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16 Pages Price 20,000 Rials 1.00 EURO 4.00 AED 39th year No.13328 Thursday FEBRUARY 14, 2019 Bahman 25, 1397 Jumada Al thani 8, 1440 Iranian people Iran, Russia, Olympic gold medalist “African Violets” interested in ties Kazakhstan sign deal Sohrab Moradi to blooms at French with Japan 2 key to free trade 4 undergo spinal surgery 15 festival 16 Zarif says Warsaw meeting See page 2 ‘dead on arrival’ POLITICS TEHRAN — Iranian Tehran, according to Outlet India. #SecondPhaseOfTheRevolution deskForeign Minister Mo- Zarif said not even Washington had any hammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday interest in the conference as a forum for an that a two-day conference being co-hosted exchange of views among the 60 participating by U.S. and Poland in Warsaw on Iran and countries.“I think the fact that they are not the larger Middle East was “dead on arrival”. aiming to issue any agreed text but rather are “It is another attempt by the United just attempting to use their own statement U.S. in need States to pursue an obsession with Iran on behalf of everybody else shows they don’t that is not well-founded,” Zarif told the have any respect for it themselves,” the chief representatives of foreign news outlets in diplomat remarked. 2

ICJ: Iran bid to recover funds frozen of help to in U.S. can proceed The International Court of Justice (ICJ) of Justice relates to a complaint filed by ruled on Wednesday that Iran can proceed Iran in June 2016 “for the confiscation and with a bid to recover billions of dollars in theft of two billion dollars of the property frozen assets the United States says must of the central bank,” President Hassan go to victims of attacks blamed on Tehran. Rouhani said at the time. confront Iran Judges of the UN’s top court rejected Iran lodged the complaint after the U.S. claims that the case should be thrown U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the assets out because Iran had “unclean hands” must be turned over to American families due to alleged links to terrorism, and that of those killed in the 1983 bombing of a the tribunal in The Hague did not have U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut and jurisdiction in the lawsuit, AFP reported. other attacks which Washington blames The ruling by the International Court on Tehran without evidence.

PM Abdul-Mahdi: No foreign bases will be accepted on Iraqi soil Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi agreements” existing between the two sides, had told the visiting the United States which merely deal with fighting terrorism defense chief that his country will accept and training Iraqi forces, and “nothing no foreign military bases on its soil, just else,” the Iraqi News reported. as it will not take dictates from outsiders. Iraq makes “independent” decisions and In a meeting with Acting U.S. Defense will not be influenced by foreign pressure Secretary Patrick Shanahan in Baghdad or dictates, he noted, reiterating Bagh- on Tuesday, Abdul-Mahdi said that Iraq- dad’s objection to the presence of foreign leader.ir U.S. relations must be based on the “basic military bases on Iraqi territory. 13 PERSPECTIVE Endless crises in the capitalist system ARTICLE M.A.Saki Syed Zafar Mehdi Deputy editor-in-chief By Hanif Ghaffari nomic crisis in the international system has beginning of economic crisis in the United States Journalist TEHRAN — The economic crisis in the United not been presented. The G20 members have and Europe, and European officials continue to call from New Delhi States and the European Union continues. The fact been meeting several times during the Obama for the adoption of austerity policies as the only is that the capitalist system is unable to solve the presidency and after the economic crisis in the way to keep the status quo. This is in spite of the Warsaw meeting: economic crisis. The presence of Donald Trump West. Even at that time (during which there fact that many of the economists and politicians Marching with at the head of the political and economic equation was no barrier called “Trump” at the White in the West are pessimistic about the transition Roots of the crises of the United States has accelerated the process. House), the top 20 world leaders could not from this economic crisis which is ruling over proud and resilient Holding sessions such as Group 20 and Group 7 come to a collective and credible solution to the international system. in Middle East have practically no benefit in this regard. solve the existing economic crises. The crises in the capitalist system are very Iranians In these meetings, a solution to the eco- More than ten years have passed since the deep at the current time! 7 he U.S. is co-hosting a conference onday morning I had the honor on the Middle East with Poland in and privilege of joining millions TWarsaw. It has claimed the aim of Mof brave and resilient Iranians the conference is to address crises in the Europe facing radical change as they marched through the streets of region. By Giovanni Sorbello the United States in the international system” variable” in today’s world. Europe is dependent Tehran to mark the 40th anniversary of It is not difficult to really understand SICILY — Europe is in transition, a phrase as a goal to revitalize United Europe, the EU’s mainly on the United States for its insufficient the Islamic Revolution. the chief causes of conflicts and instability we’ve heard repeatedly in recent years. The tactics and tools have not been defined in pursuit knowledge and the weakness of domestic anal- Exactly forty years ago, the people in this volatile part of the world. decline of the power of the traditional parties of this objective. The political instability of the ysis of current developments, especially in the of Iran overthrew an arrogant regime First and foremost, Israel and Washing- (conservative and social democrats) in United main European actors (especially the European security spheres. backed by the U.S. and embraced a new ton’s blind support for Tel Aviv have been Europe and the increase of the votes of the parties Troika) has contributed to the formation of this The UK is stuck in a quagmire. An issue that, form of governance and a new way of and will remain to be the main culprits and the nationalist and anti-Euro groups, and equation. even if it does not eventually come to fruition, will life. It was the culmination of a long behind the conflicts in the Middle East. beyond that, confusion over European Union The EU, which at the beginning of its estab- leave London for years to focus on the fateful role and no-holds-barred struggle against The continuous stealing of the Pal- (EU) in confronting the current political and lishment, described itself as a “strong set” with of the European Union. The total developments the Pahlavi regime’s westernization estinian lands is not only a violation of social phenomena, are all considered signs of “steady stability” in the international system, in Europe, especially since 2007 (the time of project and social injustice. international law and the basic rights of the transition. today, does not have the desired strategic and European Financial Crisis), show that the green The revolution transformed Iran from an entire nation, it has also radicalized the Although some political parties and groups even tactical stability. Obviously, in such a situa- continent is on the verge of a kind of political an absolute monarchy under Raza Shah youth in the regional countries, especially in Europe raise the issue of “independence from tion, the EU has fallen apart as an “independent and social transformation. 7 Pahlavi to an Islamic republic under Imam those in the Arab world. Khomeini. Indeed a giant leap. Add to this the transfer of the U.S. em- I have always admired Iranians for bassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds their indomitable spirit, unwavering re- in violation of international law. This has Nuclear deal exemplifies success of diplomacy: diplomat silience and tremendous patriotic fervor. just added salt to the wound. POLITICS TEHRAN — Tehran’s Ambas- The ambassador made the remarks during the Islamic Republic of Iran in order to end an On Monday, I witnessed the awe-inspiring Now Israel may boast that it is grad- desksador to The Hague, Alireza a ceremony held in the Iranian embassy in The unnecessary crisis in the issue of peaceful nuclear spectacle on the streets of Tehran. ually normalizing ties with certain Arab Jahangiri, said on Tuesday that the 2015 nuclear Hague to mark the 40th anniversary of the Is- activity, which led to the JCPOA, is a good example Iran is indeed a proud nation. The peo- countries but its continued policy will not deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan lamic Revolution. of the triumph of diplomacy, multilateralism and ple of Iran take immense pride in their help change the minds of the Arabs and of Action, is a good example of the “triumph of “The intensive and long-term negotiations Iran’s dedication to its commitments,” the embassy rich civilization and long history. They other Muslims about the Tel Aviv regime. diplomacy”. between the European and American sides with website quoted Jahangiri as saying. 13 are the inheritors of a great legacy that The other main reasons behind the has survived more than the lifespan of problems in the region is Washington’s many Western powers. It is difficult not support for dictators in the Arab world. Former Afghan to be overwhelmed by the way they wear Donald Trump’s sword dance with Saudi this pride and patriotism on their sleeve. officials who ordered the brutal chopping President Sibghatullah Notwithstanding four decades of crip- of Jamal Khashoggi is a concrete example. pling sanctions and blatant saber-rattling, While the U.S. claims support for hu- Mojaddedi the great people of this country have refused man rights, it is shamefully arming and to retreat or surrender. They have stood supporting Saudi Arabia and its coalition passes away their ground, as a proud nation. partners in their relentless war on fellow On Monday, 22 Bahman, braving heavy Arab nation of Yemen. An Afghan militant commander who downpour and intense chill, people took Washington is also oblivious to the fought the Soviets and rose to become to streets in Tehran and other major cities Shias’ struggle for equal rights in Bahrain the country’s first president after the across the country to send a clear and and has closed its eyes to the Medieval Red Army retreated has died aged 93, strong message to enemies: no power on Age verdicts against political opponents his family said Tuesday. earth can crush our voice, our resolve, our in the country. Sibghatullah Mojaddedi, who commanded hope, our pride, our integrity. There are many other examples to cite. a militant faction during the decade-long I was fortunate to witness the spec- The other reason for the headaches insurgency against the Soviet occupiers, tacular scenes on the streets of Tehran, in the region dates back to the United passed away late Monday in a Kabul hos- from Enqelab Square to Maidan Azaadi, States’ support for Muslim youth fighting pital after a long illness. symbolic names associated with the 1979 the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the Prominent Afghans, including former ‘revolution’ and subsequent ‘freedom’ from 1980s. In those days U.S. politicians president Hamid Karzai, have begun visit- Pahlavi dictatorship. viewed religious fanaticism as the main ing the Mojaddedi family home to pay their I saw people from all walks of life – bulwark against the Soviets who were respects. men and women, young and old, rural viewed as pagans. In fact, officials in Afghanistan’s de facto prime minister and urban – deeply immersed in the Washington fueled religious fanaticism Abdullah Abdullah extended his condolences spirit of revolution as envisioned by to prevent the influence of the Soviets to the respected Mojaddedi clan. Imam Khomeini – the guiding force of in the Cold War era. 13 this proud nation. 6 I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y POLITICS FEBRUARY 14, 2019 MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS Leader: U.S. in need of help to confront Iran Rouhani: Iran ready for dialogue #SecondPhaseOfTheRevolution

