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16 Pages Price 20,000 Rials 1.00 EURO 4.00 AED 39th year No.13298 Monday JANUARY 7, 2019 Dey 17, 1397 Rabi’ Al thani 30, 1440 Tehran says EU Iran, Russia Jahanbakhsh misses Tehran gallery hosts is captive to U.S. to hold naval Iran’s first match Niazi, inspired by Western

economy 2 drills 2 against Yemen 15 classical music 16

Decision on CFT, Palermo to be made within a month: MP Draft bill prepared to cut POLITICS TEHRAN — A senior against Transnational Organized Crime deskIranian lawmaker says (UNTOC), within the next month. that the case of convention against financing Falahatpisheh said the process of rat- of terrorism (CFT) is slated to be closed in ifying the CFT was slowed down in the the Iranian parliament next week. Expediency Council because it was related Speaking on Sunday, Heshmatollah to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). zeroes from currency Falahatpisheh, chairman of the Majlis The CFT is one of the four bills put forward National Security and Foreign Policy by the government to meet standards set by the See page 4 Committee, said the Expediency Council FATF. It includes reforms to the anti-money is expected to decide on the CFT bill and laundering rules, changes to the law banning Tehran’s accession to the Palermo Con- financing of terrorism, and accession to the vention, aka United Nations Convention Palermo Convention. 2

Iranian space satellites pass pre-launch tests TECHNOLOGY TEHRAN — Payam, announced, Fars reported on Saturday. deskDousti and Nahid sat- Mojtaba Soradeqi said that they are ellites have passed pre-launch testing and imagery satellites with a resolution of less are ready to be launched. than 50 meters. Dousti satellite is ready for launch and “By manufacturing satellites we Payam satellite passed technical testing on prove our ability in technical achieve- Friday, the deputy director of space tech- ments in infrastructure systems,” he nology at the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) explained. 10

Syria sends reinforcements to Hama, Idlib amid clashes By staff & agencies ground following recent infighting among The Syrian army has reportedly dispatched terrorists. military equipment, including artillery, Syrian army bases and residential areas armored vehicles and personnel carrier, have come under stepped-up attacks by to the outskirts of western provinces of terrorist groups, especially al-Qaeda-linked Hama and Idlib. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS/Organization An informed military source, cited by for the Liberation of the Levant/Levant Russia’s Sputnik news agency, said the Liberation Committee/Tahrir al-Sham)

File photo military build-up is meant to boost read- which is currently engaged in a fighting iness against any possible change on the with Turkish-backed militants. 13 EDITORIAL Islam is not inherently hostile to religious freedom: Philpott REPORT Mohammad Ghaderi What is your main question in your new of September 11th, 2001. One side says that Islam Ramin Hossein Abadian Tehran Times editor-in-chief EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Mehr News Agency By Javad Heirannia book “Religious Freedom in Islam: The Fate of is a violent religion. The other side says that Islam @ghaderi62 a Universal Human Right in the Muslim World is essentially like any other religion - basically journalist TEHRAN — Daniel Philpott, a professor of po- Today”? peaceful but containing some violent elements. litical science at the University of Notre Dame, A: In the book I confront the question of The outcome of the debate matters a lot. Today, Tel Aviv fears says “If a religion can be shown to be hospitable whether Islam is hospitable to the principle of the U.S. has a president, Donald Trump, who is Tel Aviv fears the to religious freedom then we can say that it is a religious freedom, a universal human right. Of manipulating the U.S. population’s worst views Hezbollah more peaceful and tolerant religion.” course, this question can be asked of any religion. of Islam and of Muslims. I do not agree with this future; what Zionists Author of “Religious Freedom in Islam” adds It is fair to point out that until modern times, no approach. Through writing this book, I hope to than ever “religious freedom is present in the Muslim world religion authoritatively espoused a teaching of arrive at a fair and balanced assessment of the are concerned and that Islam is not inherently hostile to it.” religious freedom, and that all religions have had a Muslim world. I think that religious freedom is sraelis are riddled with fear, fear of “Religious freedom allows religious people and history of violence and intolerance towards other a good criterion for this assessment because it most about Hezbollah missile capability and the communities the space in which they can flourish religions. Still, in this book I pose the question involves an enduring commitment to respect the hese days, Israeli officials are not Iinvaluable experience of Lebanese as religious communities without interference towards Islam. I do this because in the West, full, equal citizenship of members of other reli- feeling so hot, and are extremely resistance fighters in the Syrian War. from the state or from people of other faiths”, where I live, a lively debate -- even a culture war, gions. If a religion can be shown to be hospitable concerned about the future, as it Israeli troops in the newly created Professor Philpott said the Tehran Times. one could say -- has been taking place over the to religious freedom then we can say that it is a T Gates of Fire Battalion simulated war is quite evident in Tel Aviv’s statements. Following is the full text of the interview: nature of Islam at least as far back as the attacks peaceful and tolerant religion. 7 with Hezbollah in northern occupied land Recent developments in Syria are one in December 2018. The battalion held a of the challenges Israel faces, particular- training program during the past month ly following the U.S. President Donald in which it practiced a wide range of sce- Anti govt. protests rock Europe Trump’s announcement to withdraw U.S. narios it might encounter during a war. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of was killed last January in Kosovo. Protests erupted that same day in reaction to troops from Syria in the next four months. Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth Belgrade for the fifth week running on Saturday The demonstrations started on November the law change and have been continuing for over The news came as a shock to Israel. quoted Yuval Steinitz, Israel’s Minister of to protest against the government of Serbian 23, after opposition politician Borko Stefanovic a week, occasionally being marred by violence. Balancing power in Syria Energy, saying that “Hezbollah missiles President Aleksandar Vucic. was attacked and beaten in the southern city of Thousands rally against Hungary’s The Zionist regime knows all too well may target all of Israel. Zionists consider Protesters holding banners and signs with Krusevac. Police arrested three suspects, but they overtime work law, PM Orban that, in the wake of a series of victories and Hezbollah a very dangerous and highly anti-Vucic slogans, blew whistles and shouted were later released on December 25. Elsewhere, thousands have marched through widespread gains by the Syrian resistance, experienced enemy.” that the president was a “thief,” as they marched Hungary: Thousands march in Budapest’s city center to protest against a new the balance of power in Syria has changed The Israeli Defense Forces, referring to through the Serbian capital. Budapest to protest against ‘slave law’ law that allows employers to ask staff to work in favor of Damascus. the precision of the Lebanese Hezbollah A section of the protest held a banner read- Meantime, protests continued in Budapest up to 400 hours per year of overtime. The visits of the leaders of Arab missiles, writes: “Hezbollah is capable of ing ‘One of the five million,’ referring to Vucic’s on Saturday against the latest amendments to Opposition groups have staged several rallies in states and their delegations to Syria, targeting Israel’s critical facilities, and statement that he would not meet protesters’ Hungary’s labor law. the past weeks in the Hungarian capital and other as well as the opening of some Arab the 2006 Lebanon War seems nothing demands, even if five million people showed up An amendment proposed by the governing cities against what they said was an authoritarian and non-Arab embassies in Damascus, compared to a conflict with Hezbollah on the streets. Fidesz party was approved by members of Parlia- rule of conservative nationalist Viktor Orban. are among the new developments in in future.” Protesters demanded the resignation of In- ment, 130-52 with one abstention on December 12. Saturday’s rally, organized by opposition that country. In this regard, Lebanese Daniel “Danny” Rubinstein, an Israeli terior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic, as well as a It allows employers to ask for up to 400 hours parties, trade unions and civic groups, mainly regional expert Hassan Hurdan said: journalist, said that “Hassan Nasrallah is transparent investigation into the assassination of overtime work per year, resulting in it being targeted the new labor law dubbed by critics as “Zionists feel much worried about their future in the region because of the a great figure. Gamal Abdel Nasser fought of Kosovo Serb politician Oliver Ivanovic, who branded by critics as the ‘slave law.’ “slave law.” 13 for six days, but Hassan Nasrallah kept developments in Syria. Syrian develop- Israelis four weeks in their place in 2006.” ments have signaled this clear message Tamir Yadai, the head of Israel’s Home to Israel that Bashar al-Assad is the Front Command warned that “Hezbollah ultimate victor.” is capable of targeting deep inside Israel “The Arab countries that once massively. In 2019 there will be a more turned the Arab League into a situa- complex and challenging threat to Israel.” tion room for terrorist operations in Today, Hezbollah has an arsenal that Syria and to overthrow Assad, today stores high-precision missiles that can are returning to Damascus one after reach all over Israel. the other, to acknowledge their failure. Hezbollah is now considered Israel’s Sanchi victims The Zionist regime understands this first enemy, and this prediction says it all. new development and are apprehensive The Israeli regime has announced a plan about it,” he added. to evacuate 22 settlements in the northern commemorated The fear of repeating past part of occupied Palestine in the wake of Over a ceremony held at the National bitter experiences a war with Hezbollah. Iranian Tanker Company in Tehran on The resistance of the Iraqi government Lately, in a video message with He- Sunday victims of Sanchi oil tanker tragic and nation had Washington to end Iraq’s brew subtitles, the Lebanese Hezbollah incident were commemorated with their occupation in 2011, without Israel’s ap- movement has warned Israel against any grieving families gathering together. proval. To Tel Aviv officials, history is offense in Lebanon. The video titled, Sanchi oil tanker which was heading repeating itself in Syria. Their concern “If you are impudent, you will regret to South Korea collided with a Chinese intensifies as they simultaneously face it”, is part of Nasrallah’s speech against freighter off east coast of China on January many other security challenges and cri- the Zionist regime. The Lebanese Sec- 6, 2018. The oil tanker caught fire and ses, including the Palestinian issue, the retary-General says in the clip that any Mohammadloo Mojtaba burnt in fire for days and it eventually Great March of Return rallies, resistance Zionist attack on Lebanon will have a sank on January 14. operations and increased military and response by Hezbollah. “We will defi- defense strength of resistance groups

IRNA/ Unfortunately all those aboard, in- nitely answer any aggression, air strike cluding 30 Iranian sailors, lost their lives. such as Hamas and Islamic jihad move- and bombing of Lebanon. 7 ments. 7 I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y POLITICS JANUARY 7, 2019 MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS Enemies are in Tehran says EU is captive to U.S. economy POLITICS TEHRAN — Irani- months, they are reinforcing the impression weak position: deskan Foreign Ministry that the European states face a series of se- defense chief spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on rious disabilities in implementing the SPV.” Saturday that the European Union is He noted that Iran has fulfilled its obli- captive to the U.S. economy. gations under the JCPOA and its patience “The European Union and even the is running thin. POLITICS TEHRAN — The enemies of the Islamic desk three European parties to the (nuclear) Under the nuclear agreement signed in Republic are now in a position of weakness deal with Iran are captive and hostage July 2015, Iran agreed to put limits on its thanks to Iran’s progress in science and defense, Defense to the American economy, so they need nuclear activities in exchange for termina- Minister Amir Hatami said on Sunday. to decide for their independence,” Press tion of economic and financial sanctions. “A significant achievement of the Islamic establishment TV quoted him as saying. Since the nuclear pact went into force in is making the country independent of the hegemons in the He added, “European countries should January 2016, the United Nations’ Interna- areas of health and security,” Brigadier General Hatami told pay for their independence from the United tional Atomic Energy Agency has issued 13 a group of academics in Shiraz, IRNA reported. States, because doing so cannot be without consecutive reports each time confirming “If the enemies, even for a second, think that we are in the costs, especially for the implementation of that Iran is fully abiding by the terms of the position of weakness, they will impose their ominous plot important historical tasks such as the SPV, international accord. in form of a war” against Iran as they did in the 1980s, he which could be a major milestone for Euro------‘Pompeo’s remarks are totally wrong’ added in an open reference to Saddam Hussein’s invasion pean solidarity on the global stage; so the Commenting on U.S. Secretary of State of Iran with a support by some regional Arab states and European countries need to make a decision Mike Pompeo’s recent controversial claim outside powers. at this point and juncture.” that sanctions were aimed at giving the Ira- The SPV is a European Union’s initiative nian people a chance to have better lives, Source of intended to protect trade with Iran against Qassemi said the remarks are totally wrong. newly reimposed U.S. sanctions. “The U.S. imposition of sanctions against ‘unpleasant smell’ European Union foreign policy chief Left to right, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, U.S. President Donald Trump, the Iranian nation with the logic of improv- in Tehran not Federica Mogherini has said that work to Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and French President Emmanuel Macron ing their lives is hurting the sentiments of save the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the during the G7 summit, June 2018 (AFP photo) Iranians and is totally wrong,” he said. found: governor Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, will “Hence, Pompeo should watch the be continued in 2019. mood in which he speaks. Is it possible to POLITICS TEHRAN — Tehran Governor-General The Foreign Ministry spokesman says Iran desk Qassemi said while the Europeans started sanction the Iranian people and, like they Anoushirvan Mohseni-Bandpei has said with goodwill and showed a “positive political has fulfilled its obligations under the JCPOA [U.S. authorities] say, exert more pressure the source of the unpleasant smell has not yet been identified, will” to set up a financial mechanism, “over on them in order to bring more relief to suggesting that a chemical might be the source. time and during negotiations over the past and its patience is running thin. them?” Qassemi said. On Wednesday, thousands of Tehran dwellers took to social media to complain about the “smelly,” “sulphur-like” and “fishy” odor in various parts of the capital. Some suggested a burst sewage pipe might be the source, Iran, Russia to hold naval drills however, Mohseni-Bandpei said the smell more likely is of POLITICS TEHRAN — Hossein Khanzadi said on are opposed to presence of extra-regional countries Iran and Russia have held several naval drills in the Cas- desk sulfur compounds. Sunday that Iran and Russia plan to hold in the region. pian Sea, including in July 2017. “Investigations are continuing, but so far we have not joint naval drills in the Caspian Sea in the near future. In a meeting in the Kazakh port city of Aqtau on August The drills are in line with strengthening friendly rela- found a specific source,” he added. “Tactical, search and rescue and anti-piracy drills between 12, 2018, the presidents of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, tions and development of maritime cooperation between Managing director of Tehran Sewage Company Morteza Iranian and Russian naval forces are being planned and will Russia, and Turkmenistan signed a new convention on the Caspian Sea littoral states. Azoddin also said the sewage system definitely is not the source. be implemented in the near future,” the Mehr news agency the legal status of the Caspian Sea. A clause in the con- Khanzadi met with Deputy Chief of the Russian Army quoted Khanzadi as saying. vention prevents non-Caspian countries from deploying General Staff Vice-Admiral Igor Osipov in Tehran in December. He noted that the Iranian and Russia naval forces have ex- military forces on the sea. On the sidelines of a meeting, Khanzadi said that Joining FATF panded cooperation in the Caspian Sea region over the past years. “Caspian Sea is a sea of peace and friendship and all its cooperation between the naval forces of Iran and Russia will leave no The commander also said the Caspian Sea states littoral states follow this approach,” the admiral remarked. will be expanded. excuse by the Analyst urges Foreign Ministry to Jahangiri says U.S. targeting Iranians’ other side: MP clarify reason behind SPV delay livelihood POLITICS TEHRAN — MP Mostafa Kavakebian POLITICS TEHRAN — A senior and it was followed by practical measures, POLITICS TEHRAN — The pro-re- panies have not stopped cooperation with desk has said while there’s no guarantee that deskanalyst has urged the said Khorram, who has served as Iranian deskform Vice President Iran, local companies shoulder a double Iran’s banking problems would be resolved after joining the Foreign Ministry to announce the rea- ambassador to UN bodies in Vienna. Es’haq Jahangiri said on Saturday the Amer- burden so that imports and exports of goods Financial Action Task Force (FATF), doing so would put an son why Europe has not yet established He further lauded European coun- icans have taken aim at the Iranian people’s will not come to a halt due to restrictions end to excuses by the other side. the special purpose vehicle (SPV), which tries for standing up to U.S. threats of livelihood, as they impose sanctions on basic in the transportation sector,” he said. “Other countries would not have banking transactions has been designed to conduct banking sanctions and did not give in. goods and raw materials needed for production. He reiterated the government’s de- with Iran if [we] do not join this financial action task force,” transactions with Iran after the U.S. “We must capture the hearts of the “The U.S. is trying to stop major Iranian termination to solve problems facing the Kavakebian told the TV’s channel 2, ISNA reported on Sunday. re-imposed sanctions on November 4. Europeans, instead of saying we support income resource, that’s to say oil sales, shipping sector. He said the FATF is not related to the nuclear deal and “Maybe the Europeans have cited them but do not take practical measures to as they in their own imagination wanted Jahangiri also referred to the extensive sanctions, adding “not joining the FATF means self-sanc- some reasons that the Foreign Ministry meet their considerations,” he remarked. to bring oil sales to zero but they failed,” capacities of Iran’s sea transportation, say- tioning.” is aware of,” ISNA on Sunday quoted Ali “The Europeans are under U.S. pres- Jahangiri said, according to IRNA. ing it can render great services to other “With the provisions we have passed in the Majlis, we Khorram as saying. He added that the sure and are paying a great price for In a meeting with the managing director countries and earn income from its services. should not be afraid of joining the FATF at all,” the pro-re- Iranian Foreign Ministry must clarify their action, but they were determined of Ports and Maritime Organization, the Managing Director of Ports and Maritime form lawmaker stated. the issue. to do this, not for the sake of Iran, but vice president also said the institute as Organization Mohammad Saeedi, for his part, In general, it can be said that Europe- for their own sake, so that they could a major sector of the country’s economy explained the organization’s problems and ans were firm to establish the SPV and end the rule of [U.S.] dollar,” the analyst shoulders a heavy burden in sanctions era. called for the government’s special attention Space sector their decision was not an empty promise pointed out. “At a time when foreign shipping com- to the sector to counter challenges. budget has increased Australian ambassador meets Hormozgan governor POLITICS TEHRAN — The Australian Ambassador to “The current conditions surrounding the JCPOA have deskIran, Ian Biggs, met with Hormozgan Prov- created problems for multilateral exchanges, but the Aus- POLITICS TEHRAN — Due to its priorities and mis- ince governor Fereidoun Hemmati in Bandar Abbas on Sunday. tralian government will keep up its interaction with Iran,” desk sions, the budget for the space sector for During the meeting, Biggs underlined the need to tap existing Director General of Australian Foreign Ministry’s Multi- the next calendar year (starting on March 21) has increased, capacities to expand cooperation between Tehran and Canberra. lateral Policies Justin Lee said in a meeting with chair of according to a report by IRNA. “Hormozgan province enjoys many capacities for mutual Iran-Australia parliamentary friendship group Mahmoud The Iranian Space Agency’s budget (only its spending) cooperation between Iran and Australia and it can play an Sadeqi in Tehran in August 2018. has increased nearly 10%, reaching approximately 182 billion effective role in facilitating the trade relations between the The Australian official criticized the U.S. for withdrawing rial ($4.33 million), compared to the current year’s budget two countries,” Biggs said, according to the Fars news agency. from the nuclear agreement with Tehran. of 166 billion rial ($3.95 million), the report said. The ambassador said fish breeding is one of the strong points Then, Sadeqi underlined the importance of broadening The Iranian Space Research Center’s budget (its public of Hormozgan province which could serve as a good ground for long-standing and growing ties between the two countries, spending) has also increased from 1.160 trillion rial ($27.6 mutual cooperation given Australia’s capabilities in the field. should be used to further broaden ties. saying, “We have always had permanent political, economic million) to 1.190 trillion rial ($28.3 million), it added. Biggs also said that nearly 100,000 Iranian nationals Australian officials have reiterated that they would keep and cultural relations.” The Iranian lawmaker appreciat- live in Australia and 3,000 Iranian students are admitted by on interacting with Iran despite the re-imposition of sanc- ed Canberra’s alignment with the European states and not South Africa his country’s universities annually, adding that the capacity tions against Tehran by the United States. joining the U.S. to pressure Iran with sanctions. backs JCPOA: ambassador Party chief calls for transparency over Iran-Taliban talks can help restore contracts with Total peace in Afghanistan: MP POLITICS TEHRAN — Moham- POLITICS TEHRAN — MP Mo- POLITICS TEHRAN — South African Ambassador deskmad Nabi Habibi, sec- deskjtaba Zonnour has said deskto Tehran Vika Mazwi Khumalo on Sunday retary general of the Islamic Coalition that talks between Iran and Taliban can voiced his country’s support for the Joint Comprehensive Party, has called for transparency over help restore peace in Afghanistan. Plan of Action (JCPOA), the official name the nuclear deal terms of Iran’s oil and gas contracts with The remarks by Zonnour came days that Iran signed with world powers in 2015. France’s Total. after Iran officially confirmed that it has “We are aware of Iran’s commitment to the JCPOA and “We expect the Judiciary to follow been holding talks with the Taliban with we support the continuation of the deal,” he said in a meeting the case immediately and resolutely,” the prior knowledge of the Afghan gov- with lawmaker Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, IRNA reported. he said after a meeting of the conserv- ernment in order to help bring security “Since the revolutions of the two countries, South Africa ative party. to the central Asian country. have had friendly relations with Iran and we will never forget A Paris court fined Total 500,000 “More understanding between the Af- the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran for our people’s euros ($570,000) in December for bribing ghan government and Taliban will limit fight for freedom,” he added. foreign public officials in a case related vigilant in face of U.S. hostilities, because the Takfiris and prevent exacerbation ber 30. Abbas Araqchi, the deputy foreign to Iranian contracts in 1997. Washington seeks to harm the country. of the situation,” ISNA quoted him as minister for political affairs, headed the Iran named one Hedayatollah Khademi, a member of However, he noted that all U.S. plans saying on Sunday. Iranian negotiating team. the Majlis Energy Committee, said on in the Middle East region have failed. Zonnour, representing Qom in the par- Araqchi met Afghan President Ashraf of top ‘national December 24 that a motion has been “Humiliating withdrawal of the U.S. liament, said the Afghan government has Ghani in Kabul on Saturday. The office of security threats’ launched in the parliament to question forces from Syria shows failure of Wash- accepted Taliban as a reality. the Afghan president said Araqchi briefed Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh on the issue. ington’s plans in the region in the past “So, there must be a relation between Ghani about the meeting between Iranian to U.S. “There has been economic corruption 40 years,” the party leader remarked. the Afghan government and Taliban to officials and the Taliban. in oil contracts with Total, Statoil and On December 19, President Donald establish peace in the country… and this During the meeting, the two also ex- POLITICS TEHRAN — In an official U.S. government Trump announced that U.S. troops had changed views about a range of issues, desk Crescent, dating back to Mr. Zanganeh’s will be beneficial to us,” he noted. report listing top 26 perceived security tenure, and this has been proven in for- defeated the Daesh terrorists in Syria The Foreign Ministry announced that including ways to boost bilateral relations threats, China, Russia and Iran have been identified as the eign courts,” he said. and he sought to pull some 2,000 U.S. Iranian diplomats held a meeting with a between the two neighboring countries biggest three “national security threats” to the United States. Habibi also said that Iran should be troops out of Syria. Taliban delegation in Tehran on Decem- and a better use of Iran’s Chabahar port. Titled “Long-range emerging threats facing the United States,” the report was compiled by the Washington-based Government Accountability Office, Press TV reported on Decision to be made on CFT, Palermo within a month: MP Sunday. It polled four U.S. federal agencies to come up with the 1 The FATF introduces itself as an inter-governmen- He added that the case of Iran’s accession to the Paler- The Parliament made some changes to the bill, however 26 worst threats as identified by the U.S. Departments of tal body established in 1989 to increase transparency and mo Convention is to be put on the Expediency Council’s the Guardian Council argues that more amendments are Defense, State, and Homeland Security as well as the Office prevent terror funding at the governmental level. agenda soon. needed to be endorsed. of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), The National Falahatpisheh said that a bill that would amend Iran’s On October 7, 2018, the Iranian lawmakers voted in favor In cases when the Parliament and Guardian Council Interest news outlet reported. anti-money laundering law was ultimately endorsed by the of the CFT bill. However it was rejected by the oversight fail to reach an agreement on a bill the issue is sent to the Expediency Council after many follow-ups. Guardian Council, finding many faults with it. Expediency Council for arbitration. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JANUARY 7, 2019 INTERNATIONAL Griffiths visits Sana’a to push Hudaydah Turkey should not attack ceasefire amid reported clashes Kurds after U.S. Syria The United Nations envoy for Yemen has The Saudi war has killed tens of thousands pull-out: Bolton arrived in the capital Sana’a to discuss a re- of Yemeni people and made the country the cent UN-sponsored peace agreement on the world’s worst humanitarian disaster. The United States President Donald Trump’s national security country’s lifeline port city of Hudaydah amid The imposed war initially consisted of adviser said on Sunday the U.S. military withdrawal from north- reported clashes between the warring parties. an airstrike campaign but was later coupled eastern Syria is conditioned on finishing off the Islamic State Yemen’s two warring parties, namely An- with a naval blockade and the deployment in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Daesh) terrorist and on Turkey sarullah (Houthi) movement and the country’s of ground mercenaries to Yemen. assuring the safety of Kurdish troops allied with the United States. former Saudi-backed government, reached an Activists call for end to Saudi John Bolton, who traveled to Israel to reassure the U.S. ally agreement on a ceasefire in the Houthi-held blockade of the Trump-ordered withdrawal, said there is no timetable for port in Sweden on December 13. Meanwhile, activists in Yemen said they the pullout of American forces in northeastern Syria, but insisted Martin Griffiths, who arrived in Sana’a on planned to launch an online campaign to it’s not an unlimited commitment. Saturday, is scheduled to discuss the truce demand an end to the Saudi regime blockade “There are objectives that we want to accomplish that condition with Ansarullah leaders and will later travel to of the country. According to organizers, the the withdrawal,” Bolton told reporters in al-Quds (Jerusalem). the Saudi capital Riyadh to meet with former campaign was expected to be launched on “The timetable flows from the policy decisions that we need to Yemeni government officials. Saturday afternoon on Twitter, using the implement.” The Ansarullah movement has been run- hashtag “End Yemen Siege”. Those conditions, he said, included the defeat of remnants ning state affairs from Sana’a in the absence of They said the move is an effort to par- of ISIL in Syria, and protection for Kurdish militias who have an effective government besides defending the ticularly push for an end to the siege of the fought alongside the U.S. troops against the group. country against the Saudi regime aggression. Sana’a international airport. Bolton was deployed to Israel to allay concerns about Trump’s During his stay in Sana’a, Griffiths would Yemeni activists say the Saudi regime decision to withdraw troops from Syria and discuss the process also hold talks with retired Dutch General siege has resulted in many deaths, because with Turkish officials. Patrick Cammaert, who heads a United Na- it prevents the entry of advanced medical The pullout announced last month was initially expected to tions advance team tasked with monitoring equipment to the country. be completed within weeks, but the timetable has slowed as the the ceasefire in Hudaydah. Hudaydah, a lifeline for millions of Yem- Arab Emirates (UAE) launched the Huday- Organizers want people around the world president acceded to requests from aides, allies and members Griffiths’ visit comes amid reported clashes enis, has seen some of the heaviest fighting dah offensive in June but have been facing to join their campaign to help end Yemen’s of the U.S. Congress for a more orderly withdrawal. between Houthi fighters and militants loyal in the Saudi regime-led aggression, which strong resistance from Yemeni armed forc- blockade that Saudi Arabia imposed in March Bolton’s comments mark the first public confirmation that to the country’s former Saudi-backed regime began in March 2015. es — led by the Ansarullah — as well as the 2015, as part of its war on the country. the drawdown has been slowed. with both sides blaming each other. The House of Saud regime and the United city’s residents. (Source: Press TV) He met Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and other officials on Sunday before travelling to Turkey. Israeli officials have expressed concern that a swift withdraw- al of the roughly 2,000 troops could enable Iran to expand its Taliban seek venue change for peace talks influence and presence in war-torn Syria. Trump’s move has also raised fears about clearing the way for a Turkish assault on Kurdish fighters in Syria who have fought alongside American troops against ISIL. with U.S. to Qatar Turkey considers the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG/ The Taliban will not attend planned peace talks with the The United States Embassy in Afghanistan did not im- People’s Protection Units/People’s Defense Units/Yekîneyên United States in Saudi Arabia this month and want to shift mediately respond to a request for comment. Parastina Gelý) a “terrorist” group linked to Kurdish fighters the venue to Qatar. Another senior Taliban leader said the group had explained within its own borders. The upcoming negotiations, the fourth in a series aimed to Saudi Arabia that it was not possible for the Taliban to Bolton also warned Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, not at ending the 17-year war in Afghanistan, are scheduled be- meet the Afghan government at this stage. to use the U.S. withdrawal as a pretext to use chemical weapons tween the leaders of the Taliban and the U.S. Special Envoy “Everyone is aware of the fact that the Afghan government against Syrians, saying there is “no change” to the U.S. position Zalmay Khalilzad to discuss the withdrawal of foreign forces wanted the U.S. and its allies not to leave Afghanistan and that their use is a “red line”. and a possible ceasefire in 2019. we have paid a heavy price to expel all foreign forces from The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is following Bolton Taliban leaders have rejected the Kabul government’s our country,” he said. to the Middle East this coming week for an eight-country tour of offer for direct talks, despite growing international pressure The Taliban regards the U.S. as its main adversary in Arab allies to shore up support for the administration’s partners in favor of the Western-backed Afghan government having the Afghan war and views direct talks with Washington as in the region. a seat at the table. a legitimate effort to seek the withdrawal of foreign troops (Source: agencies) “We were supposed to meet U.S. officials in Riyadh next before engaging with the Afghan government. week and continue our peace process that remained incom- The war in Afghanistan is the U.S.’s longest overseas mil- plete in Abu Dhabi last month,” a senior Taliban member itary intervention. It has cost Washington nearly $1 trillion based in Afghanistan told Reuters news agency on condition and killed tens of thousands of people. China tests its own ‘Mother of anonymity. The Taliban want to change the venue for the talks to Diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict have intensified “The problem is that leaders of Saudi Arabia and the Qatar, he added, the political headquarters of the group. since Taliban representatives began meeting with Khalilzad, of All Bombs’ United Arab Emirates [UAE] wanted us to definitely meet Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed an Afghan-born, the U.S. diplomat last year. the Afghan government delegation, which we cannot afford the group decided to cancel the meeting in Saudi Arabia, Officials from the warring sides have met at least three to do now, and we have cancelled the meeting in Saudi Ara- but did not provide information about a new meeting times, but fighting has not subsided. China has tested its most powerful nonnuclear weapon, dubbed bia,” he said. venue. (Source: Reuters) the “Mother of All Bombs” by official media in a reference to a U.S. munition used in Afghanistan. In a short video published on the website of state arms man- ufacturer Norinco, the massive bomb drops on to a plain and Venezuela’s assembly rejects legitimacy of Maduro second term produces a gigantic ball of fire and black smoke. Venezuela’s opposition-controlled but tooth- The ballot, on May 20, was boycotted by by charge d’affaires James Story. edged. A previous attempt in January 2017 On social networks Wednesday, the official Xinhua News Agen- less National Assembly declared Nicolas Ma- most of the opposition. The National Assembly has been largely by opposition lawmakers to declare Maduro cy described the bomb for the first time, calling it the “Chinese duro’s presidency illegitimate on Saturday, On Friday, foreign ministers from 12 Latin sidelined by a separate regime-created Con- to have abandoned his responsibilities went version of the ‘Mother of all Bombs.’” calling on the military to support efforts to American countries and Canada announced stituent Assembly, which called the elections nowhere. More radical opposition leaders such The bomb — whose strength is only second to that of a nuclear “restore democracy.” in Lima that their governments would not at a time when most major opposition figures as Antonio Ledezma or Maria Corina Machado weapon, according to the agency — was dropped by a Chinese The United States, which has sanctioned recognize Maduro as president if he attempts were in jail or banned from running. have called on the legislature to immediately H-6K bomber. No details on the date, location or range of the Venezuelan officials and entities, hailed the to remain in office and urged him to turn over Washington, which called the vote a install a “government of transition” led by the bomb blast were provided. legislature as “the only legitimate and last power to the National Assembly. “sham,” refused along with the European president of the National Assembly. In 2017 the U.S. dropped the most powerful conventional remaining democratically elected institution” The Maduro government accused the so- Union and the Lima Group countries to Failure to do so could deepen divisions bomb in its arsenal, dubbed the “MOAB” — the “Mother of All in the country. “We reaffirm the illegitima- called Lima Group of “encouraging a coup recognize the results. within an already fractured opposition. Bombs” — in an attempt to destroy a tunnel network being used cy of Nicolas Maduro,” the assembly’s new d’etat” on instructions from Washington. “Maduro is a usurper, an invader and Maduro is deeply unpopular, seemingly by the Islamic State (IS) group in the east of Afghanistan. president Juan Guaido said after being sworn Mexico, which is a member of the group, should be removed,” said Delsa Solorzano, unwilling or incapable of halting a slide into U.S. President Donald Trump said at the time he was “proud” in at the start of a new legislative session. withheld its support for the statement. an opposition deputy. But she denied that hyperinflation and economic paralysis that of his troops and congratulated them on their success. “As of January 10, he will be usurping the Guaido, in a speech attended by lawmakers the call for armed forces’ support was “to has set off mass migrations of his compa- The Chinese bomb is 5 to 6 meters long (16 to 20 feet), but presidency and consequently this National and members of the diplomatic corps, de- carry out a coup d’etat.” triots. He has shrugged off international and weighs less than the American version, according to military Assembly is the only legitimate representative clared that the military’s chain of command The Supreme Court, which has consistently opposition criticism, brushing aside accusa- analyst Wei Dongxu, who was quoted by the state-run Global of the people.” had been “broken or usurped,” but called sided with Maduro, rendered the National tions that he is assuming dictatorial powers. Times daily Friday. Maduro, who has presided over a virtual on the armed forces to support efforts “to Assembly powerless after the opposition “They accuse me of being a dictator to “The massive explosion that was generated would easily wipe collapse of the economy in the once-rich OPEC restore democracy.” gained the majority in 2016. justify anything imaginable,” he said, insisting out land fortifications,” said Wei. (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting He committed to “generate conditions “Nothing will come out of the assembly that that his reelection was “democratic” and that (Source: Japan Times) Countries) member state, is set to be sworn for a government of transition and to call can have the least impact,” said Peter Hakim, his opponents are in disarray, not because in on Thursday for a second six-year term free elections.” The United States State De- of the Inter-American Dialogue, saying it has of him, but because of their “dependence” after elections widely condemned by the partment said it “celebrates” the assembly been “stripped of power and authority.” on the United States. international community. officials’ swearing-in, a ceremony attended “Our hands are tied,” Solorzano acknowl- (Source: AFP) Macron denounces “extreme violence” after ‘yellow Iraqi MP: U.S. Returning MKO to Iraq for hostile move against Iran vests’ break into ministry A senior Iraqi legislator revealed that Washington has trans- Iranian and western targets. for the MKO to be taken off the U.S. terror list. ferred again a number of members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq The group started assassination of the citizens and officials The U.S. formally removed the MKO from its list of terror courtyard Organization (MKO, also known as the MEK, PMOI and after the revolution in a bid to take control of the newly-es- organizations in September 2012, one week after Secretary NCRI) terrorist group to Iraq and is training the group’s tablished Islamic Republic. It killed several of Iran’s new of State Hillary Clinton sent the U.S. Congress a classified As the French ‘yellow vest’ movement continued on Saturday, members at its bases. leaders in the early years after the revolution, including the communication about the move. The decision made by with 50,000 protesters marching through Paris and across France Mohammad al-Baldawi, a representative of al-Bina party then President, Mohammad Ali Rajayee, Prime Minister, Clinton enabled the group to have its assets under the U.S. according to the French government, president Emmanuel Ma- at the Iraqi parliament, was quoted by the Arabic-language Mohammad Javad Bahonar and the Judiciary Chief, Mo- jurisdiction unfrozen and do business with the American cron has denounced the “extreme violence” of some clashes that al-Ma’aloumeh news agency as saying on Saturday that the hammad Hossein Beheshti who were killed in bomb attacks entities, the State Department said in a statement at the time. erupted at the Paris march. U.S. has brought back some MKO terrorists to Iraq and is by the MKO members in 1981. In September 2012, the last groups of the MKO terror- These new protests follow Macron’s government announcing sheltering and training them at its bases in the Northern The group fled to Iraq in 1986, where it was protected ists left Camp Ashraf, their main training center in Iraq’s on Friday that it would harden its stance against the ‘yellow vests’. parts of the Arab country. by Saddam Hussein and where it helped the Iraqi dictator Diyala province. They have been transferred to Camp Lib- For the past two months, the ‘yellow vests’ or ‘gilets jaunes’ “The U.S. is attempting to destabilize Iran and the Mid- suppress Shiite and Kurd uprisings in the country. erty. Hundreds of the MKO terrorists have now been sent have been blocking roads, occupying highway toll-booths and dle-East after its withdrawal from Syria. The U.S. army camps The terrorist group joined Saddam’s army during the to Europe, where their names were taken off the blacklist organising weekly, sometimes violent, marches in Paris. Driving are now hosting MKO members and they are being trained Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988) and helped Saddam even two years before the U.S. the movement is the feeling among French workers and low- and armed to implement a plot (against Iran),” he warned. and killed thousands of Iranian civilians and soldiers during The MKO has assassinated over 12,000 Iranians in the er-middle class that they cannot make ends meet, and anger at The MKO, founded in the 1960s, blended elements of the U.S.-backed Iraqi imposed war on Iran. last 4 decades. The terrorist group had even killed large Macron’s reforms seen as favouring the rich. Islamism and Stalinism and participated in the overthrow of Since the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, the group, which now numbers of Americans and Europeans in several terror ‘Yellow vest’ protesters gathered in Paris on Saturday after- the U.S.-backed Shah of Iran in 1979. Ahead of the revolution, adheres to a pro-free-market philosophy, has been strongly attacks before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. noon, chanting the French national anthem ‘La Marseillaise’ and the MKO conducted attacks and assassinations against both backed by neo-conservatives in the United States, who argued (Source: Fars) waving anti-Macron banners. They were about 4,000, according to the police. The protests turned violent as the march entered the city centre. Israel strikes Gaza in retaliation for balloon bomb Protesters threw bottles and rocks at the police, who responded with tear gas. Police officers were beaten up during clashes on Israeli attack helicopters opened fire on Hamas military forces stormed a city in central West said in a statement that Israeli forces raided Witnesses, requesting not to be named, the Léopold-Sédar-Senghor bridge near the National Assembly. posts in the Gaza Strip Sunday in retaliation Bank as tensions continue to simmer in the al-Bireh, located 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) said Israeli forces used live ammunition, tear- One was injured, AFP reported. Police cars were attacked on Rue for the launching of balloon bombs into Israeli occupied Palestinian territories more than north of Jerusalem al-Quds, early on Sun- gas and rubber-coated steel bullets to disperse de Rivoli, by the Louvre museum. Cars and barricades were set territory earlier on Sunday. a year after US President Donald Trump day, and violently ransacked a number of stone-throwing Palestinians, who responded ablaze on the boulevard Saint-Germain, a famed and wealthy Meanwhile, a Palestinian teenage boy declared Jerusalem al-Quds as the capital houses and shops, triggering clashes with by setting tires on fire. Parisian area. has sustained serious injuries after Israeli of Israel.The Palestinian Ministry of Health local residents. (Source: Times) (Source: Euro News) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 4 ECONOMY JANUARY 7, 2019

