dential election. the USpresident innextyear’s presi the failureofreasons for major the of very heavy, and even thatcouldbeone of adefeatforDonaldTrump will be nitely losethegametoBeijing!The cost power inEastAsia. Seoul, isconfrontationwith Chinese ing ofdirecttalkswithPyongyang and Peninsula, aswellWashington’s block- deterrent intervention intheKorean main reasonsfortheUS’snegativeand in NorthKorea.Essentiallyoneofthe pressure Chinainthefaceofcrisis Tibet! EventheUnitedStatesistryingto Hong Kongprotestsandconsultingwith from insuringTaiwantointerferingwith ing touseallitsmeansfightChina: dollars)! assets inChina(worthoveratrillion ever, BeijinghasnotyetenteredUS American agriculturalproducts. How- buyto not decision important its and with thecleverdevaluationofyuan fered theworstblowtoWashington United States. the to imports Chinese in increase cent by theendof2018,wesawa7per- $ 419billion(2019).theotherhand, On has grownfrom$346billion(2016)to 2016. America’s trade deficit with China now backbelowzero,evenbeforeYear is America of States United of the ident economic defeatagainstBeijing. ThePres that hasreducedTrump’spowerishis chance ofwinning. US states, likeTexas, Trumphaslittle winning inthosestates.Evensome the USpresidenthaslittlechanceof Florida, MichiganandOhioshowthat in thestatesofWisconsin, Pennsylvania, Trump willsurelylosetheelection. Polls until nextyear’spresidentialelection, ic competitor. Ifthetrendcontinues US presidenttodefeathismaineconom analysts andeconomists, have ledthe USfrom warnings with policies,along nesses, farmersandcitizenswithTrump years oftrying!FailuretoalignUSbusi- U below zero Trump atthepoint IRNA/ Asghar Khamseh The Chinesehaveundoubtedlysuf Undoubtedly, oneofthemainfactors Finally, the United States will defi will States United the Finally, At present,theUnitedStatesistry trade war with Beijing after threeafter Beijing with war trade having ahardtime. Helostthe .S. PresidentDonaldTrumpis Headof theTehran Times PERSPECTIVE Politics Desk Hanif Ghaffari interact with world We should talk, due toIran’sdeterrence U.S. U.S. called off attack WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM ------2 Pages areas with the financing and backing of the Saudis,” alliance ofmainlyKurdishmilitants. ic Forces(SDF), a bases belongingtotheso-calledSyrianDemocrat thattheattackswereconductedfrom on Tuesday services, toldtheMiddleEastEyenewsportal security Baghdad’s from briefing intelligence in neighboring Syria. areas controlledbyU.S.-backed Kurdishmilitants launchedfromthe the Saudiregimeandwere of military force Israeli droneattackstargetingapro-government TEHRAN— ofideas.” exchange dom will take Iran up on its offer of dialogue and with Iran.” also seeittoitsadvantagereducetensions betweenIranandtheUAE,of tensions itwill is possiblethatonceSaudiArabiaseesareduction School ofForeignServiceinQataralsoadds“It Regional StudiesatGeorgetownUniversity’s especially important.” “Reduction oftensionsinthePersianGulf,is University ofDoha, tellstheTehranTimesthat oftheMiddleEastStudiesinGeorgetown fessor TEHRAN (MNA)—

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of trade ties. to providebasis forexpansionorder in operation between thetwocountries ening transport andinfrastructureco- strength for the need and emphasized Sunaidal Masoud bin Ali Industry and Al-Futaisi andMinisterofCommerce nications AhmedMohammed Salem Minister ofTransportandCommu includingofficials senior Omani of ber num- a met Rahmani Reza Minister Iranian Industry, MiningandTrade trade ties. bilateralexpanding and strengthening ofaim the with sides two the of tors from thestate-runandprivatesec between tradeandeconomicofficials been manymeetingsandnegotiations as aneconomic-tradehub. UAE withOman, consideringtheSultanate previous partnerssuchas strategictrade complying withthesanctions. (UAE), giventhattheUAEishighly rather thantheUnitedArabEmirates prefer toconducttradewithOman by Iran, asIraniancompaniesnow is alsothesameapproachadopted politically andeconomically. There Oman isgettingclosertoIranboth sanctions againsttheIslamicRepublic, thetwocountries. between ties all-out expansionofeconomic to the end of2018. Muscat), the figure reached 1,163 by the HassanRouhanivisited (when President registered inOman was just263in2014 past year. the in time of period same the in million first seven months of this year from $557 has increasedto$870millionduringthe value oftradebetweenIranandOman A Oman trade betweenIran, now asurging political ties,and Strengthened was achieved. year the for investment foreign planned tioned period,however60percentofthe foreign investmentdecreasedinthemen impact oftheU.S. sanctions, obviously $1.142 billion)inthesameperiod. preceding year’s 48trillionrials(about billion), nearly40percentmorethanits stood at 67.9 trillion rials (about $1.66(about rials trillion 67.9 at stood in theworldtermsofsoftpower. nian nationisthemostpowerful into account,hesaid, addingthattheIra spiritual elementswhichshouldbetaken tonumbersbecausethereare restricted intheentireworld. powers ing thecountryoneoftop10military power isundergoinggreatchanges, mak responding tooquickly. bly” astheterrorist groupwouldn’tbe added thatpeoplecan“sleepcomforta Israelis onalert.” TheHezbollahleader leavethe ...us hurry let a in are not we martyrs, butwewaited10days,andnow place, theatmospherewashot,wehadsix took strike Quneitra the said,“When lah During thecurrentyeartherehave Iran issomehowreplacingsomeofits Also, despitetheU.S. reimpositionof Iranian companies of number the While In a trip to Muscat in mid-July,in Muscat to trip a In Iranian president’s triptoOmanled The official noted that considering the The general also said Iran’s military Iran’s said general also The The elements of powercannotbe elements The toms Administration (IRICA),the Administration toms Islamic RepublicofIranCus the ccording tothedatareleasedby Headof theTehranTimes ARTICLE Economy Desk Mahnaz Abdi

4 4 16

13 ------I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y POLITICS AUGUST 29, 2019

Bavar-373 missile system shows Iran is among President Rouhani: We should leading countries: Kamalvandi talk, interact with world POLITICAL TEHRAN – Behrooz Kamalvandi, spokes- deskman for the Atomic Energy Organization of POLITICAL TEHRAN – Iranian Pres- wrong path that Washington have taken. Iran (AEOI), said on Wednesday that the domestically-built deskident Hassan Rouhani “If someone just seeks to take photo with missile defense system dubbed “Bavar-373” shows that Iran said on Wednesday that Iran should talk to Hassan Rouhani, it is not possible unless they is among the leading countries in area of technology. the world and have interaction with other remove all the cruel sanctions and respect the In a visit to an exhibition of defense industry, he praised countries, however, he insisted main focus Iranian people’s rights,” he said in a speech the country’s defense advances. should be on domestic capacities. aired live on state television. Bavar-373 missile was unveiled on August 22. “We should talk to the world and have He noted that Iran has continued talks Brigadier General Shahrokh Shahram, a deputy defense interaction. However, it is obvious that the with remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear minister, told national TV on August 22, “The system has main focus should be on domestic capacities, deal, known as the JCPOA. been designed and developed considering the country’s because our power comes from inside of the He added, “Our path is clear. We will return need for a defense system with a high range.” country,” he said during a cabinet meeting. if they return to their commitments. We seek Bavar-373 missile system was developed as Iran “needed He added, “Iran has interaction with all to settle issues and solve problems through a missile system stronger than the Russian S-300, given the countries except for those who seek animosity. logical ways.” increasing threats” against the country, he added. Our country’s exportation has increased, we “Change of our behavior towards those The air defense missile system has a higher interception have made progress in science and technol- who have imposed sanctions on the Islam- range and a greater combat power compared with the Rus- ogy and our youths are studying in foreign ic Republic of Iran and launched economic sian counterpart, and enjoys over 10,000 compound eyes, countries’ universities and all of these mean terrorism will start when they repent. They each of which serves as a radar, he explained, according interaction with the world.” should return to their commitments and to Press TV. He highlighted the importance of domestic change the wrong path they have taken. He also compared Bavar-373 with the U.S.-made Terminal capacities, however, he noted that it does They should serve the interests of the world High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and Patriot systems, not mean the country avoids interaction and the international security. They should saying it is categorized at a higher class than THAAD and with the world. recognize the Iranians’ rights and respect the is much better than the Patriot system. “The youths, writers and the people from revolution and the Islamic system,” he said. President Hassan Rouhani also boasted the production various social layers should pay attention we should give hands to pass the problems. the talks he holds show the government’s He also said, “Washington has the key to of the advanced missile system, saying the mobile missile to this point that domestic capabilities and We are aware of the people’s demands. The efforts to serve the people and uphold their positive developments in relations between defense system is more powerful than S-300 missile system interaction with the world are complementary people want us to make more efforts to set- rights and interests. the two countries, to have security in the and is more like S-400. and do not contradict each other,” he noted. tle the issues. We seek to solve problems “We should use capacities of friendly coun- region and to be able to have better relations “This very valuable work is a great present of the armed Elsewhere, he said that the main duty of earnestly and the people should be hopeful tries in order to reduce problems,” he added. with the regional countries.” forces and Defense Ministry for the Iranian people,” Rou- the government is serving the people and about the future.” Rouhani said on Tuesday that there will French President Emmanuel Macron said hani said during the unveiling ceremony. not just chanting slogans. He said that Foreign Minister Mohammad be no change in Iran-U.S. relations without on Monday that preparations were under Bavar-373 is a mobile missile defense system designed He said, “Under the current circumstances, Javad Zarif’s visits to other countries and removal of all sanctions and change of the way for a meeting between Rouhani and U.S. to intercept and destroy incoming hostile targets. The system employs missiles that have a maximum range of 300 kilometers. The system is capable of simultaneously detecting up to Rouhani, Abe planning to meet in September 300 targets, tracking 60 targets at once and engaging six POLITICAL TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Abe was in Iran on a two-day visit on June 12. targets at a time, according to Press TV. deskMohammad Javad Zarif and Japanese During a meeting with Abe on June 13, Ayatollah The system is a competitor to Russia’s S-300 missile Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met in Yokohama, near Tokyo, Khamenei dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump as a system and brings quite a few substantial upgrades over on Wednesday. person not worthy of exchanging messages. its Russian equivalent. According to Reuters, Zarif said that Iran is not seeking The Leader said Iran has “no trust” in the U.S. and will Brigadier General Abbas Farajpour, head of the Iranian to increase tension but every country should be able to not at all “repeat the bitter experience” it gained from the Air Force Studies Center, said on August 22 that the system enjoy its rights under international law. negotiations that led to the conclusion of a 2015 nuclear was named Bavar (faith) because the Iranians are confident “As our president has said, we are not at all seeking deal, which Washington later ditched. that they are able to build a system which turns the country heightened tensions,” Zarif said, speaking through a During a joint press conference with Iranian Presi- into a “regional and international power”. translator. dent Hassan Rouhani on June 12, Abe said he will use “At a juncture, the country which builds S-300 [Russia] He said, “We believe every country should be able to his country’s “utmost effort” to deescalate tension in the lost its willingness to deliver the missile system to us. So, enjoy its rights under international law.” Persian Gulf and the wider Middle East region. we came to the conclusion that sometimes even our friends According to The Mainichi, Zarif said, “Iran welcomes “Japan will use its utmost effort to reduce tension in do not want or are not be able to help us. the Japanese government’s role (in trying) to ease tensions the region,” he said. The first spark struck and we took action to manufacture a in the Middle East.” Abe said, “Increase in tensions in the region must domestic system which is more sophisticated,” he explained. Abe said, “Japan will persistently continue our dip- be contained at any price, and Japan can play a quite as a terrorist organization, announced that it does no He explained that if S-300 system is able to hit 6 targets lomatic efforts to deal with rising tensions in the Middle constructive role in this regard.” renew waivers for the eight major buyers of the Iranian simultaneously, Bavar-373 can hit 9 targets. East and stabilize the current situation.” “Peace and stability of the Middle East region is essential oil, and started beefing up its military presence in the He added that in the near future, there will be more Pointing to his meeting with Leader of the Islamic not only for the prosperity of this region, but also for the region, particularly in the Persian Gulf. demands to buy Bavar-373 than Patriot missile system. Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Abe said that prosperity of the entire world,” Abe noted. The IRGC shot down an unmanned U.S. surveillance General Reza Talaeinik, the vice defense minister for Ayatollah Khamenei noted that Iran does not seek nuclear Iran and the U.S. have been at odds since last year when drone on June 20 after it breached Iran’s airspace. parliamentarian affairs, said on August 23 that 770 types weapons, according to ISNA. Trump withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that of arms are being built domestically. According to The Japan Times, Abe and President and major powers and reimposed sanctions on Tehran. the U.S. military drone entered the Iranian airspace from During a speech at the Friday prayers in Qom, he said Hassan Rouhani are planning to meet in late September Tensions entered a new stage since April when the the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and it was targeted near more than 85 percent of defense products are manufactured at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. U.S. designated the IRGC (part of the Iranian military) Kouh-e Mobarak. domestically.

Putin calls Iran-Turkey- China supports efforts to preserve nuclear deal By staff and agency of the limits on its nuclear activities. It also In a meeting with Zarif on Monday in August 9, saying Beijing is willing to work Russia talks on Syria effective Geng Shuang, the Chinese Foreign Min- threatened to step up uranium enrichment Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with France to prevent further escalation istry spokesman, said on Wednesday that if an agreement is not made within 60 days said that China is determined to preserve of tensions on the Iran nuclear deal. By staff and agency China supports all efforts to preserve the to protect it from the sanctions’ effects. the JCPOA. According to Xinhua, during the phone Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Iran-Turkey-Rus- 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Com- In follow-up to that deadline, on July 7 He described the nuclear deal as impor- talks, Wang expressed China’s support for sia talks have been “most effective” in tackling crisis in Syria. prehensive Plan of Action. Iran announced that it has started enriching tant achievement of diplomacy and symbol the mediation efforts France has made to According to Sputnik, in a meeting with Turkish President “On Iran’s nuclear deal, China supports uranium to a higher purity than the 3.67% as of multilateralism. resolve the stalemate on the Iran nuclear Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Russia’s MAKS-2019 air show on ease of tension through dialogue. China has the Europeans missed the 60-day deadline Chinese Ambassador to Tehran Chang Hua agreement, saying that China has also made Tuesday, Putin praised the results, achieved by the Astana made efforts to save the JCPOA,” IRNA quoted to devise a concrete mechanism to protect said on Monday that Beijing is committed to huge efforts in saving the Iran nuclear deal, format, which includes Russia, Turkey and Iran, calling it the him as saying in a press conference. the country from the U.S. sanctions. a win-win cooperation with Tehran. officially known as the Joint Comprehensive “most effective mechanism” in resolving the Syrian crisis. U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew President Hassan Rouhani said on August In a meeting with Seyyed Zia Hashemi, Plan of Action (JCPOA). He added that the key task at hand for the format is to Washington in May 2018 from the JCPOA, 14 that Tehran will start the next step of re- the managing director of IRNA, Chang said Adhering to the deal means safeguarding achieve stabilization of the situation “on the ground”. which was reached between Iran and six ducing nuclear obligations after the second that China opposes the U.S. unilateralism multilateralism, safeguarding fairness and In line with their security cooperation, Iran, Turkey and world powers in 2015. 60-day deadline. and condemns sanctions against Iran. justice, and safeguarding regional security Russia launched the Astana peace talks on the Syrian crisis. Afterwards, Washington re-imposed sanc- The third step can include installation of He noted that there is no alternative and stability, said Wang. The Astana peace talks were launched on Jan. 23-24, 2017 tions on Iran that had been lifted under the more centrifuges, especially advanced ones. for the JCPOA and implementation of the As a permanent member of the United with the aim of putting an end to the Syrian conflict. deal and ordered new ones. In an interview with the Sueddeutsche deal guarantees the regional security and Nations Security Council, China is willing Kazakhstan has hosted multiple rounds of talks on Syria On May 8, exactly one year after the U.S. Zeitung newspaper published on Tuesday, stability. to join hands with France to safeguard the since January 2017, backed by the three power brokers, most withdrew from the multi-nation nuclear agree- Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Chinese State Councilor and Foreign authority and validity of the international of which involved delegations from the Syrian government ment, Iran announced a partial withdrawal Zarif said the country will begin suspending Minister Wang Yi held a phone conversation agreement, encourage all parties to show and opposition. from some aspects of the pact, saying that more of its commitments under the nuclear with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic counselor flexibility, and, in particular, prevent fur- The 13th round of talks was held in Nursultan, the new the country would no longer adhere to some deal between on September 6. to French President Emmanuel Macron on ther escalation of the tensions, said Wang. name of Kazakhstan’s capital, on August 1-2. In this round of talks international bodies such as the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross were also present. Iran vigorously moving towards fulfilling its nuclear objectives: AEOI chief Press TV – The head of the Atomic Energy Organization The top Iranian diplomat lashed out at the U.S. for uni- FM Zarif visits Malaysia of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi says the Islamic Republic is laterally leaving the nuclear deal, officially called the Joint dynamically advancing its civilian nuclear program, stating Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and pushing the TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad that it has recently launched a plant that can manufacture European signatories to follow suit. Javad Zarif flew to Malaysia on Wednesday on the final leg dozens of advanced centrifuges on a daily basis. The Americans, he said, need to stop preventing oth- of a tour of Asia. On a visit to an under-construction national ion therapy ers from fulfilling their obligations or pushing them into The top Iranian diplomat went to Malaysia after visiting center in the city of Karaj on Tuesday, Salehi said his agency breaching the JCPOA. China and Japan. has lately inaugurated a modern hall, which has the capability Tehran has rowed back on its nuclear commitments Speaking to reporters at the beginning of his Asia tour in to produce 60 state-of-the-art centrifuges per day. twice in compliance with articles 26 and 36 of the 2015 deal. Beijing, Zarif said that the close views that Iran and Malaysia’s He further noted that Iran has already installed advanced Iran says its reciprocal measures will be reversible as new government share make it necessary to make arrangements IR-6 centrifuges regardless of certain states’ protest, and is soon as Europe finds practical ways to shield the Iranian for cooperation in the Islamic world and for Tehran-Kuala currently testing a newer generation of centrifuges dubbed economy from unilateral U.S. sanctions which were imposed Lumpur bilateral relations. IR-8. last year when President Donald Trump withdrew from the Zarif arrived in Beijing on Monday and held two rounds The Iranian nuclear chief hoped that the country’s ion He said the AEOI used to produce 10 tons of uranium for 2015 nuclear deal. of talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. therapy center, with an estimated construction cost of 200 years, while the volume stood at 30 tons last year. The European signatories to the JCPOA have so far failed The top Iranian diplomat then travelled to Japan and had million euros, would be completed and fully come on stream Salehi emphasized that production of uranium may in- to uphold their commitments. They have expressed vocal meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and with within the next five years. crease to 50 tons if the current trend continues. support for the deal, but failed to provide meaningful eco- Foreign Minister Taro Kono. Salehi underlined that the work on building two 1,000-meg- Speaking in an interview with the German daily Süd- nomic incentives as required under the nuclear agreement. Zarif also delivered a speech at the Japan Institute of In- awatt nuclear power plants, which started two years ago with deutsche Zeitung on Monday, Foreign Minister Mohammad The Europeans have already missed a 60-deadline set ternational Affairs (JIIA) on Wednesday and met with top an estimated cost of $10 billion, will continue. Javad Zarif said Iran will take the “third step” in reducing its by Tehran, prompting Iran to go for the second phase of officials of the International Friendship Exchange Council He pointed out that said Iran has never halted its peaceful commitments under a 2015 multilateral nuclear deal unless cutting its commitments on July 7, which marked the start (FEC) of Japan. nuclear program and will never do so. the other signatories take action to protect the agreement. of a second such deadline for them. The Iranian minister has traveled to several countries in “I would like to explicitly tell the people that we will The third step will be taken on September 6, Zarif said, As a first step Iran increased its enriched uranium stockpile recent weeks, after being blacklisted by the U.S. government. continue our movement towards fulfilling our nuclear ob- adding that if Tehran comes to an agreement with Europe to beyond the 300 kilograms set by the JCPOA. Before the tour of Asia, the Iranian top diplomat visited jectives and we have never stopped and will never stop in and the European side begins to implement it, it will not In the second step, Tehran began enriching uranium to Kuwait, three Scandinavian capitals, and France. the future,” Salehi noted. take such a measure. purity rates beyond the JCPOA-limit of 3.76 percent. TECHNOLOGY

