they planned of infant mortality. cent routinely put babies stake. professor with Dalhousie Uni- The report was published in to place babies to sleep on Nationwide, SIDS kills down on their stomachs. “If we can’t find ways to versity in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the CMAJ (Canadian Medical their backs and then actu- about four babies out of Mothers who were Af- work with families to achieve said, “We found that in people Association Journal). ally did this every time, re- every 10,000 live births, rican-American or didn’t behavior change, so that par- who scored low on the frailty Theou said, “Prolonged searchers reported in Pedi- down from about 130 in complete high school were ents want to keep their babies index, sitting time was not sitting was associated with atrics. 10,000 in 1990, according more likely to put babies to supine and believe that it linked to risk of death. medicalxpress .com a higher risk of death only Lead study author Dr. to the Centers for Disease sleep on their stomachs. makes a difference, then we “Physicians should stress the in vulnerable or frail peo- Eve Colson of the Yale Control and Prevention. While 58 percent of the are not going to see further harms of inactivity with patients, ple who did not meet the weekly recommendation for 2½ School of Medicine in New To prevent SIDS, along mothers said they intended gains in terms of reducing similar to the harms of smoking, to encourage movement. hours of moderate physical activity.” Haven, Connecticut, said, with putting young infants to put infants down on their sleep-related deaths and our “Even something as simple as getting up and walking And while the study found an association between in- “Intention does not always to sleep on their backs, backs all the time, only 44 postnatal infant mortality around the house with a walker or cane can benefit frailer activity and increased risk of early death in frail people, it match practice. the AAP also encourages percent said they followed rate in the US.” people.” couldn’t prove a cause-and-effect relationship. Aug. 23, 2017 Weapon of distraction New research found that nectar plays a different role than previously 8 thought — by acting as the ultimate weapon of distraction for flowers. Science & Technology

Smart label could detect food, cosmetics spoilage Scientists have developed a low-cost, portable, paper-based sensor Artificial intellige nce beats doctors that can perform a variety of functions with easy-to-read results. The sensor can not only detect spoilage or contamination in food and cosmetic products, but also identify new medicinal plants or authenticate wine or tea, UPI wrote. at diagnosing certain diseases

fter listening to the patient’s symptoms, ‘he’ provides Achecklists for the patient and medical advice based on the results. Then the therapy will be verified by human doctors. A China-made AI (artificial intelligence)-based software made its debut Saturday at a seminar held in Hengyang City, central China’s Hunan Province, news.xinhuanet.com report- UPI ed. The software consists of diagnostic Dr. Silvana Andreescu, a researcher with the American Chemical models involving more than 30 dis- Society, said, “I’ve always been interested in developing technolo- eases, such as Tuberculosis and depres- gies that are accessible to both industry and the general population. sion, which are likely to be misdiag- “My lab has built a versatile sensing platform that incorporates nosed. all the needed reagents for detection in a piece of paper. Based on trial tests in several hos- “At the same time, it is adaptable to different targets, includ- pitals, the AI doctor’s successful di- ing food contaminants, antioxidants and free radicals that indicate agnosis rate is 20 percent higher than spoilage.” human doctors. The new technology was presented at the 254th National Meet- The self-learning AI doctor can con- ing and Exposition of the American Chemical Society. stantly learn medical knowledge, expe- The sensors are different than other types of sensors in that they rience and diagnosis process. It has a use nanostructures to catch and bind to compounds. big database consisting of tens of mil- Andreescu added, “Most people working on similar sensors use lions of clinical cases. solutions that migrate on channels. Peng Shaoliang, deputy director “We use stable, inorganic particles that are redox active. When with National Supercomputing Center they interact with the substances we want to detect, they change in Changsha, said, “It is designed to color and the intensity of the change tells us how concentrated the be a general practitioner. Every one or futures.armyscitech.com analyte is.” two weeks, it can learn diagnosing a For example, one sensor prototype was able to identify ochratox- new disease.” AI doctor will assist human doctors be a good assistant.” In recent years, many companies in in A, a fungal toxin found in a variety of products including cereal Kang Xixiong, director with clini- rather than replace them. The software was developed by a the world such as Google, Microsoft and coffee. cal laboratory diagnostics department, “For China’s medical institutions es- group of Chinese institutes, universi- and Alibaba also started to tap into the Andreescu added, “The technology could be expanded to iden- Capital Medical University, said, “The pecially those in poor areas, AI would ties and enterprises. AI-powered medical care market. tify salmonella or E. coli.”

Postnatal identification of Zika virus peptides from saliva Researchers accelerate airflow in mid-air