STOCK MARKET Draft bill prepared TEDPIX 161275.8 IFX 1833.11 Sources: tse.ir, Ifb.ir to cut zeroes from

CURRENCIES national currency USD 42,000 rials ECONOMY TEHRAN – The Cen- tic foreign currency exchange market, the EUR 48,774 rials desktral Bank of Iran (CBI) banking official predicted that regarding the GBP 53,434 rials submitted the draft of a bill to slash four conducted measures, injection of foreign cur- zeroes from the national currency, rial, to rency to domestic market by Iranian non-oil AED 28,720 rials the cabinet, Tasnim news agency quoted the exporters would be accelerated in future. Source: iribnews.ir governor of the CBI as saying on Sunday. Hemmati, elsewhere, named the taken “The government submitted the bill on measures for modification of banking system crossing out four zeroes of the national cur- and bringing stability to monetary market rency to the parliament on Saturday and we among the most major CBI acts in recent hope to reach a good result as soon as pos- months. COMMODITIES sible,” Abdolnasser Hemmati said answering As Hemmati announced few days ago, system have been planned relying on ratifica- and Money Market Committee consisting WTI $47.96/b the parliament members’ questions. since his appointment as the CBI governor, tions of the Supreme Council for Economic of economy, monetary and banking experts Brent $57.06/b Underlying CBI’s full control on domes- all the required programs to amend banking Coordination and formation of Liquidity besides central bank officials. OPEC Basket $52.95/b Gold $1,286.89 /oz TEDPIX gains 168 points Flare stack of SP phase Silver $15.74/oz in a day 13 platforms light

Platinium $827.20/oz ECONOMY TEHRAN — Tehran Iran Fara Bourse (IFB), rose 11 points to ENERGY TEHRAN — Flare per annum. deskStock Exchange (TSE)’s 1,883 on Sunday, as 671 million securities deskstack of two platforms “The sour gas extracted from these two Sources: oilprice.com, Moneymetals.com main index (TEDPIX) gained 168 points worth 3.07 trillion rials (about $73 million) of Iran’s South Pars gas field’s phase 13 of platforms will be sent to the offshore re- to end Sunday’s trade at 161,275, Tasnim were traded. development were lighted on Saturday, finery through a 32-inch pipeline in near NEWS IN BRIEF news agency reported. As Tasnim reported on Saturday, the Shana reported. future and after processing, various prod- As reported, 2.481 billion shares worth performance of IFX has hit 71 percent since According to Payam Motamed, the ucts such as sweet gas, ethane, propane, 5.73 trillion rials (about $136.4 million) the beginning of current Iranian calendar operator of phase 13, Platforms 13B and butane, gas condensate and sulfur will be Coal extraction were traded through 165,000 deals in the year (March 21, 2018). 13D of phase 13 became operational in less produced.” he said. rises 25% in 9 stock market. Also as reported by the Public Relations than four days after the hookup. South Pars, which Iran shares with The first market’s index gained 122 points Department of Fara Bourse on Sunday, at “The output of these two platforms will Qatar in the Persian Gulf, is estimated to months on year and the second market’s index added 342 the end of 2018, IFX soared about 96 points stand at one billion cubic feet (28 million contain a significant amount of natural points on Sunday. or 5.4% to close at 1873.4 on December 31. cubic meters),” Motamed said. gas, accounting for about eight percent of The highest amount of growth came The highest close level for IFX during Phase 13 is aimed at production of 56 the world’s reserves, and approximately from the indexes of Bank Mellat, Tejarat the year was 2,240 on October 1. The total mcm of gas, 75,000 barrels of gas con- 18 billion barrels of condensate. ENERGY TEHRAN — Coal extraction increased 25 Bank and Bank Saderat. market capitalization at the end of December densate and 400 tons of sulfur per day in The field is divided into 24 standard desk percent in Iran during the first nine months Also, IFX, the main index of Iran’s over- reached $55.30 billion, increased by 0.1% addition to one million tons of ethane and phases of development in the first stage. of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-Decemebr 21, the-counter (OTC) market known also as as compared to November 2018. one million tons of propane and butane Most of the phases are fully operational 2018) compared to the same period of time in the past year, IRNA reported on Sunday quoting Industry, Mining and Trade Minister Reza Rahmani. The minister said that some 1.25 million tons of coal were 50% of mining exports income injected to NIMA extracted during the nine-month period of this year while the ECONOMY TEHRAN— According to the latest data As an official from Iran’s Association of Petrochemical figure was about one million tons in the same time span of the deskreleased by the Iranian Mines and Min- Industry Corporations (APIC) announced up to now pet- previous year. ing Industries Development and Renovation Organization rochemical companies could manage to inject $6.65 billion Iran extracted 1.371 million tons of coal during the past (IMIDRO) domestic mining companies have injected 50 of their exports revenues to domestic economy since March Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20, 2018), falling from percent of their revenues to the Forex Management Inte- 21, 2018, $6 of which was pumped into NIMA. 1.688 million tons in its preceding year, according to the data grated System, locally known as NIMA, since the beginning NIMA, which seeks to boost transparency, create com- released by Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development of the present Iranian year 1397 (started March 21, 2018) petitiveness among exchange shops and a secure environ- and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO). to December 31, 2018. ment for traders, is a new chance for importers to supply The total revenues of the mining companies in the said their required foreign currency without specific problems time stood at $2.19 billion, the report confirmed, 1.1 bil- and for exporters to re-inject their earned foreign currency lion of which (50.1 percent) has been pumped into NIMA. to domestic forex market. Mercedes aims to be among In a bid to address the country’s foreign currency needs, Secondary foreign exchange market was inaugurated top two players to scale Iranian petrochemical companies have also been pumping in early July, 2019 to allow exporters of non-oil commodi- their revenues in the integrated system as of the current ties to sell their foreign currency earnings to importers of autonomous tech year beginning. consumer products. Mercedes-Benz’s is not aiming to be the first manufacturer to develop a self-driving car but it wants to be among the first two players able to scale up the technology, Mercedes-Benz execu- Mexico launches initiative to boost border economy tive Christoph Schroeder told German paper Welt am Sonntag. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Ob- Business leaders and union representa- agreement with the United States and Canada. to close the U.S.-Mexico border “entirely” if Carmakers and tech companies like Uber [UBER.UL], Google, rador launched an ambitious plan Saturday to tives have also agreed to double the minimum Speaking from Ciudad Juarez, a manu- Democrats refuse to allot $5.6 billion to expand General Motors, Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) are vying to roll stimulate economic activity on the Mexican wage along the border, to 176.2 pesos a day, the facturing hub south of El Paso, Texas, Lopez the wall that separates the two countries. out robotaxi services for paying customers as a way to enter the side of the U.S.-Mexico border, reinforcing equivalent of $9.07 at current exchange rates. Obrador said Saturday he agrees with Trump Economy Minister Graciela Marquez noted ride-hailing business. his country’s commitment to manufacturing Lopez Obrador, who took office on Dec. 1, that Mexican wages “should improve.” Saturday that the border region targeted for Google’s Waymo division has completed the most test miles and trade despite recent U.S. threats to close said the idea is to stoke wage and job growth He decried, for instance, that Mexican au- economic stimulus accounts for 7.5 percent with prototype vehicles, leading rivals including Volkswagen the border entirely. via fiscal incentives and productivity gains. toworkers earn a fraction of what their U.S. of Mexico’s gross domestic product. And in to acknowledge that Waymo is ahead of the pack in terms of Mexico will slash income and corporate U.S. President Donald Trump has repeat- counterparts take home, topping out at just recent years, she said, the 43 municipalities developing a prototype. taxes to 20 percent from 30 percent for 43 edly complained that low wages in Mexico lure $3 an hour versus a typical wage of $23 an included in the plan have boasted combined Mercedes-Benz, which is owned by German car and truck municipalities in six states just south of the jobs from the United States. hour in the United States. economic growth of 3.1 percent, above the maker Daimler is undeterred by Waymo’s progress. United States, while halving to 8 percent the Mexico committed to boost wages during Yet the economic plan comes at a delicate national average of 2.6 percent for the six years “We need to be among the top two competitors who are in value-added tax in the region. last year’s negotiations to retool its free trade moment for the region. Trump has threatened through 2017. (Source: AP) a position to scale up the technology and bring it into series production,” Schroeder told the paper. (Source: Reuters) As Trump gets more defensive, so do businesses By Rex Rutting instincts might misplay its hand. Japan’s Abe says vigilant The U.S. economy was never going to grow at 4% forever. Third, that, in a crisis, the Trump administration might A slowdown was always expected. And now it’s here. The be unable to staunch the bleeding because its economic to global economic risks economy is throttling back to its 2% trend. policy makers are inexperienced and untrustworthy hacks. clouding recovery If this economic moderation were all that were happening, (Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s clumsy attempts to the reaction in markets probably wouldn’t be too severe. reassure the markets accomplished the reverse. And what Japan’s government will keep a close eye on looming risks to The smart money always knew that the fiscal stimulus was Kevin Hassett thinking when he said on TV that he a global economic recovery as it guides policy, Prime Minister would be temporary and that the Federal Reserve would expects more U.S. companies to warn of declining sales?) Shinzo Abe said in an interview aired by public broadcaster take away the punch bowl gradually. Despite all the missteps, the economy is still growing. NHK on Sunday. What few counted on was that the chaos in the White There may be a panicked mood on Wall Street, but on Signs of slowing global demand and recent sharp rises in House would be permanent. Main Street, business is booming. the yen currency have clouded the outlook for the export- President Donald Trump hasn’t settled in to his office Payrolls are expanding at about 200,000 per month, reliant economy, prompting verbal warnings from Tokyo and never will. Even after his party suffered a catastrophic far more than is necessary to keep up with population policymakers over the adverse impact of volatile market loss in the House (largely due to the voters’ disapproval growth. Real, after-tax disposable incomes are rising at moves on growth. of Trump himself), Trump refused to change. about 2.8% per year. Real consumer spending is rising “While the global economy is recovering gradually, there What’s more, he refused to accept facts: That he lost, at the about same pace. Industrial output is expanding are various risks to the outlook,” Abe said in the interview, and that he will have to deal with Democrats one way or guide: No retreat, no surrender. at about 4% per year. Consumer confidence is still high. recorded on Friday. the other for the next two years. So far, Trump isn’t budging on China or the wall. He Wages are growing, and profits are high. “Japan’s economic fundamentals are sound, but we’d like The departure of Chief of Staff John Kelly and Defense seems to be enjoying China’s economic problems, perhaps But cracks are showing. to guide policy with a close eye on the various risks.” Secretary James Mattis signaled that this White House because he believes in a zero-sum world where China’s Housing, never very robust during the expansion, Japan will also seek to mend Sino-U.S. trade frictions by will only get more Trumpian. Instead of trying to expand losses are America’s gains. Similarly, he’s in no hurry to is weakening. Business investment boomed for a short promoting global coordination as it chairs this year’s meeting his appeal to the broader public, Trump has retreated get the government up and running again. period after the tax cut, but softened quickly. The drop in of the Group of 20 major economies, Abe said. into a corner with his small band of loyal supporters, In this environment, it’s no surprise that Wall Street is the stock market could demoralize businesses wishing to “As G20 chair, Japan hopes to play a leading role to foster insisting on a border wall that’s symbolic of his own a bit panicked. U.S. businesses, too, are becoming more expand, and the selloff could damp consumer spending global cooperation ... to achieve stable, sustainable growth,” defensive posture. defensive, pulling back on their plans to invest and expand. because so much wealth was destroyed. he said, adding that both the United States and China must He’s doubled down on chaos and that’s what’s hurting Consumer behavior hasn’t been affected much yet, but Consumers’ expectations for future income growth abide by World Trade Organization (WTO) rules on trade. the markets — and the economy. if people get a whiff of hard times coming, they’ll surely have fallen, while one poll suggests that a majority of Any further signs of weakness in Japan’s economy could The renegotiation of NAFTA may have fooled some hunker down to ride it out. consumers believe a recession is likely in 2019. heighten market speculation that Abe might again delay a people into thinking that Trump would always back down The signs of a slowing economy are everywhere, but And of course the trade-war jitters could have a big scheduled sales tax hike to 10 percent from 8 percent in October. in a crisis of his own making. With its minor tweaks and that doesn’t imply that the economy will inevitably plunge impact on the U.S. and global economies. The increase has been postponed twice already, after a marginal improvements, the new trade deal with Canada into recession. The risks are rising however. Tighter fiscal That’s why a lot of people are sure that both the U.S. hike to 8 percent in 2014 pushed the economy into recession. and Mexico isn’t going to make America great again, and monetary policies would weaken animal spirits. and China will back down; each side has far too much to Abe said revenues from the scheduled tax hike are key to but Trump declared victory anyway, just as he did at his Pushing China into recession would boomerang on the lose to continue the hostilities. ensuring Japan’s social welfare system is sustainable, and inconclusive summit with the North Korean dictator. American economy (as Apple’s AAPL, +4.27% warning I’m not so sure. The more pressure on Trump to cave, the government would take sufficient steps to mitigate the That may have led some people to assume that Trump portends). Locking down the borders (as Trump threatened) the more he may dig in. For its part, China may not want hit to growth from the higher levy. would take the same approach to other crises, such as would be a disaster. to concede too much because it senses that Trump has “There’s no change to our stance of raising the sales tax the increasingly tense trade war with China, or to budget The risks are many. First, that the Trump administration been weakened. A workable, face-saving compromise as scheduled, unless Japan is hit by a shock to the scale of negotiations with the Democrats. might act deliberately in a way that harms the economy; for wouldn’t be easy for either party to achieve, even if the the (collapse of) Lehman Brothers,” Abe said. But Trump isn’t using the NAFTA or Kim Jung-un instance by clamping down hard on trade or immigration. U.S. side had capable policy makers on board. (Source: Reuters) template; he’s using the Brett Kavanaugh fight as his Second, that an administration ruled by Trump’s gut (Source: The MarketWatch) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JANUARY 7, 2019 ENERGY 5