I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y AUGUST 29, 2019 IRAN IN FOCUS 3 Rezaee: Dialogue with Tehran rejects notion of ‘Satan’ is poison meeting for meeting’s sake POLITICAL TEHRAN – Mohsen was a “really good chance” he and President POLITICAL TEHRAN – Presidential chief of staff Mahmoud deskRezaee, secretary of the Rouhani could meet in the coming weeks. deskVaezi has rejected the possibility of a meeting Expediency Council, has warned of the notion Tensions started to build up between the between Iranian and American leaders, saying meeting for the of talks with the United States, saying holding U.S. and Iran after Trump withdrew Wash- sake of a meeting will not solve any problems. dialogue with Satan is poison. ington from the 2015 deal, officially known “We’ve always said that meeting for the sake of a meeting will “The executive branch and basically all as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action not solve any problems as long as there’s no trust,” Vaezi told the bodies in Iran are obligated to act under (JCPOA), in May 2018, and imposed sanctions reporters after a cabinet session on Wednesday. the framework of the establishment’s general against Tehran in a bid to put maximum “Speaking of a meeting is not right,” he added, according policies,” Rezaee tweeted on Wednesday. pressure on the Islamic Republic. to IRNA. He added, “The establishment’s general The Trump administration has also made He said the U.S. must first come back to P5+1 negotiating table policy regarding the U.S. is clear: Dialogue empty calls for talks, but the Islamic Republic and respect its commitments to the Joint Comprehensive Plan with Satan is poison.” maintains that as long as the sanctions are of Action (JCPOA) and allow Iranians to benefit from the deal. Iranian leaders refer to the U.S. as “the in place and the U.S. refuses to return to the Great Satan”, or simply “Satan”. JCPOA, negotiations will be meaningless. Earlier on Monday, President Hassan The idea of talks has been rejected by all Rouhani expressed readiness to negotiate political factions within Iran, including the with anyone if that would help resolve Iran’s reformists who were in favor of the talks that problems. led to the JCPOA. “If I knew that going to a meeting and Addressing Tuesday’s session of the visiting a person would help my country’s parliament, Mostafa Kavakebian, a re- development and resolve the problems of form-minded lawmaker, reiterated that the people, I would not miss it,” he had said. no talks will take place as long as the U.S. “Even if the odds of success are not 90% but refuses to return to the JCPOA and “our are 20% or 10%, we must move ahead with He stressed that the Islamic Republic will oppressive sanctions and respect the Iranian money transfer has not been facilitated.” it. We should not miss opportunities.” not engage in any negotiations for the mere nation’s rights, the president said. “Some of our colleagues in the parlia- On Tuesday, however, Rouhani ruled out sake of photo ops. Rouhani’s remarks came after French ment are behaving as if President Rouhani Trump pulled out of the JCPOA in May 2018, saying it didn’t the possibility of talks with Washington, say- “We seek to resolve issues and problems President Emmanuel Macron expressed is going to hold talks with Trump today,” do enough to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. Tehran ing the United States must lift all its cruel in a rational way but we are not after photo hopes for a meeting between the Iranian said Kavakebian. “This is not true. Our has on numerous occasions stated that it is not seeking to build sanctions against Iran and begin respecting ops. For anyone wanting to take a picture president and his American counterpart condition is that no talks will take place as nuclear weapons. the nation’s rights as a “first step” towards with Hassan Rouhani, this is not possible” Donald Trump in the next few weeks. long as the Americans have not returned Following the U.S. withdrawal, Iran remained in compliance dialogue. unless that party chooses to set aside all the Trump himself said on Monday there to the JCPOA.” with the JCPOA for a time, but recently reduced its commitments to the pact under two steps, according to which it started enrich- ing uranium at higher levels than allowed in the deal. It has also threatened to take a third step, further reducing its commitments Baqeri: U.S. called off attack due to Iran’s deterrence to the JCPOA. POLITICAL TEHRAN – Iran’s military might deterred The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced Elaborating on the details of the third step, Vaezi said if Teh- deskthe United States from taking any action on June 20 that a U.S. spy drone that violated the Iranian ran sees no progress it will definitely implement the third step. after the Islamic Republic shot down an American RQ-4 territorial airspace in the early hours of the day was shot Amid escalating tensions between Iran and the U.S., France’s Global Hawk drone over the Strait of Hormuz, said Iranian down by the IRGC Aerospace Force’s air defense unit near President Emanuel Macron recently stepped up diplomatic con- Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Hossein Baqeri. the Kooh-e-Mobarak region in the southern province of tacts with Tehran in a bid to ease the tensions. “Following the downing of the RQ-4 Global Hawk drone, Hormozgan. In remarks on Sunday after a G7 summit, Macron said G7 if the U.S. decided to attack us but eventually called off the The intruding drone was shot by Iran’s homegrown air leaders had agreed to a joint action on Iran with the aim of defusing attack on the pretext of avoiding casualties, it is because defense missile system “Khordad-3rd”. tensions and opening a new negotiation with Tehran. of Iran’s deterrence power,” Major General Baqeri said on In comments made a few hours after the incident, IRGC “We agreed on what we wanted to say jointly on Iran,” Reuters Wednesday, Tasnim reported. Chief Major General Hossein Salami said the shooting down of quoted Macron as saying. “There is a message from the G7 on our “This is due to the Iranian mindset and the measures of the the U.S. drone had a straightforward message that any foreign objectives and the fact that we share them is important, which Commander-in-Chief [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei],” he added. intrusion into Iranian territories would draw a crushing response. avoids divisions that in the end weaken everybody.” In spite of all the problems, the Islamic Republic is so U.S. President Donald Trump later said the U.S. had been On Macron’s initiative, Vaezi said that in the past couple of powerful in the defense industry and ensuring security that it “cocked and loaded” to retaliate against Iran after he learned weeks Tehran and Paris have been making efforts to protect Iran’s will not allow any war to break out, the top general stressed. an Iranian missile system shot down a U.S. military drone. rights under the JCPOA and nullify Washington’s cruel sanctions. Baqeri also said the Iranian armed forces have no lim- However, the U.S. president claimed he decided to call off itations in boosting their research capabilities, even in the mission after he learned 150 Iranians would die as a result non-industrial projects. of the strike. U.S. not intent on conflict resolution with Iran: Government: Iran never Assassins of IRGC serviceman commentator walks away from diplomacy killed in Iran’s border region Tehran (Press TV) – A Tehran-based political commentator tells Press TV’s The Debate program that the U.S. is not intent on resolving its standing conflict with Iran, citing Washington’s betrayal of its commitments to Tehran under a 2015 multilateral deal and re-imposition of tough economic bans on the Islamic Republic. Mostafa Khoshcheshm was talking on the program on Tuesday, saying the United States’ reluctance to resolve the conflict with Iran manifested itself in its withdrawal from its 2015 multi-lateral nuclear agreement with the Islamic Republic last May. Also signaling the U.S.’s disinterest in de-escalation, he added, was Washington’s stepped-up campaign of economic pressure TEHRAN (IRNA) – Iran says it will the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Two terrorists who and efforts by the IRGC, the Intelligence plus military threats against Tehran. This is while Tehran insists never quit diplomacy but is to continue also known as the Joint Comprehensive had killed a local member of the Islamic Ministry’s office and the Border Police in that Washington has to lift the bans before any talks could take its overtures in level-playing field as the Plan of Action (JCPOA). Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in Iran’s West Azarbaijan Province, the IRGC forc- place, the expert reminded. possibility of detente between Washington Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad western province of West Azarbaijan have es launched a surprise raid on the hideout and Tehran gets stronger. Zarif held talks with French president been killed in a raid on their hideout, the of the terrorists in a village near the city of “Taking into account Donald Trump’s and the country’s Foreign Minister Jean IRGC announced. Sardasht, it added. personal traits, we don’t trust him; however, Yves Le Drian to discuss in detail Paris In a statement on Wednesday, the Hamzeh Both elements behind the martyrdom of Iran will never quit diplomacy under any proposals for a possible exit out of the Sayyid al-Shohada Base of the IRGC Ground Shwani were killed in the operation, while circumstances but is determined to pursue current situation. Force said its forces have killed the terror- a third one, who acted as a middleman to it in equal conditions,” said government’s “We have said from the beginning that ists behind the martyrdom of IRGC member help the terrorists escape from the coun- spokesman Ali Rabiei on Wednesday. the U.S. itself created such situation and Khalid Shwani. try, has been wounded and captured, the His remarks come after French President it should return to the previous status so According to the statement, the “elements statement said. Emmanuel Macron said he was preparing that we can decide, although that it may affiliated with the global arrogance and the It warned hostile and anti-Revolution the situation for a possible meeting between make other decisions, should it return criminal and treacherous” Democratic Party groups that their plots to upset security in Iran the U.S. president and Iranian President as well,” Rabiei added. of Kurdistan received punishment only 24 will receive a harsh and crushing response Hassan Rouhani. Washington imposed sanctions on Iran hours after the martyrdom of Khalid Shwani, from the IRGC forces. Iran has never trusted the U.S. ad- in two phases (August and November a local member of Basij (voluntary forces) Locals say Shwani was martyred in Pi- ministration’s intentions, especially 2018) after its withdrawal from the pact from the city of Piranshahr. ranshahr on Monday after gunmen opened His remarks came after French President Emanuel Macron after Trump pulled Washington out of in May last year. After a series of intelligence activities fire on him and immediately fled. claimed following talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that the stage was being set for a meeting between the Iranian and American presidents so that an agreement could be found. U.S. President Donald Trump said on the sidelines of a meet- Iran in possession of ‘hidden’ military equipment, says general ing of the G7 group of countries in France recently that “if the circumstances were correct…were right, I would certainly agree POLITICAL TEHRAN – Deputy Chief self-sufficient in the arms sphere. desk to that (talks with Iran).” of the Iranian Army Brig- The country’s officials have repeatedly Khoshcheshm, however, noted, “They (the U.S.) just mean adier General Mohammad Hossein Dadras underscored that the Islamic Republic will to contain Iran’s power, weaken the country and the Islamic says Iran is in possession of hidden military not hesitate to strengthen its military capa- Republic, and then go for a regime change.” equipment that are more effective than the bilities, including its missile power, which are Trump further warned Tehran that “in the meantime, they country’s unveiled equipment. entirely meant for defense, and that Iran’s (Iranians) have to be good players….” “Today, many of our equipment are un- defense capabilities will be never subject to “They can’t do what they were saying they’re going to do be- veiled but our more effective equipment are negotiations. cause if they do that, they’re going to be met with really very not unveiled and they would appear when Last week, Iran unveiled a long-range violent force. We have no choice,” the U.S. head of state added. they are needed to strike a tough blow to the surface-to-air missile system, dubbed “Ba- He was referring to Tehran’s bid to suspend more of its nuclear enemy,” Dadras said on Wednesday, Mehr var-373”, saying the missile system is more responsibilities, a reaction it has shown in the face of Washington reported. advanced than the U.S. Patriot system and and others’ non-commitment to the nuclear deal. He further highlighted the growing ad- its Russian counterpart S-300. The commentator, meanwhile, pointed out how the U.S.’s vances in the country’s defense sector, saying “The system has been designed and de- policy of pressure against the Islamic Republic has only been Iran’s stealth tools and equipment exist in veloped considering the country’s need for a followed by the latter’s further invigoration. He cited the country’s the Islamic Republic military’s ground, air defense system with a high range,” Brigadier notable progress in its nuclear program and military capabilities and marine sectors. General Shahrokh Shahram, a deputy defense after Washington resorted to the policy. The military chief also stated that the minister, told national TV on Thursday night. Robert Patillo, political strategist from Washington, D.C., “We possess equipment that could punish vincible power on the world stage, adding military conducts several “secret” weekly Bavar-373 is a mobile missile defense who was also being hosted on The Debate, described the United the enemies in the furthest points if need that such level of capability and readiness tests and practices, saying the Iranian armed system designed to intercept and destroy States’ policy vis-à-vis the Islamic Republic as a “carrot-and- be,” he said. is a prelude to further unfolding of the Is- forces are making every effort to keep their incoming hostile targets. stick” approach. In similar remarks last week, Iranian lamic Republic’s power before the eyes of strength at the highest level possible. The system employs missiles that have By employing the strategy, he said, Trump was trying to bring Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Mo- other nations. Referring to the hostile policies of some a maximum range of 300 kilometers. Iran back to the negotiation table. “He would put the carrot out hammad Hossein Baqeri said Iran’s power Iranian military experts and technicians countries toward the Islamic Republic, the The system is capable of simultaneously first,” but would simultaneously try to ensure that Washington has reached a level that it has driven the have in recent years made great headways commander emphasized that the Army looks detecting up to 300 targets, tracking 60 would not end up becoming a “pawn” on the international stage, enemy into despair. in manufacturing a broad range of indige- deep into foreign threats and is prepared to targets at once and engaging six targets he said. counter them. Baqeri said Iran has emerged as an in- nous equipment, making the armed forces at a time. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 4 ECONOMY AUGUST 29, 2019

STOCK MARKET No budget deficit in current TEDPIX 278674.5 IFX 3710.17 year: PBO head Sources: tse.ir, Ifb.ir ECONOMY TEHRAN – Head of rials (about $106.6 billion) to 3.86 quadril- deskIran’s Planning and lion rials (about $91.9 billion) by yearend. Budget Organization (PBO) said despite President Hassan Rouhani presented the the decrease in the country’s oil revenues 17.03-quadrillion-rial (about $405 billion) CURRENCIES the country won’t face any budget deficit in national budget bill for the current Irani- USD 42,000 rials the current calendar year (ends on March an calendar year 1398, to the Majlis in late 19, 2020). December. EUR 46,566 rials “Although the provisioned incomes are Supplying basic goods, treatment and med- GBP 51,545 rials not going to be realized completely this year, ical equipment; securing livelihood; support- since the costs are planned to be propor- ing production and employment; promoting AED 11,437 rials tional to the available revenues we are not tourism; and preserving water resources and expecting any budget deficit,” Tasnim news environment were the focal points of the bill. Source: cbi.ir agency quoted Mohammad-Baqer Nobakht It estimated the oil income at 1.425 quad- as saying on Wednesday. rillion rials (about $34 billion) with 410 trillion “In fact we will reduce the government’s rials (about $9.7 billion) rise year on year while expenses to the amount of our revenues so the government’ expenses were seen to be 3.2 COMMODITIES that they would be equal,” he added. quadrillion rials (about $76 billion). Brent $59.61/b According to the official, the government As unveiled on December 7 by Budget and is going to decrease the amount of the ex- Planning Organization, the proposed budget bill WTI $55.62/b pected expenses and the country’s financial forecasted 1.5 million barrels of oil sales per day OPEC Basket $59.18/b resources from the previous 4.48 quadrillion at the price of $54 per barrel. Gold $1.546.25/oz Silver $18.16/oz Strengthened political ties, and now a surging trade between Iran, Oman Platinium $876.05/oz 1 During a meeting with Rahmani, Al-Futaisi welcomed Khorramshahr to the Omani port of Sohar. Sources: oilprice.com, Moneymetals.com economic cooperation with Iran in all areas, saying that Oman offering incentives to Iranian traders Oman’s policy is to develop relations with its neighbors, In line with facilitating trade between the two countries, especially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and it welcomes Oman is offering some incentives to the Iranian traders any strategy to expand all-out relations. such as tax exemptions. Iran-EU trade at €2.6b in H1 Sunaiday, for his turn, expressed his country’s eagerness Also, through providing necessary infrastructure such as for boosting trade with Iran, saying, “The Islamic Republic facilitation of banking regulations, the Sultanate has created ECONOMY TEHRAN- The trade between Iran and Eu- of Iran has significant capabilities and capacities that the proper opportunities for presence of Iranian investors in deskropean Union countries during the first six two sides can tap in line with the national interests of the that country. months of 2019 stood at €2.6 billion, ILNA reported. two countries.” Four reasons to develop trade with Oman According to Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines Developing sea transport between the two sides, facilitating Mohsen Zarrabi, the chairman of Iran-Oman Joint Chamber and Agriculture (ICCIMA), the trade between Iran and the EU visa issuance for Iranian and Omani traders, rising number of Commerce, has mentioned four major reasons for Iran nations has decreased by 76 percent compared to last year’s same of Iranian companies in Oman and also more competitive to develop its trade ties with Oman, which come as follows. period in which the figure stood at €10.7 billion. prices of Iranian products in the Omani market compared The first one is that Oman with a population of 4.6 million to the past are some of the major reasons behind expanded people imports over $28 billion of commodities, of which LC due to the sanctions, so Iran cannot practically com- economic cooperation between the two countries. the share of Iran’s export to that country is just $728 million, pete with the Chinese and Turk rivals in those markets; More direct shipping lines between Iran, Oman a figure that definitely can be increased given the proper but re-export of Iranian products from Oman can create a In last December, Iran and Oman launched their fourth condition recently created. larger African market for Iran. direct shipping route to connect Iran’s port city of Jask to The second reason is that while there are many good Big companies rather than SMEs the Omani port of Al Suwaiq. markets for the Iranian products in the region, due to some While the ground is laid for the activity of Iranian com- The first shipping route between the two countries was political problems with some countries Iran cannot access panies in Oman, their performance is not ideal, according put into operation in March 2015 between Iran’s Bandar their markets. So, Oman can be a good base for re-export to Abbas Abdolkhani, Iran’s commercial attaché in Muscat. Abbas and Oman’s Sohar. of Iranian products to those destinations. He said it is because the Iranian companies are mainly In December 2016, Iran and Oman inaugurated direct The third one is Oman’s old and deep relations with the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that cannot shipping routes from two Omani ports to the Iranian port African countries, which again can play the role of re-ex- compete with the big foreign companies. of Shahid Bahonar. porting Iranian commodities to those markets. It is while existence of many cultural and religious com- Later in December 2017, the two countries launched And the last one is that African countries do not make monalities between the two countries is a good potential for another shipping line which connects Iran’s port city of their purchase in cash and as Iranian banks cannot receive the expansion of trade ties, the official noted. As reported, Iran’s trade balance with the European Union, which was positive for the first half of the last year, amounting to about €1.5 billion, fell negative in the first six months of the Domestic investment in Iran’s free zones up nearly 40% current year, to minus €1.7 billion. 1 “Last year, our goal was to attract (March 1989- March 1990) following the EU countries exported €2.1 billion of goods to Iran in the $600 million of foreign investment of which fall in the country’s oil income in the preced- said time, registering a 54-percent decrease from the preceding we managed to realize $400 million or 60 ing year which prompted the government year’s same period. percent,” Bank said. to promote the non-oil exports. In terms of weight, the exports to Iran also fell 9.4 percent to Mentioning the exports from the coun- The first two free trade zones of Iran were 1.063 million tons in the mentioned six months. try’s free and especial economic zones, Bank established in the south of country. The first EU members imported €418 million worth of Iranian goods noted that in the mentioned year, the total one was Kish Free Trade Zone established from January to June of 2019, 93 percent less than last year’s exports from free zones and special econom- in 1368 on Kish Island in the Persian Gulf same time span. ic zones stood at more than $18 billion, of and the second one was Qeshm Free Trade Based on ICCIMA data, transport machinery and equipment, which nearly $16 billion came from special Zone established the year after on Qeshm petrochemicals, manufactured artifacts and food products were economic zones and about $2.5 billion from Island in the Strait of Hormuz. respectively the major items that Iran imported from EU in the free zones. Some five other free trade zones have been H1 2019. He also underlined the number of jobs also established in the country since then, in- created in the country’s free and especial cluding Chabahar in southeastern Sistan-Bal- economic zones, saying that last year over uchestan Province, Arvand in southwestern 25,000 jobs were created in the mentioned Khuzestan Province, Anzali in northern Gilan Norway set for strong growth zones.According to Akbar Eftekhari, the dep- fairs, there are seven free trade zones and production units. Province, Aras in East-Azarbaijan Province despite global trouble uty secretary of Free Zones High Council 25 special economic zones in Iran in which Establishment of free trade zones in Iran and Maku in West-Azarbaijan Province, both for production, exports and technology af- nearly 500,000 people are working in 1,700 dates back to Iranian calendar year 1368 in the northwest of the country. The Norwegian economy is on track to grow at a faster than nor- mal pace in 2019 and 2020 despite an international slowdown, Finance Minister Siv Jensen said on Wednesday. Reuters said “our current forecasts for the Norwegian economy Capital market attracts over $700m of liquidity: SEO head indicate that growth is holding up very well, above the trend, both ECONOMY TEHRAN – Iranian capital market This market has experienced a 250-percent growth of for this year and next,” she told a news conference at the start deskhas attracted 30 trillion rials ($714.2 index over the past three years and its value has reached of a government meeting to discuss budget priorities for 2020. million) of liquidity at Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) 12.282 quadrillion rials (about $285.714 billion) at the At stake in cabinet meetings on Wednesday and Thursday and over-the-counter (OTC) market known as Iran Fara end of the third Iranian calendar month of Khordad (June is how much cash Norway should spend next year from its $1 Bourse (IFB), IRIB reported quoting Shapour Mohammadi, 21), which equals 40 percent of Iran’s GDP. trillion sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, at a time of the head of Iran’s Securities and Exchange Organization Some 630 large companies, active in 40 industries, with rapid domestic growth and a slowdown abroad. (SEO), as saying. full transparency in performance are currently present In 2019, the government plans to spend 238 billion Norwegian The official had also said in January that the value of at Tehran Stock Exchange and Iran Fara Bourse. crowns ($26.6 billion) from the fund, corresponding to 2.9% of foreign investment in Iran’s capital market has reached Increasing number of the companies, rising capital, its value at the start of the year, just short of the 3% guideline 13.7 trillion rials (about $326 million). and diversity of securities all indicate that this market set by parliament as a long-term average. As previously announced by Hamid Rouhbakhsh, the is working well toward more capital funding, but it is While some economists have argued the government should director of TSE’s public relations and international affairs unfortunate that despite all these promising factors, stock further curb spending at a time of solid growth, Jensen said her office, foreign investors are present in 36 industries at TSE. market’s share is still low in this due. budgets were in fact already showing restraint. The first trading code was issued for a foreign share- One reason is that investors have their eyes more “By limiting spending in good times we’ll avoid putting undue holder in Iranian calendar year of 1373 (1994-95) to let on the banks rather than the stock market for securing pressure on interest rates or on the crown,” she said. it commence its activity in Iranian capital market. their required fund; it seems somehow logical as the The Norwegian currency has weakened by some 6% on a The statistics show that stock market in Iran is moving banking system has a longer history in Iran compared familiarity with the stock market. They prefer to deposit trade-weighted basis since the 2019 budget was presented last toward more and more development and creating better to the stock market. their money in the banks rather than making investment October, boosting the prospects of exporters even though the condition for entrance of more investors. The other reason is the people’s low knowledge and at the stock market. country’s central bank has raised interest rates. Fuelled by investment growth in its oil industry and the currency decline, the economy is projected to grow by 2.7% in 2019, the fastest pace in seven years, and by 2.5% in 2020, the Iran’s Exchange Stars League’s winners announced government projected in May. ECONOMY TEHRAN – The third It is while the first edition was held Jensen did not provide new forecasts on Wednesday. Both deskround of Iran’s Exchange through participation of 10 teams in 2017 the finance minister and Prime Minister Erna Solberg said they Stars League wrapped up by honoring winners which increased to 34 teams in 2018. were prepared to act in case of a negative impact from Brexit or at Al Zahra University on Tuesday evening, Holding the first edition of this league from a slowdown in the global economy. securities and exchange news agency (SENA) was among the first-ever successful expe- “There is nothing to indicate that outside factors are having reported. riences of Iran’s stock market in Iranian an impact now ... (but) we’ve demonstrated our ability to turn Teams of Islamic Azad University of Teh- calendar year of 1396 (March 2017-March things around if needed,” Jensen said. ran (east branch), Khajeh Nasir University, 2018). While the budget will not be revealed in full until Oct. 7, some and University of Ilam were ranked the first, The competition is aimed at teaching priorities are already known. second and third, respectively, after the 50-day the newbies the science of trade and stock Solberg on Friday took the unusual step of publicly demand- competition with other teams from Iranian exchange while developing the culture of ing that coalition partners accept her plan for how to fund roads universities as well as universities of Oman, entrepreneurship and job creation. and public transport over the coming decade, or otherwise leave the government. Turkey, Iraq and Syria. It is an indication of university students’ The gambit paid off when the Progress Party, the Christian The winners were honored during a cer- intention for presence in the capital market, Democrats and the Liberals all fell into line, thus preserving the emony attended by Head of Iran’s Securities (TSE) Ali Sahraei, and Head of Iran Fara attended by 60 teams from Iranian univer- Yaser Fallah, the secretary of the headquarters prime minister’s majority in parliament. and Exchange Organization (SEO) Shapour Bourse (IFB) Amir Hamooni. sities and five teams from the universities for holding the league, stated in the Tuesday Reuters.com Mohammadi, Head of Tehran Stock Exchange This round of the competition had been of some other countries. ceremony. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y AUGUST 29, 2019 ENERGY 5 NIOPDC offers 1000 tons of Wind energy in El Salvador: Metapán wind power project gasoil at IRENEX has 30% progress ENERGY TEHRAN – National one of the main strategies of the National deskIranian Oil Products Iranian Oil Company in recent years has The Ventus wind farm with Vestas wind turbines that is built in Distribution Company (NIOPDC) offered been focusing on the country’s refineries. Metapán, first of its kind in El Salvador, has a 30% progress and 1000 tons of gasoil at the base price of $567 Back in February, director of supply and is expected to be operational for the last quarter of next year. at the international ring of Iran Energy distribution at NIOPDC said the country’s daily Christopher Kafie Hasbún, representative of Ventus, ex- Exchange (IRENEX) on Tuesday, ILNA gasoil production is 16 million liters more than plained that “much of the progress in a wind power project reported. the consumption so the company planned to has to do with the supply of specialized equipment such as As reported, 500 tons of the offered cargo offer the additional product at the country’s wind turbines” and that one of the great challenges will be worth nearly 32 billion rials (about $762,000) energy exchange. transportation from the Port of Acajutla to Metapán. was sold to domestic buyers. According to Mojtaba Delbari, Iran’s daily There will be 15 towers 120 meters high each with three As decided at IRENEX, the applicants have gasoil output stood at 98.2 million liters at the 67-meter blades that will come to the country in one piece and to initially pay 10 percent of the value of the time while the daily consumption was reported generate about 170 gigawatt hours per year (GWh) contract in rials or other foreign currencies to be 81.8 million liters. Ventus is owned by the Tracia Network Corporation which and in case their bidding is accepted they must “With the third phase of Persian Gulf Star was awarded the supply of 50 megawatts (MW) of wind pow- pay the rest to receive the purchased cargo. Refinery becoming operational, the country’s er. Once the wind energy project is finished, it will inject the The buyer company will also be required potential capacity for storing refined products equivalent of the average consumption of 80,000 homes, with to pay for loading and unloading costs at the like gasoline and gasoil has increased significant- the advantage of being a clean technology. source of delivery. ly”, he noted. The tender was for 170 MW for wind energy and solar en- Since the U.S.’s withdrew from Iran’s President Rouhani inaugurated the third ergy. Ventus was the only bidder of wind technology that won, nuclear pact in May 2018, vowing to drive phase of the refinery in a ceremony on February the rest of the power awarded was for photovoltaic projects. Iran’s oil exports down to zero, the Islamic 18 participated by the oil minister. They offered a price of $ 98.78 per megawatt hour (MWh), Republic has been taking various measures The refinery in Bandar Abbas, the capital city below the ceiling price. to counter U.S. actions and to lessen its of southern province of Hormozgan, is the first The wind energy economy’s reliance on oil. tanks and energy experts have been repeatedly refining capacity in order to lessen the econ- of its kind designed based on gas condensate This is the price within the electricity market, not the final In the past few years, Iranian think- stating that the country should increase its omy’s reliance on crude sales. In this regard, feedstock. user fee, although matrix diversification does result in better prices to users. Wind energy, in addition to implying avoiding the annual emission of some 200,000 tons of CO2, has the advantage that it is not affected by the volatility of oil prices, Oil output could easily be restored to pre-sanction levels: Zanganeh as opposed to thermal. ENERGY TEHRAN – Iran’s Oil Minister Bijan Donald Trump suggested that his administration would be In addition, it will imply a reduction in the country’s oil bill deskNamdar Zanganeh has denied the idea willing to reduce the pressure of sanctions on Iran. of about $ 14 million, or about 160,000 barrels. of U.S. sanctions’ long-term impact on the country’s oil China imported more than 900,000 metric tons of crude The construction of the wind farm will generate 400 jobs. production and exports capacity, saying output could be oil from Iran in July, up more than 8 percent from the month Specifically in infrastructure works, there has been an advance back to normal very quickly once the sanctions are removed. before, a government report shows. of 5%, since the main focus for the moment has been in the en- “In case sanctions on Iran’s oil exports are lifted, we would Trump’s statement after a meeting of leading economic gineering phase and in the parts. restore oil production to pre-sanction level in three days,” powers in France came as Iranian authorities also signaled Along these lines, Kafie said that Vestas, a leading Danish IRNA quoted Zanganeh as saying on Tuesday. that there was a chance to hold talks with the U.S. if Wash- company in the area, has been hired. Iran has admitted that sanctions imposed in November ington lifted its sanctions on Iran. The work is financed by several banks in El Salvador and Gua- and tightened in May have caused a significant decline in This comes as Iran has sought to reduce its dependence temala, including Davivienda for $ 20 million, as well as a $ 10 oil exports although authorities insist sales through uncon- on crude revenues over the past months by investing more million loan from Banco Cuscatlán and other funds from the ventional channels have continued over the past months. in downstream section of the oil industry. Guatemalan Banco G&T Continental and Banco Agromercantil. Reports earlier on Tuesday suggested that China, Iran’s Zanganeh said on Tuesday that output of petrochemical Takashi Sugisawa, director of banking companies at Davivien- main buyer of oil before the sanctions, had imported eight products in Iran had doubled compared to 2013, adding da, said this is the second wind project they support, since they percent more of Iran’s crude in July this year. that the country would exceed a target of 100 million tons financed a park in Guatemala with $ 10 million. Zanganeh’s comments came a day after U.S. President a year of output of refined products in 2021. In addition, they have a portfolio of $ 100 million in photo- voltaic projects. «The experience (in Guatemala) has been very good, so that these projects take place there are wind studies from many pre- Oil rises after inventory draw eases recession worries vious years and at different heights. The experience was so good that we wanted to finance the first Oil prices rose on Wednesday, with U.S. crude have been hanging over oil markets like a for talks. wind farm in the country,” said the spokesperson for Davivienda. gaining 1.3% after an industry report showed dark cloud,” said Stephen Innes, managing Crude oil prices have fallen about 20% For his part, José Eduardo Luna, executive director of Banco stockpiles in the United States, the world’s partner at Valour Markets. from 2019 highs hit in April, partly because Csucatlán, added that “this project is of paramount importance biggest oil user, fell more than expected, Still, concerns about global growth amid of worries that the U.S.-China trade war is for the country, since it not only represents an increase in installed easing worries about economic growth due the raging trade war between the United States hurting the global economy and could dent generation capacity to meet the growing demand, but also diver- to the China-U.S. trade war. and China, the world’s two biggest crude oil oil demand. sifies the energy matrix, incorporating a new source of renewable As stated by reuters.com, Brent crude consumers, are likely to cap gains. “Global recession risks are higher than generation, such as wind”. futures LCOc1 climbed 59 cents, or 1.0%, U.S. President Donald Trump said on at any stage since the (global financial cri- to $60.10 a barrel by 0652 GMT. West Tex- Monday that he believed China was sincere sis) and the U.S. is not immune,” Morgan as Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 about wanting to reach a deal, while Chinese Stanley said. Macquarie of Australia set to gained 70 cents, or 1.3%, to $55.63 a barrel. Vice Premier Liu He said China was will- China’s Commerce Ministry last week said U.S. crude stockpiles fell sharply last ing to resolve the dispute through “calm” it would impose additional tariffs of 5% or raise $675 million to invest in week as imports dropped, plummeting by negotiations. 10% on 5,078 products originating from the 11.1 million barrels, compared with expecta- On Tuesday, however, concerns about trade United States, including crude oil, agricultural renewables and tech tions for a 2 million-barrel draw, data from numbers confirm the API data then it will resurfaced after China’s Foreign Ministry products and small aircraft. industry group the American Petroleum be the biggest weekly decline in nine weeks. said it had not heard of any recent telephone In retaliation, Trump said he was order- Tech and renewable energy are two sectors that are expected Institute (API), showed. The “mammoth crude inventory draw has, call between the United States and China ing U.S. companies to look at ways to close to be much bigger in the years to come, which is why some of The U.S. government’s weekly report was at least for the time being, put to rest those on trade, and that it hopes Washington can operations in China and make products in the biggest investment banks in the world are getting into the due Wednesday morning and if the official U.S. recessionary doom and gloom fears that stop its wrong actions and create conditions the United States. sectors in a big way. Tech is already big, but the scope of growth is still immense, while renewable energy seems like the thing of the future as fears grow with regards to climate change. Sri Lanka aims to join oil producers’ club in 2023 As per cryptonewsz.com, in a new development, it has emerged Sri Lanka, which doesn’t pump any oil at present, hopes with the plunge in oil prices. that one of Australia’s biggest investment banks Macquarie is to begin oil and natural gas production in 2023, a senior According to the government of Sri Lanka, seismic all set to raise a staggering $675 million ($ 1 billion) to invest government official said on Tuesday. data shows there could be more than 1 billion barrels of in technology, renewable energy, and infrastructure. According to oilprice.com, Vajira Dassanayake, Di- oil under in the Mannar Basin. rector General of the Petroleum Resources Development Sri Lanka’s government also signed this week a two- Secretariat (PRDS) of Sri Lanka, said that the country also year exploration deal with oil majors Total and Equinor held a tender for one block and received three bids for to study the hydrocarbon potential in Sri Lanka’s waters. exploration and development of that block in the Mannar Under a previous exploration agreement, Total has Basin off the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka. already surveyed 50,000 square kilometers (19,305 square The government plans to award the block by November miles) off Sri Lanka’s east coast. The new exploration this year, the official said. agreement will include three participants — Total, the “Definitely by 2020 they will start operation and (we) government of Sri Lanka, and Norway’s Equinor, which expect the first hydrocarbon production by 2023,” Reuters will take 30 percent in the new venture, Sri Lankan of- quoted Dassanayake as saying. ficials said. The block was previously explored by Cairn Energy’s Dassanayake said that after 30-40 years of hopes for subsidiary Cairn India, which discovered natural gas in finding gas and condensate in two out of three wells drilled hydrocarbon exploration in Sri Lanka, the country is now the Mannar basin back in 2011. Two years later Cairn in the 2011 exploration phase. “really on the ground” with its plan to see oil and gas was planning a second phase of exploration drilling after Cairn India, however, withdrew from the block in 2015 production flowing within the next five years. Total opens 1,000th solar-powered petrol station Total inaugurated its 1,000th ‘solarized’ service station Three months ago, Macquarie had announced that it had powered by solar panels on Tuesday, with the compa- $5 billion in the capital that had not been invested and at the ny describing the rooftop solar systems at the Totale time, it had raised concerns from analysts. Palmeraie retail outlet in Marrakesh, Morocco, as a Analysts at UBS stated that if that was the case, then the bank “milestone” in its program to ‘solarise’ certain of its had no reason to sell shares. On the other hand, analysts at Gold- service stations worldwide, which began in late 2016. man Sachs called it surprising. According to sharecast.com, the Paris, London and According to those who are close to the developments, Mac- New York-listed French oil giant said its goal was to quarie is going to offer shares to institutional investors in the ‘solarise’ 5,000 stations in 57 countries. price band between $118 and $123.5, and it is also believed that Work would reportedly accelerate in the coming there is significant demand for these shares. months to reach around 1,000 stations per year, and The raised capital is going to be allocated in investments in more than a third of Total retail network stations glob- the ongoing quarter only, and another round of fundraising is ally would be equipped with high-efficiency ‘SunPower’ going to take place with existing investors later on. solar panels. The bank expects to raise $300 million to $600 million in Total said it was also ‘solarising’ production sites, the second round. such as plants and refineries, and office buildings. Shemara Wikramanayake, the Chief Executive Officer of Mac- A number of projects to equip various plants and office how and expertise in renewable energies. “This milestone achievement reflects Total’s commitment quarie, spoke about the whole thing after the announcement had buildings with solar panels had been identified, adding up “Consistent with Total’s ambition to become the responsible to using solar power at our sites and our ability to support been made. He said, to a nominal power of more than 200 MW-peak, equiva- energy major, the program will reduce our retail network’s our industrial and commercial customers with cleaner, more The raising is intended to ensure that we are well placed to lent to the electricity demand of a city of 200,000 people. carbon emissions by more than 50,000 tons per year.” affordable and safer electricity.” continue to respond to opportunities that are meeting our return “Total service stations around the world are designed Total’s senior vice president of renewables, Julien Pouget, Total said the recently-’solarised’ Palmeraie service station benchmarks. as one-stop shops offering customers tailor-made services added that ‘solarising’ the company’s service stations was in Marrakesh featured 134 square meters of photovoltaic He went on to state that the capital that is being raised is ex- that are easy to access and use,” said the company’s pres- “fully aligned” with its strategy of generating and supplying panels. pected to be enough to take care of the investment opportunities ident of marketing and services, Momar Nguer. distributed renewable electricity. It said the system would produce 45 megawatt-hours of and Macquarie is not going to have to return for another round. The “service stations equipped with solar panels are “We’re proud to inaugurate our thousandth solar-equipped power per year, and reduce the retail outlet’s carbon emis- That being said, the fact that Macquarie raised capital despite more independent of the grid and showcase our know- retail outlet. sions by 30 tons annually. having $5 billion worth of spare cash has raised eyebrows. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 6 INTERNATIONAL AUGUST 29, 2019