but won’t give POLITICS TEHRAN — In a statement issued on in to bullying deskWednesday, Leader of the Islamic revo- lution said the U.S. sees itself in need of support by other POLITICS TEHRAN — President Hassan Rou- countries to confront Iran politically deskhani said on Wednesday that Iran is The U.S. will be defeated in any confrontation with Iran, always ready to hold negotiations with other countries Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in the statement released on the based on mutual respect but will not give in to pressure occasion of the 40th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic and bullying. revolution, which was referred to as announcing the “second Speaking at a cabinet session, Rouhani said the phase of the revolution”. Iranian people would never surrender to the enemy The Leader also said it is an “unforgivable mistake” to as they know it would lead to compromising on “our think that economic problems are solely a result of sanctions dignity, independence and identity.” and the solution solely is to “kneel before the enemy and kiss The president stressed that the Iranian nation de- the devil’s hand”. fended the country’s territorial integrity during the He also thanked Iranians for their glorious turnout at the eight years of war, started by Iraq in 1980. rallies marking the Islamic revolution’s 40th anniversary on He also called for unity against the enemy, saying, February 11, saying people’s presence has brought respect “All of us should feel that we are in a war situation.” and honor to the nation over the past four decades. Addressing the youth and the future generations, Ayatollah Larijani: Khamenei stressed having realistic outlook on the future and the unrivaled role of young people in taking the second great Iranian people step towards achieving aspirations. He called on youths to work hard to speed up national It is possible to assume an expiry date for anything, yet, the interested in ties progress. global mottos of this religious revolution are exceptional; they with Japan According to Mehr, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “The oppressed will never expire because they match human nature in all eras. people rarely make revolution. Among these few people who POLITICS TEHRAN — Parliament Speaker Ali make revolutions, few succeed in achieving their goals and Now, at the beginning of a new chapter in the life of the Firstly, it guaranteed the stability and security of the country; deskLarijani has said Iran-Japan relations principles through the revolution. But the Islamic Revolution, Islamic Republic, I would like to address my dear young people: the territorial integrity and the protection of the borders—which are based on cultural commonalities, noting such af- which is the largest and most popular modern revolution the generation who steps up to start another part of the Great were targeted by the enemy’s serious threats—and gave rise finities should be expanded. ever, is now in its forties without betraying its principles.” Jihad [selfless endeavor] for building a great Islamic Iran. to the miracle of victory in the eight-year war, leading to the Larijani made the remarks in a meeting with Ki In part of his statement Ayatollah Khamenei said dia- The first section of my address concerns the past. defeat of the Ba’athist regime, and its American, European Shida, head of the Iran-Japan friendship parliamen- logue with United States will bear no fruit, noting that Iran Dear ones! You cannot learn but from your own experi- and Eastern supporters. tary group, on Wednesday on the second day of his considers the U.S. and some European states as deceitful ence or listening to the experiences of others. Many of what Secondly, it acted as the country’s engine in developing visit to Japan. and untrustworthy. we have seen and experimented, your generation has not the field of science and technology, and in creating the vital, “In the minds of the Iranian people, there is no neg- He said the United States’ main challenge is Iran’s support experienced and seen yet. We have seen and you will see. economic and constructional infrastructures which continue ative point towards the Japanese people and they are for Palestine and its powerful presence in the region. The decades ahead are your decades, and it is you who should to grow more prevalent day by day: several thousands of interested in expanding relations with your country,” The following is the part of the text of the Leader’s message protect your revolution while you are qualified and full of knowledge enterprises; several thousands of infrastructure he remarked. according to khamenei.ir: motivation, and move it closer to its great ideal: that is, the and necessary projects for the country in the areas of civil He added while some countries create obstacles Among all the nations suffering from oppression, few make emergence of a new Islamic civilization and the preparation engineering and transportation, industry, power, mining, in the path of Iran-Japan relations, this needs to be an effort to launch a revolution; and among those nations for the rising of the great sun of wilayat (may our souls be health care, agriculture and water; millions of university addressed. that have risen and launched a revolution, few have been wit- sacrificed for him) [Imam Mahdi (a.s.)]. To take steady steps graduates or students; thousands of colleges and universities nessed to have pursued it to the end, or moved beyond merely in the future, we need to develop a good knowledge of the past throughout the country; dozens of big projects, such as the changing the government and safeguarded their revolutionary and learn from the experiences. If this strategy is neglected, nuclear fuel cycle, stem cells, nanotechnology, biotechnol- ‘Warsaw summit values. However, the auspicious Revolution of the Iranian lies will replace the truth, and the future will be menaced ogy, etc., all ranking among the top of the world; developing prelude to Arab- nation—which is the greatest and most popular revolution of by unknown threats. The adversaries of the revolution are sixty times more non-oil exports and nearly ten times more the contemporary era—is the sole revolution that has persisted strongly motivated in their efforts to spread distortions and industrial units. The quality of the industrial sector advanced Israeli coalition’ forty years of pride, saved from betrayal to its values, and it lies about the past and even the present, exploiting money tens of times more than before; the industry that only relied has preserved its dignity and original slogans against all the and all the necessary tools for it. The bandits of thought, on assembling and montage was transformed into domestic temptations which seemed irresistible; hence, entering the creed and awareness are ample; the truth cannot be heard technology; in various engineering disciplines including the POLITICS TEHRAN — A top foreign policy second phase of self-development, society-processing and from the enemy and its troops. defense industries visible prominence was observed; achieve- deskadviser to the Leader of the Islam- civilization-building. Heartfelt salutations to this nation, the The Islamic Revolution and the establishment that rose ments were made in the critical fields of medicine and the ic Revolution has warned of the conspiracy behind generation who initiated and continued [the movement] and from it started from scratch. Firstly, everything was against position of authority in it; and dozens of other examples of the Warsaw summit, describing it as a prelude to an the generation that currently steps into the magnificent and us: the corrupt regime of Taghut [Pahlavi tyranny]—which, progress are the outcomes of that morale as well as the social Arab-Israeli coalition which aims to undermine the global phenomenon of the second forty years! in addition to its dependence and corruption, tyranny and involvement and the collective feeling that the Revolution issue of Palestine. The day when the world was divided into the material West being coup-based—was the first royal regime in Iran that was granted to the country. Before the revolution, Iran had zero Ali Akbar Velayati also said U.S. President Don- and East, and no one presumed a major religious movement brought to power by the foreigners rather than by the force of production of science and technology; it had no capability in ald Trump’s “Deal of the Century” is an already failed would emerge, the Islamic revolution of Iran stepped into sword; the government of the United States and some other the industry except for assembling and no ability in science plot against the Palestinian people, ISNA reported on the scene gloriously and mightily; it broke the frameworks; Western governments; or the extremely chaotic situation except for translation [of other works]. Wednesday. it flaunted to the world the outdatedness of the clichés; it put inside Iran; and the shameful backwardness in science and Thirdly, the Revolution has elevated to a culmination the He further said that the plan was aimed to revive the religion and the material world together, and declared the technology, politics, spirituality, and any other virtue. popular participation in political matters such as elections, the Zionist regime whose days are numbered, adding coming of a new era. It was much expected that the leaders Secondly, there was no precedent experience before us and confronting internal seditions, turnout in national arenas that like always such plots will end in failure. of deviation and oppression would react—but in vain. What- the path ahead of us had not been treaded. Obviously, Marxist and scenes involving the fight against the Arrogant Front. ever the right and left modernity did— from pretending to uprisings and the like could not represent a role model for a Regarding social matters, it boosted, for instance, humanitarian ignore this emerging and unprecedented voice to extensive revolution that emerged from the heart of Islamic faith and aids and engaging in charity activities that had begun before U.S. senator efforts for suffocating it— just brought them closer to their knowledge. Islamic revolutionaries began without an example the Revolution. After the revolution, people eagerly partake warns of Bolton’s indispensable demise. Today, after forty annual celebrations and experience, and the combination of a republic and Islam in service-providing to those affected by natural disasters of the victory of the Revolution and forty Fajr ten-days, one and the means for the formation and progress of it were not and social shortcomings. warmongering of the two centers of animosity has already perished, and achieved except through the divine guidance as well as the Fourthly, it astonishingly enhanced the political acumen of the second one is struggling with predicaments that signal luminous heart and the great thought of Imam Khomeini. the people and their view of international issues. The Revolution its death in the near future. Whereas, the Islamic Revolution And this marked the first brilliance of the Revolution. expanded beyond the limited number of isolation-seeking POLITICS TEHRAN — Responding to an an- is advancing while preserving and adhering to its mottos. Then, the revolution of the Iranian nation transformed elites—often known as the enlightened—the political analysis deskti-Iran video by national security It is possible to assume an expiry date for anything, yet, the bipolar world of that day into a three polar world, and and understanding of international issues on the matters such advisor John Bolton, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy has the global mottos of this religious revolution are exceptional; then, with the fall and disappearance of the Soviet Union as crimes by the West and particularly the United States; the warned that Bolton is knowingly lying to build mo- they will never expire because they match human nature in and its allies and the emergence of new poles of power, the Palestinian cause and the historical oppression of the Pales- mentum for a U.S. military attack on Iran. all eras. Freedom, ethics, spirituality, justice, independence, new dichotomy of “Islam and the Arrogant Front” became tinian nation; the issue of bullying powers’ warmongering “Here Bolton says Iran is seeking nuclear weapons. dignity, rationality, brotherhood, are not limited to a single a prominent phenomenon of the contemporary world and attitudes, vices, intrusions in other nations’ affairs and the like. This simply isn’t true. The intelligence says the opposite generation or society so that they would rise in a period and the focal point that is attracting the world’s attention. On This type of intellectualism became widespread and available and he knows it,” Murphy wrote on his Twitter account decline in the next. It is impossible to imagine a people who the one hand, the aspirated look of the oppressed nations, to the masses throughout the country and in all areas of life, on Tuesday. “He is laying the groundwork for war and despise these values. The reported cases of reluctance to these freedom-seeking movements and some independence-seeking and similar matters have become understandable and clear we all must be vigilant.” values were due to the officials who had shrunken from these states of the world fixated on it; and on the other hand, it even for teenagers and children. In a video posted to the White House’s official Twitter religious values; and not due to their adherence to them and was screened by resentful and malicious eyes of the world’s Fifthly: It distributed the country’s public facilities in a page on Monday, Bolton echoed false assertions and endeavors for achieving them. bullying regimes and blackmailer thugs. Such, the world manner closer to justice. If I —this very humble person—am repeatedly debunked claims by the Trump adminis- The Islamic revolution—like a living and unwavering phe- adopted a different orientation, and the seismic power of not satisfied with the functioning of justice in the country, tration that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. nomenon—is always flexible and ready to correct its mistakes, the Revolution shook the untroubled pharaohs. Hostilities it is due to the fact that this lofty value should shine like but it is not revisionary or passive. It is positively sensitive began with all intensity; if it was not due to the magnificent a unique gem on the Islamic Republic, but it has not yet. to criticisms; it regards them as a divine blessing as well as a power of the faith and the motivation of this nation and the However, my dissatisfaction should not be taken to mean Over 20 dead in warning to those who do not act upon their words; yet it, by heavenly and endorsed leadership of our imminent Imam, that no work has been done for the establishment of justice. no means, takes distance from its values, which are blended it was impossible to resist the hostility, conspiracy, and The reality is that the achievements made in combating terror bombing with the religious faith of the people, thanks be to God. Since vice [directed at us]. injustice over the past four decades are not comparable in Iran the establishment of the system, the Islamic revolution has In spite of all these onerous problems, the Islamic Repub- to any other era in the past. During the regime of Taghut never suffered from, and will never suffer from stagnation lic took greater and stronger steps day after day. The past [tyrannical dynasties], most of the services and revenues and recession, and it does not see any conflict and contra- 40 years exhibited great jihads, brilliant achievements and of the country were available only to a small group of the diction between revolutionary dynamism and political and amazing advances for the Islamic Iran. The magnitude of the residents of the capital city or their counterparts in other POLITICS TEHRAN — A bombing that targeted social order; rather, it eternally defends the theory of the progress made by the Iranian nation in the last forty years is parts of the country. The people in most cities, especially deska bus carrying members of the Islamic revolutionary system. well-recognized when compared to similar spans following in remote areas and villages, were at the end of the list and Revolution Guards Corps in Iran’s far southeast has The Islamic Republic is not reactionary and it does not other major revolutions such as the French Revolution, the often deprived of basic infrastructure and services. killed at least 20 people, states news agencies reported lack perception and understanding in face of new phenomena October Revolution of the Soviet Union and the Indian Revo- Today, just like the first days after the Revolution, the Wednesday. and situations; however, it strongly adheres to its principles lution. The jihadi management strategies inspired by Islamic sovereign Iran faces challenges from the imperialists, ar- According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, quoting and it is highly sensitive to its frontiers in relation to its rivals faith and the belief in the principle of “we can do it”—that rogant powers; yet, there is a meaningful difference. If the the Quds Base of the IRGC Ground Force, the attack against the and enemies. It never imprecisely regards its principle lines Imam Khomeini (r.a.) had taught us all—assisted Iran in challenges posed by the United States those days involved IRGC took place on a highway near the city of Zahedan, which and considers it important as why and how it would persist. its achievement of dignity and progress on various arenas. ending the intrusion by foreign agents or closing down the is located close to the borders of Pakistan and Afghanistan Undoubtedly, the gap between the musts and the realities The revolution put an end to a long historical decadence, embassy of the Zionist regime in Tehran, or exposing the in Sistan and Baluchestan province. has always tormented the idealist consciences; however, this and the country, which was severely humiliated and ut- spy den [the former US embassy in Tehran], today, the gap is fillable, and in the past forty years it has been filled in terly retrograded during the Pahlavi and Qajar dynasties, challenges concern Iran’s strong presence near the borders many cases, and certainly in the future, with the presence of started to progress rapidly. In its first step, the revolution of the Zionist regime, putting an end to the United States’ Zarif says Warsaw meeting a young, faithful, wise and motivated generation, it will be turned the disgraceful regime of the tyrannical monarchy unlawful infiltration in the West Asia, the Islamic Republic’s filled more vigorously. into a popular and democratic state, and employed the support for the Palestinian people’s resistance at the heart ‘dead on arrival’ The Islamic Revolution of the Iranian nation has been element of national determination—which is the essence of the Occupied Territories as well as defending the high mighty, but merciful; forgiving and even oppressed. It has of comprehensive and genuine progress—to the heart of flying flag of Hezbollah and the resistance throughout this 1 “You usually don’t bring 60 countries and states together not committed any of extremist and deviated acts that have the country’s governance; then, it turned the youth into the region. If then the West’s concern was to prevent Iran from in order to speak for them. That indicates to you that they don’t marked many other uprisings and movements with stigma. main forerunners of the developments and the key players buying basic weaponry, today, their concern is to prevent believe they have anything to gain from this meeting.” In no conflicts—not even against the United States or Saddam in the management of the country. It conveyed the “we can the transfer of advanced Iranian weapons to the Resistance On Wednesday, much of the schedule for the conference still Hussein—did it ever shoot the first bullet and, in all cases, it do it” spirit and belief to everyone; thanks to the enemies’ forces. If on those days, the United States presumed that remained vague amid deep divisions over policy towards the re- defended itself after the enemy’s attack; of course, it blow the sanctions, it taught everyone to rely on domestic capacities, the Islamic government and the Iranian nation could be gion, where Washington has adopted the deep hostility towards defensive strike vigorously. Since its inception, this Revolu- and this unfolded a source of great blessings: vanquished with the help of a few Iranian sellouts and a Iran of its allies Israel and Saudi Arabia. tion has never been merciless nor has it ever shed blood; it small number of aircrafts and helicopters, today they feel Washington was represented by both Vice President Mike has neither been passive nor hesitant. Standing assertively Dialogue with United States they need a coalition of tens of hostile or daunted states Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, but major European and courageously against bullies and thugs, it has defended to counter Iran on the political and security fronts; and allies sent low-profile delegations amid unease over President the oppressed. This revolutionary bravery and gallantry, will bear no fruit. Iran yet, they fail. Thanks to the revolution, Iran today stands Donald Trump’s strident calls to strangle Iran’s economy. this honesty, assertiveness, and sovereignty; this global and considers the U.S. and some out at an elevated position, one that the Iranian nation The main session was to take place on Thursday when Pence, regional realm of action in support of the oppressed of the European states as deceitful deserves to enjoy in front of the world; and Iran has already Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were world represent a source of pride for Iran and the Iranians, passed the challenging twists on the path of resolving its all scheduled to address the conference. and may it persist eternally! and untrustworthy. fundamental issues. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y FEBRUARY 14, 2019 INTERNATIONAL U.S. Allies Japan and South Korea see Brussels proposes adding Washington as ‘major threat’ to global security Saudi Arabia to EU money Japan and South Korea – U.S. allies and home creates very different kinds of challenges for laundering blacklist to a combined 82,000 U.S. troops – see the Japan,” Govella said. United States as a “major threat” to global This policy instability was marked by The European Commission Wednesday proposed adding seven security. The Koreans fear the U.S. more Trump’s withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific countries including Saudi Arabia to the EU’s money-laundering than North Korea, and more than anyone Partnership trade deal, which Japan played blacklist of governments that do too little to thwart the financing fears Russia. a leading role in negotiating. On the military of terrorism and organized crime. The world is a fearful place, a new Pew front, Trump’s ‘America First’ foreign policy The move comes as tensions between Riyadh and European Research survey has found. Cyberattacks, has left Asian allies questioning whether they capitals are heightened over the murder last year of the columnist terrorism, economic instability, and climate can rely on the U.S. for their security needs, Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. chaos are all considered threats to global Japanese professor Tetsuo Kotani told the The proposal must now be approved by the European Parlia- security. However, the power and influence Japan Times. ment and the 28 member states, with France and Britain against of the United States is keeping more people “Many Asian countries feel the same the new list. than ever before up at night, even as Pres- anxiety,” Kotani said. “Unless future U.S. The new countries targeted by the commission, including Saudi ident Trump withdraws troops from Syria presidents show more willingness and per- Arabia and Panama, would join another 16 already on this. and boasts of strides towards peace in North ceive responsibility toward the rules-based Inclusion on the list does not trigger sanctions, but it does oblige Korea. international order, the damage would not European banks to apply tighter controls on transactions with cus- In 2013, only one-quarter of people be reversible.” tomers and institutions in those countries. across 22 nations saw the U.S. as a threat The Russian menace? “We have put in place the highest standards in the world in the to their countries. That figure jumped to Further afield, 13 countries rank climate fight against money laundering,” said European Commissioner 38 percent in 2017 and rose further to 45 change as the number one threat to their se- for Justice Vera Jourova. percent last year. curity, while eight fear terrorist attacks from “But we must ensure that dirty money from other countries does Among America’s allies, the results are ISIL militants. Four, including the U.S., fear not end up in our financial system,” she told a press conference at striking. 67 percent of South Koreans view the has hailed the meeting as “advancing the Likewise, any U.S. response to North Korea cyber attacks from other countries. the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg. U.S. as a major threat to their security, level cause of peace,” despite the fact that the U.S. (the “fire and fury” Trump once promised to Despite the Western media’s best efforts, “Dirty money is the driving force behind organized crime and with the amount who view North Korea as a intelligence community concluded recently meet any northern aggression with) would only one country surveyed considers Rus- terrorism,” Jourova continued, urging countries on the list to “quickly threat. In Japan, 66 percent view the U.S. as that Kim remains “unlikely” to give up his have massive consequences for the South. sian power and influence a threat. Poland, remedy their shortcomings”. a threat, while 73 percent fear North Korea. nuclear weapons. For the Japanese, the threat presented which has a long and complicated history of A diplomat said objections to the new list were not linked to fallout Of the 26 nations surveyed, the Japanese For South Koreans, the potential for by the U.S. is different than that of the Kim animosity with Moscow for centuries, lists from the Khashoggi murder and a desire to appease Saudi Arabia. and South Koreans are the most fearful of conflict between the U.S. and North Korea regime, Asian Studies professor Kirsti Govella Russia as the number one threat. There is not “an opposition to the addition of a particular coun- U.S. power, ahead of Mexico at 64 percent. makes the two nations equal threats. The told the Japan Times. While North Korea’s Moreover, 17 countries consider Washing- try,” but concerns over the “methodology” used. The survey was published on Sunday, as North reportedly has tens of thousands of now halted missile tests posed a direct military ton a bigger threat than Moscow. Among these MEP Eva Joly, a former investigating judge, welcomed the new U.S. President Donald Trump gears up for a artillery pieces aimed at the southern capital threat to Japan, “the threat posed by the U.S. countries are several U.S. allies, including list but suggested the commission “publish the country assessments second meeting with North Korean leader of Seoul, ready to obliterate the city should is probably seen as emanating from its recent Australia, Canada, France, and Germany. in order to increase the transparency of the process and avoid ac- Kim Jong-un in two weeks’ time. Trump the two countries’ frozen war turn hot again. policy instability toward the region, which (Source: RT) cusations of political bargaining.” European countries such as Cyprus or the United Kingdom should also be on the list, she said. Abbas to King Salman: U.S. ‘deal of century’ anti-Palestine conspiracy (source: AFP) Visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has warned balanced policy. Israeli media also quoted bin Salman as saying during a Saudi rulers about the nature of a so-called peace plan in the The PA has also cautioned Arab states against gravitat- meeting with Jewish leaders in New York that Palestinians works at the White House on the decades-long Israeli-Pal- ing towards Israel or supporting the plan amid recurrent should either accept peace proposals or “shut up” and “stop estinian conflict, describing the yet-to-be unveiled proposal reports of covert and overt contacts between many of those complaining.” Putin a threat to democracies as a plot against the Palestinian nation. states and Tel Aviv. Palestinian teenage protester dies after being worldwide: Pompeo Meeting with the House of Saud regime King Salman Some Arab states, including Riyadh, are said to have hit by tear gas canister bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Riyadh on Tuesday, Abbas called pledged not to oppose the American proposal. Elsewhere, a Palestinian teenager has died in the Gaza Washington’s plan a “conspiracy,” renewing a term the Pal- King Salman, however, told Abbas that the kingdom was Strip four days after being hit by a tear gas canister during estinian Authority (PA) first used to refer to the scheme in committed to an independent Palestinian state with East clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers a statement it released last July. al-Quds as its capital, AFP reported. stationed on the border between the eastern Gaza Strip and The United States, Abbas told Salman, would seek to The monarch said his country “permanently stands by the occupied territories. impose the plan on the Palestinians and force them to back Palestine and its people’s right to an independent state Spokesman for the Gaza Ministry of Health, Ashraf al- down on many of their demands in favor of Israel. with East Jerusalem as its capital,” the official Saudi Press Qidra, said in a statement that Hassan Nabil Ahmed Nofal, The PA chief called for the revival of a previously-pro- Agency said. 17, died late on Tuesday at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City posed plan, known as the “Arab Peace Initiative,” to counter Riyadh has long been seeking to portray itself as a sup- from the wounds he suffered on Friday when he hit in the the U.S. scheme, which Washington is expected to partially porter of the Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation. head by the cartridge. expose on Wednesday during a so-called Middle East security However, under its de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed Nofal was hit when the canister was fired several meters conference in the Polish capital, Warsaw. bin Salman (MBS), the kingdom has dramatically increased from him during a “Great March of Return” protest east of That Arab plan calls for the withdrawal of Israel from Arab overtures towards Israel and is even said to be working behind Bureij refugee camp. territories, including the Palestinian territories, which it occupied the scenes with the U.S. to finalize the deal as a solution to Fourteen-year-old Hassan Iyad Shalabi was fatally shot during a war in 1967, the establishment of a Palestinian state the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which Riyadh views as a in the chest during an anti-occupation demonstration east with East al-Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital, and a solution for stumbling block to overt relations with Tel Aviv. of the city of Khan Yunis, located about 25 kilometers (15 Palestinians rendered homeless by Israeli aggression. Bin Salman once tried to persuade Abbas to agree to the miles) south of Gaza City. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that Russian Pres- This is while the U.S. scheme, hailed by President Donald so-called Middle East peace plan, which is being drawn up Hamza Mohammed Roshdi Ashtiwi, 17, died east of the ident Vladimir Putin posed a threat to democracies worldwide. Trump as “the deal of the century,” reportedly features sig- by Trump’s senior advisor and son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Gaza Strip after he was hit in the neck with a live bullet. His comments came as he arrived in Slovakia, the latest stop on a nificant encroachment on historical Palestinian demands. Salman reportedly told Abbas that the U.S. was “the only Another 17 demonstrators suffered gunshot wounds, while Central European charm offensive aimed at curbing the growing Israeli Channel 13 reported in January that the bid pro- game in town” concerning the “peace” process, the Middle dozens of Palestinians suffered excessive tear gas inhalation influence of both Moscow and Beijing. vides for a Palestinian state in 85-90 percent of the occupied East Eye news portal reported in late December 2017. after Israeli forces sought to suppress the protest rallies. “Vladimir Putin is intent on undermining democracies throughout West Bank, with “most of the Arab neighborhoods” in East During a trip to the U.S. months later, bin Salman made Palestinians have held weekly protests on the Gaza bor- the world, make no mistake about it. We should be very candid about al-Quds as the Palestinian capital. It also stipulates various explosive remarks on the prospects of ties with Israel as der, over the siege on the enclave and the right for refugees that,” Pompeo told journalism students in the capital Bratislava. land swaps and Israel’s annexation of major blocks housing well as the occupying regime’s conflict with Palestinians, to return to their homes they were forcibly expelled from He later warned Slovaks about the “the need to guard against settlements, the report added. stirring so much controversy among the defenders of the during the 1948 creation of Israel. China’s economic and other efforts to create dependence and ma- The PA has stopped recognizing any mediating role by Palestinian cause. More than 250 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli nipulate your political system.” the U.S. in the conflict since December 2017, when Wash- The first in line to the Saudi throne said in the course of forces ever since anti-occupation protest rallies began in Pompeo is seeking to highlight the U.S. role in the fall of com- ington recognized al-Quds (Jerusalem) as Israel’s “capital.” his interviews during that trip that the Israeli-Palestinian the Gaza Strip on March 30. Over 26,000 Palestinians have munism three decades ago at a time when Putin finds a widening The White House later relocated the American Embassy conflict was the only obstacle to the normalization of ties also sustained injuries. audience in the former Eastern bloc. from Tel Aviv to the occupied city, although the UN General with the Tel Aviv regime. The Gaza clashes reached their peak on May 14 last year, The first U.S. secretary of state to visit Slovakia in 14 years, Pom- Assembly had passed a resolution calling on it to withdraw He attempted to put Israeli and Palestinian land claims on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Nakba Day (Day of peo told President Andrej Kiska: “It’s been too long since America the recognition. on an equal footing in a dramatic shift in Riyadh’s long-held Catastrophe), which coincided this year with the US embassy has been deeply engaged here.” The Palestinian Authority says it would not be holding position, saying Israelis, like Palestinians, have the “right” relocation from Tel Aviv to occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds. He met with five former political prisoners at a memorial to the any talks with the U.S. until Washington adopts a more to have “their own homeland.” (Source: Press TV) so-called Gate of Freedom on the border with Austria, where 400 people were killed from 1945 to 1989 as they tried to break through the Iron Curtain to the West. “Where barbed wire and armed guards stood, today people, Afghanistan sacks 12 election officials amid fraud investigation goods and information cross freely,” Pompeo said. Afghanistan has dismissed 12 election offi- including ballot-stuffing, technical problems “The United States has stood with the people of Slovakia as a cials amid an investigation into corruption with biometric registration equipment as well friend, as a partner ... for the past 30 years, and we will continue to following problems with the organization as attacks by Taliban insurgents. stand with you in the decades to come. of a general election last year, with fears Election authorities have yet to announce “On behalf of the United States I’m proud to stand in union with growing that the purge could delay a July the final results. the people of Slovakia and Europe in recommitting to a future that presidential election. New commissioners, once appointed, is more prosperous, more secure and, most of all, great,” he said. President Ashraf Ghani’s government will face the task of preparing for the pres- Kiska, a staunch liberal, called the U.S. an “important partner agreed to an amendment of the election law idential election in which both Ghani and and ally.” to improve transparency following meetings his chief executive, Dr Abdullah Abdullah, President Donald Trump has voiced admiration for Putin but the with political, civil society groups and oppo- are candidates. wider U.S. government remains suspicious of the Russian leader sition parties, and his spokesman said the The presidential election was originally and is seeking to find alternatives for European nations to Russia’s removal of the 12 was a consequence. planned for April this year but was pushed energy exports. “After the election law was amended in back to July. A senior American official who was traveling with Pompeo said a grand consensus, endorsed by the cabinet Many Afghans believe the vote may not that the Trump administration was pursuing a strategy similar to and signed by the president, then the com- take place on time. that in Asia, where for years the United States has been seeking to missioners could no longer stay in their jobs,” Not only are election agencies dealing curb China’s power. said Shah Hussain Murtazawi, a presidential with the 12 sackings, but speculation is rising “It emphasizes in vulnerable regions where our rivals, the Chinese palace spokesman. and would not be accepted. Other were not The Transparent Election Foundation for that a postponement might come as part of and the Russians, are gaining ground that we want to increase our He did not elaborate on the reason for immediately available for comment. Afghanistan, an independent election moni- peace talks between United States and the diplomatic, military and cultural engagement,” the official told re- the sacking of the seven officials from the The Attorney General’s Office said in a toring group, said the dismissals were a hasty Taliban to end more than 17 years of war. porters. He said Washington was also looking across Central Europe Independent Election Commission and five statement on Tuesday the 12 officials were political decision rather than a reform that The Taliban refuse to talk to Ghani and his to boost an independent media, amid concerns about an erosion commissioners from the Election Complaints barred from leaving the country as an in- would help the electoral process. government, branding them U.S. “puppets”, of press freedom. Commission. vestigation had been launched into accusa- The parliamentary election was held on Oct. and would inevitably reject a presidential In Hungary, the most pro-Russia member of the European Un- Wasima Badghisi, one of the dismissed tions of corruption, abuse of authority and 20 after months of wrangling and delay, and election they were not involved in. ion, Pompeo raised concerns to Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s commissioners, said the decision was political incompetence. marred by accusations of widespread fraud, (Source: Reuters) government both over ties with Moscow and Budapest’s contract with Chinese telecom giant Huawei to develop the country’s fifth-gen- eration mobile network. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto welcomed Pompeo’s calls for closer ties and promised more defense cooperation but Kurdish MP on hunger strike in Turkey taken to hospital: source also brushed off the criticism on relations with Russia and China. A pro-Kurdish lawmaker who has been on hunger strike in Turkey The 55-year-old member of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Guven was imprisoned last year for criticizing Turkey’s Western concerns on Hungary’s ties with Moscow amounted to for more than three months, was taken to hospital Wednesday Democratic Party (HDP) was taken to hospital after her offensive against a Kurdish militia in northern Syria which “enormous hypocrisy,” he said, adding that Western Europe was but she has refused any treatment, a hospital source said. blood pressure went up and she complained of chest pain, Ankara brands as “terrorists” linked to the outlawed Kurdistan doing energy deals with Russia. Leyla Guven, freed last month by a court in the Kurd- the hospital source told AFP. Workers’ Party (PKK), co-founded by Ocalan. Later Tuesday Pompeo went to Poland, where he is co-hosting ish-majority Diyarbakir city, started a hunger strike on Nov. “Her heartbeat is being monitored at the hospital in the The authorities allowed the PKK leader to meet his brother a conference on the Middle East that will promote Trump’s hard 8 while in jail to protest against the prison conditions of intensive care unit,” the source said. “She is conscious and Mehmet last month, the first visit in over two years. line on Iran and strong support for Israel. Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan. refuses to take any treatment.” (Source: AFP) (Source: AFP) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 4 ECONOMY FEBRUARY 14, 2019

STOCK MARKET Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan TEDPIX 157310.8 IFX 1935.95 Sources: tse.ir, Ifb.ir sign deal key to free trade Iran, Russia and Kazakhstan have signed 100,000 tons of Russian wheat per month to CURRENCIES a memorandum of understanding for increase flour exports to neighboring Iraq. USD 42,000 rials cooperation in wheat trading, taking another “We have a little financial problem to step towards setting up a free trade zone. resolve but after it we will be able to go EUR 47,620 rials The document was signed in Moscow through with the deal,” secretary general GBP 54,195 rials Tuesday, bringing the countries closer to of the Iran Federation of Food Industry the free trade zone between Iran and the Associations Kaveh Zargaran said. AED 11,437 rials Eurasian Economic Union, which Russia A Russian official said at the time that Source: cbi.ir has established with its neighbors. the talks were part of broader negotiations “The memorandum is an integral part of about a free trade zone between Iran and the free trade zone agreement signed between Russia. the Eurasian Economic Union member Iran is in advanced talks about creating states and Iran last year,” Kazakhstan’s a free trade zone with the union, known as COMMODITIES Deputy Minister of Agriculture Gulmira the EAEU. Brent $63.50/b Issayeva said. Iran’s Ambassador to Moscow Mehdi Under the deal, Iran will import wheat for Sanaei said on Friday he expected the Iranian WTI $54.05/b its private millers who will produce flour for parliament to ratify the free trade agreement OPEC Basket $61.40/b export, her Iranian counterpart Ali-Akbar with the EAEU “in the near future.” Mehrfard said. “The agreement is very important for Iran Gold $1,316.60 /oz Iran, he said, has enough wheat harvested Iran’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture Jihad Ali-Akbar Mehrfard (L), Russia’s Deputy because it opens the gates to a big market Silver $15.81/oz inside the country to cover its needs but it Minister of Agriculture Sergei Levin (C) and Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture for our country, and also opens the Iranian can export Russian and Kazakh grain to Gulmira Issayeva sign an MoU as Russian Minister of Trade of the Eurasian Economic market to Russia and northern countries,” Platinium $797.65 oz other countries. Iranian private millers Commission Veronika Nikishina (L) looks on in Moscow, Feb. 12, 2019. Mehr news agency quoted him as saying. are not allowed to use domestic wheat for The union aims to ensure the free Sources: oilprice.com, Moneymetals.com flour exports. Kazakhstan has welcomed using Iran’s saying the issue is up to the private sectors to movement of goods, services, capital and “In Iran, there is suitable infrastructure in transit and logistics network to deliver its decide. He also said the memorandum does workers between the member states. NEWS IN BRIEF the flour industry, which is twice as much as agricultural goods to customers, he said, not specify the currency to be used but the The EAEU was established in 2015 by domestic demand. In addition, Iran’s wheat adding the two countries are also working countries can trade in their national money. Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus and later Inflation, liquidity silage is at a good level, and we now have 5 on wheat swap arrangements. Last year, an Iranian official said the joined by Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. million tons of flour trade,” Mehrfard said. No volume has yet been set, with Mehrfard (Source: Press TV) curbed: CBI country was negotiating importing around Governor Iranian heavy crude oil price rises $1.45 per barrel in Jan.: OPEC ENERGY TEHRAN — Iranian heavy oil price The report put average Iranian crude output for the sanctions. desk ECONOMY TEHRAN — Despite the expressed concerns increased $1.45 in January, according Q4 2018 at 3.004 million barrels per day indicating a The new round of sanctions targeting Iran’s oil sector deskabout a probable rampant inflation and high to OPEC’s latest monthly report published on Tuesday. near 600,000-bpd fall compared to the figure for Q3. were put in action on November 4, 2018. volume of liquidity in the country, the two indices are pres- The country’s average heavy oil price was $56.29 in The country’s average heavy crude price was also However, soon after the sanctions took effect the ently kept under control, the Governor of the Central Bank of January, up 2.6 percent from $54.84 in December 2018. reported to be $56.29 since beginning of 2019 up to the U.S. government agreed to let eight countries, including Iran (CBI) announced after his meeting with the cabinet on According to the report, Iran produced 2.754 million report’s publishing day. close allies South Korea and Japan, as well as India, Wednesday, IRNA reported. barrels per day (bpd) of oil in January, a 4,000 bpd Iranian oil industry has been under pressure from keep buying Iranian oil and it is expected that Iran’s oil “The government intends to control the process incrementally decrease from 2.758 million bpd in December 2018. the U.S. efforts to isolate the country by reimposing exports will rise in February and March. and we are moving towards economic stability”, Abdol-Naser Hemmati told the reporters. According to him, the year-on-year growth of liquidity growth ‘Iran, India continue discussing Iran to purchase new airplanes: in the first nine month of the present Iranian calendar year (ending December 21, 2018) stood at 1.5 percent, which he development of Farzad-B gas field’ transport min. mentioned not a remarkable rate. ENERGY TEHRAN — Head ECONOMY TEHRAN — Iran is deskof National Iranian desknegotiating purchase IFX rises 3.1% in Oil Company (NIOC) said Iran and In- of some new airplanes, Iranian Transport January dia are still discussing development of Minister Mohammad Eslami told Mehr Farzad-B gas field. news agency on Wednesday. “Development of Farzad-B has been The Iranian minister did not provide and will be a top priority for NIOC and further information about the new pur- the negotiations with India are still un- chases. derway.” Masoud Karbasian told Tasnim As the Managing Director of Iran’s ECONOMY TEHRAN — IFX, the main index of Iran’s news agency on Wednesday. National Airline (Iran Air) Farzaneh deskover-the-counter (OTC) market known also Farzad-B, with estimated reserves of Sharafbafi announced on the sidelines of as Iran Fara Bourse (IFB), closed at 1,932, climbing 3.1% at 12.8 trillion cubic feet of gas, was opened once again called for the development of the 4th International Exhibition of Airport the national flag carrier, has started the end of January. in 2008 by a consortium of three Indian Farzad-B by ONGC Videsh which is the earlier this month, regarding the creation negotiations with the non-European As reported by the Public Relations Department of IFB companies: ONGC, Oil India Limited overseas investment arm of the country’s of the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) by manufacturers of airplanes in line with on Wednesday, some 19,555 million securities worth $2,279 and Indian Oil Corporation. biggest energy exploration firm. Europe, Iran expects to have no problem renovation of its fleet. billion were traded at this market in the past month. The Indians were supposed to develop According to an agreement, the Indi- with the provision of this financial chan- “We welcome any company which is Moreover, the total number of trades during January of this the field after its exploration, but they ans were first to submit a technical plan nel for airplanes and spare parts, and this able to provide the airplanes needed by year reached 2.993 million, which compared to 1.143 million stopped their activities after the West and then a financial proposal for the financial channel will be able to facilitate Iran Air. We have even gone after planes trades conducted in January of the previous year, increased intensified sanctions on the Islamic Re- development of the field, but Iran did the job in this area. such as Russia’s Sukhoi Superjet 100 or by 162 percent. public in 2012. not agree with the other side’s financial According to Sharafbafi’s previous planes made by non-European manu- Meanwhile, in IFB listed equity market, first and second With the lifting of the sanctions, India proposals. remarks in November, 2018, Iran Air, facturers”, she said at the time. markets witnessed the transaction of 9,673 million shares worth $762 million, up 208% and 217% respectively, as compared to January 2018. 5th round of offering oil at IRENEX on Feb. 18 ENERGY TEHRAN — National Iranian Oil Com- Agency that “because of discrepancy” between buyers’ de- Euro industry posts deskpany (NIOC) will offer one million barrels mands and conditions put up by the NIOC the oil offering of light crude oil at Iran Energy Exchange (IRENEX) for the did not produce the desired results. biggest annual slump since fifth time on February 18, Shana reported on Wednesday. NIOC offered one million barrels of light crude oil at The set price for this round of oil sale is $56.81 per bar- IRENEX for the third time on January 21. The set price for financial crisis rel, and the least amount of sale will be 35,000 barrels like that round of oil sale was $52.42 per barrel. the previous round of offering. The third round witnessed some advantages compared Euro-area industrial production fell more than twice as much Prepayment of six percent and possibility of total payment to the first and second rounds to facilitate purchase process as forecast in December, raising further questions over the state in rials are some advantages of this offering; moreover, the for the applicants. of the bloc’s economy. payment deadline will be 90 days as of the shipment date. The second round was on November 11 for offering 700,000 The 0.9 percent drop -- more than twice the 0.4 percent forecast The fourth round of offering took place on February 4, barrels of light crude oil at the price of $76.29 per barrel. -- was driven by declines in capital and non-durable consumer when one million barrels of light crude oil was offered at The first round of offering occurred on October 28, just goods production. From a year earlier, output plunged the most the base price of $56.24 per barrel and the least amount of few days before new U.S. sanctions on Iran’s petroleum since 2009, when the economy was dealing with the fallout from barrel. With the daily supply amount of one million barrels, sale was 35,000 barrels. This round ended with no deals. sector took effect (November 4). In the first round, NIOC the financial crisis. the market wrapped up by selling eight 35,000-barrel-cargos IRENEX Managing Director Ali Hosseini told Fars News could sell some 280,000 barrels of crude oil at $74.85 per Disappointing news has piled up since the European Central of oil on the day. Bank decided to halt asset purchases last year. Policy makers have kept a brave face, arguing that the 19-nation region is merely going through a phase of weaker growth -- amplified by a spate UK inflation falls to two-year low, Trade spats could dampen of temporary factors and external threats -- and there’s no risk shipping growth in 2019 of falling into a recession. (Source: Bloomberg) offering households help before Brexit British inflation fell to a two-year low a ‘wait and see’ approach on interest rates An escalation of tariff wars between China Elsewhere, freight rates were stable for in January, dipping below the Bank of until after the UK leaves the EU,” Howard and the United States could dampen growth the time being and further direction for the Canada home prices fall for England’s target and offering some relief Archer, chief economic adviser to the EY in international container shipping as opera- remainder of the year would emerge in the to householders who have tightened their ITEM Club consultancy, said. tors pre-emptively brought forward business period from now up to the middle of May, fourth straight month: Teranet belts ahead of Brexit. Last week the BoE said inflation was in the second half of last year, Germany’s Habben Jansen said. Consumer prices rose at an annual rate likely to fall below 2.0 percent in coming Hapag Lloyd said. On vessel supply, he said order books Canadian home prices fell in January for the fourth consecutive of 1.8 percent in January after a 2.1 percent months, in part reflecting a fall in oil prices. “Many customers tried to get their goods were low, representing 10 percent of the month led by weakness in major Western Canadian cities, data increase in December, the Office for National Sterling was little changed against the through to the U.S. ahead of time in second global fleet, with some scrapping activity showed on Wednesday. Statistics said on Wednesday. A Reuters dollar and euro following the data but UK half 2018, creating additional growth,” Rolf being noticeable. The Teranet-National Bank Composite House Price Index, poll of economists had forecast 1.9 percent. government bond prices rose, pushing 10- Habben Jansen, chief executive of the com- Preliminary results for 2018, due on Feb. which measures changes for repeat sales of single-family homes, British consumers have been pressured year yields down by 2 basis points. pany that is the world’s fifth biggest shipping 25, were likely to reflect growth in transport showed prices fell 0.1 percent last month from December 2018. by inflation after a slump in sterling of more Despite the fall in inflation since late liner, told reporters in Hamburg on Tuesday. volumes above the market average and results Prices fell in four of the 11 markets surveyed, with cities in the than 10 percent against the dollar and euro 2017 and wages growing at their fastest “That points to some business having should be “satisfactory”, Habben Jansen said. oil-rich province of Alberta posting the largest drops. Edmonton since the Brexit referendum in June 2016. in a decade, businesses have reported a been brought forward,” he added. The company in November said a later prices fell 0.8 percent, while prices in Calgary were down 0.5 Inflation peaked at a five-year high downturn in consumer spending in recent However, with European activities being peak season in 2018 was likely to lift full percent. of 3.1 percent in November 2017, when months. relatively stable, a direct crisis was not on year earnings. Vancouver prices fell 0.3 percent. It was the sixth straight British households faced much greater Surveys show households are worried the horizon, and only later this year would It targets earnings before interest and month of declines for Pacific Coast city, which boasts the most price increases than the European Union about the outlook for 2019, with Britain on it be clear whether there would be sustained tax (EBIT) in a corridor of 200-450 million expensive housing market in Canada. average. course for a no-deal departure from the EU damage to business, he said. euros ($226.4-509.4 million). “Those three westernmost markets have been trending down That difference is now negligible but on March 29 unless Prime Minister Theresa Shipping is only slowly recovering from an Hapag Lloyd is introducing a surcharge markedly for months now,” Teranet said in the report, noting that economists say higher inflation could return May can broker a revised deal with the EU oversupply of vessels that plunged the sector mechanism this year to account for cleaner was in contrast to major cities in the eastern Canadian province in the event of a no-deal Brexit. that would be accepted by her divided party into an almost decade-long slump, forcing fuel rules starting in 2020 under the watch of Quebec. “The further falling back in inflation and parliament. some players out of business and others to of the International Maritime Organisation. (Source: Reuters) facilitates the Bank of England maintaining (Source: Reuters) combine forces to seek economies of scale. (Source: Reuters) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y FEBRUARY 14, 2019 ENERGY 5