For the first time, researchers are using proteomics to examine pro- When a fan blows air across a with these unique properties will teins and peptides in saliva in order to accurately detect exposure room, the airflow typically de- lead to new applications, such as to Zika virus. celerates and spreads out. performing mid-air chemical re- With 70 countries and territories reporting evidence of mosqui- Now in a new study, scientists actions, sampling a gas concen- to-borne Zika virus transmission, there is an increased need for a have demonstrated the opposite: tration and in studies of ethol- rapid and effective test for the virus, sciencedaily.com wrote. An airflow created by a care- ogy, such as investigating how This study, published online in the Journal of Dental Research fully controlled ultrasound array animals respond to pheromones (JDR), offers a new, quicker and more cost-effect way to test for can maintain its narrow shape in the air. the virus. and accelerate as it moves away Hasegawa added, “Animals By analyzing the saliva of a pregnant mother infected with Zika from the source, according to react to physiological substanc- and her twins — one born with microcephaly and one without — phys.org. es in the air such as pheromone. the researchers were able to pinpoint the specific protein signature The researchers explain that “We expect that such sub- for Zika that is present in saliva, creating potential to use this signa- it’s as if the airflow is being stances can be conveyed to tar- ture as an effective pushed along by a sequence of get animals and observe their way to screen for invisible fans floating in mid-air. reaction. exposure. They expect that the acceler- “Our method does not need Walter Siqueira, ating air stream could have un- to constrain their movement or Schulich School precedented applications, such phys.org require them to wear specific in- of Medicine and as the ability to perform and Water vapor can be electronically steered through open air at different angles, without tilting the beam source struments. So it would offer an Dentistry, Western control chemical reactions in [Pictures: (a) to (d)]. Conventional water vapor spreading, for comparison (e). opportunity to observe the natu- University, Canada mid-air. ral reaction of animals.” and a team of inter- The physicists, Keisuke the first demonstration of an an electrical signal into an ul- features of the beam is that tilt- In the future, the researchers national researchers Hasegawa et al., from The Uni- electronically steerable macro- trasound wave, and tuning the ing the ultrasound array is not plan to further explore methods also discovered im- versity of Tokyo, RIKEN, and scopic self-accelerating beam in wavefronts of these emitted required to control the beam for controlling the air flow. portant clues about Nanzan University, have pub- free space. waves controls the direction of direction. Instead, the beam is Hasegawa said, “Currently, inhabitat.com how the virus pass- lished a paper on the steerable, The researchers used a type the airflow. electronically steerable by tun- we are planning to create more es from mother to ultrasound-driven air streams in of beam called a Bessel beam, The ultrasound field also ing the wavefronts, which forms preferable flows for conveying baby and its role in the development of microcephaly, a birth defect a recent issue of Applied Physics which has the unusual property produces kinetic energy, which a tilted beam without tilting the airborne substances. in which a baby’s head and brain is smaller than expected. Letters. of not spreading out as it propa- accelerates the air stream as it array. “For example, current flows The research suggested a vertical transmission of the virus be- As the researchers explain, gates, but rather maintaining a propagates forward. The researchers also showed entail turbulence, which deterio- tween mother and baby. self-accelerating acoustic beams narrow, tightly focused shape. In experiments, the research- that the airflow is powerful rates the spatial localization of The mutations in the amino acid sequence of the peptides that have been demonstrated several The scientists generated these ers demonstrated that the spot enough to be felt by the hand the conveyed substances. were different for each twin, suggesting that these mutations may times before in water and in air. beams using a phased array of with the highest velocity can and to guide water vapor in a de- “We think it possible to make play a role in whether or not a baby will develop microcephaly. An important aspect of the approximately 1,000 ultrasound be located a foot or more away sired direction. the flow more similar to a lami- JDR Editor-in-Chief William Giannobile said, “We are very ex- new study is that the beams transducers. from the sound source. The scientists expect that the nar flow by designing the ultra- cited to publish findings that shed light on the transmission of Zika can be controlled, marking Each transducer converts One of the most interesting ability to generate an air flow sound field in a refined fashion.” virus and present an innovative approach to assessing the presence of Zika virus. “This research has the potential to positively impact global health. By detecting the virus, the infected individuals can have their symptoms and the virus progression properly monitored, as well as take action to stop the spread of the virus which causes Scientists create holodeck to study animal brain function these devastating craniofacial defects in newborns.” Currently, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention uses Scientists at the University of Freiburg have devel- they see objects, the environment, and other animals.” blood tests to look for changes to RNA in order to diagnose Zika. oped the FreemoVR system that immerses a freely- Researchers used FreemoVR to test the reaction of The drawback to this method is that it is only able to detect the moving animal in a 3D world to study its brain func- freely swimming zebrafish and freely flying flies to a virus up to five to seven days after exposure. tion. virtual upright post and tested freely walking mice in a Siqueira pointed out that because the proteins and the peptides The research, published today in Nature Methods, virtual and real elevated maze. that come directly from the virus are more stable than RNA, saliva shows how FreemoVR enables researchers to con- The experiments revealed previously unnoticed be- proteomics can detect the virus far longer after exposure than with trol an animal’s visual experience, while maintain- havioral differences between a wildtype and mutant ze- the traditional method. ing the natural feedback for its tactile senses, UPI brafish strain. In this case, the window of detection was extended to nine reported. MFPL scientist Kristin Tessmar-Raible said, “I am months post-infection. The technology allows scientists to study the neu- particularly excited about the possibility to mimic more The findings also open new doors for the development of anti- ronal basis underlying animal behavior without partial complex, naturalistic environments and to test more ad- body-based diagnostic tests for point-of-care detection. or full immobilization of the animal. vanced brain functions in medaka and zebrafish. The researchers have received a provisional US patent to devel- Andrew Straw, who is leading development of UPI “It will help us to better understand brain functions op a simple device that can be used to identify the Zika virus pep- FreemoVR, said, “We wanted to create a holodeck immersive environment under computer control so that and to what extent we can use these diurnal vertebrates tides in saliva outside of the laboratory. for animals so that they would experience a reactive, we could perform experiments that would reveal how as models for neuropsychological malfunctions.” Aug. 23, 2017 Hypertension among teens Hypertension among teenagers and children appears to be on the rise. New guidelines encourage doctors to be on the lookout for signs of the 9 condition in their young patients. Society Climate migrants might reach one billion by 2050