What happens when Kim How Saudi Arabia and Israel stands Trump up at the altar? undermine the war On terror By Harry J. Kazianis By Ali Rizk weren’t backed by Iran to the bad guys who were backed by Iran”. THEAMERICANCONSERVATIVE – Over the next LOBELOG– A recent report from the Pen- Israel even went as far as to provide assis- several weeks, Korea watchers the world over will get the tagon inspector general, warning of the “re- tance to al-Qaeda elements fighting the Syrian answer to the question they have been asking for at least surgence” of the Islamic State (IS or ISIS), state. A report by the Wall Street Journal in two years. Can President Donald Trump and North Korean highlights a fact that has become abundantly March 2015 revealed that Israel had provided leader Kim Jong-un ink an agreement that not only begins clear: Washington’s “war on terror” is a failure. medical treatment to al-Qaeda terrorists who the process of the north’s denuclearization but transforms Despite the formation of a “Global Coali- had been wounded in the fighting. American-North Korean relations into something non-con- tion” to fight ISIS back in September 2014, the Owing largely to Washington’s traditional frontational? Pentagon report estimates that there are still “Israel first policy” in the region, it too chose My prediction: not likely. between 14,000 and 18,000 ISIS combatants to take sides with the anti-Assad forces, de- And that breaks my heart. But being a realist, I must go in Iraq and Syria. The report also argues that spite the fact that a large segment of them where the facts take me. the terrorist group has enhanced its insurgent were Wahhabi extremists from groups like Let me back up a moment. capabilities. These estimates and assessments al-Qaeda and ISIS. From a logical standpoint, Looking at the facts as well as the current geopolitical are the latest piece of evidence showing that however, Washington’s interests required landscape in East Asia, it should be no shock that North the U.S. has adopted the wrong approach to taking the exact opposite approach. This point Korea does not, at least for the moment, want to hold sub- counterterrorism.Terrorist Groups Remain was driven home on two separate occasions stantive working-level talks. Pyongyang instead wants to as Dangerous as Ever. by former defense secretary Chuck Hagel. use as an excuse what amounts to computer simulations— Since former U.S. president George W. In early 2016, after leaving his post, Hagel those U.S.-South Korean military drills that have the Kim Bush declared the “war on terror” follow- remarked, “We’ve allowed ourselves to get regime enraged (even though they aren’t actually fielding ing the attacks of September 11, 2001, the caught and paralyzed on our Syrian policy any troops)—to test advanced missiles. problem of terrorism has arguably worsened. by the statement that, ‘Assad must go.’ Assad This has created the current diplomatic impasse we pres- While Washington has not witnessed another was never our enemy.” And in an interview ently find ourselves in. “9/11”, al-Qaeda is widely believed to be as with CNN in late 2015 (also after leaving his Many experts, myself included until quite recently, thought dangerous as ever. post), Hagel stated, “ISIS represents the real this pause in talks would be just temporary. A study by Bruce Hoffman of the Council threat to our country — the world.” In a recent letter to President Trump, Chairman Kim on Foreign Relations in March 2018 found Trump Administration Policies: Even apparently explained that missile tests would end as soon that al-Qaeda had managed to form a global More Counterproductive as the U.S.-South Korean drills concluded, and that talks movement comprising more than two dozen ogy that Saudi Arabia has spread throughout da. Due to the reckless Saudi war in Yemen, While Washington’s “war on terror” is would begin soon after. franchises, stretching from Northwest Africa the world. al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (often in need of a complete overhaul, the Trump And while I hope this is true, we have valid reason to be to South Asia. The Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka described as the most dangerous Al-Qaeda administration appears to be moving in the skeptical that Kim will follow through. U.S. officials have also warned of the threat that killed over 250 people put the spotlight affiliate) has greatly expanded its presence opposite direction. Trump’s first two foreign First and foremost, Kim has proven himself to be a shrewd posed by al-Qaeda. During a press confer- once again on Wahhabism and Saudi Arabia’s in that country. Saudi Arabia has also joined trips as president were to Saudi Arabia and geopolitical player, who clearly not only wants to ensure ence earlier this month, State Department role in spreading it. Five Sri Lankans believed forces with al-Qaeda in Yemen against the Israel, and strengthening Americas ties with his regime’s but also his own personal survival for decades counterterrorism coordinator Nathan Sales to be linked to the bombings were deported Houthi movement. these two allies has become a hallmark of to come. warned that al-Qaeda today is “as strong as from Saudi Arabia to Sri Lanka where they Nevertheless, Washington has supported the White House’s foreign policy. He is surely thinking about what combination of military it’s ever been”. In some places—like Yemen, were taken into police custody. the Saudi war in Yemen from the beginning, The Trump administration’s designation of capabilities, economic changes, and international agree- Somalia, and Syria—its presence has grown Sri Lankan authorities also arrested a and the Trump administration has doubled Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as ments and alliances will help achieve such a goal. since 2001. Wahhabi scholar in the aftermath of the down on this support. a foreign terrorist organization was a dream You don’t need to be a rocket scientist—sorry, no pun Meanwhile the ISIS threat isn’t isolated bombings. Israeli enmity with Iran and Hezbollah is a come true for Saudi Arabia and Israel and at intended—to figure out what questions Kim is likely asking to Syria and Iraq. The terrorist group has Despite the ideological lifeline Saudi major reason why the U.S. labels these actors the same time a step that runs contrary to any himself and his advisers: affiliates in Nigeria, Sri-Lanka, Afghanistan, Arabia provides to these terrorist groups, as terrorists when in fact they have actually logical approach in the fight against terror. Does denuclearization really enhance my chances of the Philippines and elsewhere. Earlier this it has never been the focus of Washington’s fought against terrorists in places like Syria Iran and allies like Hezbollah have proven survival? Even if it’s done over a decade or more? month it claimed responsibility for a brutal “war on terror”. U.S. administrations have and Iraq. Israel supported the anti-Assad very capable in fighting Wahhabi terrorists. Would just maintaining the status quo work, where U.S.- terrorist attack targeting a wedding in Kabul, focused on military means that include killing forces in Syria, and Israeli officials let it be Because of the special hatred these terror- North Korean relations are frozen as they are, with Kim which left at least 80 people dead. senior terrorist leaders, without addressing known that they would prefer a Wahhabi ist have for Shiites, Iranian and Hezbollah not testing nukes or ICBMs, and with America granting no Saudi Arabia and Israel: Obstacles in the the critical ideological factor. takeover of that country as opposed to pres- fighters enjoy an advantage of doctrine and sanctions relief? “War on Terror” Washington has therefore failed in “de- ident Assad remaining in power. are highly motivated in waging this battle. Washington’s failure in the “war on terror” stroying the idea” and terrorist movements The reason? Assad’s alliance with Iran. In A logical approach would therefore be for has a lot to do with the fact that two of its are quickly able to replenish their ranks with an interview with the Jerusalem Post back Washington to team up with Iran and its closest allies are Saudi Arabia and Israel. new terrorists replacing those that are killed. in September 2013, the Israeli ambassador allies in the fight against terror. Al-Qaeda and ISIS are terrorist movements Under the leadership of crown prince to Washington at the time, Michael Oren, Sadly, however, the Trump administration that adhere to the Saudi sponsored Wahhabi Mohammad bin Salman, Saudi Arabia has remarked, “We always wanted Bashar Assad has diminished any chances of this becoming doctrine—a narrow minded extremist ideol- become an even bigger enabler of al-Qae- to go, we always preferred the bad guys who a reality. Anthony Hall: Pro-Israel “Im Tirzu” Project against civil societies TEHRAN (FNA) – Anthony Hall, Canadian professor, academics suggests there are right and wrong opinions, and strongly criticized the moves made in the West to black- if you have these supposedly wrong opinions then perhaps list academic critics of Israel as “very reprehensible and you should not be working at a university. What is the Uni- anti-academic”. versity for, if questions cannot be asked in an open fashion? Speaking in an exclusive interview with FNA, Professor The basis of democracy requires free and open expression Hall commented on an Israeli project called Im Tirzu, listing of a range of opinion. academics who are “anti-Zionists or Leftists” and inviting It sounds Israeli extremists do not want to have Zionism students to file complaints against them. discussed academically. Where else this can be discussed, He further said such a move prevents academics from if not at a university? expressing their ideas, saying, “What is the University for, A: Surely the essence of what university is supposed to Or does Pyongyang take its chances and go full 2017, if questions cannot be asked in an open fashion? The basis stand for is a range of free expression of a range of opinion. showing the world it can truly hit the U.S. with atomic fire of democracy requires free and open expression of a range We get away from that and it is tragic. In Canada teaching by testing a long-range missile that can drop a warhead on of opinion.” about indigenous people is a patriotic thing to do as the an American city? Anthony James Hall is Professor emeritus of Globali- Canadians want to address these issues. With the Pales- Current events could end up deciding which questions zation Studies at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, tinians, why should not the same apply? Why would not a Kim asks and how which answers he lands on. Canada. Also, he is the editor in chief of American Herald patriotic Israeli citizen say we have a problem here? We have And in fact, it seems Kim is in no mood to talk. Tribune. Professor Hall was a target of pro-Israeli lobbies’ something out of order? These professors are apparently Surely the portly pariah of Pyongyang will factor in the Canary project, which filed a complaint against him based put in a hard situation. U.S.-China trade war—and how he can take advantage. on his interviews and speeches against Zionism. The court How do you view the reactions from inside Israel to Kim knows all too well that over 90 percent of North Ko- dismissed the accusations against him, but the university the move? rea’s exports flow through China, and that if Beijing wanted admiration forced him to get retired. A: When Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister, spoke to, it could end America’s so-called “maximum pressure” Below is the full text of the interview. to the camera, he supported that move, showing government’s the list of those making a complaint, or maybe even commit sanctions strategy in a few days if it wanted. How do you view the practice of the blacklisting aca- approval. But, even the Likud party, which is the center of violence against the professors or to have contempt for them. Kim might consider the current trade impasse an op- demics by Israeli extremists? gravity, has condemned the project. There was actually a This is not a healthy approach. It resembles Canary mission, portunity to push Chinese President Xi Jinping to lessen A: Ironically this is all framed in terms that Israel is Jew- court case where a group accused this move of having fascist a website devoted to blacklisting students who support BDS. to the degree to which sanctions are enforced in order to ish and democratic! Zionists suggest Israel is an exclusively characteristics, and a judge agreed that characterization Blacklisting is illegal. Blacklisting is unethical. If you disagree stick it to America. Jewish state, so that does not represent in an equitable way, was valid in some respects. It seems to be creating great with the positions of an academic professor, express your Considering how small the North Korean economy is— those who are not Jews (Arabs-Palestinians, Muslims or divisions inside Israel. disagreement, find out how that professor is wrong, or have one-third the size of Ethiopia—even a few hundred million Christians.) There is something lacking and contradictory What are the possible consequences of Im Tirzu? an open debate using the dynamics of academic discourse dollars in illegal exports could make the difference. in the claim to democracy: in a democracy you do not expect A: Of course to be subjected to this kind of recriminations to find out where the truth lies. That a group is blacklisted Such factors could then cause Kim to pause any talks everyone to have the same opinion; you expect that there that move is bringing on might be considered blacklisting. It and designated as somehow traitors is very reprehensible with America, knowing that China can provide him with will be a disagreement about opinion. The move to blacklist might be considered an encouragement to add students to and anti-academic, not conducted in a civil society. just enough hard currency and economic uplift as to make giving up his nuclear weapons simply not worth it—at least while the trade war keeps going. Kim could then come back to the negotiating table from a Why bother with next G7 summit? Just call it off position of strength—as in an even more powerful nuclear and countries play a substantial role in interna- missile program to trade with an even higher asking price. By Shi Tian tional affairs without dealing with themselves? Then there are events just over the horizon, like the 2020 GLOBALTIMES – Does the world need Take the Hong Kong problem. The US U.S. presidential election. the G7 organization anymore? Judging from tried hard to use Hong Kong as a bargain- Here is where the ghosts of Hanoi will come back to the just concluded summit in France, the ing chip in trade talks with China, and it is haunt us. answer might be “No.” widely suspected that Washington has been Because America and North Korea could not hammer out The three-day annual gathering of the manipulating Hong Kong riots behind the an agreement earlier in the year and talks have remained seven advanced countries was held from Sat- scenes. London and Ottawa have also at- stagnant, Kim might make the strategic calculation that a urday in the French city of Biarritz amid a tempted to intervene. deal with Trump now might be too risky, worried that a new global economic downturn and tensions in But at the end of the summit, these trouble- Democratic president could torpedo the effort. various regions of the world. makers shed crocodile tears over the Chinese Pyongyang might just conclude that it should ride out Trying to avoid a reprise of 2018’s de- city’s misfortune, once again pointing fingers the 2020 election, and maybe continue testing missiles bacle when US President Donald Trump at China’s internal affairs and stating that below the intermediate and intercontinental range in the rejected summit communiqués, this year’s “The G7 reaffirms the existence and impor- meantime. summit seems to have deliberately skirted tance of the Sino-British Joint Declaration As long as Kim does not rattle Washington enough for around front-burner issues but focused on of 1984 on Hong Kong and calls for violence Team Trump to go full “fire and fury,” or at least increase fights against inequality. Even so, internal of the news, but settling the differences and of the world leaders. to be avoided.” sanctions dramatically, Kim might decide that waiting is inconsistency and the decreasing influence solving problems were hardly seen. President Can G7 tackle global questions? As a group It was reported that Trump suggested his best course. of G7 have been completely unmasked. Trump even skipped the meeting on climate composed of the world’s most developed na- hosting 2020’s G7 summit at his resort in I hope I am wrong. As what Stewart Patrick of the Council change - one of the major challenges facing tions, it in all probability has the strength as Florida, but soon was mocked as trying to But pessimism is all I feel when I look at the North Korea on Foreign Relations said, “More likely, the the world. a whole. But as every member places its own profit from the intergovernmental meeting. nuclear challenge through Kim’s eyes. Heck, if I was Kim, gathering will expose the political, economic “A parade of lies” - This is what CNN chief interests first, compromise and coordination From our perspective, there is no need for the I know what I would do: stall for time. That’s the only play and ideological fault lines threatening Western national security correspondent Jim Sciutto is increasingly out of the question. leaders to bother with the next gathering’s that makes sense now. solidarity and international cooperation.” called this year’s gathering. The G7 summit Worse, in many cases, it is the G7 members location; simply calling it off might be a good The question is, how will President Trump react when It was quarrels among participating has gradually lost its original intention of themselves who have kicked the dust up. The option. After all, except for attracting visitors his best friend Kim stands him up at the diplomatic altar? states over trade frictions, the Middle East addressing collectively shared problems, Iran nuclear issue and US-launched trade to the host cities, the G7 summit has little to Your guess is as good as mine. situation and Russia that dominated much and has become more like a political show wars are examples. How can these leading be praiseworthy. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y AUGUST 29, 2019 ANALYSIS & INTERVIEW 7