OPEC cuts oil supply steeply but Oil gets a boost from Saudi output pledge, declining U.S. sees growing 2019 headwinds inventories Brent oil prices rose on Wednesday, after top exporter Saudi OPEC said on Tuesday it had cut oil production the 11 OPEC members expected to cut supply Arabia said it would cut crude exports and deliver an even deeper steeply under a global supply deal, although under the deal achieved 86 percent compli- cut to its production, while U.S. futures gained on a decline in it flagged headwinds confronting its efforts ance, according to a Reuters calculation - a domestic oil inventories. to prevent a glut this year including weaker high rate by OPEC’s past standards. Brent crude futures rose 88 cents to $63.30 a barrel by 0950 demand and higher rival output. This could rise in coming months as Saudi GMT, while U.S. crude oil futures gained 66 cents to trade at In a monthly report, OPEC said its oil Arabia voluntarily lowers supply by more $53.76 a barrel. output fell almost 800,000 barrels per day than it agreed. “The feel-good factor is back in play but oil bulls are by no means in January to 30.81 million bpd. That is still Saudi Arabia plans to pump around 9.8 out of the woods yet,” PVM Oil Associates Stephen Brennock said. slightly more than the demand OPEC expects million bpd in March, more than 500,000 “It is a well-known fact that the world economy is losing mo- for its crude on average in 2019. bpd below its target under the deal, its energy mentum amid a plethora of downside risks including lingering Worried by a drop in oil prices and rising minister told the Financial Times. U.S.-China trade tensions and geopolitical uncertainty.” supplies, the Organization of the Petroleum And further declines in Iran, Libya and The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Exporting Countries and its allies including Venezuela - exempt from the supply pact - said on Tuesday that it had cut its output by almost 800,000 bpd Russia agreed in December to make supply could give a tailwind. in January to 30.81 million bpd. cuts. Under the deal, OPEC is lowering output OPEC said in the report that 2019 de- Most of that reduction has been thanks to Saudi Arabia. Energy by 800,000 bpd from Jan. 1. mand for its crude would decline to 30.59 minister Khalid al-Falih on Tuesday told the Financial Times In the report, OPEC cut its forecast for million bpd, a drop of 240,000 bpd from production would fall below 10 million bpd in March, more than 2019 world economic growth by 0.2 percent- its last report, as rivals such as the United half a million bpd below the target it agreed to as part of a global age point to 3.3 percent and highlighted a States boost output and the slowing economy deal to limit supply. range of headwinds such as a slowdown in limits demand. U.S. restrictions on Venezuela’s energy sector have crippled global trade. This implies that the global market would exports and threaten to remove some 330,000 bpd in supply “Some recent positive developments could December, supported by the Saudi Arabia-led producers wary of a new glut. An OPEC+ cut see a slight surplus of about 200,000 bpd in from the market this year, according to Goldman Sachs. support the global economy at its current level, OPEC cuts and involuntary declines despite from January 2017 had got rid of an earlier 2019 should OPEC keep pumping at Janu- The oil price has risen by 20 percent so far this year, yet most of including the recovery in oil prices, possible concerns about slowing demand. surplus. ary’s rate although - other things being equal that increase materialized in early January, before the imposition progress in U.S.-China trade negotiations The supply cut was a policy U-turn after In a sign of excess supply, OPEC’s report - the Saudi plan to reduce supply further of U.S. sanctions on Venezuela’s energy sector. and less-ambitious monetary tightening the producer alliance known as OPEC+ agreed said oil inventories in developed economies will offset this. The global oil market remains well supplied, the International by the U.S. Federal Reserve,” OPEC said in in June 2018 to boost supply amid pressure were above the five-year average in December. OPEC forecast global oil demand would Energy Agency said in its monthly market report on Wednesday the report. from U.S. President Donald Trump to low- Saudi curbs grow by 1.24 million bpd in 2019, down 50,000 and output would still likely outstrip demand this year, despite “Nevertheless, this would not lift the global er prices and cover an expected shortfall in The biggest drop in OPEC supply last bpd from last month. Non-OPEC producers OPEC’s efforts and U.S. sanctions on Iran and Venezuela. economy beyond the growth forecast.” Iranian exports. month came from Saudi Arabia and amounted will boost output by 2.18 million bpd, 80,000 “Oil prices have not increased alarmingly because the market Oil extended a rally on Tuesday above $63 OPEC changed course after prices slid to 350,000 bpd, the report showed. more than expected previously. is still working off the surpluses built up in the second half of a barrel. Crude has risen from less than $50 in from $86 a barrel in October, making the With the supply cut delivered in January, (Source: Reuters) 2018,” the IEA said. “In quantity terms, in 2019, the U.S. alone will grow its crude oil production by more than Venezuela’s current output. In quality terms, it is more complicated. Quality matters.” Shell commits to Egypt with highest Sanctions on Venezuela leaves oil Venezuela has tried to find alternative customers, especially in Asia, but under U.S. pressure many buyers there are also shying number of awards in oil and gas bid round market scrambling for heavy crude away from dealing with PDVSA. In the United States, crude inventories fell by 998,000 barrels Shell deepened its commitment to Egypt’s In an oil market already tighter on heavy in the latest week, trouncing forecasts for a rise of 2.7 million upstream Tuesday by taking the largest num- crude grades due to OPEC’s production cuts barrels, according to data from industry group the American ber of awards in the country’s latest licensing and U.S. sanctions on Iran’s oil, refiners now Petroleum Institute on Tuesday. round. The Anglo-Dutch major also outlined face an even tighter supply of heavy crude U.S. crude output is expected to grow by 1.45 million bpd this plans for a new exploration and a production with the sweeping U.S. sanctions on Vene- year and by another 790,000 bpd next year to hit 13 million bpd drive, as LNG exports help to ease tensions over zuela’s oil sector. in 2020, according to the Energy Information Administration. reimbursement to international companies. Refiners around the world are looking [EIA/M] Europe’s largest international oil company for alternatives to Venezuela’s heavy and The rapid growth in U.S. production, led by shale oil output, won three onshore concessions in the Western extra heavy crudes, but Venezuelan grades has led to an unwelcome build in inventories of crude and refined Desert, which is the focal point for Egyptian have few suitable substitutes, Reuters market products, while refining margins for the gasoline it yields have oil exports and the site of recent discoveries known as Harmattan, Hanter said. analyst John Kemp writes. In addition, heav- Although the U.S. sanctions on Venezuela collapsed around the world. by Italy’s Eni, and two concessions offshore He said reforms by the government had ier, higher-sulfur grades are more difficult are creating a heavy crude crunch on the oil (Source: Reuters) the Nile Delta. dramatically improved Egypt’s attractiveness to process and refiners must first see if their market, the EIA says that the sanctions are “We’re back - everywhere,” Shell country to investors. “You’ve seen Shell really take its refineries will be suited to process substitutes unlikely to have a significant impact on the chair and vice president Gasser Hanter told game to the next level in terms of investment of Venezuelan grades. refinery runs of the U.S. refiners. Eleven EU states already journalists on the sidelines of the EGYPS appetite and aggressiveness on bidding. This is The closest replacement to Venezuela’s Those sanctions will essentially eliminate conference, as he outlined the company’s going to seriously change the picture,” he said. Merey grade, for example, would be Brazil’s U.S. imports of Venezuelan crude oil as the met 2020 renewable energy various interests. Shell had not participated in Egyptian Marlim, Mexico’s Maya, Canada’s grades full effects of the sanctions emerge, the EIA “We have almost tripled our activity in bid rounds for some time, a point noted by Bow River and Cold Lake, or Iraq’s Basra said last week, but noted that it doesn’t expect target - Eurostat the Western Desert, in terms of number of Egyptian minister of petroleum and mineral Heavy, according to Kemp. “any significant decrease in U.S. refinery runs The European Union produced 17.5 percent of its power needs rigs, number of wells drilled per year. We resources Tarek El-Molla. He said the country The sanctions on Venezuela—combined as a result of these sanctions.” from renewable sources in 2017, while 11 of the bloc’s 28 mem- were originally the second biggest produc- was now “on the right track.” with the U.S. sanctions on Iran and with Imports of crude oil from Venezuela are bers had already achieved a 2020 goal of 20 percent or more, er in the Western Desert. I am forcing my Shell derives a large part of its Egyptian OPEC’s cuts—have been removing medium still a significant portion of the U.S. Gulf Coast the latest data released by Eurostat showed. team to strive to be Number 1 eventually,” business from its takeover of BG in 2016, in- to heavy crudes from the market. This has imports, but they have been falling in recent Renewables, such as wind, solar and hydro power, account- he said. Hanter added the company’s West- cluding its stakes in the Idku LNG liquefac- led to the point that the benchmark Middle years due to the collapsing Venezuelan oil ed for 17 percent of the energy mix in the EU in 2016 and 8.5 ern Desert production was around 130,000 tion facility. Idku was largely idle for much of East prices for higher-sulfur sour grades have production. percent in 2004, the first year for which figures were available, bpd of oil equivalent, split equally between the early part of the decade before shipments recently increased to above the price of Brent “Moving forward, refineries may also Eurostat said. liquids and gas. resumed in the fourth quarter 2018. Egypt’s Crude in a rare occurrence in the oil market, choose to run lighter crude oils because The 2020 target is a stepping stone to the goal of 32 percent Offshore, where Shell produces from the diversion of gas away from the export terminal where lower-sulfur, sweet grades from the transportation constraints may limit the in 2030. West Delta Deep Marine concession, it is plan- meant it accrued sizeable debts to interna- Atlantic basin and the North Sea are typically availability of heavy crude oils,” according “The EU is on track to meet its 2020 renewable target, with 11 ning a new exploration campaign and hopes tional companies, but has been reducing these more expensive than the sour grades from to the EIA. member states already above their national targets,” said Climate to approve a development project this year “receivables.” (Source: Platts) the Middle East or Latin America. (Source: oilprice.com) Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete, who has called for the bloc to aim for net zero emissions. The report said Sweden had the highest share of renewable energy consumption, with more than half its energy coming from Goldman Sachs says OPEC’s ‘shock and awe’ will drive oil higher renewable sources in 2017. Luxembourg had the lowest proportion, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is doubling down month following its best ever start to a year “Core-OPEC producers are adopting Brent crude, the benchmark for more than with renewables accounting for just 6.4 percent of energy use. on its bullish outlook for oil. The bank still on concern that booming shale output will a shock and awe strategy, and exceeding half the world’s oil, traded at $63.05 a barrel The Netherlands, France, Ireland, Britain, Poland and Belgium forecasts that global benchmark Brent crude undermine cuts by OPEC and its partners, their cut commitment,” the analysts wrote as of 3:01 p.m. in Singapore on Wednesday. were among EU nations still a few percentage points off their will hit $67.50 a barrel next quarter, driven and fears that the U.S.-China trade war will in the report. “Disruptions have increased Futures jumped 15 percent in January, the 2020 objective, as of 2017. (Source: CNBC) by healthy demand and supply curbs by weaken demand. Investors are worrying too with risks that Venezuela’s production de- most for that month in data going back to OPEC and its allies such as Russia, analysts much, according to Goldman. The extent of cline accelerates following the introduction the late 1980s, after tumbling 35 percent in including Damien Courvalin said in a Feb. the collapse in global growth expectations of additional U.S. sanctions related to the the last quarter of 2018. Prices are still about U.S. oil production seen hitting 12 report. Goldman’s estimate is about 7 is unwarranted and production losses in Venezuelan oil industry. U.S. producers are 27 percent below a four-year high reached percent higher than current price levels. 2019 are already larger than predicted, the also so far guiding towards restrained shale in October. 13m barrels a day in 2020 Brent has struggled to sustain gains this bank said. production growth.” (Source: Bloomberg) U.S. oil production is expected to hit new milestones faster than previously thought amid booming shale activity, according to the latest forecasts from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The EIA said Tuesday it now expects domestic crude output Hedge funds unsure where oil prices are going to average a record high of 12.4m barrels a day in 2019, up from Following an optimistic start to the year and the best January rallying. its estimate of 12.1m barrels a day just a month ago. The agency ever for oil prices, hedge funds and other money managers Between early December and late January, hedge funds also raised its forecast for 2020 production to 13.2m barrels a began the month of February more cautiously as fears about raised their net long position by a total of 96 million barrels and day from 12.9m. global economic growth outweighed (again) OPEC’s cuts increased the net long in seven out of eight weeks. However, The rosier outlook reflects an increase in productive wells, both and U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and Iran. the rise in the net long position since early December was in the Permian Basin of Texas and the Gulf of Mexico, and the In the latest reporting week to February 5, portfolio primarily the result of closing the shorts, rather than a clear expectation that Permian pipeline constraints won’t slow growth managers added more long positions on Brent Crude, but sign that bulls are back. as much as projected in January, the EIA said in its monthly short positions—bets that prices will fall—also rose for the Between December 11 and January 29, short positions short-term energy outlook. first time this year. declined by more than 60 percent from 122 million barrels The U.S. has pumped oil at a record pace in recent months as Although the speculative positioning in the week resulted in to 48 million barrels, but longs increased by only 27 million higher prices and supply cuts by other producers including Saudi a slight rise in the combined net long position—the difference barrels, as fund managers were less bearish but surely not Arabia encouraged American drillers to boost output. There were between bullish and bearish bets—the increase in short enthusiastically bullish on the price of oil. 1,049 active rigs in the U.S. as of February 8, an increase of 74 rigs positions suggests that hedge funds are now much more In the week January 29 to February 5, however, shorts compared with the same day last year, according to Baker Hughes. undecided where oil prices will be heading next. increased by 28 percent—the most since late October and The EIA said production in November hit a record high of According to data from ICE Futures Europe compiled the first rise after four weeks of bears retreating—while the 11.9m barrels a day on average. That marked a gain of 400,000 by Reuters market analyst John Kemp, money managers number of long positions rose by 5.2 percent. barrels from October and the sixth consecutive monthly record. boosted their net long position in Brent Crude in the week to with up-to-date WTI Crude positioning data until next month. While money managers as a whole were undecided where The U.S. likely hit the 12m-barrel milestone in January, two February 5 by just 1 million barrels. Long positions—bets that Judging from the commitments of traders in Brent in Brent Crude was heading, they boosted bullish bets on gasoil months sooner than the EIA predicted in its January report. prices would rise—increased by 15 million barrels. However, the week to February 5, hedge funds were almost equally and diesel futures during the latest reporting week, after the Production is on pace to surpass 13m barrels a day in March short positions rose nearly as much as longs, with 13 million divided between adding longs and shorts, with longs leading U.S. sanctions on Venezuela started to limit the supply of 2020, not October 2020 as previously forecast. barrels in shorts added last week. slightly. This compares with a massive retreat in shorts seen medium and heavy crudes such as Venezuela’s, which are Given the surge in U.S. production and weaker than expected The rise of the shorts, for the first time this year, could in January. well suited for processing into gasoil, Reuters’ Kemp says. global fuel demand, the EIA anticipates average Brent prices of suggest that hedge funds have diverging views about where At the end of January, hedge funds and other money Going forward, hedge funds will be looking for direction $62 a barrel in 2020, below its prior forecast of $65. It estimated Brent prices are going next and that bearish concerns such as managers started to shake off the gloomy expectations of a from a range of bullish and bearish factors. No-deal U.S.- that West Texas Intermediate crude will average $58 a barrel, economic slowdown or no-deal U.S.-China trade talks have global recession and waning oil demand growth that had seized China trade talks and economic growth concerns would be down from $61. prevailed over bullish cues such as OPEC’s cuts, sanctions on market participants for most of the fourth quarter last year. attracting the bears, while OPEC’s cuts, U.S. sanctions on Brent and WTI were each trading higher on Tuesday amid signs Venezuela, and slowing growth in U.S. crude oil production. Yet, the primary driver for the increase in the net long Venezuela and Iran, and possible slowdown in U.S. crude OPEC’s supply cuts are taking hold. Brent crude rose 2 percent to Due to the U.S. government shutdown, the Commodity position was the closing of the many shorts from late 2018, production would make more room for the bulls to run. $62.74 a barrel, while WTI rallied 2.1 percent to $53.53 a barrel. Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) won’t have caught up rather than a renewed bullishness that oil prices will be (Source: oilprice.com) (Source: Financial Times) ساعت: 17:00 امضاء صفحه آرا: ساعت: امضاء مسئول صفحه: ساعت: امضاء ادیتور: ساعت: امضاء سردبیر:

I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 6 INTERNATIONAL FEBRUARY 14, 2019 NEWS IN BRIEF ‘U.S. pullout China to strengthen military training won’t create power vacuum in and enhance combat readiness Afghanistan’ INTERNATIONAL TEHRAN - Amid political “The People’s Liberation Army Rocket INTERNATIONAL TEHRAN — Assuaging the concerns of deskand diplomatic tensions Force conducted a simulated intercontinen- deskAfghan officials regarding the withdrawal with the U.S. and its allies, China is step- tal ballistic missile strike mission from an of U.S. forces, Russia has said it won’t create a power vacuum ping up efforts to strengthen the military underground bunker against an imaginary in the war-ravaged country. training and combat readiness of its national enemy,” state-controlled Global Times re- Zamir Kabulov, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Af- armed forces. ported, citing China Central Television. ghanistan envoy, said the withdrawal of U.S. forces from According to reports in Chinese media, While both sides seem ready for any even- Afghanistan shouldn’t be a matter of concern and the Taliban the country’s top military body has deployed tuality, without a first strike against China, can be a potential ally in the fight against ISIS in Afghanistan. inspectors and put in place a new oversight China will never use the weapons, Global Speaking to media persons in Moscow, Kabulov, who system to strengthen combat readiness of Times stated in its report. played an instrumental role in talks between the Taliban the People’s Liberation Army. “An ICBM loaded with nuclear warheads delegation from Qatar and Afghan politicians in Moscow In a report on Tuesday, the PLA Daily said will likely never be used as it would precipi- recently, said it is time for the U.S. forces to leave Afghanistan. President Xi Jinping, who is also chairman of tate an all-out nuclear war, say analysts. The If the U.S. fails to strike an agreement on a military pull- the Central Military Commission, has signed weapon’s primary purpose is deterrence, and out with Taliban, they could stay for another few years but an order to release a new regulation on the to facilitate political and diplomatic discus- in the end they’ll have to go, and this time in disgrace, the supervision of military training, the first of sions,” said the report. envoy asserted. its kind for China. But China’s nuclear arsenal is small com- Kabulov described the meeting as the “start of national “The regulation formulates measures to pared to America’s arsenal. Beijing maintains reconciliation” in the conflict-torn nation. rectify practices that are inconsistent with 280 nuclear warheads on ICBMs, medium- Kabulov downplayed the risks of instability if U.S. forces the requirements of actual combat. It also range rockets and submarine-launched mis- leave Afghanistan. “There won’t be a vacuum in Afghanistan,” details the criteria for identifying malprac- siles. The United States possesses 3,800 nukes he said. “When all Afghans, the authorities in Kabul and the tices and discipline violations during military and deploys 1,750 of them. Taliban, reach a peace agreement and won’t fight each other, training,” the report said. Meanwhile, according to reports, China then they’ll deal with ISIS in an Afghan manner,” he said. “The regulation also clearly states the re- is building four new nuclear aircraft carriers sponsibilities, power and priorities of military which will be deployed to the South-China Amid U.S. training supervision and standardizes the Sea, where the U.S. and its allies are disput- methods and procedures for carrying out The officer said that under the new regu- The report notes that the paranoia ing Beijing’s territorial claims. sanctions, such work,” it adds. lation, the PLA would establish proper sys- arises from a negative dynamic of Ameri- Malcolm Davies, a defense researcher Venezuela turns to The development comes amid U.S. warn- tems and assign inspectors to monitor and can opinion-makers viewing China as a at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, ings that China has become a major security supervise officers responsible for training rising power seeking to unfairly undercut said he expects South China Sea tensions India for oil exports threat, with increased spending on advanced and hold them accountable for failures and its economic prosperity and threaten its to escalate. weaponry, technology and cyberwarfare. derelictions of duty. security, while their Chinese counterparts “Expect greater tension in the South China INTERNATIONAL TEHRAN — With the political tensions PLA Daily published an interview with an The Chinese military has not been involved see the U.S. as a declining power seek- Sea. China won’t back down nor will the U.S.,” deskbetween Venezuela and the U.S. escalating officer from the CMC’s training management in major military offensive since the country’s ing to prolong its dominance by unfairly he was quoted as saying by Express news- rapidly, the country has shifted focus towards India to keep department stressing that the new regula- border conflicts with Vietnam in 1979. containing its rise. paper. “The South China Sea will remain a its oil exports running. tion was meant to “rectify” problems such as In a new report, Asia Society’s Task Force Last month, the Chinese military success- key flashpoint between China and the U.S., Venezuela’s oil exports have decreased since new U.S. cheating, waste and bureaucracy and increase on U.S.-China Policy has said that the U.S. fully tested a mock launch of a nuclear-armed who are now engaged in an extended period sanctions came into effect on January 28. The state-run oil efficiency and readiness. and China were on a collision course. intercontinental ballistic missile. of strategic competition.” company PDVSA has turned to India to replace deliveries to the U.S. and Europe that were disrupted by payment restrictions. The South American nation is looking at cash-paying buyers, especially in India, its second-largest customer after the U.S., amid U.S. sanctions designed to undercut financial Marching with proud and resilient Iranians support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. In the two weeks since the sanctions were announced, 1 They rallied to keep the legacy of their beloved ingly familiar. People looked familiar too. The revolution, PDVSA has been able to load and export 1.15 million barrels leader alive – the legacy of single-minded resistance against after all, is our collective achievement. It is not an Iranian per day (bpd) of crude and refined products, according to the arrogant powers of the world who have been for the past revolution, but an Islamic revolution. Imam Khamenei is Refinitiv Eikon data. Venezuela was exporting about 1.4 million 40 years unsuccessfully trying to bring ‘regime change’ in Iran. the leader of all the campaigners of truth and justice. bpd in the months before sanctions, according to the data. Much to their chagrin, Iran has not only survived all As people marched towards the Azadi Square, loudspeakers Before the sanctions, PDVSA shipped over 500,000 bpd to these years but it has made rapid advancements in various across the city beamed the address of President Hassan Rou- the United States, its largest cash market, followed by India fields. The sanctions and saber-rattling have proved a bless- hani. He spoke of how Iran survived forty years of undeclared then China, at above and below 300,000 bpd respectively. ing in disguise and hawks in Washington or London or Tel war and sanctions and how it overcame insurmountable odds Venezuela has sent its oil minister, Manuel Quevedo, Aviv know it well. That’s precisely why Barack Obama was to reach this stage. His words were poignant and powerful. to India to convince refiners, including Reliance Industries forced to sign the nuclear agreement with Iran, which his Of course, not everything is hunky-dory in this country. Ltd and Nayara Energy Ltd, to double their oil purchases. megalomaniac successor later tore apart. There are economic issues due to myriad factors, which On Monday, people poured into the streets to make a include U.S. sanctions. There is discontent too because of ‘India, Pakistan statement. The statement was addressed to those who seek inflation and currency depreciation. It is the job of authori- annihilation of this proud nation: Iran will outlive its enemies ties to resolve the issues and they are not sitting idle. The youth can be and the legacy of the Islamic revolution will shine as long work is in progress. as the world exists. But, Iran is definitely not ‘falling’ and the ‘regime’ will ambassadors of The tricolored flag of Iran was fluttering high in the crowd not ‘change’ through foreign intervention. Iran is not Ven- of people. Demonstrators carried posters and placards with beaming with joy. ezuela or Afghanistan where the so-called ‘superpowers’ will peace’ pictures of Imam Khomeini and Imam Khamenei, reaffirming Some just walked in the pouring rain, some distributed dictate terms and plant their blue-eyed boys. Here, Iranians INTERNATIONAL TEHRAN — In a bid to bring the youth of their solemn pledge to the sacrosanct ideals of the Islamic food stuff, some circulated posters and pamphlets, some decide what is good for them. And they made it amply clear deskIndia and Pakistan closer and remove the revolution. performed songs and skits related to the revolution, some on Monday. trust deficit, Pakistan’s envoy to India has started outreach Everyone was there, from a five-year old boy holding cleaned the streets, some gave away flowers. It was an exhibi- Clearly, the perfidious plots of trouble-mongers have efforts and engagement with the youth. his country’s flag to a physically challenged man making tion of the Iranian pride that we have all known for centuries. failed. Their forty year war against Iran has proved futile. In an interaction with students in New Delhi on Tuesday, his way through the crowd to an elderly person proudly The vociferous slogans of ‘Allah o Akbar’ (God is Great) It’s time the Western powers acknowledge the reality of the Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India Sohail Mahmood said chanting revolutionary slogans to a mother carrying her and ‘Khamenei Rehbar’ (Khamenei the leader) reverberated Islamic revolution and respect the choice of Iranians. It is youth of the two countries could play a role in transforming tender child to the members of the country’s armed forces all around, and gave me goose bumps. The slogans were strik- not 1953 anymore. The period of coups is over. the Indo-Pak relations, urging them to be the “ambassadors of peace”. Commenting on the historical evolution of Indo-Pak rela- tions, Mahmood stressed on the importance of “changing the conflictual pattern of the past to a cooperative pattern Pakistan PM sees silver lining in dark clouds of flailing economy in the future”, the statement added. TEHRAN — Despite structural reforms to put the country on the He also stressed on the imperatives of “sustained en- INTERNATIONAL deskcritics painting a grim path of sustainable development in which gagement, a result-oriented dialogue process, resolution of picture of Pakistan’s flailing economy and the most vulnerable segments of society are outstanding disputes, enhanced regional cooperation, and ringing alarm bells, Prime Minister Imran protected,” he said. collective endeavors for shared prosperity”. Khan is optimistic and sees a bright future Earlier, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper The envoy expressed hope that the historic Kartarpur for his country. quoted a senior official involved in the ne- Initiative by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan would Addressing the World Government Sum- gotiations as saying that Pakistan and IMF be “instrumental in further facilitating and fortifying people- mit in Dubai earlier this week, the cricket- had narrowed their positions on the scale to-people bonds”. India and Pakistan, the two South Asian er-turned-politician urged global investors of adjustments over the past few weeks of neighbors, have fought three wars since the partition of erst- “not to miss the boat”. His invitation was continuous engagements. while British India in 1947. The bone of contention between unconditional. The IMF is asking for an adjustment of them is the disputed Kashmir territory. More than 4,000 decision-makers from around Rsimran 1,600-2,000 billion over 140 countries – including heads of state, three to four years. It also wants some cor- India, China ministers and corporate leaders – gathered rective measures to fix Pakistan’s highest leading global in Madinat Jumeirah this week for the an- ever current account deficit. nual summit. Pakistan has received USD 1 billion each greening effort: PM Khan, who was elected the new premier from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It has also of Pakistan last year, faces an uphill task of reportedly received financial assistance from NASA reviving the country’s economy which is in China although the amount has not been INTERNATIONAL TEHRAN — India and China, the two dire straits. He has come under criticism disclosed. deskfastest growing economies of the world, are from media in Pakistan for lack of proper Earlier, Dawn quoted officials saying that also leading the global greening effort, contrary to the general blueprint to overcome this situation. Pakistan would seek around USD 8 billion perception worldwide, according to a latest NASA report. However, batting on the front foot, he from the IMF which would be the biggest The report observed that the world is a greener place said the time was ripe for global investors package by the IMF for Islamabad. get a visa on arrival in Pakistan”, he said. today than it was two decades ago. to come to Pakistan. “The country is going the money will end up in Beijing. When Khan took over as the PM last year, He reminisced about the past, the golden The NASA study based on data received and analyzed on the upswing. Don’t miss the boat,” he Lagarde in a statement said that her experts said the biggest test for him was reviv- years in 1960s, when Pakistan was hailed as from its satellite said that India and China are leading in remarked. meeting with the Pakistani leader about an ing the economy. The fiscal deficit between the fastest growing nation in Asia region. greening on land. “China and India account for one-third Khan told the gathering that an ambitious IMf-supported program was constructive. imports and exports had reached a record “Pakistan was a country of optimism and of the greening but contain only 9 per cent of the planet’s reform program has been rolled out in the coun- “I reiterated that the IMF stands ready high leading to stagnant economy. hope,” he said, reaffirming his commitment land area covered in vegetation,” said lead author Chi Chen try and his government has made investments to support Pakistan. I also highlighted that But he has appeared optimistic about the to restore the past glory. of Boston University. in health and education as top priorities. decisive policies and a strong package of country’s future despite grave economic cri- Meanwhile, in good news for Khan and The greening in China is from forests (42 per cent) and “The state must take responsibility to economic reforms would enable Pakistan sis and rampant corruption. In his message his cash-strapped government, International croplands (32 per cent), but in India it is mostly from crop- eradicate poverty. We are all set to start a to restore the resilience of its economy and on Pakistan’s Independence Day on August Monetary Fund (IMF) has extended its sup- lands (82 percent) with minor contribution from forests reform program in Pakistan. Reforms are lay the foundations for stronger and more 14, Khan said he is filled with the “greatest port to Pakistan. (4.4 per cent), the study said. painful, but essential,” he said. “I do not be- inclusive growth,” she said. optimism” on this day. IMF chief Christine Lagarde, who also China is engineering ambitious programs to conserve and lieve in a society where the rich get richer, “As emphasized in the new government’s “Despite our grave economic crises, due attended the summit, said that the global expand forests with the goal of mitigating land degradation, and the poor continue to suffer. Distribution policy agenda, protecting the poor and to corruption and cronyism, I know if we lender stands ready to support Pakistan air pollution and climate change. of wealth should be equitable.” strengthening governance are key priori- are united in our resolve, we will rise to the following her meeting with Khan in Dubai. Food production in China and India has increased by He said his government is determined to ties to improve people’s living standards in challenge and Pakistan will become the great Pertinently, Pakistan had approached over 35 per cent since 2000 mostly owing to an increase improve infrastructure, attract foreign invest- a sustainable manner,” Lagarde further said. nation envisaged by our Quaid and Iqbal,” IMF for a loan few months ago to settle its in harvested area through multiple cropping facilitated by ments and ease visa policies to maximize the Khan also tweeted about his meeting he said, referring to the vision of Pakistan’s debt. That time U.S. Secretary of State Mike fertilizer use and surface- and/or groundwater irrigation. country’s tourism potential. with IMF chief. “There was a convergence founding fathers Mohammad Ali Jinnah and In fact, “a total of 70 countries can now Pompeo had blocked the move, fearing that of our views on the need to carry out deep Sir Mohammad Iqbal. ساعت: امضاء صفحه آرا: ساعت: امضاء مسئول صفحه: ساعت: امضاء ادیتور: ساعت: امضاء سردبیر:

I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y FEBRUARY 14, 2019 ANALYSIS & INTERVIEW 7 Europe facing radical change Boycott Israel: It makes 1 Undoubtedly, in such a situation, the currents in the country, but these efforts do European Union’s behavioral, tactical and not seem to have an effect on the prevention sense and here is why even strategic elements will face a number of the surge of extreme right currents. For of challenges. instance, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), Macron has lost the power of becoming which is dependent on a radical stream, was the leader of the united Europe, following put to the German parliament for the first the protests of France and the retreat of their time in 2017 elections. economic reforms. At present, radical currents and nation- Following the formation of a coalition alist parties have taken their full potential government in Berlin and the defeat of the to lead the political and executive equations Christian Democrats in the two local elections of various European countries, because they in Bavaria and Hesse, Angela Merkel has are confident that the failure of European announced that she will step down as Ger- governments to contain social, economic, man chancellor in 2021. Certainly, Merkel’s immigration, security and political crises successor at the start of his career will have in the green continent, has provided its less maneuver in the European Union. background. What is certain is that, given the current Various surveys in Europe show that as situation in Europe, we need to have a proper much as the disappointment of European understanding of the “Europe of today”, or citizens is due to more traditional flows, they “the transitional Europe.” The “ideal Europe”, tend to be more extreme than the right. Also, interpreted by the founders of its united Eu- some of the European citizens who have not rope, has long since gone from reality and basically ever participated in the political has merely become abstract. An idealized equations of politics have preferred to vote Europe, which at least has the character of in favor of nationalist and extreme right- TEHRAN (FNA)— It is now 15 years since the International independence in decision-making and resist- wing parties and nationalist parties did not leaders would have more power to control wing movements. Court of Justice ruled that the apartheid wall built by Israel ance to the United States, today is virtually have a place in the political and social scene them. Basically, one of the extreme right-wing in the occupied West Bank contravenes fundamental norms non-existent. of European unity. These currents did not The year 2018 was not only a year in which moves is to draw white and gray votes in of international law and must be removed. New conditions in Europe have required even succeed in getting at least the popu- to curtail the activity of radical currents in various political platforms in different Eu- The usurper regime continues to mark this anniversary politicians and analysts to warn European lar votes to enter the parliament of various Europe, but it was a year to revive this trend ropean countries. Ultimately, the voice of with renewed attacks on the besieged people of Gaza, and political and social issues about the return European countries. But at the current time in various countries of the European Union nationalism is now more than ever heard in punish the Palestinians for resisting the illegal occupation of nationalism to the green continent. These the equation has changed! For example, the and the Eurozone. It is expected that 2019 Europe. Will the green continents be able of their land. Sadly, the apartheid wall is still there, making alerts are being received as a result of the Right-wing Democratic Party of Sweden has will be far more difficult for the traditional to curb nationalism in Europe alone, or is any kind of normal life for Palestinians an impossibility, as eruption in France (National Front) led by now become the third largest and most pop- (center-right and socialist) currents in Eu- 2019 the year the objective crystallization well as stealing their land. It is several decades since Israel Marine Le Pen to reach the Elysee Palace in ular party in the country. rope to happen. of the power of the right-wing extremism occupied the West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem Al-Quds and 2022. In Italy, the French neighborhood, the In other European countries, nationalist In Austria, the Freedom Liberal Party was in Europe is? Will the nightmares of people the Golan Heights, thus extending the process (begun in 1948) anti-European Union Five Star Movement trends also experience a balanced growth. able to make a coalition government. The like Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron of ethnically cleansing the indigenous population and then has also been at the forefront of its political What’s worrying the European authorities nationalist fever has also reached Germany. be interpreted as the emergence of re-na- installing illegal settlers. These illegal settlers have been doing and executive equations. is the same and balanced growth. Perhaps if In recent months, German political parties tionalism in Europe and the collapse of the business and trade with the western world ever since. What needs to be seen in Europe is what nationalist parties were to flex their muscles and organizations have made great efforts European Union and the Eurozone? All this trade is illegal under international law, which has will happen. In the near future, radical right- in one or two European countries, European to curb the anti-European and nationalist (Source: American Herald Tribune) been flouted by Israel, aided by the complicity of western governments. The media too, especially the BBC, CNN and Fox News must bear some responsibility with their grotesquely biased reporting which portrays Israel as an innocent vic- tim, exempt from any norms of behavior and international Endless crises in the capitalist system accountability. Worse still, western governments refuse to hold Israel accountable, and for that reason and no other, 1 At the moment, in addition to the underlying crisis In the meantime, there is essentially no opportunity Finally, it should be concluded that economic summits the international civil society has a responsibility to do so, affecting the G20, we are witnessing another crisis called for convergence among G20 members to face the current in U.S and Europe have become a symbol of the lack of especially through the civil society campaign of Boycott, Di- “the presence of Trump in the White House”! The U.S. Pres- economic crisis in the international system. Numerous cooperation between the participating members in the vestment and Sanctions (BDS). ident explicitly rejects the multilateralism considered by problems and damages had hardly hit the G20 member international system, rather than a symbol of convergence To that end, the Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions the G20 member states, and violates international trade states’ infrastructure as well as their superstructure, and it of the world’s most powerful economic players. Undoubt- movement must be enabled globally, and that includes reach- law by unilateralism. Currently, the main concern of G20 should be acknowledged that the top 20 economic powers edly, current crises in the capitalist system will continue ing even American campuses, as to how to reinforce it, and members is how to confront with Trump’s protectionist in the world have not yet decided how to deal with these to escape. Crises in 2019 could see signs in America and encourage both western and American corporations to stop policies and orders. two types of problems. Europe. working with Israeli firms in occupied Palestine and/or opening up regional branches there. This could work at the United Nations as well, as BDS is fully backed by Palestinian civil society and a growing number of Israelis. In this difficult period for progressive politics and Is the Islamic Republic on the way of collapse? international solidarity, the BDS movement must build across the globe and take its deliberations into the United Nations By Alireza Hashemi Washington Post believed the “decaying” headquarters in New York. Islamic Republic is “showing its age” and This is both important and legal, as in the United States TEHRAN — Iran celebrated the 40th an- the Christian Science Monitor claimed the new legislation passed in the Senate seeks to legalize the right niversary of its revolution on Monday, with country has reached a turning point. of individual state governments to force American companies people marching to honour an unexpected Likewise, Financial Times reported many to certify they won’t engage in economic boycotts of Israel as victory that birthed the Islamic Republic. of those born since the 1979 revolution want a condition for receiving government contracts. The “Com- Packed crowds of Iranians were on the reform, France 24 quoted an expert saying bating BDS Act of 2019” is embedded as Title IV within the streets in Iranian cities to commemorate the the Iranian state represses its people and ‘‘Strengthening America’s Security in the Middle East Act sweeping away of the U.S.-backed rule of deprives them of the country’s wealth, and of 2019’’ (S.1). If signed into law, S.1 would allow states to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, defying a Deutsche Welle predicted the Islamic Re- withhold government funding from entities unwilling to cer- prediction that few in Iran are in celebration public is likely to be toppled in near future. tify they will not boycott Israel. Most existing state anti-BDS mood considering rising unemployment and Pipe Dreams measures require pledge forms that contractors must sign as inflation exacerbated by U.S. sanctions. But the noisy celebrations on Monday a condition for winning or renewing contracts. But this was not the only prediction proven showed once again that the stories by narrated But, just like the rest of the international civil society only false. The celebrations left unfulfilled the the dreamers in the western press and fanta- 22.5% of American adults favor anti-boycott measures. A new latest prophecy of the hawkish U.S. national sies woven by hawks in the U.S. government representative poll conducted through Google Surveys finds security advisor John Bolton, who hoped last have little to do with reality. that 74.9% of Americans oppose forcing government contrac- year “the Ayatollah Khomeini’s 1979 revolu- The case was too big to ignore, and the tors to forswear boycotts. tion will not last until its fortieth birthday”. western agencies had no choice but to cover This is while at least 25 states – many quietly lobbied by In his speech to a conference of the Mo- the celebrations, although they sought to Israel advocacy organizations – have now passed their own jahedin-e Khalq Organization, the notorious play down the annual event. laws or started enforcing executive orders prohibiting the flow group behind biggest terror attacks in Iran, The celebrations were frequently referred of state contracts to any business unwilling to sign pledges Bolton also said they would hold celebrations to as “state-organized” marches that saw tens not to boycott Israel. in Tehran before 2019. of thousands or at best hundreds of thousands They further ban compliant contractors from transferring Even at that time, the statement appeared of people in Iran’s 31 provinces in attendance. state funding on to subcontractors unwilling to sign such pledg- more like a case of wishful thinking. for the Islamic Republic was 2009, when alle- Tehran and mocking Obama for being too The reaction of the U.S. government was es. But some are beginning to fight for their right to boycott It’s All Illusion gations of widespread fraud in the presidential soft on Iran. even more interesting. as speech protected by the 1st Amendment. In fact, the U.S. politicians have long elections that year ignited street protests in People inside the new U.S. administration Presumably, the level of people’s attend- Whatever this is, the officials and entities that favor an- been talking the Islamic Republic’s immi- Tehran and other cities. claimed there are many parallels between ance in the February 11 celebrations could ti-boycott measures are not the true representatives of the nent demise. Such claims could hardly be credible, as Iran and the former Soviet Union, believing be the first indicator of the success of the American public or the greater international society. They The U.S. pressure campaign against Tehran the victor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, had won the current president could play a part similar so-called “maximum pressure” campaign, should keep in mind that their decision to protect Israel and was launched just months into the revolu- by an 11-million lead over his nearest rival to former president Ronald Reagan by taking designed to bring Iran to its knees. its cult of occupation is not what over 70% of Americans want. tion, after U.S. officials were convinced the and it was impossible for him to collude with an uncompromising position toward Iran. Trump and Bolton were so annoyed by The intense public or behind-the-scenes support for unpopular Islamic Republic was not something they hundreds of thousands of election organisers Soon, western government’s propaganda the popular celebrations that they issued anti-BDS measures have put some Israel advocacy organi- could stand. to steal so many votes. mouthpieces took up the Soviet analogy as separate messages hours later, with the ad- zations and pro-Israel officials on the Capitol Hill under an Western governments could live without But facts were no important to western their watchword and started repeating a nearly visor denouncing the “Iranian regime” who uncomfortable spotlight. Iran’s petrodollars and its highly profitable media and politicians, who portrayed a nation forgotten mantra: Iranians want change. “has failed to fulfil its promises.” A broad coalition of human rights organizations back the economic opportunities, but they couldn’t tired of the revolution who had stood up to The narrative was set up skilfully: Iran’s They seem to be convinced that the Iranian BDS as a grassroots movement. They are also calling for a afford to see Mideast people suffering similar finish off a decaying regime. youth, particularly the army of the unem- government is vulnerable to collapse and cutoff in all funding to Israel, any loan guarantees and Israeli dictatorships to follow in Iranian’s footsteps For a few months, the uprising was he- ployed, have been hit hard by the economic tough U.S. sanctions could hasten its demise. access to prepositioned stockpiles of US weapons Israel can and copy this model in the region’s oil king- roically advancing, and the so-called green downturn and other challenges and are fed But Iran has been under sanctions for over use against the besieged population in Gaza and the West doms. movement was to take over the country soon. up with a regime full of mischief. forty years. Why should we believe the new Bank, or attack its neighbors. Throughout the years since the 1979 rev- However, despite the hopes of overex- The western MSM’s audience were end- round of U.S. sanctions will bring a collapse In summation, the BDS is in no way “the new anti-semi- olution, U.S. officials and their propaganda cited commentators in the western press, lessly told that Iranians have grown weary of the Islamic Republic now? tism” movement. The desperate attempts by the governments mouthpieces have periodically asserted the things didn’t go as their audience would of the regime’s corruption and are yearning The reason why the Islamic Republic survives in the United States or in Canada to echo the Israeli regime’s Islamic Republic is merely months away from have expected. from within for transformation. such undue pressure is a story for another day, smear before the United Nations General Assembly will go collapse. With the predications of the western According to this narrative, the U.S. and but it seems safe to conclude that the current nowhere. They are shameless in their opportunism and they In fact, Bolton’s friends at MKO are a big dreamers proven untrue, then U.S. presi- other western governments have a human- U.S. pressure campaign is doomed. have Palestinian blood on their hands. victim of such mentality, losing thousands dent Barack Obama appeared to start ad- itarian duty to intervene and help Iranians There is no doubt that the Iranian gov- Indeed, boycotting Israel bodes well with the fundamental of forces in a plainly ridiculous operation to mitting the reality about Iran, starting with realize their hope. ernment faces a series of unnerving domestic norms of international law, international humanitarian law take Tehran and other Iranian cities in 1988. the recognition of Iran’s right to peaceful Even before the 40th anniversary of the and foreign challenges. and UN Charter. BDS is not an all-or-nothing tactic. If western Before them, the former Iraqi dictator atomic energy. revolution, western media were full of re- But the 40-year-old Islamic Republic is governments don’t want to boycott anything, let them come up Saddam Hussein had tried to bring an end The Obama administration concluded ports raising the familiar theme of Iran’s different from the one that emerged in 1979. with a better idea for transforming the status quo in occupied to the Islamic Republic in weeks, taking ad- the nuclear deal with Iran and exchanged need for change. Iran has now secured itself, boosted its Palestine, or just any idea that hasn’t already failed. vantage of Iran’s post-revolutionary chaos prisoners with the country, believing that Reuters ran the story of a former judge regional influence and established a buffer The road ahead is clear: Boycott Israel and Tel Aviv’s ille- in the 1980s. the experience of decades of U.S. hostility who is frustrated with the revolution, the zone between its borders and hostile powers. gal occupation policy will come under pressure to make way However, despite generous financial and towards Tehran testified the Iran problem Daily Telegraph remembered “horrors” of It has grown domestically, too, trying to for the Palestinian right to freedom and self-determination. arms support provided by wealthy Arab gov- is not just another nail to be tapped by the the post-revolution Iran, and Bloomberg keep up with a dynamic society. At the same time, a surge of international support for the ernments and the west, the Iraqi war machine strong U.S. hammer. asserted Iranians have endured 40 years More importantly, many Iranians are now Palestinian right to freedom and self-determination will add failed to achieve tangible achievements after Illusions Make Comeback of “terror, deprivation and cruelty” under convinced they have to stand on their feet a new dimension to the Holy Land politics, where all margin- eight years of relentless war. Then Trump came to power and pull out the Islamic Republic. and stand U.S. pressures, having experienced alized Palestinians, Christians, Jews and Muslims will have Manufactured Revolution of the nuclear deal, alleging that his prede- Moreover, Wall Street Journal said the first-hand that the U.S. is hopeless case. a say in a nationwide referendum to determine their future The last time we were told the end is near cessors have not been tough enough with revolution has failed to fulfil promises, (Source: Iran Front Page) government and state. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 8 ADVERTISEMENTS FEBRUARY 14, 2019