wordpress.com

magine a world with as many as one billion people fac- Other specialized sources estimate that “every second, one disasters are the other major drivers of migration today. UNCCD. ing harsh climate change impacts resulting in devastating person is displaced by disaster”. On this, the Oslo-based Nor- “We have never had so many complex and protracted hu- “Droughts kill more people than any other single weather- Idroughts and/or floods, extreme weather, destruction of wegian Refugee Council (NRC) reported that in 2015 only, manitarian emergencies now happening simultaneously from related catastrophe and conflicts among communities over natural resources, in particular lands, soils and water, and the more than 19.2 million people fled disasters in 113 countries. West Africa all the way to Asia, with very few spots in be- water scarcity are gathering pace. Over 1 billion people to- consequence of severe livelihoods conditions, famine and “Disasters displace three to ten times more people than tween which do not have some issue.” day have no access to water, and demand will increase by 30 starvation. conflict and war worldwide.” The UN specialized body’s chief added, “We have today percent by 2030.” Although not yet based on definite scientific projections, As climate change continues, added NRC, it will likely 40 million forcibly displaced people and 20 million refugees, On the other hand, getting sustainable energy to all repre- the proven speed with which the process of climate change lead to more frequent and severe natural hazards; the impact the greatest number of uprooted people since the Second sents one of the biggest development challenges of the 21st has been taking place, might lead to such a scenario by 2050. will be heavy, warns this independent humanitarian organi- World War.” century, it continued. If so, one in nine human beings would be on the move by zation providing aid and assistance to people forced to flee. Another warning comes from the United Nations Conven- “Research suggests that 1.4 billion people — over 20 per- then, Ipsnews reported. “On average, 26 million people are displaced by disas- tion to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which estimated cent of the global population — lack access to electricity, Currently, forecasts vary from 25 million to one billion ters such as floods and storms every year. That’s one person that some 135 million people may be displaced by 2045 as a and that at least 2.7 billion people — some 40 percent of the environmental migrants by 2050, moving either within their forced to flee every second.” result of desertification. global population — rely on the traditional use of biomass countries or across borders, on a permanent or temporary ba- For its part, the UN International Organization for Mi- Up to 12 million hectares of productive land become for cooking.” sis, with 200 million being the most widely cited estimate, gration (IOM) also forecasts 200 million environmental barren every year due to desertification and drought alone, In short, land, water and energy as resources are all pillars according to a 2015 study carried out by the Institute for En- migrants by 2050, moving either within their countries or which is a lost opportunity to produce 20 million tons of of our survival and of sustainable development. vironment and Human Security of the United Nations Uni- across borders, on a permanent or temporary basis. Many of grain, added the Bonn-based Convention secretariat. “They stand or fall together. To be sustainable and in par- versity. them would be coastal population. Meantime, the increase in droughts and flash floods that ticular to reach poor rural populations, we need to enhance “This figure equals the current estimate of international In an interview to IPS, the IOM Director General Wil- are stronger, more frequent and widespread is destroying supply, access and security across all three pillars, at the migrants worldwide.” liam Lacy Swing explained that political crises and natural the land — the Earth’s main fresh water store, according to same time, while supporting global climate ambitions.” UK considers Internet ombudsman to deal with abuse complaints

Ministers in the UK are considering creating In January the children’s commissioner for dangerous extremism, illegal content, threats an Internet ombudsman to deal with com- England, Anne Longfield, recommended es- or intimidation online, and it is affecting all plaints about hate crimes and are pressing tablishing a children’s digital ombudsman to our lives. These are the biggest and richest ahead with proposals for a levy on social me- handle requests from teenagers for social me- companies in the world — they should be able dia companies to help pay for the policing of dia companies to remove illegal posts. to get their act together, but they are still fail- online offences. Longfield’s report, Growing Up Digital, is ing. So government needs to get on with this. The ideas are being examined by the De- one of the documents being carefully consid- “The home affairs select committee called partment for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport ered by DCMS officials, although it appears in February for social media companies to be (DCMS) before the release of an autumn green ministers want to extend the approach to all fined if they fail to act and to make financial paper, which may be more radical than expect- age groups. contributions out of their massive profits to- ed, the Guardian reported. A DCMS spokesperson said: “We are deter- wards the police who are having to deal with An Internet ombudsman would deal with mined to make Britain the safest place in the the online extremism, crime and threats that complaints about illegal online material, such world to be online, and to help people protect social media companies are giving a platform as abuse and violent threats made on social children from the risks they might face. Later to. This is too important to ignore.” media, while a levy, first proposed in the Con- this year we will publish the government’s In- John Carr, secretary of the Children’s Chari- servative party’s election manifesto, would ternet safety strategy, and a levy on social me- ties’ Coalition on Internet Safety and a mem- raise funds to help with the rising costs of on- dia companies is one of a series of measures ber of the executive board of the UK Council line enforcement. that we are considering as part of our work.” for Child Internet Safety, said the funding of an The initiative followed a pledge by Alison theguardian.com The spokesperson confirmed that the depart- Internet ombudsman agency could be modelled Saunders, the director of public prosecutions, The DCMS Internet safety strategy could The idea of an Internet ombudsman is al- ment was looking at setting up an Internet om- on the way the advertising industry pays a levy to crack down on illegal abuse and threats be published as early as September. Final ready being developed in France and Australia. budsman. to support the Advertising Standards Authority. spread via the Internet. She said hate crimes recommendations are being drafted by Matt Each country is creating an agency to act as an Yvette Cooper, a Labour MP and chair of the “These companies are like public utilities,” committed online should be treated on a par Hancock, the minister of state for digital and independent body that will mediate between home affairs select committee, said: “Social he added. “The idea that they should be outside with threats made face to face. culture. members of the public and social media firms. media companies are still far too slow to act on the scope of the law is unacceptable.”