OPEC strategy still a winner for Turkish crude oil imports set for shake-up in year ahead members despite oil slump Turkey’s crude oil import profile is set for major changes this year following the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions against its Given oil’s plummet at the end of last bolstered the average oil price. Actual main crude supplier, Iran, coupled with the commissioning year, OPEC’s strategy to stabilize the revenues, based on the volume of crude of Socar’s new 214,000 bpd STAR refinery. market might look a bust. But where it exported, rather than the total amount Expected to reach nameplate capacity this year, STAR matters most for the cartel’s members produced, would of course be smaller. will boost Turkey’s crude imports by 40 percent and, with -- petroleum revenues -- it’s still a winner. Whether that success continues in 2019 Iranian oil exports sidelined, the country will need more Crude prices in London have sunk is unclear. Prices have had a rocky start to crude from alternative producers. back to the same range when the group the year on concerns that a slowing global Where this crude will come from is far from clear. began production cuts in early 2017, of economy will weaken demand just as a For the past decade, Turkey’s sole existing refiner, Tupras, between $50 and $60 a barrel, as record new flood of U.S. shale oil hits the market. whose three refineries process 540,000 bpd of imported U.S. oil output and shaky fuel demand If the slump persists, the organization crude combined, has been largely dependent on Iran and Iraq. counteract the group’s efforts. That’s below could -- as one key producer suggested OPEC’s number two and three producers collectively have the levels most of its members need to -- double-down on the strategy by supplied 83 percent of the 102.4 million mt of crude Turkey has balance government budgets. cutting output even further. Or it might imported since the start of 2013, with most of the remainder But while the price slide may be consider whether it’s time to try a different sourced from a handful of other suppliers. an alarming sign for the Organization approach, like returning to the strategy Turkey has been granted a 180-day waiver by the U.S. to of Petroleum Exporting Countries, of pumping at full-tilt as in 2015 to 2016. continue Iranian imports but is obliged to “greatly reduce” the strategy of output restraint has But staying the course may still be the volumes. To what extent is unclear, as is whether the waiver continued to deliver what matters most: best option. Even if prices don’t recover applies only to just Tupras or also to STAR. higher revenues for their export-reliant from current levels and OPEC maintains The previous U.S. sanctions regime allowed Tupras to con- economies. its cuts all year, it’s on track to earn more tinue importing Iranian crude under its long-term purchase The nominal value of the group’s crude of a basket of OPEC crudes, surged by according to Bloomberg calculations, than during that earlier period. agreement, at a 20 percent reduction and on condition that production, based on the average price 33 percent last year, to $826 billion, as supply cuts from OPEC and its allies (Source: Bloomberg) payment remained banked at Turkey’s state-owned Halkbank. Although Tupras is believed to have met the conditions, Turkey has been accused of approving a sanctions-busting Russia lifts gas prices for Gazprom expects 2018 natural gas exports scheme in the past. State-run Halkbank is involved in an ongoing court case Armenia in 2019 to Europe, Turkey to total 201 bcm about shipping gold bullion to Iran which could yet see the bank hit with a multi-billion dollar fine. As such, it remains to be seen how much leeway the U.S. will be minded to allow Turkey and whether the waiver will be renewed or extended. Alternative regional suppliers exist, however, and Turkey’s often fractious international relations could continue to affect crude imports, as they have in the recent past. Only three years ago the downing of a Russian warplane by Turkish jets sparked a diplomatic spat and a sharp drop in Russian volumes. Although Russian imports subsequently rose, they are still down on pre-crisis levels. (Source: Platts)

Record global LNG output to get go-ahead on strong 2019 demand Russia has raised the price for the gas it sells also appears to be on the verge of losing its Russia’s Gazprom expects its total natural Bcm for 2018, up 4.9 percent, according A record amount of liquefied natural gas (LNG) production to Armenia by 10 percent. The negotiations position heading the Russia-led Collective gas exports to Europe and Turkey to reach to the Russian energy ministry. is expected to get the green light in 2019 amid strong global over the gas price were seen as a litmus test Security Treaty Organization, and just days 201 Bcm in 2018, CEO Alexei Miller said Energy minister Alexander Novak told demand, especially from China, analysts said. for the new government in Yerevan and its after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Friday, a third year of record export volumes. reporters Thursday that total gas exports A final investment decision (FID) could be taken on ability to deal with its often overbearing Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan Gazprom’s supplies to the “Far Abroad” -- including pipeline supplies to former more than 60 million tons per annum of LNG capacity this ally in Moscow. met in Moscow. The day after the meet- -- Europe and Turkey, but not the countries Soviet Union countries and LNG exports year, well above the previous record of about 45 million In 2019, the Russian state gas company ing, Putin pointedly sent public holiday of the former Soviet Union -- are now close -- will be up by 8.7 percent year on year tons in 2005 and triple last year’s 21 million tons, Wood Gazprom will sell gas to Armenia at $165 per greetings to former Armenian president to their contractual maximum, Miller said in in 2018 to 243.7 Bcm, according to the Mackenzie’s research director for global gas and LNG, thousand cubic meters, Gazprom said in a Robert Kocharyan, a Pashinyan nemesis his annual New Year’s address to workers. ministry’s preliminary data. Giles Farrer, said. statement following a December 31 meeting currently in jail in Yerevan on abuse-of- Earlier this year Gazprom said exports Miller, meanwhile, told workers that The new capacity would bulk out the pipeline of gas set between its chairman, Alexei Miller, and power charges. could reach 205 Bcm in 2018 -- up from Gazprom’s new LNG import facility to serve to come on stream in coming years, adding to the more Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher The price increase is “symptomatic of how 194 Bcm in 2017 -- but a mild start to the the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad would than 320 million tons of LNG shipped globally in 2018, Grigorian. The previous price had been the Kremlin is exploiting Armenia’s acute winter has seen weakened demand for be commissioned “soon”. according to shipping data in Refinitiv’s Eikon. $150 per thousand cubic meters. dependence on Russian hydrocarbons, using Russian gas across Europe. The European natural gas market has “If you have seen the potential demand for LNG, you The Armenian government had repeat- gas supply as a political instrument to put Nonetheless, Gazprom has said that seen some dramatic changes year on year have seen costs where they are now … that is motivating edly said it was seeking to instead reduce the pressure on the Pashinyan-led government,” its contractual arrangements with Euro- so far during the final quarter of 2018, with companies to push projects forward and motivating buyers price it pays Russia for gas. “Negotiations are Eduard Abrahamyan, a London-based an- pean buyers would have to be reviewed to pricing seen volatile after crashing recently to come forward to support some of these projects,” Farrer being conducted toward the reduction” of alyst of Armenia, told Eurasianet. allow for the possibility of higher supplies with multi-year highs seen at the beginning said. gas prices, Garegin Baghramyan, Armenia’s Pashinyan’s foes in the formerly ruling in the future. of the Winter 2018/19 season. Frontrunners this year include the US$27 billion Arctic minister of energy and natural resources told Republican Party of Armenia pounced on “We are closely approaching the max- “We will be able to supply gas to the LNG 2 project by Russia’s Novatek, at least one project in reporters in November. As late as December the defeat. “We are finishing the year not imum annual contract quantities that we region not only by pipeline, but also by sea. Mozambique and three in the United States, Woodmac 27, Baghramyan said that “Of course, we are entirely proudly and fruitfully,” wrote have for all export contracts to foreign This alternative method of gas delivery will said in a report to its clients. holding talks on reducing the tariff, but I Eduard Sharmazanov, the party’s press countries,” Miller said. bring the energy security of the Kaliningrad The three potential U.S. projects are Qatar Petroleum’s am unaware of Russia’s proposals. The best secretary, on his Facebook page the day “Without a doubt, our cooperation with region to a new level,” Miller said. Golden Pass joint venture with Exxon Mobil Corp. and result for us must be to reduce the tariff.” the announcement was made. “Nikol, foreign partners will be aligned with these The 174,000 cu m Marshal Vasilevskiy is ConocoPhillips, Venture Global LNG’s Calcasieu Pass That the price was instead raised is an- who for months has been accusing us of new realities,” he said. a purpose-built Ice Class 1A FSRU built by project, and Cheniere Energy’s Sabine Pass train 6, the other item in a growing list of setbacks to artificially increasing prices on gas and Miller also said Gazprom’s total gas South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries. consultancy said. Armenia in its relationship with Russia. creation of a corrupt gas scheme, saying production in 2018 would be 497.6 Bcm, Miller also said that some 380 km of the Canada’s Woodfibre LNG project, developed by Singapore- Armenia imports the large majority of its that since his becoming prime minister up 26.6 Bcm on last year. 1,200 km Nord Stream 2 pipeline had been based Pacific Oil and Gas, may also get the go-ahead in gas from Russia. Its only other supplier is that Armenia-Russia relations have been Total Russian gas production -- includ- laid, with work carried out in the Exclusive 2019, WoodMac said. Iran, and U.S. officials have been pressuring wonderful, today reported that the price ing output from independent producers Economic Zones of Finland and Sweden, New projects typically take several years to develop, Yerevan to curtail its ties with Iran. of gas is increasing.” such as Novatek and oil companies such as and off the coasts of Germany and Russia. with many of those under consideration likely to be ready The price increase comes as Armenia (Source: oilprice.com) Rosneft and Lukoil -- was estimated at 725 (Source: Platts) to ship gas in the early 2020s if approved. A final investment decision on Golden Pass is expected OPEC is losing its stranglehold on oil prices by this month, while a decision on Sabine Pass 6 is expected in the first quarter and one on Calcasieu Pass is expected Many articles have been written this past year about the 55 percent of global oil production and nearly 80 percent in the first half. impending demise of OPEC. Shale oil, it has been argued, of the world’s proved oil reserves in 2017. Amid a plethora of potential new production from has ended the cartel’s stranglehold on oil prices. Total production from OPEC and Russia is more than 50 Russia, Australia, East Africa and the United States, top There’s some truth to that argument, but it also under- million BPD. In theory, they should have substantial pricing 2018 LNG exporter Qatar is also expanding. states OPEC’s dominant position in the oil market. power, but the rapid growth of U.S. shale oil production “Qatar is recognizing that it needs to capture demand I often try to imagine the decisions I would make, given continues to give them headaches. for its LNG now, so it’s bringing forward its projects,” OPEC’s situation and the unexpected emergence of U.S. It is certain that the U.S. oil production surge broke OPEC’s Farrer said. shale oil production. For decades, OPEC has had the luxury stranglehold on global oil prices. If the shale oil boom in “Now is a good time to invest. If you look at industry of looking at the global supply and demand outlook, and the U.S. hadn’t happened, OPEC and Russia would have costs, they have really come off a cliff from two to three raising or cutting production as they saw fit. enjoyed the fruits of $100/bbl oil for the past decade. The years ago. So if you’re investing now, you’re investing in But then the U.S. unexpectedly became the world’s fast- U.S. trade deficit would have ballooned. the bottom of the cost cycle,” said Farrer. est-growing supplier of new oil production. So now OPEC has to look at the supply/demand picture Other projects awaiting FID include train 7 of Nigeria Of the 10.3 million BPD of new oil production since 2008, made an agreement with several non-OPEC countries (most and try to estimate just how much further U.S. production LNG, and a three-train expansion in Papua New Guinea, the U.S. supplied 6.2 million BPD (60 percent). The world’s importantly, Russia) to cut oil production by 1.8 million BPD. can expand. If we are reaching the limits of shale production although some projects are widely expected to be pushed two other major oil-producing countries, Saudi Arabia and That was a significant cut, and oil prices ultimately re- growth, then OPEC can go through a couple of cycles of into the 2020s. Russia, saw their production increase by 1.7 million BPD covered back to the $70-$80/bbl range. But as I noted in an production cuts, and they will be back in the driver’s seat. Huge increases in China’s demand growth as part of and 1.2 million BPD respectively since 2008. article last year, U.S. production growth could potentially But if U.S. production can expand for another decade, OPEC a program to shift households and factories from coal to This surge of new oil production from the U.S. put OPEC offset those production cuts in a little over a year. will have lost complete control over oil prices. In that case, gas increased LNG import dependency in Europe, and a under a lot of pressure to either cut production to balance They did. In the past 12 months, U.S. oil production has U.S. production will likely only slow when electric vehicles backlash against dirtier coal is driving optimism in the the market, or to defend market share. I thought it was in grown by 1.95 million BPD. This continued growth again are starting to take a serious bite out of global oil demand. industry. their best interest to cut production, but instead in 2014 puts OPEC in the position of either cutting production to Speaking of which, oil demand continues to grow at more LNG supply will already grow by an estimated record 40 they made the decision to defend market share. I deemed balance the markets, or in potentially letting the price crash. than 1 million BPD every year. That helps mitigate the impact million tons, or 13 per cent, this year, potentially putting that OPEC’s Trillion Dollar Miscalculation. The latter approach had some limited success in 2016, as of U.S. production growth. But as long as U.S. production pressure on Asian LNG prices, currently around US$9 per Prices collapse U.S. production did dip in response to the price war. But as grows annually at a faster pace than global demand — which million British thermal units. Five weeks after that Thanksgiving 2014 announcement, oil soon as prices recovered, so did U.S. production. it has several times in recent years — OPEC is going to have Most of this year’s new supply will come from the United prices had dropped into the $40s (after already sliding from OPEC’s new paradigm to live with either production cuts (which also help prop up States with new trains at Cameron LNG, Corpus Christi ~$100/bbl to the upper $70s over the prior four months). But OPEC still produced 42.6 percent of the world’s oil in marginal U.S. producers) or lower prices. LNG, Elba Island LNG and the Freeport LNG startup, Indeed, OPEC realized its dilemma, and in 2016 the cartel 2017. Add Russia to the mix, and the two entities controlled (Source: oilprice.com) said Edmund Siau, analyst at FGE. In terms of demand, China continues to post strong growth while Europe could also see increases after years of Venezuela taps obscure driller to replace big-name oil firms stagnation, growing by about 20 million tons and playing With brand-name drillers unwilling to the world’s biggest oil-service providers, companies with its oil exports slumping exchange for half the oil produced, according a key role in absorbing new American supply, Siau said. jump in, Venezuela is resorting to a newly have announced over $2 billion in combined to a 28-year low. to documents seen by Bloomberg. Erepla will But risks loom, especially from the U.S.-China trade formed U.S. company for help in shoring write-offs for unpaid bills in Venezuela The result: An agreement with U.S.- supply rigs and crews in the onshore fields war that threatens global growth which, in turn, could up production from its crude reserves, the since the second quarter of 2017. That’s based Erepla Services LLC, created in 2018, for 25 years, with an option to extend for pull down oil and gas prices and delay or cancel FIDs, largest in the world. left the South American country little to boost production at the Tia Juana and another 15 years, according to the contract. analysts said. Schlumberger Ltd. and Halliburton Co., choice but to reach out to secondary service Rosa Mediano and Ayacucho 5 fields in (Source: Bloomberg) (Source: Financial Post) ساعت: 17:00 امضاء صفحه آرا: ساعت: امضاء مسئول صفحه: ساعت: امضاء ادیتور: ساعت: امضاء سردبیر:

I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 6 INTERNATIONAL JANUARY 7, 2019 Why troops are losing ground Democrats lay impeachment trap, but will the president step into it? to ISWAP ? facility in Monguno is probably the only lar- By Ahmad Salkida By Jonathan Turley est operational base outside of Maiduguri ABUJA — In the few days leading to the presently that is unaffected. Four or five are eclipse on 2018, reports from the warfront in Gajiram, Gajiganna, Gubio, Kareto, while Certain common aphorisms were never meant to be taken liter- in North East Nigeria provoked huge con- Damasak is manned by the Multi-National ally. What does not kill you only makes you stronger is a particu- cerns, fiercely stirring panic within com- Joint Task Force at the border with Niger larly risky principle by which to live. A watched pot will indeed munities in and around Maiduguri, Borno republic. According to a serving military boil. Time does not heal all wounds. Slow and steady does not state. Governor Kashim Shettima, within officer currently hospitalized, “the soldiers always win the race. President Trump added a new and, for him, this period, quickly called an emergency in most of these bases have all taken up potentially dangerous aphorism this week, when asked about security meeting to receive briefs from dif- defensive positions to protect their turfs impeachment. He said he was not at all concerned because “you ferent security commands in the state. At and can hardly venture outside to patrol cannot impeach someone who is doing a great job.” the Executive chambers of the Government or engage in any offensive attack”. Trump was hopefully making an aspirational rather than House, Maiduguri, the seat of power in the Just like the officers deserting, the Military a literal point because a president can be entirely successful state, the situation was grim and faces drawn. itself has long abandoned any mentality of in office yet be rightfully impeached for committing “treason, In fact, the situation appeared so dire as “no retreat, no surrender,’ having steadily bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” Indeed, no Nigerian troops facing the onslaught of the been on the retreat from several military matter how successful a president may be in executing significant combined affront of insurgency from terror bases. Weeks ago, they shut down two bases policies, the commission of any impeachable offense means, by groups, Islamic State West Africa Province in Gudumbali and Kukawa. “We retreated to definition, that he or she is not doing a great job. (ISWAP) and Boko Haram forces, beat a Monguno before Baga was attacked. Now, His statement was unnerving not only because he has said steady retreat, incurring monumental losses some soldiers and residents are running away it before but because Trump is entering the most dangerous of locational facilities. Within two weeks, from Monguno to Maiduguri,” reported a period of his term so far. With Democrats now controlling the Nigerian troops had retreated tactically The ISWAP’s strategy is to put everything soldier in Shagari Low Cost Housing Estate the lower chamber of Congress, the White House is about to or been overrun in strategic military bases. available to ensure that military presence in in Maiduguri. He highlights the utter help- be hit with a torrent of document demands and subpoenas Out of 20 military bases in northern and lessness of the soldiers: what is disturbing from a half dozen committees. Some Democrats have already central Borno where Nigerian troops were in those territories they consider part of their is the effrontery of “ISWAP in making sure stated their intentions, intemperately or even profanely, like control, 14 had been overrun or altogether caliphate is made ever untenable. that we are fully made aware of their plans Rashida Tlaib. shut down. ahead of any attack. There was never an Democrats have promised to demand answers on his per- Does the recent string of losses by the and onions markets in Maiduguri. In its stead, stilling fear on the troops and making it attack that we don’t see in advance, yet we sonal taxes, foreign business dealings, family charity, and military represent a momentary setback likely they have opened secured trading locations extremely difficult for the military to have are helpless,” he lamented. other areas beyond the Russia investigation. These moves to be overturned swiftly by the military or is in Kinchandi, in Niger Republic and another the comfort to plan and launch attacks. For In the midst of these setbacks, military fat reflect a strategy that not only targets Trump but is counting the trend a fore-test of an uncertain future? in Kusiri, in Cameroon. Nigerian traders rely instance, two days after overrunning the cats are feeding exceedingly well on account on Trump to be successful. They are relying on his descrip- All diplomatic and international military on the market in Kusiri, Cameroon through military base in Baga, the ISWAP moved of the war. On 28, December, 2018 the De- tion of himself as a “counterpuncher” to supply the grounds platforms knowledgeable about the escalat- Mubi, in Adamawa. The other in Kinchandi, out of location with military hardware and fence and Foreign Affairs of the International of his removal. Yes, a president can counterpunch himself ing conflicts in the Lake Chad Basin affirm in Niger Republic. The Nigerian market in ammunition. According to knowledgeable Strategic Studies Association (ISSA) based into impeachment. that at no time since the surge of violence in Hadeja, Jigawa state depend heavily on the sources, the objective is not to necessarily in the United States stated that “the conduct Despite the filing of articles of impeachment on the very first the region have the terrorists been in com- market in Niger Republic. capture and hold new territories, what is far of the war in the North (East of Nigeria) is day the Democrats took control of the House, there is not a strong mand of the level of weapons available to Nigerian troops apparently would rather more strategic to ISWAP is to continually tied to the corruption in the military, and basis for a single article at this time. Thus far, the strongest basis them today. Two developments explain this. confiscate a trader’s wares, forcibly take their “unsettle the military in their bases across (President) Buhari - ring-fenced by his own is the money paid to two women to silence them about alleged The terror groups, in recent times, have livestock for their feeding than device any the Lake Chad region.” team - is unable to tackle the issue”. ISSA, affairs with Trump before the election. While highly damaging, received a flush of funds from ransom system of commercial comfort that would help There is no better indication to the effec- the Washington-based non-governmental these allegations can be difficult to prosecute and occurred before paid to them allegedly by the government. them grow their business. It therefore seems tiveness of the tactical approach of ISWAP organization with a worldwide membership Trump took office. An in kind campaign contribution simply is Equally, there has been a steady access to not far-fetched that several local communi- against the military than seeing that Nigerian of professionals involved in national and not a strong standalone issue for impeachment. unimaginable cache of military weaponry, ties appear to cooperate better with ISWAP troops in the troubled locations are unable international security and strategy, stated Likewise, there still is no compelling basis to allege a crime including hardware and ammunition from than with the Nigerian troops. ISWAP want to undertake patrol duties. Rather, they are that massive corruption among top military based on obstruction or theories of collusion. That leaves bases overran by the insurgents, remarkably to primarily make it unattractive and too mostly in the trenches practically waiting chiefs appointed by President Muhammadu Democrats with a House majority secured, at least in part, on bolstering their war chest. For instance, the expensive in terms of body count and loss of for the next attack. One troubling outcome Buhari is the reason Nigeria is losing the promises of impeachment but without a clear act to warrant loss of the International Military Task Force hardware for the military to maintain a base of this is the escalating number of troops on war against Boko Haram. impeachment. Special counsel Robert Mueller could well sup- Base, headquarters of the Multinational Joint in any of these territories. They calculate desertion charge. For instance, in just one According to the report, the only signifi- ply the missing “high crimes and misdemeanors,” of course, Task Force, in Baga, headed by an Army that as long as they continually target and detention centre in Jos, Plateau state, there cant engagement which the Nigerian military but the only other possible source is Trump himself. As he General, is reported as monumental, not attack military formations, forcing them to are over 20 military deserters rounded up leadership seems determined to fight “is to demonstrated during the James Comey debacle, Trump has merely in the loss, of location but because beat a retreat so long would it be easier for and detained. Similarly, a growing army stop the leakage of information about massive the ability to do himself of the massive military hardware and am- local communities to accept that they are of deserters are being held across major corruption, running into the equivalent of great harm by acting Trump has the munition only comparable to what is avail- more secure in the territories under them military detention facilities in the country. several billions of dollars, in the purchase impulsively or angrily. ability to do able to the Military Division in Maiduguri, than under the cover of Nigerian troops. Obviously embarrassed at this turn of events, by senior military officers of major military His firing of Comey to ISWAP. Moreover, they envisage that for as long the military authorities are zealously cover- capital goods and military consumables, as FBI director was not himself great The insurgents are obviously riding the as they sustain the push back against the ing up on these. including the troops’ own food.” More than the problem. An array of harm by acting momentum and are motivated in manners military for so long will it be difficult for the An Army officer currently hospitalized anything, it is the noticeable resurgence of Democrats and Repub- that are completely alien to the military. demoralized troops to muster confidence lamented that “soldiers have become can- the Lake Chad and the commercial viability of licans, as well as career impulsively or According to a recent report by the AFP, in to put them at tactical disadvantage any- non fodders,” revealing:”There are more the territories under ISWAP that present the prosecutors, felt Comey angrily. no year since the upsurge of conflicts in the time soon. Is the 2018 military strategy soldiers deserting their commission over greatest pull on individuals in the Internally deserved to be dismissed. North East have Nigerian troops been exposed and campaign working? The facts based Boko Haram war. I can count dozens in Displaced Persons (IDP) camps to return Instead, it was the timing. Rather than firing Comey upon taking to the level of casualties inflicted on them on the number of military formations suc- my unit alone that escaped after they sur- to their villages. But for others, it is their office, Trump waited and then fired him after inappropriately by the insurgents in 2018 alone. With an cessfully attacked and overran by ISWAP vived an attack.” The Nigerian Police Force ability to put out a good fight and some- questioning him on the Russia investigation and asking for leni- enlarged war chest, a strategic control of the in 2018 in the areas of its dominance is 70 are embroiled in similar matter with 121 times win with an Army that enjoys global ency for a former associate, retired General Michael Flynn. Trump economic mainstay of the Chad Basin cross percent. What this translates into is that officers of the rank-and-file who report- support, that is the biggest inspiration that also reportedly called for the firing of Mueller, Attorney General cutting fishing, all season farming, water out of 20 military bases in these territories, edly deserted in protest against planned makes many want to join. A recent recruit Jeff Sessions, and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and control of cross border trade routes, the ISWAP have either sacked by overrunning deployment to the warfront dismissed and a Francophone citizen said, “ISWAP’s only to be deterred by his staff. insurgents are looking formidable. or forced the military to shut down a total of with immediate effect. fortunes only means one thing, Allah with Democrats now have the chance to see if they can trigger an No wonder, they have recently scaled 14 bases in 2018 alone. The only time this The Inspector-General Ibrahim Idris, us.” Another who abandoned his rich family impeachable offense by hitting Trump across a broad range of up recruitment of new fighters across both ratio of attacks and takeovers came close according to a report in Premium Times business in Kano to become a fighter said, subjects, including his tightly held business and tax records. English and French speaking countries in the to the 2018 numbers was in 2014. By the (December 28, 2018), ordered their dismissal. “I have no doubt Angels are fighting with Hammered by subpoenas and demands, they are hoping that the surrounding countries of Cameroon, Chad, end of 2015 it was below 50% success ratio, “The Police are very kind to their officers us, otherwise there is nothing that explains unpredictable Trump could commit an impulsive and destructive Niger and Nigeria. Information gleaned from which further dropped in 2016 and 2017, for dismissing them, we are not that lucky our victories.” act. Consider just a few possible “scores” that this strategy could contacts within the fold of ISWAP paint an only to witness a sharp surge in 2018. because after we attempted to escape, we In the light of these realities, should the produce if Trump walks into an impeachment trap. insight that seems to have challenged the The outlook of the map in the battle thea- were arrested and detained without trial for Nigerian Military continue with the tactical The biggest score would be a frustrated Trump ordering the position of politicians and the military in tres is grim. The territories that constitute several months,” said a soldier detained in mentality that is leading them into embar- firing of Mueller. Trump could be faced by not one but multiple respect of holding territory. ISWAP always Northern Borno are 10 Local Government one of Special Task Force (STF) detention rassing losses? For a government that has special counsel reports this year, as well as ongoing litigation considered the territories of Northern and Areas lying north of Maiduguri and bearing centers in Jos. He was arrested after he ab- made so much premium of a claim on its against indicted individuals. If the press is correct, he repeat- Central Borno their Caliphate territories. natural land borders with three countries sconded along with scores of his colleagues control of territory from the insurgents, what edly has raised the idea of firing Mueller. That would cross a red The presence of the Nigerian troops and namely Niger Republic, Chad and Cameroon. from the warfront. these developments point to is probably line for some Republican senators and add “official acts” to an particularly military bases were considered ISWAP have full sway in these territories A confident Army Captain in the frontlines worse than a setback. Efforts by independent alleged pattern of obstruction. invasion by the military. currently. The territories that constitute who spoke with our reporter on condition observers to point out the evidently skewed Unlike President Clinton, who knowingly lied under oath and Bidding their time until they had ad- Borno Central are made up of eight Local of anonymity extolled the troops for their tactical mentality have been visited with was found by a federal court to have committed perjury, Trump equate ammunition with additional army of Government Areas, and both ISWAP and gallantry on several occasions. He said that official hostility. Local and international has not spoken under oath and only gave limited answers in writ- motivated fighters to unleash new wave of Boko Haram have significant footholds in unlike the terrorists, the military do not carry Civil Society Organizations and the media ing to a few questions from the special counsel. Now, Congress violence the group was willing to stay under these territories. Southern Borno, made up cameras into the battlefront to record gun have, for these reasons, come under attack by will be demanding answers not just from Trump but from Jared the radar for a few years before drawing the of nine Local Government Areas, is the least exchanges. According to him there are far the military. For calling the Military out on Kushner and others in the White House. Lying to Congress is a line on the sand. Their long wait paid off affected, with the exception of flashpoints more attacks on military bases and units by its ignoble human rights abuses, including crime. If Trump tries to spin facts or gives false information, he in 2018. They have been on the offensive such as Gwoza, Damboa and Chibok. With the terrorists that were repelled than the rape and extra judicial executions, Amnesty would commit an impeachable offense. all of 2018. The ISWAP’s strategy is to put barely 45 days to presidential election in ones in which the locations were overrun. International and other Human Rights or- Equally dangerous is an allegation of shaping or inducing everything available to ensure that military Nigeria there seems to be more energy at “The terrorists go to battles with cameras, ganizations have been targeted for official testimony. Trump has shown a continuing refusal to observe presence in those territories they consider official quarters to cover up the tragic situ- while we, as a matter of policy don’t.” Nev- harassment. lines of separation from the investigation. Just recently, he al- part of their caliphate is made ever unten- ation than acknowledging it. ertheless, he contends that Nigerians do not Despite a consistent stream of global legedly called Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker to able. ISWAP considers all parts of north and The military have rightly stated that care about the number of insurgents that ratings and reports about Nigeria’s cri- complain about the New York prosecutors pursuing campaign central Borno as its caliphate and territory ISWAP may not be holding most of the we have killed, “the killing of soldiers that sis, notable among them being the 2018 finance violations. If he speaks with potential witnesses about and therefore obligated by doctrines and territories where it overran its bases, es- protect the country’s sovereignty constitute Global Terrorism Index in which Nigeria their knowledge or accounts, it could be construed as influencing commandment to repel every external ag- pecially the town of Baga. ISWAP, on its a source of concern, what this means is, if emerged the third most terrorized nation witnesses or even subornation of perjury. His former lawyer, gression within the territory. part, is also right when it says it has sacked soldiers continue to die, Nigeria itself may globally, both the Military and politicians Michael Cohen, already confessed to false statements and sug- This is irrespective of whatever politi- soldiers from the areas it attacked, including fail to exist,” he concludes. in government have carried on as if this gested Trump had knowledge of them. cians and the military claim is the situation Baga. Neither the military nor the insur- Some of these attacks were so overwhelm- was of no consequence. The index placed Other potential criminal acts relate to the withholding of within those territories. In fact, Boko Haram gents have the manpower and capacity to ing that the bases were overrun with hun- Nigeria behind war-torn countries such as documents or acts that could constitute contempt of Congress. Of / ISWAP policy with respect to physically hold and govern over these large expanse dreds of casualties. According to multiple Iraq, Afghanistan and ahead of Syria and course, this strategy will fail if Trump maintains simple restraint holding territories changed after the steady of land sustainably. But in desisting from media reports, not less than 1,000 soldiers Pakistan. However, the report also showed and leaves the investigations to his own legal counsel. Demands losses they suffered in the run up to general building visible administrative and military were killed in 2018. These casualty figures a 16% drop in the number of deaths linked from Congress often raise separation of powers issues that can elections in Nigeria in 2014. They do not want structures in the areas of their primary in- do not include soldiers killed in Niger Re- to terrorism in 2017 from previous year. lead to litigation and delay. While Congress may not like it, it to physically hold unto territories anymore terest ISWAP have evolved in a way that is public, Yobe, Adamawa and in Southern Also, the World Economic Forum, in its is very difficult to convert such objections allowed under the than they are determined to ensure that difficult for Nigerian troops to track. On the Borno. “In fact, there has never been a year biennial tourism report with the specific Constitution into obstruction. the military does not have any sustainable other hand, by being fixated with claim of soldiers were killed more than in 2018; not section focusing on safety and security, That, however, depends on the proper assertion of privileges. presence in the territories. Furthermore, control of territories the military have only even 2013 and 2014 did we see the kind recently ranked Nigeria as one of the most If Trump interjects himself into the mix, the rationale along with ISWAP is paying more premium to woo- succeeded in making its troops sitting ducks of casualties we experienced today,” said dangerous countries in the world. Amid all the defense can be compromised or lost. The scope and subject ing local communities to feel more secure and easy targets of the enemy. another soldier who doubles as a medical these disturbing realities the local media matter of these inquiries make for an obvious trap for Trump. with them than they could ever be with the More clearly, ISWAP is no longer showing doctor in Maiduguri. More traumatizing generally have caved in to a new sense of This is why an aphorism like “you cannot impeach somebody military. That is their strategy. interest in taking a formidable military base for soldiers, according to ISWAP sources, self-censorship promoted by the Nigerian who is doing a great job” can be dangerous. Even if true to some They have secured the economic lines in such as was in Baga and staying put there. are the humiliating experience of scores of military, which is, “stop reporting the kill- degree on a political level, it also is true that a president can do a the territories they control. The Lake Chad It doesn’t apparently serve their tactical abducted soldiers compelled to tutor the ings to dissuade Boko Haram from further great job of getting himself impeached, if he walks into the most territories have become more fertile for fam- and strategic interest well. They are more insurgents on new weapons handling before killings” instead of, prevent the insurgents obvious impeachment trap in the world. ers and more viable for commercial fishing interested in taking over military hardware they are enslaved or executed. from killings in the first place, so that, there (Source: The Hill) activities. They have largely crippled the fish and ammunition in those bases while in- Informed sources state that the military wouldn’t be any death to report. ساعت: امضاء صفحه آرا: ساعت: امضاء مسئول صفحه: ساعت: امضاء ادیتور: ساعت: امضاء سردبیر:

I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JANUARYJANUARY 7, 2019 ANALYSIS & INTERVIEW 7 Islam is not inherently hostile to Tel Aviv’ fears the future; what Zionists are concerned religious freedom: Philpott most about 1 What is your hypothesis for an- that even revivalist thinkers like Sayyid swering your main questions? Qutb thought that religion could only be A: I do not begin with any hypothesis. The adopted freely. Religion, including Islam, study is an empirical one, meaning that I am is most authentic and beautiful when it is open to finding different answers depending adopted freely and not imposed. on where the evidence leads. In this book you argue that “Religious One of the main questions is wheth- freedom promotes goods like democracy”. er Islam is hostile to religious freedom. Do What is the preconditions for religious you think that Islam is hostile with religious freedom (Democracy or not)? Some argue freedom? that secularism is precondition for having A: The book’s finding are mixed. If you democracy. If this is true then this challenge look at the levels of religious freedom in your argument. Muslim-majority countries from a satellite A: I would begin by saying that there are view - that is, in the aggregate -- you will see different forms of secularism. There is nega- that the Muslim world is less religiously free tive secularism, which embodies hostility to than the rest of the world. religion and has been exemplified by states However, if we zoom in to a close-up like the Republic of Turkey as founded by 1 The resistance movement boosts defense, view we discover that the picture is more Kemal Ataturk, Egypt under the rule of Nas- military strength complicated. In fact, about one-fourth of ser, modern day Syria, and the post-Soviet Israelis are also worried about their future position in the Muslim-majority countries (11 out of 47) republics of Central Asia. region as the military and defense power of the resistance axis are religiously free. But there is also a more positive form of increases. The Zionist authorities know well that the Syrian re- They are mostly on the western coast of secularism that views religion as a good thing sistance has learned various types of combat skills in different Africa. Then, among those Muslim major- and a strong contributor to justice and good conditions over the past eight years, and the skills can help Syrians ity countries that are not religiously free governance, yet calls for religion and state to overcome any battle. (36), a sizable portion (15) are repressive be separate in their functions and authority. Currently, Syrian resistance forces are well-versed in various on account of a secular ideology, not out a significant way but that fall short of a full religion and state. We can cultivate these The Muslim-majority states of West Africa, classical, urban and erosional wars, and have advanced military of Islamic beliefs. human right of religious freedom that is ar- seeds by highlighting their presence in the including Senegal, Mali, and Sierra Leone, weapons to reach their military objectives. Damascus’s acquisi- True, the other 21 are not free for more ticulated in its many dimensions, enshrined Muslim tradition, spreading awareness of meet this description. tion of the S-300’s defense system has also doubled its defense religious reasons -- they are governed by in law, protected in contemporary political them, and building a network of people across What I want to stress most about reli- capability. an ideology of Islamism. Overall, I try to be orders, and broadly accepted by Muslims. traditions who are committed to religious gious freedom is that it is good for people In addition to Damascus, Lebanon’s Hezbollah has gained both honest and hopeful. In the end, I want By pointing out these seeds in the tradition, freedom. -- it manifests human dignity -- and it is good much military and defensive power over the last few years, an to show that religious freedom is present I seek to show potentialities for religious When you argue that the Islamic tra- for religions, good for Islam, and good for issue that even the Zionist authorities and senior commanders in the Muslim world and that Islam is not freedom to grow. dition carries within it “seeds of freedom”, Muslims. Religious freedom allows religious have pointed out repeatedly on various occasions. For example, inherently hostile to it. They include 1) Quranic verses and tradi- which kind of Islam Interpretation do you people and communities the space in which Israeli commanders have repeatedly said that Hezbollah has In this book, you argue, the Islamic tions of interpretation; 2) evidence for freedom mean? they can flourish as religious communities more than 100,000 advanced missiles that can be used any time. tradition carries within it “seeds of freedom”. in the life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH); A: The seeds of freedom are not tied to without interference from the state or from Earlier, the Israel’s Minister of Energy, Yuval Steinitz reaffirmed, How can we cultivate those seeds in order 3) the tradition of treatment of minorities, any one interpretation of Islam. Certainly, people of other faiths. “Hezbollah missiles may target the entire Israel.” to expand religious freedom in the Muslim or dhimmis; 4) periods of liberal Islam; 5) though, there are certain schools of thought It does not involve a Western form of Inability to enter the war world and the world at large? contemporary Muslim advocates of religious that tend to favor religious freedom more secularism that is hostile to religion but is In Palestine, the situation is the same, and the Zionists are A: Yes, I identify seven “seeds of freedom,” freedom; 6) elements of religious freedom in than others, for instance, schools that stress rather a principle that carries the deepest not able to confront the resistance groups and their missiles; which are concepts or practices in the Islamic the law and institutions of Muslim-majority the role of reason. respect for religion. That is one of the most however, the way the Palestinian groups responded to the latest tradition that express religious freedom in states; and 7) a tradition of separation of It is important to remember, though, important points I make in the book. Zionist operations against Gaza shocked Tel Aviv authorities. In any case, now the Zionists themselves admit their weakness- es against the resistance. A prominent official with the Israeli Ministry of Defense acknowledged that the regime’s military is Tel Aviv fears Hezbollah more than ever not ready at all to conduct military operations in the next wars. This Israeli official, who requested to remain anonymous, 1 ” The video has brought terror among the Israelis, Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) confirmed the tunnels do not said that Israel’s ground forces were ready to fight at the lowest particularly that 80 percent of Israelis who believe what appear to surface in Israel and thus far to have exit points possible level over the past years, and the Zionist community Nasrallah says while having no faith in their own officials. on the Israeli side. must know that in the event of a war, the regime will pay a very They are fearful of Nasrallah’s threats because they know Following that failed Operation Northern Shield in the high price. He pointed out that Former IDF chief of staff Benny all too well that the Hezbollah Secretary-General Nasrullah early days of the New Year, Israelis established a new bat- Gantz was incapable of restoring the military’s ability following does what he says he will. talion, called the Fire Gates, to defend the Northern Front their defeat in the 2006 Lebanon War. An Israeli expert bin Ami says, “The problem that Israel against Hezbollah. The spirit of warfare is gone faces is that Nasrallah has already proved to be honest and According to the Times of Israel, the newly formed bat- The Russian alliance with the Damascus government is also he continues to deter a battle with his threats.” talion is under the command of Amir Baram Brigade general seen as a threat to Israel in the region, especially after Wash- In contrast, Zionist authorities, especially Prime Min- in the northern Palestine territories. The unit is made up of ington decided to withdraw troops from Syria. Tel Aviv is well ister Benjamin Netanyahu, have taken measures to fight reservists freshly released from the Golani Infantry Brigade’s aware that Russia’s ongoing legal presence in Syria has led to Hezbollah to reassure the Israeli Home Front Command. Reconnaissance Battalion. The drill lasting about five days the weakening of the United States in Damascus and even the For example, they launched the so-called Operation North- and focused on “conquering Hezbollah.” region, which could have very dangerous consequences for it. ern Shield on December 4 to allegedly locate and destroy The Israelis Gates of Fire battalion has been ridiculed Political analyst Hassan Hurdan said, “Russia’s alliance with Hezbollah tunnels that cross the Blue Line from Lebanon in Lebanon. Ali Shoeib, a prominent Lebanese journalist the axis of resistance on the one hand, and the hike of Iran’s re- into northern Israel. dispute between Prime Minister Netanyahu and commanders said on his Twitter: “Thank God we live in a time when gional power and its allies on the other hand, have raised Israel’s On Nasrallah’s reaction to the Israeli operation, Ray Al- of the Israeli army and says that “Netanyahu has called for our enemies, because of the fear of our resistance, launch security and intelligence services’ concern, because they feel that Youm newspaper wrote: “Since Israel started the Operation the renaming of the operation, but the commanders of the defensive battalions, after they said they were capable of the Zionist army is no longer capable of much achievements in Northern Shield to destroy the alleged Hezbollah tunnels, Israeli army opposed it.” occupying our capital with only a military music.” the war… Today, contrary to public belief, the Zionist regime is the Israeli media have not been able to get a reaction from At the request of the U.S. - to discuss Hezbollah’s cross-bor- What remains certain is that the operations carried by the under the siege of the resistance forces and its military power is the Lebanese Secretary-General, and that has frustrated the der attack tunnels - the UN Security Council was scheduled to Israeli forces show they fear the Lebanese and Palestinian crippled. Today, the Zionists have neither the spirit to fight nor Tel Aviv policymakers.” The print media also points out the meet on December 19. However, the United Nations Interim resistance fighters and live in fear. the spirit to win.”

First Announcement N.I.O.C National Iranian Trump using Pompeo, Bolton to appease Israeli Drilling Company 1397.5245

Call for public Call for tender public tender (First/Second publish) publish)

One-Stage (semi-compressed) Retender lobby: U.S. Scholar N.I.O.C One-Stage (semi-compressed) Retender National Iranian Subject of Tender: : Hammer Plug Valve 1” & 2” TEHRAN (Tasnim) — A senior American essence not just an Israeli asset, but an asset Subject1397.5245 of Tender: : Hammer Plug Valve 1” & 2” Drilling Company political analyst and scholar said U.S. Presi- of the extremist Likud Party and an advocate  Tender descriptions: dent Donald Trump knows well that Zionists of ever-wider Middle East war in service to Tender No. Estimated value dominate America and has appointed Mike Zionist expansionism. Donald Trump, for his The Tender holder Registration No. through national electronic tendering system Pompeo and John Bolton as U.S. Secretary of part, is ill-informed and unqualified for office; /Indent No. (Rial/Euro) State and National Security Advisor, respec- but his instincts are with the paleoconserv- Tender No. :FP/09-97/031 National Iranian Drilling Company 3,186,863 69,683,215,000 (Rial) tively, to appease the powerful Israeli lobby. ative non-interventionist camp that has been Indent No.:01-22-9646012 “Like John Bolton, Mike Pompeo is in es- stigmatized since World War II as “America sence not just an Israeli asset, but an asset of first” or “isolationist.”  Qualitative evaluation of tenderers the extremist Likud Party and an advocate of So why did a non-interventionist president ever-wider Middle East war in service to Zionist appoint such extreme warmongering Zionists as R Based on minimum scoring (60) made in award criterion reflected in the tenderers pre-qualification forms. expansionism…,” Dr. Kevin Barret told Tasnim. Bolton and Pompeo? First, Trump knows that Method 1- Applicants who have more than 4 in process contracts with NIDC are not allowed to participate in this tender. He added, “So why did a non-interventionist the Zionists dominate America, so he is trying to conditional right to wage wars of aggression 2- Applicants which have more than 2 in process contracts with NIDC in similar subject ( exclusively same subject) are not president appoint such extreme warmongering appease them. Second and more importantly, he in service to genocide. allowed to participate in another tender Zionists as Bolton and Pompeo? First, Trump imagines that he can use Bolton and Pompeo to The only way to achieve “regional security” knows that the Zionists dominate America, so leverage what he ignorantly imagines will be “a would be for the Zionists to withdraw from  Purchasing & Submitting he is trying to appease them.” better deal” with Iran and Palestine. Occupied Palestine. But U.S. leaders cannot Dr. Kevin Barrett, a Ph.D. Arabist-Islamolo- It is always possible that Trump is being admit that, because they are subservient to The distribution of the documents will be started one day after the publishing of second advertisement and ended on the following tenth day thereof. gist, is one of America’s best-known critics of the duped and led by the nose into a situation in Zionist power. (The Zionists dominate Ameri- Hall No.:113, 1thfloor, Foreign Procurement Dept., National Iranian Drilling Company, War on Terror. Dr. Barrett has appeared many which the Zionist warmongers think he will can media and provide roughly half of political Tender Document Distribution by Distribution Place Airport square, Ahwaz, IRAN Tel:061-34148601 times on Fox, CNN, PBS andother broadcast have to join them in a war against the Axis of campaign money to national candidates for Company Submitting one original Bank Fund Receipt in the amount of 510,000 Iranian Rials under  outlets, and has inspired feature stories and Resistance. Reports from someone close to the office. Opposing them is political suicide.) account number 4001114004020491( Shaba No. IR 520100004001114004020491) in name of “NIDC Do you believe that Trump’s withdraw- Submitting Method . Incomes Centralized Fund” issued by I.R. of Iran Central Bank op-eds in the New York Times, the Christian Israeli government suggest that Netanyahu . Submitting format Request for the purpose of receiving Tender Documents  Science Monitor, the Chicago Tribune, and other actually wanted Trump to pull out of Syria in al from Syria is bad news for Israel and good leading publications. Dr. Barrett has taught at order to give Israel freerein. news for Iran? Closing date .Days after the last time of Purchasing 14  A: Yes. The U.S.-Zionist regime change plot colleges and universities in San Francisco, Paris, Following the meeting, the U.S. State st Documents Receiving Method Hall No. 107, 1 floor, Tender Committee, Operation building, National Iranian Drilling Company, Airport square, Ahwaz, IRAN. and Wisconsin, where he ran for Congress in Department said in a statement, “Secretary of against Syria has failed, and Trump’s announce- Address 2008. He is the co-founder of the Muslim-Chris- State Michael R. Pompeo met with Israeli Prime ment is the clearest possible admission of that Tel: +98-61-34148580 +98-61-34148569 tian-Jewish Alliance, and author of the books Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today in Brasilia, failure. The Zionists will not be able to use a