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II NN TT EE RR NN AA TT II OO NN AA LL DD AA II LL YY FEBRUARY 14,14, 20192019 HEALTHADVERTISEMENT 99

Health Ministry to Iranian researchers develop laboratory ultracentrifuge

HEALTH TEHRAN — A laboratory ultracentrifuge was support MPS patients deskmade by Iranian researchers at Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, announced an official with the institute. HEALTH TEHRAN — the Min- unfortunately not available in Iran’s market According to Gholamreza Shokri, this ultracentrifuge’s speed deskistry of Health has an- and such patients can only receive stem cell is up to 60,000 rounds per minute, ISNA reported on Wednesday. nounced its recent activities to support transplants,” he added. The ultracentrifuge is a centrifuge optimized for spinning a Mucopolysaccharide (MPS) patients “The type 4 medicine is Vimizim that IFDA rotor at very high speeds, capable of generating acceleration as in Iran that started with measuring its has been able to provide it for about only 30 high as 1?000?000 g (approx. 9?800 km/s). prevalence in the country. patients. Previously, IFDA covered 96% of There are two kinds of ultracentrifuges, the preparative and the MPS and related diseases are Lysosomal this medicine’s costs but now it has taken analytical ultracentrifuge. Both classes of instruments find impor- Storage Diseases. These are rare, life-limit- upon itself to cover the total costs,” he said. tant uses in molecular biology, biochemistry, and polymer science. ing, progressive, genetic conditions caused Support packages According to Shokri, the achievement will lead to further by the shortage of a particular enzyme. The According to Shadnoosh, fortunately, development of vaccines industry in the country. disease has seven distinct clinical types and the project for re-diagnosis and registra- “Few years ago, when the idea for making this device was first numerous subtypes. tion of PMS patients has been carried out proposed, many had guessed its success rate to be as low as 10%, The first step was to identify the MPS and a protocol was established for taking but fortunately the producers’ team didn’t lose hope and kept patients in the country, said the head of the samples of patients and sending them to working until their efforts resulted in success.” He further noticed. Transplantation and Treatment of Diseases eight selected laboratories all around the In May, an official with Science and Technology Vice-Presidency Department at the Ministry of Health. country in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, had announced that Iran will support knowledge enterprises that According to Mehdi Shadnoosh, MPS type Ahwaz and Mashhad. The patients were are active in the vaccine industry. 1, 2, 4 and 6 are the most prevalent types required to register in the system by the in the world. In Iran, 95 people have been end of the Iranian month of Dey (ended identified with MPS type 1, 15 with type 2, on January 21st). 130 with type 4 and 95 with type 6. Shadnoosh announced that a support It’s widely believed that you Accessibility to MPS medicine package for PMS patients is also underway. Shadnoosh announced that the main “We have drafted another form where should avoid eating too soon medicines for treating MPS type 1 and 6; patients can report their health status and namely Aldurazyme and Naglazyme, have According to Mehdi Shadnoosh, MPS type IFDA is trying to provide them with genetic before hitting the hay been completely free of charge for patients in 1, 2, 4 and 6 are the most prevalent types test kits,” he noticed. the past 5 years as the expanses are covered In October, Shadnoosh had announced Leaving a gap of two hours in between eating your dinner and by Iranian Food and Drug Administration in the world. In Iran, 95 people have been that MPS is included in the Ministry of going to bed isn’t necessarily beneficial for your health, a new (IFDA). The patients can also receive stem identified with MPS type 1, 15 with type 2, Health’s rare diseases list and patients scientific study has suggested. cell transplants. can benefit financial supports provided It’s commonly believed that eating shortly before bed can “The medicine for MPS type 2, Elaprase, is 130 with type 4 and 95 with type 6. by the ministry. have a long-term detrimental impact on your wellbeing, leading to issues such as an increased risk of cancer. However, researchers from the Graduate School of Health Scienc- es at Okayama University in Japan have seemingly debunked this Automated organ donation system to start in a month claim, stating that leaving a two-gap between your last meal of the HEALTH TEHRAN — The first stage of estab- whenever a new organ is found the top ten on the waiting day and your bedtime is unlikely to affect your blood glucose levels. desklishing an automated database of organ list will be introduced, he further explained. In Japan, the public are advised to leave two hours in between transplantation will begin on March 1st, said the head of He went on saying that the rankings are based on a variety dinner and bed at least three times a week. the transplantation and treatment of diseases department of factors including the patients’ age, blood type, human For the study, which was published in the journal BMJ Nu- at the Ministry of Health. leukocyte antigen (HLA), and the urgency of their needs trition, Prevention and Health, the researchers analysed data “Collecting this database is now the Health Ministry’s and waiting time. gathered between 2012 and 2014 from 1,573 healthy middle-aged priority in the field of organ transplantation,” said Mehdi “We are also trying to come up with a precise protocol for and older adults from Okayama in western Japan. Shadnoosh in an interview with IRNA on Tuesday. organ transports, especially when they have to move from None of the adults had any underlying health conditions re- “We have taken major steps in developing organ trans- one city to another,” the health official added. lated to diabetes, two thirds of the cohort were women, and the plantation in Iran but what we need to work on now is how “To do so, we have to collaborate with other organizations majority were over the age of 65. to better manage and regulate this system,” he noted. including the air transport system and traffic police. We The team assessed the group’s eating regimes in addition to “The second stage of this project will begin in May and are currently drafting the plans and we hope they will be other lifestyle factors such as their weight, how fast they eat, how the aim is for the whole system of organ donation to be operational by the next year,” said Shadnoosh. much physical activity they partake in and whether they smoke. automated in time.” Earlier this month, Shadnoosh announced that organ Over the course of the study the researchers also monitored The database will include all the information about the donation rate has increased by 60 times over the past 18 the HbA1c levels of the participants, which indicates the blood people who are awaiting an organ donation; then the sys- years, though the growth is not considerable compared to glucose levels of individuals over a two- to three-month period. tem will automatically rank them based on their needs and the global scale. (Source: the independent)

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UNWTO announces Iran’s Tehran tourism stats over 2013-17 TOURISM TEHRAN — The number of foreign vis- exhibit offers deskitors landing in Iran registered a slight decrease between 2015 and 2017, according to a recent statistics compiled by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, Eghtesad Online reported. must-see places In fact, 2015 saw the highest number of foreign tourists’ arrivals in Iran during the five years (2013-17), the UNWTO’s Compendium of Tourism Statistics, suggests. for Noruz TOURISM TEHRAN — Hundreds eco-tourism. deskof potential travelers for They, however, hope to revive travel market Noruz holidays are choosing, bargaining that has been battered over the past couple or even negotiating prices with travel of months mainly by sharp rises in the value markets at the 12th Tehran International of foreign currencies against rial. Tourism Exhibition, which will be run- Iran’s outbound tourism fell by 30 percent ning through February 16. during the first nine months of the current Every year, People in Iran make hundreds Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2018) of thousands of domestic trips during the Per- from a year earlier, according to data com- sian New Year holidays, when most businesses piled by the Cultural Heritage, Handicraft and workplaces are closed, as are schools. and Tourism Organization. “Tourism and Digital Transformation” has Visitors to the exhibit, which is under- been selected as the motto of the event, in way at the Tehran International Permanent which tens of e-travel companies are turning Fairground, have also the chance to taste the spotlight on ecotourism, health tourism, variety of traditional and regional snacks and various regional communities and tribes, dishes which are usually embellished with Tourists visit UNESCO-registered Persepolis in southern Iran their traditions, arts, cuisine and rituals. fragrant herbs while principally accentuate The exhibit is attended by 660 Iranian on freshness, deliciousness, and colorfulness. Americas and Africa were the smallest sources of Iran’s companies and 57 ones from Turkey, Malaysia, Iran embraces hundreds of historical region-wise inbound tourism. As few as 12,000 tourists from Singapore, Thailand, Italy, Indonesia, Paki- sites such as bazaars, museums, mosques, Americas and about 14,000 travelers from Africa headed stan, Germany, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausole- for Iran in 2017. and Afghanistan, according to organizers. ums, churches, towers, and mansions, of Road has been the most popular mode of transport among Stalls of travel markers, tour operators, which 22 being inscribed on the UNESCO foreign visitors to Iran from 2013 to 2017. Of the 4,867,000 hoteliers, and airliners are quite busy with World Heritage list. visits to Iran in 2017, a total of 3,210,000 were made by land people doing business in various arenas The country’s ultimate goal is to attract (by road in particular), about 1,629,000 by air and around including medical, health, pilgrimage and 20 million foreign tourists annually by 2025. 28,000 by water. The World Tourism Organization did not provide numbers on travels by rail, the statistics says. The UN agency did not publish Iran’s inbound tourism expenditure statistics for 2017 in the new edition of the Many Indonesians want to visit Iran: envoy compendium. However, figures provided for years between 2013 and 2016 show that foreign visitors’ total spending By Afshin Majlesi who seek to abide by the Islamic rules. was the highest in 2015 with $4,771 million, followed by Talking on developing Indonesia tourism market, he TEHRAN — Jakarta ambassador to Tehran said on Tuesday said “Recently, the Global Muslim Travel Index 2018, which $4,197 million in 2014, $3,914 million in 2016 and $3,306 that many Indonesians want to visit Iran as he encouraged million in 2013. covers 130 destinations, saw Indonesia built on its year- Iranians to visit the world’s largest island country. on-year growth by moving up to joint second rank with the In 2016, inbound tourism expenditure amounted to “I can assure you that many Indonesians want to visit $3,914 million, the value of travel was $3,713 million and United Arab Emirates in the overall rankings.” Iran mostly to visit holy cities of Iran; pilgrim tourism,” Other officials from both countries also delivered speeches the value of passenger transport was $201 million. Octavian Alimuddin said in an address to a gathering of Out of the total inbound tourism expenditure worth $4,771 on ways to expand joint tourism and cultural ties. In addi- Iranian travel markets and tour operators. tion, the event featured three traditional dances performed million in 2015, the value of travel stood at $4,388 million He made the remarks in an event titled “Wonderful and the value of passenger transport was $383 million. by Indonesian troupes. Indonesia Tourism Promotion in Iran” that the embassy Being the largest country and the most diverse in Southeast In 2014, of the total $4,197 million inbound tourism ex- organized at Tehran’s Parsian Evin Hotel. penditure, the value of travel hovered around $3,841 million Asia Region, Indonesia offers a complete package of tourist It was also attended by Iran Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts destinations; from marine tourism to eco-tourism, from and the value of passenger transport was $356 million. and Tourism Organization Deputy Director Vali Teymouri Of the total inbound tourism expenditure worth $3,308 art and culinary tourism to sport and health tourism, from and several other cultural officials from both countries. shopping tourism to Halal tourism, the envoy concluded. million in 2013, the value of travel was $3,054 million and Octavian Alimuddin in an undated photo “I invite you all to establish cooperation and collab- The event was held concurrent with the opening day of the value of passenger transport was about $252 million. oration with us. I believe this event will bring immense amazing scenery and beautiful culture, he added. In January, Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and the 12th Tehran International Tourism Exhibition, which impacts in our tourism industry…. After this event feel Alimuddin went on to say that Indonesia and Iran will will be running through February 15. Tourism Organization signed a memorandum of under- free to establish the networking to exchange information review ways to ease travels and even establishing other standing with the World Tourism Organization to devel- A number of Indonesian hotel management companies of integrated tourist packages, destinations development, direct flights if possible. The official also stressed the need and travel agencies are taking part in the four-day exhibit to op ties for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and market strategies, etc.” for promoting Halal tourism, a subcategory of traveling universally accessible tourism. promote the resort islands of the Muslim-majority country Most Iranian tourists visit Indonesia for having leisure, geared toward the specific needs of Muslim individuals to Iranian visitors. ROUND THE GLOBE Shiraz Municipality plans to restore Old Bridge Area of the Old Saray-e Moshir to its former glory City of Mostar HERITAGE TEHRAN — Shiraz Municipality has is set around an attractive tree-filled courtyard with A settlement established as an urban structure in the deskcommenced a restoration project on a pool and fountains. 15th century on the crossing of a river and a land road Saray-e Moshir in a bid to make the centuries-old Part of a sprawling bazaar in Shiraz, Saray-e Moshir, was originally located in a valley of the Neretva River, bazaar and caravanserai as beautiful as it used to be. on the other hand, has become a meeting place for between Hum Hill and the foot of the Velez Mountain In the first phase, flooring, lighting to achieve aes- locals. It also draws domestic and international trav- in Bosnia and Herzegovina. thetic effect, and landscaping are on agenda while elers, many of whom pausing behind displays for restoration of sanitary facilities has been planned for browsing. the second, ISNA quoted a local official on Tuesday. Shiraz is home to dozens of magnificent buildings, The former rooms of the two-storey caravanserai historical sites and scenic landscapes. It was literally are occupied with clusters of souvenir and jewelry the capital of Persia during the Zand dynasty from shops. The historical inn is tastefully restored and 1751 to 1794. The first three things you should find in every city you visit As soon as you land in a new city and get to your hotel, find that drugstores often have ATMs inside, so you can kill there are three key places you should find before you two birds with one brick and mortar store. If you can find head out to explore. an ATM that doesn’t charge a fee, though, all the better. When you leave home to travel, you’re leaving behind This becomes even more important when you’re trave- your support system. It’s easy to forget all the things you ling out of the country. You can usually get local currency rely on — like regular access to food, medicine, money and at banks or airports before you leave, but you can’t plan for information — until you don’t have them anymore. everything. If the closest drugstore doesn’t have an ATM, Fortunately, you can find a substitute for your basic find a place to exchange your money without exorbitant fees. This relatively small settlement had two towers around needs in every city you travel to. Whether you’re traveling Finally, find a Wi-Fi hot spot the bridge, which dated 1459, as noted by written historical for vacation or business, there are three places you should Navigating any new, unfamiliar city is easier when you sources. The current name, Mostar, was mentioned for identify, preferably within a short distance of your hotel. have steady access to information. At home, your phone’s the first time in 1474 and derived from “mostari” - the Once you know the location of all three, you’re prepared to reception is likely reliable enough to get by, but when bridge keepers. tackle almost anything a new city can throw at you. traveling it helps to know where your hot spots are in case The historic town of Mostar developed in the 15th and 16th First, find a drugstore you lose service or need to avoid data charges. Ideally, your centuries as an Ottoman frontier town and during the short Few places are more useful to a traveler than a drug- hotel will have Wi-Fi available, but it might be unreliable Austro-Hungarian period in the 19th and 20th centuries. store. While you can bring some medicine with you or cost too much. Mostar has been long known for its old Turkish houses and when you travel, you never know what’s going to come With that in mind, finding an open, free hot spot near the Old Bridge – Stari most, an extraordinary technological up. If you sprain your ankle or catch a cold, you’ll need your hotel can be a good fallback. More important, if you’re achievement of bridge construction. to know where to get supplies. planning to be away from your hotel for a long time, find a The historic part of Mostar is a result of interaction between Additionally, most drugstores have a selection of food, can be a lifesaver. Some drugstores are even open 24 hours, hot spot near where you’ll be spending the day. the natural phenomena and human creativity throughout drinks and other merchandise that you might also need. so you can grab some snacks after other stores are closed. The simplest way is usually to locate a restaurant or cof- a long historical period. You can’t bring your fridge with you and restaurants are Next, locate an ATM (or currency exchange) fee shop that has free Wi-Fi, but crowdsourced apps like The essence of centuries-long cultural continuity is expensive. If you’re staying somewhere for a long time, find If you’re traveling domestically, your credit or debit cards Foursquare can also help you find open networks that are represented by the universal synthesis of life phenomena: a proper grocery store, but if you’re only staying for a few might serve you well (just be sure to let your card carrier less obvious. the bridge and its fortresses – with the rich archeological days or a week, knowing the closest place to grab a light meal know that you are traveling). When you need cash, you’ll (Source: The New York Times) layers from the pre-Ottoman period, religious edifices, residential zones (mahalas), arable lands, houses, bazaar, its public life in the streets and water. Ancient Egypt discovery: Archaeologists find maritime workshop from Ptolemaic era Architecture here presented a symbol of tolerance: a shared life of Muslims, Christians and Jews. Mosques, Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered of Alexander the Great Ptolemy declared The River Nile was the main highway where ships were built or repaired. churches, and synagogues existed side-by-side indicating an ancient workshop which was used himself Pharaoh of Egypt in 305 BC and of Ancient Egypt and boats were used to The Greco-Roman period in Egypt spans that in this region, the Roman Catholic Croats with to build and repair ships in the Sinai ended with the death of Queen Cleopatra carry everything, from grains to live cattle. from its fall to Alexander the Great in the their Western European culture, the Eastern Orthodox Peninsula. VII and the Roman conquest in 30 BC. The earliest boats were moved using 4th century BC to the Islamic conquest in Serbs with their elements of Byzantine culture, and The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities The ministry has said excavations took oars and were made from bundles of pa- the 7th century. the Sephardic Jews continued to live together with the have released a picture of the ancient place in the Tel Abu Saifi archeological pyrus reeds tied tightly together. Egypt is hoping that this discovery will Bosniaks-Muslims for more than four centuries. workshop, which would have been used site in Northern Sinai. The secretary general of the Supreme encourage more tourism which have taken (Source: UNESCO) to build and repair ships in the Ptolemaic The site was the location of the Roman Council of Antiquities has said that the a knocking following the 2011 uprising. era. Ptolemaic Egypt began when a follower fortress of Silla. workshop includes two dry dockyards (Source: express.co.uk) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y FEBRUARY 14, 2019 SCIENCE 11

Global warming: Map shows NASA finds second impact crater under Greenland ice sheet