Will Sanders and Warren give Biden KSA will take Iran up on its offer of dialogue and the final blow? exchange of ideas: Mehran By Saeed Sobhani Kamrava

TEHRAN — Although Joe Biden is still ahead of his other 1 In other words, the global markets can indeed survive rivals in the polls, the unity of Elizabeth Warren and Bernie if Iranian oil were not in the market. Whether Aramco alone could Sanders and the resignation of one of them can affect the pick up the gap is not clear. Certainly Aramco would boost pro- scene of the US presidential election. New polls have led duction, but there are other producers as well—such as Mexico, to the fear and anxiety of Joe Biden and his companions. the United States, Nigeria, and others—who could increase pro- Here’s an overview of these surveys and analyzes: duction to alleviate upward pressures on oil prices. It is therefore Biden edges higher atop field of 2020 Democrats: poll important for Iran to continue on its current trend of reducing As The Hill reported, Former Vice President Joe Bid- its dependence on oil exports. en increased his lead atop a crowded field of Democratic How do you assess the future of the Saudi economy, given presidential candidates by 2 points, a new poll finds.Biden that the Saudi economy is heavily dependent on oil? now has the support of 33 percent of Democratic primary A: There are currently major structural changes underway voters across the nation, according to the Morning Consult in the Saudi economy. Their success depends on a number survey, 13 points above the next-most popular candidate, of factors, both economic and political. Saudi economy will Sen. Bernie Sanders .Rounding out the top five are Sen. continue to be dependent on oil for the foreseeable future. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) at 15 percent, followed by Sen. But given the changes underway currently, the Kingdom is Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) at 8 percent and South Bend, Ind., also readjusting and looking at other means of generating Mayor Pete Buttigieg at 5 percent, the poll shows.Among revenues. Overall, therefore, I do not think the future of the early voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or Saudi economy is bleak. The pace of economic growth could Nevada, Biden maintains a 16-point lead over Sanders, who be slowed somewhat. But new investment opportunities and is followed by Warren, Harris and billionaire Tom Steyer, an improved overall economic environment are likely to result according to Morning Consult.The results come as Biden’s in positive gains for the Saudi economy. electability argument is showing signs of weakness, with a rating, 13 percent, is significantly lower, while Sanders matches candidates included in the preference poll registered only What are the structural weaknesses in the Saudi economy survey from Monmouth University on Monday showing Biden with a 24 percent unfavorable score.Aside from the 1% or less.Biden has suffered an across the board decline that could threaten its economic outlook? the former vice president’s support slipping to below 20 top three candidates — plus Harris in fourth place — no in his support since June. He lost ground with white Dem- A: There are two structural weaknesses in the Saudi econ- percent. The results mark a double-digit decline from its other candidate earns 5 percent support. Cory Booker and ocrats (from 32% to 18%) and voters of color (from 33% to omy. One is Yemen, and the other revolves around Moham- last poll in June and put him in a three-way tie nationally Pete Buttigieg are at 4 percent, and entrepreneur Andrew 19%), among voters without a college degree (from 35% to med bin Salman. First, by invading its neighbor to the south, with Sanders and Warren. Yang is at 3 percent. Tying for eighth place at 2 percent are 18%) and college graduates (from 28% to 20%), with both Saudi Arabia has created a problem for itself in Yemen that Democrats have cited the poll as evidence Biden isn’t Juli?n Castro, Beto O’Rourke and Marianne Williamson. men (from 38% to 24%) and women (from 29% to 16%), is unlikely to be resolved any time in the near future. Second suitable to earn the party’s presidential nomination and isn’t Monmouth University’s poll is approved by the Demo- and among voters under 50 years old (from 21% to 6%) as is the way, or rather the source, of decisions in the Kingdom the candidate best equipped to defeat President Trump in cratic National Committee for deciding which candidate’s well as voters aged 50 and over (from 42% to 33%). Most of that directly impact the economy. In the years to come, it is 2020 — a central focus of the party in choosing a nominee. make the primary debates. But this survey offers virtually Biden’s lost support in these groups shifted almost equally likely that the chief decisionmaker in the Kingdom, namely The Morning Consult poll surveyed more than 17,300 voters no help to candidates who haven’t already qualified for the toward Sanders and Warren. Mohammed bin Salman, will gain greater experience and act between Aug. 19 and Aug. 25. Its margin of error is 1 percent. third debate next month in Houston ahead of Wednesday’s “The main takeaway from this poll is that the Democratic in less rash and irrational ways. So far, however, his erratic Poll: Bernie, Warren surge to tie Biden atop Democratic field deadline.Candidates need to earn at least 2 percent in four race has become volatile. Liberal voters are starting to cast behavior and his shortsighted decision have been extremely On the other hand, Politico reported that ‘The main DNC-approved polls released between June 28 and Wednes- about for a candidate they can identify with. Moderate voters, costly for the country and its economy. takeaway,’ says Monmouth University’s pollster, ‘is that day, and receive donations from 130,000 individuals over who have been paying less attention, seem to be expressing the Democratic race has become volatile.Bernie Sanders the duration of the campaign. Ten candidates have already doubts about Biden. But they are swinging more toward one and Elizabeth Warren have surged to tie with Joe Biden qualified: Biden, Warren, Sanders, Harris, Buttigieg, Booker, of the left-leaning contenders with high name recognition atop the Democratic presidential field, according to a poll Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Castro, Yang and O’Rourke. rather than toward a lesser known candidate who might As HK festers, questions that suggests the three are solidifying their status as the top Tom Steyer’s campaign says it has received donations be more in line with them politically,” said Patrick Murray, tier in the massive field.The Monmouth University poll, from more than 130,000 people, but he is one poll short, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling aplenty for the West released Monday, shows Sanders and Warren deadlocked having only earned 2 percent in three DNC-approved surveys. Institute. He added, “It’s important to keep in mind this is By Wang Wenwen among Democratic voters at 20 percent, with Biden a point Monday’s Monmouth poll showed him at 0 percent.Tulsi just one snapshot from one poll. But it does raise warning behind, at 19 percent. No other candidate cracks double Gabbard has also met the donor threshold, but she is still signs of increased churning in the Democratic nomination GLOBALTIMES — Young, angry, anti-establishment, and vi- digits: Kamala Harris is in fourth place, at 8 percent. two polls shy of the polling threshold after earning 1 percent contest now that voters are starting to pay closer attention.” olent. How can they be defined? Rioters or heroes? It depends Compared with the Monmouth poll in June, Sanders in the Monmouth survey. Williamson has also crossed the Biden lost support over the past two months among Dem- on what they oppose. If they are against Western mainstream has ticked up 6 points, and Warren 5 points. Biden dropped donor mark, but her 2 percent in the Monmouth poll was ocrats who call themselves moderate or conservative (from society, they are villains. But if they are against non-Western 13 points, from 32 percent in June.The poll shows Biden’s only her first qualifying poll — and it’s highly unlikely she’ll 40% to 22%) with the shift among these voters accruing to authority, their actions would perfectly fit a pro-democracy slippage coming across the Democratic electorate, rather get three more polls over the next two-and-a-half days. both Sanders (from 10% to 20%) and Warren (from 6% to narrative, all too often exploited by certain Western forces and than from a specific demographic or ideological group. He 3-Way Lead as Dem 2020 Picture Shifts 16%). Biden also lost support among liberals (from 24% Western media outlets in their public opinion offensive against is down 14 points among white and nonwhite voters. He’s West Long Branch, NJ – Vermont Sen. Bernie Sand- to 15%), but this group’s backing has scattered to a variety their ideological opponents. down 14 points among men, and 13 points among women. ers, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and former Vice of other candidates. Sanders has picked up a few points Hong Kong of this summer will surely be remembered by He’s down 15 points among voters younger than 50 years President Joe Biden are currently bunched together in the among liberal voters (from 17% to 21%) while Warren has Western media reporters. When black-clad youngsters took to old, and 9 percent among voters 50 and older. national Democratic presidential preference contest. Move- held fairly steady (from 25% to 24%). Also, Harris has not the streets and ganged up to beat the police and destroy public Biden also slipped 18 points among Democratic voters ment in the latest Monmouth University Poll – positive for budged with this group (from 10% to 11%) and Buttigieg has property, they were hailed as heroes and fighters for the city’s who described themselves as moderate or conservative, and Warren and Sanders, negative for Biden – suggests the 2020 slipped slightly (from 8% to 5%). However, the aggregate law, freedom and democracy. 9 points among self-identified liberals.“The main takeaway presidential nomination process may be entering a volatile support for four other candidates – namely Booker, Castro, On We the People petition page which is a part of the White from this poll is that the Democratic race has become volatile,” stage. The poll results also suggest that liberal voters are Williamson and Yang – has gone up a total of 8 points among House website, a petition by more than 100,000 netizens calls said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University starting to take a closer look at a wider range of candidates, liberal Democrats (from 8% to 16% for the four combined.) for the Nobel Peace Prize 2020 to be given to the “Hong Kong Polling Institute. “Liberal voters are starting to cast about while moderates are focusing on those with the highest name The Monmouth poll also finds that Biden has lost his freedom fighters.” for a candidate they can identify with. Moderate voters, recognition. Another key finding that could contribute to small edge in the early states where Democrats will cast Indeed, the protesters are being looked at through Western who have been paying less attention, seem to be expressing growing volatility in the race is confusion over “Medicare for ballots from February through Super Tuesday. His even prism. They are on the frontlines of modern-day changes for doubts about Biden. But they are swinging more toward one All.” Most say support for this policy is an important factor larger lead in the later states has vanished as well. Biden the so-called betterment of their society. Noted international of the left-leaning contenders with high name recognition in choosing a Democratic nominee, but voters actually prefer (20%), Warren (20%), Sanders (16%), and Harris (12%) affairs commentator George Friedman once pointed out, “For rather than toward a lesser known candidate who might be a public option over a single payer plan. are all in the top tier among voters in the early states. Biden the Western media, anyone under the age of 30 with an iPhone more in line with them politically.” The poll finds a virtual three-way tie among Sanders has slipped by 6 points since June and Warren has gained is by definition a liberal democrat.” The Monmouth poll is the first major national poll all (20%), Warren (20%), and Biden (19%) in the presiden- 5 points over the same time span. Early state support for But when protesters in Hong Kong vandalize subway station year to show a candidate other than Biden in the lead. It tial nomination preferences of registered Democrats and Sanders and Harris has not changed much. In the later facilities, cut off smart lampposts damage the cross-harbor differs from some surveys conducted over similar time pe- Democratic-leaning voters across the country. Compared to states, Biden’s support has plummeted from 38% in June tunnel, threaten passengers and resort to dangerous weapons riods. A CNN/SSRS national poll, conducted Aug. 15-18, Monmouth’s June poll, these results represent an increase to 17% now, while both Warren (from 16% to 20%) and including Molotov cocktails, how could the West endow them showed Biden at 29 percent, significantly ahead of Sanders in support for both Sanders (up from 14%) and Warren (up Sanders (from 13% to 23%) have made gains. with the halo of peace?During the months-long protests, Hong (15 percent) and Warren (14 percent.) from 15%), and a significant drop for Biden (down from 32%.) “Biden’s drop in support is coming disproportionately Kong police have been portrayed by certain Western media as The Monmouth poll, which was conducted Aug. 16-20, Results for the rest of the field are fairly stable compared from later states that have less impact on the process. a brutal force out to get civilians and protesters, even though surveyed 298 Democratic voters. The margin of error is plus to two months ago. These candidates include California Sen. But if this trend continues it could spell trouble for him it was the protesters who first broke the law and resorted to or minus 5.7 percentage points.Once the most popular candi- Kamala Harris at 8% support (identical to 8% in June), New in the early states if it undermines his claim to being the violence. date in the race, the Monmouth poll shows Biden’s favorable Jersey Sen. Cory Booker at 4% (2% in June), South Bend most electable candidate. This could benefit someone But when such protests turn into riots in Western countries, rating slipping, from 74 percent in June to 66 percent now. Mayor Pete Buttigieg at 4% (5% in June), entrepreneur An- like Harris, who remains competitive in the early states how would the police do? The French police used tear gas and That is similar to favorable ratings for Warren (65 percent) drew Yang at 3% (2% in June), former cabinet secretary and could use a strong showing there to propel her into water cannons to disperse the yellow-vest protesters that swept and Sanders (64 percent)But the percentage of Democratic Juli?n Castro at 2% (<1% in June), former Texas Rep. Beto the top tier. Based on the current data, though, Warren across Paris even before the situation could spiral out of control, voters who view Biden unfavorably has increased from 17 O’Rourke at 2% (3% in June), and author Marianne Wil- looks like the candidate with the greatest momentum but Western media took it for granted when reporting it without percent in June to 25 percent now. Warren’s unfavorable liamson at 2% (1% in June). Support for the remaining 13 right now,” said Murray. much condemnation of the same kind of “brutality.” By the same logic, while police in Moscow detained more than 1,300 people during a rally on July 27, it isn’t surprising that France and Germany criticized Russia’s “excessive” use World tiring of U.S. belligerence: American author of force. What is happening in Hong Kong now provides a perfect TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An American pro- the nations of the world. story for the West to chant its Western-style democracy and fessor at the University of Pittsburgh School According to a recent article published push forward its ideological campaigns. The protesters and some of Law said there are clear indications that by the Washington Post, “Long-term trends Westerners do share a lot of values, and the West has various the world is getting tired of US belligerence. show that China is catching up to the United channels to support them. This is the tactic the West uses to World Tiring of US Belligerence: Amer- States on just about every conceivable ca- expand its discourse power. ican Author pability metric. Short-term trends show the Many Western politicians have joined the campaign. US Rep- “It is clear that the world is tiring of US European Union is a more potent regulatory resentative Jim McGovern, a Democrat, called for US action belligerence, and even US allies are less and power and the United States has become such as stopping arms sales and riot control equipment to the less willing to play along with it. The US will more isolated on questions of, say, aviation Hong Kong Police Force. Former US secretary of state Hillary inevitably find itself more isolated as it lashes regulation”. At the same time, serious in- Clinton once tweeted, “May we all stand in solidarity with the out against the nations of the world,” Daniel ternational relations scholars have argued people of Hong Kong as they speak out for democracy, freedom Kovalik told Tasnim. that US hegemonic power is nearing its end. from repression, and a world they long to see.” Daniel Kovalik teaches International Hu- What are your thoughts on this? But is this the world all of Hong Kong people long to see, man Rights at the University of Pittsburgh A: Certainly, the US is desperately trying or one some US politicians long to see? As netizens com- School of Law, and is the author of “The Plot to maintain its hegemonic power in the world mented on Hillary Clinton’s tweet on Hong Kong, the US to Attack Iran”. and to maintain the unipolar world, which stood in solidarity with Syria, Libya, Yemen and Iraq, and Following is the full text of the interview: existed after the collapse of the USSR. How- look what has become of these countries? Joseph Micallef, US President Donald Trump on Friday ever, while I would certainly like to see an a commentator on military and international affairs, wrote said he does not believe North Korean leader end to the US as the world’s hegemon, I am in HuffPost that the US encouragement of the Arab Spring Kim Jong Un violated any pact with him by not certain that it is very close to losing this only served to destabilize the region even more. We see launching another round of projectiles. “He welcome this apparent rapprochement be- that the divide between the US and its close position. The US dollar is still very strong, economic stagnation, political violence, bloody civil war likes testing missiles,” Trump told reporters tween two nuclear states. And, ultimately, allies is growing. What do you think? the US is a net exporter of fossil fuels, it still and widespread unrest. Instead of enjoying the US-hailed as he departed the White House for the Group this friendship might finally result in a final A: ?The US’s allies never wanted an end to has the most powerful military on earth and democracy and freedom, people from these countries are of Seven economic summit in France. North peace treaty between North and South Korea the JCPOA, which they were quite aware that its cultural influence is without rival. In light still suffering, and the US behaves like every such misad- Korea continues to test missiles and Trump and an end of hostilities. Again, this would Iran was complying with, and they certainly of this, one could view its hegemonic status venture has nothing to do with it. says we already have good ties with them. be a welcome development. don’t want a military conflict with Iran as as quite durable. My fear, however, is that the So, will Hong Kong with support from the US-led West be an What is behind this soft tone? The US has decided to set up an inter- they know it will be an incredibly costly one US is willing to destroy nations, and possibly exception? Hardly. The US has already sought to use the Hong A: It is curious, but it appears that Donald national patrol mission to secure the Strait in terms of lives and treasure. It is clear that the earth in which we live, to guarantee its Kong protests as a bargaining chip in its strategic game with China. Trump has built up some sincere trust in of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, calling on the world is tiring of US belligerence, and continued dominance. That is, the US may Hong Kong’s special customs status with the US is also under Kim Jong Un. My own view is that this is its allies to join it. A number of countries, even US allies are less and less willing to play indeed retain its hegemonic power, but at threat from Washington. Hong Kong protesters may ask those a good thing. With the US more and more including Germany, France, and Japan, have along with it. The US will inevitably find the cost of life as we know it. This is a quite Western politicians if the latter really treat them as advocates belligerent towards more countries, we should turned down Washington’s request. It seems itself more isolated as it lashes out against frightening prospect. of peace or merely political tools. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 8 ADVERTISEMENTS AUGUST 29, 2019

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+9821 430 51 450 www.tehrantimes.com I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y AUGUST 29, 2019 SCIENCE 9 SpaceX’s Mars rocket prototype rattles These caterpillars can ‘see’ nerves of nearby residents in Texas flight test colors with their skin SpaceX test-launched an early prototype told Reuters just after Starhopper’s flight. Peppered moth caterpillars live across the Northern of the company’s Mars rocket on Tuesday, “After all the buildup, it was kind of nice Hemisphere, from the forests of China to the backyards rattling the nerves of people living near the to actually see it happen.” of North America. But if you’ve never seen one, don’t feel Texas site and clearing another key hurdle The notices, circulated by sheriff’s bad: They’re experts at blending in. Each caterpillar mimics in billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s deputies three days in advance, warned the twig it perches on, straightening its knobbly body into interplanetary ambitions. of a possible “overpressure event” that a stick-like shape. It also changes its hue to match the SpaceX’s Mars Starship prototype could shatter windows and endanger twig’s color, whether birch white, willow green or dark “Starhopper” hovers over its launchpad during anyone remaining inside their homes in oak brown. a test flight in Boca Chica, Texas, U.S. August the event of an explosive malfunction. They’re so good at 27, 2019. REUTERS/Trevor Mahlmann Maria Pointer, another resident, set up this, in fact, that they The prototype, dubbed Starhopper, slowly cameras and invited photographers to her can do it blindfolded rose about 500 feet (152m) off its launch pad in home. She said excitement surrounding — literally. According Brownsville, Texas, and propelled itself some the launch reminded her of “feeling like to a paper published 650 feet (198m) eastward onto an adjacent you’re going on a Ferris wheel.” in Communications landing platform, completing a seemingly Other residents bemoaned SpaceX’s Biology in early August, successful low-altitude test of SpaceX’s next- presence on the Texas coast, frustrated the caterpillars sense the generation Raptor engine. with road closures and confusing public color of their surroundings The Raptor is designed to power Musk’s notices worrisome to those unaccustomed not only with their eyes, forthcoming heavy-lift Starship rocket, a to the trials of spaceflight experimentation. but also with their skin. reusable two-stage booster taller than the “It’s kind of like a double-edged sword,” While other animals, Statue of Liberty that is expected to play a said resident Terry Heaton, adding that including cuttlefish and central role in Musk’s interplanetary space access to the nearby beach was blocked off lizards, have similar travel objectives, including missions to Mars. Raptor engine halted the countdown less mile from the test site, had been urged in every time SpaceX attempted an engine test. abilities, this is “the most The prototype “hopper” vehicle, than a second before ignition, Musk, the advance by local authorities to vacate their The next step for Raptor will be to carry complete demonstration resembling a chrome water tower with SpaceX founder and chief executive, said homes as a precaution at the sound of police out additional ground-based firings of the so far that color change four landing legs, was originally slated for on Twitter. sirens that blared minutes before launch. engine bolted to a stationary test stand, can be controlled by cells its test liftoff on Monday. But a “rather About a dozen people living in the “It almost looked like a cartoon or Musk said. outside the eyes,” said embarrassing” wiring issue with the single adjacent village of Boca Chica, just over a something,” nearby resident Cheryl Stevens (Source: Reuters) Martin Stevens, a professor of sensory and evolutionary ecology at the University of Exeter. Dr. Stevens, who was not involved in the study, added that the exact mechanism remains a mystery. Asteroid larger than the Shard set to skim past Earth next month The adult peppered moth is famous for a completely An asteroid larger than the Shard is set to pass Earth next Asteroid 2000 QW7 but its proximity to Earth has earned different color journey; after soot from the Industrial month, according to NASA. it the name “The God of Chaos”. Revolution darkened tree bark in Britain, peppered moths Asteroid 2000 QW7 is between 290m and 650m long SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently echoed NASA’s warning there evolved to be darker, too. and will make its closest approach to Earth on 14 September. about the risks posed by such objects. Ilik Saccheri, a professor of ecological genetics at the By comparison, London’s tallest building measures “Wouldn’t worry about this particular one,” Mr. Musk University of Liverpool and an author of the new paper, 310m, while the world’s tallest building – the Burj Khalifa tweeted, referring to the Apophis asteroid. normally studies the adult moth. This requires keeping a in Dubai – measures 828m. “But a big rock will hit Earth eventually and we currently lot of caterpillars around. Years of observation sparked NASA’s Centre for Near Earth Object Studies revealed have no defense.” his curiosity about their color-changing abilities, which that the asteroid is travelling at a speed of about 14,400 Apophis will make another pass by Earth in 2068, which happen individually and in a matter of minutes rather miles per hour and will pass 3.3 million miles from Earth. astronomers warn poses the most risk of a collision with Earth. than over generations. Any celestial material within 92.9 million miles is considered One idea to deal with such risks is to divert or slow down Each caterpillar hatches tiny and black, and in its early a near-Earth object. the asteroid by detonating nuclear weapons on its surface. days is blown around by the wind. Once it falls on a plant, The Sun-orbiting asteroid passes Earth roughly every 20 The closeness of Apophis will give scientists the chance it must camouflage itself to avoid being spotted by hungry years and last passed by on 1 September, 2000. to better understand how to deal with such threats. birds. This process, which involves producing new pigments, The US space agency said there was no risk of the asteroid “Apophis is a representative of about 2,000 currently plays out over a period of days or weeks. colliding with Earth, but NASA chief Jim Bridenstine has known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids,” Paul Chodas, “I was a bit disbelieving that they could change that previously warned that there may be a deadly asteroid in director of NASA’s Centre for Near-Earth Objects Studies, accurately only using their eyes,” which are quite simple the relatively near future. of Asteroid 2000 QW7 was responsible for wiping out the said at NASA’s annual Planetary Defense Conference at the larval stage, Dr. Saccheri said. “This is not about Hollywood, it’s not about the movies,” dinosaurs. last week. Amy Eacock, a graduate student in Dr. Saccheri’s lab at he said. It is difficult to predict if or when future asteroids might “By observing Apophis during its 2029 flyby, we will gain the time of the study, and another of the paper’s authors, “This is ultimately about protecting the only planet hit Earth but in 2029 astronomers will get a chance to study important scientific knowledge that could one day be used decided to investigate. First, she tested the caterpillars’ we know, right now, to host life.” a space rock passing just 31,000km from Earth. for planetary defense.” eyes for light-sensitive proteins called opsins. “We did the Scientists believe an asteroid roughly 30 times the size Asteroid 99942 Apophis is roughly the same size as the (Source: The Independent) skin as kind of a negative control,” said Dr. Eacock, who is now at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Germany. “But then we found they were expressed in the skin as highly as they were in the head.” Pluto is a planet, NASA The dark sides of hot Jupiters feature That’s when she suggested blindfolding the caterpillars. chief says similar temperatures, astronomers find The researchers could cover their eyes, place them on different-colored dowels, and see if they still changed to match. “I thought it was kind of a crazy idea,” Dr. Saccheri said. The blindfolding itself was a difficult endeavor, involving black paint, a “tiny, tiny paintbrush,” a microscope and lots of patience, Dr. Eacock said. Caterpillars molt several times over their lives, which required that they be blindfolded again frequently. (This also meant that when the experiment was over, the research subjects got their eyesight back.) But Dr. Eacock persisted, eventually testing about 3,000 caterpillars. First, they tried green and brown dowels. For later groups, the researchers used black and white dowels. Over and over again, the blindfolded caterpillars successfully changed color to blend in. In photographs, they look chic, as if modeling different clothing hues in a shop window display. The team even placed some caterpillars on striped dowels, and “they did go stripey,” Dr. Eacock said, although the sample size for that experiment was too small to include Pluto’s status as a planet has once again cent larger than Pluto. A year later, the The night sides, or dark sides, of hot is especially hot. Until now, scientists in the published work. been called into question after the head International Astronomical Union laid out Jupiters boast similar temperatures, knew less about the temperature of the In another test, older caterpillars with covered eyes of NASA said he believed the celestial its official definition for what constituted according to a new survey of the extrasolar night sides of the gas giants. were given a choice of dowel colors, and reliably climbed body to be a planet. a planet. Pluto was not included. gas giants. Scientists had previously relied on models onto the one that they already matched. (Because it takes Speaking at the FIRST Robotics event Since then it has been classified as a Hot Jupiters are Jupiter-sized gas giants to predict the temperature on the dark sides of a caterpillar many days and a lot of energy to change color, in Oklahoma, NASA administrator Jim dwarf planet, though the icy object has living in close proximity to other stars. hot Jupiters. The latest research -- published reverse-engineering the camouflage in this way is often Bridenstine went against convention by attracted a dedicated following of people Unlike Jupiter, which migrated away from this week in the journal Nature Astronomy more efficient.) placing himself firmly on one side of the who claim Pluto should be considered the sun, scientists estimate hot Jupiters -- suggests the models were flawed. Many questions remain, including exactly how the Pluto debate. a planet. moved closer to their host stars after “Atmospheric circulation models predicted caterpillars receive and use the color information, and “Just so you know, in my view Pluto In 2015 NASA’s New Horizons mission formation, becoming hotter. that nightside temperatures should vary whether the opsins are actually involved in the process. is a planet,” he said. “You can write to Pluto made several major discoveries Astronomers at the McGill Space much more than they do,” Dylan Keating, But the behavior alone impressed the researchers. Dr. that the NASA administrator declared that added fuel to the debate. Institute used the Spitzer Space and the the study’s first author and a doctoral student Eacock said: “I remember turning around to Ilik one day Pluto a planet once again. I’m sticking Alan Stern, the NASA scientist who led Hubble Space telescopes to measure the in physics at McGill, said in a news release. and being like, ‘You know what? The caterpillars are cooler by that, it’s the way I learned it and I’m the New Horizons mission, subsequently night-side temperatures of 12 hot Jupiters. “This is really surprising because the planets than the moths.’” committed to it.” co-authored a paper calling for Pluto to All 12 were roughly 800 degrees Celsius. we studied all receive different amounts of Dr. Saccheri agreed. “They’re pretty amazing,” he said. Pluto was first declared a planet in be reclassified. Scientists concluded the gas giants host irradiation from their host stars and the day (Source: The New York Times) 1930 after it was discovered by American The Society for the Preservation of Pluto clouds similarly composed of minerals side temperatures among them varies by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh. At the time as a Planet has campaigned for Pluto’s status and rocks. almost 1700 degrees Celsius.” it was believed to be the ninth planet from to be upgraded. Hot Jupiters orbit their host stars so The research suggests cloud formation the Sun, existing on the outer edges of the “For over 75 years school children closely that they are gravitationally locked, among hot Jupiters is universal, with their Starwatch: The furthest solar system in the Kuiper belt. all over the world have learned that our like the moon and Earth, which means clouds boasting some combination of Its status as a planet was called into solar system has nine planets,” the group’s they rotate and orbit at the same speeds, manganese sulfide, silicates and other rocks. thing you can see with the question 62 years later after other similarly- website states. ensuring the same sides always face toward Scientists hope to study exoplanet cloud sized objects were discovered in the same “Pluto’s status as a planet has sparked and away from the star. formation in greater detail using the James naked eye region of space. the human imagination for decades... Now Because hot Jupiters orbit their Webb Space Telescope, scheduled to come In 2005, astronomers discovered a is not the time to downgrade Pluto’s status.” host stars at such a close distance, online in 2021. This week, try spotting the furthest thing you can see with dwarf planet called Eris that was 27 per (Source: The Independent) the side cast permanently in sunlight (Source: UPI) the unaided eye. The Andromeda galaxy is a collection of a trillion stars lying 2.5m light years distant. Also known as M31, it is the nearest large galaxy to the Milky Way. Scientists reproduce coral in lab, offering hope for reefs Once you have located this admittedly faint object, you A team of scientists in the U.S. have managed to reproduce with Pacific corals, never with Atlantic corals, and the Pillar can marvel at the fact that the light entering your eye coral in a lab setting for the first time ever, an encouraging coral that we spawned is a highly endangered species.” set out on its journey 2.5m years ago – before modern step in the race to save “America’s Great Barrier Reef” off The Florida Aquarium and the Horniman Museum began humans evolved. the coast of Florida. working together in 2015 on induced reproduction techniques. To begin your quest, find the four stars that make up the The researchers from Florida Aquarium’s Center for Reproduction was achieved by mimicking the conditions of body of Pegasus. Then hop along two stars of Andromeda Conservation were able to reproduce endangered Atlantic the corals’ natural environment, including sunrises, sunsets, to Mirach. Turn through 90° and hop along two fainter Pillar coral through induced spawning, a development that moon phases, water temperature and quality. stars. Then concentrate. could ultimately prevent the extinction of the Florida Reef tract. Florida’s corals are deteriorating rapidly due to climate Once your eyes have adjusted to the dark, which could “This amazing breakthrough was the first time that we change and a destructive tissue disease that appeared in take about 40 minutes, you should see a faint fuzzy patch spawned Atlantic corals in a laboratory setting that we’ve the waters of the southeastern state in 2014. of light just above the second of these fainter stars. That’s had for over a year in our greenhouses,” Amber Whittle, the Scientists hope to reproduce healthy corals and repopulate the Andromeda galaxy. The chart shows the view this week aquarium’s director for conservation, told AFP Monday. the reefs through this technique. looking almost overhead in the eastern sky. “It’s been done before at the Horniman Museum in London (Source: msn) (Source: The Guardian) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 10 HERITAGE & TOURISM AUGUST 29, 2019