Parents on low incomes ‘can’t afford basics’ Children play outdoors more likely Higher inflation and a freeze on state A lone parent working full-time to protect nature as adults benefits mean low-income parents on the National Living Wage would cannot meet the basic costs of raising fall short by 18 percent, according to Want to protect nature, curb pollution, when they were young still held a love a child, according to the Child Pov- the report. and slow climate change? It is as easy as of nature into adulthood. In addition, 84 erty Action Group. ● Summer childcare costs at re- telling your children to go play outdoors percent of those young adults said tak- In its ‘Cost of a Child’ in 2017 re- cord level according to a study from the Univer- ing care of the natural environment is a port, the charity said the cost of rais- ● Is the wages puzzle less puz- sity of British Columbia. priority to them. ing a child to the age of 18 for a two- zling? The study, published in February Hence, young adults who played parent family, excluding housing, “Families unable to cover their 2017, demonstrates that children who outdoors as children are more likely to childcare and council tax has risen to costs on benefits must either un- play outside are more likely to cherish have positive views of nature and take £75,436, BBC reported. dergo serious hardship, fall back on and protect nature when they become action to protect it. A couple earning the National the help of their families or go into young adults. This may seem ever more The study found no significant dif- Living Wage falls 13 percent short of BBC debt,” the report concludes. difficult to do as kids get drawn into ferences in respondents coming from that, it said. being matched by increases in sup- Child benefit and child tax credit sitting on the sofa in front of the TV or pinimg.com different social classes. However, there Costs are up four percent com- port given to families from the rates have not increased since 2015 playing on an iPad, forbes.com wrote. outdoors. were differences in rural versus urban pared with 2016. state. ” and other cuts to welfare, including However, as the Harvard University Many of the benefits have been respondents. The figures for 2017 reflect rising He predicted the problem would the benefit cap and the limiting of professor Edward O. Wilson once pro- touched upon thousands of times, in- The study found that people living in prices — especially of public and become steadily worse. child tax credit entitlement to two posed, humans are instinctively drawn cluding building confidence, promot- urban settings stated they love nature private transport — but it is cuts to Two parents earning the National children per family, are affecting the to nature and a natural environment. ing creativity, learning responsibility, more often than those that live in ru- some welfare benefits and the failure Living Wage of £7.50 an hour would income of some families. Why then, are American children on av- varied stimulation, exercise, reducing ral settings. This is interesting, as one to up-rate others that is causing the fall 13 percent short of the income The CPAG provides an annual erage spending 30 minutes in unstruc- stress, etc. would assume rural children play out- pinch to be so severe for low income needed to provide a child with a assessment of the cost of raising a tured outdoor play compared to over However, parents may not realize that doors more often than urban children. families, the report said. ‘no-frills living standard’, said the child based on the ‘minimum income seven hours a day sitting in front of a motivating your children to go outside This assumption appears to be true Donald Hirsch, director of the CPAG. standard’ or a very basic level of pro- digital screen? to play is a great way to instill a passion based on a study of urban versus rural Center for Research in Social Policy The total includes food, clothing, vision. This is determined through While the trend in America is clearly for the outdoors and a sense to protect daytime activities. In the study, they at Loughborough University said, heating as well as buying birthday in-depth discussions with members tilted toward indoor digital play time, the environment in which they live. found that rural children spend on av- “For the first time in post-war his- presents and a week’s self-catering of the public, asking them what it is there are a vast number of benefits The study found that 87 percent of erage 0.7 hours per day more outdoors tory, these cost increases are not holiday in the UK the charity said. essential for a child to have. in motivating your children to play those surveyed who played outside than urban children. Aug. 23, 2017 Greek proverb 10 Add not fire to fire. Entertainment