Greenland’s ice sheet is the second largest body of ice in the world, so scientists are naturally interested in how it’s changing climate in your area in 2080 with the climate and what’s under there. Recent studies of the ice sheet with radar revealed something unexpected: an impact Scientists have mapped the changes in climate documented between 1960 to 1990 and average crater. What’s more unexpected than an impact crater? A second that cities across North America will experience projections for 2070 to 2099. impact crater. NASA says it just spotted a second crater just over by 2080 if global warming isn’t stopped, However, the scientists acknowledged the a hundred miles from the first one, and the team believes they with the residents of New York, Boston, and map left out important outcomes such as the formed at different times. Philadelphia on course to see conditions rise of sea levels, health issues, and the risk In November of 2018, NASA announced the discovery of an currently found hundreds of kilometers to of extreme weather events. For instance, the impact crater under the Hiawatha glacier. This discovery came the south. new normal could see species pop up in the thanks to NASA’s Operation IceBridge, a project employing a If current levels of greenhouse gas emissions northeast that are usually seen in the southeast, fleet of aircraft to conduct radar scans of glaciers. The Hiawatha are pumped into the Earth’s atmosphere for like Asian Tiger mosquitoes and with it the crater clocks in at 19 miles (31 kilometers) in diameter, and was the rest of the 21st century, today’s children will West Nile Virus. most likely created by an iron meteorite strike. After finding this live in climates not only unlike anything their Climate change and its dangers unexpected crater, scientists started looking for more evidence parents or grandparents have experienced, Still, the team said they hoped their map of ancient impacts under the ice. but not seen for millennia, the scientists who will provide an “intuitive” way for members The latest radar scans of Greenland appear to show a second created the map warned. of the public to grasp the dangers posed by crater, slightly larger than the first at 22 miles (36.5 kilometers) But figures such as a 3C rise in global climate change. across. It has the characteristic flat bowl depression, along with temperatures, which scientists believe would be Study author Dr. Matt Fitzpatrick and an elevated rim and centrally located peaks. Operation IceBridge catastrophic to the survival of life on Earth as we associate professor at the University of measurements also detected a negative gravity anomaly in the know it, can feel abstract to the average person, Maryland Center for Environmental Science area, a common sign of impact craters. This is only the second argued the creators of the map presented in the told Newsweek: “Our results show just how impact crater discovered under ice, but it will be the 22nd largest journal Nature Communications. The team dramatic a transformation climate is expected in the world if confirmed via additional measurements. wanted to make the impending threat easier to they warned. southern California. to undergo over the next several decades. These The subtropical humidity of the Midwest To create their map, the researchers used The two features are only 114 miles apart (the new crater is digest, by mapping how the conditions in 540 changes are already underway. more inland than the Hiawatha crater). At first, the team won- urban areas — home to around 250 million and south-eastern U.S., for instance, will creep a statistical technique called climate-analog “If emissions continue at the same rates, up into the northeastern cities. In contrast, mapping to prove comparisons between the dered if the two craters came from the same impact event. For people across the U.S. and Canada — would be many urban areas will eventually experience example, a binary paid of asteroids falling into Earth’s atmos- comparable to a potentially familiar location. cities to the west will in time more closely modern day and future climates of urban climates unlike any found at present in the resemble the deserts of the Southwest or areas. They drew on the mean climate data phere. However, researchers have mostly discarded that idea. Contingency plans western hemisphere North of the equator. Our The new crater is far more eroded than the Hiawatha crater, and In North America, urban areas will have to results clearly show the effect that reducing the morphology is shallower. become accustomed to the current climate of If current levels of greenhouse gas emissions emissions could have on the magnitude of The best current estimate dates the new crater around 2.6 regions some 850 kilometers away on average, are pumped into the Earth’s atmosphere future climate change.” million years old, much older than the Hiawatha crater at rough- the scientists said. And thanks to their hulking The paper is the latest warning from ly 100,000 years. The new crater doesn’t have a name yet, but populations, relatively old infrastructure, and a for the rest of the 21st century, today’s scientists of the impending threat. Last year, a once its existence is confirmed, the team recommends Paterson lack of coordinated effort to stem the effects of children will live in climates not only unlike study published in the journal Nature Climate crater. The name would honor glaciologist Stan Paterson who climate change, cities are particularly prone to anything their parents or grandparents have Change warned that if the pledges of the Paris reconstructed climate data from the last 100,000 years from the negative effects of changes in climate. Most climate agreement are not met, more than a Greenland ice cores. (Source: extremetech.com) major cities don’t have contingency plans in experienced, but not seen for millennia, the quarter of the Earth will suffer droughts and place for impending environmental disasters, scientists warn. desertification by 2050. and the subsequent social and economic fallout, (Source: Newsweek) Moving artificial leaves out of the lab and into the air: New study suggests possibility of recent Scientists discover that charcoal new research underground volcanism on Mars traps ammonia pollution Researchers have proposed a design solution that could bring A study published last year in the journal Cornell University scientists Rachel Hestrin and artificial leaves out of the lab and into the environment. Their Science suggested liquid water is present Johannes Lehmann, along with collaborators improved leaf, which would use carbon dioxide -- a potent green- beneath the south polar ice cap of Mars. from Canada and Australia, have shown that house gas -- from the air, would be at least 10 times more efficient Now, a new study in the AGU journal charcoal can mop up large quantities of nitrogen than natural leaves at converting carbon dioxide to fuel. Geophysical Research Letters argues there from the air pollutant ammonia, resulting in An artificial, bio-inspired leaf. Carbon dioxide (red and black needs to be an underground source of heat a potential slow-release fertilizer with more balls) enter the leaf as water (white and red balls) evaporates from for liquid water to exist underneath the nitrogen than most animal manures or other the bottom of the leaf. An artificial photosystem (purple circle polar ice cap. natural soil amendments. at the center of the leaf) made of a light absorber coated with The new research does not take sides as Ammonia is a common component of agri- catalysts converts carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide and con- to whether the liquid water exists. Instead, cultural fertilizers and provides a bioavailable verts water to oxygen (shown as double red balls) using sunlight. the authors suggest recent magmatic form of the essential nutrient nitrogen to plants. Artificial leaves mimic photosynthesis -- the process whereby activity - the formation of a magma chamber author of the new paper. “If there are still However, ammonia is also a highly reactive gas ambient temperature and pressure conditions. plants use water and carbon dioxide from the air to produce car- within the past few hundred thousand magmatic processes active today, maybe that can combine with other air pollutants to Hestrin says that using the beamline ca- bohydrates using energy from the sun. But even state-of-the-art years - must have occurred underneath they were more common in the recent create particles that travel deep into the lungs, pabilities at the Canadian Light Source was artificial leaves, which hold promise in reducing carbon dioxide the surface of Mars for there to be enough past, and could supply more widespread leading to a host of respiratory issues. It also essential to this game-changing discovery and from the atmosphere, only work in the laboratory because they heat to produce liquid water underneath basal melting. This could provide a more indirectly contributes to climate change when turned it into a much bigger project than orig- use pure, pressurized carbon dioxide from tanks. the kilometer-and-a-half thick ice cap. On favorable environment for liquid water excess fertilizer inputs to soil are converted inally planned. But now, researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago the flip side, the study’s authors argue that and thus, perhaps, life.” into nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. The “CLS beamline provided the best have proposed a design solution that could bring artificial leaves if there was not recent magmatic activity Mars has two giant ice sheets at its In Canada, ammonia emissions have method to investigate how charcoal can re- out of the lab and into the environment. Their improved leaf, which underneath the surface of Mars, then there poles, both a couple of kilometers thick. increased by 22 per cent since 1990, and 90 tain nitrogen from ammonia. Discovering that would use carbon dioxide -- a potent greenhouse gas -- from the is not likely liquid water underneath the The planet’s heat percent are produced by agriculture, particularly nitrogen was retained through a variety of co- air, would be at least 10 times more efficient than natural leaves ice cap. On Earth, it is common for liquid water from manures, slurries and fertilizer appli- valent bonds was a real game-changer in our at converting carbon dioxide to fuel. Their findings are reported “Different people may go different ways to be present underneath thick ice sheets, cations. Mitigating this pollutant — without research. It implies that nitrogen captured from in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. with this, and we’re really interested to with the planet’s heat causing the ice to limiting fertilizers and food growth for our compost or manure might be less susceptible “So far, all designs for artificial leaves that have been tested see how the community reacts to it,” said melt where it meets the Earth’s crust. growing world population — is key to a sus- to loss through leaching or volatilization than in the lab use carbon dioxide from pressurized tanks. In order to Michael Sori, an associate staff scientist In a paper published last year in Science, tainable future. we previously thought.” implement successfully in the real world, these devices need to in the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at scientists said they detected a similar Agricultural benefits Toxic gases be able to draw carbon dioxide from much more dilute sources, the University of Arizona and a co-lead phenomenon on Mars. They claimed Charcoal, also known as fire-derived organic Nitrogen plays an important role in climate such as air and flue gas, which is the gas given off by coal-burn- author of the new paper. radar observations detected evidence of matter or biochar, is both a natural material change, and it is present in numerous forms, ing power plants,” said Meenesh Singh, assistant professor of Underground magmatic activity liquid water at the base of Mars’s south found in the environment and an agricultur- some essential for living organisms, and oth- chemical engineering in the UIC College of Engineering and The potential presence of recent polar ice cap. However, the Science study al amendment. Recent investigation into the ers that are toxic or noxious gases. Providing corresponding author on the paper. underground magmatic activity on did not address how the liquid water could potential agricultural benefits of charcoal have sufficient nitrogen to crops while reducing ni- Unhooking the pressurized carbon dioxide supply from these Mars lends weight to the idea that Mars have gotten there. sparked interest in its chemical properties and trogen leaching into groundwater or gaseous leaves means that they must have a way to collect and concentrate is an active planet, geologically speaking. Mars is much cooler than Earth so it was capacity to retain and supply essential nutri- emissions into the atmosphere has important carbon dioxide from the air to drive their artificial photosynthetic That fact could give scientists a better unclear what type of environment would ents to plants. environmental consequences. reactions. (Source: sciencedaily.com) understanding of how planets evolve be needed to melt the ice at the base of The researchers used the Canadian Light Currently, up to 50 percent of the nitrogen over time. the ice cap. Although previous research Source at the University of Saskatchewan to that goes into a composting facility can be lost The new study is intended to further has examined if liquid water could exist at examine how ammonia gas interacts with as ammonia gas — capturing it directly at the the debate around the possibility of liquid the base of Mars’s ice caps, no one had yet charcoal under natural conditions. Accord- source could significantly cut pollution and Birds of a feather may stick water on Mars. The presence of liquid water looked at the specific location where the ing to Lehmann, “The unique end stations at loss of a valuable plant nutrient. together, but this bird’s foot on the Red Planet has implications for Science study claimed to have detected CLS are great for this kind of nitrogen X-ray Further research into this ground-breaking potentially finding life outside of Earth and water. spectroscopy.” discovery indicates that the environmental got stuck in amber could also serve as a resource for future “We thought there was a lot of room Hestrin and Lehmann’s study identifies impact of charcoal’s nitrogen capture from human exploration of our neighboring to figure out if [the liquid water] is real, charcoal’s ability to capture nitrogen from ammonia gas could play an important role In the bustling amber markets of Myanmar, a paleontologist named planet. what sort of environment would you need airborne ammonia through the formation of in the global carbon and nitrogen cycles. In Lida Xing has collected tiny golden time capsules containing prehistoric “We think that if there is any life, it to melt the ice in the first place, what sort covalent bonds, which could provide a long-term addition to its potential for improving agri- insects, a baby snake and most famously a dinosaur’s feathered tail. likely has to be protected in the subsurface of temperatures would you need, what slow release fertilizer for field and greenhouse cultural nutrient management, the influences One day in 2014, a bead seller’s wares caught his eye. from the radiation,” said Ali Bramson, sort of geological process would you need? crop production. Previous studies showed that of charcoal in soils, air and water on nitrogen “I noticed that there was a very small bird foot in one of the beads, a postdoctoral research associate at Because under normal conditions, it should these reactions occurred between ammonia storage and availability in natural ecosystems which made me very excited,” said Dr. Xing, who works at the China the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at be too cold,” Sori said. and engineered carbon materials under high should also be considered. University of Geosciences in Beijing. the University of Arizona and a co-lead (Source: eurekalert.org) temperatures, but there was no evidence for (Source: phys.org) After some quick negotiations, Dr. Xing swooped up the specimen, a grisly, dismembered claw suspended in the beautiful honey-colored bead, which he called “Ugly Foot.” With the 99-milion-year-old amber bead now in his possession, Dr. Xing and his colleagues studied and Wave device could deliver clean energy to thousands of homes CT-scanned the entombed appendage. They saw that the top of the foot A wave energy technology is being developed that could Schematic image of a wave energy converter device being was coated in fuzzy feathers. Closer inspection revealed that there were help generate low-cost electricity for thousands of houses. developed by researchers at the Universities of Trento, Bo- bristlelike feathers protruding from the tops of the toes. The device costs less than conventional designs, has fewer logna and Edinburgh and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna Pisa. “Feathered birds or feathered dinosaurs with feathered feet have been moving parts, and is made of durable materials. It is designed A scaled-down version of the system was tested in the something that scientists have been looking for decades,” said Jingmai to be incorporated into existing ocean energy systems and FloWave facility at the University of Edinburgh, a 25m di- O’Connor, a paleontologist from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology can convert wave power into electricity. ameter circular tank that can reproduce any combination and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. Small scale experiments in an ocean simulator show that of ocean waves and currents. The bird’s foot, which was affectionately renamed “Hobbit Foot” one full-size device could generate the equivalent of 500kW, The system could replace conventional designs, involving from “Ugly Foot” by the scientists, because hobbits are known to have enough electricity for about 100 homes. Engineers say that complex air turbines and expensive moving parts. hairy feet. their design could be used in fleets of low-cost, easily main- The study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society The “Hobbit Foot” belonged to a member of a now extinct group tained structures at sea within decades, to take advantage A, was carried out in collaboration with the Universities of of birds called enantiornithines, which were prehistoric relatives of of powerful waves in Scottish waters. Trento, Bologna and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna Pisa in living birds. Unlike most modern birds, many enantiornithines — or Engineers from the University of Edinburgh and from Italy Italy. It was supported by the European Union Horizon “opposite birds” — had beaks with teeth and claws protruding from developed their device — known as a Dielectric Elastomer 2020 program and Wave Energy Scotland. their wings. They also lacked fanned tails. Generator (DEG) - using flexible rubber membranes. It is Professor David Ingram, of the University of Edinburgh’s The team thinks the bird’s leg had been ripped from its body by designed to fit on top of a vertical tube which, when placed School of Engineering, who took part in the study, said: either a hungry predator or scavenger before being coated by oozing in the sea, partially fills with water that rises and falls with “Wave energy is a potentially valuable resource around tree resin. But it was not trapped alone. Nearly touching the foot was wave motion. device. As the membrane inflates, a voltage is generated. Scotland’s coastline, and developing systems that harness a wing, presumably belonging to the same bird. In order to get a closer Via underwater cables This increases as the membrane deflates, and electricity is this could play a valuable role in producing clean energy look at the feathered foot, the team needed to slice the amber bead, As waves pass the tube, the water inside pushes trapped produced. In a commercial device, this electricity would be for future generations.” which was only about the size of a dried apricot. air above to inflate and deflate the generator on top of the transported to shore via underwater cables. (Source: techxplore.com) (Source: NYT) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 12 SOCIETY FEBRUARY 14, 2019

Tehran to host autism $4m earmarked for Asiatic conference

SOCIETY TEHRAN — The 4th conference on autism deskdisorder with a theme of empowering human resources and families will be held in Tehran on February 20. cheetah conservation The event is organized by the Charity Foundation for Special ENVIRONMENT TEHRAN — A total while being safe from road accidents, Diseases in cooperation with the Special Education Organization, deskbudget of $4 million will is being coordinated with the Ministry the Ministry of Health, the Welfare Organization and the Health be allocated to prevent the remaining of Roads & Urban Development, he Psychology Association. precious species of Asiatic cheetah from added. The focus of this conference is on empowering human re- extinction, through a five-year plan, dep- He went on to say that only 40 percent sources and families with children suffering autism as well as uty environment chief for Department of the cheetahs are inhabiting in protected academic topics in the field of of Environment (DOE) natural environ- areas, so we identified the cheetah’s mi- autism in Iran. ment and biodiversity directorate has gration corridors and habitats not being Empowering human re- announced. supervised by the DOE, and the whole sources, discussing academic The budget will be earmarked by the areas will go under the organization’s topics revolving around autism, DOE, United Nations Development supervision. and describing the parent’s role Program (UNDP) and environmentally So, current 6 million hectares of in promoting and improving the conscious NGOs, ISNA quoted Hamid Asiatic cheetahs’ habitat in the coun- autistic patient’s condition will Zohrabi as saying on Wednesday. try will increase to 11 million hectares, be among the subjects to be dis- In addition to the five-year plan to he highlighted. cussed in the conference. conserve the cheetahs in natural habitat, Listed as critically endangered by the Autism spectrum disorders the DOE has considered using artificial IUCN, the Asiatic cheetah is among the (ASD) are a group of complex insemination as an option to breed the rarest cats in the world at subspecies brain development disorders. endangered species, he said, adding, level, with fewer than 50 believed to This umbrella term covers captive breeding of the cheetahs will remain in Iran. conditions such as autism be conducted in cooperation with the Roads fragmenting cheetahs’ habitats and Asperger syndrome. These international experts. are the main threats for the species, while disorders are characterized by difficulties in social interaction Among the captive breeding methods, guard dogs and stray dogs, drought spells, and communication and a restricted and repetitive repertoire gestational surrogacy is also taken into decreasing population of the prey spe- of interests and activities. consideration which will use an African cies to support the cheetahs, and habitat World Health Organization estimates that 1 in 160 children cheetah as gestational carrier, he added. loss are also other factors endangering has an autism spectrum disorder worldwide. Herding dogs threat to chee- the sparse population of the cheetahs In mid-January Mehdi Shadnoosh, head of the transplan- tahs to be sent away in the country. tation and treatment of diseases department at the Ministry of Zohrabi referring to herding dogs as ed areas known as cheetah habitat, he are inhabiting out of the areas defined For one Abbasabad-Mayami road, Health, announced that currently, some 8,000 people have been a threat to the Asiatic cheetah’s future, highlighted, adding that it is planned to as protected areas supervised by DOE, linking north-central Semnan province diagnosed with autism disorder in the country. noted that we decided to send away the replace herding dogs with breeds which he stated. to Mashhad, northeastern province of Based on the Statista website, Japan was estimated to have the herding dogs and livestock from the chee- protect the livestock while they do not Supervising migration cor- Khorasan Razavi, in one of the deadliest highest rate of autism worldwide with approximately 161 children tah’s habitat. hurt the cheetahs. ridors roads for Asiatic cheetahs as 8 cheetahs per 10,000 with the disorder in 2017. The United Kingdom and So far, some 75 percent of the herding To enhance protection, the protected Moreover, building under passages have been killed in this area over the Sweden come at the two second places for the high prevalence dogs have been sent out of the protect- areas will be expanded as some cheetahs for cheetahs crossing beneath highways past 10 years, he lamented. of autism spectrum disorder among children.

Flood hits 22 provinces, Land use change a threat to Hyrcanian Forest SOCIETY TEHRAN — Hyrcanian Forest in province, he added that researches showed that Haraz leaving 2 dead, 5 missing desknorthern Iran has undergone a 15 dam cannot be a successful project especially in arid percent fragmentation due to land use changes for and semi-arid climate of Iran. ENVIRONMENT TEHRAN — Severe rain and snowstorms agricultural and residential purposes since recent He went on to explain that according to the Ministry deskhaunting 22 provinces of the country, triggered years, while it already has been suffering from pests of Energy, 40 percent of the water stored behind dams flooding and mudslides which have claimed two lives, and five and disease, an expert in the field of natural resources evaporates, so these projects only leads the country’s others went missing, head of Rescue and Relief Organization has said. wetlands and lakes to dry. Morteza Salimi has announced. The Hyrcanian Forest cover the northern slope of Referring to vegetation as the best way of water Provinces of Yazd, Hormozgan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Lorestan, the Alborz Mountain in Iran at the southern edge of storage, he stated that cultivation and development of Golestan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyerahmad, Kermanshah, Kerman, the Caspian Sea and it contains very rich ecosystems vegetation on slopes, rainwater will be absorbed and Qazvin, Fars, Sistan-Baluchestan, Semnan, Khuzestan, North due to the particular orographic and climatic situation stored in the underground water resources, so that and South Khorasan, Khorasan Razavi, Chaharmahal and Bakh- (precipitation rich, warm-temperate, high moisture there is no need to spend huge amounts of budget on tiari, Tehran, Bushehr, Ilam and Isfahan has been affected by from the Caspian Sea and damming effect of the Alborz outdated dam construction. the incident since the past three days, he regretted. Mountain range). The completion of Haraz dam will cost over 10 trillion So far, 12,700 people have received relief and rescue services The forest is one of the major glacial refugia arc- rials (about $240 million), which can come much more in 193 cities, villages and mountain ranges, he said, adding that to-tertiary forest vegetation where a number of tertiary effective restoring the forests, he further lamented. over 2,000 residents also have been provided with emergency relics survived the Ice Age and developed numerous “According to the statistics published by the Re- The dam, located on a large fault, stores huge vol- accommodation. endemic taxa of flora and fauna. The nomination of the search Institute of Forests and Rangelands, after two ume of water which can apply a simulated input to the He further regretted that 2 people in provinces of Khuzestan Hyrcanian Forests as a UNESCO World Heritage site years of research, overall Hyrcanian Forest cover was fault and possesses the essential features of a seismic and South Khorasan has lost their lives, and 5 people also are had been under attention since 2001 prior to become reduced by 15 percent due to land use changes over event, he highlighted, adding, in addition, the dam is missing in the floodwater, Fars reported on Wednesday. the recent focus and one of the priorities of the Iranian the past 11 years,” he explained. situated near the landfills, which have absorbed waste Missing residents are from provinces of South Khorasan, government on 2017. This is while, pests and diseases are already affecting leachate for years and can poison the water. Hormozgan, Fars, and Sistan-Baluchestan, he also added. “If deforestation process or illegal construction of the forest which leads to a vast majority of forest loss, Unfortunately, the country’s managing policies is Relief and rescue forces are staying guard and offering emer- roads and dams continues, undoubtedly, Hyrcanian he further regretted. not based on knowledge, as construction project must gency service to the residents in flood stricken areas, he concluded. Forest will disappear within the next 70 years,” ISNA Pointing out that with construction of Haraz dam be based on sustainable development, not development quoted Reza Sheikhpour as saying on Tuesday. destroyed a large part of old-growth forest in Mazandaran regardless of environmental damages, he concluded. LEARN ENGLISH Buying a Camera Russia may shoot dead 52 polar bears ‘invading’ village homes as sea ice melts A: Hello, ma’am, can I help you find something? A remote region in Russia has declared The animals are officially classed as “vul- Local administration chief Vigansha B: Yes, actually I’m looking to buy a camera. a state of emergency after more than 50 nerable”, with numbers falling. Musin said more than five bears were on A: We’ve got a wide selection do you know if you’d like a polar bears reportedly broke into homes Since December the military have been the grounds of a military garrison. point-and-shoot, or something a little fancier? Are you and offices. patrolling the streets of Belushya Guba on the “I’ve been on Novaya Zemlya since 1983,” shopping for yourself or for someone else? Some of the animals – forced inland islands but the animals have lost their fear he said. “There’s never been such a mass B: Actually I’m buying a camera for my husband. by shrinking sea ice – have even attacked of the signals used to ward them off, so more invasion of polar bears.” A: Ah, well then I’d recommend a nice entry-level digital SLR. people on the Novaya Zemlya islands, an drastic measures are needed, officials said. In 2016 five Russian scientists were “be- B: Yeah? Can I take a look at the SLRs you carry? official said. The village, home to about 560 people, has sieged” by polar bears for several weeks at A: Sure thing, follow me. This here is the. Hunting polar bears is banned in Russia, reported 52 bears have been spotted in two a remote weather station on the island of B: The Canon Eos. Yeah it’s ok, but I’m looking for something but authorities warn a cull may be the only months with some of them attacking people, Troynoy, east of Novaya Zemlya. that performs better in low light, has a better display panel, answer if other means of warding them off fail. breaking into houses and other buildings, Russia’s remote archipelago of Novaya and longer battery life. Last year a study published in Science according to Aleksander Minaev, deputy Zemlya (meaning New Earth), in the Arctic A: Oh, ah, um, the Nikon D60 is a nice option. found polar bears are starving because cli- head of the Novaya Zemlya region. ken, and parents are unwilling to let their Ocean off northern Russia, has a population B: Yeah, but what kit lens does this camera come with? mate change is melting Arctic ice, so they “People are scared, afraid to leave their children go to school or kindergarten,” Mr of just over 2,000 people. I don’t want some bulky telephoto lens. spend more time on land looking for food. homes, their daily routines are being bro- Minaev said. (Source: The Independent) A: Oh, well this one has the, uh. B: Looks to me like an 18-55mm lens. pretty standard, that will do. Not like my husband will be stalking celebrities or anything! ENGLISH IN USE A: So, ahem, can I interest you in any acc... B: Accessories? Do you carry polarizing filters? LEARN NEWS TRANSLATION A: Polarizing filter um we should! I’m sorry, ma’am. looks like we’re sold out. B: No you’re not! There are some right here! 27% rainfall shortage compared to کمبود 27 درصدی بارش ایران .A: Oh, well, would you look at that! Po-la-ri-zing filters B: Thanks for your help, Ralph! long-term average رئیــس مرکــز ملــی خشکســالی و مدیریــت بحــران ســازمان هواشناســی ضمــن اشــاره .A: No problem, ma’am Key vocabulary The precipitation rate in Iran has dropped by 27 percent over بــه افزایــش ۱.۳ درجــ های دمــای ایــران طــی ۱۱ مــاه گذشــته نســبت بــه میانگیــن ,(point and shoot: any compact non-SLR camera with non- the past eleven months (September 23, 2017 to August 21, 2018 بلندمــدت گفــت: کشــور ۲۷ درصــد کمبــود بــارش دارد. interchangeable lenses, using automatic settings and simplified compared to its long-term average, head of the national center for controls. Generally desired by novices and casual users صــادق ضیائیــان در گف توگــو بــا ایســنا، در مــورد وضعیــت بارشــی کشــور از ابتــدای entry level: simple and appropriate to an inexperienced person drought and crisis management, affiliated to the meteorological ســال آبــی )مهرمــاه ۹۶( تــا پایــان مردادمــاه ۹۷ اظهــار کــرد: طــی ۱۱ مــاه گذشــت، .lens: a transparent optical device used to converge or diverge center, has said transmitted light and to form images کل کشــور ۱۵۸ میل یمتــر بــارش دریافــت کــرده کــه بــا توجــه بــه بــارش The country with 158 millimeters of rainfall over the ۲۲۸“ interest someone in: try to persuade someone to buy, aforementioned period, is still 27 percent below the long- میل یمتــری کشــور در مقیــاس بلندمــدت، ۷۰ میل یمتــر کمبــود بــارش داریــم کــه do, or eat something polarizing filter: a camera lens filter used to control the term average level of 228 millimeters,” ISNA quoted Sadeq معــادل ۲۷ درصــد اســت. .plane of polarization of light entering the lens Ziaeian as saying Supplementary vocabulary tripod: a three-legged stand for a camera filter:a lens screen of dyed gelatin or glass for controlling PREFIX/SUFFIX PHRASAL VERB IDIOM color or for diminishing the intensity of light exposure: the process of light hitting a photosensitive surface, “cardio-, cardi-” Mount up Cost the earth such as film or a digital image sensor shutter: a mechanical device for opening and closing the Meaning: heart Meaning: to gradually increase in amount Explanation: very expensive aperture of a camera lens to expose film For example: The cardiologist’s most important For example: At £6 a ticket, the cost quickly For example: She wears designer clothes that must wide angle lens: a lens which has a wide coverage angle so function is the identification and diagnosis of heart defects mounts up. cost the earth! it can take in a great deal of scene, usually any lens shorter and heart disease. than 42mm I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y FEBRUARY 14, 2019 WORLD IN FOCUS 13 PM Abdul-Mahdi: No foreign bases Nuclear deal exemplifies will be accepted on Iraqi soil success of diplomacy: 1 Abdul-Mahdi also hailed Iraq’s Speaking to reporters after flying from diplomat achievements in restoring stability after Baghdad to Brussels, Shanahan said he had defeating the Islamic State in Iraq and the assured Iraqi leaders that the U.S. would 1 Pointing to the U.S. withdrawal from the deal in May Levant (ISIL/Daesh) terrorist group, and stick to a limited military role there. 2018, he said that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) urged international support for the ongoing “I wanted to make clear to him (Ab- has reported for 13 times each time certifying Iran’s commitment reconstruction process. dul-Mahdi) that we recognize our role,” to its obligations whilst on the contrary the U.S. failed in this The premier said Iraq was open to en- he said. “We understand that we’re there “historic test” by violating its obligations. hanced cooperation and relations with Arab by invitation, and that we jointly share the and regional states in line with national resources and that we clearly recognize their interests. sovereignty.” Back in 2014, ISIL launched a campaign Shanahan further pointed out that he of attacks and vicious acts of bloodshed that had not raised the possibility of moving resulted in Iraq losing a third of its territory. additional U.S. troops to Iraq to offset the Iraqi army soldiers and allied fighters fought planned Syria withdrawal. back fiercely until they managed to recapture The U.S., backed by Britain, invaded the lost territory three years later. Iraq in 2003 on the false grounds that In December 2017, Iraq finally declared the former regime of Saddam Hussein the end of ISIL reign of terror, thanks to was in possession of weapons of mass Iran’s military advisory support. destruction. The U.S., however, has kept up its military Nine years of military campaign and tens presence in the country. lah Ali al-Sistani also rejected propositions During Tuesday’s meeting, the top Pen- of thousands of lost lives later, the invading The U.S. President Donald Trump sparked that Iraq would serve as a launching pad to tagon official said that his visit to Iraq was troops were finally pulled out from Iraq. a wave of condemnations in Iraq earlier this harm other countries. aimed at “listening to the Iraqi government’s But the U.S. returned to Iraq in 2014 month, when he said he intended to keep the The American president also raised the vision on the nature and future of relations once again with the proclaimed objective The ambassador also expressed Iran’s unhappiness with the U.S. troops there to keep a close eye on Iran. ire of Iraqis by making a surprise visit in between the two countries.” of fighting ISIL, leading a coalition of its European Union to fulfill its commitments since the U.S. aban- Reacting to those remarks days later, Ab- late December to the U.S. forces deployed He also claimed that American forces allies. The military campaign has cost many doned the deal. dul-Mahdi insisted that his country could to Anbar Province, with no stop in Baghdad. in Iraq were mainly tasked with combating civilian lives and inflicted damage on Iraqi “Unfortunately, other parties, including Europe, have not in no way be used for action against others. The move prompted calls for the expulsion ISIL and providing Iraqi forces with training infrastructure. yet been able to fulfill their obligations as a result of which the Iraq’s most senior Shia cleric Grand Ayatol- of U.S. troops. to eliminate terrorist remnants. (Source: Press TV) balance in the agreement has been disrupted.” After months of delay on January 31, France, Germany and Britain finally announced the creation of INSTEX, a special purpose vehicle aimed at facilitating legitimate trade between European economic operators and Iran. Ambassador Jahangiri said, “We hope that what the European Maduro calls for return of Venezuela’s UK-deposited gold Union recently unveiled as INSTEX could help both sides to enjoy Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro has called on Britain stolen from us,” said Maduro, who claims that aid would economic benefits of the JCPOA.” to return “more than 80 tons of gold” reserves deposited be a pretext to a foreign intervention. The European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, in London instead of sending humanitarian aid, in an in- “Send a convoy with the 80 tons of gold. Let it come, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, German Foreign terview with the BBC. the convoy of money, it’s our money. With that we could Minister Heiko Maas and British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt Venezuela is in the midst of an economic crisis as mil- solve our country’s problems.” has said INSTEX will support legitimate European trade with Iran. lions of people face shortages of basic necessities such as The government is hamstrung by a serious lack of li- It added that INSTEX will function under the highest in- food and medicines. quidity, aggravated by U.S. sanctions targeting both regime ternational standards with regards to anti-money laundering, But Maduro refuses to allow in aid sent by the United individuals and the state oil company PDVSA. combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) and EU and States to alleviate the crisis. Venezuela has spent months trying to repatriate its gold UN sanctions compliance. The socialist leader told the BBC, according to a tran- reserves from London. In May 2018, Trump unilaterally pulled the U.S. out of the script made public Tuesday, that his country may have “I hope there will be respect for international law and JCPOA and ordered reimposition of sanctions against Iran. The gold reserves weighing 80 tons or more deposited at the the Central Bank of Venezuela,” said Maduro, who is under first round of sanctions went into force on August 6 and the Bank of England. huge international pressure to leave power so self-pro- second round, which targets Iran’s oil exports and banks, were Maduro, who faces a challenge to his authority back claimed acting president Guaido can set up a transitional snapped back on November 4. home from opposition leader Juan Guaido, said the gold government and hold new elections. Maduro claims the government needs its foreign assets The U.S. has threatened to punish any company that do busi- is “legally Venezuela’s, it belongs to the Central Bank of “Hopefully justice will prevail and Venezuela won’t be to alleviate the shortages of food and medicines, which he ness with Iran. Venezuela.” expropriated of something it owns,” added the socialist leader. says is being used by the Washington-backed opposition Maduro says the U.S. has frozen $10 billion in Venezuelan Guaido, who is recognized as Venezuela’s true leader to paint a picture of a humanitarian crisis to justify a U.S. accounts through its sanctions. by around 50 countries, has asked the British government military intervention. Washington has said it will turn over control of those to ensure the Bank of England doesn’t release the gold or French corporate and investment bank Natixis claims Warsaw meeting: Roots of resources to Guaido once Maduro has been removed from other assets held there to Maduro. Venezuela has 31 tons of gold worth $1.3 billion stashed the crises in Middle East power. British Prime Minister Theresa May is one of the world in the Bank of England. “They should send a convoy with the dollars they’ve leaders to have recognized Guaido. (Source: AFP) Demonizing Iran will not help solve conflicts