Truth Jihad: My Epic Struggle Against the 9/11 Brazil. They discussed the unacceptable threat compliant Syria as a gateway to their longed-for  Tender Guarantee Big Lie (2007) and Questioning the War on that regional aggression and provocation by war on Iran. But the Zionists always have plenty Terror: A Primer for Obama Voters (2009). Iran and its agents pose to Israeli and regional of contingency plans. It would be premature Value of guarantee 59,917 Euro / 2,894,000,000 Rial His website is www.truthjihad.com. security. The Secretary reiterated the United to celebrate a new era of peace. Though the Bank guarantees or guarantees issued by non-bank institutions that obtain activity license from the central bank of the Islamic 9/11-triggered series of U.S. wars on Middle Republic of Iran. Following is the full text of the interview: States’ commitment to Israel’s security and Type of guarantee U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in unconditional right to self-defense”. What does Eastern nations has hit a major roadblock—the Submitting one original Bank Fund Receipt under account number 4001114006376636 ( Shaba No. IR a recent meeting with Israeli Prime Minister the department mean by “Israel’s unconditional attacks on Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya suc- 350100004001114006376636) in name of “NIDC saving account” by the central bank of Islamic Republic of Iran. Benjamin Netanyahu, said that Washington will right to self-defense” as the regime has always ceeded as regime-change operations, whereas Duration of credit & quotation Tender Guarantee and quotation should be valid for 90 days and extendable maximum for one time in initial validity duration. continue to work closely with Tel Aviv over Syria attacked first and threatened to attack? Syria has decisively defeated the regime-chang- and Iran, despite President Donald Trump’s A: Israel is the worst aggressor nation in ers—the long-term Israeli plan to reshape the (Foreign Procurement Dept.) (Foreign Procurement Dept.) More of this & other tenders are accessible by click on: announcement of withdrawing American troops modern history. But it always lies and claims region in its interests, and ultimately finish the More of this & other tenders are accessible by click on: ethnic cleansing of Palestine under the fog of www.nidc.ir http://sapp.ir/nidc_pr from Syria. What is your take on this? its aggression is self-defense. So what Pompeo http://sapp.ir/nidc_pr www.nidc.ir تهران تایمز نوبت اول 17/10/97نوبت دوم A: Like John Bolton, Mike Pompeo is in really meant is that he supports Israel’s un- war, is not going to go away. 97/10/18 تهران تایمز نوبت اول 17/10/97نوبت دوم 97/10/18 I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 8 ADVERTISEMENTS JANUARY 7, 2019

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Switch off their screens an hour before bedtime, child health experts tell parents Tel:Tel: 0097100971 44 22302230 267267 Children should switch off screens an hour before bedtime in Canada and the U.S. have done to little effect and screens should be avoided an hour before bed time, we Fax:Fax: 0097100971 44 22322232 070070 according to the first expert UK guidance aimed at helping which health secretary Matt Hancock has proposed for think that’s sensible and there are good physiological [email protected] parents prevent smartphones and console use becoming social media. reasons for it.” [email protected] harmful. While many parents have concerns about their children The college recommends said parents should look at The Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health spending too much time glued to screens the report said their own screen use, as well as their children’s, and ask PakistanPakistan InternationalInternational AirlinesAirlines reservesreserves thethe rightright toto acceptaccept oror rejectreject (RCPCH) review of screen time harms found evidence of that they should only worry if it’s negatively impacting the if it’s under control or interfering with what they want to all the bids or any one without assigning any reason. links between increased use and sleep disruption, obesity child’s wellbeing or family life. “We’ve got decades of data do as a family. all the bids or any one without assigning any reason. and mental health issues like anxiety and loneliness. showing real life social contact, exercise, healthy eating and While screen use has entertainment, educational and However this does not appear to be due to anything sleep are of benefit,” said Dr Max Davie, the RCPCH’s lead social benefits, the RCPCH says too much time playing inherently harmful about screen use, but more a result for health promotion. video games leaves less time for playing sport or sleep of screen use “displacing positive behaviors”. “So where screen time can interfere with those activ- and increased social media use can leave children open The college stops short of setting an upper limit for ities, that seems to be a good place to start intervening. to bullying. screen time in the UK, something which health bodies “There’s widespread professional guidance that (Source: The Independent)

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Knowledge-based firms to Iranian space satellites pass attend Tehran Auto Show 2019 TECHNOLOGY TEHRAN — Iran National Technomart has pre-launch tests desk invited knowledge-based companies to take 1 Nahid-1 Satellite 500 kilometers above the earth’s surface. part in Tehran Auto Show, which will be held from January 8 to 11. Nahid-1 is telecommunication satellite, Payam Satellite The science and technology vice presidency will set up a pa- which is manufactured at the ISA. It is a Payam, a 90kg non-military satellite vilion at the expo for knowledge-based companies. geosynchronous satellite, which is located in will be send into a 500km orbit using an geosynchronous orbit, with an orbital period Iranian Simorgh satellite-carrier rocket. the same as the earth’s rotation period, Iran Manufactured by Amirkabir University Science Watch website reported. of Technology, the image resolution of Satellites utilize photovoltaics solar the Payam Satellite is 45 meters and can panels, Ku-band communications and stay in orbit for three years. satellite imagery are amongst the mis- In a tweet on Saturday, Information sions of Nahid-1. and Communication Technology (ICT) Dousti Satellite Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi Literally means ‘friendship’, Dousti said: “Last night, Iranian satellites passed satellite is manufactured at the Sharif tests successfully.” University of Technology. On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Over 150 experts in different fields of Mike Pompeo said Iran’s plans for send- electronics, aerospace, computer science, ing satellites into orbit demonstrate the mechanics and industry from five faculties country’s defiance of a UN Security Council manufactured the satellite. resolution that calls on Iran to undertake The satellite takes images with better no activity related to ballistic missiles than 30 meter resolution, investigate of capable of delivering nuclear weapons. The selected knowledge-based firms can offer their products vegetation and monitors water resources. Iran says the launches do not violate to auto companies during the event. Dousti will be placed into the orbit the resolution. The technomart also provides facilities for further negotiations and agreements for the companies at the event. Transmission system, electricity, car engine byproducts, vehicle suspension, vehicle steering wheels and smart cars are some of Iranian dry-cleaning startup begins activity in Oman the sections of the pavilion. Knowledge-based firms, companies at technology parks and TECHNOLOGY TEHRAN — An Iranian dry-cleaning Besides, the mobile penetration rate is very high and desk industrial firms can apply for participation in the event. startup has started activity to offer over 60 percent of its population is male and their age online laundry services in Oman, the startup founder average is below 30, he said. Mohammad Rahi said. According to Statista, Oman is number three globally He added that the startup team conducted research in mobile penetration rate. With 6.944mn mobile sub- Breadbot is an autonomous on regional market while providing the business plan scribers at end of 2017 in Oman, the sultanate averaged for their work. 1.5 mobile phones per person and a penetration rate of bakery in a box, coming to The online laundry services are offered in Dubai, Turkey 152.3 percent which is among the highest in the world. grocessories and Qatar, however, Azerbaijan, Iraq and Oman do not Rahi said that there are several industrial and profes- have such a system, he said. sional laundries in Oman, however, none of them offer The Oman population is less than five million and online services. Many exhibitors at the Consumer Electronics Show employ over 50 percent of the residents are immigrants, he said. “Due to sanctions, we might offer our services under entertainers, actors, and music to draw attendees to check out The total population in Oman was estimated at 4.6 mil- a new brand in that country with same infrastructures their new technology products and services. Wilkinson Baking lion people in 2017, according to the latest census figures. and business model,” he noted. Company is bringing new tech to CES 2019 that promises to Oman plans to invest on IT marketing and startups He called Oman as a very good market for Iranian be entertaining in its own right. in 2019, he said. startups. Wilkinson is set to unveil the Breadbot, a robotic, artisanal bread-making machine. CEO Randall Wilkinson says Breadbot is much more than a robot that pumps out loaves of bread. Bread making traditionally has had symbolic meaning and often an How satellite startup swarm returned to space after an illicit launch emotional aspect, and that’s what Breadbot elicits. Swarm Technologies is back on track alty to be imposed than was originally “Bread is a staple of American life. But in most supermarkets this week after the small satellite startup negotiated by the Enforcement Bureau.” today, it has lost its emotional connection with the shopper,” said finally erased the one big blemish on its The agency’s Enforcement Bureau Wilkinson. “In the age of home delivery, the Breadbot attracts reputation. staff initially recommended a penalty consumers back to the store because it delivers fresh, delicious The controversy arose back in Janu- about half of the $900,000 level, one bread that is produced with theater and engagement.” ary when Swarm took the Silicon Valley FCC staffer explains. But several com- The Breadbot isn’t a consumer device, the 22-square-foot base adage made famous by Uber (“it’s easier missioners saw the situation as raising for sure won’t fit on your counter. The bread making machine to ask for forgiveness than to get per- unique questions that the FCC had not creates up to 10 loaves of bread per hour from scratch and is mission”) a little too far. Swarm became previously grappled with. They suc- destined for groceries and specialty shops. the first company in history to launch cessfully sought a higher-level review Because most of Breadbot’s structure is transparent, Wilkinson satellites into space without authorization involving the offices of the four current expects CES attendees will be entranced watching the robotic from any government regulator. In fact, FCC commissioners. mechanical components mix, form, proof, bake, and cool the bread. Swarm’s application had been rejected “This was the first time the FCC was The Breadbot can make bread from any recipe that starts by the Federal Communications Com- dealing with a set of facts like this,” the with dry ingredients. The machine can make white, wheat, mission weeks before the launch. staffer said. “It feels almost like the Uber whole wheat, nine grain, sourdough, and honey oat bread, On Thursday, the FCC announced a of space. But it’s one thing if you’re deal- including organic varieties. settlement with Swarm over the unau- ing with taxis in New York. It’s another Bread making isn’t just about ingredients, cooking temperature, thorized launch, unauthorized commu- if you’re all the way in space.” and time. Air temperature, humidity, and elevation all factor in the nications with the four illicit orbiters, Swarm told the agency that it went success of a perfectly cooked loaf. The Breadbot uses 20 sensors and a few other missteps. Swarm agreed ahead with the January launch because to monitor the baking process 100 times a second, according to to pay a $900,000 penalty, add strict- its lawyers advised it might be able to the company, adjusting settings as needed. er compliance procedures, and submit get authorization after the fact. The Breadbot starts with dry ingredients for up to 50 loaves of pre-launch reports to the agency for the That argument didn’t go over well with bread in a hopper. After the process starts, the first loaf of the day cost, space-based connectivity anywhere and rivals Hiber and Astrocast want to next three years. FCC staff or the commissioners. Unau- is ready to bag and sell as truly fresh-baked bread in 90 minutes. in the world.” build simpler, slower, and much cheaper The settlement eliminates a distrac- thorized launches threaten the stability After that first loaf, new loaves exit the machine every six minutes. Swarm’s business model is to create networks using smaller satellites some- tion for Swarm CEO Sara Spangelo, the of the entire satellite services ecosys- The maximum daily yield for a 24-hour day is 235 loaves, allow 30 an orbital armada of dozens of it small times called cube sats. Not to mention aerospace engineer who co-founded the tem, potentially interrupting anything minutes each day for self-cleaning with a human attendant assist. satellites, dubbed SpaceBEES, in low that two of the original pioneers, Iridium company after working in Google’s moon- from television and telecommunications (Source: digitaltrends.com) earth orbit to offer modest Internet con- and Globalstar, which both went bank- shot factory, then known as Google X nectivity anywhere in the world for a low rupt years ago, are back in business now. transmissions to military tracking, spy but now called just X, and at NASA’s Jet price. The small satellites, each about The seemingly modest penalties im- photography, and GPS location data. The Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California. the size of a toaster, will offer Internet posed for the unauthorized launch—plus FCC had rejected Swarm’s initial satellites Home security startup It also helps the entire burgeoning field speeds good for text messages, not web the FCC’s willingness to approve Swarm’s as too small, believing that they would of small satellite startups gain clarity surfing or video streaming. That could more recent launches—don’t sound like be difficult to track by radar to avoid predicts break-ins before about the FCC’s views on what can— allow a sailor to send a text message home much of a deterrent to future bad actors. collisions with other objects in orbit (it and cannot—be launched into space at from the high seas or help a rural farm- But the agency’s significant attention turned out later that the small sats could they happen this time. er keep tabs on crops via simple water on the unauthorized launch, plus the be tracked). Spangelo emerged from the episode monitoring devices. years of monitoring requirements and Swarm has subsequently sought to Deep Sentinel is taking home security to a new level with its Smart sanguine but focused on the future, in- Offering Internet service from space all the bad publicity convinces longtime launch slightly larger satellites. Its initial Home Surveillance System. The kit costs $399 and includes three cluding three FCC-authorized satellites isn’t a new or unique idea, of course. Many satellite industry consultant Tim Farrar application was for a device less than cameras with wall mounts, a hub and four rechargeable lithium-ion Swarm successfully launched on a SpaceX of billions of dollars were lost by earlier that notice has been served. 3 centimeters thick, below the FCC’s batteries. It also relies on an actual “video surveillance team” to Falcon 9 rocket just two weeks ago. “We space telecom pioneers like Iridium, Bill “The negative press coverage sur- 10-centimeter-per-side threshold to allow keep an eye on things remotely via the cameras. accept the decision of the FCC as reflect- Gates-backed Teledesic, and Globalstar. rounding this issue is likely to deter other radar tracking (Swarm maintained that The surveillance guards don’t keep watch 24/7. Deep Senti- ed in its consent decree and appreciate Now, some of the world’s other famous new satellite operators from launching its devices were still trackable). Swarm’s nel says its “advanced deep learning AI” can tell the difference the FCC’s ongoing support for Swarm’s billionaires, including Jeff Bezos, Elon without authorization in the future,” he more recent applications and launch- between a possible intruder and other types of activity. So, the mission,” Spangelo tells Fortune in an Musk, and Masayoshi Son, are vying to says. “More interesting is the degree of es were for satellites at least 10 cm on guards instead rely on algorithms to tell them if something re- email. With the successful launch “we build high-speed, space-based Internet interest from the full commission in this every side. quires a closer look. Then, if they see a security breach, they’ll move one step closer to enabling low- services. Smaller startups like Swarm issue and their desire for a higher pen- (Source: fortune.com) contact emergency services or law enforcement. The concept of “surveillance guards” is intriguing, but it sounds roughly the same as any professional monitoring service. Here’s how it typically works with security systems from ADT, Vivint Neutrogena tech produces user-specific 3D-printed facial masks and other major companies: Folks in a call center monitor your system for activity and if they detect activity and a potential When it comes to hydrating facial skin, along with The facial map and Skin360 data are uploaded to threat, they contact emergency services. delivering nutrients to it, ready-made “sheet masks” a server, where they’re accessed by Neutrogena to The main difference, then, is how much the person monitoring have become quite popular. Neutrogena is now taking 3D-print a batch of sheet masks designed specifically your system remotely can get involved. Deep Sentinel guards can the concept further – its MaskiD system fabricates for that user. Made of a hydrogel consisting of cellulose see your footage and even speak to a potential intruder via the 3D-printed masks that are customized to the shape sourced from locust beans and red seaweed, these cameras’ two-way intercom. and needs of each client’s face. contain added “rejuvenating” ingredients which are “This level of service does not exist. Other services respond to Users start by taking a smartphone selfie, from custom-placed in six areas of the mask. sensors not incident. Deep Sentinel camera detects the motion which a 3D digital map of their face is created. Those ingredients include purified hyaluronic acid, and analyzed by the AI such as a leaf falling vs. real movement That map includes information such as the exact to improve the skin’s moisture barrier; vitamin B3, to of a crime,” Deep Sentinel CEO, David Selinger, says. size and shape of their nose, along with precise reduce discoloration; feverfew, to minimize redness; The cameras have 1080p HD resolution, 130-degree lenses, measurements of the spaces between their various stabilized glucosamine, to exfoliate the skin and reduce night vision and two-way audio. They can be used outside and facial features. wrinkles; and vitamin C, for brighter-looking skin. have integrated 104-decibel sirens and strobe lights. Next, they make use of Neutrogena’s previous- The process ends with the masks being shipped The hub saves recorded video locally and has a roughly six- ly-released Skin360 system – it consists of a smart- to the client. month storage capacity, although I imagine that varies based on phone-mounted imaging device known as the Skin- There is currently no word on the price of the MaskiD the activity around your home. Scanner, along with an app. utilizing this system, they system, which should be available (initially to U.S. On top of the $399 system, Deep Sentinel’s service costs $50 obtain personalized information such as the size and consumers) through the Neutrogena website in the per month with a one-year commitment. depth of lines/wrinkles, along with their skin’s mois- third quarter of this year. (Source: cnet.com) ture levels in different areas. (Source: neutrogena.com) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JANUARY 7, 2019 SCIENCE 11 Researchers devise a mathematical approach Milky Way collision with Large Magellanic Cloud will for understanding intra-plant communication happen sooner than expected A team of researchers at the Gran Sasso Sci- aim of investigating the processes playing Researchers revealed that the Milky Way Galaxy will collide with ence Institute (GSSI) and Istituto Italiano di a role in the intra-communication for plant the Large Magellanic Cloud in 2 million years. The impact might Technologia (IIT) have devised a mathemat- growth decisions,” the researchers wrote in cause a shock within the entire galaxy that might knock the Solar ical approach for understanding intra-plant their recent paper. “We propose and explain System into outer space. communication. here a system of ordinary differential equa- The Milky Way Galaxy is on a collision course with not one, In their paper, pre-published on bioRx- tions (ODEs) that, differently from state of but two neighboring galaxies and it might happen sooner than iv, they propose a fully coupled system of the art models, take into account the entire scientists initially thought. non-linear, non-autonomous discontinuous sequence of processes from nutrients uptake, Researchers from the Durham University in England revealed and ordinary differential equations that can photosynthesis and energy consumption and that the Milky Way Galaxy is set to plow into the Large Megallanic accurately describe the adapting behavior redistribution.” Cloud in 2.5 billion years. This is and growth of a single plant, by analyzing Mathematical model much sooner than the predict- the main stimuli affecting plant behavior. In the new study, therefore, the research- ed impact with the Andromeda Recent studies have found that rather than ers set out to develop a mathematical model Galaxy in 8 billion years. being passive organisms, plants can actually that describes the dynamics of intra-plant The LMC is a smaller galaxy, exhibit complex behaviors in response to communication and analyses the possible but it packs vast clouds of gasses environmental stimuli, for instance, adapting cues that activate adaptive growth respons- that slowly collapse to form new their resource allocation, foraging strategies, es in a single plant. This model is based on stars. It is the brightest among and growth rates according to their surround- formulations about biological evidence the Milky Way’s satellite galaxies. ing environment. How plants process and collected in laboratory experiments using Scientists assumed that the manage this network of stimuli, however, is state-of-the-art techniques. LMC will either remain in orbit a complex biological question that remains Compared to existing models, their model biological rules into algorithmic solutions. of intra-plant communication, completely for billions of years to come or unanswered. covers a wider range of elements, including Even though each root acted independently disregarding the analysis of above-ground escape from this galaxy’s gravita- Stimulus-signal-behavior chain photosynthesis, starch degradation, multiple from the others, the researchers observed the organs, as well as photosynthesis-related tional pull and fly away. However, Researchers have proposed several math- nutrients uptake and management, biomass emergence of some self-organizing behavior, processes. a new study now claims that the ematical models to achieve a better under- allocation, and maintenance. These elements aimed at optimizing the internal equilibrium “In this paper, we do not aspire to gain a Milky Way will cannibalize its standing of plant behavior. Nonetheless, none are analyzed in depth, considering their inter- of nutrients at the whole-plant level. While this complete description of the plant complex- satellite galaxy. of these models can effectively and clearly actions and their effects on a plant’s growth. past study yielded interesting results, it merely ity, yet we want to identify the main cues While the researchers believe that the Solar System will largely portray the complexity of the stimulus-sig- To validate their model and test its ro- considered a small part of the complexity influencing the growth of a plant with the be unaffected by the collision, it could still wreak havoc within the nal-behavior chain in the context of a plant’s bustness, the researchers compared experi- Milky Way Galaxy. They warned that the collision could awaken internal communication network. In the new study the researchers set mental observations of plant behavior with the long-dormant black hole of the Milky Way Galaxy, the Sagit- The team of researchers at GSSI and IIT results obtained when applying their model tarius A*. The central supermassive black hole, which is about 4 who carried out the recent study had previ- out to develop a mathematical model in simulations, where they reproduced con- million times larger than the sun, will devour surrounding gas, ously investigated the mechanisms behind that describes the dynamics of intra- ditions of growth similar to those naturally generate powerful jets of high energy radiation, and grow even intra-plant communication, with the aim to occurring in plants. Their model attained plant communication and analyses the bigger in size. identify and exploit basic biological principles high accuracy and minor errors, suggesting “Even though the LMC is currently heading away from the for the analysis of plant root behavior. Their possible cues that activate adaptive growth that it can effectively summarize the complex MW, dynamical friction acting on such a heavy galaxy will cause previous work analyzed robotic roots in a responses in a single plant. dynamics of intra-plant communication. its orbit rapidly to lose energy and, approximately a billion years simulated environment, translating a set of (Source: phys.org) from now, to turn around and head towards the center, where it is destined to merge in another 1.5 billion years or so,” the Drill originally destined for Mars heads to Prehistoric shark may have researchers wrote. (Source: Tech Times) Antarctica to dig into climate secrets caught a dinner on the wing Physicists are first to laser A high-tech drill originally slated for use Museum fossil halls can be overwhelming. on Mars is heading for another cold, alien There’s so much to see. Towering cool neutral plasma desert – Antarctica. Developed by a team of skeletons, bones behind glass, dozens University of Glasgow engineers, the drill of text placards, and looping multimedia Physicists have created the world’s first laser-cooled neutral plasma. is on its way to the British Antarctic Survey displays, all competing with each other The research opens a frontier where experimental atomic and (BAS) Skytrain Ice Rise research station, for awe and attention. It’s easy to breeze plasma physicists can coax matter to behave in bizarre new ways. where it will be used to drill deep under through lest you become fossilized in Rice University physicists have created the world’s first la- the ice cap to help scientists gain a better the hall yourself. But take your time ser-cooled neutral plasma, completing a 20-year quest that sets understanding of Earth’s climate history. and secrets may jump out at you. One of the stage for simulators that re-create exotic states of matter To develop even a vague idea of how my favorites is in hidden in an upstairs found inside Jupiter and white dwarf stars. the climate of the Earth has altered and alcove at the Natural History Museum The findings are detailed this week in the journal Science the mechanisms that drive it, that means of Los Angeles’ Dinosaur Hall. It’s a and involve new techniques for laser cooling clouds of rapidly looking for evidence that doesn’t just go P-RAID uses a hammering action watched curiously-placed shark tooth. bite marks - as other fossils chomped expanding plasma to temperatures about 50 times colder than back centuries or millennia, but whole over by an autonomous system. This al- The tooth isn’t by itself. The on by Cretoxyrhina do - and the tooth deep space. geological epochs spanning tens of mil- lows the device to operate at the lowest Cretaceous fossil is nestled against tip isn’t jammed into the bone. All the “We don’t know the practical payoff yet, but every time physi- lions of years. possible weight-on-bit and the lowest the neck vertebrae of a Pteranodon same, Hone and colleagues write, there cists have laser cooled a new kind of thing, it has opened a whole One of the ideal places to do this is Ant- possible torque. - one of the most charismatic of the is an “intimate association of the fossils” world of possibilities,” said lead scientist Tom Killian, professor arctica, which froze over some 15 million Bedrock under icecap flying pterosaurs - known to experts as in which the tooth is “wedged” beneath of physics and astronomy at Rice. “Nobody predicted that laser years ago. In one sense, the continent is a The upshot of this is that the drill system LACM 50926. Even if you know what part of the Pteranodon vertebra. It seems cooling atoms and ions would lead to the world’s most accurate time capsule that has preserved evidence is much smaller than conventional rigs and you’re looking for, it can take a moment unlikely that the tooth became firmly clocks or breakthroughs in quantum computing. We do this be- over a staggeringly long time. But in an- can fit inside the narrow boreholes used for for it to pop out from the osteological nestled in this spot by chance, and so cause it’s a frontier.” other, it’s a dynamic record as the ice cap taking ice core samples. After completing background. But it’s there, the triangular, it may be evidence of the shark biting Killian and graduate students Tom Langin and Grant Gor- has moved, grown and shrunk, while the acclimation tests, the drill will be lowered serrated profile the remnant of a large the pterosaur. man used 10 lasers of varying wavelengths to create and cool climate has warmed and cooled in cycles. to the bedrock under the icecap, where it shark called Cretoxyrhina mantelli that The shark could have scavenged on the neutral plasma. They started by vaporizing strontium metal Drilling through ice will collect samples for return to Britain used to swim a warm seaway divided the Pteranodon after the flying archosaur and using one set of intersecting laser beams to trap and cool The hard part is getting at this evidence, for analysis. North American in two circa 75 million died, its carcass perhaps floating on a puff of strontium atoms about the size of a child’s fingertip. which requires drilling through ice that The hope is that by measuring the ratio years ago. the surface or settling on the bottom. Next, they ionized the ultracold gas with a 10-nanosecond blast can be over a mile thick to get to the bed- of the various radioactive isotopes present, This fossil, paleontologists Dave Then again, Pteranodon is thought to from a pulsed laser. By stripping one electron from each atom, rock. This is compounded by the fact that it will be possible to determine when and Hone, Mark Witton, and Michael have been a fish-eating species that the pulse converted the gas to a plasma of ions and electrons. drilling through ice is different to drilling how often the ice has receded in the area. Habib note in a study of the fossil, is was able to launch from the water as Energy from the ionizing blast causes the newly formed plasma through rock, so collecting samples is a Not only do the isotopes provide dating an association. It puts Pteranodon and some modern seabirds do. Perhaps one to expand rapidly and dissipate in less than one thousandth of difficult problem, one now with a potential evidence by their rate of radioactive decay, Cretoxyrhina in the same place at the such Pteranodon was in repose, bobbing a second. This week’s key finding is that the expanding ions can solution inspired by the Red Planet. but exposure of the rock to sunlight affects same time, the fossils buried way back along, when assaulted from below by be cooled with another set of lasers after the plasma is created. According to the Glasgow team, drilling their accumulation. in the Late Cretaceous. And it’s a rare Cretoxyrhina. It’s a scene both alien and Killian, Langin and Gorman describe their techniques in the on Mars presents its own challenges. Most The team says that the drill has already one. Of over a thousand Pteranodon familiar, an interaction played out tens new paper, clearing the way for their lab and others to make drills work by pressing the bit down into the visited Antarctica on previous occasions to fossils collected so far, only seven have of millions of years before tiger sharks even colder plasmas that behave in strange, unexplained ways. material in question, but the low gravity of test it in Mars-like conditions, but this is the been found with signs of interactions and young albatrosses would play out (Source: Science Daily) Mars make this difficult – especially when first time it has been used for a geological with sharks. The question is what kind the same violent dance. Seek out the the drill is stuck on the end of a relatively experiment. The University of Glasgow of interaction brought this Cretoxyrhina display, if you have the chance. It’s an light and wobbly robotic arm. research team consisting of Kevin Worrall tooth to come to rest against the neck opportunity to look, and wonder, about Submersible is first to reach The team’s answer was the Percussive and Ryan Timoney will leave this week for bone of the Pteranodon. what a now-static monument might tell Rapid Access Isotope Drill (P-RAID). Antarctica, if the weather permits. Association of fossils us about ancient life. bottom of Atlantic Ocean Instead of just spinning the drill bit, the (Source: newatlas.com) The Pteranodon bones don’t show (Source: scientificamerican.com) A few days before Christmas, a submersible journeyed all 27,480 feet down to the very bottom of the Puerto Rico Trench. The feat made U.S. private equity firm founder Victor Vescovo the first person to Revised Brazilian forest code may lead to increased legal deforestation in Amazon reach the deepest spot in the Atlantic Ocean, reports Rupert Neate Up to 15 million hectares of tropical rainforest clear-cut, but it’s important to pay attention at The Guardian. in the Brazilian Amazon could lose protection to this in the current political context, which It took Vescovo 2.5 hours to pilot his custom-built, $35 million and be clear-cut because of an article in the suggests a weakening of deforestation Triton submersible, called the Deep Submergence Vehicle (DSV) country’s new Forest Code. prevention mechanisms,” said Flávio Luiz Limiting Factor, to the true bottom of the trench, which was de- The warning comes from Brazilian Mazzaro de Freitas, a Ph.D. researcher at termined using a state-of-the-art sonar system, according to an researchers at the University of São Paulo’s Luiz KTH Royal Institute of Technology and first expedition press release. While in the trench, the team believes de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ-USP) author of the paper. Vescovo recorded or collected four deep-sea species new to science. and Swedish researchers at KTH Royal Institute To assess the possible impact of a Vescovo has previously trekked to both the North and South of Technology in Stockholm and Chalmers reduction in the legal reserve requirement Poles and climbed the highest mountain on each continent, in- University of Technology in Gothenburg. They to protect forest areas equivalent to 50% cluding Mount Everest, a combo known as the “Explorer’s Grand recently published a paper on the subject in instead of 80% of public and private lands Slam.” But that club is—relatively speaking—a little crowded, with Nature Sustainability. in the Amazon, the researchers used a more than 60 people having completed the feat. That’s one reason The “15 million hectares that could become georeferenced database for the entire country Vescovo decided to take to the water. The Puerto Rico Trench dive is deprotected as a result of this rule in the new with land tenure datasets including official the first leg of his latest challenge: to reach the lowest spot in each of Forest Code are roughly equivalent to the statistics for national and state conservation the world’s five oceans. He’s dubbed the feat, inaccessible to anyone entire legal reserve deficit that needs to be units, indigenous reservations and military without millions of dollars of resources, the “Five Deeps Expedition.” offset or restored in Brazil, and they consist land, as well as rural property and settlement Josh Dean at Popular Science reports that Limiting Factor and its mainly of tropical rainforest,” Gerd Sparovek databases maintained by the National Land support ship, Pressure Drop, are truly unique. Currently, there are , a professor at ESALQ-USP and a coauthor the law terms a “legal reserve”. such as Amazonas, Roraima, Acre, and Amapá Reform Institute (INCRA) and the Rural only five manned submersibles on Earth capable of descending past of the paper, told. Now, however, under Article 12 (5), added consist mostly of primary forest and have Environmental Register (CAR). 13,123 feet and all of those are state-run. That makes the Limiting Losses of biodiversity at Amapá State’s request when the Forest Code some 80 million hectares of undesignated Using this georeferenced database, Factor something of a test vehicle. “Loss of these areas to agriculture could was amended and updated in 2012, any state public land. housed in the Euler computer cluster at the Vescovo’s next stop on the tour is the South Sandwich Trench, nullify the effort to regularize legal reserves in in the Amazon region is allowed to reduce the If conservation units and indigenous Center for Mathematical Sciences Applied the deepest spot in the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica, Brazil and result in huge losses of biodiversity, legal reserve requirement from 80% to 50% if reservations are created on this public land, to Industry - CeMEAI, one of the Research, which is scheduled for February. Of all the deep spots, that one is impair ecosystem services of great value to conservation units and indigenous reservations the law will allow private landowners in these Innovation and Dissemination Centers - perhaps the least understood because of its remoteness and subzero society, such as water supply, and increase account for more than 65% of its territory. states to reduce their legal reserves, opening RIDCs supported by FAPESP, the researchers temperatures. The other stops on his trek include a visit to the Java greenhouse gas emissions.” If the article is implemented, between up large areas for legal logging and agricultural modeled the implementation of Article 12 (5) Trench in the Indian Ocean, the Molloy Deep in the Arctic Ocean, Sparovek explained that until 2012, the 7 million and 15 million hectares of forest expansion. of the new Forest Code under two different and the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench, home to the Challenger Forest Code required private landowners in will be deprotected and could be legally cut The forest areas scenarios for the use of undesignated land Deep, the deepest known spot in the Earth’s oceans. All of the dives the Amazon region to set aside 80% of their down, according to the researchers. This The “removal of legal protection doesn’t in the Amazon. are being filmed for a show on the Discovery Channel. property with native vegetation intact in what computation accounts for the fact that states automatically mean these forest areas will be (Source: eurekalert.org) (Source: Smithsonianmag.com) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 12 SOCIETY JANUARY 7, 2019