Boy who never cries: Woman divorces husband because Three-year-old who cannot feel pain he wouldn’t build a toilet in their home A woman in India has mobile phones, but are even with a broken leg been granted permission unwilling to construct to divorce her husband toilets to protect the dig- exter never cries be- three of his teeth and suffered over his refusal to build a nity of our family. cause he cannot feel countless minor cuts, scratches toilet in their home. “In villages, women Dpain, even if he’s broken and bruises. For the duration of have to wait until sunset a bone As a toddler, he would stare their five-year marriage, to answer nature’s call. He sounds like the kind of at his parents in bafflement as the woman in her 20s had This is not only physi- boy any parent would dream of they fussed over him when he been forced to relieve cal cruelty, but also out- ― a boisterous type who never fell over. herself in fields close to raging the modesty of a cries when he suffers a bump or Last summer, Dexter was their home in the state of woman.” scrape, dailymail.co.uk wrote. happily splashing about in a Rajasthan, metro.co.uk Although it’s common But life for Dexter Cahill and paddling pool when his young wrote. in parts of rural India for GETTY IMAGES his parents Lindsay and Tom is cousin dipped her toe in the wa- The wife had report- Old women carry toilet pot replicas during the Inter- people to go to the toilet actually fraught with danger ter and screamed at how cold edly filed for divorce national Toilet Festival organized by NGO Sulabh in open fields, this is gen- because he never feels any pain it was. Only then did the fam- in 2015, but it had to go International. erally unsafe and uncom- due to an incredibly rare genetic ily realize Dexter was sitting in through the courts be- fortable for women in disorder ― even if he incurs a water so cold he could have de- cause Indian law only allows divorce in limited particular. In response, the Indian government has serious injury. veloped hypothermia. It took 18 circumstances ― such as cruelty or domestic vio- pledged to provide every household with a toilet Dexter, who will be four next months of tests to finally diag- lence. by the year 2019. Saturday, has already suffered nose the youngster’s condition. But the judge at the court in Rajasthan said that But there has been some resistance in areas. several fractures. They include Lindsay said: “People think forcing someone to defecate outdoors was a form Even in places where toilets have already been a broken thumb and hand, and Dexter is a superhero. But he’s of torture. built, many reportedly do not use them. a shattered first metatar- fragile. He may suffer appendici- The court heard that women in the area are usu- Last year UNICEF estimated that about half the sal bone in his left foot dailymail.co.uk tis one day and won’t know about ally forced to wait until it’s dark to go to the open population of India does not use toilets ― high- three weeks ago. knelt beside him. He’d broken it because there will be no pain.” fields that are used instead of toilets. lighting the growing disconnect between the coun- But often his parents his left tibia, but he didn’t need The couple have been forced According to the Times of India, the judge said: try’s rural areas, and its highly developed, techno- don’t even know how any morphine at hospital. They to move from their home in “We spend money on buying tobacco, liquor and logically-advanced cities. they happened. set the bone and cast the plaster Bristol because of its potentially Earlier this year dur- without it. All Dexter wanted dangerous nooks and crannies ing a dance session at was a lollipop.” and now live in a modern open- nursery, his teacher Scientists say the chances plan property. Sharp edges are PPICTUREICTURE OOFF TTHEHE DDAYAY played a song about of a child inheriting Dexter’s clad in foam and air condition- the alphabet. When it disorder ― hereditary sensory ing has been installed as Dexter reached the letter D, autonomic neuropathy type is not able to know if he’s too Dexter jumped up and four ― are one in 125 million hot or too cold. down so enthusiastically he way. as both parents have to carry a Lindsay’s hope is that when couldn’t get up again after- “I expected Dexter to be upset rare faulty gene. Lindsay, 34, he reaches adulthood he will be wards. There were no tears, or but there he was, holding court and husband Tom, 35, an engi- able to fend for himself but ad- screams of agony but it turned with numerous staff gathered neer, first feared Dexter had a mitted ‘there will be plenty of out he had broken his shin bone. around him as he asked the para- problem at four months when injuries along the way’. His GP mother Lindsay re- medic what was in his medical he began teething and would rub “He has to learn not to hurt called: “His nursery rang me kit. his tongue against his teeth until himself, even though hurting and I rushed in, crying all the “Hi, Mommy!” he said as I it bled. He has since pulled out himself does not hurt,” she said. More than a thousand dancing robots break world record

More than a thousand robots performed a during the performance and were deducted choreographed dance routine together to set a from the final total. world record in China. All of the robots were programmed via a sin- The 1,069 ‘Dobi’ robots, produced by WL gular group control system and are able to talk, Intelligent Technology Co. Ltd., completed do Tai Chi and perform several other actions in the synchronized performance in Guangzhou, addition to dancing. Guangdong, to claim the Guinness World Re- WL Intelligent Technology topped the record ANDREY NEKRASOV / MEDIADRUMWORLD cord for ‘Most robots dancing simultaneously’, of 1,007 dancing robots, previously held by fel- These amusing shots show the exhilarated and confused faces water babies can pull when dunked into swimming UPI reported. low Chinese company Ever Win Company and pools this summer. The hilarious pictures show a baby girl in a tangerine-colored tutu and hairband exhibiting an ‘OK’ gesture with her hand. GUINNESS WORLD RECORD/YOUTUBE A few of the robots accidentally toppled over Ltd.