From beaches to Bieber: 6 locations Iran’s historical relics return closing after tourism overload

Indonesia has unveiled plans to close the island of Komodo to the public from January next year in a bid to conserve the world’s home after major China exhibit largest living lizard species - the Komodo dragon. HERITAGE TEHRAN — Historical through its long history by presenting 451 This was the latest in a growing list of locations to close to deskrelics, which were on loan cultural relics from 49 countries. tourists to protect the environment and/or wildlife. from the National Museum of Iran at a “Such a large number of top-level ex- Here are five other places that have recently closed to tourists: major exhibition in China, have recently hibits and participating countries have 1. Maya Bay, Thailand been returned home. never been seen before in one exhibition This island cove made famous by the 2000 film “The Beach” The objects along with hundreds of oth- in China,” according to Guan Qiang, dep- starring Leonardo DiCaprio was closed to tourists last year until ers from various countries were put on uty director of China’s National Cultural 2021 in a bid to salvage the area’s coral reefs, which have been show at the three-month exhibit titled “The Heritage Administration. damaged by warmer temperatures and a flood of tourists. Splendor of Asia: An Exhibition of Asian Currently, a collection of centuries-old 2. Boracay Island, the Philippines Civilizations”, which opened its doors to celadons, which are on loan from the National Boracay Island was closed for a six-month cleanup from April the public on July 13 at the National Art Museum of Iran, are on show at Beijing’s to October 2018 after being described as a “cesspool” by Presi- Museum of China in Beijing. Palace Museum that is hosting a vast exhibit dent Rodrigo Duterte. The island attracted 2 million visitors the “15 pieces of historical-cultural artifacts of such potteries from several countries. previous year but has now limited numbers to 19,000 a day and exhibited at ‘The Splendor of Asia’ were flaw- The National Museum of Iran is some- banned beach parties, smoking and drinking. lessly returned home,” CTHN quoted Jebreil what chock-full of priceless relics that 3. Mount Everest base camp Nokandeh, director of the National Museum represent various eras of the country’s The Chinese government closed its side of the Everest base of Iran, as saying on Wednesday. rich history. Massive and tiny statutes, camp this year to anyone without a climbing permit due to the The Iranian objects, dating from ceramics, potteries, stone figures, bas-re- huge amounts of rubbish piling up at the site, according to the Achaemenid era (550-330) to Safavid era lief carvings, metal objects, textile re- Lonely Planet travel website. The Chinese base camp, located (1501–1736), included clay works, inscrip- mains, rare books and coins are amongst in Tibet, can be accessed by car. tions, sculptures and glassworks, which objects that build up the innumerable 4. Fjadrargljufur canyon, Iceland represent the [long-lasting] relationship collections inside. The popular tourist site, featured in one of Justin Bieber’s between Iran and China. Asia is home to the largest area, popula- music videos, was closed to tourists for about three months The major exhibit, which came to an end tion and most ethnic groups in the world. It this year due to damage from wet weather and foot traffic. The on August 11, offered visitors a journey across is the birthplace of Mesopotamian, Indian number of visitors had nearly doubled after being featured in the vast lands of the continent and travel and Chinese civilizations. the singer’s music video “I’ll Show You”. 5. The Faroe Islands, Denmark Ten popular tourists sites were closed temporarily this year for maintenance by an international team of volunteers after a 10% growth in visitor numbers in recent years. Talks underway to launch Tehran-Istanbul (Source: Reuters) train service TOURISM TEHRAN — Iran and Turkey are nego- According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, Airbus A380 superjumbo: desktiating to launch a direct passenger train Turkey was the most popular overseas destination for service between Tehran and Istanbul. Iranian travelers in 2018, accounting for 41 percent of all Air France to ditch world’s The Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (IRIR) and the visits to other countries. State Railways of the Republic of Turkey (TCDD) plan to The eastern province of Van, the southern province of biggest airliner start the service in the near future, the IRIR head Saeid Antalya, and Istanbul, which is Turkey’s largest city, are the Rasouli said, Mehr reported on Tuesday. most popular destinations for Iranian vacationers. Air France has announced plans to ditch its entire fleet of 10 Both sides have been planning to launch the service for years, In January-November 2018, 1.894 million Iranian tourists Airbus A380s in the latest blow to the future of the world’s he added, noting that studies indicate that Tehran-Istanbul visited Turkey, 18.17 percent less than the same period in largest passenger plane. railroad could bring in considerable profits for the investors. 2017, according to data compiled by Turkey’s Ministry of Last year the airline said it would not renew the leases on Earlier this month, the first rail service between Tehran Culture and Tourism. The share of Iranian travelers in the five of its 10 “superjumbos”, but that five others would be ren- and Ankara, capitals of the two neighboring countries, re- total foreign arrivals in Turkey was 5.05 percent during the ovated at a cost of around $U.S.45 million ($A67 million) per sumed operation after a four-year halt. first eleven months of 2018, the ministry said. aircraft. Now it has scrapped the upgrades and will retire all 10 jets by 2022. The travails of the A380, which can hold more than 600 passengers in a two-class seating configuration, have become Gilan province’s foreign tourist arrivals rise 10% something of an aviation soap opera in recent years. The model TOURISM TEHRAN — Foreign Shahroud Amirentekhabi said, ISNA adjacent parts of the Alborz mountain was launched too much fanfare in 2005 with many declaring deskarrivals in the northern reported on Tuesday. range. Paddy cultivation dominates the it the future of air travel. province of Gilan has increased by 10 Bounded by the Caspian Sea and the region. Tobacco, fruits, vegetables, and But airlines were harder to convince and sales slowly percent since the beginning of the current Republic of Azerbaijan on the north, tea (grown in the foothills above the rice ground to a halt. Just two new orders were received in Iranian calendar year (March 21), from Gilan, in the far past, was within the fields) are also being cultivated in the 2015 and none in either 2016 or 2017. In January 2018 the corresponding period a year earlier. sphere of influence of the successive lush region. Emirates, the A380’s biggest customer, threw the super- About 26,000 foreign tourists stayed Achaemenid, Seleucid, Parthian, and The Islamic Republic welcomed jumbo a lifeline with a fresh order – but this was cancelled in resorts and hotels of Gilan since the Sassanid empires that ruled Iran until 2,030,523 foreign nationals during in February 2019, prompting Airbus to start winding down beginning of the current Iranian year until the 7th century CE. the spring that shows a 40.66-percent the aircraft’s production line. August 22nd, showing a ten-percent rise Gilan is divided into a coastal plain increase year on year, according to data Other operators have also been ejecting the A380 from their year on year, provincial tourism chief including the large delta of Sefid Rud and provided by the tourism ministry. hangars. Earlier this year Lufthansa said six of its 14 A380s would be returned to Airbus by 2023. In 2017, Singapore Airlines returned two 11-year-old A380s to a German leasing company, An ancient Turkish town could disappear underwater in weeks Dr Peters Group. Unfortunately for Airbus, the second-hand A380 market is A historic Turkish town with thousands of residents is just Hulusi Sahin, the governor of the Batman province hardly bouyant. Dr Peters Group stripped and sold for parts weeks from destruction, after officials defied a decades-long in which Hasankeyf sits, said at Friday’s meeting that those two aircraft because it could not secure a new operator campaign of opposition and pressed forward with plans when a new road in the area is opened, the ancient town (British Airways was among those approached). In 2016 an to flood the region. will be closed off. Irish aircraft leasing company, Amedeo, said it was even con- Hasankeyf will be cordoned off on October 8, the regional “After this date, the old settlement will no longer have sidering creating its own airline because it couldn’t find anyone governor confirmed at a meeting on Saturday, leaving furious any traffic. With the opening of the new road, we will take the to borrow its A380s. residents just over a month to vacate their homes. old settlement completely into the security circle,” he said. (Source: Traveller) The town, which sits on the banks of the Tigris River in “Entry and exit will not be allowed... for this reason, southeast Turkey, will be inundated as part of the construction our citizens have to make all their plans in accordance of the Ilisu Dam, which will produce power for the region. with the calendar of highways. Time is running out, we ROUND THE GLOBE It is a project that has been mired in controversy for all have our duties.” years and has lost the support of foreign governments and The move was met with outrage from the numerous groups Historic Centre of Evora backers due to its impact on the ancient city. campaigning to save the town, with Hasankeyf Coordination Hasankeyf is estimated to be around 12,000 years calling it a “cordon of destruction.” old, potentially making it one of the oldest settlements But the decision appears set to move a lengthy saga to- The Historic Centre of Evora, capital of Alentejo province, The Artuklu Hamam, a centuries-old bath house weigh- in Mesopotamia. wards a predictably bitter conclusion. Portugal, has been shaped by more than twenty centuries of ing 1,600 tonnes, is loaded onto a wheeled platform and Among its historically significant features are the Countries including the UK removed their support for history, going as far back as Celtic times. moved down a specially constructed road in 2018 as part remnants of a 12th-century bridge, a 15th-century cy- the Ilisu Dam as far back as 2001, and the project has at- It fell under Roman domination and still retains, among of preparations. other ruins, those of the Temple of Diana. During the Visigoth lindrical tomb, the ruins of two mosques and hundreds tracted international attention on numerous occasions over period, the Christian city occupied the surface area surrounded of natural caves. with only its citadel remaining above water, according to recent decades. by the Roman wall, which was then reworked. But the town’s streets, homes and historical sites will Turkey’s Foreign Ministry -- which says the dam will have In 2008, the dam lost funding from several European firms. be engulfed once a relocation process has been completed, several economic and environmental benefits. (Source: CNN) Delta is hiring nearly 1,000 new flight attendants for 2020 Delta Air Lines, a leader in domestic of customer-facing work experience in and international travel, is hiring nearly industries such as personalized custom- 1,000 — yes, as in one thousand — new er service or patient care that requires flight attendants for the class of 2020. ensuring the safety or care of others. Interested applicants will submit Preference is also given to candidates their applications through Delta’s ca- who hold a degree beyond high school reers site. Candidates who successfully or a GED. pass the screening rounds will be asked Since Delta serves more than 60 to complete six weeks of flight-attendant countries across all six inhabited conti- training at the airline’s headquarters in nents, the airline offers additional pay Atlanta. and special responsibility to “Language Under Moorish domination, which came to an end in 1165, Just how rigorous is the application of Destination” (LOD) flight attendants further improvements were made to the original defensive process, you ask? In 2018, Business In- who can communicate with custom- system as shown by a fortified gate and the remains of the sider said it’s harder to become a Delta ers from key regions in their native ancient Kasbah. flight attendant than to get into Harvard. languages. There are a number of buildings from the medieval period, The Ideal Delta Flight Attendant So bilingual applicants who speak the best known of which is the Cathedral that was completed Delta requires all candidates to be Czech, Danish, Dutch, French, Greek, in the 13th century. But it was in the 15th century, when the 21 or older by Jan. 1, 2020, and to have German, Italian, Japanese, or Korean Portuguese kings began living in Evora on an increasingly completed high school or hold a GED, in addition to English should definitely regular basis that Evora’s golden age began. be fluent in English and be authorized dust off their résumés, because if hired, Evora is also remarkable for reasons other than its mon- to work in the United States. All flight they would be eligible for top pay as umental heritage related to significant historic events. The attendants must also be willing to fly both well as increased opportunities to visit 16th century was a time of major urban planning and great international and domestic routes and countries where their second language reading the foreign language at a nor- in direct communication and body intellectual and religious influence. While Evora also has many maintain a flexible schedule, since Delta is spoken. But don’t over-inflate your noteworthy 16th-century patrician houses (Cordovil house, mal pace. language; and translate information flights operate day and night, year-round. fluency for the application: all LOD LOD flight attendants are required to from the flight deck as necessary. Fur- the house of Garcia de Resende), the unique quality of the Beyond those technical requirements, candidates must successfully complete city arises from the coherence of the minor architecture of communicate with passengers in both thermore, all LOD flight attendants what does the ideal flight attendant look a language proficiency screening, which languages, including important safety are required to commit to the role for the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. like to Delta? The airline says that the best includes speaking fluidly with proper (Source: UNESCO) information and updates; demonstrate four years. candidates have at least one or more years syntax and grammar structures, and awareness of cultural sensitivity both (Source: MSN) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y AUGUST 29, 2019 TECHNOLOGY 11