Tehran city council to Expert predicts Iran to meet discuss naming a street after Sanchi victims SOCIETY period of wet spells TEHRAN — As per a request submitted by the deskNational Iranian Tanker Company to Tehran ENVIRONMENT TEHRAN — Statistics it seems that the highest drop will occur in desk city council, the council will discuss naming a street after victims show that Iran’s weath- the last month of winter. of Sanchi oil tanker tragedy [in er patterns are changing toward entering a During mid-January to early February, which the tanker burned and period of consecutive rainy days, but given precipitation rate especially in the southwest- sank off the coast of China on the country’s climate characteristic constantly ern parts will meet above normal average, January 6, 2018], the council experiencing intense wet and dry spells, it is cold regions of which will receive snowfall. chairman said on Sunday. necessary to prevent high water consumption, Accordingly, in spite of rainfall extremes Mohsen Hashemi made the faculty member of the Research Institute of in the autumn, it is anticipated that the av- remarks concurrent with the Forests and Rangelands has said. erage precipitation in winter will meet the first anniversary of the Sanchi Rainfall extremes during spring and normal levels, so it is not farfetched that the oil tanker incident, IRNA news autumn this year slowly questioned the country faces dry spells and water scarcity agency reported. conception that Iran is experiencing a once again exacerbated. The Sanchi oil tanker car- long-term drought and some of the experts So, instead of blaming the residents for rying 136,000 tons of Iran’s announced that wet spell will embrace the consuming high amounts of water, officials light crude oil was heading to country for 20 years. must pay serious attention to efficient water South Korea when collided with Since the beginning of the current crop management methods as well as halting a Chinese freighter off east coast year (September 23, 2018) up to December the construction of numerous wells, damns of China on January 6. The col- 23, 2018, the whole country has received and optimizing cultivation of agricultural lision set fire to the oil tanker some 91.6 millimeters of precipitation products while shutting down water con- and after days of burning. The taker eventually sank on January which demonstrates a 47.6 percent increase suming industries. 14. Following the tragic incident all those aboard, including 30 compared to its long term mean of 62 mm, Water scarcity not to be com- Iranian sailors and two Bangladeshi ones were announced dead. according to the statistic published by the pensated Meteorological Organization. frequently experiencing dry and wet spells, misconception of water is always available, Over the past 11 years, the mean pre- Inquired whether the country will be as precipitation rates might differ about 70 and if not, water will be transferred from cipitations in the country has not met having a wet spell, Mohammad Darvish to 80 percent from one year to another, he Karun and Zayandehrud rivers, this is while normal levels. 12,000 traffic-related deaths explained that the water year in the coun- noted, adding, the climate characteristics province of Isfahan’s condition is even worse. In November 2018, Sadeq Ziaeian director occurred in 8 months try begins on September 23 up to the next of areas in arid parts of the world are not This revels that we took no single step for drought and crisis management depart- year’s September 22, so this year’s spring predictable based on conventional mete- to increase people awareness of water pre- ment at IMO said that while the country has rainfalls are not considered in the current orological models, and we need to manage ciousness and shortage, in addition to not been poured with rain over the autumn, it SOCIETY TEHRAN — The number of traffic-related water year, but from the beginning of au- our lives in such a way that we have the least legislating any laws in this regard, consider- is not satisfactory enough to compensate deskdeaths occurred in the country in the first 8 tumn only precipitation rate has exceeded dependence on soil and water resources, as ing fines or punishment for citizens taking for severe water shortages, since in the last months of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21, compared to the same period last year and not to be easily affected by such changes. water for granted or rewarding those being 11 water years, the precipitation rates was 2018) amounted to 12,261, a 0.9 percent rise year on year. also the long term mean, which demonstrates This year, rainfall in eastern border areas careful, he also highlighted. below normal or, eventually, normal, as a According to Iran’s forensics organization, of the total number a pass from recurrent droughts. have exceeded 769 percent compared to the Referring to the poor water billing system result of which the groundwater resources 9,587 were men and the rest were women, IRNA news agency Moreover, in comparison to the fifty-year same period last year, however, this year only in the country, Darvish noted that there and water stored behind the dams had fallen reported on Saturday. long-term average, except for the eastern 11.3 mm poured in the area in comparison are buildings in the capital consisting of sharply, so, at least 11 years of normal pre- Intercity roads set the record high for the highest number of border areas, which is still receiving lower to the last year mean of almost zero milli- 40 housing units while sharing a common cipitation average is needed to compensate deaths reported in the same period, the report added. rainfall than its long-term average, the rest meter, he lamented, adding, therefore, the water metering device, which will have a for the current situation. Provinces of Fars, Tehran and Isfahan with 992, 916 and 848 of the country has met above normal pre- high rainfall growth rates recent statistics water bill being divided into 40, so each Situated in an arid region, Iran has long deaths respectively are the regions with the highest number of cipitation rates compared to the long-term does not mean that it compensates for the neighbors must pay a certain amount regard- been fighting with water shortage. The huge deaths recorded while provinces of Ilam, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer means, he further stated. drought in recent years. less of how much water they used, so it will expansion of agricultural and industrial ac- Ahmad and Ardebil with 110, 141, and 161 deaths reported the The Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman He also explained that instead of curbing discourage the citizens to use an adequate tivities in past decades put an extra pressure lowest number of deaths respectively. are experiencing the best rainfall condition water usage, it is essential to avoid loss of amount of water. on water resources. The number of individuals who sustained injuries in traf- receiving 197.5 mm of rain, which indicates a water and optimize water consumption To solve the problem, the government Many damns have been built and too many fic-related accidents over the 8-month period was 259,988 of 63.6 percent increase in mean precipitation in different fields, for instance, dam con- can easily issue a law that each housing deep wells have been dug in the country to which 185,874 were men. since past 50 years, and a 335 percent increase structing and water transfer must come unit must have its own water metering satisfy the ever increasing need for water, According to World Health Organization there were 1.25 compared to the last year, he highlighted. to a halt, and water-intensive industries device, he added. but it takes a lot more ore than a slight in- million road traffic deaths globally in 2013 and low- and mid- “So, the statistics shows that in the last and activities must determine wastewater Winter not to meet above normal crease in precipitation or building dams to dle-income countries had higher road traffic fatality rates per four months the country entered a period reuse, and treatment. rainfall ease the chronic water shortage. 100,000 population. Almost half of all deaths on the world’s of heavier downpours and wet spells, but Yazd province is among the four regions According to a report published by the Desertification, climate change, illegal roads are among those with the least protection – motorcyclists, the conception that drought will be over in having the highest amount of water loss, climatological research center affiliated to water wells, wasteful farming practices, cyclists and pedestrians. the country is not accurate or reliable due which was once among the first area build- IMO, the country will receive normal or lower water-intensive industries in arid regions to not being scientific.” ing qanats and doing a fair share in using than normal rainfall in winter. and injudicious use of water in households He went to explain that Iran being lo- water, he regretted. Moreover, the monthly rainfall trend are known to have a far greater effect on the LEARN ENGLISH cated in an arid and semi-arid region, is He also added that it happens due to a shows a gradual decline during winter, and worsening crisis. Chinese Medicine 50 houses built by Basij for the underprivileged in Tehran A: What’s wrong? SOCIETY TEHRAN— Volunteer forces of Basij, The report added that 49 houses were also built for the B: I have a headache. These past few days I’ve been living off deskthe Organization for Mobilization of the underprivileged residents of Qale Simon in Islamshahr painkillers. Man, I feel like my head is going to explode. Oppressed, have completed building 50 houses for the two years ago. A: You should get acupuncture treatment. My mom financially struggling residents of Lahak village in Islam- In a tweet on Saturday, Iran’s former chief nuclear was always having headache issues and it was acupuncture that cured her. shahr, southwestern Tehran. negotiator Saeed Jalili mentioned the construction of the B: The results are too slow. On top of that, just the thought of Basij is one of the five forces of the Islamic Revolutionary houses in the underprivileged areas criticizing the yellow smoking needles poking into my fleshfrightens me. Guard Corps. The volunteer militia was established in Iran press which block the truth about such accomplishments. A: They don’t just randomly stick you, they find yourpressure in 1979 by order of Imam Khomeini, leader of the Islamic Yellow press would not allow such success to be pub- points. The heat allows the body to immediately respond to Revolution, and it originally consists of civilian volunteers. licized, he wrote, adding that, see how the Iranian youth the treatment, restoring the body’s “chi”. According to a news piece published by IRIB on Sep- have finished building 50 houses for the underprivileged B: But I get scared the moment I see a needle. How could I tember 12 last year, ground was broken for construction in Islamshahr within 4 months. stand having needles in my body for hours on end? of the 50 houses in the last month of summer. Yellow press would publicize a great load of worthless A: The needles are very thin, and as long as the doctor’s technique The 5,000-square-meter land area for construction of news so that key issues would receive no attention, he is good, and the patient himself is relaxed, it won’t hurt–on the houses was donated by a philanthropist. lamented. the contrary it will actually alleviate pain. Now there are high-tech needles that are micro thin; they don’t hurt at all. However, if you are really scared of acupuncture, scraping or cupping are also options. Cyclists and pedestrians should be priority on any new road, says UK’s health watchdog B: Scraping is too terrifying. When they finish scrapping, your New road projects should prioritize cyclists, day-to-day lives by encouraging safe, con- as smoking, Nice said. at Nice, said: “Getting people to be more body is all red, as if you were just tortured. Cupping is the pedestrians and public transport over cars to venient, active travel that is accessible for More than one in four adults, or 26 per physically active by increasing the amount same, your body ends up with red circles all over it–looks encourage more physical activity across the everyone, including older people and people cent, are classified as obese, an increase of they walk or cycle has the potential to benefit like someone beat you up. UK, the health watchdog has said. with limited mobility”. 15 per cent since 1993. both the individual and the health system. A: This only signifies that the toxins have left the body. Actually, The National Institute for Health and The Department for Transport has said it Provision of improved cycle and pedes- “As a society we are facing a looming Type there is only discomfort during the treatment process. Once Care Excellence (Nice) is urging planners supports Nice’s recommendations, and said trian infrastructure dramatically increases 2 diabetes crisis, which is in part caused by it’s over you feel very comfortable. and developers to build “safe, convenient, its own guidance “is crystal clear that street levels of activity, studies have shown. The people not exercising enough. We need more B: Chinese medicine is strange. The patients are already ill, inclusive” transport infrastructure, which design should explicitly consider pedestrians Nice recommendations include tactile paving people to change their lifestyle and to take and then the doctor makes them suffer more. will help people move away from cars to and cyclists first”. and even surfaces for those with limited mo- more exercise. A: This is the only way to get at the problem. Anyway, if healthier modes of transport. In the UK physical inactivity is respon- bility, and non-reflective, anti-glare paving “People can feel less safe when they walk or you want to relieve the pain, you are just going to have to In a set of new draft guidelines issued sible for one in six deaths and is believed to surfaces for people with visual impairments. cycle compared with when they drive. We’ve be tough and do it. B: Forget it. I don’t want to inflict any more pain on myself. to councils and planners, Nice said the aim cost the economy £7.4bn a year, including Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief ex- got to change this. In a little while I’ll go and buy some more painkillers and is “to get people to be more active in their £900m to the NHS, roughly the same impact ecutive and director of health and social care (Source: The Independent) take a nap. Key vocabulary painkiller: a drug, treatment, or anything else that relieves pain ENGLISH IN USE acupuncture: Chinese Medical practice or procedure that treats illness or provides local anesthesia by the insertion of needles at specified sites of the body LEARN NEWS TRANSLATION treatment :an act or manner of treating needle: a small, slender, rod-like instrument, usually of polished steel, with a sharp point at one end poke: to quickly push your finger or some other pointed object $22m earmarked for equipping تخصیص 90 میلیارد تومان اعتبار برای تجهیز into something or someone flesh: the soft substance of a human or other animal body, technical-vocational schools هنرستان های کشور consisting of muscle and fat pressure point: a point on the skin that is extremely sensitive A total budget of 900 billion rials (nearly $22 million) has been بــه گــزارش خبرگــزاری مهــر، سیدمحســن حســینی مقــدم مدیــرکل فنــی و حرفهای to pressure be- cause of the presence of pressure-sensing organs requested to develop and equip technical-vocational high schools alleviate: to make something less painful or difficult to deal with دفتــر متوســطه وزارت آمــوزش و پــرورش از درخواســت تخصیــص ۹۰ میلیــارد تومان across the country in the current Iranian calendar year (ending scraping: it is s done when a tool is used to “scrape” over a March 20, 2019), Mohsen Hosseini, an official with the Ministry اعتبــار بــرای تجهیــز هنرســتانهای کشــور در ســال جــاری خبــر داد. muscle or sore spot to help move toxins out, break up scar tissue or get rid of tendonitis of Education has announced. cupping: the process of drawing blood from the body and the application of a cupping glass inflict:to make someone suffer something unpleasant PREFIX/SUFFIX PHRASAL VERB IDIOM Supplementary vocabulary meditation: devout religious contemplation or spiritual introspection “-ist” Make for Come to a head tai chi: a meditative exercise, characterized by slow circular Meaning: practicing, specializing or characterized Meaning: move in the direction of; head for Explanation: If a problem comes to a head, it and stretching movements and positions of bodily balance herb: a plant when valued for its medicinal properties by something reaches a point where action has to be taken. incense: the perfume or smoke arising from a substance For example: What special skills are necessary for For example: Let’s make for the exit before the For example: The conflict came to a head yesterday when burned a chemist to be above average? crowd starts to leave. when rioting broke out in the streets. (Source: irlanguage.com) ساعت: 19:40 امضاء صفحه آرا: ساعت: امضاء مسئول صفحه: ساعت: امضاء ادیتور: ساعت: امضاء سردبیر:

I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JANUARY 7, 2019 WORLD IN FOCUS 13