Themed Crossword ACROSS DOWN 1. Light meal (5) 1. Eating utensil (5) SSudokuudoku 4. Platter (5) 2. Downy fruit resembling a 7. Sweetened red wine with orange or Sudoku was inspired by the table devised by Iranian mathematician lemon juice with soda water (7) small peach (7) Khwarazmi. Fill 9×9 grid with digits so that each column, each row 8. Small vegetable (3) 3. Herb grown for its edible and each of the nine 3×3 sub-grids that compose the grid, contains all 9. Variety of peach with smooth skin flattened seeds (6) of the digits from 1 to 9. (9) 4. Food processed in a blender (5) 10. Meat from a mature domestic 5. Religious meal (5) sheep (6) 11. Cooks over a metal framework (6) 6. Oblong cream puffs (7) 15. Soaked in various mixtures of 10. Amber dessert wine (7) spices and seasonings (9) 12. Salad green (7) 17. Consume (3) 13. Game bird (6) 18. Gourmet (7) 14. Infuse (5) 19. Fruit of genus Malus (5) 20. Plant with edible leaves and 15. Cereal crop (5) pungent taste (5) 16. Cuts into cubes (5)

Yesterday’s solution Aug. 23, 2017 Messi ‘may’ move Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola admitted a blockbuster £275 million deal for Lionel Messi “might happen” as the Argentine is yet to sign a 11 new contract at the Nou Camp. Sports Iranians grab three more Iran thrashes Turkey universiade medals Sports Desk Mehrban, along with Mahdi Jamali and Mo- in FIVB U23 world meet hammad-Javad Kheiri, was also in the lineup Iranian athletes clinched three more medals, in- of Iran men’s Poomsae team which won the cluding one gold, at the 2017 Summer Universi- bronze medal. The squad finished third next ade in Taipei City, Chinese Taipei, to take Iran’s to champion South Korea and Chinese Taipei overall tally to seven in the competitions. which finished second. On Tuesday, Armin Hadipour sealed Iran’s Jamali had already won a bronze in the first taekwondo gold after outpowering his men’s Individual Freestyle Poomsae on the South Korean rival in the final bout of the first day of the competitions as his compatriot, men’s -54kg by a 13-10 score line. Fatemeh Hesam had also finished third in the Hadipour had to overcome opponents from Women’s Individual Freestyle Poomsa. Chinese Taipei, Russia and Australia to reach Iran had also won two bronze medals in the final. fencing competitions through Mohammad Earlier on Monday, Iranian Poomsae teams Fotoohi and Mohammad Rahbari. had won two bronze medals in taekwondo con- More than 7,500 athletes represent 144 coun- tests. tries at the 29th edition of the Summer Universi- Iran’s mixed Poomsae team comprising ade which will continue until August 30. Mahsa Sadeqi and Amir-Reza Mehrban fin- The Universiade is an international multi- ished third in the competitions jointly with sport event, organized for university athletes Vietnamese team as the host’s team and South by the International University Sports Federa- Koreans took the gold and silver, respectively. tion (FISU). Coutinho to clear the air with Liverpool

Philippe Coutinho is ready to hold clear- Liverpool figures to smooth over the sum- the-air talks with Liverpool as he looks to mer’s events. return to the fold with Jurgen Klopp’s side. People within the 25-year-old midfield- The Brazilian international emailed a er’s entourage are pointing the finger at transfer request to the club earlier this Barcelona for manipulating their client and month, a request rejected by Liverpool, af- have suggested the Nou Camp club used ter interest from Barcelona turned his head, family members to provide additional pres- The Independent reported. sure. They insist the ill-conceived email Barca has had a number of bids rejected was Barca’s idea. Jurgen Klopp has been fivb.com for the playmaker and has been surprised by clear throughout this saga that the player Iranian players celebrate a point in the 4-0 victory over Turkey in 2017 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship in Cairo, Egypt, on August 21, 2017. the Anfield club’s resolve. The Spanish side was not for sale and that, had it not been for has ended its interest in order to analyze a back injury, he would have been playing. ran virtually confirmed its place in the sets. match in straight sets. We look for the match other options and sounded out Christian Er- When Coutinho is fit again he is now ex- second round of the 2017 FIVB Men’s Iran’s big gun Sahand Allah-Verdian was between Russia and Argentina and our match iksen’s interest in a move as well as talk- pected to return to the Liverpool team but IVolleyball World Championship with a the one behind the great victory chipping in against Russia to know our situation.” ing to the representatives of Nice midfielder not before some uncomfortable conversa- surprisingly comfortable straight-sets vic- 11 points which was the game’s best tally, Iran currently sits third in the Pool B table tory (15-12, 15-9, 17-15, 15-10) over Turkey while Melih Siratca led the loser’s scorers with nine points as Russia and Argentina lead in competition’s Pool B at Cairo Stadium in with 10 points. the group with eleven and ten points, respec- Egypt on Monday. Iran’s coach, Juan Cichllo, was full of tively. Having been beaten by Argentina in its praise for his players after the game, saying, The competition will be a testing ground opener, the victory improved Iran’s record “We played very well today and achieved for a new scoring scheme currently under re- to three victories against a lone defeat as Iran an important win so I congratulate my play- view by the FIVB, which, if successful, could had overcome China and Algeria before de- ers. It was not an easy match even we won in mark a historical turning point for volleyball feating the European side while Turkey re- straight sets but the score was narrow. - much as the introduction of the rally scoring mained winless in four matches with a 0-4 “Mathematically we have a chance for system did in the late 90s. record, fivb.com reported. the semifinal but we must wait for the match Matches in Cairo will be played in best-of- After Iran comfortably won the first and against Russia on Wednesday.” Cichllo add- seven sets with each set up to 15 points (with second sets the Turkish team played its best ed. at least a two-point difference needed). Three in the third set and went three points ahead Iran’s captain, Rahman Taghi, also was de- ranking points will be awarded to teams win- at 13-10 but the Asian team was more consis- lighted with how the match went Iran’s way, ning 4-0, 4-1 or 4-2. Two points go the win- tent to win the set and eventually went on to saying, “Turkey was a strong team and we ner of a 4-3 match with one point for the win the fourth 15-10 and the match in straight managed to dominate the match and win the loser. Win over Iran, more important than retribution, says South Korea’s Shin South Korea’s new coach Shin Tae-yong said securing three points against Iran in the World Cup qualifier next week is more important than avenging a string of four de- feats with a big win over the Asian rival. Iran has already qualified for next year’s World Cup finals and a win for South Korea in Seoul on August 31 would probably leave the Koreans need- ing only to avoid defeat in Uzbekistan the following week to claim the second direct ticket to Russia from Group A, Re- uters reported. Shin, who took over from German Uli Stielike last month after embarrassing loss- es to China and Qatar, said he would be fo- cusing on bolstering South Korea’s defense ahead of his first match in charge. “If we were meeting Iran in a friendly, I would make the team play attacking foot- ball,” he told Yonhap news agency at the team training camp in Paju. South Korea’s coach has called up Eng- lish Premier League stars Son Heung-Min and Ki Sung-Yeung in his first squad. Games in the K-League have been can- celled on the weekend of August 27 and 28 to give Shin more time with his players. GETTY IMAGES “Of course, I want to pay back for the Jean-Michel Seri – with whom Barca has tions with Liverpool. The players are ex- humiliation that we’ve suffered, but these outline personal terms agreed – which all pected to welcome back their teammate matches are important. My goal is not to leaves Coutinho in an awkward position on with open arms. beat Iran by a big score, but to go to the Merseyside, where he has asked to leave the The Reds managed to bring in just one of World Cup with a win. GETTY IMAGES club but looks certain to still be a Liverpool their top targets this summer, succeeding “Even though we called up the players the 2011 Asian Cup, the last of five succes- finals, lead Uzbekistan by a single point player on September 1. in recruiting Mohamed Salah but finding early, we don’t have the full squad, so we sive quarterfinal clashes at the continental with two matches remaining in the third The Independent understands that the Southampton and RB Leipzig absolutely won’t able to see the big work. But we will championship that have contributed to their round of Asian qualifying. player and his representatives are ready to unwilling to deal Virgil van Dijk or Naby build up our chemistry and organize our fierce rivalry. Uzbekistan faces China in Wuhan next admit defeat and will look to talk to key Keita respectively. defense.” The ‘Red Devils’, who are bidding for a Thursday before hosting South Korea in South Korea has not beaten Iran since ninth straight appearance at the World Cup Tashkent on September 5. Aug. 23, 2017 Goethe: 12 When ideas fail, words come in very handy. Art & Culture