Knowledge-based firms to More innovation centers for women to be set up increase by 30% until yearend: VP TECHNOLOGY TEHRAN – Headquarters for Executing deskthe Order of the Imam also known as Setad-e TECHNOLOGY TEHRAN – The num- Knowledge-based companies Ejraiy-e Farman-e Hazrat-e Emam plans to establish innovation deskber of knowledge-based in Iran centers for women in five provinces, Mehr reported on Tuesday. firms will increase by 30 percent until the In April, Masoud Boroumand, the The first innovation center for women was inaugurated at the end of the current Iranian calendar year deputy minister of science, research and Iran University of Science and Technology during a ceremony (March 20, 2020), Sourena Sattari, the technology, announced that Iran’s science on Tuesday. vice president for science and technology and technology parks have exported $260 The headquarters plans to establish innovation centers in said, Tasnim reported on Tuesday. million of knowledge-based products during the provinces of Khorasan Razavi, Khuzestan, Kordestan, West There are currently around 4,500 the past Iranian calendar year 1397, which Azarbaijan and Sistan-Baluchestan in the near future, the head- knowledge-based firms operating in the ended on March 20. quarters’ director Mohammad Mokhber said. country which are supported by the vice The government has increased the He added that the headquarters also plans to establish six presidency, Sattari added. budget for science and technology parks venture capitals in the near future. The knowledge-based firms have so by 74 percent for the current Iranian cal- The digital economy will form the future of economy in the far created over 3,000 direct job oppor- endar year, he said. world and Iran should focus on this issue, he noted. tunities nationwide, he said. Now 62,000 people are working in 42 He went on to say that Barekat Foundation, affiliated to the Sanctions have caused recession for science and technology parks, which are Headquarters for Executing the Order of the Imam, has already some knowledge-based firms over the home to 6,000 companies, he noted. established 650 small and medium-sized enterprises. past years, however, the vice presidency Sattari said in April that Iranian knowl- The headquarters created 81,000 jobs through launching is providing the companies with facilities edge-based companies exported $450 mil- 20,000 job creation plans during the past Iranian calendar year lion of products in the Iranian calendar in order to support them, he added. 1397 (March 2018-March 2019), he said. year 1397. Mokhber announced that about 100,000 jobs are planned The vice presidency aims to strengthen He said that the knowledge-based com- to be created through launching 30,000 job creation plans in and support knowledge-based compa- panies sold 900 trillion rials (about $21 the current year. nies toward economic prosperity, he billion) of products during the past year. concluded. Hacker claims he can ‘turn Prominent figures of biotechnology to be introduced off 25,000 cars’ at the push TECHNOLOGY TEHRAN – The Iranian for Iran in international arena, having a tion of biotechnology, and receiving national of a button deskBiotechnology Society will scientific achievement that leads to Iran’s and international awards are some of the introduce prominent figures in the field of self-sufficiency, using biotechnology prod- criteria for selecting prominent biotechnology Every day millions of us rely on tech to protect our cars from biotechnology during the 3rd national bio- ucts for sustainable development of the figures, Mehr reported on Monday. thieves. Immobilizers, for instance, ensure only the owner of technology congress which will be held from country, producing one or more knowl- Dr. Hossein Baharvand, Dr. Amir Farsh- the right key fob can start the vehicle. September 1 to 3 at the Razi Hall of Iran edge-based products for the first time in chi, Dr. Sirus Zeinali and Dr. Seyyed Qasem But now that technology has become a security threat, after University of Medical Science in Tehran. Iran, launching an academic field of study Hosseini were amongst the prominent figures hackers told Forbes they could lock down up to 25,000 cars Taking measures which bring reputation regarding research, education and promo- introduced in the previous edition of the event. at once. It’s all thanks to a vulnerability (now fixed) that made it frighteningly simple to quickly take remote control of a car’s How tech has changed Google falls to third place in immobilizer and prevent drivers from starting their vehicle. Your car’s immobilizer is supposed to be used for good. If how we cook worldwide smart speaker market a crook steals your car, it’s possible for you to connect to the The cooking site AllRecipes was founded 15 The global smart speaker market grew immobilizer, which tracks the vehicle and allows you to stop years ago by a group of food-loving anthro- 55.4% in the second quarter to reach anyone from turning on the engine. pology grad students. In 1999, the then-two- 26.1 million shipments, according to But with one particular immobilizer - the U.K.-made year-old site surveyed its users, asking them a new report from Canalys. SmarTrack tool from Global Telemetrics - an easy-to-hack questions about why and when and how they Amazon continued to lead the race, ac- vulnerability meant it was simple for researchers at Pen Test cook. Now, to commemorate its birthday, counting for 6.6 million units shipped Partners to turn on the immobilizer permanently, without the AllRecipes re-conducted that same survey, in the quarter. customer knowing a thing. asking its current users the same questions Google, however, fell to the third spot To prove it was possible, the researchers from British cy- it asked back in 1999. as China’s Baidu surged ahead. Baidu bersecurity company Pen Test Partners hacked the vehicle of The can’t-miss event for Atlantic readers in Q2 grew a sizable 3,700% to reach one of their own employees, disabling his car whilst they were See our journalism come to life at The 4.5 million units, overtaking Google’s in the U.K. and he was in Greece, not long before he was due to head to a wedding. Atlantic Festival, September 24-26 in Wash- 4.3 million units shipped. received much more than a color ington, D.C. eclipses cookbooks (66 percent), magazines China’s market overall doubled its ‘We own your immobilizer’ (53 percent), and even -- no offense to your change. Ken Munro, cybersecurity researcher and partner at Pen The new survey’s overall findings, un- quarterly shipments to 12.6 million Instead, Google’s attention as of late surprisingly but still intriguingly, involve pal’s amazing cassoulet -- friends (43 percent). units, or more than twice the U.S.’s Test Partners, first described the hack to Forbes at the DEF Videos are also playing a much more signif- has been on making it easier for device CON convention in Las Vegas. technology: Our new gadgets, and the con- 6.1 million total. manufacturers to integrate with Google nective capabilities that accompany them, icant role in cooking culture. Three quarters The latter represents a slight (2.4%) He found that it was possible to turn the immobilizer on of the women who took its survey, AllRecipes Assistant technology, in addition to its and the car off by sending a simple request via a browser. Once are drastically changing the way we cook. decline since the prior quarter. increased focus on smart displays. Smartphones are changing how we think reports, watch cooking videos online. And Baidu’s growth in the quarter was he’d entered the command, it took less than a second for the the same percentage consider instructive Amazon, by comparison, has updated immobilizer to be triggered. about grocery shopping. Search engines are attributed to aggressive marketing and its Echo line of speakers several times changing how we think about recipe-finding. videos to be an integral component of recipe go-to-market campaigns. tIt was par- It was as if Munro was acting as one of the SmarTrack call websites. In 1999, only 45 percent of women while expanding Alexa to devices with center employees who were permitted to turn the immobilizer Video sites, almost as ably as Grandma, are ticularly successful in terms of smart screens like the Echo Spot and Show, teaching us how to cure bacon and chop an (yep, the report is limited to women here) displays, which accounted for 45% of on. SmarTrack systems just weren’t correctly checking that the said the same. And nearly half of all cooks and to those without like the Echo Plus, commands were being sent by an authorized user, Munro said. onion and truss a chicken. the products it shipped. Echo Dot, Echo Auto and others — even Phones have led to some of the biggest surveyed -- 43 percent -- believe that, in 15 “Local network operators’ interests Munro warned that it would be impossible for anyone to years, more people will learn how to cook clocks and microwaves — as sort of public start the car again with the immobilizer fitted. transformations. In 1997, AllRecipes notes, on the [smart display] device category experiments in voice computing. “the typical cell phone weighed 10 ounces from videos than from their parents. soared recently. The only option would be to have the tech removed entirely, One more note -- this one concerning That said, both Amazon and Goog- he added. “We now control the immobiliser, so only we can and was used primarily for making phone This bodes well for Baidu as it faces le turned their attention to non-U.S. calls.” In 2012, though, more than a third time. Contemporary cooks report having little competition in the smart display de-immobilize the car.” more time to do their cooking than did their markets in Q2, the report found. And, if the hacker turned the immobilizer on when the car of AllRecipes’ online cooks said they used category, allowing the company to Indeed, 50% of Amazon’s smart smartphones to look up recipes and cook- 1999 counterparts. When the 1999 cadre was dominate in the operator channel,” is moving, it would simply prevent the car from running as asked to share the most difficult thing about speaker shipments were outside the soon as the engine stopped. ing techniques. Fewer, but still significant, noted Canalys Research Analyst Cyn- U.S. in Q2, up from 32% in Q2 last year. numbers of people used their portable com- getting dinner on the table, 29 percent said thia Chen. As Munro noted, that could be “quite nasty” if the car has an “finding time to plan and cook.” Today, that And 55% of Google’s shipments auto start and stop function (such a feature is found in many puters to create digital shopping lists (18 Meanwhile, Google was challenged were outside the U.S., up from 42% percent of all -- not just smartphone-owning number has dropped 39 percent: Only about by the Nest rebranding in Q2, the an- modern models to help cut emissions in traffic). one in six respondents said the same this in Q2 2018. Munro was also critical of Thatcham Research, the industry -- responders), redeem digital coupons (16 alyst firm said. Beyond the top 3 — Amazon, Baidu percent), and watch videos to improve their time around. Part of that may well be that, The report also suggested that body which had given accreditation to the SmarTrack devices, given the economy, concerns about time and now No. 3 Google — the remaining saying it was safe to use. cooking skills (15 percent). Google should introduce a revamped top five included Alibaba and Xiaomi, Recipe sites, as well, have expanded cooks’ have been eclipsed by concerns about cost. smart speaker portfolio to rekindle “People buy these devices thinking that the accreditation But AllRecipes suspects something else, too: with 4.1 million and 2.8 million units means something. We’ve shown that in some cases, fitting a capabilities. “Recipe sites are now the most consumer interest. shipped in Q2, respectively. frequently used recipe resource for home technology’s ability to make tasks not just The Google Home device hasn’t been theft tracker makes your car less secure,” Munro said. easier, but faster. With the free time that is The rest of the market, which would Thatcham said that it accredits security products against cooks,” the (recipe site’s) report notes. The updated since launch — still sporting also include Apple’s HomePod, totaled current percentage of people who say they the gift of our gadgets, we have even more the air freshener-style looks it had a minimum set of requirements, including alarm and driver opportunity to cook something good. 3.7 million units. identification functionality. use those sites -- 86 -- represents a 207-per- back in 2016. (Source: techcrunch.com) cent surge from the 1999 percentage. And it (Source: The Atlantic) And the Google Home mini hasn’t “The process also includes an attack test where the system on the vehicle needs to resist physical deactivation for two min- utes,” the spokesperson added. “We do not, however, test the security of the vehicle system or the surrounding ecosystem.” Personalized learning: Artificial intelligence and education in the future Fixes available Artificial intelligence is transforming how we’ll learn in the future they took their first test. But it was only using data based on plans for students. Fortunately for SmarTrack customers, the flaws have now It goes without saying that artificial intelligence is changing Brightspace tools,” says Nick Oddson, Senior Vice President This system works to a student’s strengths rather than ap- been addressed. “All potential vulnerabilities have now been the nature of industries from transportation to finance, and of Product development for D2L. proach a classroom full of students and use one approach that resolved,” a Global Telemetrics spokesperson said. “Our cus- education is no different with the prospect of personalized “With the new Brightspace Insights, we can now deliver that works better for some while leaving others behind. tomers can be assured that no password or personal details learning quickly becoming a reality. same insight, but based on the entire ecosystem of learning tools.” The Rise of AI and Employment: How Jobs Will Change were compromised by this process and there are no security As more and more of a student’s education is experienced Until recently, the only way to measure student learning was to AdaptThis is one of the most powerful aspects of artificial or safety concerns with any of our products. through a computer, data on their educational progress can be through tests and assignments, but that only captures a small intelligence in education. “Security has always been and remains of paramount im- collected, leading to more personalized learning plans while slice of a student’s education.Over the course of a student’s AIs and machine learning are especially good at identifying portance to us and as a result of the contact from Pen Test assisting the teacher in identifying problem areas for students. educational career, they output an enormous amount of data patterns that may be opaque to human eyes, so by looking at a Partners we now have reassessed our ongoing security im- While artificial intelligence in education might appear un- in the form of papers, exams, and classroom participation that student’s educational data, an AI can assist the teacher in iden- provement project to ensure we remain market leaders in nerving for some, the benefits are too great to ignore.There rarely carries over to the next term. tifying the ways individual students comprehend the material. security and safety.” are few spaces in life that haven’t been touched in some form With these new tools, however, student data can be stored Some students thrive by reading assigned materials, while To deal with the issues, Global Telemetrics brought in by computer software. Whether it’s shopping, dating, or just an analyzed over time to see what material they engage with others are inhibited by a wall of text that is more readily un- cybersecurity consultancy Hedgehog Security. Peter Bassill, keeping up with old friends, everything we do seems to be more successfully and what educational deficits they may have derstood when presented in a lecture form. founder of Hedgehog, confirmed that what Munro claimed to mediated in some form by computers. hidden in their past work that might be inhibiting their future By identifying these trends in a student’s data, students have found was accurate. Of the ability to shut down 25,000 It shouldn’t surprise us then that how we educate ourselves potential.Personalized Learning: Teaching the Teachers can be presented material in a more accessible way that won’t cars at once, Bassill said: “It’s one of those assertions security isn’t immune. What all of this data represents is a roadmap for how a leave them behind with a one size fits all approach, creating researchers make... D2L, a leader in educational software, is the maker of student learns. a personalized learning experience that can improve educa- but there’s certainly capability where that could’ve hap- Brightspace Insights, a suite of analytical tools for educators. By having a fuller understanding of the student on day one, tional outcomes.It might be tempting to think that machine pened... it certainly would’ve taken longer than one line of Brightspace is able to capture, aggregate, and analyze data educators are better positioned to utilize their training and learning and AI can replace classroom instructors, but that code, but the art of the possible is certainly possible.” streamed from several different sources, including learning skills to address these students’ individual needs from the start, misses the essential role that artificial intelligence should He said the vulnerabilities were likely down to developers apps, online resources, publishers, and other learning manage- rather than spending weeks or months identifying problems play in education, and not just in developing personalized writing code without enough attention to security. But Bassill ment systems to build a complete model of individual student that they’d then have little time to actually address. learning plans. has been working with new developers on the SmarTrack team learning behaviors. According to D2L President John Baker, with software like Machines are dreadful when it comes to tasks requiring to patch the vulnerabilities and set up processes to make sure By pulling this student data into one place, Brightspace can Brightspace Insights, “we’ve made it easier for instructors to emotional intelligence, a skill that is essential for educating issues are fixed quickly in the future. produce reports, predictive data analytics, and visualizations predict and forecast learners at risk, to help them while they’re a diverse student body. But, as Bassill and Munro are warning, there are many in real time that are fed into an instructor’s workflow. Over learning, not just by flagging issues at the end of a term.” Simply putting an AI in front of a classroom is a recipe for immobilizers being used in millions of cars across the world. time, this can teach the teacher exactly what a student needs to Meanwhile, by having all of a students’ data pulled together disaster as students eager to slough off work learn to game With many similar devices potentially containing security weak- succeed. “With the previous version of our analytics product, and aggregated in advance, these learning management sys- the AI, thereby ruining whatever advantage the AI brings nesses, something we use every day without thought could instructors received information on learner success even before tems help assist the teacher in crafting personalized learning to the wealth of educational data available to it. very quickly become the latest weapon in a hacker’s arsenal. (Source: forbes.com) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 12 SOCIETY AUGUST 29, 2019

ICT ministry to develop smart Efforts being made to preserve schools nationwide SOCIETY TEHRAN — The Ministry of Information endangered Buxus hyrcana deskand Communication Technology will start a project next week to equip schools across the country with ICT ENVIRONMENT TEHRAN — The De- damage to boxwood and Buxus trees, infrastructure and online processes, Seyyed Javad Hosseini, deskpartment of Environ- requires the cooperation of different caretaker of the Ministry of Education told Tasnim news agen- ment (DOE) and the Forests, Range and bodies, so a special working group will cy on Wednesday. Watershed Management Organization be set up to pursue the issue, he also Smart classrooms are often considered as classrooms with a are taking measures to preserve Buxus highlighted. focus on ICT hardware and software and in particular the use of hyrcana which are dying owing to pests What pushes magnificent ICT-based enrollment and other online processes. and diseases, Hamid Zohrabi, deputy Buxus hyrcana toward extinction? DOE chief has announced. Boxwood forests stretches to 40,000 Buxus sempervirens, the common hectares in the northern part of the coun- box, European box, or boxwood, is an try, almost the entire area has been in- evergreen shrub or small tree growing fected with pest and disease. Only 450 up to 1 to 9 meters tall, with a trunk up hectares located in Golestan province to 20 centimeters, native to western and are not highly infected. southern Europe, northwest Africa, and The disease factor can remain in soil southwest Asia. Buxus hyrcana of northern for years and start to affect in appropriate Iran and eastern Caucasus are commonly heat and moisture conditions. treated as synonyms of B. sempervirens. Human intervention in forest ecosys- Several species of oak, chestnut, tems has reduced the resilience of forests hornbeam, and Buxus have been se- and provided favorable conditions for verely affected by pests and diseases the development of pests and diseases. in the northern forests of the country. On the other hand, climatic conditions, In July, the Ministry of Information and Communication Although, the “breathing plan” ban- such as rising temperatures, reducing Technology signed a memorandum of understanding with the ning exploitation of endangered forests rainfall and droughts, changes in vegeta- Ministry of Education to provide ICT infrastructure and equip in northern part of the country has been tion cover have exacerbated the situation. schools with technological advances. implemented, the forests are still under Climate change, sand and dust gen- As per the MOU, the whole schools will be connected to the pressure of diseases. eration, unsustainable exploitation of national information network as well as to the national network In January 2017 in line with the laws forest woods and implementation of of schools, a hardware infrastructure for sharing content will regulating all aspects of policy making some construction projects are the other be provided and classrooms will be equipped with software for and project managements with regard main reasons behind that. electronic content. to environmental factors Majlis [Iranian Reza Sheikhpour, an expert in the field Special training courses on technological advances and elec- parliament] has prohibited any exploita- fallen or damaged trees which can be only to overcome it, he explained. of natural resources, said that Hyrcanian tronic content have been held for the teachers to empower them tion of endangered forests by the fourth authorized by the Forests, Range, and He went on to note that the working forest in northern Iran has undergone for smart schools. year of implementing the sixth five-year Watershed Management Organization. group should also come up with solutions a 15 percent fragmentation due to land Currently, some 22 percent of the country’s classrooms are national development plan (2016-2021). The two organizations have so far to destruction and occupation of forests, use changes for agricultural and resi- smart and ICT-based. With 157 MPs voting for the bill, ex- planned measures to save the unique and wildfires. dential purposes over recent years, while ploitation of forests for commercial and plant species, Zohrabi said, ISNA re- In addition, to fight the pests and dis- it already is highly suffering from pests industrial purposes will be brought to a ported on Wednesday. eases, the maps showing the distribution and diseases. halt by 2020. By that time all exploitation The establishment of a special working of trees in Hyrcanian forest will be pre- If deforestation process or illegal New Zealand bans tourists contracts will be expired and none will group on natural resources and the en- pared with provincial natural resources construction of roads and dams con- be renewed. vironment put in priority to study pests forces in attendance, he added. tinue, undoubtedly, Hyrcanian forest from swimming with All exploitation projects will be banned and diseases, determine the number of Since effective counteracting with box will disappear within the next 70 years, bottlenose dolphins as with the exception of broken branches, infected trees and reach efficient solutions tree moth, an invasive pest causing severe he added. numbers fall

Tourists have been banned from swimming with bottlenose More fires in central Africa than Amazon as deforestation surges dolphins in New Zealand in a bid to protect them from “being While focus has slowly grown on the fires ravaging the rain- Emmanuel Macron, who has traded rhetorical blows with loved into extinction”. forest in Brazil, it has emerged an even greater number of Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, described the Amazon The population of bottlenose dolphins in the Bay of Islands, fires are currently burning in central Africa. as the “lungs of the world”, and said “our house is burning” on the country’s east coast, has fallen in recent years and the Data from Nasa’s Fire Information for Resource Man- in a tweet last week. species is classified as endangered in New Zealand. agement System, showed at least 6,902 fires in Angola and The G7 countries pledged $20m (£16m) towards helping According to the Department of Conservation (DOC), people 3,395 burning in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. fight the fires, following a summit in France. are “simply loving them too much” as heavy boat traffic is causing The same data put Brazil’s fires at 2,127. But on Tuesday Brazil said it was rejecting the offer. dolphins to spend less time carrying out important biological The huge surge in fires in the Amazon this year has caused Mr Macron later drew attention to the fires in sub-Saha- behaviours such as “feeding, nursing their young and sleeping”, global concern. The rainforest stores enormous amounts of ran Africa and said “We are considering the possibility of as dolphins opt to spend time socialising with humans and diving. carbon in the complex ecosystem, it is the most biodiverse launching an initiative similar to the one we just announced A report published by Massey University in 2016, commissioned land area on earth, and its conservation is essential if we for the Amazon.” by the DOC, found a link between the high level of interaction are to limit the impacts of global heating. Mr Black told The Independent: “I think there’s an utter between boats and dolphins and the continued decline in numbers. In Africa however, the extent of the fires affecting for- naivety in the whole idea. Researchers discovered the dolphins spent 86 per cent of ested areas is unclear. In agricultural areas purpose-lit “With the Bolsonaro situation, it’s clear one of the rea- daylight hours near to at least one boat. fires have been a common part of farming techniques for sons why he’s keen to see the Amazon exploited is because They warned bottlenose dolphins could disappear from the thousands of years. he doesn’t like the international attempts [at intervention]. Bay of Islands completely if the population continues to plummet. Farmers set crop fields alight to burn off the leftover “There has been, for a number of years now, a big opera- In an attempt to tackle the decline, the government has banned grasses and scrub plants. This burning helps maintain rich world in 2016 and 2017 than in any other year this century. tion to put money into the Amazon. What Bolsonaro shows boat tours which allow customers to swim with the marine mam- soils good for farming. In the Brazilian Amazon, the rate of deforestation in July is that programmes like this can only really endure if there mals in the Bay of Islands. But lack of traditional grasslands is driving increased hit 870 square miles, or about five football pitches every is genuinely political will in the recipient country to keep New, stricter rules also limit the amount of time the tours slash and burn clearing of forests in parts of Africa, and minute of the entire month. these things going. Because there’s no point in paying to can interact with the animals to 20 minutes. Tours can only therefore concerns are growing. Professor Lovejoy’s colleague, Carlos Nobre, a senior protect a forest for five years. visit in the morning and afternoon, to give the dolphins more In the Amazon scientists have warned the rapid rate of researcher at the University of São Paulo, told The Guard- “I’m not remotely surprised he rejected [the $20m]. It time to themselves. deforestation means the forest is increasingly at risk of reach- ian deforestation was on course to rise by 20-30 per cent absolutely could have been predicted because his political The Massey University study, carried out between December ing a tipping point at which huge swathes of the rainforest this year and was “very likely” to pass 10,000 sq km for the philosophy is very much: ‘we’re going to decide, Brazil’s 2012 and April 2015, identified a population of 96 bottlenose will degrade into areas of dry savannah. first time in over a decade. going to decide what happens to this’, so I’m not surprised dolphins in the Bay of Islands – a 66 per cent decline compared “You’d have extensive parts of the southern and eastern Richard Black, the director of the Energy and Climate he rejected it at all. to previous research published in 2002. Amazon and parts of the central converting to savannah, Intelligence Unit said it was difficult to assess whether the “Also the sums of money are piffling if you’re talking There are now estimated to be just 31 of the dolphins in the area. and maybe to even drier conditions,” Professor Thomas fires in Africa represented similar problems as those currently about serious protection efforts.” (Source: The Independent) Lovejoy of George Mason University told The Independent. affecting the Amazon. The Nasa data also shows fires are affecting parts of The forest fires in Brazil have also largely been caused He told The Independent: “Clearly both in the Amazon the Amazon outside Brazil, with fires in eight other South by agricultural activity, as landowners burn stubble after and in the Congo, burning by small scale farmers is a way American countries including Bolivia. Thousands of fires WORDS IN THE NEWS harvest, use illegal slash and burn clearing techniques to of life, it does happen. What’s different is the increase in are also burning across Indonesia. create land for crops or rearing beef, or have carried out the Amazon this year over last year – almost a doubling in “There are the three great tropical forests. The Amazon, Che Guevara’s Photographs logging to raise the value of the land. the number of fires.” the Congo and Indonesia and Borneo. They’re all massively Despite increasing global awareness of the problem of “Bolsonaro seems to be encouraging this, but I haven’t important, and in all of them over the last 20 years we’re (August 15, 2001) illegal deforestation, greater areas of tropical rainforest are seen any evidence of this in any of [the African] countries, seen really destructive forest fires.” Revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara is still revered as a national being lost than ever. More tree cover was lost across the is a key difference I think.” (Source: The Independent) hero in Cuba. While Che was being photographed he was also taking his own pictures, many of which have gone on display in the Cuban capital Havana. This report from Daniel Schweimler. Ernesto Che Guevara was quite used to being photographed. ENGLISH IN USE He was one of the great romantic heroes of the twentieth century, an adventurer, a revolutionary and after his death in LEARN NEWS TRANSLATION 1967 while trying to foment revolution in Bolivia, a symbol of revolution on millions of t-shirts and walls of student homes. While being photographed he was also taking pictures. Many of those pictures have now gone on display in the Morro-Cabana Tehran to host autism conference برگزاری همایش اوتیسم در تهران fortress overlooking Havana Bay. It was in that same fortress چهارمیــن همایــش »اُتیســم، توانمندســازی نیــروی انســانی و خانــواده« اول اســفند that Che Guevara had his office in the years after thetriumph The 4th conference on autism disorder with a theme of empowering of the Cuban revolution in 1959. human resources and families will be held in Tehran on February 20. مــاه در تهــران برگــزار م ی شــود. Despite his busy schedule he always took time to record his travels. His self-portraits are perhaps the most stunning. The event is organized by the Charity Foundation for Special ایــن همایــش توســط بنیــاد امــور بیم اریهــای خــاص و بــا مشــارکت ســازمان ,A fresh faced innocent student leaving Argentina in 1951. A Diseases in cooperation with the Special Education Organization more hardened but still idealistic man in Tanzania in 1965. آمــ وزش و پــرورش اســتثنایی، وزارت بهداشــت، ســازمان بهزیســتی، و انجمــن Che Guevara’s collections of photographs are perhaps not great the Ministry of Health, the Welfare Organization and the Health روانشناســی ســامت ایــران برگــزار م ی شــود. .art but they provide an interesting record of one of the most Psychology Association dramatic lives of recent times. Empowering human resources, discussing academic topics revolving محورهــای ایــن همایــش، وضعیــت منابــع انســانی و ســر فصلهای دانشــگاهی حــوزه Words romantic hero: a man who seems as dramatic and exciting as around autism, and describing the parent’s role in promoting and اوتیســم در ایــران و نقــش والدیــن در ارتقــاء و بهبــود وضعیــت افــراد بــا اختــاالت a character in a book. improving the autistic patient’s condition will be among the subjects adventurer: a person who enjoys exciting, dangerous activities to be discussed in the conference. طیــف اوتیســم اســت. .often in foreign countries - to foment revolution: to excite or agitate people so that they overthrow the government. gone on display: being shown fortress: a castle, or other large strong building PREFIX/SUFFIX PHRASAL VERB IDIOM triumph: a great victory or achievement “-et, -ette” Hand something around (As) broad as it’s long self-portrait: a portrait that an artist produces of themselves stunning: impressive, striking Meaning: small Meaning: to offer something to each person in Explanation: this expression means that there is no fresh faced: young, innocent looking For example: This marionette performance was a group real difference which alternative is chosen idealistic: a person who believes in ideas that seem perfect and the best school program I have seen in my 21 years of For example: Willie helped hand the mugs around. For example: A: “Do you prefer the white or the red who tries to make these ideas a reality teaching. car.” B: It’s as broad as it’s long. I’ll only have it for a day.” (Source: BBC) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y AUGUST 29, 2019 WORLD IN FOCUS 13

Iraqi armed forces ready to respond Nasrallah: We’re not rushing to respond to firmly to any aggression: Abdul-Mahdi Israeli attack 1 Meanwhile, in an interview with Russia’s RT tel- TEHRAN — Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Ab- it pointed out. evision network on Tuesday, Hezbollah Deputy Secretary dul-Mahdi says his country’s armed forces “The Iraqi government reaffirms its General Sheikh Naim Qassem said that the recent Israeli are fully prepared to respond firmly to any act full commitment to its constitutional and drone attacks on the Lebanese soil could not be considered of aggression launched either from outside national responsibilities to defend the se- “a passing issue.” or inside Iraq. curity and safety of Iraq, its people and He also refused to provide details of Hezbollah’s re- “The prime minister pointed to the high national sovereignty… Any attack on the sponse, adding, however, that the reaction would be “a readiness of our armed forces to defend Iraq, country’ territory, sovereignty or armed surprise” for the Tel Aviv regime. its citizens and state institutions in addition forces is an attack on everyone,” the state- Qassem further described the Lebanese government’s to diplomatic missions operating in Iraq. He ment highlighted. position on the Israeli assaults as correct, stressing that also stressed the Iraqi forces’ readiness to Abdul-Mahdi further noted that “the sen- the country would not wait for a reaction from the United respond firmly and by all means available sitive situation that Iraq is going through Nations Security Council. to any aggression launched either from out- requires acting with wisdom, courage and Two Israeli drones — which Hezbollah said were on a side or inside Iraq,” Abdul-Mahdi’s media great concern for the present and future bombing mission — crashed in the Hezbollah stronghold office said in a statement released following of Iraq and its people, and requires unity in the south of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on Sunday. a cabinet session in the capital Baghdad on of the national ranks in all its political and One of the drones blew up near the ground, causing some Tuesday. media activities.” damage to Hezbollah’s media office in the Moawwad The statement added, “Abdul-Mahdi also “Iraq reserves the right to take neces- neighborhood of Beirut’s Dahieh suburb. touched on the ongoing diplomatic contacts sary legal and diplomatic measures and Hezbollah said the unmanned aerial vehicles were rigged with all neighboring countries besides Arab through regional institutions plus the Se- with explosives, with the movement’s Secretary General and regional states as well as the interna- curity Council and the United Nations to Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stressing that they were on a tional community in order to explain the defend its sovereignty and security by all “suicide mission.” position of Iraq and mobilize regional and legitimate means,” he said. He also described Sunday’s raids as the first Israeli international support for solidarity with it ities of our people and our armed forces territory to attack others.” Abdul-Mahdi’s remarks came in the attack on Lebanon since the 2006 war. and its just position and its policy in support and for the significant development in the “Iraq continues to play its influential and wake of recent airstrikes in the country “From now on, we will down any Israeli drones in Leb- of peace and stability. status of Iraq in its Arab, regional and in- constructive role in defusing the crisis that against the positions of pro-government anon’s skies,” he said. “I say to the Israeli army on the The cabinet affirmed their support for ternational environment, and to continue threatens the security of the (Middle East) Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), bet- border from tonight, stand guard. Wait for us one, two, Abdul-Mahdi’s “clear vision in managing Iraq’s clear policy of rejecting escalation region and the world and undermines the ter known by the Arabic word of Hashd three, four days.” the crisis and reassurance of the capabil- and the policy of axes and the use of its efforts to fight the Daesh terrorist group…,” al-Sha’abi. Lebanese President Michel Aoun has said Israel’s recent drone strikes in Lebanon amounts to “a declaration of war” against the Arab country. Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Israel used Russia denies visa to U.S. senator amid Italy inches closer to new cabinet as the drone attacks “to change the rules of engagement.” G7 tensions deadline approaches The aggression, he noted, constitutes “a threat to regional stability and an attempt to push the situation towards further tension.” Israel launched two wars on Lebanon in 2000 and 2006, in both of which Hezbollah inflicted heavy losses on the regime’s military. Israeli officials have even threatened another war on Lebanon.