UN warns of poverty despite unemployment decline 1 Later these Muslim youth, chief among them al-Qaeda members who were mostly from Arab countries, turned against The global unemployment rate inched down decline in global unemployment “is projected economic security, equal opportunities or number if not regulated properly. their masters and started terrorist activities in the Middle East last year, the United Nations says, warning to stall,” amid “uncertainty on many fronts,” scope for human development.” “Without the right policy measures it and other parts of the world. though that jobs often failed to guarantee and a “deteriorating economic outlook.” “Being in employment does not always could easily add to the informal labor force,” Add to this the U.S.-British invasion of Iraq in 2003 in violation decent living, with some 700 million workers The UN agency said it expected the guarantee a decent living,” ILO research di- she said. of international law and repeated warnings by international figures wallowing in poverty. jobless rate to remain at roughly the same rector Damian Grimshaw said in a statement, Among other issues highlighted in the of the time such as Kofi Annan, Jacques Chirac, Gerhard Schröder, Unemployment around the world fell level this year and in 2020, although the pointing out that “a full 700 million people report was the lack of progress in closing Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Nelson Mandela and many other dignitaries. last year to 5.0 percent -- from 5.1 percent number of unemployed people should are living in extreme or moderate poverty the gender gap in labor force participation, It is clear to the entire world that the U.S. invasion of Iraq, in 2017 -- for the first time dropping to the swell by two million to a total of 174 despite having employment.” especially in the Arab states, North Africa under the false claim that Saddam Hussein was hiding weapons level seen before the global financial crisis million next year as a result of the ex- The report found that a full 61 percent of and southern Asia. of mass destruction, not only led to unspeakable suffering for hit in 2008, the International Labor Organ- panding labor force. all workers worldwide, or two billion people, ILO found that just 48 percent of women the Iraqi people it also led to spread of terrorism and violence ization (ILO) said. In particular, the report highlight- are in so-called informal employment, with are in the workforce, compared to 75 percent in the region. But in its flagship “World Employment ed the hundreds of millions of people little to no social and contractual protections. of men, meaning that around three in five Some of those notorious terrorists in Iraq had become bat- and Social Outlook” trends report, the ILO who remain poor despite holding one Greenfield cautioned that some new and employed people last year were men. tle-hardened in Afghanistan and through their bigoted ideology also raised serious red flags about the health or more jobs. emerging business models, such as using In the Arab states, for instance, the report triggered civil war in Iraq. of the planet’s job market. In fact, it found that a majority of the 3.3 new technologies to create temporary work found that the unemployment rate for men When the Arab spring started people who were angry of the Deborah Greenfield, ILO’s deputy director billion people employed around the globe last through web-based platforms for things like stood at 15.6 percent. rulers and their corrupt systems rose up for a change but, without general, told journalists in Geneva that the year suffered a “lack of material well-being, ride-sharing services, could expand that (Source: AFP) the exception of Tunisia, the uprisings in the Arab world were misled and struggle for democracy and justice changed their place with terrorism and violence. Rich Arab nations in the Persian Gulf region were instru- mental in misleading pro-democracy movements in order to Australia to reopen offshore detention camp after losing vote prevent the spread of uprisings to their countries. Analysts say Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said the Australian gov- migrants and asylum seekers by sea. the conservative government’s harsh immigration policies. they transferred money and arms to terrorists in order to convey ernment would reopen its controversial offshore detention “It’s my job now to ensure the boats don’t come back,” Thousands of people have been sent to Manus and Nauru this message to the people that if they rise against their ruling center on Christmas Island, stepping up the conservative Morrison wrote on Twitter. “I will do everything with the under conditions widely condemned by the United Nations system they will become another Syria. administration’s hardline policies towards asylum seekers government’s power to ensure that what the Labor Party and human rights groups as a result of the policy. Some of those youth who had been trained and fought in and refugees in an immediate response to a historic defeat has done to weaken our borders does not result in boats A 2014 report by the Australian Human Rights Commission Afghanistan and years later committed many terror acts inside over the issue in parliament. coming to Australia.” documented serious levels of mental illness, trauma, depression, Iraq poured into Syria. Morrison on Wednesday approved the reopening of the David Manne, executive director at Refugee Legal, an self-harm, sexual assault and suicide among asylum seekers. Certain Arab countries’ support for radicals to topple the Syr- remote facility - closed only months ago - claiming the law independent community legal center specializing in refugee At least five people have committed suicide on Nauru ian government, which does not see eye to eye with Washington passed would increase the number of people seeking asylum and immigration law, said the detention center is inhumane since 2013. Seven have died on Manus during the same and its regional allies, was so great that it led to the birth of more and protection in Australia by sea. and should not be reopened. period, but several more have attempted suicide. terrorist groups such as ISIS who were crueler than al-Qaeda. The legislation allows refugees and asylum seekers held in Australia first began detaining asylum seekers in offshore The government has stopped publishing data on those If the U.S. did not fan the flames of religious bigotry in Af- existing offshore camps on Nauru and Papua New Guinea’s facilities after the Tampa incident in 2001 when it refused imprisoned in the centers, but campaigners estimate there ghanistan in the 1980s and did not invade Iraq, and also if certain Manus Island to travel to Australia for medical treatment a Norwegian ship that had rescued hundreds of Afghans are about 1,000 people living on the two islands. Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia did not support radicals in on the diagnosis of two doctors. from the sea to enter Australian waters. In the wake of the parliamentary defeat, Morrison refused Iraq and Syria today there were not such names as al-Qaeda, It was the first time in 80 years that an Australian govern- For the past decade, it has been official policy that anyone calls to step down or call an early election. ISIS, al-Nusra and some other terrorist groups. ment had lost a vote on its own legislation in the lower house. who claimed asylum after attempting to reach Australia Christmas Island is a remote Australian territory in the So it is clear that Washington, especially its current admin- The bill passed the upper house on Wednesday morning. by sea would be taken to an offshore camp with no hope of Indian Ocean some 2,300km northwest of Perth. Its de- istration, does not really seek a peaceful and stable Middle East. Morrison accused the opposition Australian Labor Party ever being allowed to settle in the country. The detention tention center once held thousands of people, but the last If it is really seeking ways to stabilize the region it must rectify of a bid to “weaken and compromise our borders” and said policy does not apply to those who arrive by plane. 35 detainees were taken off the island in October, when its mistakes; stop support for countries such as Saudi Arabia he was adopting “100 percent” a series of security service Morrison’s move comes as both parties gear up for a the camp was closed. which is the birthplace of the ideology of religious terrorism; recommendations on measures to prevent the arrival of general election due by May, and amid a fierce debate over (Source: agencies) pressure Saudi Arabia and the UAE to end their war on Yemen; and more importantly stop supporting Israel which has been acting for decades against all internationally accepted norms and international law. Though Washington, under European pressure, has been forced National strike brings Belgium to standstill to retitle the agenda of the Warsaw conference from demonizing Iran to a focus on peace and security in the Middle East, there is Belgium slowed to a standstill on Wednesday half the trains nation-wide would be cancelled altitude would be allowed to fly over the military alliance converging on the city. no doubt that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security as a national strike closed airports, shuttered because of the movement, but high speed country, the agency warned. “We have no indication of any impact of Advisor John Bolton, Vice President Mike Pence, and Israeli Prime businesses, and caused major disruption train traffic to London and Paris should be Skeyes was not able to say how many flights the strike on the meeting,” a NATO official Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will use the opportunity to vent to railways. mostly spared. or how many passengers would be affected. told AFP. their anger at Iran and say that Iran is the root of the problem. The strike, called by three unions, severely The air traffic control agency, Skeyes, Unions are calling for higher wages, put- Charleroi airport, the second largest in However, demonization of Iran will not solve any problem disrupted the country’s public transport, announced on Tuesday that it would not allow ting pressure on the right-of-center gov- Belgium and a local hub for low-cost giant so long as this policy continues. The Warsaw conference is in particularly in Brussels, where a meeting of any flights to or from the country because it ernment ahead of general elections in May. Ryanair, had already announced its closure. fact a disinformation campaign against Iran. To the surprise of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) could not determine with certainty which Brussels, home to NATO, will be hosting Belgium’s Brussels Airlines has cancelled Pompeo and his friends in Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the ministers was set to take place. employees would come to work. a meeting of defense ministers that day, with all its 222 flights. disinformation campaign in Warsaw faced a dead end before it The national railway company expected No aircraft flying below 8,000 meters officials from throughout the transatlantic (Source: AFP) started on Wednesday. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 14 WORLD SPORTS FEBRUARY 14, 2019

Japan minister sorry for ill How Mbappe usurped Neymar to Olympic swimmer gaffe Japan’s gaffe-prone Olympics Minister was forced to apologise become PSG’s main man Wednesday after suggesting that the leukaemia diagnosis of 18-year-old star swimmer Rikako Ikee could dampen enthusi- asm for the Tokyo 2020 Games. Beforehand all the talk had been of how much after all, is a man whose talent justified a $166 The shock announcement of Ikee -- widely considered the Paris Saint-Germain would miss Brazilian million price tag as an 18-year-old, whose poster girl for next year’s Olympics -- that she was battling the superstar Neymar for their Champions League goal sealed World Cup glory and whose 2018 disease touched the hearts of Japanese everywhere and sparked last-16 tie against Manchester United. saw him finish fourth in the Ballon d’Or vote. an outpouring of well-wishes. Come 10 p.m. on Tuesday nobody at Old His efforts were only handed a seven out However, the minister, Yoshitaka Sakurada, appeared to voice Trafford was talking about Neymar. All the of 10 by French newspaper L’Equipe, with sadness that Japan’s medal tally might be affected as a result. talk was about Kylian Mbappe. Di Maria topping the marks with an eight. “She is a potential gold medallist, an athlete in whom we have When Gianluigi Buffon made his Champi- Yet, bigger than his overall display was the great expectations. I’m really disappointed,” said the 69-year- ons League debut for Parma in 1997, Mbappe symbolism of Mbappe leading from the front old, according to local media. “When one person leads, she can was not yet an embryo. When Ole Gunnar in the absence of his Brazilian teammate, his boost the whole team. I am slightly worried that this type of Solskjaer -- then 26 -- scored the last-gasp reputational superior. excitement could wane.” goal that won Manchester United the 1999 It was Neymar who was brought in by Following a backlash from the public and opposition politicians, competition, Mbappe was just five months old. Qatar Sports Investments’ millions in or- Sakurada sought to clarify his stance and admitted his comments Last night, their paths crossed at Old der to facilitate nights like these, to act as “lacked consideration.” This is not the first time Sakurada has Trafford to devastating effect. a figurehead for an era of continental dom- made unwanted headlines. He attracted widespread ridicule when And while a eulogy of the Frenchman’s ination by the Paris club. Thus far, it is a he admitted that he “does not use computers” in his professional blistering pace and frightening speed of project from which the fruits have failed to life. He doubles as deputy chief of Japan’s cyber security strategy. thought is hardly a radical stance, his per- fully materialize. Even pre-Neymar, the 6-1 (Source: AFP) formance in Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-0 win rout at the hands of Barcelona in 2017 -- the felt like a significant moment for a man whose very definition of defeat stemming from the stock could scarcely be higher following last jaws of triumph -- proved a humiliating lesson summer’s World Cup. to a club desperate for European success. It is not that his talismanic virtuoso was “We need to stop with the scare stories,” for his side’s second goal. Last year, with Neymar in tow, they fell Bundesliga revenues up 10 unexpected, but that it went against the talk Mbappe told RMC Sport after the victory. As the Daily Telegraph’s Sam Wallace in the round of 16 -- comfortably disposed of the game’s pre-match buildup -- that PSG, “People need to stop being afraid. Of course, wrote: “This was Champions League foot- of by Real Madrid, a club whose Champions percent to $5 billion in 2017-18 beaten at Lyon nine days previous, might Neymar is hugely important and Cavani is ball played by grown-ups, and when Mbappe League pedigree, one feels, is all to which struggle in the absence of two thirds of their fundamental to us, but football is played on turned on the jets it felt like anything was PSG’s ambition aspires. Revenues for Bundesliga’s top two divisions in 2017-18 rose by big-name attacking trio. As well as Neymar, the pitch and we showed that today.” possible.” Chuck in the presence of a rejuvenated over 10 percent year-on-year to €4.42 billion (£3.88 billion), PSG was also missing Edinson Cavani. Of course, in Angel di Maria and Julian Even Solskjaer could not help but admire Paul Pogba -- another of France’s global marking the 14th consecutive year of growth, the German Football Prior to last night, Mbappe had contrib- Draxler, PSG’s front three remained well- the goal. He acknowledged: “The second goal stars, the pressure on Mbappe to perform League (DFL) said in its annual report on Wednesday. uted 71 goals in 71 games for the Paris club, stocked. In fact, Mbappe was rarely at his was quality -- the ground he makes up to get last night was immense. That he lived up to The DFL said revenues for the top two divisions in 2016-17 with 43 goals and 28 assists -- 47.9 percent clinical best. Yet, his sheer fleet of foot -- and into the box is brilliant.” both the hype and the reliance is, perhaps, was 4.01 billion euros while overall revenues have more than of which have directly involved either Ney- mind -- came to the fore as he raced into a It feels almost paradoxical to suggest that the greatest testament possible. doubled in the last decade. mar or Cavani. penalty area to latch onto Di Maria’s cross Mbappe’s display defied expectation -- this, (Source: CNN) The top league generated revenues of €3.81 billion, a 13 percent rise from 3.37 billion in 2016-17. “German professional football has continued its positive development. This is driven in particular by revenue from the PSG’s Di Maria expected United fans’ Hamilton hungry for more as new current national media contracts, which are reflected in the bal- ance sheets for the first time,” DFL Chief Executive Christian abuse, accused of swearing in reply Mercedes makes track debut Seifert said in a statement. “Digitalisation and globalisation will open up new oppor- tunities for German professional football in the coming years.” Revenues from media rights were up to €1.25 billion from €960 million due to the new broadcasting rights deal taking effect. German football, on club and national level, has not enjoyed major success since the 2014 World Cup win, with no Bundesliga team reaching the Champions League final since 2013 and the German national team crashing out of the group stage at last year’s World Cup in Russia. The Bundesliga, however, remains successful with match, advertising and media revenues all up from the previous fiscal year. Bundesliga clubs also pumped €177 million into youth devel- opment and academies, up from €163 million in 2016-17, with German players proving to be hot commodity in the international market during every transfer period. Germany overhauled its youth training system back in 2002 after a string of bad results by the national team. From 2002 to 2017-18 clubs have invested a total of €1.6 billion in their Paris Saint-Germain winger Angel Di Maria badly. I only had problems with the coach Formula One champions Mercedes ran onships. “The buzz really starts at the be- academies. said he fully expected a hostile reception [Louis van Gaal] here.” their new car for the first time at Silver- ginning of the year when you see the car “This is considered to be an investment in the future. The upon his return to former club Manchester Sources confirmed to ESPN FC that stone on Wednesday with title holder Lewis coming together. And then you get to the establishment and expansion of the targeted development of United on Tuesday night amid accusations Manchester United will open an investi- Hamilton saying he felt 2019 could turn shakedown and you get into the car — it new talent began many years ago and remains one of the quality that he swore at the home fans during his gation into the fans who threw objects onto out even better than last season. just never gets old,” he added. features of German football,” the DFL said. celebrations. the pitch, while a separate investigation With some other teams racing against Mercedes have also won the last five (Source: Reuters) Booed by United fans from the time he will look into damage reportedly caused time to get their new cars built and ready constructors’ championships but team boss stepped off the bus until he left the pitch in by PSG fans to 800 seats and the netting in for the start of pre-season testing in Spain Toto Wolff warned that rule changes could the 81st minute, Di Maria inspired PSG to front of the away end, which was torn down on Monday, Mercedes made sure they were shake things up. a 2-0 win in the first leg of the Champions Sourced said that fans also damaged on track in every respect. “We’re taking nothing for granted and League round of 16 tie at Old Trafford with two trams while making their way to the Hamilton’s Finnish team mate Valtteri there’s absolutely no feeling of entitlement Bremen will not release Japan’s two assists. stadium including punching a hole in the Bottas performed the initial shakedown to be at the front,” he said. Osako for Copa America The winger picked out Presnel Kimpem- roof of one of the carriages. And United laps as part of a 100 kilometre filming day, “In fact, with the regulation change for be from a corner for PSG’s opener in the are braced for a UEFA fine after a number with five-times world champion Hamilton the new season, every team can have a shot 53rd minute, before setting up Kylian of flares were set off by PSG supporters due to be in the car during the afternoon. at the title and we’re seeing all of them as Werder Bremen will not release Japan forward Yuya Osako for Mbappe with a cross to score the second shortly before kick off. “I completely switched off from racing a potential threat.” June’s Copa America as they are concerned the 28-year-old will seven minutes later. Di Maria cost a British record £59.7mil- for a while, trying to focus and re-centre Mercedes said the new car, sporting a suffer burnout due to his playing commitments with the national Di Maria kept his cool after a bottle lion when he joined United from Real Ma- myself and training hard for the new sea- similar silver livery and branding to last team, the Bundesliga club have said. of beer was thrown at him as he went to drid in August 2014 but left within a year, son. 2018 was a great year, but I feel like year’s model, had changed substantially Osako, who featured at last year’s World Cup in Russia, recently take a corner, while a water bottle was also having scored only four goals in 32 games 2019 can be even better,” Hamilton said. under the skin. Technical director James returned to Germany after scoring four goals for the Samurai thrown before PSG’s second goal. But he as Van Gaal’s tactics prevented him from “I want to achieve more, I want to con- Allison said the team had worked hard on Blue at the Asian Cup. “We are very concerned that Yuya was appeared to swear in English during the playing in his natural position as a winger. tinue to keep pushing. I feel energised and the suspension and aerodynamics to deliver fit to play in the Asian Cup semi-finals and final, but hasn’t been goal celebrations in a video captured by The Argentine was sold to PSG the following I’m ready to attack.” a car that would be kinder to its tyres than able to play for us since returning to Bremen,” the club’s sporting BT Sport. summer for €63m (£44m). The Briton won 11 races last year on his last year and remain competitive at every director Frank Baumann said in a statement. “It was difficult from the opening min- Despite his starring performance, Di way to becoming only the third driver to win track on the calendar. “Of course we are not pleased with the current situation.” ute but I knew this was going to happen,” Maria was fortunate not to get injured when five titles and with a career tally of 73 wins “Components that we felt were stripped Japan have been invited to play in the Copa America to be Di Maria told Cadena Cope radio of the Ashley Young pushed him off the pitch and is now only 18 off Michael Schumacher’s to the bone in 2018 have been taken, one held in Brazil, starting June 14. atmosphere. “But I’ve said it in the past into a metal barrier before half-time -- a all-time record of 91. by one, and subjected to a further round of Bremen said they have informed the Japanese Football As- and I reiterate it, I never spoke badly of move that drew criticism from PSG coach Hamilton has also won 51 of the 100 aggressive analysis to shave further weight sociation of their decision. “Both the national association and the people here and of this club. These Thomas Tuchel after the game. grands prix in the V6 turbo era that started from them,” he added. Werder Bremen do not want one of Japan’s most important are things that happen and people took it (Source: Soccernet) in 2014 and four of the last five champi- (Source: Reuters) players to suffer from burn out,” added Baumann. (Source: Eurosport) Be like Mike: LeBron James wants to own an NBA team Icardi stripped of Inter Milan It has been said that Michael Jordan’s decision to sign with the past decade. This month Forbes estimated the Hornets Just as with his playing career when James has charted his Nike was one of the greatest deals in sports history, launching (nee Bobcats) are now worth more than $1.2 billion. own course but often looked toward Jordan for inspiration, captaincy a multibillion-dollar business, helping turn the company The Hornets have typically operated in the red but are someday James hopes to be hosting his own All-Star Weekend. into a basketball juggernaut and changing the game for buoyed by a robust revenue sharing system that funnels In reality, James is already a sports team owner. As part Mauro Icardi has been stripped of the Inter Milan captaincy in hundreds of athletes who came after him. tens of millions to Jordan annually to help make his team of a deal in 2011 with Fenway Sports Group, James received a favour of goalkeeper Samir Handanovic, the Italian club an- But what if it was only the second-best deal Jordan did profitable. For example, between 2012 and 2017, league small percentage of the English soccer powerhouse Liverpool nounced on Wednesday. in his lifetime? documents showed Jordan’s fellow owners sent him more FC. FSG bought the team for $477 million shortly before it The switch comes as Icardi, 25, has yet to sign a new contract In 2010, Jordan made an incredible transaction that than $130 million in revenue assistance. did the deal with James. The club is now valued at roughly amid protracted negotiations between the club and his wife Wanda might rival it, even if it doesn’t get the attention it deserves. This week, Jordan will host one of the NBA signature $2 billion. That James investment has gone quite well. Nara, who also acts as his agent. At the time, NBA franchise values had gone backward due events when the All-Star Weekend comes to Charlotte. The “I see LeBron owning multiple teams someday,” said “The new captain of the team is Samir Handanovic,” the Serie to the economy, Charlotte Bobcats owner Bob Johnson was city spent $34 million to help renovate the Spectrum Center Fenway Sports president Sam Kennedy. “Not just NBA, but A outfit tweeted. Inter are third in Serie A, 20 points behind deep in debt and the NBA was interested in helping Jordan to prepare for the event. perhaps international soccer and maybe in esports. One champions Juventus, and five points ahead of city rivals AC Milan get ownership of a team after previous attempts failed. When LeBron James arrives to lead Team LeBron against thing we’ve learned working with LeBron is that he sees in fourth. Luciano Spalletti’s side returned to winning ways last The result was a landmark deal that has matured into one Team Giannis, he will do so with admiration for what Jordan the big picture. He has a track record of making smart de- weekend against Parma having taken just one point from their of the great team purchases in recent history. Jordan got has done. The six championships and Hall of Fame career, cisions and looking for opportunities. He’s also been very three previous Serie A games. the Bobcats for a reported value of $275 million, but most of course, but James has been in awe of Jordan’s on-court successfully financially, and that’s what you have to do to Spalletti had after the game demanded a swift conclusion to of it was the assumption of debt. The NBA approved the accomplishments since he was a young boy. become a sports team owner.” the contract negotiations. The Chinese-owned club crashed out purchase with Jordan putting up just $30 million in cash, Jordan’s maneuvers and deal-making to become the There aren’t many former NBA players who’ve gone on to of the Champions League and travel to Rapid Vienna for their according to the Charlotte Observer, an arrangement the controlling owner of an NBA franchise has captured James’ become owners of NBA teams. It’s one of the reasons James Europe League round of 32, first-leg game on Thursday. league would almost certainly not approve today. attention anew as James matured from basketball star to has been drawn to two of them: Jordan and Magic Johnson, Icardi joined Inter in 2013 from Sampdoria, while Handanovic, Jordan has subsequently bought more shares in the team businessman. who owned 10 percent of the Los Angeles Lakers at one time 34, arrived in 2012 from Udinese. and now owns about 90 percent of the franchise. His ownership James and business partner Maverick Carter have made and is now one of the owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers. (Source: AFP) has lifted Jordan’s net worth by hundreds of millions over it clear their goal is sports team ownership in the future. (Source: ESPN) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y FEBRUARY 14, 2019 SPORTS 15