Syria sends reinforcements to Malaysia’s king steps down

Malaysia’s King Muhammad V resigned Sunday, the first time a Hama, Idlib amid clashes monarch has stepped down from the throne before completing their five-year tenure. 1 The military source said the Syrian occurred in al-Kishkiyah and al-Shaafah The king’s resignation took effect immediately, the National government cannot remain indifferent to towns in the troubled eastern province Palace said in a statement. No reason was given and palace offi- the assaults which breach a ceasefire bro- of Dayr al-Zawr, attested to the fact that cials did not respond to requests for comment. kered between Russia, Turkey and Iran in the alliance had only sought to nurture Malaysia has nine royal households, who typically take turns September 2017. ISIL and help it expand. to sit on the throne. The selection of the next king can be decid- The so-called safe zones declared in Idlib The ministry then called on the UN Secu- ed by a vote in the Council of Rulers, made up of all nine royal have seen HTS terrorists attacking Turk- rity Council (UNSC) to shoulder its respon- households. ish-backed militants from the so-called sibilities, and adopt immediate and effective The palace statement said the king was grateful for the op- National Front for Liberation (NFL) in a measure to stop the U.S.-led airstrikes, mass portunity given to him by the Council of Rulers and thanked the bid to seize key roads in the province and killings and systematic destruction of Syria’s prime minister and government. gain ground in the neighboring Hama. infrastructure. “His Highness has worked towards fulfilling his responsibil- The so-called Syrian Observatory for It also demanded the establishment of ities entrusted to him as the head of state, serving as a pillar of Human Rights (SOHR) has put death toll an independent and impartial international stability, source of justice, the core of unity ... for the people,” from the skirmishes in the upwards of 100, mechanism to investigate the crimes, pun- the palace statement said. including civilians, but al-Mayadeen televi- ish the perpetrators and compensate the The resignation comes barely a week after the king resumed sion has cited the figure of more than 500 families of victims. his duties after spending two months away on medical leave. killed. The letters highlighted that the contin- Images purporting to show the king getting married in Russia The clashes have raised concerns that ued silence of the Security Council against appeared on social media in December. The palace did not respond the deal to set up de-escalation zones in these attacks, neglect of its responsibilities to requests for comment on the photos or reports of a marriage. the region could unravel. to maintain international peace and secu- (Source: Daily Star) In a joint declaration issued on Friday, rity and its inaction to prevent war crimes local councils in Syria called for the establish- and crimes against humanity would lead to ment of a humanitarian corridor as clashes a very disturbing culture of impunity and spread to urban areas. either air or artillery in Syria between Decem- that were limited to the remnants of ISIL would thus undermine the Council, the UN Dozens of gold miners killed The tensions come amid contradictory ber 16 and 29 in support of the U.S.-spon- in eastern Syria. General Assembly (UNGA) and other major statements made by the United States offi- sored militant group – so-called the Syrian Syrian forces in Manbij de- world bodies. in collapse in Afghanistan Democratic Forces (SDF) – in northeastern cials about the American military pullout spite U.S. claim of patrol runs Syria’s state-run television network At least 30 people were killed when a gold mine collapsed in Syria and against what it proclaimed as “a from Syria. The report by the U.S.-based military. reported that 10 people were killed on Fri- northeastern Afghanistan in the latest tragedy to strike the war- range of ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and the The U.S. President Donald Trump ordered com further cited SOHR as claiming on Fri- day afternoon when the U.S.-led warplanes torn country. Levant/ISIL/Daesh) targets,” military.com a quick withdrawal of all 2,000 American day that the U.S. troops were conducting bombarded residential buildings in al-Kish- Another seven were injured in the incident on Sunday in Kohistan reported Saturday. forces from Syria last month but then said patrols in the northeastern Syrian town of kiyah town. district of Badakhshan province, district governor Mohammad There is no immediate cutoff date for the troops would get out slowly “over a period Manbij, near the Turkish border, pointing The report added that the victims were Rustam Raghi told the AFP news agency. air and artillery strikes, added the CJTF-OIR of time.” out that it was yet another sign that the U.S. all members of the same family. Villagers dug a 60-metre (200-feet) deep shaft in a riverbed statement, further insisting that the U.S. On Saturday, a senior administration of- is continuing to support the SDF’s mostly The development came only a few hours to search for gold. They were inside when the walls caved in. forces “will continue to target ISIS” and “will ficial said some U.S. troops could remain in Kurdish militants. after eleven people lost their lives in similar It was not clear why the shaft collapsed, but the provincial remain committed to the enduring defeat southern Syria for an unspecified amount of However, Syrian army announced last airstrikes against al-Shaafah town. governor’s spokesman Nik Mohammad Nazari said the miners of ISIS to improve conditions for peace and time. Those who leave Syria would be sent week that its forces entered Manbij on De- The air raids severely damaged private were not professionals. stability in the region.” to Iraq, he added. cember 28, marking the return of the town property in the targeted area as well. “The villagers have been involved in this business for decades According to the U.S. military statement, Bolton warns Syria over held by the U.S.-backed militants to the The U.S.-led coalition has been conducting with no government control over them,” Nazari said. the strikes were carried out using a variety chemical weapons use government fold for the first time in years. airstrikes against what are said to be ISIL “We have sent a rescue team to the area, but villagers have of platforms, including fighters, attack air- Meantime, with Syria reinforcing troops The announcement came moments after targets inside Syria since September 2014 already started removing bodies from the site.” craft, bombers, rotary-wing and remotely in Idlib, the U.S. national security adviser the city’s residents asked the Syrian govern- without any authorization from Damascus Badakhshan is a remote, mountainous province in piloted aircraft, rocket-propelled artillery John Bolton struck the familiar aggressive ment to retake Manbij following Trump’s or a UN mandate. northeast Afghanistan bordering Tajikistan, China and and ground-based tactical artillery. note, warning Damascus against the use of pledge to withdraw the U.S. troops from The military alliance has repeatedly Pakistan. chemical weapons. Civilians main victims of U.S. the country. been accused of targeting and killing The impoverished region is prone to landslides, par- The official was traveling to Israel when he air strikes in Syria Since Trump’s announced US troop civilians. It has also been largely inca- ticularly in the colder months when heavy snow blankets expressed there was “absolutely no change” Despite the U.S. claims of targeting the withdrawal from Syria, which prompted pable of achieving its declared goal of the province. in the U.S.’s stance on the matter of chemi- ISIL terrorists in Syria, SOHR reported on the resignation of his Defense Secretary destroying the ISIL. Illegal mining is common in resource-rich Afghanistan, with cal weapons, according to The Wall Street December 21 that American airstrikes killed Jim Mattis, he has repeatedly backed up Syria has on numerous occasions con- the Taliban relying on the sector for much of its revenue. Journal (WSJ). at least 27 mostly civilians – including eight his vow to bring home American forces from demned airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition, But most of the country’s minerals remain untapped as the Last September as the Syrian army geared children – in the village of al-Sha’afa in Syria’s Syria but later noted that the withdrawal asking the UN to force Washington and its raging conflict and lack of regulation deter international miners up to drive out terrorists from Idlib, Wash- eastern Dyr al-Zawr province, also injuring would be “slow and coordinated.” allies to put an end to their military inter- from exploiting the huge reserves. ington claimed that Damascus planned to scores of others. At a White House Cabinet meeting on vention in the country. (Source: Al Jazeera) carry out a chemical attack which the West Contrary to Washington’s repeated claims Wednesday, Trump claimed: “We’ve had A senior State Department official said has used as a pretext in the past to hit gov- of battling the ISIL terrorist across Syria, a tremendous success in Syria and we’re on Friday that the U.S. had no timeline to ernment positions. local press reports have documented that slowly bringing people back.” withdraw troops from Syria but added that Syria surrendered its entire chemical it was in fact the Syrian army that led the He further boasted, “We are doing some- it did not plan to stay indefinitely either, Britons want second stockpile in 2013 to a mission led by the operation to liberate Dayr Al-Zawr city from thing that, frankly, if I would have told you two weeks after Washington said it would Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) the grip of the foreign-backed militants in two years [ago], when we first came into withdraw its roughly 2,000 troops there. referendum: poll and the United Nations. November 2017. office, that we would have had that kind of On December 29, 2018, a source said Trump’s hawkish aides are also frustrated This is while the U.S.-led aerial assaults success, nobody would have believed it.” the planned withdrawal of the U.S. troops A new poll shows that the number of British people wanting their at calls by Syrian Kurdish leaders for a deal across Syria have been carried out without Continued U.S.-led coalition from Syria would expose the extent of war country to stay in the European Union has increased. with the Syrian government following the authorization from the government in Da- raids in Syria show disregard for crimes committed by the U.S.-led coalition. According to the survey that was published on Sunday, more U.S. president’s announcement to withdraw mascus or a UN mandate. Additionally, they UN Charter, intl. law: Damascus British soldiers wounded in Britons now want to be able to make the final decision themselves. troops. have failed to fulfill their declared aim of The developments follow as the Syrian Syria ISIL attack If a new referendum were held immediately, 46 percent would U.S. continues Syria airstrikes countering terrorist forces, but have mostly government says continued airstrikes by Moreover, two British soldiers were se- vote to remain, while 39 percent would vote to leave with the rest either being unsure what to do or refusing to answer, showed despite Trump’s troop withdrawal destroyed much of Syria’s infrastructure -- the U.S.-led coalition against ordinary peo- riously injured by a missile fired by the ISIL in line with Israeli regime’s anti-Damascus ple and civilian targets show the alliance’s terrorist outfit in eastern Syria on Saturday, the poll. order The survey of over 25,000 voters was commissioned by the The U.S. forces have conducted hundreds policies – and left many civilian casualties. reckless disregard for the UN Charter as according to a war monitor. Meanwhile, Syria has authorized Iraqi air well as international law. The SOHR said the pair were part of the People’s Vote campaign, which is spreading the idea of holding of aerial and artillery strikes in Syria and a second referendum on Brexit. will continue to do so indefinitely despite force to run aerial operations against ISIL The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs international anti-ISIL coalition, led by the terrorists still remaining in pockets of its and Expatriates, in two separate letters United States. It also showed 41 percent believe the final decision should be President Donald Trump’s order to withdraw made by a new public vote, whereas 36 percent thought it should American troops from the country, the US territory. Last week Iraqi F-16 jet fighters addressed to UN Secretary General An- A Kurdish fighter from the Syrian Dem- struck an ISIL command center near its tonio Guterres and the rotating presi- ocratic Forces (SDF) died in the attack be up to parliament. military’s regional command has announced. Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal has been widely criticized In a Friday press release, Combined western border inside Syria. dent of the Security Council, Francisco in the village of Al-Shaafa in Deir Az Zor The last Monday attack came a day after Antonio Cortorreal, on Saturday, said province, one of the last pockets of territory by both allies and rivals. The British leader has warned that re- Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Re- jection of her plan would risk a chaotic exit from the EU or not solve (CJTF-OIR) unveiled that the U.S. and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he had that the crimes being perpetrated by the still controlled by ISIL in the Euphrates no objections to Iraqi cross-border strikes U.S.-led coalition, the latest of which River valley. leaving at all. coalition forces carried out 469 strikes with She has so far failed to persuade many skeptical MPs to back her deal, especially as EU leaders have indicated that the agree- ment is “not open for renegotiation.” Anti govt. protests rock Europe Parliament is due to vote on May’s exit deal in the week be- ginning Jan.14. Serbia: Thousands brave cold for fifth week of anti-govt. protest in Belgrade (Source: Press TV) 1 The protesters marched in snowfall from the negotiate, he told Reuters. historic Heroes Square to the parliament building on the Trade union membership in Hungary is estimated at bank of the Danube river, carrying banners such as “Sweep below a tenth of the workforce, about half the level in Ger- Pentagon Chief of Staff Kevin away the regime.” many, according to data from the Organization for Economic Some of the protesters posted on social media or carried Co-operation and Development. Sweeney resigns following banners calling for a “national strike.” The past weeks’ anti-government rallies were also against The modification to the labor code passed by parliament a law that sets up new courts which critics say could be po- early departure of Defense last month has faced intense criticism and sparked the litically manipulated, and against bias in state-controlled Secretary biggest street protest in over a year. media. Potentially, it could add two extra hours to an average The earlier protests have been mostly peaceful, though The United States Department of Defense’s chief of staff, Rear work day, or the equivalent of an extra workday per week. there were some clashes with police who used tear gas. Admiral Kevin Sweeney, has quit his post in the wake of his Zoltan Mucsi, the head of steelmaker Dunaferr’s Vasas The ruling Fidesz party reiterated in a statement on boss’s resignation. trade union, said it was undemocratic that the government Thursday that the protests were part of a campaign for the Sweeney released a statement not long after a resignations did not discuss the labor code changes with the unions. European Parliament elections in May to help those who was submitted by Secretary of Defense James Mattis. Some of the main trade union groups may resort to a support mass migration into the European Union. with the ticket of resisting mass immigration into the EU. Mattis’s former deputy, Patrick Shanahan, began serving as strike if the government does not sit down with them to Fidesz won Hungarian elections with a landslide last year, (Source: agencies) acting Defense secretary at the beginning of January. “After two years in the Pentagon, I’ve decided the time is right to return to the private sector. It has been an honor to Sisi to inaugurate Coptic cathedral after bomb blast serve again alongside the men and women of the Department Egypt’s president will inaugurate the coun- City district of Cairo, religious officials and old baker, said in a phone interview. Sisi often presents himself as a defender of Defense,” he said. try’s biggest cathedral on Coptic Christmas witnesses said. There was no immediate confirmation of Christians against extremists but activists Before him, Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White had an- Eve Sunday, a day after a deadly bomb blast The Grand Mufti of Egypt, Shawki Allam, from officials. Government newspaper Al-Ah- and some analysts accuse the state of dis- nounced her resignation at the end of December. near a church in a country where militants denounced “the terrorist operation that tar- ram reported Sunday that a bomb had been criminating against them and not providing The U.S. president pushed James Mattis out of his post after have repeatedly targeted Christians. geted... the church in the Ezzbat al-Haggan placed in a bag on the roof of a building in enough protection. disagreement over Trump’s decision to end the U.S. military There was no immediate claim of responsi- neighborhood of Nasr City,” on his official Ezzbat al-Haggan, but it did not mention On Sunday Sisi will join the Coptic pope, presence in Syria and scale it back in Afghanistan, making Trump bility for Saturday’s explosion on the eastern Facebook page. the church or the mosque. Tawadros II, in the cathedral which is touted further isolated at helm. edge of Cairo that killed a policeman who He said “extremists” had planted “an ex- On Sunday morning security forces were as the largest in the Middle East. Before leaving Pentagon, Mattis ordered withdrawal of an was trying to defuse the device and wounded plosive device on the roof of Al-Haq mosque... deployed around the neighborhood keeping The president visited the Cathedral of estimated 2,200 U.S. forces from Syria. two other officers. near the Virgin Mary church.” journalists at bay. Nativity for Christmas Eve last year when Mattis submitted his letter of resignation after he failed Coptic Christians, who account for around Massad Saad, the son of the prayer leader Security has been reinforced in Cairo it was still under construction, and gave a to convince the president that the U.S. military presence 10 percent of Egypt’s population, have been at the mosque, told AFP he was inside the in recent weeks ahead of Coptic Christmas short speech wishing Copts a merry Christ- in Syria is associated with maintaining critical alliances hit by a string of attacks by Daesh (ISIL) in building when other worshipers noticed “a which is celebrated on Jan. 7. mas and saying the country would prevail and partnerships. recent years. man going up to the roof carrying a bag” On Sunday evening President Abdel-Fat- over militants. The long list of dismissals and resignations in the Trump The bomb was hidden inside a bag that but when they followed him they found tah al-Sisi was due to inaugurate the Cathedral His attendance Sunday will mark the administration reveals the chaotic play of power inside the White was placed on the rooftop of Al-Haq mosque “two bags.” of Nativity in Egypt’s new administrative cathedral’s official inauguration. House. near the Virgin Mary church in the Nasr “We informed the police,” Saad, a 35-year- capital, 45 kilometers east of Cairo. (Source: AFP) (Source: agencies) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 14 WORLD SPORTS JANUARY 7, 2019

Brilliant Nishikori claims ‘Heartbreaking’: tennis stars lament Brisbane title potential end of Hopman Cup

The likely demise of the Hopman Cup after did not continue. three decades of the unique mixed teams “We had an unbelievable event here for tennis tournament has been greeted with so many years -- the Hopman Cup has been sadness by players at this year’s edition, very successful from a player’s viewpoint,” with Serena Williams calling the prospect the three-time winner said. “heartbreaking”. “The players have always enjoyed this Swiss duo Roger Federer and Belinda event, so let’s hope it continues in some Bencic beat Germans Alexander Zverev and shape and form,” said Federer, adding that Angelique Kerber in Saturday’s final in front he believed a mixed teams event was good of a sell-out crowd in Perth, but it is expected for tennis. to be the last instalment of the event. “Where and how and what, honestly I A dramatic finish to what was arguably don’t know,” he added. the best Hopman Cup ever -- which also saw Frenchwoman Alize Cornet, who played Japanese star Kei Nishikori claimed his first title since 2016 Federer and Serena face off for the first time four times at the Hopman and won the title when he downed Russia’s Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in the in a historic mixed doubles clash -- came with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2014, was mortified final of the Brisbane International on Sunday. down to a single match point shared by both by the prospect of the event disappearing. The Japanese star had not won a tournament since Memphis sides in the final. “That would be the worst thing ever,” in 2016 and was hampered by a wrist injury the following year However, the event is widely tipped to she said. which forced a break from the 2018 tour. be scrapped to make way for the new ATP “Losing the Hopman Cup after losing Davis He was runner-up in Brisbane in 2017 but went one better World Team Cup, which will start next year. Cup and everything that is happening with this year in a superb final. While Tennis Australia has a contract with the ITF, I think it’s a big shame. Nishikori dominated his Russian rival throughout, despite a the West Australian State Government to “I think people, what they enjoy about slight hiccup when one poor service game cost him the second set. run the ITF-sanctioned tournament until this competition, is the fact that it’s mixed. The second seed started slowly and went down 0-3 to the 2022, the new ATP event would make it “It’s just a unique and special competition Russian. very hard for the Hopman Cup to attract and losing it, I would be very sad.” But he recovered to break back and then seized the advantage top men’s players. Hopman Cups, was saddened by the news. Hopman, the Hopman Cup has been used as Zverev, beaten in the final two years in a at 3-3 when he broke Medvedev again, taking the first set in 42 American superstar Serena, who was playing “I really love the tournament,” she said. preparation for the Australian Open by three row, said he hoped there would be a chance minutes. in Perth for the fifth time in her career and has “We all will be sad that it is the last time at decades of players and has held a unique to atone and that he hadn’t played his last Nishikori was all over the Russian in the second set, his powerful won the title twice, said she was unaware of Hopman Cup. place in the tennis world as the only top level Hopman match. and well-directed groundstrokes forcing Medvedev into errors. speculation on the Hopman’s fate, but that “Playing here as a team with your part- mixed teams tournament. “It will be tough to swallow because I will Medvedev held on against Nishikori’s multiple chances to she was upset by the prospect of it vanishing. ner, playing the mixed which is exciting, I - ‘Unbelievable event’ - remember this as our last ever match,” he said. break at 2-2 and 3-3 and took advantage of his opponent’s poor “Obviously it would be heartbreaking,” will miss it.” Swiss legend Roger Federer, with five ap- “It was a great match, but we came so close service game to break ahead. she said. Launched in 1989 by former Australian pearances in Perth including one partnered and lost it, so I hope there will be many more But any thought the Russian would take the momentum into German world number two Kerber, who players Paul McNamee and Charlie Fancutt with his future wife Miroslava Vavrinec back chances to play the Hopman Cup.” the decider proved wrong as Nishikori stormed to a 5-1 lead, has reached successive finals in the past two and named after Australian tennis great Harry in 2002, said it would be “a pity” if the event (Source: AFP) eventually wrapping up the final in just over two hours. (Source: AFP) Fabregas insists his quality has not Bayern Munich hand Ribery “heavy diminished ahead of Monaco move fine” for Tweetstorm Solskjaer takes responsibility for Man United’s sloppy display

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took responsibility for Manchester Unit- ed’s lacklustre display against Reading after admitting his team selection had made the task more difficult. United won for the fifth game in a row under the Norwegian but United were not at their best during the 2-0 victory and Reading, second from bottom of the Championship, ended the game having had more possession and more shots. “It was always going be difficult with my team selection,” Solskjaer said, after making nine changes to his team. “I made it hard for the players to be fair on them because it’s a team that’s never played together. “Reading made it really difficult for us. We never had a kick Cesc Fabregas believes his technical quality unfortunately when you get older, you Bayern Munich will impose “a heavy fine” acknowledged that the player had been the first five minutes, they just kept possession and we weren’t has never abated even if he has begun to lose lose speed, you lose some sharpness, but on Franck Ribery for his obscenity laced responding to a flurry of insults. cohesive enough in the pressing. That happens when you don’t “sharpness”, with the midfielder expected technique I think is something that always outburst on social media, the club’s sporting “Franck has been slandered and in- have a team that doesn’t plays together as much. to leave Chelsea for Monaco. stays with you when you have something, director Hasan Salihamidzic said on Sunday. sulted,” said Salihamidzic. “And not only “We didn’t have too much time to work. The pleasing thing Fabregas captained Chelsea to a 2-0 so hopefully it can stay with me for a very The French striker put a string of angry Franck, but his pregnant wife, his child and is we’re through and it’s another clean sheet. Two-nil flatters us FA Cup win at home to Nottingham Forest long time yet. posts on Twitter and Instagram on Saturday his mother, who is currently in hospital for because I think they played some great stuff.” on Saturday, bidding what looked to be an “With the penalty, when I stopped in aimed at those who had criticised him for an operation. Franck wanted to defend Solskjaer handed starts to Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez emotional farewell to the Stamford Bridge the middle of my run, I saw the goalkeeper eating a gold-coated steak. himself and defend his family. He has the while 19-year-old Dutchman Tahith Chong came on for the final crowd at the end of the game. going down and I thought that I had it, “I had a long talk with Franck and I let him right to do that. I support him in that, but 30 minutes to make his senior debut. Alvaro Morata appeared to confirm so yes, it is unfortunate but the day I did know that we would impose a heavy fine on unfortunately he totally lost control.” (Source: Soccernet) Fabregas would leave Chelsea on social 100 caps for Spain I also missed a penalty! him and he accepted it,” Salihamidzic told German media and social media us- media, writing on Instagram: “You do not “It feels like it was last week I started journalists in Qatar, where the club is on a ers had called on the reigning Bundesliga know how much I’m going to miss you!” playing professionally and now it is over training camp. “He used words that we, FC champions to punish the striker, who is Reports have indicated the 31-year- 15 years. It is a long time but for the young Bayern, cannot accept and that Franck does out of contract at the end of the season. old will hold talks with Ligue 1 strugglers players when they start playing, my little not have the right to use, as a role-model and “Bosses must suspend Ribery,” urged Napoli revive €50m Chiesa Monaco on Sunday ahead of a reunion advice is to enjoy it every single second player of FC Bayern”, added Salihamidzic. German tabloid Bild. with former Arsenal team-mate Thierry because it goes so fast. On Thursday, the 35-year-old Bayern The paper referred to comments by offer Henry, who took over as head coach in “In football you have to be ready every Munich player posted a video on social Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the club’s chief October. three days, you have to live with criticism, media showing him in a steak house owned executive, who, in October responded to Napoli saw their €50m offer for Federico Chiesa rejected last And despite missing a penalty against you have to live with everyone saying by celebrity Turkish restauranteur Salt Bae media criticism by quoting the German summer, but are ready to make a new Fiorentina proposal in June. Forest, Fabregas insists the technique he how good you are – up and downs - and and rubbing his hands before tucking into Constitution that “the dignity of the human President Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed on several occasions has shown throughout his career will not you just think I am young, I have time a huge chop coated in gold. being is intangible”. that he had made a huge bid for Chiesa, in the region of €50m, leave him as he reaches the final years of but time really does fly, so enjoy every That ostentatious luxury, and the report- “He is right, but it would not hurt if but that the Viola refused to sell. his playing days. single second of it.” ed cost of the meal, drew ferocious criticism he explained it to his employee Franck According to the Corriere della Sera newspaper, Napoli have “It is always something that I have had, Callum Hudson-Odoi impressed in the before Ribery -- who earns an estimated Ribery,” said Bild. not given up hope and will make a new attempt to call in the Italy and it feels like growing up and getting Forest win, setting up both of Morata’s eight million euros a year with the German Bayern and Rummenigge have also been international come the end of the season. older, it is one of those things that really goals, and Fabregas backed the teenager – champions -- hit back on Saturday. on the defensive recently after criticism from The 21-year-old son of Enrico Chiesa has gone from strength does never go away because it is technique,” linked with a move to Bayern Munich – to Salihamidzic made clear that Ribery some of the club’s own fans over the deci- to strength, contributing three goals and five assists in 19 Serie he told Chelsea’s website. have a bright future. did not pay the bill himself because he sion to return to Qatar for winter training. A appearances. “Physicality goes away from all of us (Source: Four Four Two) had been invited to the restaurant. He also (Source: France24) He has also received 11 senior caps for Italy. However, Napoli face strong competition from Inter, Juven- tus, Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain. Warriors, Kings set 3-point record in ‘incredible offensive display’ (Source: Football Italia) The Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kingscombined who went 5-of-7 from 3-point range and scored a career-high for an NBA-record 41 3-pointers during Saturday night’s 28 points. “It felt every time we went down the court somebody 127-123Warriors win at Golden 1 Center. hit a 3. That’s obviously not an every game type of thing, but It marked the first game in NBA history in which both it shows the types of shooters that both teams have and the teams made at least 20 3-pointers; the Warriors went 21- ability that both teams have to knock down 3s. It was very Lazio ask Barca for Malcom for-47, and the Kings went 20-for-36. good to see a lot of those shots fall for us.” Warriors coach Steve Kerr was happy with the result Warriors swingman Klay Thompson said he had “fun” Malcom famously failed to turn up for Roma, but could be coming and said his team knows that shooting from distance has playing in that kind of shootout but acknowledged just how to the Olimpico for Lazio on loan from Barcelona, claim Sport. become the new normal around the league. much the game has changed in recent years. The winger had agreed terms with the Giallorossi over the “It’s right there for you to see, right?” Kerr said of both “So much,” said Thompson, who made three 3-point- summer and was expected at the airport with medical booked teams’ offensive prowess. “Everybody’s shooting 3s. That ers and finished with 20 points. “When I grew up, what when he suddenly switched flights. was just an incredible offensive display by both teams. The I was used to watching was a slower pace. Except teams He received a call from Barcelona and made the move there problem for us tonight was the turnovers. Every time we like the Suns would come around, the Nuggets, but now from Bordeaux for €41m instead. turned the ball over, it was a 3 or dunk. That’s what kept it’s like [we’re] middle of the pack in pace of play, so that’s After just nine competitive appearances for the Blaugrana, them in the game. I thought offensively we got anything we lot of players have adapted their games and changed how incredible to think about. It feels like four or five years ago it’s now reported Malcom could be moving to Rome after all, but wanted, we did a good job moving the ball. But they got 29 they play. But I don’t see this lasting too much longer.” we were ahead by a huge margin ... the Showtime Lakers for their city rivals Lazio. points off our turnovers, a lot of those were 3s.” “Just the volume of 3s,” Durant said. “The way the game played like that, but you got to be in great shape. It’s fun to Spanish newspaper Sport maintains Lazio director Igli Tare The Warriors and Kings eclipsed the previous mark of 40 is played, pick-up style. It will cease here in a second, but be a part of, honestly.” and President Claudio Lotito have contacted Barcelona to ask 3-pointers, set in a February 2018 game between the Min- I think a lot of guys are just adjusting their games to the Warriors forward Draymond Green, a former Defensive for Malcom on loan. nesota Timberwolves (19) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (21). times. It’s fun for the fans, it’s fun for us at times. But it’s Player of the Year winner, affirmed a point he has made This would allow the Brazilian to continue his development Warriors star Kevin Durant said he did not believe the also tough to watch and tough to play against. But hey, that’s several times throughout the year about how the flow of and fight for a top four Serie A finish. 3-point barrage the league has seen in recent years will what we signed up for.” games has changed. Malcom turns 22 next month and is currently struggling with continue much longer. The Kings, whose 20 3s set a franchise record, fell short “You can’t really play defense in the league today,” Green an ankle injury. “It’s fast,” Durant said of the current pace. “I’d rather down the stretch in a game that had 18 lead changes. said. “So, I guess that’s what [the league] wanted, right?” (Source: Calcio Mercato) play inside the 3-point line, but you got to adapt. I think a “It was a crazy game,” said Kings forward Justin Jackson, (Source: ESPN) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JANUARY 7, 2019 SPORTS 15