Arab countries support Lebanon in light of attack

TEHRAN — Arab countries expressed their sup- port for Lebanon in response to recent Israeli aggression, the Kuwaiti ambassador told reporters Wednesday. “As Arab states, we stressed that we stand and sup- port [Lebanon] and that we are keen on the security and stability of Lebanon,” Kuwaiti Ambassador to TEHRAN — Democratic U.S. Senator opposition to Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian TEHRAN— Tense talks aimed at forming a forge an alliance with 5-Star, despite a Lebanon Abdul-Aal al-Kinai said, after a delegation Chris Murphy said Tuesday that Russia rule, this is potentially a perilous moment new Italian government inched forward on history of bitter relations between the two of Arab ambassadors met with Prime Minister Saad had denied him a visa, amid disagreement for our two nations’ fragile relationship, Wednesday as two major political parties, political rivals. Hariri, Daily Star reported. within Washington and among U.S. allies and it’s a shame that Russia isn’t interested struggling to bury years of hostility and “We decided to agree to Conte as prime over whether the country should be read- in dialogue,” Murphy said in a statement. avoid snap elections, agreed to re-install minister because that was what 5-Star mitted to the Group of Seven. Russia repeatedly has denied visas to Giuseppe Conte as prime minister. wanted,” PD boss Nicola Zingaretti said. U.S. President Donald Trump said last U.S. lawmakers in recent years, especially The anti-establishment 5-Star Move- The prospect of a new government led Yemen govt says has week it would be appropriate to let Rus- those who have pushed for sanctions against ment and the opposition center-left by Conte, an academic who has no political reclaimed control of Aden sia return to the G7 group of advanced Moscow over its aggression toward Ukraine Democratic Party (PD) entered formal affiliation but is considered close to the industrialized countries, telling reporters and interference in U.S. elections. coalition talks after a ruling alliance 5-Star, has buoyed markets, which are TEHRAN— Yemen government forces have re- that former Democratic President Barack Separately, a group of senior Democratic between 5-Star and the right-wing betting that Italy will avoid snap elections. claimed control of the interim capital Aden, in- Obama had wanted Russia out of what used senators said Tuesday they had written League party collapsed this month Italy’s 10-year bond yield fell to a record cluding the presidential palace, after the city was to be the G8 but he thought it was “much to Trump expressing strong opposition after prolonged infighting. low below 1%, two-year bond yields fell to seized by separatists earlier this month, a minister more appropriate” to include the country. to readmitting Russia to the G7, citing its The talks, which remain tense and their lowest since May 2018 at -0.22% and said Wednesday. Other G7 countries have objected. invasion of Ukraine’s Crimea. could still break down, had been at risk Italy’s 50-year bond yield fell to a record Forces loyal to the fugitive government of Yemeni Pres- Murphy, a member of the Foreign Re- The letter was signed by Senators Chuck of collapse over who should be named low around 2.266%. ident Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi were able “to secure the lations Committee, said he had planned to Schumer, the Democratic leader in the Sen- prime minister. But the PD confirmed Investors fear early elections would presidential palace in Aden and the surrounding areas,” visit Russia as part of an upcoming con- ate, as well as Jack Reed, Bob Menendez on Wednesday that it had dropped its be won by Matteo Salvini’s hard-right Information Minister Moammer al-Eryani tweeted. gressional delegation including Democrats and Mark Warner, the top Democrats on opposition to Conte, removing one big League party, which could put Rome on “The national army and security services have full con- and Republicans. the Armed Services, Foreign Relations and barrier to a deal. a collision course with the European Union trol over the province’s districts,” AFP reported. “With the collapse of recent arms con- Intelligence committees, respectively, Reu- The PD’s leader also secured the backing over expansionary government spending, trol agreements and significant domestic ters reported. of the party’s executive on Wednesday to Reuters reported. U.S. and Taliban ‘close’ to a ‘U.S. seeks to enter into direct talks with Yemen’s Houthis’ peace deal TEHRAN — The United States is reportedly planning The UK has licensed over £4.7 billion worth of arms TEHRAN — The Taliban and the United States are “close” to initiate direct talks with Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah exports, including missiles and fighter jets, to Riyadh since to finalizing a peace agreement in their talks in the Qatari movement in a declared bid to end the protracted war in the beginning of the deadly conflict. Britain has also been capital aimed at ending the 18-year Afghanistan war, the the impoverished country. providing combat intelligence and target data to Saudi group’s representative has said. The Wall Street Journal cited American officials fa- Arabia over the course of the war, which has killed thou- Speaking to Al Jazeera, the Taliban’s political spokesman miliar with the plans as saying in a report on Tuesday sands of Yemeni civilians and put millions more on the in Doha, Suhail Shaheen, said the two sides were finalizing that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump verge of famine. the agreement during the ninth round of negotiations, was also looking to prompt Saudi Arabia into taking According to Press TV, the U.S.-based Armed which entered their seventh day on Wednesday. part in the talks with Houthi leaders in Oman to broker Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), “The talks continue today [Wednesday] and we have a ceasefire in Yemen. a nonprofit conflict-research organization, esti- reached the last point of the agreement,” Shaheen told Enjoying the support of the U.S. and UK, Saudi Arabia mates that the Saudi-led war has claimed the lives Al Jazeera. and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating of over 91,000 Yemenis over the past four and a “The final point is the implementation and the mech- campaign against Yemen in March 2015. half years. anism of the deal which is being discussed,” he said. The U.S.f plan to open direct negotiations with the Hou- The Saudi-led war has also taken a heavy toll on the The deal would see the U.S. and other foreign forces this comes at a time when fears of broader regional war are country’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, gradually withdraw from Afghanistan in exchange for a growing, according to the journal. and factories. commitment by the Taliban that the country will not be Yemen’s resistance, however, has pushed the Saudi conduct several missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports The UN has already said that a record 22.2 million used as a Launchpad for global attacks. war to a stalemate, with Yemeni forces increasingly using and oil facilities. Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million After the two sides agree on the two central issues, a sophisticated weaponry in retaliatory attacks against the Trump has strongly defended arm sales to Riyadh up to threatened by severe hunger. According to the world body, separate dialogue on ensuring a permanent ceasefire and Saudi-led coalition. this point and has vowed to veto any resolution in Congress Yemen is suffering from the most severe famine in more a power-sharing agreement between the Afghan govern- Over the past months, the Yemeni army has managed to banning the sales. than 100 years. ment and the Taliban are expected to take place in the form of intra-Afghan talks. So far, the Taliban has refused to speak to the Afghan government, calling it a “puppet regime” of the West. The group says any engagement with Kabul would grant the Taliban kills 14 pro-government fighters in Afghanistan government legitimacy. TEHRAN — Taliban fighters have killed “At least nine others are wounded in Jalalabad, the provincial capital. the U.S. would start to withdraw troops from The Taliban, which was overthrown in 2001 by a U.S.- at least 14 members of a pro-government the clashes and the Taliban fighters were No one has claimed responsibility for Afghanistan in exchange for Taliban’s pledge led military coalition, has long demanded a complete militia in Afghanistan, officials said, as the pushed back after Afghan forces reinforced Tuesday’s attack in Nangarhar, where the that it will not allow the country to harbour withdrawal of foreign troops to “end the occupation” in group aims to reach a deal with the United the area,” said Walizada. Taliban and a local affiliate of the Islamic other hardline Muslim armed groups. Afghanistan. States to end the 18-year war. Taliban officials were not immediately State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known Despite negotiations, the fighting has The U.S. accused the Taliban of sheltering fighters Government officials said on Wednesday available for comment, but the Associated as ISIS) are active. not subsided, as the civilian casualty rates from al-Qaeda, the group blamed for the September 11, that several civilians were wounded in the Press news agency said the group has claimed The Taliban has been staging near-daily across Afghanistan jumped back to record 2001 attacks. clashes in the western province of Herat. responsibility for the attack. attacks across the country, usually targetting levels last month. About 14,000 U.S. troops and 17,000 troops from 39 Abdul Ahad Walizada, a spokesman for Separately, in eastern Nangarhar province, Afghan forces and government officials, or According to the United Nations, more NATO allies and partner countries are in Afghanistan in the Herat police, said the men were killed governor’s spokesman Attaullah Khogyani those seen as loyal to the government. than 1,500 civilians were killed or wounded a non-combative role. in Rubat-e-Sangi district of Herat after a said a university professor was killed and The latest attacks came as the U.S. and in the Afghan conflict in July alone, the highest Washington hopes to reach a peace agreement with the large number of Taliban fighters stormed two others wounded on Tuesday when a Taliban officials are said to be nearing an agree- monthly casualties so far this year and the worst Taliban by September 1 ahead of the Afghan presidential security checkpoints in the Chahardara area. bomb attached to their vehicle went off in ment, after months of negotiations, under which in a single month since May 2017. elections scheduled for September 28. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 14 WORLD SPORTS AUGUST 29, 2019

World junior sprint queen Messi, Ronaldo or Van Dijk: Who Williams fails doping test

Double world under-20 sprint champion Briana Williams could miss next month’s World Championships after reportedly testing should be crowned Europe’s best? positive for the banned diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ). The Jamaican daily The Gleaner said that the 17-year-old Uefa will name its Men’s Player of the Year on Thursday initially failed the doping test after the National Senior Cham- with Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk up against Ju- pionships between June 20–23 where she placed third in the ventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona’s Lionel 100 metres to secure a spot in the national team for the World Messi for the award. Championships in Doha. Last year, Luka Modric ended Ronaldo and Messi’s The newspaper said Tuesday that the ‘B’ sample had report- dominance of the award - and Van Dijk will be hopeful edly confirmed the presence of the substance. of leaving the duo empty-handed again after a stellar Williams’ representative Emir Crowne said they had not yet season with the Reds. received confirmation of the ‘B’ sample and insisted that the Just how good have the three contenders been over sprinter had not done anything wrong. the past year? Her team reportedly say that the teenager used a contami- Familiar foes Messi and Ronaldo up once again nated cold and flu medication -- which she had declared on her It is a battle as old as time itself - or so it can feel. testing protocol form -- as the source of the banned substance. When it comes to the shortlists for best player trophies “Our primary position will be that Ms Williams bears no fault - whether in Europe or the world - Messi and Ronaldo have in the circumstances and there should be no sanctions levied been on them for the best part of the decade. against her. That will be our primary position,” Crowne told Since the inception of the Uefa Men’s Player of the Year The Gleaner. award in 2011, Ronaldo has won it three times (2014, 2016, The medication, which does not list HCTZ as an active 2017), while Messi has won it twice (2011 and 2015). ingredient, was subsequently sent by Williams’ team to be The pair are in the running once again after phenomenal tested independently in the USA, where it was confirmed that seasons. Ronaldo helped Juventus win Serie A while Messi it was contaminated with traces of the banned diuretic, the led Barcelona to the La Liga title. newspaper reported. Between 31 July 2018 and 31 July 2019, Messi was by Florida-born Williams was just 16 when she won the 100m and far the deadlier finisher for club and country. During that Ronaldo, meanwhile, was outscored by eight players in country last season, scoring nine goals and providing four 200m at last year’s World Under-20 Championships in Tampere 12-month period he scored 54 goals to Ronaldo’s 31 and Europe’s top five leagues while his total of 21 league goals assists. He also played more minutes for Liverpool (4,465) which gained her nominations for the IAAF Female Rising Start boasted a goals-per-minute ratio of 86 minutes, compared was bettered by three players in Serie A. than any other outfield player. In all competitions, meanwhile, and the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Awards. to 127 for his Portuguese rival. Van Dijk has been a revelation for Liverpool since joining he won over 70% of his duels and aerial battles, underlining The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) is Messi also did much better than he would be expected from Southampton and was an integral part of the side that his importance at the heart of the defense. set to name its team for Doha on September 6. to do with the opportunities that came his way, scoring just won the Champions League last season and pushed eventual Liverpool conceded fewer goals (22) than any other Pre- (Source: Eurosport) under 15 more goals than his expected goals tally (35.62) Premier League champions Manchester City all the way. mier League side last season and Van Dijk was key to that for Barcelona. Ronaldo, meanwhile, scored 28 goals, pretty A defender has never won the award before so for the as he won 76.3% of his duels in the league. much on par with his expected goals total (28.3). Dutch international to be in the running against Messi and Compare that to other defenders in Europe’s top five Widening out the comparison to the rest of Europe, Messi Ronaldo is already a big achievement. leagues and, of the 293 defenders to be involved in 200 or If Man Utd need me, I’m here outscored all his rivals - his closest challenger, Bayern Munich But can he be crowned Europe’s best player? Let’s take more duels in 2018-19, no player won a higher percentage striker Robert Lewandowski, scored 11 goals fewer than the a look at his statistics from 2018-19. than Van Dijk. - Ibrahimovic Argentina international with 40. Van Dijk made a total of 59 appearances for club and (Source: BBC)

LA Galaxy striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic says he would be open to a return to former club Manchester United when his contract Nadal rampant at US Open as Thiem, Historic Bury expelled from English ends in November. The 37-year-old Swede has scored 46 goals in 49 games since Tsitsipas lead exodus league, Bolton get lifeline moving to the Major League Soccer side in March 2018. “I could play easy in the Premier League, so if United needs me, I’m here,” he said. Ibrahimovic scored 28 goals in his 2016-17 debut season for United before suffering a knee injury. His two-year contract was terminated early by mutual consent to allow him to move to the United States. However, if he were to rejoin United, he would not be allowed to play for them until January, when the English transfer window reopens. He signed a new deal to stay with Galaxy for the 2019 campaign in December. “Galaxy has me, so I’m sorry,” he added. “I did my job in Europe. I enjoyed it, I have 33 trophies that I brought with me here and hopefully I can get something here. “And then we will see where that adventure finishes.” Ibrahimovic added that he still watches Manchester United’s games and insisted they were unlucky in their home defeat by Crystal Palace on Saturday. Marcus Rashford missed a penalty in the loss, just as team- Rafael Nadal launched his tilt at a fourth Andrey Rublev in a grueling four-hour slog. Historic football club Bury, the first team and Bolton were due to face each other in mate Paul Pogba had done in the draw at Wolves five days earlier. US Open title Tuesday with a swift defeat Tsitsipas, for whom it was also a sec- to be expelled from the English Football a televised live match on Sunday week. “I saw the last game and I think they were unlucky,” he said. of John Millman as other leading seeds ond successive Grand Slam opening-round League in over two decades, suffered a Bury are the first team to be expelled from (Source: BBC) in his half of the draw tumbled out in the defeat, was hit with a point penalty for a further blow Wednesday when they were the third tier of English football. The remaining first round. time violation in the final set. kicked out of the FA Cup. 23 teams will complete the season and only Four players in the world’s top 10 -- “This chair umpire, I don’t know, he The once-proud club that only a few three instead of four teams will be relegated. Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Ka- has something against me. I don’t know months ago were celebrating promotion to A BBC journalist at the club’s Gigg Lane US baseball player’s family ren Khachanov and Roberto Bautista Agut why,” said Tsitsipas, who snapped “you’re the third tier, were turfed out of the league ground said that on hearing the news fans -- lost Tuesday to ease Nadal’s potential all weirdos” at French official Damien Du- late Tuesday when a takeover bid fell apart burst into tears with some so upset they ‘killed by relative’ path to the final. musois during his match. shortly before the 1600 GMT deadline set were “crouching down to the floor”. The Spanish second seed -- US Open “I wish that all the chair umpires were by league administrators. “I understand this will be a deeply upset- US baseball player Blake Bivens’ wife, one-year-old son and mother- champion in 2010, 2013 and 2017 -- needed like Mohamed Lahyani because I believe The club from northwest England are ting and devastating time for Bury’s players, in-law have been found dead at their home in rural Virginia on barely two hours to see Millman off 6-3, he’s the best out in the game, and we need the first to be expelled from the league staff, supporters and the wider community,” Tuesday, police say. 6-2, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium with the more like him in tennis because he’s fair -- comprising all the divisions below the said EFL executive chair Debbie Jevans. Bivens’ brother-in-law Matthew Bernard was later arrested world number 60 from Australia unable to everyone. I feel like some of them have top-tier Premier League -- since Maidstone Victim and charged him with three counts of first-degree murder. to reproduce the magic that saw him stun preferences when they are on the court.” United in 1992. Jevans words of sympathy were dis- Mr Bernard, 18, was found running naked near the property Roger Federer here a year ago. Osaka struck by nerves On Wednesday, a further blow fell on missed by Bury North MP James Frith, in Pittsylvania County, officials say. “The beginning, the first match, is al- Russian ninth seed Khachanov lost to bitter fans awaking to the stark realization who has earned praise for his efforts to Bivens, a pitcher attached to Major League Baseball’s side ways a little bit new even if I’ve played here Canada’s Vasek Pospisil in five sets, with that efforts to keep the club afloat had failed. save the club, inferring Bolton had been Tampa Bay Rays, was on Tuesday in Alabama. plenty of times,” said Nadal, who meets 10th seed Bautista Agut of Spain succumbing “Following on from their expulsion from treated better. He was about to play for Minor League Baseball’s Montgomery Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis next. “I think I in similar fashion to Mikhail Kukushkin the English Football League, Bury FC will no “I feel Bury is the victim ... and those Biscuits. That game has now been postponed as a mark of respect. played well and in general am very happy of Kazakhstan to leave that quarter of the longer be able to participate in the FA Cup for left to pick up the pieces are the town and In a statement posted on Twitter, Tampa Bay Rays said: “Our with the way I started. draw wide open for Nick Kyrgios. the 2019/20 season,” read an FA statement. the community,” Frith told BBC radio. hearts are broken for Blake. We are grieving with him and will “He (Millman) showed last year what The volatile Australian eased past Ameri- “If the club re-forms we look forward to “Yes we will rise again and keep the support him any way we can. he’s able to do when he’s doing well and I can Steve Johnson 6-3, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4 in a them applying to make an application to faith but we shouldn’t be at this point.” (Source: Mirror) came on court with a lot of respect.” match that finished at 1:12 a.m. local time. The Football Association to re-join league The writing had been on the wall for Two-time French Open runner-up Alexander Zverev, seeded sixth, outlasted competition further down the English foot- Bury after a rollercoaster of a day for fans Thiem was upset by Italian giant-killer Moldova’s Radu Albot 6-1, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, ball pyramid from the 2020/21 season.” and employees alike, when C&N Sporting Thomas Fabbiano 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, the 6-2, while Marin Cilic, the 2014 champion, Bury’s historic rivals Bolton -- one of the Risk withdrew their takeover bid offer to Kyrgios accuses ATP of being Austrian fourth seed slumping to another advanced in straight sets over Slovakia’s founders of the Football League but who have Steve Dale, who had bought the club last first-round exit, having lost at the same Martin Klizan. been in administration since May -- won December for a single pound. ‘corrupt’ after U.S. Open win stage at Wimbledon. Reigning women’s US Open champion some breathing space on Tuesday when they Bury captain Neil Danns told talkSPORT “I got very tired and exhausted after Naomi Osaka confronted severe nerves as were given 14 days to find a buyer. radio that Dale had “destroyed lives”. two sets. I’m far away from 100 percent,” she overcame Russia’s Anna Blinkova, the For Bury, though, the bell has tolled on “This should never have happened,” he Australia’s Nick Kyrgios could find himself in hot water again an ailing Thiem said. “It was not the real world number 84. their time in the Football League, ending over said. “If you thought you could not move this after accusing men’s tennis governing body ATP of being “cor- me there on the court.” Osaka suffered a first-round exit last 100 years of participation which yielded two club forward in a positive way you should rupt” following his U.S. Open first round victory on Tuesday. Greek eighth seed Tsitsipas struggled month at Wimbledon and the Japanese FA Cups and produced players like former never have taken over because you’ve liter- The mercurial 24-year-old made the comment at a news con- with cramps and accused umpires of hav- star struggled to put away Blinkova before Manchester City and England great Colin Bell. ally destroyed lives, because that’s what this ference when asked if he could have avoided a $113,000 fine ing “preferences” after he fell to a 6-4, 6-7 prevailing 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2. Ironically Bury, who become the first FA football club meant to so many fans.” after his second-round defeat by Russia’s Karen Khachanov at (5/7), 7-6 (9/7), 7-5 defeat by Next Gen rival (Source: AFP) Cup winners to be ousted from the league, (Source: France 24) the Cincinnati Masters earlier this month. Kyrgios was fined for unsportsmanlike conduct, verbal abuse and audible obscenity after arguing with the chair umpire and smashing two rackets during a meltdown. Neymar fulfils Netflix ‹dream’ as Barca say transfer deal ‘closer’ Having dispatched American Steve Johnson 6-3 7-6(1) 6-4 Neymar said he had «realised» his dream with a cameo of his rape case. on Tuesday night, Kyrgios said that the fine had not affected his appearance in his favourite Netflix show as later Tuesday Once Brazilian police dropped their investigation last preparations for the year’s final Grand Slam tournament. there was a fresh plot twist in his long-running Paris Saint- month, Netflix re-released the episodes to include the Paris “Not at all. The ATP is pretty corrupt anyway, so I’m not fussed Germain transfer drama. Saint-Germain forward. about it at all,” Kyrgios told a news conference. The Brazil forward is anxious for a move back to «I was able to realize my dream and be part of my favorite Asked by a reporter if being defaulted in Cincinnati would have Spain with both Barcelona and Real Madrid trying series. And now I can share Joao (his character) with you all! meant avoiding the fine, Kyrgios said: “I got fined 113K for what? to seal a deal before the European transfer window Thank you @lacasadepapel!» he told his Twitter followers. “Why are we talking about something that happened three closes next Monday. The world’s most expensive player has a small role in weeks ago when I just chopped up someone first round?” «We are continuing negotiations, we are closer to a Season 3 of the crime drama, which follows a gang of rob- The exchange continued even as Kyrgios’ agent John Mor- deal,» Barca director Javier Bordas told reporters at Bar- bers and their assault on the Bank Of Spain. ris and an ATP official tried to intervene, as the hot-tempered celona airport after returning from a meeting with PSG in «I don’t like football nor partying,» Neymar’s character Australian asked the reporter if he had ever sworn at someone. the French capital. says. “You are also not an elite athlete. Just answer my question. But he added: «As yet there is still no deal.» «At the World Cup, I always pray for our team,» he adds. Have you ever sworn at someone before?” he said. According to French newspaper Le Parisien, Neymar’s Neymar was accused by Najila Trindade, a Brazilian Another journalist asked Kyrgios if he was suggesting that elite former club have upped their offer to 170 million euros, model of rape in a Paris hotel in May. athletes were allowed to swear at people, to which he responded: payable in two instalments, with possibly players attached. Earlier Neymar tweeted his delight at appearing in the He vehemently denied the allegations, with the case “No. I am just saying people get frustrated. It happens.” Barca sold the 27-year-old to PSG in 2017 for a world Netflix crime drama La Casa de Papel (Money Heist). dismissed by a judge in Sao Paulo on August 9. (Source: Reuters) record 222 million euros. He was originally edited out by pending the outcome (Source: AFP) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y AUGUST 28, 2019 SPORTS 15