License Holder: Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) Managing Director: Sadreddin Mousavi Editor-in-Chief: Kambakhsh Khalaji Editorial Dept. Tel: +98 21 88755761-2 Editorial Dept. Fax: +98 21 88761869 Subscription Dept. Tel: +98 21 88521954, +98 21 88748800 ICPI Publisher: +98 21 88548892, 5 Advertising Dept. Tel & Email: +98 21 88500617 - [email protected] We b s it e : http://www.irandailyonline.ir Email: [email protected] Printing House: Iran Cultural & Press Institute

Add.: Iran Cultural & Press Institute, #208 Khorramshahr Avenue Tehran/Iran Iran Daily has no responsibility whatsoever for the advertisements and promotional material printed in the newspaper. Farhadi begins filming ‘Everybody Knows’ with Bardem, Cruz in Spain sghar Farhadi, the Oscar- for Farhadi and best actor for Sha- winning Iranian direc- hab Hosseini, while ‘The Past’ Ator of ‘A Separation’ and earned Berenice Bejo a best actress ‘The Salesman’, kicked off prin- award at Cannes in 2013. cipal photography on ‘Everybody The key crew of ‘Everybody Knows’ (‘Todos Lo Saben’), his Knows’ includes Jose-Luis Al- psychological thriller starring Javi- caine, a cinematographer who has er Bardem, Penelope Cruz and Ri- worked with Carlos Saura, Bigas cardo Darin. Luna and Pedro Almodovar; Sonia Budgeted at €10 million euros Grande, the costume designer of ($11.8 million), the Spanish-lan- Woody Allen’s ‘Midnight in Paris’ guage film is being produced by and Alejandro Amenábar’s ‘The Alexandre Mallet-Guy at Paris- Others’; and Hayedeh Safiyari, the based Memento Films Production editor who worked with Farhadi and Alvaro Longoria at Spanish on ‘A Separation’ and ‘The Sales- outfit Morena Films, variety.com man’. wrote. France 3 Cinema, Lucky Red, Written by Farhadi, ‘Everybody Untitled Films Aie and Ashar Knows’ follows the journey of Car- TERESA ISASI-variety.com Farhadi Production are coproduc- olina as she travels with her family The shooting of ‘Everybody Farhadi and Mallet-Guy after ‘The ing ‘Everybody Knows’ in associa- from Buenos Aires to her home- Knows’ has started near Madrid Salesman’ and ‘The Past’, which tion with Memento Films Distribu- town in Spain for a celebration. and the flick will be sold world- Memento Films produced and dis- tion, Cofinova and Indefilms.