Iran to meet Yemen in Jahanbakhsh misses Iran’s first match against Yemen

Iran national football team classy winger Alireza Jahan- AFC Asian Cup opener bakhsh will not be fit for the match against Yemen in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. Albion’s record signing, who sustained hamstring damage Islamic Republic of Iran won’t make the mistake “We came here to play good games and we in the 3-1 defeat at Everton in October, is not fit for Iran’s of underestimating Yemen while the tournament have to if we want to defeat any team. Yemen opening match . debutants won’t be overawed when facing one are a good side and we have to respect them. of the Continent’s biggest teams in their AFC “At the same time, I am confident that my Asian Cup Group D opener at the Mohammed team, despite some injuries, will deliver as I bin Zayed Stadium on Monday. always challenge them to play responsibly Iran are chasing a fourth AFC Asian Cup so that when they leave the pitch, they leave title, but their first since 1976, while Yemen with the fans happy.” are determined to make their qualification Yemen head coach Jan Kocian said his for the tournament for the first time since team are eager to make their tournament unification one to remember. debut against one of Asia’s biggest teams. Iran head coach Carlos Queiroz showed a “The world knows Iran. They had a great glimpse of what Iran’s approach will be in the World Cup and in Carlos Queiroz, one of the tournament when he said that for the moment, best coaches in the world. We are, however, the only match that matters is against Yemen. not going to let that get to us. It is a sensible approach as the largest and “We already have a concept of how we best ever AFC Asian Cup has already seen are going to play. We respect Iran, Iraq and its first major upset with Jordan stunning Vietnam but we are not going to be afraid.” defending champions Australia 1-0 in their Kocian said his team, while aiming for Group B opener on Sunday. a result, will go out with the intention of Team Melli have been scheduled to meet Yemen in Group “This is football. You cannot play a football enjoying playing Iran. D of the competition in Abu Dhabi, the UAE on Monday. game with a credit card of being favourites. “There is no pressure on the team and as “From a medical and technical point of view, we have a If you don’t play good football, you don’t a ‘small’ team, we are allowed to dream and strong belief that he will be able to recover for the competi- deserve to win,” said Queiroz, who has been that dream is to defeat Iran.” tion, although possibly not for the first stage,” Queiroz had guiding Iran for eight years now. (Source: the-afc) already said. Iran go into the tournament as one of the favorites, but injuries to a number of key players including Saeid Ezatolahi, Australia fans slam Robbie Kruse after Ali Golizadeh and Sadegh Moharrami could impact their run in the competition. Team Melli begin their campaign against Yemen before shock loss to Jordan squaring off against Vietnam and Iraq as they chase their first Defending champions Australia were handed an who himself spoke about getting abuse online recently Asian Cup title since 1976. easy start to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup against low- in an interview with Sydney Morning Herald, “There’s er-ranked side Jordan. However, the Socceroos always people who want to have their opinions, and they were stunned by the West Asians in a hard-fought can have them. I only value the people I need to value encounter. And there was one Australian player in and that’s my teammates, my family, the national team Iranian legends attend AFC particular, who was picked on and ridiculed by his coaches and my club coaches. I’m in a good headspace, Asian Cup opening ceremony own fans- Robbie Kruse. it’s all good by me and I’ll continue to do what I’ve been The former Bayer Leverkusen forward was singled out doing for the team.” by the fans from ‘Down Under’, with many raising doubts Kruse was subbed off in the second half as the Socceroos SPORTS TEHRAN — Iranian football legendries Ali over his selection: lost their opening fixture to Jordan by a goal to nil. deskDaei and Mehdi Mahdavikia attended the However, some fans were quick to defend Kruse, (Source: Fox Sports Asia) opening ceremony of 2019 AFC Asian Cup Saturday night. The 2019 Asian Cup got under way at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi, the UAE. UAE striker Ahmed Khalil sets sight on India Among those in attendance were FIFA president Gianni In- fantino and Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid, Crown Prince of Dubai. Ahmed Khalil quickly shifted his focus to Having fallen behind with just 12 minutes There were also plenty of UAE and Bahrain fans at Zayed the United Arab Emirates’ match-up with remaining when Mohamed Al Rohaimi net- Sports City for the Group A match between two teams. India at the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 af- ted from close range for Bahrain, the three The Emirates are hosting the continental showpiece for ter his penalty earned the hosts a late draw points looked increasingly likely to end up a second time, look to improve on their third-place finish in with Bahrain in the tournament opener on in the hands of The Reds. Australia four years ago. Saturday evening. But Jordanian referee Adham Makhadmeh Khalil struck with just two minutes re- pointed to the spot after Mohamed Marhoon maining in regulation time to secure a 1-1 tie was adjudged to have handled the ball inside with Miroslav Soukup’s side in their Group the area as the clock ticked down, allowing Javad Nekounam retakes helm A meeting and ease some of the pressure on Khalil to confidently smash his spot-kick Alberto Zaccheroni and his team. past Sayed Shubbar. at Nassaji “It was more important to not lose the “(There was) no big pressure because the game and the good thing is we came back,” penalty is not just for me, this is for all the IRNA — Javad Nekounam returned to Iran’s Nassaji of said Khalil. “Most important, we have to team,” he said. “They play for the penalty Mazandaran football club. think about the next game. Every player felt or for any point in the game. Nekounam was named as new head coach of Paykan in late what was going on today and they will think “We have to work more because some- December, but General Manager of Iran Khodro Company about the next game, to get three points. back and we can do it for the next game. Indians will kick off their AFC Asian Cup times in the game it is difficult to score and (IKCO) Hashem Yekezare disagreed with the appointment. “It was not pressure, but this is the first We go for three points and, hopefully, we’ll UAE 2019 campaign on Sunday when they we have to get the point, how to score. But Paykan later appointed Hossein Faraki as its new head coach. game and this is football and sometimes come back.” meet Thailand in Abu Dhabi. the good thing is the penalty came at a good Nekounam, who had stepped down as Nassaji coach earlier, you don’t play well and you win. You have Khalil and his teammates will take on India The UAE will go into their second game of time and we came back. We have to continue, has returned to the Ghaemshahr-based football team once again. to give your maximum. You have to fight at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on January the campaign in a relatively upbeat mood thanks we have to work more.” Under guidance of Nekounam, Nassaji won a promotion and work more and this is how we came 10, while the Stephen Constantine-coached to the point secured via Khalil and his penalty. (Source: the-afc) to the Iran Professional League (IPL) after a 24-year absence. Nassaji sit 10th in IPL table, 15 points behind leaders Sepahan. Group B: Australia 0-1 Jordan Anas Bani Yaseen scored the only goal of the game as But the Socceroos struggled to unlock the disciplined Pablo Velazquez linked with Jordan stunned defending champions Australia to kick backline Vital Borkelmans’ has constructed until Robbie off the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 with a 1-0 victory over Kruse’s delightful through ball found Awer Mabil in space Iran’s Esteghlal the Socceroos in their Group B opener at Hazza bin behind the defence. Mabil’s his first-time shot was kept Zayed Stadium in Al Ain on Sunday. out when Amer Shafi used his legs. TASNIM — Paraguayan striker Pablo Cesar Leonardo Ve- The 30-year-old defender’s first-half header earned Australia looked less than assured in defense and after lazquez Centurion has been linked with a move to Iranian Vital Borkelmans’ side all three points against an Josh Risdon put the ball out for a corner, Jordan took football club Esteghlal. Australia team that dominated possession throughout full advantage. Baha’ Abdelrahman’s corner found Bai Esteghlal want to strengthen for the 2019 AFC Champions the 90 minutes but was unable to find a way past Yaseen unmarked 10 yards from goal and he powered League, where the team have been drawn along with Al-Duhail goalkeeper Amer Shafi. his header beyond a flat-footed Ryan. of Qatar, Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal and the UAE’s Al-Ain. Graham Arnold’s side spent much of the game camped Minutes later Jordan almost doubled their lead after Esteghlal are also a favorite to win Iran Professional League. in the Jordanian half, only for the West Asian nation to Trent Sainsbury’s foul on Suleiman provided Abdelrahman The 31-year-old forward plays for Club Guarani in the Par- take a hard-earned win that will set them up perfectly for the opportunity to go for goal from the edge of the area, only aguay Primera Division. their next meeting with neighbours Syria on January 11. for Ryan to tip the free-kick onto the crossbar. Esteghlal eye to find a striker as a replacement for Nigerian While an Australia side boasting the likes of Tom Graham Arnold’s side continued to dominate as the based winger sending his long range drive just off target Alhaji Gero who left the club at the end of December. Rogic and Massimo Luongo was expected to dominate, Jordanians put men behind the ball and sat deep. For all moments after beating two defenders and seeing the it was the Jordanians who had shown a real threat in the their territorial superiority, though, the Socceroos could ball shepherded out for a corner. final third from early in the game. not manufacture a way through. Australia’s frustrations grew even greater 12 minutes Yousef Rawshedh tested Maty Ryan with 10 minutes Mabil did find enough space behind the defense early from time when Mabil saw his low drive come back off the Slogan winners hail unifying on the clock while Mousa Suleiman should have done in the second half to be able to drive a low ball across the base of Shafi’s left upright while substitute Jackson Irvine better when he was given time to turn in the area, only face of goal that Shafi did well to push to the feet of one of steered his header wide three minutes later. impact of expanded format to pull his shot across the face of goal. his own defenders, while Rogic’s dipping shot from range The Socceroos continued to push and Shafi was forced into Those chances had come despite Australia dominating was also beaten away by the goalkeeper. action in the final seconds of the game as Jordan recorded ‘Bringing Asia Together’ has become synonymous with the possession, with much of the opening period being played At the other end, Bakheet’s trickery and direct running an historic result. AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 and for the tournament’s slogan in the Jordanian half of the field. remained a threat to the Australian backline, the UAE- (Source: the-afc) contest winners, the sight of the three words emblazoned all across the United Arab Emirates has brought about great joy and honor. Joint slogan contest winners – Jalal Nakhaie and Scott Group A: Thailand 1-4 India Sommerville - were rewarded with a pair of an all-expenses Sunil Chhetri scored twice as India beat Tristan Do’s whipped free-kick just 10 Theerathon’s expertly delivered set-piece. Chatchai’s initial parry. paid trip to witness Saturday’s grand opening ceremony, which Thailand 4-1 to begin their AFC Asian minutes later was then somehow scrambled In the dying embers of what had proved With time running out, Thailand rallied saw hosts UAE held to a 1-1 draw against Bahrain in a tightly Cup UAE 2019 Group A campaign in fine to safety by the Indian defence, before some- to be an intriguing first half, Chalermpong briefly when Dangda saw a goal-bound effort contested Group A opener. style on Sunday. what against the run of play, India took the Kerdkaew did well to block a Chhetri effort diverted to safety via the outstretched leg “Just making my way from the airport to the hotel, to see The 34-year-old netted either side of lead on 27 minutes. when the Indian talisman was well-placed. of defender Anas Edathodika. Bringing Asia Together everywhere is an indescribable feeling, the break to help guide his side to their Saranon Anuin’s surging run and shot However, within moments of the re- It was not to be for the Thais though, I am completely overjoyed,” said Nakhaie who was born in the first Finals win in 55 years and pole po- brought a fine save out of Thailand custodian start, Ashique Kuruniyan and Udanta as, with 10 minutes remaining, substitute Islamic Republic of Iran but now resides in Australia. sition in the group standings following Chatchai Bootprom, only for defender Th- Singh combined to set up Chhetri who Jeje Lalpekhlua rounded off the scoring for Sommerville, a Northern Ireland native but has called Vietnam Saturday’s 1-1 draw between Bahrain and eerathon Bunmathan to concede a penalty fired home past Chatchai from 15 yards India courtesy of a curling strike from the home for the last 13 years, added: “It is really a surreal experience the United Arab Emirates. when he handled the subsequent rebound. to claim his 67th international goal and edge of the area. to see the slogan on national buildings and at the stadium.” On a pleasant evening in Abu Dhabi, it was Chhetri duly held his nerve to convert restore his side’s advantage. India will now look to build on their initial The pair may be born in different Continents and hail from Thailand who threatened first, captain Teer- from 12 yards much to their delight of the India continued to press their South- success when they face host nation the UAE different parts of the world, but both Nakhaie and Sommerville asil Dangda finding Thitiphan Puangjan who travelling Indian fans. east Asian opponents, and they extended at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sports City Stadium were unanimous in hailing the tournament’s expansion from unleashed a fierce 11th minute drive which Thailand were, however, to draw level their advantage on 68 minutes, this time on Thursday, while Thailand are set to face 16 to 24 teams as the impetus for their slogan proposals during sailed narrowly wide of India goalkeeper just six minutes later, the ever-impressive Anirudh Thapa finishing with aplomb Bahrain in Dubai on the same day. the contest which was launched in October 2017. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s right-hand post. Teerasil climbing highest to head home following a lightning breakaway and (Source: the-afc) (Source: the-afc) Prayer Times Noon:12:10 Evening: 17:26 Dawn: 5:45 (tomorrow) Sunrise: 7:15 (tomorrow) JANUARY 7, 2019 ART&CULTURE I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y www.tehrantimes.com Managing Director: Ali Asgari Editor-in-Chief: Mohammad Ghaderi Tehran gallery hosts Manuchehr Niazi, Editorial Dept.: Fax: (+98 21) 88808214 — 88808895 [email protected] Switchboard Operator: Tel: (+98 21) 43051000 Advertisements Dept.: Telefax: (+98 21) 43051450 Public Relations Office: Tel: (+98 21) 88805807 inspired by Western classical music Subscription & Distribution Dept.: Tel: (+98 21) 43051603 www.eshterak.ir Distributor: Padideh Novin Co. ARTTEHRAN – Veteran Tel: 88911433 desk Webmaster: [email protected] artist Manuchehr Niazi Printed at: Rooztab - ISSN: 1017-94 who follows his own specific technique No. 18, Bimeh Alley, Nejatollahi St., Tehran, Iran to create artworks has said that Western P.o. Box: 14155-4843 classical music has provided inspiration Zip Code: 1599814713 for his collections created over the past six decades. “Classical music gives me many ideas to draw,” Niazi told the Persian service of ISNA on Friday during the inauguration of his exhibition at Tehran’s Boom Gallery as a record played a Bach symphony. “I was a singer and used to perform opera so music has a great influence over GUIDE TO me; when I listen to Beethoven’s Symphony SPIRITUAL AWAKENING No. 5 it gives me the forms and I begin to draw,” he added. “Schubert has also been a source of Beware, beware of sinfulness. By God, He has inspiration for me,” he noted. veiled His servants’ guilt so much as if He has Niazi has his own specific technique forgiven them. to create his collections of paintings and Imam Ali (AS) collages. “Niazi’s technique will never be revealed, because each one of his works is typically an incident,” veteran calligraphic painter Nasrollah Afjei once said about NEWS IN BRIEF the 82-year-old Niazi. “I do not rely on certain style or tech- New cinematheque nique, and I have a definite feeling every day,” Niazi said. established in “We cannot continue living without cre- Tehran ating art,” he noted and added, “Everything is art, even a baker who shapes the dough is an artist. A real artist should care about form.” Veteran artist Manuchehr Niazi poses during an exhibition of his artworks at Tehran’s Boom Gallery on January 4, 2019. (Honaronline/ Maryam Ramezanlu) ARTTEHRAN — A new cinematheque Niazi, who has lived for several years deskin Tehran has been co-founded by in the United States, said, “I have never “One day, I was collecting pieces of tree I told them ‘I want to make tea!’ the man Niazi’s artworks will be on view until filmmaker Zeinab Lak and film scholar Mohammad- forgotten my native culture since I have bark. A couple passing by there asked, told his wife, ‘He is crazy!’ later, I made March 8 at the gallery located at 11 Ar- Hossein Mirbaba. been in America… Luckily, I’m not a ma- ‘What are you doing’, what could I say? one of my masterworks with the pieces maghan Alley, Vali-e Asr Ave near Niayesh The center titled “Pantheon Cinematheque” will be terialistic person and love people.” Collage? They did not know what it is. So of tree bark.” Highway. officially launched with a screening of Majid Barzegar’s acclaimed movie “Parviz” starring Levon Haftvan, a public relations team announced on Sunday. Iranian artists honored at Turkish contest ARTTEHRAN — Iranian First and third prizes in the illumination Tasian to perform deskartists won several section were given to Reyhaneh Rahmati Gilaki music at awards at the 6th edition of the Masters and Zeinab Shahi respectively, while of Your Future-Traditional Arts Design Sediqeh Ahmadi-Basiri won first prize Vahdat Hall Competition in the Turkish city of in the miniature section. Zeytinburnu on December 31. Zahra Dusti received an honorable In the calligraphy section, Ali Irani won mention in the binding section. second prize in the thuluth style category, In the exhibition prizes section, ARTTEHRAN – Tasian Ensemble is while second and third prizes in the nastaliq calligraphers Ehsan Kazemi, Zahra deskscheduled to perform a repertoire of style were awarded to Hadi Seyyedkhani Seyyedan, Maryam Fazli and Seyyedeh the Gilaki folk music common in the northern Iranian and Shahram Ruhi respectively. Zeinab Ahmadi were honored. region of Gilan during a concert at Tehran’s Vahdat Omid Rabbani and Abbas Nasser Organized by the Zeytinburnu Hall on January 15, the Rudaki Foundation announced received honorable mentions in this Municipality, the award ceremony of the on Sunday. section. A calligraphy by Hadi Seyyedkhani. event will be held on January 19. The ensemble features Hossein Taqinejad on santur, Abbas Edraki on kamancheh, Farhad Yahyapur on ney, Armin Amiri on setar, Sogand Raufi on percussions, Hollywood’s equality push fails to boost female film directors: study Kiarash Eshqi on daf and Arian Qolipur on tonbak. LOS ANGELES (Reuters) — Only 8 that the mainstream film industry has prompting calls for more women at all “This radical underrepresentation is percent of Hollywood’s top films in 2018 experienced the profound positive shift levels of the entertainment business. unlikely to be remedied by the voluntary were directed by women, down from 11 predicted by so many industry observers Yet in 2018, women accounted for efforts of a few individuals or a single percent the prior year, despite high-profile over the last year,” study author Martha just 8 percent of directors of the 250 studio,” Lauzen said. “Without a large- Musicema Awards efforts to improve gender equality, a study Lauzen, executive director of San Diego highest-grossing Hollywood films, less scale effort mounted by the major players released on Thursday showed. State University’s Center for the Study than the 9 percent in 1998. – the studios, talent agencies, guilds, announces winners The percentage is roughly unchanged of Women in Television and Film, said The overall percentage of women in and associations – we are unlikely to ARTTEHRAN – The winners of the 5th from two decades ago, according to the in a statement. behind-the-scenes movie roles rose to 20 see meaningful change.” deskMusicema Awards were honored at annual study, which found a “radical The center has been producing the percent from 18 percent in 2017. Women Movies directed by women in 2018 Tehran’s Milad Tower on Saturday. underrepresentation” of women in the “Celluloid Ceiling” report for 21 years. were most represented as producers, included Ava DuVernay’s “A Wrinkle in The annual event is organized by Musiqi-e Ma, an industry. Allegations of sexual harassment in making up 26 percent of the total. Just 4 Time” and Marielle Heller’s “Can You Iranian website for music news, to honor Iran’s best “The study provides no evidence Hollywood became public in late 2017, percent of cinematographers were female. Ever Forgive Me?” music productions of the year. The award for best traditional album went to “Why Now?” by veteran singer Nasser Masudi, while the award Get the hankies out. Romance “The Notebook” headed for Broadway for best composer in the traditional music category was LOS ANGELES (Reuters) — Romantic the NBC family drama series “This is Us,” is in love in the 1940s, then part and later a short period in 2008. presented to Fardin Khalatbari. drama “The Notebook,” which sparked a writing the show, which will be produced in reconnect. Despite mediocre reviews, the Sparks said he was thrilled to be working real-life love story between movie stars Ryan collaboration with Nicholas Sparks, author weepie turned into a favorite and has since on the Broadway adaptation, saying in a Gosling and Rachel McAdams, is headed of the book on which it is based. appeared on multiple best romantic movie statement that the story “is near and dear for Broadway as a musical. The novel, which chronicles a couple’s lists. to my heart.” Singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson told passion-filled and sometimes turbulent The on-screen chemistry between No casting or opening date was NBC’s “Today” show on Thursday that she relationship, was published in 1996. then little-known Canadians Gosling and announced for the Broadway show, which has been developing the musical for more It was turned into a 2004 movie starring McAdams was real. After meeting on set, follows recent musical adaptations of movies than a year. Bekah Brunstetter, a producer on Gosling and McAdams as a couple who fall they dated from 2005-2007 and again for “Mean Girls” and “Pretty Woman.” Film critics choose “The Rider” as best picture of 2018 NEW YORK (AP) — The National Society of woman who was educated in the United Film Critics on Saturday chose Chloe Zhao’s States and lives here, “is a mixture of low-budget debut feature, “The Rider,” as documentary realism and fiction,” Chang best picture of 2018. said. “She uses nonprofessional actors in Director Alfonso Cuaron’s black-and- a way that’s intimate and organic; it’s a white “Roma” period piece set in modern heartbreaking movie with a lot of staying Mexico won the most awards — as best power.” picture runner-up, best foreign-language He noted that the society does not base Veteran singer Hossein Khajehamiri acknowledges the audience film and for best cinematography. Cuaron its choices either on a film’s box office or after being honored with a lifetime achievement award during also got the award for best director. its budget. “We care about the quality of the 5th Musicema Awards at Tehran’s Milad Tower on January The society of leading movie critics voted the movies.” 5, 2019. (MNA/Mohammad Khodabakhsh) for Olivia Colman as best actress in “The The 2018 winners reflect this year’s Favourite,” and Ethan Hawke as best actor wide ethnic and technical diversity in film “Tragedy of Feridun” (“Ghamnoumeye Fereydoun”) in “First Reformed.” The top accolade for production, including “Burning,” a South composed by prominent musician Hossein Alizadeh won best supporting actor went to Steve Yeun Korean mystery drama directed by Lee the award for best dramatic music album. of “Burning,” while Regina King of “If Beale Chang-dong. The award for best pop album was presented to “I Street Could Talk” nabbed best supporting “Roma,” directed by the Mexican-born Want Nothing but Love” by Alireza Assar and “The Silent actress. About 40 of the society’s 64 members Cuaron, has also been named best picture Death” by Farshid Arabi won the award for best pop- voted. by the New York Film Critics Circle and rock album. Best screenplay went to “The Death of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. “Navai, the Other One 2” by late Iranian singer and Stalin,” and best non-fiction film to “Minding “A lot of directors are rediscovering the the Gap,” a documentary directed by Bing striking, atmospheric properties of black- dotar player Gholam-Ali Puratai won the award for best This Jan.22, 2018 file photo shows writer/director Chloe Zhao posing for a portrait to Liu about the complex friendship among and-white cinema,” Chang said — including regional music album. promote her film “The Rider” during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The three skateboarding young men, including Cuaron, who had also directed the 2001 The award for best fusion album was awarded to “Listen National Society of Film Critics on Saturday, Jan. 5,2019, has chosen Zhao’s low-budget himself, in their hometown of Rockford, prize-winning “Y Tu Mama Tambien.” from the Beginning”, composed by Bahram Dehqanyar. debut feature “The Rider” as best picture of 2018. (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP, File) Afshin Yadollahi was posthumously honored with Illinois. In “Roma,” Cuaron’s lavish visuals the award for best songwriter. He died in a car crash The film critics society was founded and the Los Angeles Times’ film critic, told living in a trailer against the backdrop of the capture a young domestic worker in the in March 2017. in 1966, electing its voting critics from The Associated Press that 2018 yielded “an rodeo circuit struggles with autism, brain Roma neighborhood of Mexico City in the Instrument maker Ebrahim Qanbari Mehr, soprano newspapers and other major U.S. media embarrassment of riches” among new movies, damage from a bronc riding competition, 1970s, exploding with domestic, social and singer Pari Zangeneh and veteran vocalist Hossein outlets. The 53rd annual awards were hosted but “The Rider” stood out among them — a drinking and gambling, but somehow political turmoil. Khajehamiri (Iraj) were also honored with lifetime by New York’s Film Society of Lincoln Center. contemporary western drama shot in the endures. “It’s the critical hit of the season,” Chang achievement awards. Justin Chang, the society’s chairman badlands of South Dakota. There, a family The film, directed by a Beijing-born said.