Rare Grenoble 1968 Olympic Dual role for Sanchez Torch to be sold at auction The Qatar Football Association (QFA)’s Exec- utive Committee has decided to appoint Felix An Olympic Torch produced for the 1968 Winter Olympic Sanchez as the head coach of the Olympic Games in Grenoble is to be auctioned on Thursday with a national team. reserve price of $180,000. The Spaniard replaces his compatriot Albert Grenoble 1968 Torches are the scarcest of all Olympic Fernandez, and will also remain at the helm of Torches. the senior national team, a position he has held since July 2017. QFA’s appointment of Sanchez comes ahead of Qatar’s participation at the upcoming 2020 AFC U23 Championship, which is set to be hosted by Thailand in January. The tourna- ment will also serve as a qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Sanchez has a great track record with Qatar’s various national teams, starting with the AFC U-19 Championship victory in 2014, followed by The Torch was one of only 33 produced by the Societe a third place finish at the 2018 AFC U23 Cham- Technique d’Equipement et de Fournitures Industrielle and pionship in China PR and finally the historic will be auctioned in Los Angeles by Nate D. Sanders Auctions. triumph with the senior team at Asia’s most In January, Boston-based RR Auction sold a Grenoble prestigious tournament – the 2019 AFC Asian 1968 Torch at auction for $231,287 (£176,507/€203,822). Cup in United Arab Emirates. More than 5,000 Torchbearers carried the flame to Gre- With Qatar having already qualified for the noble before the Opening Ceremony. 2022 FIFA World Cup as hosts, Sanchez will The copper plate torch features a crenelated design at the top be guiding the squad in the Asian Qualifiers resembling the Olympic flame, which serves as its windshield. with the aim of qualifying for the AFC Asian The long handle segues to the top portion that holds the Cup China 2023. burner, distinguished by a silver plate featuring the official Qatar are in Group E of the Asian Qualifiers emblem of the Games designed by Roger Excoffon, France’s with Bangladesh, Oman, India and Afghanistan. most famous typeface designer and graphic designer. They kick off their campaign on Afghanistan (Source: Insidethegames) on September 5. (Source: Qatar Football Association) Kaveh Rezaei returns to Iranian hurdler Pirjahan takes gold at Iran U23 football team to play two Charleroi Indian event friendlies with Uzbekistan Iranian forward Kaveh Rezaei joined RSC Charleroi on loan SPORTS SPORTS TEHRAN —Mehdi TEHRAN — Iran until the end of the Belgian Pro League season. desk desk Pirjahan from Iran U23 football team are The 27-year-old striker joined Charleroi in June 2017 from claimed a gold medal at the 59th National scheduled to play two friendly matches Esteghlal and scored 15 goals in 33 games. Inter State Seniors Championships 2019 un- with Uzbekistan in September. Rezaei joined Club Brugge for a reported club-record fee of derway in Lucknow, India on Wednesday. The Persians will face Uzbekistan €5 million but failed to meet expectations in the top Belgian Pirjahan won the gold in the men’s 400 on Sept. 6 at the Metallurg Stadium football team. meters hurdles, clocking a personal best in Olmaliq in their first match. The Iranian international now returns to the team that of 49.33 seconds but it was not enough Iran will also play Uzbekistan three signed him in 2017. for him to make the cut for the 2019 days later at the Pakhtakor Central Rezaei has joined his compatriots Ali Gholizadeh and IAAF World Championships (49.30s Stadium in Tashkent. Younes Delfi. qualifying mark). Iran U23 football team, headed by (Source: Clubbrugge.be) Iran has participated in the event with Farhad Majidi, prepare for the 2020 four athletes. in Lucknow on Tuesday and will run AFC U23 Championship which will Behnam Shiri (discus throw), Mehdi until Friday. be held in Thailand from Jan. 8 to 26. Pirjahan (400m hurdle), Hamid Reza Kia The four-day championships feature The top three teams of the Iran futsal unchanged in world (triple jump) and Amir Zamanpour (1500m) over 600 athletes from India besides oth- tournament will qualify for the 2020 will represent the west Asian country in er entries from countries like Sri Lanka, Summer Olympics men’s football ranking the tournament. Maldives, Iran, Kazakhstan and Bhutan. tournament in Japan as the AFC The competition organized by Athletics The competition is being held in 22 representatives. football, have not been in the Olympics TASNIM — The Iranian national futsal team remained Federation of India (AFI) got underway events in both groups for men and women. Iran, a powerhouse of the Asian since the 1976 games in Munich. unchanged in the latest Futsal World Ranking released on Wednesday. Team Melli are third with 1663 points. Brazil and Spain are first and second with 1876 and 1763 Group C: Title contenders Spain aim to dominate in Guangzhou points, respectively Powerhouse Spain are the team to beat in Group C but Top prospect: Juancho Hernangomez The Iranian national futsal team are preparing for the the expected battle for second spot looms as a dogfight. The 23-year-old has the talent to make a splash in 2020 AFC Futsal Championship Qualifiers and also 2020 World No.2 Spain are once again loaded with talent his World Cup debut and if he does then Spain will be FIFA Futsal World Cup. and tipped to be one of the main title contenders, an even scarier proposition for opponents. Iran finished third at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia ensuring they receive top billing in Group C. Puerto After having surgery to repair a core muscle injury in 2016 after a 4-3 penalty shootout win over Portugal following Rico, Tunisia and Iran appear evenly matched, cre- May, the Denver Nuggets player has made a successful a 2-2 draw. ating much excitement and intrigue for the games comeback and impressed during Spain’s warm-up in Guangzhou. games ahead of the FIBA Basketball World Cup. Puerto Rico are hoping to revive memories of their Capable of switching between the small and power golden era, while Tunisia and Iran can’t be discounted forward spots, Hernangomez has offensive firepower and Iran national taekwondo team after impressive qualifying runs. has not been encouraging. can light it up from three. He’s still fairly streaky from to participate in World Martial Team to beat: Spain Their hopes of an upset likely rests with guard Gian long range but is almost unstoppable when he’s feeling it. The 2006 World Cup champions are always in the Clavell who should have insider knowledge on some of At 6ft9in (2.06m), Hernangomez has the size to Arts event title mix and this edition is no different. They will his opponents having played last season in Spain for hold his own on defense and he showed improvement be missing veteran Pau Gasol but still boast serious Estudiantes Madrid. on that end during the recent NBA season. If he can talent headed by his younger brother Marc, who will And let’s not forget that Puerto Rico memorably find more consistency on both ends, Hernangomez MNA — Iran’s national taekwondo team will take part in the be tasked with commanding the paint. defeated Spain at the FIBA World Cup 2002 en route could have a breakout World Cup. 2019 edition of World Martial Arts Masterships which will There is a nice blend of youth and experience in to a Quarter-Final finish. There are loads of FIBA World Cup veterans, par- kick off in South Korea’s Chungju on Friday. head coach’s Sergio Scariolo deep squad. Phoenix Can history repeat? ticularly from Spain, but it’s a chance to acknowledge Iranian team, comprised of Amir Mohammad Bakhshi, Suns point guard Ricky Rubio will marshal the team Star of the group: Marc Gasol Iran’s warriors Hamed Haddadi and Samad Nikkhah Erfan Nazemi, Kimia Hemmati and Kimia Alizadeh will depart in his third World Cup appearance, while the Her- The Spanish great has the opportunity of com- Bahram who will make their third straight appearance for South Korea on Thursday night. nangomez bothers - Willy and Juancho – will add pleting a golden summer after playing a key role in at the World Cup. muscle to the frontcourt in their first appearance Toronto Raptors’ first NBA championship. Gasol will The two iconic Iranians are likely to be playing at the tournament. be playing his fourth FIBA World Cup having started their last World Cup and will aiming to inspire their Victor Claver, Segio Llull and Rudy Fernandez boast with Spain’s historic title in 2006. team out of the group stage for the first time. World Cup experience which could prove invaluable With brother Pau missing, there will be more pres- It’s been nine years since Tunisia was seen on bas- at the business end of the tournament. sure on Gasol to be the team’s anchor in the middle. ketball’s biggest stage, but six players return from Key matchup: Spain v Puerto Rico The former NBA Defensive Player of the Year is still their squad from the FIBA World Cup 2010 in Turkey. Spain’s biggest threat is likely to come from Puerto an intimidating presence even at 34 years of age. That experience will be importance as confidence is Rico, who won’t be intimidated against one of the His versatility on offense – with an ability to score building over Tunisia emerging out of the group. title contenders. in the post and from beyond the arc – makes him a If they do, Salah Mejri – who has carved out a Puerto Rico are well removed from their golden go-to option for Spain when they need buckets. Most successful career in the NBA and Europe since 2010 generation, which famously peaked when they stunned importantly, Gasol’s leadership will be relied upon – will have likely played a major role in helping create Team USA at the Athens Olympics, and are a streaky for a Spanish team hoping for another deep run at an history for Tunisia. team although their form heading into the tournament international basketball tournament. (Source: FIBA)

Bento: Versatility the key for Taeguk Warriors The international martial arts competition will kick off in Chungju of North Chungcheong Province, about 150 kilometers Korea Republic head coach Paulo Ben- “I think our positional versatility is our who left Japan to sign with Bordeaux in southeast of Seoul, on Friday for an eight-day run, bringing to believes his players’ ability to take on biggest strength,” Bento said. the Ligue 1. together about 4,000 martial arts masters and officials from multiple positions will carry the team a “Many of our attacking players can The 27-year-old scored his first goal 100 countries worldwide, according to Yonhap News Agency. long way in their FIFA World Cup 2022 play as wing forwards, shadow strikers in France last Saturday and leads all Competitions will take place in a total of 20 non-West- Qatar and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Asian or forwards. Because we have so many players with seven goals in 16 matches ern martial arts, including taekwondo, wushu, judo, kendo, Qualifiers Round 2 campaign next month. options, we can make tactical adjustments on Bento’s watch. muay thai, jujitsu and kickboxing. Dubbed the Martial Arts Bento unveiled his 26-man roster on and changes during matches.” Bento’s one surprise pick was Ulsan Olympics, the South Korean government-approved event is Monday and will use the friendly against Captain Son Heung-min, scoring stal- Hyundai’s attacking midfielder Lee also sponsored by the Global Association of International Georgia on September 5 as a tune-up before wart for Tottenham Hotspur, is listed as a Dong-gyeong, a 21-year-old who earned Sports Federation (GAISF). they play Turkmenistan in their opening midfielder, but he has played as a featured his first senior national team call-up. Lee is The Chungju masterships is the second competition to be Qualifiers’ tie five days later. striker in Bento’s scheme. He can also play able to play either as a central midfielder or held in the central South Korean province, after the first com- Korea Republic will also face Lebanon, as a wing forward or an attacking midfielder. “We’ll see how well Kim can fit into our a winger with equal dexterity, Bento noted. petition was hosted by Cheongju, the capital of the province, DPR Korea and Sri Lanka in Group H, as Son thrived as a striker alongside Hwang system, but at the same time, we as a team “He’s a highly skilled player who can about 140 km south of Seoul, in August 2016. they seek to qualify for their 10th consec- Ui-jo in a friendly against Colombia in have to find the right combination that will make quick decisions in tight spaces,” A ranking point system, which has been applied to the utive FIFA World Cup. March, when he ended a nine-month in- help Kim maximise his skills,” Bento said. the coach said. “He may not have been Olympics, the world championships and the Asian Games, The game against Georgia in Istanbul will ternational goal drought. “He’s obviously a different type of for- playing heavy minutes with his club, but is used for the martial arts event’s nine categories, including be Korea Republic’s first friendly against an Making his way back into the squad is ward than the ones we selected previously. regardless of his playing time, we felt he taekwondo, jujitsu, muay thai, savate and pencak silat. The European nation since Bento took charge Shanghai Greenland Shenhua’s Kim Shin- My job is to make whatever decisions that had enough skills and abilities to deserve system will be applied to the taekwondo poomsae event for last fall and the Portuguese can bank on a wook, who has been on fire in the Chinese I think can help the team.” a spot on the national team.” the first time, and the team winners of taekwondo kyorugi, dozen midfielders to take on different po- Super League since leaving his K League Completing Korea Republic’s forward (Sources: Yonhap News Agency, a type of full-contact sparring, will earn an automatic berth sitions in attack. 1 club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in July. line is new French league striker Hwang, AFP, Korea Football Association) in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Prayer Times Noon:13:05 Evening: 19:55 Dawn: 5:06 (tomorrow) Sunrise: 6:34 (tomorrow) AUGUST 29, 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 Editorial Dept.: Fax: (+98 21) 88808214 — 88808895 “9 O’clock” directors top at Marivan [email protected] Switchboard Operator: Tel: (+98 21) 43051000 Advertisements Dept.: Telefax: (+98 21) 43051450 Public Relations Office: Tel: (+98 21) 88805807 Subscription & Distribution Dept.: Tel: (+98 21) 43051603 Intl. Street Theater Festival www.eshterak.ir Distributor: Padideh Novin Co. Tel: 88911433 ARTTEHRAN — Mokhtar Webmaster: [email protected] deskMohammadi from Iran Printed at: Jame Jam Bartar Borna - 44197737 and Asu Akram Ahmad from the Iraqi Kurdistan region won the award for best Tehrantimes79 Tehrantimesdaily director for their play “9 O’clock” at the 14th Marivan International Street Theater Festival, No. 18, Bimeh Alley, Nejatollahi St., Tehran, Iran the organizers announced on Tuesday. P.o. Box: 14155-4843 Written by Mohammadi, the play also Zip Code: 1599814713 received the best plot and idea award. Hayk Esrafilian from Armenia won the best actor award for his role in “Mime Theater, Way Way”. He also received an honorable mention for directing the play. The award for best composer went to David Priverian for his collaboration in “Mime Theater, Way Way”. Nasrin Babai from Iran was crowned best actress for her role in “The Doll’s Blood”, GUIDE TO while the play brought Yasser Mirhamidi SPIRITUAL AWAKENING the award for best set designer. The winner received their awards during He who relies on his desires is suddenly the closing ceremony held at the Niru and Neshat Hall in the northwestern Iranian overcome and destroyed by death. city of Marivan. Imam Ali (AS) In the national section, Afshin Khedri was named the best director for his work “There Is No Woman Here”. Shirin Shahverdi’s play “Defeating the National Festival of Youth Unemployment Ogre” won the audience award. Music honors 110 top The 14th Marivan International Street Theater Festival opened on August 23, and musicians troupes from Iran and other countries, including Brazil, Italy, Ukraine and Russia, Directors Asu Akram Ahmad (L) from Iraq and Mokhtar Mohammadi from Iran hold their award for best director for 1 “A jury composed of 110 master musicians judged the performed on the streets and alleys of Marivan their co-production “9 O’clock” during the closing ceremony of the 14th Marivan International Street Theater Festival performers who competed in several sections of classical and and the villages nearby. at Niru and Neshat Hall in Marivan on August 27, 2019. (ILNA/Mohammad-Latif Hosseininasab) folk performances during the event,” director of the festival Tuman As’adi said at the ceremony. Bulgarian film festival picks Tehran City Theater to host tazieh Iranian shorts performances during Muharram ARTTEHRAN — Three ARTTEHRAN — deskIranian films will go deskTehran’s City Theater on screen at the 16th edition of the In Complex will be hosting groups of

/ Behnam Tofiqi Behnam / the Palace International Short Film thespians who will stage performances of Festival in Varna, Bulgaria. tazieh for ten nights during Muharram, “The Sea Swells” by Amir Gholami, the first month of the lunar calendar about an old man who lives in the that will begin on September 1. middle of the sea while war has The performances will continue until surrounded him, will compete in the Ashura, the 10th day of Muharram, the official section of the festival. day upon which Imam Hussein (AS) “Last Season” by Hamidreza and his companions were martyred in TEHRAN TIMES TEHRAN Arashkia, about a man whose life Karbala in 680 CE. has more than four seasons, will go Ahmad Azizi is the director of the A young honoree poses with his award at the closing ceremony on screen in the experimental film performances, which will narrate of the 13th National Festival of Youth Music at Tehran’s Vahdat category, while the animated film “One different stories each night. Hall on August 27, 2019. Person” by Mahbubeh Kalai, about Tazieh, which recounts religious Alizadeh next said that the persistence of the festival over the love and loneliness, will compete in events, historical and mythical past years has helped the cultural event flourish. the student film section. stories and folk tales, was registered “The participating youth are really unique musicians, and The festival, which is an Academy on UNESCO’s List of the Intangible A poster for the tazieh performances A scene from “One Person” by what has made this festival strong is that it has turned into a Award qualifying festival for shorts, Cultural Heritage of Humanity in that will be performed at Tehran’s City Mahbubeh Kalai. symbol for the appearance of all types of musicians from all will run from September 19 to 26. November 2010. Theater Complex during Muharram. Iranian provinces, and that no individual can humiliate it any longer,” the celebrated tar virtuoso added. “Our major concern is the future of these young musicians Pianist Puyan Azadeh remakes Javad Marufi’s whose talents have been discovered at this festival, but their talents might be wasted due to the lack of an organization to manage them,” he regretted. pieces in “In Memoriam” Alizadeh asked cultural officials to make a serious decision ARTTEHRAN — Pianist Puyan Azadeh has aristocracy and made it public,” he noted. for the music talents of the country. deskremade his late teacher Javad Marufi’s “He was highly skilled in playing and also teaching He also expressed thanks to the Iran Music Association, the compositions in an album titled “In Memoriam”. piano and his compositions are popular among the people,” main organizer of the festival. The album released by the Mahoor Institute of Culture he added. Over 2000 musicians aged between 15 and 29 staged classical and Art in collaboration with the Ruaki Foundation was Mahin Zarrinpanjeh, one of Marufi’s students, also said and folk performances at the festival. unveiled during a ceremony at the Rudaki Hall on Wednesday. that she had listened to the music and likes it a lot. The 13th National Festival of Youth Music ran at several halls “The album took five years to be recorded and Santur virtuoso Milad Kiai also said that he is happy that in Tehran for one month. the foundation is happy to have collaborated in its the great man of Iranian music is being commemorated by production,” Rudaki Foundation Managing Director the release of the album. Ali-Akbar Safipur said. “Maestro Marufi was always well-dressed and sociable Speaking at the ceremony, music researcher Behruz Mobseri with many good characteristics that one can write a book Iranian director Mohammad said that Marufi was a pianist who could play both Iranian about” Kiai added. and classic pieces. “He was the pioneer of performing a The ceremony ended by performing “Jila” and “In Qanefard to launch film Copies of the album “In Memoriam”. new style of piano. He brought the Iranian piano out from Memoriam”, two pieces from the album, by Azadeh. festival in Milan

ARTTEHRAN — Iranian director Mohammad deskQanefard announced on Wednesday that he will Iranian festival to review films by American launch a festival in the Italian city of Milan in November to screen movies from Iranian filmmakers living around the world. director Maya Deren The first edition of the event ARTTEHRAN — The is scheduled to be screened and reviewed Her films are not only poetic but named “Nostalgia Film Festival” deskContemporary Iranian during the four-day event. instructive, offering insight into the human will be held from November 1 to 3, Experimental Cinema Festival will review Experts and film critics, including body and psyche, and demonstrating the said Qanefard whose documentary movies by Maya Deren (1917–1961), the Hamidreza Aslani, Mohsen Kheimeduz, Puya potential of film to explore these subjects. “The Last Supper” about the Ukrainian-born American experimental Aqelizadeh, Hamed Mostafavi and Mahnaz “Meshes of the Afternoon” (1943), “At Christian victims of the Syrian filmmaker. Mohamamd-Jafar are due to deliver speeches. Land” (1944), “A Study in Choreography for civil war, has been screened in The festival will open at the Iranian Artists Deren was an influential director and Camera” (1945), “Ritual in Transfigured Time” several international festivals. Forum is today. performer who is often called the “mother” (1946) and “Meditation on Violence” (1948) Filmmaker Maya Deren in an undated The festival plans to screen A lineup of films by Iranian filmmakers of American avant-garde filmmaking. are among Deren’s noteworthy credits. photo. those Iranian movies, which have won great public acclaim in the country. “In addition, the festival Scorsese’s “The Irishman” to get 26-day run in theaters before Netflix mostly intends to focus on films LOS ANGELES (Reuters) — Martin Scorsese’s highly- While the limited release starting Nov. 1 in independent “The Irishman,” a saga of organized crime in America that are ignored in Iran or do not anticipated new mob drama “The Irishman” may turn movie theaters will not affect awards eligibility for “The spanning several decades, chronicles the mysterious A poster for the 1st Nostalgia get an opportunity to be screened into a case of ‘catch it if you can’ as far as traditional Irishman,” the decision reflects the tension between disappearance in 1975 of labor union boss Jimmy Hoffa, Film Festival. at Iranian or international moviegoers are concerned. filmmakers, who like their work shown on big screens, played by Pacino. festivals. For example, many Iranian comedy films are not Netflix Inc said on Tuesday the movie, starring Robert and streaming services that have upended Hollywood’s The film, which features costly “de-aging” technology admitted into foreign festivals,” he added. De Niro and Al Pacino and already generating Oscar buzz, traditional business models. as its protagonists move back and forth in time, will get its “Organizing a festival in Europe is an easy task; on the contrary, will get a limited 26-day release in independent U.S. Scorsese, one of Hollywood’s most influential directors, world premiere at the New York Film Festival on Sept. 27. the huge bureaucracy in Iran limits such a move,” he noted. movie theaters starting in November before arriving on did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Despite not having been seen, it already tops several U.S. Italian filmmaker Lia Giovanazzi is the artistic director of the streaming platform. But De Niro, who is also a producer, told Reuters earlier critics lists as a likely Oscar best picture contender next year. the festival, which will be organized in collaboration with the Netflix said it planned to keep the movie in theaters for an this year that he, Scorsese and other producers hoped “The Netflix picked up “The Irishman” from Viacom Inc’s Cineclub Vittorio De Sica, whose president Armando Lostaglio unspecified period beyond the streaming launch, however. Irishman” would “have as much theatrical as possible.” Paramount Pictures in 2017 after ballooning costs. The film is an executive member of the event. The announcement follows an impasse in negotiations Hollywood website Deadline on Tuesday reported that cost $159 million to produce, according to a source familiar The organizers have introduced the event as an “independent for a more traditional movie rollout between Netflix and British art house chain Picturehouse and European movie with the situation. Iranian film festival in the north of Italy, with no affiliation to major theater chains like AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc chain Vue will not screen the film due to the limited Netflix’s limited theatrical release of “The Irishman” is any political or religious organizations.” and Cineplex Inc, according to The Hollywood Reporter. theatrical window. similar to that of Alfonso Cuaron’s black-and-white movie Saeid Rustai’s drama “Just 6.5”, Nima Javidi’s drama “The Movie theater chains prefer an exclusive 90-day theatrical The National Association of Theatre Owners, whose “Roma,” which ran exclusively in theaters for 23 days. “Roma” Warden” and Manuchehr Hadi’s comedy “Rahman 1400” are window before a film can appear elsewhere; Netflix wants members include the largest movie theater chains in the went on to win three Academy Awards in February but missed among the films that will be screened at the festival. to offer its films to subscribers sooner. world, declined to comment on the Netflix announcement. out on the coveted best picture prize.