Iran to participate Olympic gold medalist Sohrab Moradi to undergo at 2019 Kuban spinal surgery SPORTS TEHRAN — Iran’s Olympic gold medalist deskSohrab Moradi will undergo spinal surgery, Gholamreza Norouzi, Iran’s Sports Medicine Federation, announced. Spring Women According to Norouzi, Moradi will be sidelined for between six to nine months. U-19 Tournament

SPORTS TEHRAN — Iran will March 1 with a match against Belarus, desktake part at the 2019 while Russia meet Azerbaijan on the Kuban Spring Women U-19 Tournament same day. which will be held in Sochi, Russia. The Persians will face Russia and Defending champions Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan on March 3 and 5, respectively. Azerbaijan and Belarus will participate Iran prepare for the AFC U-19 Wom- in the competition which has been sched- en’s Championship Thailand 2019 Qualifi- uled for March 1-5. ers Round 2, where they have been drawn The format for the tournament will in Group B along with hosts Vietnam, tournament. They currently play for coach of Iran’s U19 women’s football be a single group of four teams, where two-time champions Korea Republic American clubs Emory University, team, told Tehran Times. Moradi cannot take part at the Fajr Weightlifting Cup and each participant will play all opponents. and Lebanon. Vanderbilt University, LA Galaxy and In 2008, the “Kuban Spring” began he will also miss 2019 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Based on the results of three rounds, The Round 2 Qualifiers will be played one plays in a top level club team. They a new countdown. The tournament was Ningbo, China. Both competitions will serve as the 2020 Summer the champion and prize-winners of the over three matchdays from April 26 to 30. are very talented players. And they will transformed into the international fes- Olympics qualifiers. “Kuban Spring-2019” will be determined. “We have four players who will join fit in perfectly with the U19 team we are tival of women’s youth teams, having Moradi will likely miss the 2019 World Weightlifting Cham- Iran will kick off the campaign on our team to take part at Kuban Spring creating,” Katayoun Khosrowyar, head received support from FIFA. pionships in Pattaya, Thailand in September. “He needs to rest at least for between six to nine months but we will try to prepare him for the Olympics qualifications,” Iran’s Zob Ahan claim 2019 AFC Iran learn opponents at AFC U-19 Women’s Norouzi said. Moradi broke weightlifting’s longest standing world record on Champions League playoffs place Championship 2019 Qualifiers Round 2 his way to gold in the men’s 94kg class at the 2018 Asian Games. He lifted 189kg in the opening discipline to better the snatch record set at 188kg in 1999 by Greece’s Akakios Kakiasvilis.

Nepal put Iran to the sword as they clinch crucial 3-0 win

Nepal did their chances of reaching the Hero Gold Cup 2019 final a huge favor as they ran out comfortable 3-0 winners against IR Iran at Kalinga Stadium. The Nepal women’s team never really looked threatened in the game, and imposed their will on the opposition with quick passes and neat finishes. Though Iran did have their fair share of chances, especially TEHRAN — Iran’s because we defeated a team who had not Kuala Lumpur: Eight teams discovered performance in the previous round - one SPORTS in the first half, Nepal soaked up the pressure and launched a deskZob Ahan FC claimed lost in the past 18 months. I would like to their opponents for the next phase of qual- which saw them score 23 goals and concede continued attack to score three goals and kill the game off. a place in the 2019 AFC Champions League thank all the fans who came to stadium to ifying following the AFC U-19 Women’s none - when they go up against Uzbeki- The deadlock was broken in the 41st minute of the game, when playoffs after defeating Kuwaiti club Ku- support us. From now on, we concentrate Championship Thailand 2019 Qualifiers stan, hosts Myanmar and Nepal, who are Nepal player Anita Basnet managed to unleash a thunderbolt, wait 1-0 on Tuesday. on match against Al Gharafa in Doha and Round 2 official draw at AFC House on making their bid for a second AFC U-19 the volley rifling in the net from an acute angle. The Iranian outfit edged past their I think we can advance to the 2019 AFC Wednesday. Women’s Championship Finals appear- The goal just before the break seemed to give the leaders an rivals in extra-time in their Preliminary Champions League group stage,” Zob For the final round of qualifiers, eight ance, in Group A. added edge, and they approached the second half with similar vigor. Stage 2 tie at the Foolad Shahr Stadium Ahan coach Alireza Mansourian said. teams have been divided into two groups Meanwhile, in Group B, hosts Vietnam While Iran did hit the crossbar themselves, a goal in the 59th in Isfahan. “I also thank Sepahan coach Amir Gha- of four teams, with the group winners and will welcome two-time champions Korea minute from in-form Nepali star Sabitra seemed to end Iranian Osaguona Christian found the back lenoei because of supporting us ahead runners-up joining host nation Thailand, Republic, who have yet to miss an edition, hopes, as she beat the offside trap, went around the keeper and of the net in the 110th minute. of the match against Kuwait,” he added. reigning champions Japan, DPR Korea and as well as the Islamic Republic of Iran and calmly slotted into an empty net. Zob Ahan, the 2010 AFC Champions Earlier on the day, Saipa of Iran defeat- China PR in the Finals in October. Lebanon. That sort of calmness proved to be the difference, and Sabitra League runners-up, will meet Al Gharafa ed Indian football club Minerva Punjab Australia, who are aiming to return The Round 2 Qualifiers will be played got her second of the game late on as Iran tried to push bodies of Qatar next week. 4-0 and will face Qatari club Al Rayyan to the Finals after finishing fourth in the over three matchdays from April 26 to 30. forward. She picked the ball up in her own half, and drove into “I am very very happy due to this win in the playoffs next week. 2017 edition, will look to build on a strong (Source: the-afc) the opposition area with purpose, before shooting from distance and hitting the back of the net. This result puts immense pressure on India, who take on Female boxers allowed to wear hijabs Myanmar in the second game of the night knowing they need to win handsomely to better Nepal and reach the final. Female boxers will now be permitted to wear sport hijabs bar the use of the garments during the event to ensure (Source: Fox Sports) at major International Boxing Association (AIBA) events female Muslim athletes can compete free from religious under a rule change passed by the governing body’s Ex- restrictions. ecutive Committee. AIBA also confirmed the new protest bout rule was In a statement released following the latest Executive passed with unanimous support. Nishikori rallies to overcome Committee meeting in Istanbul, AIBA said women would It will give National Federations the chance to appeal be allowed to wear them “should they want to due to what they feel are incorrect decisions made during events tough Rotterdam opener religious reasons”. using a video review system. The change was confirmed after AIBA updated its Judging has been outlined as one of the main con- uniform guidelines, which also features a rule that they cerns the International Olympic Committee has with Top seed Kei Nishikori was tested by a stubborn opponent be- can include colors of countries. AIBA, who will be hopeful the system will improve the fore finally putting away Pierre-Hugues Herbert 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 on The alteration regarding the hijab, a veil worn by some standard of officiating. Tuesday at the Rotterdam Open. Muslim women, sees the AIBA follow other governing It is not exactly clear when the rule will first feature The Japanese world number seven needed an hour and a quarter bodies in authorizing their use during competition. at a major AIBA event. to get on track against a player who had reached the Montpellier They have been used by women in sports including “The new protest bout rule is one of the most brilliant final barely 48 hours earlier against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Second seed Karen Khachanov, winner of the Paris Masters fencing, volleyball and basketball. Women’s Rights recently caused controversy, however, rules, by introducing this amendment we are ensuring title last November, fell in a shock to Dutch wildcard Tallon At Rio 2016, fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad became the by claiming the hijab and other items of Islamic clothing fair-play and growing the trust from the boxers and ex- Griekspoor, who recovered for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 upset of the Russian. first Muslim American woman to wear a hijab while should be banned during the 2024 Olympic and Paralym- panding our fan’s experiences, said Azerbaijan’s Executive The defeat leaves Khachanov winless here in three attempts. competing for the United States in the Olympics. pic Games in Paris. Committee member Suleyman Mikayilov. Victory marked the second Rotterdam upset for the 211th-ranked French feminist group the International League for The group called on the Organizing Committee to (Source: Insidethegames) local, who put out Stan Wawrinka a year ago in his hometown for his first career ATP Tour-level win. Nishikori finally earned his first break well into the evening Tokyo 2020: Construction Iran discover fate at Women’s Olympic against Herbert, taking a 3-1 lead in the second set after drop- ping the first. progress made Football Qualifiers That opened the floodgates, with Asia’s top player quickly The Tokyo 2020 Organizing Commit- 12 teams discovered their opponents for finding his recovery mode to run out the tight first-round vic- tee has published an update on the the Women’s Olympic Football Tour- tory after two hours and 10 minutes, saving break points as he construction status, including new nament 2020 Asian Qualifiers Round served out the win. photo and film material to show the 2 following the official draw ceremony Nishikori could not have asked for a more difficult Rotterdam progress that is being made ahead of at AFC House on Wednesday. debut as he faced the 36th-ranked Frenchman. the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Round Two sees 12 teams divided into “It wasn’t easy, as he was playing good tennis and serving Construction of new major per- three groups of four, with the respective well,” Nishikori said. manent venues, such as the Olympic group winners advancing to the final (Source: AFP) stadium and Tokyo Aquatics Centre, round of qualifiers. is around 60 per cent complete. These In Group A, 2016 SAFF champions venues are expected to serve the people India will have hosts Myanmar for com- K-League again rated best of Tokyo for decades to come. pany as well as first-time participants, The Olympic stadium will stage both Indonesia, who finished ninth at the 2018 national football the Opening and Closing Ceremonies Asian Games in Palembang, and Nepal. of the Paralympics, as well as the ath- Jordan, who will be looking to build league in Asia letics events. on their impressive form after clinching The Sea Forest Waterway, Kasai their fourth WAFF Women’s Champion- Korea’s football league was named the best in Asia in the latest Canoe Slalom Course, Yumenoshi- agement-matters, but it will not have ship title early this year, are pitted against Korea Republic, China PR and Thailand rankings of the world’s strongest national leagues released by ma Park Archery Field and Olympic an impact on the preparation for the Vietnam, Hong Kong and reigning Central in two groups of four, with the top two the International Federation of Football History and Statistics. and Paralympic Village have achieved Games as Tokyo 2020 has assured. Asia champions Uzbekistan in Group B. teams from each group advancing to Overall Korea placed 19th, up nine spots form the previous year. more than 70 per cent of completion. Tokyo 2020 will take place between Meanwhile, in Group C, Chinese the play-offs. The K-League maintained the top spot in Asia for the eighth The Olympic/Paralympic Village 25 August and 6 September and will Taipei, Islamic Republic of Iran and The two winners from the play-offs consecutive year, followed by the Stars League of Qatar at 39th, the will have 21 flat-type buildings and feature 4,400 athletes competing in Palestine will join the Philippines who will then qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Chinese Super League at 44th and the J-League of Japan at 45th. provide 8,000 beds for the Paralympics. 22 sports across 540 medal events. are making a return to the competi- Olympics with hosts and reigning Asian The Spanish La Liga topped the ranking for the 9th year in a row. It will be finished by November 2019. Badminton and taekwondo will be tion following their success at the 2018 champions Japan. The IFFHS has ranked professional football leagues around Construction of a section of the the two sports making their Paralympic Women’s Asian Cup. The Round 2 Qualifiers will be played the world based on the results of each country’s top five teams Canoe Slalom Centre has been post- debut in Tokyo. In the final round, the successful April 1-9, 2019. in its league since 1991. poned due to operational and man- (Source: Paralympic.org) sides will join Australia, DPR Korea, (Source: the-afc) Source: (The Chosun) Prayer Times Noon:12:19 Evening: 18:03 Dawn: 5:28 (tomorrow) Sunrise: 6:52 (tomorrow) FEBRUARY 14, 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 “African Violets” blooms [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 www.eshterak.ir Distributor: Padideh Novin Co. at French festival Tel: 88911433 Webmaster: [email protected] ARTTEHRAN – “African Printed at: Hamshahri No. 3 - ISSN: 1017-94 deskViolets”, Iranian director Mona Zandi-Haqiqi’s drama that presents a Tehrantimes79 Tehrantimesdaily new image of Iranian women, won two awards at the 25th Vesoul International Film Festival No. 18, Bimeh Alley, Nejatollahi St., Tehran, Iran of Asian Cinema in France, the organizers P.o. Box: 14155-4843 announced on Tuesday. Zip Code: 1599814713 The film won the High School Award, which is presented by a jury selected by Vesoul’s Belin High School. The jury decides on the best fiction feature amidst a selection of movies shown for the very first time in France. “African Violets” also shared the audience award for a fiction film with “Waiting for Sunset” by Carlo Enciso Catu from the Philippines. Starring Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, Reza GUIDE TO Babak and Saeid Aqakhani, “African Violets” SPIRITUAL AWAKENING is about a woman who chooses to look after her former husband who is suffering from an illness. He who is slow in his work can never succeed or In addition, “Rona, Azim’s Mother”, a co- advance, even with all his greatness and rank. production between Afghanistan and Iran, Imam Ali (AS) received the Grand Jury Award. The Tehran- based Afghan brothers Jamshid and Navid Mahmudi are the director and producer of the film whose story is set in Tehran. Starring Iranian actors Mohsen Art initiative hopes to bring Tanabandeh and Mojtaba Pirzadeh, the film is about Azim, an Afghan refugee who back copperware to modern works as a janitor in Tehran. While helping life in Iran his mother and his brother’s family plan to smuggle themselves into Germany, he feels ARTTEHRAN – Young artists Negin Golchinpur and betrayed by his brother when he abandons deskAbnus Alborzi have initiated an art project, which their mother. Fatemeh Motamed-Arya acts in a scene from “African Violets” by Mona Zandi-Haqiqi. aims to bring back copperware to modern life in Iran. The organizers also handed the Golden They launched the project named “Dharma Handicrafts” three Rickshaw Award to “Jinpa” by Pema Tseden given to “Sub-Zero Wind” by Kim Yu-ri from The audience award for documentary Michel Corillion, a co-production between years ago, and during the interim have crafted a large collection of from China, and the special jury prize was South Korea. went to “A Road for Xiao Jiang” by Jean- China and France. copperware, which includes cookware, plates and vases. Film composer Dimitri Tiomkin’s Moscow center displays photos works to be reviewed at Tehran center of Islamic Revolution

This picture shows a selection of the Dharma Handicrafts going on display at Mess Negar Gallery. A new collection of beautiful copper trays, vases, lamps and dishes is scheduled to be showcased in an exhibit opening at Tehran’s Mess Negar Gallery on Friday. The two have carried out research on different art styles common among ancient Iranian tribes and have updated the primeval motifs, images and styles to achieve a new form of visual symbols, the gallery said in a press release published on Wednesday. Negin and Abnus hope every family decorates its house with practical dishes, which bear symbols of Iranian traditional art and culture. They would like their handmade dishes to find their ways onto Film composer Dimitri Zinovievich Tiomkin in an undated photo. This combination photo shows Russian art lovers visiting an exhibition of photos of tables rather than being kept on window sills for decoration. the 1979 Islamic Revolution at the Islamic Center of Moscow. ART Seen in the collection are handmade copper and brass dishes mostly TEHRAN – Film Tiomkin (1894-1979) was famous desk ARTTEHRAN – The Islamic of the center, Ehsan Baqeri, and a number used for the Haft Seen spread, an arrangement of seven symbolic scores by Russian- for scoring Western films, including deskCenter of Moscow is of Russian journalists. items all of which start with the letter ‘S’ in the Persian language as a born American composer Dimitri “Duel in the Sun”, “Red River”, “High playing host to an exhibition of photos by The photos have been selected from the gesture to welcome Noruz, the Iranian new year. Zinovievich Tiomkin will be reviewed Noon”, “The Big Sky”, “Gunfight at the veteran Iranian photographers to mark the collection “Pains and Gains”, which is currently The exhibit will be running until February 22 at the gallery that can during a session today at the Niavaran O.K. Corral” and “Last Train from Gun 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. on view at the Iran Photographers Center be found at No. 5 in the Park Prince Building on Molla Sadra Highway. Cultural Center in Tehran. Hill”. Iranian musician and translator He received twenty-two Academy Organized by the Iran Photographers in Tehran. Nasrollah Davudi is scheduled to Award nominations and won four Center, the exhibit opened on Monday during The collection depicts the critical moments Bestseller “To All the Boys attend the session. Oscars for his work. a special ceremony attended by the director of the early days of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. I’ve Loved Before” published in Persian “&” to take music aficionados on tour of East CULTURE TEHRAN – Korean-American author Jenny ARTTEHRAN – Young music duo Amir- virtuoso Eskandari said. deskHan’s bestselling novel “To All the Boys I’ve Loved deskFarhang Eskandari and Zakaria Yusefi The album, which is scheduled to be released by the Before” has recently been published in Persian by Sang Publications have said that their fans will have a musical journey to Rahgozare Haft Eqlim label on March 1, contains 12 in Tehran. the East by listening to their new album “&”. tracks, some of which have been improvised. Translated by Reza Eskandari, In a press release published on Wednesday, they said “You will listen to the improvisations performed in the 2014 young adult romance novel that the album features a new method of playing the oud the Shur, Homayun and Nava dastgahs, which will take is about a teenage girl, Lara Jean, and percussion instruments based on elements from you on a musical journey to the East,” he added. who keeps love letters to all the boys Eastern music. Percussionist Yusefi said, “We have tried not to she has ever loved in a box given to “This album features a dialogue between the oud sacrifice the ambiance of the collection for the sake of her by her late mother. One night, and percussion instruments; a collection that returns technical matters, something that nowadays has become her little sister, Kitty, sneaks into to the roots and is sentimental at the same time,” oud fairly commonplace.” Music duo Amir-Farhang Eskandari (L) and Zakaria Yusefi. her room, finds her collection of letters and posts them to the boys. The novel was followed by two sequels, “P.S. I Still Love You”, in George Clooney’s “Catch-22” reflects on “insanity” of war 2015 and “Always and Forever, Lara Jean” in 2017. PASADENA, California (Reuters) — George Clooney, who who is infuriated that the army keeps raising the number of Front cover of the Persian ver- A screen adaptation of the nov- returns to TV for the first time in 20 years with an adaptation missions he must fly to be released from duty. Yossarian’s only sion of “To All the Boys I’ve el was made by American director of the classic novel “Catch-22,” said on Monday the Hulu way to avoid the missions is to declare insanity, but the only Loved Before” by Jenny Han. Susan Johnson in 2018. series set in World War II aims to tell a timeless story about way to prove insanity is a willingness to embark on more of the “insanity” of war. the highly dangerous bombing runs, thus creating the novel’s At a preview for reporters, Clooney said he initially resisted absurd ‘catch-22.’ the idea of taking on Joseph Heller’s 1961 book about member of It was made into a 1970 movie directed by Mike Nichols NEWS IN BRIEF a U.S. bomber squadron fighting the higher-ups in the military with Alan Arkin as Yossarian. Painting bureaucracy. “I think we all wake up every morning these days in this “It’s a beloved novel,” Clooney, who also served as kind of shared global anxiety condition, and this novel is a exhibition to raise executive producer and directed two episodes, said at a beautiful distillation, or a prophetic distillation of that,” said Television Critics Association event. “I didn’t want to get co-writer Luke Davies. funds for people into the middle of that.” Christopher Abbott stars as Yossarian and Kyle Chandler with cancer He said he was drawn in because the writers “did an plays his commander, Colonel Cathcart. Clooney originally amazing job unspooling these characters” for the six-episode planned to play Cathcart but instead took a supporting role ARTTEHRAN – An exhibition of paintings by series that will be released on Hulu on May 17. as training commander Scheisskopf. deskIranian artist Katayun Giti will open at the That allows the series to expand on Heller’s story, which Clooney, 57, last appeared on television 20 years ago as Dr. gallery of the Behnam Daheshpur Charity Organization on Clooney said was meant “to make fun of all the red tape and Doug Ross in hit medical drama “ER.” He then built a successful Friday to raise funds for people suffering from cancer. bureaucracy of war and the ridiculousness of war.” Actor, executive producer, and director George Clooney film career with movies including “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Gravity” The showcase entitled “Dream” will run until February 20 “I think it still plays,” he added. “All of us spend our days speaks on a panel for the Hulu series “Catch-22”, during and “Up in the Air.” at the gallery located at 13 Marmari Alley, off Masjedi Alley, and nights worrying about those situations. This story is just the Television Critics Association (TCA) Winter Press Tour The actor said he was happy to come back to television. Jabarian St. in the Farmanieh neighborhood. reflecting on the insanity of it.” in Pasadena, California, U.S., February 11, 2019. (Reuters/ “I don’t care about the medium,” Clooney said. “I just care “Catch-22” follows a U.S. bombardier named Yossarian Lucy Nicholson) about the quality of the work and what we’re able to do.”