AFP Meant to be a brief visit, the trip is wide by Memento Films Interna- tributed in France. Before winning ‘Everybody Knows’ is being Millions of Americans armed with protective glasses took up positions along a slender ribbon of land disturbed by unforeseen events that tional. a foreign-language Oscar, ‘The backed by Canal Plus, Eurimages, cutting diagonally across the US and marveled at the first total solar eclipse which unfolded on Monday will completely change the lives of ‘Everybody Knows’ marks Salesman’ scooped two awards at France Televisions, Movistar, Cine from coast to coast in nearly a century. Carolina and her family. the third collaboration between last year’s Cannes for best script + and ICAA. Iranian officials, cultural figures Iran’s ‘Malaria’ Russia detains top director attend BIBF inauguration up for screening over alleged fraud Russia’s Investigative Committee said Tuesday that it had detained Art & Culture Desk identity. in Russian filmfest the theater and film director Kirill Serebrennikov on suspicion of He added promoting the culture of book fraud — a move that critics denounced as the latest sign of increasing A number of Iranian officials and cultural reading and paying greater attention to print- censorship of the arts. figures attended the inauguration ceremony ing influential and high quality books are Serebrennikov, 47, is the artistic director of Moscow’s Gogol Cent- of the 24th Beijing International Book Fair among the ways to foster a country’s culture. er theater and has staged productions at the legendary Bolshoi Theater. (BIBF) on Tuesday at the Great Hall of the The time spent on reading books and the His films have been shown at the Cannes and Venice film festivals, People in the Chinese capital. amount of information and cultural commod- AFP reported. Chinese cultural officials were also present ities produced and consumed are among the However, in recent years Serebrennikov has fallen out of favor with in the ceremony, IRNA reported. most important indices of a developed soci- the authorities and has criticized a government clampdown on artistic The exhibition opens today and will con- ety, he added. works, warning last year that “everything is returning to the most pa- tinue until August 27. Iran is taking part in “Unfortunately, despite all the progress and thetic Soviet practices”. the present edition of the fair as the Guest of advancement made by human, societies have The Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes, said Honor. The expo is being attended by more not yet managed to get rid of war and vio- in a statement he was being held on suspicion of defrauding the state than 2,000 publishers from 86 countries. lence.” of at least 68 million rubles ($1.15 million, €977,000) in arts funding China International Exhibition Center in Iran has dispatched an 80-member del- over three years from 2011 to 2014. Beijing will be the venue of the cultural event. egation to the exhibition. The team includes

hollywoodreporter.com

Iranian film ‘Malaria’, directed by Parviz Shahbazi, will be screened in the competition section of the 10th West and East Eurasian Film Festival in Orenburg, Russia. Produced by Masoud Radaei, the film will compete with rivals from France, Armenia, Belgium, Australia, Kyrgyzstan, Italy, Kazakhstan, Rus- sia, Latvia, Lithuania and Macedonia in the festival which is scheduled to IRNA President of Iran’s Islamic Culture and Relations Organization Abouzar Ebrahimi Torkan addressing the be held from August 25 to 31, according to IRNA. inauguration ceremony of the 24th Beijing International Book Fair at the Great Hall of the People in the Radaei and Azarakhsh Farahani, one of the actors starring in the flick, LOIC VENANCE/AFP Chinese capital on August 22, 2017 will take part in the upcoming event. Russian film director Kirill Serebrennikov Deputy head of China’s State Administra- senior officials including Torkan, Managing ‘Malaria’ made its first international presence in the Horizons section tion of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Director of Iran Cultural Fairs Institute Amir- in 73rd Venice Festival held from August 31 to September 10, 2016. Fol- Serebrennikov has denied any fraud, insisting that the charges are Television, Wu Shangzhi, delivered a speech Masoud Shahram-Nia, Iran’s Ambassador to lowing that, the movie was awarded the Grand Prix at the 32nd Warsaw ‘absurd’ and that the money went into stage productions. at the ceremony and announced Iran’s partici- China Ebrahim Khaji and Iran’s Cultural At- International Film Festival in the Polish capital in October. Investigators began questioning the director on Tuesday and a court pation in the expo as the Guest of Honor. taché in China Mohammad Rasoul Almasieh, In 2017, ‘Malaria’ also garnered two awards one for the best director was expected to rule later in the day on whether to keep him in cus- Speaking at the opening ceremony, Presi- who were all present at the opening ceremo- from Dhaka International Film Festival and the other for the best film tody, the TASS state news agency reported, quoting a person familiar dent of Islamic Culture and Relations Organi- ny. from the Switzerland’s Geneva International Film Festival. with the case. zation Abouzar Ebrahimi Torkan said culture Iran’s slogan in this edition of the expo is: ‘Malaria’ recounts the story of a girl and a boy who encounter a man Serebrennikov’s lawyer Dmitry Kharitonov told Kommersant FM is the most important aspect of a nation’s ‘Iran — the Colorful Dream of Silk Road’. while traveling across the Iranian capital of Tehran. The man has a prob- radio that his detention was ‘a complete surprise’. He said Serebren- lem and they want to find a way to solve it. nikov had been shooting a film in Saint Petersburg. Weather 37 47 30 37 18 35 26 37 22 35 17 24 28 12 27 19 33 21 16 11 26 13 Ahvaz Borujerd Rasht Semnan Arak Tehran Bishkek Istanbul Amman Minsk Moscow